After a six-day journey…
Konoha's group finally arrived in the Land of Iron.
The country was located in the far north, and by the time Simu and the others arrived, heavy snow was already falling.
The surrounding trees were bare, their branches and trunks covered in thick layers of white snow.
Simu sighed with regret.
Not only did he have to bundle up to keep warm, but the worst part was—the rivers were frozen.
"Damn, no way to fish," he lamented.
Even in this freezing weather, Simu still wore his coat of justice with pride.
Kushina, on the other hand, had changed into a winter outfit.
Underneath, she still wore a ninja suit designed for battle, but over it, she had draped a white cloak to shield herself from the harsh wind and cold.
Hearing Simu's complaint, Kushina rolled her eyes.
"You think about nothing but fishing all day long!"
"Hehe," Simu chuckled, scratching his head before casually placing a hand on Kushina's shoulder.
A faint golden glow flickered from his palm.
In the next moment, Kushina felt a rush of warmth spread through her body, driving out the chill.
It was warm and comforting.
"This idiot..." Kushina muttered, her cheeks flushing slightly.
This was a new application of Simu's Glint-Glint Fruit—using light to generate warmth.
Instantly, he had become the perfect human heater.
Simu wasn't the only one disappointed about the frozen rivers.
Even Nara Shikaku was sulking.
After all, Simu had made him a fishing rod, and he had grown quite fond of the sport.
As they trudged through the snow, Yamanaka Inoichi observed Simu from behind and asked:
"Shikaku, what kind of person do you think Simu is?"
Shikaku hesitated for a moment before replying,
"A lazy guy, just like me. But there's a more accurate way to describe him—a salted fish."
"We're all pretty much salted fish."
"The only difference is that he's ridiculously strong."
As the future head of the Nara Clan, Shikaku's observations were sharp.
Yamanaka Inoichi nodded slightly.
Meanwhile, Akimichi Chōza licked his frozen snot and grinned.
"That Simu guy is great! He always shares his grilled fish with me."
Over the past few days, every time Simu caught fish, he would grill some for Kushina and Minato.
As for the rest? It all went to Chōza.
Shikaku sighed.
"For Chōza, anyone who feeds him is a good person."
As the sun began to set, Jiraiya suddenly raised his hand and signaled to the group.
"Alright, listen up! We'll be arriving at the Land of Iron soon!"
Crossing the snow-covered mountains, they finally saw it—a village built entirely out of stone.
"So, this is the Land of Iron…"
Minato adjusted the brim of his hat as the cold wind howled around them.
"Yeah, I traveled here a few times when I was younger," Jiraiya said as he led the way into the samurai village.
At the entrance stood two heavily armed samurai.
Their bodies were completely encased in thick armor, leaving only their eyes visible through their helmets.
"This is a samurai? Man, they look scary…" Simu muttered under his breath.
Jiraiya shot him a glare.
"Simu, don't say anything stupid while we're here."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Simu sighed, restraining himself.
However, just because Konoha's group wasn't looking for trouble didn't mean that others weren't.
A sudden voice rang out—
"Hey, look who it is… Konoha's little brats."
A young girl landed gracefully in front of them, her forehead protector bearing the insignia of Kumogakure.
She tilted her head, her eyes scanning the group until they locked onto Simu.
"You're Hanyu Simu, right?"
Simu frowned.
Using Observation Haki, he instantly picked up on something unusual.
This girl… she had two auras.
One was her own—a normal youthful energy.
But the other…
It was violent. Chaotic.
"Just like Kushina."
Simu had only sensed this kind of presence once before—when he was near Kushina.
Because aside from Kushina's own energy, there was another powerful aura inside her.
The Nine-Tails.
A spark of interest flickered in Simu's eyes.
If his guess was correct, then this girl was a Jinchūriki.
And judging by the circumstances…
It could only be the Two-Tails Jinchūriki.
Both of Kumogakure's Eight-Tails Jinchūriki were male.
And Killer Bee was younger than Minato, meaning he probably hadn't become the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki yet.
So that left only one possibility—this girl had the Two-Tails.
Simu hadn't even responded yet when Kushina suddenly stepped forward.
"What do you want?"
Her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms.
Then, she turned to Simu and shot him a glare.
Her expression seemed to say:
"Since when did you start flirting with Cloud girls?"
Simu just shrugged.
"I don't even know her!"
Seeing Simu remain silent, the girl smirked.
"Tch, hiding behind a woman? Are you really that much of a coward?"
"What did you say?"
Kushina's temper flared instantly.
How could she tolerate someone insulting her beloved like that?
Her fists clenched, cracking loudly, as if she were ready to knock the girl's teeth out at any moment.
Just then, a voice called out—
"Doshi! Stop messing around and get back here!"
The Kumogakure Jōnin leading the group finally spoke up.
But Simu could tell through Observation Haki—this guy had been standing there for a while.
They weren't stopping her.
They had just been enjoying the show, watching her humiliate Konoha's ninjas.
The girl, Doshi, flicked her short blonde hair and sneered.
"Hmph. That ugly red-haired woman… I'll send both of you packing during the exams."
Her gaze swept over Simu one last time before she turned away and disappeared into the snowy winds.
Kushina cracked her knuckles, her killing intent still lingering.
Simu sighed.
"Looks like this Jonin Exam is going to be a pain in the ass..."
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