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"You don't believe me?"
The Masked Man was stunned when he heard Naruto's words. Then his scarlet eyes widened, and he said coldly, "Kid, who do you think I am? I am Uchiha Madara!"
"Uchiha Madara?"
Naruto heard the name spoken by the Masked Man and was about to say he hadn't heard of it, preparing to refuse again. But then he heard the Nine-Tails' voice in his mind: "Wait, Naruto, don't be so quick to refuse him."
"Why?"
Naruto asked curiously in his mind when he heard the Nine-Tails' words. "Does Big Fox know this Uchiha Madara?"
"This old man doesn't know that kind of scoundrel!"
The Nine-Tails shouted excitedly, then said in a deep voice, "And this guy in front of you is not the real Uchiha Madara. His eyes are wrong!"
"Not Uchiha Madara?"
Naruto's mind began to get a little confused when he heard the Nine-Tails' words. After a moment of careful thought, he asked again, "You mean this Masked Man is not the real Uchiha Madara, but he wants to use Uchiha Madara's identity to deceive me?"
"That's right!"
The Nine-Tails nodded, then said with a smile, "But this guy doesn't know that you, kid, don't even know Uchiha Madara and haven't even heard of this name. However, since he uses this name, it means there must be some connection between him and the real Uchiha Madara."
"This old man suggests you might as well agree to his invitation first, pretend to join his organization, and see what he ultimately wants to do by using Uchiha Madara's name."
"Pretend to join? No problem!"
Naruto nodded, agreeing to the Nine-Tails' suggestion, then asked again, "Big Fox, is that Uchiha Madara very famous? Who exactly is he?"
Although the Nine-Tails said he didn't know any Uchiha Madara, his tone seemed extremely familiar with him. Even Naruto could tell that when the Nine-Tails mentioned Uchiha Madara, his tone was filled with deep resentment. So he definitely knew Uchiha Madara, and their relationship seemed to be quite poor.
"Uchiha Madara."
The Nine-Tails didn't get agitated this time, but was silent for a while before answering. "He is the ancestor of the Uchiha Clan, and also a hero who, along with your First Hokage of Konoha Village, pacified the chaotic world."
"A hero who, along with the First Hokage, pacified the chaotic world?!"
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when he heard the Nine-Tails' words. Then he pressed on, "Since that Uchiha Madara was a hero who, along with the First Hokage, pacified the chaotic world, why have I never heard his name in the Village? Did something happen later?"
According to the Nine-Tails, if Uchiha Madara was a hero who pacified the chaotic world with the First Hokage, then he should be a hero of the Village—no, of the entire Ninja World!
But he had never heard the name Uchiha Madara.
His intuition told Naruto there was a story behind this.
"That's right."
The Nine-Tails nodded, his tone somewhat nostalgic as he said, "After that scoundrel and Senju Hashirama—who is your First Hokage of Konoha Village—established Konoha Village, the two then went their separate ways due to differing ideals and even had a final life-or-death battle."
"Although everyone believed that Uchiha Madara died in that battle with Senju Hashirama at that time, this old man has always believed that scoundrel would never die so easily!"
"Now, decades later, another person claiming to be Uchiha Madara suddenly appears. Although it's not him, it proves that this old man's judgment was correct!"
"Uchiha Madara, that scoundrel, definitely didn't die back then. Instead, he somehow tricked Senju Hashirama, making everyone believe he was dead, and has been hiding in the shadows, plotting some conspiracy!" the Nine-Tails stated definitively.
"This… sounds so complicated."
Naruto finished listening to the Nine-Tails' narration, then said thoughtfully, "And after hearing you, why do I feel like that Uchiha Madara doesn't seem to be a bad person at all?"
...
The Nine-Tails was silent for a moment, then said, "He certainly isn't a bad person, but he's an absolute scoundrel!"
"Alright."
Naruto nodded, then looked at the Masked Man opposite him and said, "Then we'll follow your plan, pretend to accept this person who calls himself 'Uchiha Madara's' invitation, join his organization, and figure out what his connection is to the real Uchiha Madara."
