Black Zetsu is a complete idiot.
The mysterious masked man was cursing him up a storm in his mind. Their Akatsuki organization had the people and the powerful eyes, but because of Black Zetsu's meddling, they were now forced to beg on their knees before Naruto Uzumaki.
Naruto leaped forward and stood at the entrance of the dungeon, observing the situation inside. The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, Fuu, was covered in blood and tightly bound by chains. The other Waterfall Village ninjas had all been killed.
It had to be said, the Akatsuki, by some twist of fate, always helped him solve difficult problems. These were all ninjas loyal to the Waterfall Village. In normal times, he might have admired them.
But now, as a Hokage aiming to unify the ninja world, these ninjas would become obstacles. Even he would have a hard time dealing with them. If he killed them, it might cause a backlash among the people of the Waterfall Village. If he didn't, they were a clear and present danger.
Now that the Akatsuki had killed them, he could just push all the blame onto them in the future. For instance, he could claim the Akatsuki intended to destroy the Waterfall Village to get the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, killing everyone in the process. This way, he could also relocate the villagers and dissolve the Hidden Waterfall Village.
There was a precedent for this kind of thing. Naruto even felt he was quite skilled at it. In the future timeline, after Danzo Shimura died at Sasuke's hands, many dark deeds were blamed on the remaining loyalists of the Foundation. Conveniently, those stubborn militants had never stopped their little schemes.
"Alright."
Naruto gave the mysterious masked man a deep look and said in a low voice, "Since the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki of the Waterfall Village is here, and the other ninjas who might have rebelled have been killed by you, you can leave now."
If the Nine-Tails hadn't reminded him in the seal space that the masked man was still very useful, and that Black Zetsu was still lurking in the shadows, Naruto would have definitely forced him to stay. It was unwise to alert the enemy just yet.
But there was no rush.
When all nine Tailed Beasts were collected in the future and the entire ninja world was unified, he would find a way to bring the mysterious masked man before his mother, Kushina, and let her decide his fate.
That night in Konoha had created too many victims. In the original timeline, both he and Minato Namikaze had forgiven the masked man. So, this time, let his reanimated mother decide.
Unfortunately, this guy was a bit tactless.
"My apologies. The order I received was to assist Lord Hokage in clearing out possible rebels, and I must also take the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki back for strict supervision."
The mysterious masked man played the part of a diligent Akatsuki member, sounding like a tool who only knew how to follow orders. Naruto couldn't help but frown. If he didn't know the truth, he might have actually been fooled. This fellow had so many different identities and voices; his voice alone had three variations.
After a moment of silence, Naruto suddenly sneered, "Then go back and ask your leader for new orders!"
"..."
The mysterious masked man was speechless for a moment, then shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid that won't do. After all, I'm just an intern in the organization. This concerns me becoming an official member of the Akatsuki..."
"That's why you should be even more careful to avoid making mistakes." Naruto's voice suddenly dropped, his expression turning cold as his acting skills came online. "The Akatsuki is a tool to help me unify the ninja world. You are defying my will. Is it because I've been too lenient with you?"
The mysterious masked man was silent.
Those words really make you want to hit someone! Why is this guy so infuriating when he talks! If I had known, I shouldn't have used that baby to lure the Fourth Hokage thirteen years ago. I should have just blown him up with an explosive tag to avoid this huge problem now...
"My apologies," the masked man said, suppressing his anger. "I must take the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki back. Lord Hokage can discuss it with the organization's leader. At that time, we will naturally return the Jinchuriki to you."
The leader of the Akatsuki hasn't even been decided yet! Besides, the public leader, Pain, doesn't know about the secret alliance between Black Zetsu and Naruto. For now, I'll just grab the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki and leave. Let Black Zetsu deal with this nonsense!
Inside the seal space, the Nine-Tails' temper flared up. It had no goodwill towards the masked man. This jerk had controlled it before and even had connections with that good-for-nothing Madara Uchiha.
