"If you have the strength, then it's not a problem."
Pain said flatly before disappearing in a flash.
"That easy?"
Naruto blinked in confusion, wondering why Nagato had agreed so readily.
'Could it simply be because I had taken the poison and won't be able to betray him?'
Konan, standing to the side, explained, "Naruto-kun, the Akatsuki isn't as simple as you think. While possessing the power of the Kyubi makes you formidable, every member of the Akatsuki is incredibly strong. Kisame and Itachi, for instance, aren't opponents you can defeat easily."
"Ah, I see."
Naruto nodded, finally understanding. Nagato must have thought he wasn't a real threat and agreed easily because of it.
If Naruto could somehow defeat Kisame and Itachi, having him as a controlled, powerful second-in-command wouldn't be a bad deal.
'Maybe from Nagato's perspective, the Akatsuki had nothing to lose either way.'
Moments later, Naruto and Konan returned to the village gate.
There, Kisame, Itachi, and Wartortle were locked in a silent standoff, their gazes fierce yet saying nothing.
"Oi! Let Wartortle go! I have already joined the Akatsuki and become the second-in-command. Obey my orders, now!"
Naruto announced with a dramatic flair, his voice full of exaggerated arrogance.
Kisame was about to offer a polite congratulations, but Itachi interrupted first, "Konan, is this true?"
"The leader's orders are clear: If you two acknowledge him, he will be the second-in-command. If not, it's just an empty title." Konan explained bluntly.
Hearing this, Itachi replied coldly, "In that case, I'll return this turtle to you, but I won't recognize you as my superior unless you defeat me!"
"Huh, just you?"
Naruto snorted derisively, though inside, he was thrilled.
'Good thing Itachi was such a good actor… If it had been Kisame, the ruse might've been exposed immediately.'
Itachi's eyes turned from black to crimson, his Sharingan turning into the Mangekyo. As the intricate patterns formed, Wartortle trembled slightly.
"This is yours." Itachi said, pushing Wartortle toward Naruto.
Naruto embraced Wartortle with exaggerated joy, "Wartortle, you're finally back!"
Wartortle: "Wartortle, Wartortle? (What happened?)"
"Stay in the Poke Ball for now, I have a battle to fight," Naruto whispered, recalling Wartortle into the Poke Ball.
He was very glad that Wartortle couldn't speak, otherwise, the act might've been exposed.
Just as he secured Wartortle, Itachi's voice rang out, "Tsukuyomi!"
In an instant, Naruto stiffened.
But then, Itachi coughed up blood, and blood also flowed from his eyes.
"Impossible... You resisted Tsukuyomi? How can your mental strength be this powerful?"
Itachi asked, his voice strained and filled with disbelief.
Seeing this, Konan was also stunned and said, "To think you could resist Itachi's Tsukuyomi… Naruto-kun, it seems you're not lying about your strength."
"Haah haah!"
Naruto, panting heavily, forced himself to stand firm despite his trembling body. Then, he said, "I told you, I'll avenge Wartortle. This position as second-in-command is mine!"
As he said that, the Biju Chakra Cloak appeared enveloped him, and Naruto's expression became more ferocious.
The rain that fell upon the Chakra Cloak evaporated instantly, the steam rising around him adding to his intimidating presence.
Whoosh!
With a burst of speed, Naruto launched forward, leaving afterimages in his wake. His punch landed squarely on Itachi, who hadn't even had time to react, knocking him unconscious.
"Humph! You're courting death!"
Kisame finally realized that they were acting for Konan, so he swung Samehada at Naruto.
Naruto rolled his eyes and said to Konan, "Sister, lend me some of your paper!"
"No problem!" Konan was stunned for a moment and took out some papers.
Without hesitation, Naruto activated the Weapon Blessing.
The originally white paper suddenly shone with golden hue.
