The most dramatic event was the ninja who had been saved by Hatake Sakumo, only to later step forward and accuse him.
Three days after Sakumo's death, that same ninja also committed suicide at home.
Public opinion in Konoha shifted.
People started talking about how great Hatake Sakumo had been during his lifetime, how much he had contributed to Konoha, and so on.
But Sakumo could no longer hear any of it.
And the child who had lost his father, whose temperament had drastically changed and who could no longer sleep at night, didn't care anymore.
His only close family member was gone.
Even though Simu had come from a different world, he felt that some things were universal.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with him.
Konoha's group of 30 had already set off for the Jonin Exam trial site—the Land of Iron.
The Land of Iron was one of the two permanently neutral countries in the ninja world.
The other was the Land of Demons, which upheld a culture centered around priestesses.
Unlike other nations, the Land of Iron did not embrace the way of the ninja.
Instead, they revered physical strength and the way of the samurai.
Because of this, during Hashirama Senju's era, the Great Nations agreed that no ninja village would be allowed to attack the Land of Iron—unless the country itself broke its neutrality by participating in ninja world conflicts.
However, for all these years, the Land of Iron had strictly maintained its neutrality.
During both Great Ninja Wars, it refrained from taking sides, only assisting struggling refugees, without ever deploying its warriors onto the battlefield.
This neutrality granted it a unique and detached status in the ninja world.
That was why the Four Great Nations chose the Land of Iron as the Jonin Exam's venue.
The goal was to ensure fairness in the competition and guarantee the candidates' safety.
Any nation that violated the exam's rules would be jointly sanctioned by the others.
Konoha, in particular, had invested heavily in this exam.
A total of 21 ninjas from seven teams were participating.
Essentially, every notable ninja clan in Konoha had sent representatives, including the Akamichi, Yamanaka, Kurama, Aburame, Nara, and Inuzuka clans.
Some participants stood out to Simu as particularly familiar.
For instance, there was the second son of the Hyuga clan's head, Hyuga Hizashi.
This unlucky guy, who would one day die in place of his brother, seemed lost in thought.
Then there was Nara Shikaku, the future head strategist of Konoha and the future patriarch of the Nara clan.
And, of course, Uchiha Fugaku, the future head of the Uchiha clan, was also participating.
If Simu recalled correctly, Fugaku was about a year older than him.
Taking the Jonin exam at this age was considered quite an achievement.
But, of course, compared to Simu, who had essentially been "fast-tracked," it wasn't that impressive.
One other notable participant was Uchiha Mikoto, Fugaku's future wife.
Looking at this lineup, the competition could only be described as luxurious.
Both the Uchiha and Nara clans had sent their future patriarchs.
The Hyuga clan had sent the patriarch's second son.
If the other ninja clans had suitable candidates, they would have sent them as well.
After all, this was the first joint Jonin exam in history.
Whoever emerged victorious would be recognized as the strongest of their generation in the entire ninja world.
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes burned with determination.
Before departing, the Uchiha clan leader had personally instructed him:
"You must win this exam. Show the world Uchiha's true power!"
And Fugaku himself was confident.
Of course, not everyone was as enthusiastic about this exam.
Minato was participating purely for Konoha's glory.
As for Simu?
He was just forced into it.
He would have refused if he could.
Unfortunately, he couldn't.
There was another person who also seemed reluctant—Nara Shikaku.
So, along the way, Simu and Shikaku ended up sticking together.
"This exam is such a waste of time," Shikaku sighed.
"I think so too," Simu replied.
"You feel the same way?" Shikaku raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. I'd rather be napping at home."
"Exactly! I'd rather stay home and play shogi with the old man."
"Ah, a kindred spirit!"
Simu's eyes lit up.
After feeling so alone in his way of thinking, he had finally found someone who understood him—first Katsuyu, and now Shikaku.
Shikaku, too, seemed pleased to have found a like-minded companion.
Meanwhile, Kushina watched the two with an annoyed expression.
It was one thing for Simu to flirt with a little girl like Rei.
But now he was bonding with a guy like Shikaku?
Were men supposed to be fighting each other or flirting with each other?
"Alright, everyone, take a twenty-minute break!"
Jiraiya waved his hand, signaling a rest period.
Simu immediately got to work, using some branches to fashion a makeshift fishing rod.
"Shikaku, wanna go fishing?" he asked.
Shikaku was surprised. "That actually sounds pretty good. But…"
He pointed behind Simu.
A terrifying killing intent surged forth.
"HANYU SIMU, YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!"
BOOM!
Simu disappeared in a flash of light.
In the end, he had no choice but to take Kushina and Shikaku fishing together.
Shikaku and Simu enjoyed fishing, while Kushina sulked.
"It's been a long time since I've seen Shikaku get this close to someone," said Akimichi Choza, stuffing food into his mouth.
Yamanaka Inoichi nodded. "Hanyu Simu really gets along well with Shikaku."
Meanwhile, Uchiha Fugaku looked at Simu's back with disdain.
"Wasting time on nonsense," he scoffed.
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