Naruto: The King Behind the Curtain

Everyone watched in stunned silence as the unexpected events unfolded.

How could the Yamanaka clan—renowned for their mental arts—have resorted to such a powerful ninjutsu?

And when had that Konoha brat learned the Yamanaka's secret mental techniques?

As confusion clouded everyone's thoughts, Mui suddenly rushed forward anxiously.

"Lord Kuroishi, there's a secret passage beneath Hozuki Castle—I'll get you out!"

Kuroishi, barely supporting his injuries, grabbed Mui's shoulder.

"Hurry—take me and escape..."

[Fire Release: Heavenly Prison!]

Kuroishi abruptly looked up, disbelief flashing across his face as he stared at Mui.

"You—you..."

"I'm sorry. Actually, I'm a triple agent!"

Kuroishi shuddered violently, trembling with rage.

Meanwhile, Asuma, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly jumped to his feet. "Man, that was almost too painless. I didn't even get a chance to show off!"

Inoichi Yamanaka chuckled and gave his shoulder a pat. "Not true at all. Without your outstanding performance, we might've been exposed long ago."

Asuma nodded in agreement, then shot a contemptuous glance at "Seiki." "It's mostly because Teacher Yamanaka's acting was so bad he didn't even dare say a word—it forced me to draw fire for him."

Seiki twitched his lips. "Sorry for being such a disappointment with my terrible acting skills."

Kuroishi's face flushed with humiliation, his shaking finger pointing at the group. "You—you're all fine?"

Kurenai nodded with a teasing smile. "Oh, and by the way—the berries were delicious!"

Kuroishi stood shocked, like struck by lightning, before suddenly snapping his head up. "Wait! If he was a spy, then that means...the information he passed yesterday was all fake?!"

Mui replied coldly, "Congratulations—you finally figured something out correctly."

"So that means," Kuroishi trembled as he looked toward the Iwagakure shinobi, "you never discovered my plan at all?"

"Fool!" one of the Iwagakure ninja barked angrily. "If we'd known, would we have eaten the 'Hozuki' berries?!"

"Ahhh—" Grabbing his chest, eyes wide in shock, Kuroishi collapsed to the ground.

"Eh? Did we actually piss him off to death?" Asuma asked, eyes wide in shock.

Inoichi Yamanaka paused thoughtfully, then threw a kunai straight into Kuroishi's heart.

Thud!

Kuroishi jolted upright mid-fall—and then truly died.

Kurenai gasped slightly, her lips parted in surprise. "Was he just faking his death?"

Maintaining a serious expression, "Seiki" warned, "Never underestimate any ninja—even if they're complete fools."

Asuma nodded thoughtfully. "I see."

With that, he immediately launched a [Grand Fireball Jutsu], turning even Kuroishi's remains to dust.

After switching back to their original bodies and dealing with the remaining Iwa shinobi,

Inoichi Yamanaka turned toward Mui. "Do you want to come back to Konoha with us?"

If he went to Konoha now, it would be difficult to remain neutral enough to become Grass Village's leader later. At least before becoming its leader, he absolutely couldn't reveal his allegiance. Thinking this, Mui firmly refused, "No thanks."

Kurenai looked at him in surprise. "But if you stay here, won't the Iwagakure shinobi suspect you?"

"Rest assured," Mui said with a blank expression. "The Seal within me serves as the best evidence."

Asuma frowned. "But how will you explain to Iwagakure why you're the only survivor?"

"Alternatively..." Asuma asked eagerly, "Should we beat you up badly first?"

Mui's stern face almost cracked. "No need. This isn't difficult to explain."

"Just tell them my Heavenly Prison Fire Release suppressed the prisoners' chakra at Hozuki Castle. If I died, those prisoners would riot. They only spared me because they were threatened by this reasoning."

"As long as I explain like this and considering the Seal inside my body, Iwagakure probably won't suspect anything. After all," Mui's gaze swept over them, "you Konoha shinobi are famously known for showing mercy to prisoners."

Asuma blinked, imagining himself in their shoes. They indeed might act exactly like that.

Seiki pondered briefly. "This time, two Jonins did die after all. Iwagakure certainly won't do nothing. How about this? I'll place another Seal on you to guard against Genjutsu interrogation. If Iwagakure asks about it, just blame everything on Kuroishi."

(Preventive note: It doesn't make you immune to Genjutsu, but rather prevents intelligence from being extracted via Genjutsu interrogation.)

Inoichi Yamanaka also added, "Once we're back, I'll ask the Hokage to send some ninja to Grass Country. With our people acting as witnesses, Iwagakure won't be able to excessively target Kusagakure, which is supposed to be 'neutral'!"

Mui pursed his lips. "I understand. If war truly erupts, I will do my best to pass information to you."

Seiki shook his head slightly, his voice sincere beyond measure. "Right now, your safety still comes first. Remember, what we're fighting for isn't the present moment, but the future!"

Mui took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "That promise, I will definitely fulfill!"

...

On the way back.

"This mission was exciting—two Iwa Jonins actually died!" Asuma sighed with lingering excitement. "Still, I feel like I didn't really get involved much!"

Kurenai nodded in agreement. "The most effort I felt I contributed was eliminating some bandits during the escort mission."

Compared to their relaxed mood, Inoichi Yamanaka appeared quite troubled. "War... the Kazekage... If the Hokage asks me about this later, what should I say?"

Beside him, Asuma theatrically sighed before leaning close to Seiki and whispering, "Hey Shiki, what exactly was your promise with Master Mui? Tell me! I promise not to tell anyone!"

Seiki smiled gently. "There's no reason to hide it. We promised to become village leaders, then..."

"Village Leaders!" Asuma exclaimed loudly. Seeing both Inoichi Yamanaka and Kurenai looking over, his face dropped, and he immediately slapped himself hard.

Seiki helplessly chuckled. "Didn't I say it wasn't necessary to react like this?"

"No way. I'm a stubborn man with principles!" Asuma mumbled while rubbing his slightly swollen cheek. "By the way, you haven't finished yet!"

Seiki continued slowly. "Then… together, safeguard peace!"

Inoichi Yamanaka looked surprised. "Never thought that young Grass Ninja had such capacity!"

Seiki shook his head slightly. "He isn't someone who fears death. The best way to get someone like him to change his mind is to convince him of my beliefs."

"I managed to do it!"

Upon hearing this, Asuma suddenly realized something. "Wait a second, Seiki — aren't you supposed to want to become the greatest Medical Ninja? Why are you competing with me for Hokage now?"

"Can't I pursue both?" Seiki smiled, then sighed. "From my growth over these years, I've come to realize one thing — the ability of a Medical Ninja is limited. Relying solely on medical jutsu cannot change this world!"

Asuma's eyes ignited with fire. "I won't lose — not even to you, Seiki!"

Kurenai gave him a sidelong glance. "In your battles against Seiki, you haven't won a single one — in any aspect!"

"Ah! I don't want to hear it!"

"Becoming Hokage... Right. After what happened, we can't keep treating him like a kid anymore," Inoichi Yamanaka mused quietly, a bold thought forming in his mind.

"Maybe... I should ask Seiki what he thinks about it?"

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