Naruto: With the Right Pay, Kick Out the Five Kage

In the real world, the Chakra cloak covering Kushina's body gradually calmed down.

Although the dark red Chakra still gave off a menacing aura, it was no longer as aggressive as before.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's (Third Hokage's) expression shifted slightly upon witnessing this scene.

A faint smile appeared on Minato's face.

"Did it succeed?"

His tone was filled with hope.

If Kushina could successfully master the power of the Nine Tails—

Coupled with her already formidable sealing techniques as a member of the Uzumaki clan—

Then Konoha would gain another powerful combat force.

In the face of the upcoming, chaotic international situation, it would significantly boost their confidence.

The Third Hokage nodded slightly, but his heart was shaken.

He had originally expected that it would take Simu several attempts, and at least a few months, to suppress the Nine Tails.

He never expected him to succeed this quickly…

Even when he was in his prime, he wouldn't have dared to claim he could pull off such a feat.

He looked at Simu's young face, filled with amazement.

Just how much power is this kid hiding?

The more he understood, the more astonished he became.

If his original plan was to mold Simu into Konoha's sharpest sword—

Now it felt like he could no longer control that blade.

The flicker of emotion on his face vanished quickly as he regained composure.

"The alert can be lifted," the Third Hokage said calmly.

The surrounding Anbu finally exhaled in relief.

Even with so many elite shinobi present, the threat of a rampaging Nine Tails Jinchūriki had weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Fortunately, Master Simu had succeeded.

The shinobi around began to look at Simu with new eyes.

With Simu's dazzling achievements on the battlefield in recent years, his name had become increasingly revered among Konoha's ranks.

The consensus about him was overwhelmingly positive.

Aside from a bit of laziness, he had few flaws.

Even the Anbu—Hokage's own personal unit—couldn't help but admire him.

The dark red Chakra around Kushina slowly faded away.

She opened her eyes again.

A red gleam flashed across her blue pupils.

A pale white wisp of soul exited her body—

Traveled along Yamanaka Inoichi's mental pathway—

And returned to Simu's body.

"Did it work?" Minato asked eagerly.

Even Shikaku, usually calm and composed, showed a rare hint of excitement.

Kushina nodded.

She opened her palm, and the dark red Chakra instantly condensed into a massive claw.

A sharp and dangerous energy spread through the air.

No one could doubt the power of that claw.

It could easily tear a house apart with a single swipe.

"All thanks to Simu," Kushina said brightly, her smile as radiant as the sun.

Seeing her so joyful, Simu smiled too.

He replied casually, "It was nothing."

Shikaku rolled his eyes.

"You really know how to downplay the most absurd things."

Minato also looked at him with helpless amusement.

The Third Hokage watched the scene quietly, then let out a long sigh.

"It seems the world truly belongs to your generation now. Konoha's future rests in your hands."

Hearing the Third Hokage's sentimental words, Simu raised an eyebrow.

"Uncle Third, you're not that old. Isn't it too early to be talking like that?"

The old man chuckled, then turned to Kushina.

"Since you've gained control over the Nine Tails' power, you should spend some time getting familiar with it."

"Understood, Lord Third," Kushina responded quickly.

When she was a child, she used to call him "Third, Third!" all the time.

Now that she'd grown up, she acted more reserved—

Though Simu still referred to him as "Uncle Third" without hesitation.

The Third Hokage clapped his hands.

"Everyone's done well. Go get some rest. Dismissed."

"Yes!"

In a flash, all the Anbu vanished.

The Third Hokage also returned to the Hokage office to resume his duties.

Only Simu, Kushina, Minato, Shikaku, and Inoichi remained.

Shikaku stretched and said lazily,

"Now that it's over, I'm going home to sleep."

Simu suddenly said,

"To thank Inoichi for his help, I'll treat everyone to barbecue tonight. My treat."

Yamanaka Inoichi scratched his head sheepishly.

"I didn't really do that much..."

In the end, Kushina was the one who made the final breakthrough.

"It's rare for Simu to treat us, let's go!"

Kushina hooked her arm around Simu's growing bicep and pushed him toward the barbecue restaurant.

Lu Jiu and the others exchanged glances and shook their heads.

"Since it's Simu's treat, then we definitely have to bring that glutton Choza with us."

"That's right. I heard Simu has saved a lot of money over the past two years—we have to take full advantage of this!"

Minato chimed in with a grin.

