Naruto: The King Behind the Curtain

Inoichi Yamanaka felt his worldview shaken. He turned his gaze aside and muttered, "Does any of this make sense?"

Kurenai gave a firm nod. "Absolutely!"

"Have I been acting strangely all along?" Inoichi tried to calm his inner turmoil, forcing a weak smile. "Then how do you suggest we proceed with the test?"

Asuma shrugged indifferently. "Honestly, I'm used to losing already. But if Instructor Yamanaka doesn't want to witness yet another three-second fight, then we'll have to ask Seiki to restrict the use of the Flying Thunder God Technique."

"Even as an intelligence ninja, there's no way I could analyze anything useful in just three seconds!" Inoichi sighed inwardly before turning to one side. "Seiki, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you."

Seiki smiled casually. "Actually, that's not a bad thing. Relying too much on any one ninjutsu will only leave openings for opponents."

"He doesn't even get complacent after mastering such a terrifying technique like the Flying Thunder God," Inoichi nodded approvingly. Compared to talent, he actually valued the young man's mindset more.

Talents are impressive, but only those talents who survive until the end get remembered. Talents who perish midway amount to nothing!

Meanwhile, Asuma had already launched his attack.

[Fire Release: Hiding in Ashes!]

Instantly, thick smoke and ash engulfed the forest area.

"The temperature's rising." Seiki didn't dare slack off. He activated his Sensing Barrier and leapt up through the trees, escaping the smoke-choked air.

Apparently sensing Seiki's movement, Asuma ceased hesitating.

[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!]

The already smoldering ashes erupted into massive raging flames under the fierce wind gusts.

"Not knowing elemental transformation techniques really complicates things like this. I guess it's time I started working on them too." Seiki thought leisurely while effortlessly dodging the pursuing firestorm.

"It really won't work after all—Seiki's perception is just too sharp!" Asuma sighed, abandoning concealment completely and fully controlling the inferno now.

As Asuma manipulated the flames, naturally his position became exposed.

"There, huh?" Seiki narrowed his eyes, completing hand seals almost instantly.

[Genjutsu: Phantom Flute Melody!]

The fierce firestorm suddenly calmed down, but the next moment, a gigantic fire serpent lunged toward Seiki's location.

"It's Kurenai's genjutsu!" Seiki understood immediately. Although her genjutsu skills couldn't match his own, disrupting Asuma's chakra flow and waking their allies was well within her capabilities.

At the same time, Kurenai—who had stayed hidden from the start—began forming hand seals once more.

[Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!]

Kurenai knew perfectly well how far behind she was compared to Seiki in genjutsu mastery. She never intended to resist head-on from the start. She left the main offensive role to Asuma while she simply focused on support and awakening teammates.

Inoichi Yamanaka perched on a thick branch high above, watching the battle unfold beneath him. Witnessing the endless stream of advanced jutsu being unleashed made his heart flutter nervously—Could these kids actually be nothing more than Genin?

"Not counting clan secret ninjutsu, it feels like they've mastered more advanced ninja arts than I have!"

Though darkness consumed his vision, Seiki remained calm—heat surging toward him traced the path of the incoming attack.

After easily dodging the fire serpent's bite, Seiki bit his finger and performed a blood summoning contract.

[Kuchiyose no Jutsu]!

In an instant, a giant slug ten meters long appeared in the forest.

"Seiki-sama!" the slug politely called out.

Although slugs from Shikkotsu Forest were theoretically parts of Sage Lady Katsuyu, similar to how shadow clones had independent consciousness, these slugs could also be regarded as independent lifeforms.

Otherwise, Seiki wouldn't dare accept Sage Lady Katsuyu's respectful address.

"Katsuyu, I'm currently trapped in genjutsu and can't observe my surroundings. Please trouble you to act as my eyes temporarily," Seiki stood on top of the slug's massive body, speaking gently.

"Yes, Seiki-sama!" the slug cheerfully agreed.

[Bringer-of-Darkness Technique] was only an illusion—not a true reality-altering technique—the slug unaffected by the illusion naturally could see Asuma's attacks clearly.

Thanks to their flawless coordination, all of Asuma's consecutive attacks missed.

Moreover, riding atop the slug, Seiki quietly maneuvered toward a specific direction.

"Although Bringer-of-Darkness Technique is an A-rank illusion art, given Seiki's strength, there's no reason he couldn't break free!" Seeing Seiki summon the slug, Asuma felt confused at first, but upon noticing the slug's moving direction, he suddenly realized with shock, "Kurenai! Hurry up and release the genjutsu—Seiki intentionally left himself trapped intending to locate you through your chakra connection!"

He had every reason to worry—without Kurenai's support nearby, his genjutsu resistance wouldn't last a second against Seiki.

Kurenai, hiding in a corner of the woods, felt a startle in her heart and quickly dispelled the illusionary technique.

But her realization came too late.

Upon regaining his sight, Seiki leaped several times and suddenly appeared directly in front of Kurenai, who had started fleeing.

[Golden Binding Jutsu]!

Caught off guard, Kurenai was immediately immobilized on the spot.

Seeing this unfold, Asuma decisively raised both hands in surrender.

Seiki couldn't help but laugh silently, releasing his hold on Kurenai before calling upward, "Teacher Yamanaka, the test is over."

Inoichi Yamanaka jumped down from the tree, his temple twitching violently while surveying the devastated scene around him. When his gaze shifted to Seiki, his heart clenched painfully again. "Good thing I didn't step into that ring today; otherwise I'd definitely have gotten completely crushed. Being affected by an A-ranked illusion yet deliberately choosing not to break free, then even using the illusion's connection to find its caster—is this actually something humans are capable of achieving?"

This was the first time he'd ever seen someone possessing mental willpower this strong.

He even suspected that if he used Mind Body Switch Technique on Seiki, the result wouldn't turn out much better for him than it had for Kurenai.

Asuma approached with a mischievous grin, winking suggestively. "Teacher Yamanaka, our performance wasn't too bad either, right?"

Shaking off his shock, Inoichi looked at him and asked, "Why were you so quick to act back then?"

"Quick? You mean my surrender?!"

Asuma wore a pained expression. "When you've lost the same way a thousand times, I'm sure you'll understand exactly how I feel!"

Back then, Inoichi Yamanaka might have scoffed, but now he looked at Asuma with a touch of sympathy and admiration.

It must be really tough to fight against such a monster!

Asuma cleared his throat slightly before offering a compliment, "To be honest, you've done pretty well. Except your transitions between techniques are still a bit rough—most average Chunin wouldn't necessarily be better than you guys."

"Just Chunin, huh!" Asuma sighed wistfully, then asked eagerly, "How about Seiki then?"

Inoichi fell silent for a moment, hesitating before he replied, "I'm not entirely sure either, but in terms of Genjutsu, he should probably be on par with a Tokubetsu Jonin!"

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