Naruto: The King Behind the Curtain

Nighttime, inside a room in Iwagakure.

Magze shot Shidotatsu a cold glare. "Talk. What exactly happened?"

Shidotatsu composed his expression and spoke with anger. "It's all Zabuza's fault!"

Magze slightly furrowed his brow. "Zabuza?"

Shidotatsu nodded firmly. "We had just set up the perfect ambush near the Central Tower when we ran into Zabuza doing the same thing. I was afraid Zabuza would chase us down again like last time, but he said there was no need for that anymore—he'd been hunting us before only to lure Seiki Shimaseki into treating others."

"Then he forced us to ambush Seiki Shimaseki together with him. I remembered Lord Magze's warnings and naturally didn't want to, but he threatened to kill everyone else if we refused!" Shidotatsu continued, lowering his head in shame. "We simply weren't strong enough to resist him, so we had no choice but to submit to his threats."

Magze wasn't particularly surprised by this. He had already learned from those six seriously injured Genin that Zabuza was indeed excessively strong—none of them combined could match him.

Shidotatsu went on, "While setting up the ambush, I thought it over again. Seiki Shimaseki is our enemy, and Zabuza isn't any better. This might actually be a good opportunity to let these two dogs fight each other. So I deliberately instructed the others to charge out several seconds after the battle started, allowing us to harass from the periphery while conserving strength, keeping control of the situation at all times."

"When they appeared, Zabuza immediately rushed forward and summoned two Water Clones. He used the Water Prison Technique to trap Seiki Shimaseki's teammate, claiming those two would suffocate within one minute — clearly meant to shake the enemy's composure…"

Magze gave a slight nod. In his eyes, Zabuza truly outclassed most Genin from Iwagakure.

"What came next was terrifying!" The memory seemed to replay itself, causing Shidotatsu's face to pale and tremble. "Just a few seconds... and Zabuza was already dead!"

"What? You're saying Zabuza was killed? And in just a few seconds?" Magze found it hard to believe. That Zabuza's strength surpassed many Chunin—Magze himself couldn't even guarantee killing him in mere seconds.

"He was far too strong! That kind of power never should have belonged to a Genin!" Shidotatsu shouted in fear. "Everything happened too fast—we didn't even have time to react before charging in blindly. And me… I fled! I was a coward! It was my fault!"

Shidotatsu wasn't worried about being exposed. Everyone else who knew the details was already dead. Those six surviving Rock ninja hadn't participated in later discussions due to their severe injuries, so they didn't know what role he'd played.

He wasn't trying to completely clear himself—he was simply shifting from the role of an instigator to that of a coerced participant. For this reason, he even decided to own up to his cowardice—it made him look like a victim, after all.

Magze didn't suspect anything either. If their opponent truly possessed such strength, then sending Shidotatsu wouldn't have done anything but add another corpse to the count.

After calming his shaken mind, Magze asked, "How did he kill Zabuza?"

Shidotatsu said in confusion, "I'm not sure either. I just saw him and his shadow clone appear beside Zabuza like teleportation. Before Zabuza could react, he was pierced through by dozens of kunai!"

"I understand," spat out Magze with clenched teeth, "It's the Flying Thunder God Technique! No wonder the old Hokage was willing to offer valuable items—he must have already decided from the beginning that Minato would be his successor!"

"A mere ten-year-old mastering such an extremely difficult S-ranked Jutsu... Damn it! Why doesn't our Iwagakure have a genius like that?"

Listening to Magze, Shidotatsu felt both relief and overwhelming shock inside: "I struggle even to use B-ranked Jutsu, while Zabuza can effortlessly perform A-ranked ones, yet Seiki Shimaseki wields S-ranked techniques so easily—this really is what's called the world of true prodigies?"

Suppressing his inner astonishment, Magze continued warningly, "Regarding this Flying Thunder God Technique matter—don't spread it around."

Still puzzled, Shidotatsu asked, "We won't tell anyone about this?"

Magze snorted coldly, "Since we Iwagakure suffered such a major loss, we certainly shouldn't let other villages enjoy peace and quiet!"

"As for Konoha, let them show off all they want. The more glorious they appear now, the more severely they'll be targeted when war breaks out!"

Beside him, Shidotatsu looked rather strange—it was as if Magze believed Konoha wouldn't draw attention unless they flaunted themselves.

In the Great Ninja World War, hadn't Konoha always fought three—or even four—opponents at once? They've probably grown accustomed to being targeted by now!

After finishing questioning Shidotatsu, Magze shifted his cold gaze toward Mui standing silently nearby. "I've heard you spoke highly of Konoha during this Chunin Exams?"

Mui admitted directly, "Indeed, I did."

Magze narrowed his eyes slightly, "Trying to find a new master so eagerly?"

With hate flickering in his eyes, Mui tightened his fist, "You know well my hatred toward Konoha. Despite receiving so many benefits from Grass Village normally, whenever wars broke out, they never gave us a second thought! I only feel nausea toward them!"

Nodding slightly, Magze remarked, "If I didn't know that fact, I wouldn't even bother having this talk with you."

Taking a deep breath, Mui explained, "Firstly, based on their actions during these Chunin Exams, even without me publicly praising them, the respect they gain won't change significantly."

"Secondly, what difference would gratitude from some genin make?"

Magze sneered contemptuously, "International diplomacy between countries only recognizes interests as genuine truth. Forget about lower ninja's appreciation—even opinions held by jonin still carry no real weight!"

"So, I was merely using this opportunity to show friendliness toward them." Mui analyzed earnestly. "To them, Iwagakure lost numerous ninja, yet one Grass ninja like me managed to survive. Even if not outright punished, they likely expect me to face ostracism anyway."

"They never would've imagined how broad-minded Lord Tsuchikage truly is!"

Accepting Mui's flattery without hesitation, Magze declared proudly, "Our Iwagakure may not have many prodigies, but it's exactly because of unity and trust that we hold our place in the shinobi world."

Just 'unity'?

"What about that Kuroishi situation...?" Mui inwardly grumbled but kept a respectful look. "In any case, I plan to use this opportunity to show goodwill toward Konoha. Even if we can't gain their support, at least we shouldn't give them any reason for complaint."

"After all, Kusagakure's balance has always hinged on three sides: Kusagakure itself, Konoha, and Iwagakure. If Konoha opposes us, it would undoubtedly make my control over Kusagakure much more difficult."

Magze's eyes lit up as he heard this. "Control Kusagakure?"

Mui nodded firmly. "If I manage to gain control of Kusagakure, I can pull it fully under Iwagakure's influence. Imagine how priceless Konoha's reaction will be then!"

Magze clapped his hands joyfully. "Well said! If Konoha knew the person they supported has shifted allegiance to us, that scene would definitely be spectacular."

But then he hesitated slightly. "Still, will they believe it?"

Mui scoffed. "Konoha ninjas are always far too gullible. Who knows? They might actually believe it. Anyway, trying won't hurt."

Magze laughed along, thinking to himself that otherwise, who else would be foolish enough to help the Small Countries?

After laughing for a while, he turned serious. "Then you must reduce your contact with us going forward, lest Konoha discover anything suspicious."

Mui was momentarily startled, then smiled. "Of course."

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>