"What do you want?"
Pain's Deva Path asked coldly.
Realizing that Hundred Faces was merely notable for the number of Kekkei Genkai he possessed, and that each individual Kekkei Genkai posed no significant threat, Pain began viewing him as a special existence like Kakuzu or Hidan. Since Akatsuki was in need of members, Pain had already decided to recruit Hundred Faces.
However, before accepting him into the organization, Nagato wanted to know Hundred Faces's true purpose for joining—his ambitions and goals.
Hundred Faces didn't immediately answer. Instead, he glanced at Uchiha Obito, who was standing beside Pain, and feigned confusion. "He's not Uchiha Itachi, so who's this guy with the Sharingan? As far as my information goes, Akatsuki only has one Uchiha member."
Pain didn't answer, merely giving a sidelong glance to Obito, silently leaving it to him to either reveal or conceal his identity.
"I am... Uchiha Madara."
Obito chose to reveal himself, speaking in a low, commanding tone as if the face beneath his mask exuded an overwhelming authority.
"Uchiha Madara?"
Hundred Faces raised an eyebrow, his eyes suddenly bulging with the veins of the Byakugan as he scrutinized Obito closely. After a few seconds, he deactivated the Byakugan and shook his head in disappointment. "That chakra doesn't match the legend."
Nagato silently agreed, as this was one of the reasons he had always harbored doubts about Obito's true identity.
"During my battle with Senju Hashirama, I sustained injuries that could never fully heal."
Obito tried to justify himself.
"Heh…"
Hundred Faces let out a derisive chuckle. "That makes you even more suspicious. The Uchiha Madara I know wouldn't bother explaining himself to someone like me."
Swoosh—
At these words, Nagato's and Black Zetsu's eyes both flickered. The former grew even more skeptical of Obito's identity, while the latter began pondering Hundred Faces's true age. Knowing such intimate details about Madara's personality, combined with his claim of having spent decades perfecting his ultimate technique, Hundred Faces was clearly not as young as he appeared—he was likely over fifty.
"Believe what you want."
Obito, realizing he had said too much, ceased trying to defend himself.
Hundred Faces gave him an out, however, saying, "There's actually a simple way to prove whether you're Uchiha Madara."
"As far as I know, the Uchiha clan has a treasured heirloom, passed down from generation to generation, but it was taken by Uchiha Madara when he left Konoha."
Hundred Faces continued. "If you truly are Uchiha Madara, that treasure should be in your possession, right?"
Obito felt a wave of relief as he heard this, replying in a tone that betrayed a hint of pride, "So, you know about the Gunbai. You're well-informed for someone so young."
With that, a spatial distortion appeared, and in an instant, a large, gourd-shaped fan with six red tomoe on each side and a handle connected to a chain materialized in Obito's hand.
"So, it really is the Gunbai."
Hundred Faces's eyes gleamed as he stared at the fan, reciting its abilities and history. "It's durable yet flexible, able to reflect ninjutsu and convert them into Wind Style. During the Warring States Period, many perished after being caught off guard by Uchiha's counterattacks with this fan."
Obito remained silent this time. He had produced the Gunbai to lend credibility to his claim of being Madara and to ease Nagato's suspicions.
As expected, Hundred Faces's words helped quell Nagato's doubts. It now seemed plausible that this person, who knew so much, truly was Uchiha Madara.
Licking his lips, Hundred Faces addressed Obito and Nagato, "I know your plan is to collect the nine tailed beasts and seal them inside a vessel, creating a weapon even stronger than the Nine-Tails."
"I possess four Kekkei Genkai, am proficient in all five basic chakra natures, and have mastered numerous secret and forbidden techniques."
"I'm willing to work for you free of charge, but in exchange, you must give me one item and agree to one condition."
Before Pain could ask, Obito interjected, "You want the Gunbai?"
"Exactly. I'm in need of a powerful and reliable weapon."
Hundred Faces nodded, then continued. "The five great shinobi villages possess most of the nine tailed beasts. By targeting them, you're bound to provoke the major powers, and the Fourth Great Ninja War will inevitably break out."
"When that happens, I'll use forbidden jutsu to provide you with an army of undead soldiers. You're familiar with Orochimaru's Edo Tensei, aren't you?"
At this, Obito's eyes and those of everyone else present lit up. "You can use it too?" he asked.
"Of course."
Hundred Faces smiled confidently. "Not only can I use it, but I'm perfecting it. The undead I summon will be at least 70% as strong as they were in life, and some may even reach nearly 100% of their original strength."
"Very well, the Gunbai is yours."
Obito tossed the Gunbai to Hundred Faces, his voice casual. "It's of no use to me now. The Uchiha clan is gone, and only a few people in the world still recognize it."