The Nine-Tails clenched its claws into fists, rapidly sharing its chakra with Naruto. "Naruto, let's just fight him!"
Naruto fell silent.
The Nine-Tails glanced at Shukaku in the water prison and continued coldly, "It's just like with that idiot Shukaku. If you beat them up first, they become much more obedient!"
"You jerk, what did you just say!" the One-Tail, Shukaku, roared, gripping the bars of the water prison.
Unfortunately, the Nine-Tails ignored him. After using Shukaku as a bad example, it kept trying to persuade Naruto that actions speak louder than words.
"Naruto, go for it! Only when you defeat someone will they be willing to listen to you seriously. Besides, if the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki is taken by the Akatsuki, who knows where they'll hide her. They might even kill her and just wait for the Seven-Tails, Chomei, to revive in a few years!"
"Then let's give it a try," Naruto said, clenching his fist, once again convinced by the Nine-Tails. "A continuous five-minute attack, with absolutely no gaps..."
"That's right!" The Nine-Tails' face instantly lit up with excitement.
Excitement was one thing, but Kurama went straight from cheering to violence — breaking the water prison, dragging Shukaku out by the neck, and beating him senseless until the One-Tail finally started giving chakra.
Shukaku, of course, refused until the very end. But its power within the seal space was completely suppressed by the Nine-Tails. It could only curse and swear while providing chakra for Naruto.
"Kurama, is this necessary?" The corner of Naruto's eye twitched as he looked at Shukaku, subdued by the Nine-Tails. He said softly, "This guy's only tricky parts are his Wood Style and Sharingan. We don't need to use that much chakra, right? This also avoids exposing Shukaku."
"True." The Nine-Tails nodded, kicked Shukaku back into the prison, and reapplied the seal. "This idiot Shukaku is still completely useless!"
Shukaku was speechless. Isn't this going too far?
Outside the seal space, the mysterious masked man saw that Naruto wasn't reacting. He grabbed the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, Fuu, with one hand and was about to leave with a flicker.
"Wood Style: Tree Binding!"
Vines shot out and wrapped around Fuu's body. Naruto waved his hand, controlling the vines to pull Fuu back.
"Based on your current actions," Naruto said coldly, "can I assume the Akatsuki has betrayed me?"
The mysterious masked man turned intangible, avoiding the vine attack. Under his mask, his expression was extremely ugly. If Pain and the others weren't unable to defeat this version of Naruto, he would have really turned on him by now.
And what's wrong with this Naruto, accusing people of betrayal with every other word! His father was also a Hokage, and he didn't have this problem, did he?
-----
Bonus
Obito: Black Zetsu, we help him unify the ninja world, and he gives us Tailed Beasts when he feels like it. Are you making me beg on my knees for food?!
Black Zetsu: How many people wish they had the chance to kneel and can't even get in the door!
Obito: I betrayed Konoha and awakened the Mangekyo just to beg on my knees for food?
Black Zetsu: You want to stand up and get the Tailed Beasts?
Obito: Yes!
Black Zetsu: That's not happening.
Obito: With my Kamui, can it happen?!
Black Zetsu: It can happen, in other villages. In Konoha, it can't.
Obito: With this cloak on my back, can it happen?!
Black Zetsu: It can happen, in other villages. In Konoha, still can't.
Obito: For f***'s sake, what's the use of us making an alliance with him? He's just using us!
Black Zetsu: Is your IQ down to two again? Aren't we trying to use him too?!
Obito: ...But...
Black Zetsu: But before we could use him, he used us first, so you're really ticked off, right!
Obito: I'm pissed off!
Black Zetsu: But at least he won't attack our organization's members for no reason anymore...
Obito: But we're begging on our knees for food!
Black Zetsu: We can't beat him, so getting a bite to eat is already good enough. Why the are you being so picky? I'm more anxious than anyone, and I still have to console you.