Hearing their casual banter, Yamanaka Inoichi finally relaxed and stopped feeling awkward. He immediately used the Yamanaka clan's secret technique to lock onto Choza Akimichi's chakra and sent him a telepathic message:

"Simu's treating us. Come get some barbecue!"

Upon receiving the message, Choza leapt out of bed and shouted:

"Mom! No need to make dinner tonight—I'm going out for barbecue!"

With that, he rushed toward the restaurant.

Haruno Zhao, the owner of the barbecue shop, beamed when he saw Simu and Choza walk in. These two were among his top three biggest-spending customers.

Rubbing his hands together, Haruno greeted them eagerly:

"Miss Rei didn't come today?"

Since Simu frequently ate here, he and Haruno Zhao had become half-friends.

"Disappointed, huh? Rei's out on a mission."

Kushina replied with a smile, but there was a subtle gleam of danger in her eyes.

Although she usually got along very well with Rei, she didn't like it when others immediately associated Simu with Rei. It was an instinctive, competitive streak unique to women in matters like this.

Uchiha Mikoto stood quietly on the other side of Simu. With her gentle nature, she smiled slightly at Haruno Zhao, as if offering a polite apology for Kushina's behavior.

"..."

Haruno Zhao seemed to sense the atmosphere and quickly waved them inside.

"Everyone, come in! Please, this way!"

Watching Simu flanked by two beautiful women, Lu Jiu let out a quiet sigh.

"Women really are troublesome. That guy Simu has three of them around him—how pitiful."

Minato smiled faintly.

"That's where you don't understand Simu, Lu Jiu."

Lu Jiu shrugged. "I don't see the appeal. What fun is there in dealing with women?"

Choza nodded seriously. "Eating barbecue is way more important."

Minato smiled helplessly. He had nothing to say to these two.

As expected, Simu and Choza quickly stacked a tall tower of empty plates in front of them, exceeding even Haruno Zhao's expectations.

Lu Jiu, hands in his pockets, glanced at Simu and said calmly:

"Come on, Simu. You're not usually this generous. What do you want from us this time?"

Simu looked in despair at the last piece of meat being snatched by Choza, scratched his head, and said a little sheepishly:

"As expected of Lu Jiu... you saw right through me."

His expression turned serious.

"I need your help with a mission."

"A mission?"

A bad feeling crept into Lu Jiu's gut. If this guy needed help, it definitely wasn't something simple.

Simu pulled out a thick folder.

It contained intelligence compiled by Anbu about nobles across various regions—and some highly confidential data personally gathered through the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce.

Lu Jiu opened the folder. His pupils shrank slightly.

Clearly, what he read inside shook his worldview.

Seeing his reaction, the others quickly quieted down.

After a long pause, Lu Jiu placed the folder back on the table and asked, voice low and dry:

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Simu looked him in the eye and replied:

"I want you to help me."

Minato and the others took a look through the file as well, and their expressions turned grim.

Lu Jiu clasped his hands together. Though his fingers trembled slightly, his tone remained steady.

As a senior member of the Konoha ninja clans—a strategist who had survived countless battles—even he hadn't imagined that the Fire Nation's noble class had been secretly engaging in such atrocities for so long.

"How do you want me to help?"

"I want you to lead the operation."

Lu Jiu immediately understood Simu's intent.

"You mean… you want me to command the entire mission?"

"Exactly."

Simu nodded.

The Fire Nation's territory was massive.

Although the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce had enough manpower, they lacked the experience and coordination required for an operation of this scale.

Someone with Lu Jiu's intellect and tactical genius was the best fit.

There was no way Simu was going to let such a valuable mind go to waste.

"If we involve Konoha's shinobi and they get exposed..."

Lu Jiu's voice was cautious.

If the daimyo of the Fire Nation discovered Konoha's involvement, it would cause a political catastrophe. They would be at each other's throats.

After all, what Simu was proposing meant digging up the noble class's dirty secrets.

"Don't worry. Apart from us, no other Konoha shinobi will be involved."

Simu pulled out another document with confidence.

It listed the personnel of the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce stationed across the Fire Nation, as well as the locations of their strongholds.

Lu Jiu's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Looks like you've been planning this for a long time."

Simu replied calmly:

"It just happened to work out that way."

In truth, even he hadn't expected Hyuga Tokumitsu to be so capable in business.

But business wasn't enough. Simu needed more than just money—he needed brains.

And Lu Jiu was an essential piece of the puzzle.

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