Naruto: The King Behind the Curtain

Looking around the lavishly decorated room, Asuma couldn't help but quip, "This is really 'dilapidated,' huh? My place isn't even this 'dilapidated!'"

Kurenai nodded in agreement. "He said he was living in 'hardship' too. I wouldn't mind experiencing his kind of 'hardship' either."

At that moment, Yamanaka Inoichi had once again created an online chatroom from the adjacent room.

"Be careful everyone, there's likely something off about Ueno Shin!"

Asuma agreed. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Recalling how Asuma and others had previously uncovered Mui's disguise, Inoichi couldn't help asking, "How did you figure it out then?"

At this question, Asuma immediately became animated. "First off, when he was talking about how tough his life's been, he shook his head a bit—like he didn't even buy it himself. Second, while explaining why things weren't working out, his body language and eye movement were super inconsistent, pointing opposite directions a few times. Oh right, he launched into a long monologue right away and steered the topic toward supplies—that probably meant he was trying to take control of the conversation to dodge any tricky questions. And also…"

After rambling on for ten minutes straight, he grinned and added, "Of course, these theories don't hold much weight. You could just take them as guidelines!"

Inoichi was left momentarily stunned before regaining his composure after a while. "Did the Hokage teach you all this?"

"Nah, it's Seiki!" Seeing his teacher so impressed, Asuma felt a sense of satisfaction. "Didn't he establish that Psychology Club? He shared some small observations he'd made during daily life with us."

"They're not always spot-on, but they still hit more often than you'd think!"

Inoichi felt like his head was being trampled by a herd of wild horses. The precious experience he'd accumulated through countless missions somehow seemed less penetrating than Seiki's mere observations?

He knew about those clubs but never took them seriously, seeing them more as childish games.

Yet now, he really wanted to ask one question—was the club still recruiting members?

Thinking about this, Inoichi coughed twice and said, "Your analysis was excellent. However, I'm concerned your observation might still have some shortcomings."

"When you return, tell me in detail about anything else you've noticed. From the perspective of an intelligence ninja, I'll provide professional guidance."

Kurenai asked doubtfully, "Really?"

"How would I ever deceive you, my students?" Inoichi said, quickly changing the subject. "Ahem, we only have one day, so we mustn't delay any further."

"It's one PM now. Later on, use shopping as an excuse to slip out. Seiki will follow Mui, while Asuma and Kurenai, you two should go observe the mission center at Kusagakure. As for me, I'll go chat with Ueno Shin to see if I can get anything out of him."

"No matter what, you need to regroup here before six. Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Then let's move out!"

...

Meanwhile, at the Northern Street Guesthouse.

"Mui, tell us about the intelligence you gathered."

"A short but powerfully built man stood before Mui and spoke.

"Yes, Master Yangdo!" Mui stood straight. "Based on my observations over the past two days, they've shown no unusual behavior—only expressing amazement at how many bandits there are in the Grass Country. As for Hozuki Castle, only that Jonin seemed to have any recognition of it at all."

"Hehe, looks like Konoha is getting slower and slower!" Yangdo sneered, and then slowly nodded. "But it makes sense too—if Konoha had truly detected our movements, they wouldn't have sent just a few people to escort supplies!"

Hearing hidden meanings within Yangdo's words, Mui's eyes flickered slightly. "That Konoha Jonin hasn't taken any action yet, so I can't judge his true strength. However, those three Konoha Genin seem to be not weaker than me!"

"Not weaker than you?" Yangdo scoffed. "Even among our Iwa Genin, it would be hard to find a few stronger than those three!"

As a Jonin from Iwagakure, he didn't really hold much respect for ninja from smaller countries.

Though he could mock Konoha—one of the Five Great Ninja Villages—how dare mere Kusa ninja think themselves on equal footing?

Mui clenched his palm slightly but still maintained a surprised expression on his face. "Are those three really that strong?"

Yangdo's gaze turned serious. "According to intelligence, that little girl should be the weaker one among them, yet even so, her Genjutsu has nearly reached Chunin level. After all, her father is Konoha's strongest Genjutsu master!"

"As for Asuma Sarutobi, he is the son of the Third Hokage..."

"What? The Third Hokage's son!" Mui found it hard to believe—the guy didn't seem particularly smart, so how could he be the Hokage's son?

"Mm, that alone should speak volumes about his strength. But compared to Seiki Shimaseki, both of them pale in comparison."

A shock ran through Mui's mind. "Could it be—he's the son of the First Hokage... Wait, that timeline doesn't add up."

"He holds no special status; originally, he was just a plain war orphan."

Mui felt slightly dazed—it did seem as if Seiki Shimaseki had told him something similar himself.

Yangdo's expression grew heavy. "However, his talent is terrifying—by age six, he developed his own [A-ranked Jutsu]!"

"Six years old… an A-ranked Jutsu…" Mui swallowed hard, overwhelmed by a deep sense of helplessness. "Is this what a real genius looks like?"

In all of Kusagakure, they might not even have one A-ranked Jutsu, yet someone else created one by the age of six.

That gap left him utterly hopeless about ever matching them.

As if seeing ambition flicker in Mui's eyes, Yangdo took the opportunity to warn him, "You understand the gap between you now, right? Small villages must know their limits!"

Mui's face alternated between green and red with anger before finally bowing his head deeply. "I was too shallow-minded. However… since all of them are geniuses, shouldn't we eliminate this threat while we still can?"

Yangdo looked tempted for a moment but ultimately rejected the idea. "Even geniuses need time to grow! Besides, Konoha has more enemies than just us!"

"Leaving them here will only invite Konoha's ruthless retaliation, which would allow the remaining three hidden villages to reap the benefits without lifting a finger."

Mui also realized the situation. Iwagakure isn't unwilling to eliminate this threat early, but the timing is too sensitive right now. Starting a war prematurely would allow the other three ninja villages to reap the rewards without effort.

This doesn't align with Iwagakure's interests!

Yangdo sighed in mild frustration. "Look, you don't have to worry about what happens next. Just keep doing what you're good at and keep those bandits distracted for us."

"Hozuki Castle..." Mui hesitated mid-sentence before bowing his head again. "Yes, I understand."

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