"As expected of the Demon of the Ninja World. So generous."
Hundred Faces caught the fan, clearly delighted, and gave Obito a thumbs-up. "What a guy—giving away something that doesn't even belong to him so easily."
He thought to himself, wondering how the real Madara would feel if he could see this.
At that moment, Pain spoke up. "What's your other condition?"
"It's simple."
Hundred Faces slung the Gunbai onto his back and spoke seriously. "I'll serve you loyally for free, but only while you, the leader, are alive."
"If the leader dies, it means your plan has failed."
"At that point, I'll leave the organization and take your corpse, merging your Rinnegan with my body to become the second Sage of Six Paths."
Both Obito and Black Zetsu felt a chill at these words, but they understood his reasoning.
Indeed, if they possessed the ability to fuse Kekkei Genkai, they wouldn't pass up the chance to acquire the Rinnegan.
In fact, Hundred Faces's admission of his ambition made them feel more at ease.
"Agreed."
Pain nodded without any sign of offense. In Nagato's eyes, he was an invincible god. Even if the Five Kage joined forces, the Six Paths of Pain had nothing to fear. Once they captured all nine tailed beasts, the entire ninja world would bow before the power of the Gedo Statue.
There was no chance of failure.
After sealing the nine tailed beasts, Nagato planned to allow the ninja nations to borrow the Gedo Statue's power during times of war, thus enforcing peace through fear. Before he died, he would destroy the Rinnegan, ensuring no one else could ever possess it.
As a result, he had no problem indulging Hundred Faces's ambitions.
"Good, we have a deal."
Hundred Faces raised his hand, showing the Empty Ring, and smiled at Pain and Obito. "I look forward to working with you, Leader… and Madara."
With that, Hundred Faces sank into the ground using the Mayfly Technique, swiftly leaving the Hidden Rain Village.
Ten seconds later, White Zetsu spoke. "He's left the village."
"Can you find out his identity?" Pain asked.
"It shouldn't be too difficult. He seems arrogant and didn't seem interested in concealing his identity."
Black Zetsu's raspy voice responded. "He's connected to Orochimaru and knows Edo Tensei, so he's likely someone from the Second Great Ninja War or, like Kakuzu, a relic from the Warring States Period."
"A technique like Edo Tensei couldn't have come from a small ninja village. Even if he developed it himself, he would need significant knowledge."
"He was almost certainly a ninja from one of the five great villages—most likely Konoha."
"Then I leave this task to you, Zetsu," Pain nodded and walked away.
Obito placed a hand on White Zetsu's shoulder, using Kamui to take both Black and White Zetsu with him as he vanished into the Kamui dimension.
Once inside, White Zetsu teased, "Obito, aren't you worried Madara will be angry when he's resurrected and sees you gave his Gunbai to that guy?"
"That guy's worth the investment. He has more potential than Kisame."
Obito replied nonchalantly, though he had no intention of ever reviving Uchiha Madara.
The Moon's Eye Plan was his to carry out.
"If his Edo Tensei really can be perfected, bringing back the dead at 70% of their original power or more, he's definitely worth recruiting."
Black Zetsu agreed, already calculating his next move.
Once Hundred Faces's identity was uncovered, he planned to keep a close eye on him. If he wasn't a serious threat, Black Zetsu might even guide him toward discovering Madara's body and more of the White Zetsu clones' abilities, ensuring Madara's resurrection through Edo Tensei.
Even with only 70% of his original strength, Madara would still be an unbeatable force.
More importantly, Madara had left seals on both Nagato and Obito. If resurrected through Edo Tensei, he could use those seals to control Nagato and force him to perform Rinne Rebirth to revive him fully.
Once Madara reclaimed his Rinnegan, neither Konoha's Yagyu nor a resurrected Hashirama could stand against him.
With this thought, Black Zetsu felt a surge of excitement.
Yagyu was plotting. Nagato was plotting. Obito was plotting. Black Zetsu was plotting…
The four masterminds, having just concluded their meeting, each harbored their own schemes.
"Oh? So I got the Gunbai?"
On Yagyu's side, receiving real-time information from Hundred Faces, he couldn't help but laugh. "Well, that's a pleasant surprise."
Yagyu had little use for the Gunbai, but for Hundred Faces, who could now openly use the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the weapon was a huge asset.
Even without the Mangekyo Sharingan, Hundred Faces could use the fan to counter tailed beasts and jinchuriki. After all, Uchiha Madara had used the Gunbai to easily deflect one of Naruto's mini Tailed Beast Bombs.
With enough strength, even larger Tailed Beast Bombs could be deflected with ease.
Touching his eyes, Yagyu murmured to himself, "My ocular power is growing rapidly. The Mangekyo shouldn't be far off."
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