Clang.
With the sound of the detention room iron door closing, Uchiha Ryun was locked in a secret room. His freedom was restricted, and an Anbu captain personally guarded him to prevent him from causing trouble in Konoha again.
Ryun sat cross-legged on the ground. He forced himself to calm down, temporarily setting aside his worries about Asuka, and carefully recalled the series of events that had happened tonight.
Everything tonight was filled with strangeness. There were too many coincidences. He faintly felt as if an invisible hand was manipulating everything tonight.
The first thing was his carelessness in leaving a survivor.
Even now, he still could not figure out where this fourth Kumo-nin came from. Moreover, this person had participated in Kushina's kidnapping but hid in the shadows the entire time without showing himself. This was clearly a big problem.
The reason Ryun stayed hidden in the shadows, observing the three Kumo-nin kidnapping Kushina, was because he knew the plot. His main goal was to wait for them to take her out of the village before secretly eliminating them.
His purpose and logic in doing so were clear and reasonable.
But if this fourth Kumo-nin participated in the kidnapping, why did he hide in the shadows the entire time without showing himself? Did he discover Ryun early on? And if he did, why didn't he warn his companions in time to stop the kidnapping plan?
Instead, he watched his companions get killed, then returned to the envoy group to report the incident, which eventually became widely known.
If this person was truly a Kumo-nin, his actions made no logical sense. His purpose was neither clear nor pure.
Ryun felt he was not a Kumo-nin but rather a spy planted among them. Moreover, his behavior seemed solely aimed at targeting Ryun.
On the surface, it appeared to target him, but Ryun did not rule out the possibility that someone was using him as a tool to provoke a war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
As the youngest 'Konoha Hero,' he had become famous too early. As the saying goes, 'Fame invites envy.' Countries outside the Land of Fire and Land of Lightning all had motives to target him.
Ryun knew that person was suspicious, but for now, he could not figure out who the mastermind behind this scheme was.
As the prodigy who personally defeated the 'Demigod' Hanzō, there were far too many people across the ninja world who wanted him dead.
At this stage, Uchiha Ryun's reputation in the ninja world was far greater than within Konoha.
Konoha's internal propaganda claimed that the Sannin and Ryun worked together to defeat Hanzō. But the information received outside the Land of Fire was very different from what was known inside.
In other nations, Uchiha Ryun's fame was a level higher than the 'Konoha Sannin.' Though he did not yet have an official title, his name alone represented strength.
After all, Hanzō himself openly admitted his defeat at the hands of Uchiha Ryun.
He even stated that Ryun was the strongest Lightning Style user he had ever encountered, with talent surpassing even the previous Raikages.
Hanzō's words, whether about strength or character, were widely respected in the ninja world. If he said Uchiha Ryun was strong, then this person was undoubtedly formidable. If he admitted defeat to a teenager, then this teenager was someone every nation needed to be wary of.
A boy who could defeat the 'Demigod'—if someone claimed he was the true 'God,' some might disagree. But if they said he was the one closest to becoming a 'God,' the entire ninja world would silently accept this view.
This boy was only thirteen years old. If given another ten or twenty years, when his strength reached its peak, the emergence of a being above the Demigod would not be surprising.
Ryun was now a hero of the Land of Fire but an enemy of the ninja world. Anyone targeting him had plausible motives, so analyzing the mastermind based on 'who held grudges against him' or 'who stood to benefit' was extremely difficult.
Unable to figure out the mastermind for now, Ryun turned his thoughts back to the matter of Asuka.
Even now, he still believed Shimura Danzō was the prime suspect behind his mother's disappearance.
Danzō had clashed with him before—that was personal. Using his mother to control him, preventing resistance or defection, and forcing him to become a sacrificial pawn to resolve the conflict between the Land of Fire and Land of Lightning—that was political.
Both personally and politically, Danzō had reasons and motives to kidnap his mother.
Ryun did not believe Danzō's denial. Of course, he would not admit to kidnapping the mother of Konoha's hero in front of others.
Even in private, he would not reveal this to Ryun, as it would only cause unnecessary trouble.
Moreover, the Land of Lightning's stance was still unknown. Whether Ryun would be sacrificed was still uncertain. If Danzō admitted to kidnapping Asuka now, the situation would undoubtedly turn against him.
Even if he really did kidnap Asuka, he would only threaten Ryun at the most critical moment to achieve his goals, ensuring a decisive outcome. Admitting it prematurely would be foolish, and Danzō would never do such a thing.
Setting Danzō aside for now, the Uchiha First Elder also had some suspicion, though it was minor.
His grandson Uchiha Fugaku was replaced by Ryun as squad leader. Logically, the First Elder had some motive, as removing Ryun would allow Fugaku to take the position. However, the timing did not match, so Ryun did not dwell on this possibility.
'Could the mastermind who planted a spy among the Kumo-nin envoy and the person who kidnapped my mother be the same?'
Ryun's eyes widened as this chilling possibility crossed his mind.
'No, pulling this off without anyone noticing would be extremely difficult. No one in the ninja world has such planning ability.'
He instinctively rejected this idea, believing the two incidents might be unrelated.
'Wait. If we're talking about planning ability, perhaps one person could do it.'
Ryun suddenly thought of a man he had previously ruled out—Uchiha Madara.
Was it possible that Uchiha Madara was behind this scheme? Ryun felt it was possible, and there was motive.
But as someone who knew the original plot, he had subconsciously excluded Madara because the 'Kushina Kidnapping Incident' in the original story did not involve him.
Moreover, Ryun had previously analyzed (see Chapter 199) that the timing was not right. Even if Madara had noticed him, he would not act so soon.
His over-reliance on the plot made him overlook this massive hidden hand. Fortunately, Ryun had somewhat corrected his thinking and began to suspect and remain wary of Uchiha Madara.
Scheming against a time traveler who knew most of the ninja world's future was inherently difficult. Ryun simply lacked sufficient information to identify the true mastermind.
But as long as the mastermind continued targeting him, he would undoubtedly expose this hidden hand soon.
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