051 It Turns Out That Shikaku Is Also A Salted Fish 

The most dramatic is the ninja who was rescued by Hatake Sakumo and later jumped out to accuse him.

On the third day after Sakumo's death, he also committed suicide at home.

Konoha's public opinion changed.

People started to praise how great Sakumo had been, recalling his contributions and sacrifices for the village.

How much credit Hatake Sakumo has made for Konoha and so on.

But by then, it was too late. Sakumo Hatake could no longer hear their words of praise.

The boy, whose temperament changed drastically after his father's death and who now struggled with sleepless nights, had stopped caring about anything. His only close family member was gone. 

Even though they lived in different worlds, Simu believed that people shared certain universal feelings. 

But, of course, none of this really matters to him. 

Simu and his group of 30 from Konoha had already set off for the trial site of the Jōnin exam.

The Iron Country is one of the two permanent neutral nations in the ninja world, the other being the Land of Demons, which follows a tradition of witchcraft. 

Unlike other countries, the Iron Country does not embrace ninja culture. Instead, they value physical strength and the spirit of the samurai. 

During Hashirama's era, the major powers agreed that no ninja nation was allowed to attack the Iron Country, ensuring its neutrality.

Unless it broke the covenant by itself and took the lead in participating in disputes in the ninja world.

However, for many years, it has strictly maintained its neutrality. 

Even during the two ninja world wars, it stayed out of the fighting, only offering aid to struggling refugees. 

Not a single soldier was sent into battle.

This unwavering neutrality has earned the Iron Country a respected, independent position in the ninja world. 

That's why the Four Great Nations chose it as the site for the Jōnin joint exam this time.

The goal is to ensure a fair competition and the safety of all candidates. 

Any country that breaks the rules during the exam will face a joint attack from the other nations. 

Konoha has invested heavily in this exam, sending a total of 21 participants across seven teams. 

Basically all of Konoha's notable ninjas have sent representatives to compete.

The teams include members from the Akamichi, Yamanaka, Kurama, Aburame, Nara, and Inuzuka clans. 

Several faces are familiar to Simu. For instance, there's Hyuga Hizashi, the second son of the Hyuga clan leader—destined to sacrifice himself for his brother one day, now looking lost in thought. 

There's also Nara Shikaku, who will become Konoha's future chief strategist and leader of the Nara clan. 

And among them is Uchiha Fugaku, the future head of the Uchiha clan.

If Simu remembers correctly, Fugaku is about a year older than him. Taking the Jōnin exam at this age shows impressive progress. 

Of course, Simu's own skills are on a different level entirely. 

Interestingly, Uchiha Mikoto, who will become Fugaku's wife in the future, is also on the team. 

The lineup this time is truly remarkable, with both the Uchiha and Nara clans sending their future leaders to compete.

The Hyuga clan also sent their patriarch's second son, showing just how serious these ninja clans are about this exam. 

If other clans had suitable candidates, they likely would have sent them too. 

This is the first-ever joint Jōnin exam in the ninja world. Whoever triumphs here will be recognized as the strongest among their peers across all the villages. 

Uchiha Fugaku's eyes burned with determination. 

Before he left, the Uchiha clan leader had given him a clear directive: 

Win the championship and show the world the true power of the Uchiha!

Uchiha Fugaku was confident in his own abilities. 

But not everyone shared that mindset. Minato was participating purely for Konoha's honor, while Simu was forced into it against his will. 

He would have refused if he had the option, but he didn't. 

Another reluctant participant was Nara Shikaku. 

As a result, Simu and Shikaku often exchanged knowing looks of mutual reluctance along the way.

"This kind of test is really boring," 

"I think so" 

"You feel the same way?" 

"Yeah, I'd rather be sleeping at home". 

"Exactly! I'd rather play a few more games of shogi with the old man," 

"Great minds think alike"

Simu's eyes lit up—he never expected to find another like-minded friend after Katsuyu Sage. 

Shikaku seemed like a kindred spirit, someone he wished he had met sooner.

Kushina looked annoyed. 

It was one thing to have an affair with a little girl like Lindy, but with a man like Shikaku? 

Was this really how men interacted? 

"Everyone, take a 20-minute break," Jiraiya called, signaling for a pause. 

Simu quickly made a fishing rod out of some nearby branches. 

"Shikaku, are you fishing?" he asked. 

To his surprise, Shikaku nodded. "It sounds pretty good"

"But..."

 Shikaku pointed behind Simu, her eyes filled with murderous intent. 

"Hanyu Simu, you die for me!" 

"Boom!" 

Simu vanished in a flash of light. 

In the end, Simu reluctantly took Kushina and Shikaku along to go fishing. 

Simu and Shikaku fished for a long time while Kushina simply watched.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Shikaku get so close to someone else," Akamichi Choza said, chewing something in his mouth. 

Yamanaka nodded slightly. "This Hanyu Simu really seems to get along well with Shikaku." 

Uchiha Fugaku, standing nearby, glanced at Simu's back with disdain. "Hmmph! Playing games and losing focus"

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TO BE CONTINUED

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