In that moment, Naruto seemed to summon the spirit of a card master into him. Using the principles of the Rasengan, he infused the Kyubi's Chakra into the golden cards. Enhanced by his mastery of throwing techniques, the papers spun with explosive force and precise accuracy.
Bang, bang, bang!
Samehada was sent flying, sparks scattering through the air as it was knocked from Kisame's grip.
"Chance!"
Seeing an opportunity, Naruto suddenly used one of the tails behind him to whip Kisame, sending him flying more than 20 meters.
Boom!
Kisame hit the ground hard, creating a deep crater upon impact. Blood spewed from his mouth as several deep, bleeding wounds on his body sizzled from the corrosive effects of the Kyubi's Chakra.
"You've lost!"
He hurled a flurry of golden papers, embedding them all around Kisame in a circle. If Naruto hadn't shown merchy, those papers would have skewered Kisame through.
"Hmph!"
Kisame struggled to rise, but before he could make another move, a figure appeared in an instant, stopping him, "That's enough, Kisame. It's Naruto-kun's win."
The person who came was none other than Pain.
Turning to Naruto, Pain's gaze showed a hint of approval, "I didn't expect your strength to be this impressive, Naruto-kun. From today onward, you're the second-in-command of the Akatsuki. Here, take this."
As he said this, he handed a ring to Naruto.
"Then, I'll take it."
After taking it and looking at it, Naruto couldn't help but laugh in his heart. The ring was inscribed with the kanji for 'Sky', which once belonged to Orochimaru.
Sliding it onto his right middle finger, Naruto couldn't help but grin inwardly.
From now on, whenever he made a certain hand gesture, he could flaunt the ring at the same time.
Something along the lines of: Why are you pretending to be so arrogant? Take a good look. I'm an Akatsuki's member, I will scare the shit out of you!
However, this did not exceed Naruto's expectations.
Back at the tower, Pain's initial verbal acknowledgment had been half-hearted, as he hadn't immediately handed over an Akatsuki's ring, clearly not taking Naruto seriously.
Moreover, Naruto's danger sense ability had detected subtle signals in the rain, leading him to suspect Nagato was using Rain Tiger at Will Technique to monitor him.
Now, seeing Naruto win a two-on-one fight, Nagato's approval was finally genuine.
"Naruto-kun…" Pain began, "I've named you second-in-command, but the other members are currently out on missions. If any of them question your authority, make sure not to kill them… just teach them a lesson."
Seeing Naruto's strong fighting ability, Nagato was happy, but at the same time, he couldn't help but worry about the other members.
"I understand, Leader. I'll exercise restraint," Naruto replied with a respectful nod.
"Good," Pain said, nodding slightly before vanishing with Konan.
Noticing that the faint danger in the rain had dissipated, Naruto knew that the Rain Tiger at Will Technique had ended.
"They've truly left."
Naruto said aloud before quickly returning Samehada to Kisame.
After the Chakra transmission from Samehada, Kisame's wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Phew! Finally back on my feet. I thought I was a goner there." Kisame said, wincing as he stood up.
Before Naruto could respond, Itachi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said coldly, "You wouldn't have been in that mess if you'd surrendered earlier."
"You think I'm like you?" Kisame shot back, "Everyone knows your ability. After using Tsukuyomi, your eyes bleed, and you're left weak, so getting knocked out is no big deal. What was I supposed to do to fake it?"
Listening to their bickering, Naruto couldn't help but smile.
The three of them had just put on an elaborate act. Itachi, being sly, hadn't used Tsukuyomi at all and simply pretended to faint. Kisame, however, relied solely on physical prowess and had no choice but to take the hits head-on.
Still, Kisame wasn't entirely helpless. He had deliberately let go of Samehada, rendering his body unable to recover, to make the act convincing.
All in all, it was an almost flawless performance, and they successfully deceived Nagato and Konan.
From this point forward, Naruto's actions within the Akatsuki would carry the weight of authority. Finally, he could act with confidence and start executing his plans without worries.