"And what the real Uchiha Madara is plotting."
"But if the real Uchiha Madara is still alive, he should be very old by now, right?" Naruto suddenly asked.
"Hmm, if that guy isn't dead, he should be well over a hundred years old by now," the Nine-Tails replied.
"Over a hundred years old—"
Naruto heard the Nine-Tails' answer and couldn't help but feel secretly surprised. Then he looked at the Masked Man and said, "Alright, since you are that Uchiha Madara, then I shall temporarily accept your invitation."
???
The Masked Man was also momentarily stunned when he heard Naruto's reply, then secretly sighed in his heart that the name Uchiha Madara was indeed effective; even this unknown "Emperor" would choose to yield after hearing his name.
Naruto and the Nine-Tails' conversation was internal, so from the Masked Man's perspective, Naruto, after hearing Uchiha Madara's name, considered it for a while and then immediately changed his previously strong and arrogant attitude and agreed to his invitation.
Moreover, in the Masked Man's eyes, Naruto's choice to accept his invitation was proof that he had already yielded to him. In his heart, he also acknowledged Naruto's identity as "Emperor"—even though he had never heard of the existence of any "Infinite Empire."
"Very good!"
The Masked Man seemed to think that Naruto had succumbed to the name of Uchiha Madara, and his attitude became arrogant again. He said to him, "Since you have chosen to join my ranks, at least tell me your origins and what kind of country your 'Infinite Empire' is."
"Heh, you don't seem to understand the situation!"
Naruto couldn't help but sneer when he heard the Masked Man's words and said, "Firstly, I am merely accepting your invitation, agreeing to join your organization, and have not said I would become your subordinate."
"Secondly, you haven't even heard of the name of my Empire, which makes me begin to doubt if you are truly Uchiha Madara himself. You wouldn't happen to be an imposter, would you?"
"Hmph, you doubt me?"
The Masked Man's gaze flickered slightly when he heard Naruto's words. Then he snorted coldly and said, "Whether I am the real Uchiha Madara or not, I don't need to prove it to you. As for the intelligence on your country, I simply don't remember it. After all, I am very old, and it's normal to forget some things. It doesn't matter if you don't want to say."
"As for the issue of you becoming my subordinate, it doesn't matter if you don't want to. But at critical moments, you must follow my arrangements."
Although he couldn't get the information he wanted from Naruto, the Masked Man highly recognized his strength and believed that he would play a crucial role at critical moments.
As for why he believed Naruto would listen to him—perhaps it was the mysterious confidence brought by the name of Uchiha Madara.
"You want me to follow your arrangements at critical moments? What a joke!"
Naruto heard the Masked Man's words and rejected them directly without thinking, then said with great disdain, "I have never had the habit of following others' arrangements. Choosing to accept your invitation is not for you to command me."
"No one in this world can command me, not even if you are Uchiha Madara."
"Not only that, I also don't have the habit of being beneath others, so I will be your leader!" Naruto looked at the Masked Man and said in a domineering tone.
"You want to be the leader?"
The Masked Man, hearing Naruto's words, uncharacteristically showed no anger or refusal. Instead, he said calmly, "Speaking of which, I must tell you that for certain reasons, I cannot openly let the world know that I am still alive. Therefore, the Akatsuki Organization's apparent leader is not me, but someone else."
"If you want to become the leader of the Akatsuki Organization, you must first subdue him."
"What, you're not the leader?"
Naruto was instantly astonished when he heard the Masked Man's words, then asked, "Then who is the leader of the Akatsuki Organization, and how did he earn your recognition?"
"Someone who can be recognized by me will naturally not be an ordinary person."
The Masked Man saw Naruto's shocked tone, and a slight smirk appeared beneath his mask. He then said, "Since you have accepted my invitation, you are already a member of the Akatsuki Organization. I will take you to see him shortly. I hope you won't be too surprised when you see him."
"Hmph, who do you think I am?"
Naruto, upon hearing the Masked Man's words, merely snorted and crossed his arms, then said in an arrogant tone, "I've decided—no matter who your organization's current leader is, once I see him, I will make him submit to me!"
