A month later, Simu summoned dozens of ninjas to the Forest of Death under the name of the Hokage.
His goal? To test the results of his recent research.
"This time, the test is up to you," Simu said, looking at the five young ninjas in front of him.
They were Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and Yamashiro Aoba.
Kakashi had already reached Elite Jōnin level. Once he fully mastered the Pteranodon fruit, his strength would rise even further.
If he awakened the fruit's full potential, combined with his boosted physique and Chakra, he could easily reach Kage-level strength.
Obito, with the combined power of Sharingan and Wood Style, had also grown to the level of a Jōnin.
Might Guy, Genma, and Aoba were still at Chūnin level—perfect for testing how different power levels responded to scientific ninja tools.
Kakashi gave his usual silent nod, expressionless as always.
Obito, on the other hand, slapped his chest with confidence.
"Leave it to me!"
The other three lit up with excitement, shouting in unison:
"We've got this, Hokage!"
"My youth is ready to burn bright!"
Compared to the traditional and conservative style of the Third Hokage, Simu's bold and lively personality had clearly won over the younger generation.
The spectators were a group of Konoha Jōnins invited by Simu—mostly his own faction, currently stationed in the village on standby.
"I'm telling you, Simu… calling me out for this kind of thing feels a bit much,"
Jiraiya said, scratching his head in annoyance.
He had just returned from a mission on the Fire Nation's border when Simu, now the Hokage, summoned him to help test a new type of ninja weapon.
Looking at the young group in front of him, Jiraiya sighed.
"Only Kakashi here looks like someone worth getting serious for. The rest? Just kids."
As one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya had every reason to be confident.
But Obito quickly frowned at his dismissive attitude.
"Hey! You're Jiraiya, right? One of the Sannin? Even if you were my teacher's teacher, I won't hold back today!"
Jiraiya gave him a casual glance, then went back to picking his nose.
"Ah, a Uchiha brat."
"What did you say?!"
Obito flared up instantly, his temper nearly boiling over.
Watching this unfold, Kakashi glanced at Jiraiya thoughtfully.
He seemed to be silently calculating… If I went all out, could I fight him?
As for the other three, Might Guy, Genma, and Aoba they knew exactly who Jiraiya was.
Even if he looked down on them, all they could do was stand there nervously, not daring to talk back.
Simu clapped his hands and broke the tension.
"Alright, Jiraiya-sensei, stop scaring them. What's coming next will definitely open your eyes."
"Oh?" Jiraiya finally looked interested, raising an eyebrow.
Minato walked over to stand beside Jiraiya, also curious to see what Simu had planned.
Looking at his two gifted students standing together with Minato, the calm and bright light of Konoha, and Simu, bold and unpredictable Jiraiya felt a wave of emotion.
Simu had killed Danzo with his own hands.
Then, with a decisive push, his faction had forced Hiruzen to step down as Hokage.
Jiraiya didn't care much for politics, but he wasn't stupid—he understood exactly what Simu's actions meant.
Still, he couldn't deny the truth.
His teacher was old.
His judgment had slipped.
He was no longer suited to lead the village.
"Yeah… it is what it is," Jiraiya muttered with a sigh.
But he didn't think on it.
His gaze soon changed to the training field, now curious to see what Simu's experiment would reveal.
"Now, let's test the power of [Lightning Type I]," Shikaku said, holding a notebook.
"Yeah! Let's burn our youth, Kakashi!" Might Guy shouted eagerly.
Obito, fired up by Guy's energy, pumped his fist too.
"Alright! Just watch us!"
But just as the two were about to charge forward, Simu calmly smacked himself on the head and stopped them with one hand.
"It's not your turn yet."
Guy blinked.
"Huh? Really?"
Kakashi looked at the two of them—one loud, one louder—and sighed.
Obito alone was already enough trouble. Now with Might Guy in the mix, peace was clearly over.
"The first to test it will be Shiranui Genma and Yamashiro Aoba," Shikaku announced.
The two stepped out right away.
With Simu's help, they strapped on the [Lightning Type I] a sleek, steel-like armguard that looked heavy with tech.
"Relax. Just follow the steps I taught you," Simu encouraged.
Taking a deep breath, the two nodded.
"Got it!"
All eyes were on them as they raised their arms.
