The mysterious masked man couldn't stand it any longer. This child, a boy he had personally held as a baby, was treating him like some insignificant Akatsuki intern.
If he were the one deceiving and toying with Naruto, it wouldn't matter. The problem was that Naruto was the one acting high-and-mighty, his words implying that he, the great Hokage, was the one providing for the Akatsuki, treating the organization like his subordinates. The kind you could summon and dismiss at will.
Even Nagato wouldn't dare to speak to him like that. Being treated this way, he really wanted to just drop the act and attack.
However, the masked man was still a bit hesitant. Black Zetsu had finally managed to trick this young Hokage into softening his stance toward their organization. Black Zetsu had already given up some of Akatsuki's information, but they hadn't even started using Naruto Uzumaki yet. Was it worth turning hostile just for the Seven-Tails jinchuriki?
It... wasn't quite worth it. But then again, wasn't their entire purpose to capture the jinchuriki? How could he just hand her over so easily?
The masked man pondered, thinking of using his Kamui to teach this Naruto Uzumaki a lesson and make him think twice before looking down on the Akatsuki again. If Naruto proved to be no match for him, then he would take this opportunity, while the boy was alone, and capture him directly.
Hmph. He was the reason the Fourth Hokage died. Maybe it was time for the Fifth Hokage to follow the same path.
Still, to be safe, he had to consider that the battle might end in a stalemate. He couldn't just attack recklessly. This judgment was based on his assessment of Itachi Uchiha's combat power. It was said that Itachi and Naruto had fought several times and were often evenly matched, with no clear winner.
The masked man knew Itachi's strength and believed he could at least fight Naruto to a draw. His own Mangekyo Sharingan's dōjutsu was a space-time ability, even more bizarre than Itachi's. What's more, he had a transplanted three-tomoe Sharingan, allowing him to use the ultimate dōjutsu, Izanagi. That was his trump card.
"Sorry, but until I can confirm the superior-subordinate relationship between you and the organization, I must prioritize the organization's orders."
The masked man's voice was a bit hoarse. Perhaps because there was no one familiar around, he reverted to his original voice. "When I return to the organization, if the leader believes I have offended Your Excellency, I will personally apologize to you and am willing to return the Seven-Tails jinchuriki with my own hands."
Apologize? Return the Seven-Tails? As if.
He was the true mastermind behind the Akatsuki. In the entire organization, who could possibly make him apologize? Who could make him return a jinchuriki?
When he got back, he needed to have a serious talk with Black Zetsu. He gave up his identity as the Fourth Hokage's student and defected from Konoha to build his own path. Was it all just to become a dog for Konoha's Fifth Hokage?
And this brat had only been Hokage for a few months. How was he so smooth with his words? He felt much more skilled at this than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi... Was this kid born to be Hokage?
Naruto Uzumaki stared intently at his movements. Countless vines shot out from under his feet, grabbing the Seven-Tails jinchuriki and placing her on the ground. At the same time, he himself charged toward the masked man.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Dozens of Naruto's shadow clones surged forward, coordinating their attack.
"Idiot..." the masked man cursed softly. He had only claimed to be an intern. Did this kid really take him for one? Compared to his father, Minato Namikaze, Naruto Uzumaki was nothing.
Facing an unfamiliar ninja, he still dared to underestimate his enemy and rush in recklessly. Did he think he was the God of Shinobi? If it were anyone else, they might be amazed by the number of clones, but to the masked man, they were just a waste of chakra.
Facing the assault, he was not afraid at all. His taijutsu was exceptionally skilled, and his strength was far greater than that of an ordinary ninja. He could destroy the weak shadow clones with a single punch or kick.
"Got you!"
The masked man kicked one of the Narutos. The impact told him instantly—this was Naruto's real body.
The next moment, without hesitation, a swirling vortex appeared in his right eye, attempting to pull Naruto into the Kamui dimension. This was his trump card, the most miraculous of all space-time dōjutsu.
What an idiotic kid... He could have bombarded me with ninjutsu from a distance, yet he insisted on a close-quarters taijutsu battle.
The masked man said coldly, "The life of Konoha's new generation Hokage... I'll gladly take it now!"
"I was careless..." Naruto sighed helplessly.
A shadow clone next to him crashed into the main body, taking his place as it was sucked into the Kamui dimension. It was clearly a sacrificial pawn.
At the same time, Naruto's other shadow clones began to form hand seals, and streams of blue chakra shot toward the masked man. "Spiral Shockwave!"
"...Hmph!"
The masked man frowned. When his Kamui was absorbing something, his own body could not become intangible. He could only let the real Naruto go.
Still, there will be plenty of other opportunities. This kid is just an idiot. If it didn't work this time, I'll just catch him next time.
However, what he never expected was for Naruto to quickly back away, spread his hands, and summon seven or eight small, pitch-black Tailed Beast Balls to float above his head.
"You thought of using ninjutsu? Useless resistance..." The masked man sneered and charged toward Naruto again. With the protection of Kamui, he feared no ninjutsu.
Boom!
One after another, Tailed Beast Balls rained down.
The masked man paid them no mind. His body instantly phased into the Kamui dimension, letting the attacks pass harmlessly through his intangible form. If an outsider were present, they would be astonished to see him casually strolling through a bombardment of Tailed Beast Balls completely unharmed.
Of course, this safety was temporary.
Inside the Kamui dimension, the masked man had just materialized. He was already planning how he would mock that kid Naruto after the bombardment ended. But as he was about to look for his weapon, his gaze swept across the empty, blocky dimension.
Then, a familiar blond-haired boy appeared in his line of sight.
The atmosphere slowly froze.
The masked man remembered. He had failed to absorb Naruto's real body, and instead absorbed a shadow clone that took its place.
And this very shadow clone, the one that had saved the main body, was now sitting on a high platform inside the Kamui dimension. It looked down at the suddenly-appeared masked man with a very sunny smile.
"Want to take a guess why you 'caught' my real body just now?"
-----
Bonus:
Ten minutes ago.
Obito: Sensei, your kid... isn't much like you.
Minato Namikaze: Huh?
Obito: He's so dumb. Killing him will be much easier than killing you.
Minato Namikaze: ...You just wait until I'm resurrected!
Ten minutes later.
Obito: Sensei, your kid... isn't much like you!
Minato Namikaze: You killed him?
Obito: No. This kid is too insidious. He almost killed me.
Minato Namikaze: ...No need to resurrect me.