"Heh!"
The Masked Man, hearing this, laughed instead of getting angry and said, "As long as you can do it, I have no objection."
"Oh?"
Naruto was slightly surprised when he heard the Masked Man's words, then tentatively asked, "If I accidentally kill him, is that also fine?"
"As long as you can do it, I have no objection," the Masked Man gave the same answer as before, completely unconcerned. His tone showed no emotion. It was unclear whether he had too much confidence in the Akatsuki Organization's current leader, believing Naruto couldn't kill him, or if he genuinely didn't care about the matter.
"Very good!"
Naruto nodded with satisfaction when he heard the Masked Man's words, then said, "I am already starting to look forward to meeting your organization's leader."
The Masked Man's attitude made Naruto decide in his heart that once he arrived at the Akatsuki Organization's headquarters, he would definitely cause a huge commotion.
"The person I chose will not disappoint you."
The Masked Man said coldly, then waved his hand, and a swirl appeared in the space beside them, from which a figure fell out.
It was the shark-faced man who had disappeared with the Masked Man earlier.
"Hmm?"
After the shark-faced man was released by the Masked Man, he instinctively gripped the weapon behind him when he saw Naruto, then realized the atmosphere seemed a bit off. So he looked curiously at the Masked Man beside him and asked, "What's going on?"
"This 'Emperor' has joined us. He is a comrade now."
The Masked Man explained the situation to the shark-faced man, then looked at Naruto and introduced, "This is our comrade, Kisame Hoshigaki, a Ninja from Hidden Mist Village. Your Majesty, the Emperor, since you are already comrades, you should at least let us know your name, right?"
"Hidden Mist Village?"
Naruto heard the Masked Man's introduction, glanced at the shark-faced man's forehead protector with a scratch on it, then said, "My name is Shinazugawa Sanemi."
"Your Majesty, the Emperor? Interesting!"
Kisame Hoshigaki showed an ugly smile when he heard Naruto's name and said, "Then, Your Majesty, the Emperor, may I ask if your surname is Shinazu? Or Shinazugawa?"
"Shinazugawa!"
Naruto replied, then said coldly, "This time it's fine, but next time, do not address me by my surname. You must call me Your Majesty, the Emperor, or I will kill you!"
Naruto had not yet fought this shark-faced man, and acting so domineeringly now was to intentionally provoke him, to see if he could find an opportunity to probe his strength.
Hmm, if he could just take him out, that would be best.
???
Kisame Hoshigaki was stunned for a moment when he heard Naruto's words. Then he tightened his grip on his weapon and chuckled, "As expected of an Emperor—truly domineering. I just wonder if it's just big talk, or if he truly has the strength to back up such boasts."
"What? You're not convinced?"
Naruto heard Kisame Hoshigaki's words, and dazzling lightning suddenly erupted from his body. He said coldly, "If you want to know if I have the strength, you can test it now."
"Heh, how arrogant..."
Kisame Hoshigaki was instantly enraged when he heard Naruto's words. He gripped his weapon tightly and was about to make a move, but the Masked Man pulled him back, then stood in front of him. His scarlet gaze fixed on Naruto as he said in a deep voice, "Although our organization does not prohibit internal conflict, it's best for members not to engage in pointless battles. Please adhere to this."
"Hmph, what a boring rule!"
Naruto snorted disdainfully upon hearing this, and the lightning on his body receded. He sighed inwardly, regretting that he was just short of forcing that shark-faced man to act.
"Alright, didn't you want to meet our leader?"
The Masked Man saw the lightning on Naruto's body recede and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Then he said, "We have something to do in Hidden Mist Village now. Once we're done, I'll take you to see him."
"Alright."
Naruto shrugged indifferently when he heard the Masked Man's words, then asked, "But I'm a bit curious. What are you going to do in Hidden Mist Village?"
"You'll know the answer to that question if you come with us—oh, I just thought of something."
The Masked Man replied, then suddenly remembered something and asked Naruto, "I remember when we first met, you seemed to say that you would seek us out because someone from our organization provoked your subjects. Can you tell me what happened?"