As Chakra flowed into the device, glowing blue lines lit up across the armguards like circuits buzzing with energy.
Then, the armguards began absorbing natural energy from the air, fusing it with their Chakra to create concentrated Senjutsu Chakra.
In the next second, thunderbolts blasted out from the small ports near their wrists.
A brilliant blue light flashed sharp and dense, filling everyone's vision in an instant.
Like a long spear, the bolt of thunder shot out and split the massive test boulder clean in half.
The ground was scorched black, smoke rising from the cracked stone.
For a moment, the watching Jōnin were stunned into silence—then the murmuring began.
Simu nodded in satisfaction.
The power just released was already on par with the average Jōnin's ninjutsu.
If this kind of tech gets widely distributed....
Just imagine! Every Chūnin in Konoha firing off Jōnin-level attacks like it's nothing.
Each one would be like a walking, talking missile launcher.
Before long, someone started clapping—and the rest followed with warm applause.
Yamashiro Aoba and Shiranui Genma tested the weapon a few more times.
The results were consistent. The power stayed stable no unexpected fluctuations.
After recording the data, Simu moved on.
"Alright, next is a piece of equipment called the [Armorer] Type," he said, pulling out a sleek black chestplate.
Intricate lines were engraved across the surface, all connecting to a circular steel core at the center this was the heart of the whole device.
Might Guy would be the one testing it.
He eagerly threw on the armor.
Light blue Chakra immediately lit up the lines on the surface.
The circular core on the chest began to spin slowly as it activated.
Guy's Chakra flowed into the armor, where it combined with absorbed natural energy at the core.
The fusion then cycled back through the armor—powering every part of the suit like a living engine.
"I feel like my whole body is on fire!" Might Guy shouted, eyes blazing with excitement.
He stomped the ground and vanished in a blur reappearing in front of a steel test board, which he smashed apart with a single punch.
The sheer speed and power were astonishing.
He didn't stop there one steel plate after another shattered under his strikes before he finally came to a halt.
And keep in mind at this point, Guy was still just an ordinary Chūnin.
With the armor on, he had exploded with strength far beyond his level.
It was clear: [Armorer] Type I didn't just protect, it massively boosted the body's power.
Next came the defense test.
Simu had another Chūnin throw kunai and shuriken with all his strength.
But the weapons just bounced off, harmlessly sparking against the armor's surface.
"This is insane," Jiraiya muttered, staring at Simu in disbelief.
He could sense that the Chakra flowing through the armor was Sage Chakra.
The kind of power most ninjas could never even hope to touch.
And Simu had managed to replicate it in just a few months?
Jiraiya felt his worldview shake a little.
It had taken him years of dangerous training at Mount Myōboku risking being turned into a statue to learn Sage Mode.
Now, a random Chūnin from Konoha could just wear it like a vest?
"Is it really safe to guide natural energy into the body like this?" Jiraiya asked, clearly doubtful.
Senjutsu Chakra was powerful, yes but it came with serious risks.
If a user couldn't control the natural energy properly, they could be overwhelmed by it and literally turn to stone.
To Jiraiya, Simu's invention felt like gambling with the lives of Konoha's shinobi.
Sensing Jiraiya's concern, Simu calmly explained,
"That's exactly why I built it this way. Since natural energy is dangerous, I reproduced the core that absorbs it and the 'veins' that circulate it—outside the user's body."
He pointed at the equipment.
"All reactions involving natural energy happen within the device itself. So even if it breaks, it won't injured the person wearing it."
Simu smiled as he watched Might Guy tearing through targets on the training ground.
"This was only possible thanks to the toad oil you gave me, sensei."
Ordinary materials couldn't absorb natural energy, after all.
Simu had combined the toad oil from Mount Myōboku and slime from the Shikkotsu Forest to develop a core that could safely and automatically gather natural energy.
Jiraiya looked at the armor on Guy with a complicated expression.
"I just hope these tools really help"
Yes, with this kind of defense, Konoha shinobi could survive more battles.
But he also knew tools like this could make Konoha far more aggressive toward other nations.
Once a village holds overwhelming power, war often follows.
And for someone like Jiraiya, who had spent his life searching for the Child of Prophecy, the one who would bring peace to the world, this reality was hard to accept.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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