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"Uchiha Madara, I've discovered a secret!"
Pain - Deva Path looked at the Masked Man and said in a deep voice, "I've found that the Gedo Statue seems to have a life of its own; it appears to be craving something. I remember you said you knew the origin of the Gedo Statue. Do you know what's going on?"
While Nagato, through Pain - Deva Path, was helping Naruto stabilize the Masked Man, he was also probing him, trying to extract some information he wanted to know. There were two things Nagato most wanted to know now.
One was whether the true owner of his Rinnegan was the Masked Man in front of him; the other was whether the Masked Man knew anything about the Gedo Statue.
"Gedo Statue?!"
Sure enough, when the Masked Man heard Pain - Deva Path's words, the pupils behind his mask instantly contracted. Then he said calmly, "It's not strange. The Gedo Statue is inherently a living entity, and what it craves are the Tailed Beasts that we are preparing to collect."
Saying that, he looked into Pain - Deva Path's Rinnegan and said in a deep voice, "Only your Rinnegan can control that power. So, as long as all the Tailed Beasts are collected, the Gedo Statue will be revived. At that time, you will wield the strongest power in this Ninja World!
Once you master that power, whether you use it to bring peace to the world or destroy it will depend solely on your will."
"At that time, you will become a true god!" the Masked Man said in an impassioned tone, trying hard to brainwash Nagato.
"Is that so?"
Pain - Deva Path listened to the Masked Man's words but looked at him expressionlessly, then said calmly, "But I've recently found that the compatibility between my body and this Rinnegan is getting lower and lower, as if these eyes don't belong to me. Do you know what's going on?"
"That's just your illusion!"
The Masked Man immediately spoke upon hearing Nagato's words, "You feel this way because the Rinnegan's ocular power is too strong, putting too much burden on your body. The reason this is happening is that the Rinnegan's power hasn't been fully unleashed yet.
The Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue are connected. Only when the Gedo Statue is revived will the Rinnegan's power be fully unleashed, and you will be able to completely control its power. At that time, your body will also be nourished by the Rinnegan's power, transforming into the legendary 'Immortal Body.' With the 'Immortal Body,' you will be able to use the Rinnegan's ocular power without any reservations."
"I see."
Pain - Deva Path nodded expressionlessly after hearing the Masked Man's explanation.
The Masked Man's explanation was very fluent, as if it had been prepared long ago.
If it had been before meeting Naruto, Nagato might have believed his explanation—no, besides believing, there would have been no other option.
But now, whether or not you are Uchiha Madara, these eyes will truly become mine!
Thinking this, Nagato controlled Pain - Deva Path to continue probing, saying, "As expected of Uchiha Madara, to know even such things so clearly. Your understanding of the Rinnegan makes me feel as if these eyes should belong to you."
"Hmph!"
The Masked Man snorted when he heard Pain - Deva Path's words, then looked into his Rinnegan and said in a deep voice, "Nagato, are you suspecting that I'm coveting your eyes?"
"Don't you want them?"
Pain - Deva Path raised his hand, pointing to his Rinnegan, and said calmly, "Even if you are Uchiha Madara, who once dominated the Ninja World, you shouldn't be indifferent to these eyes. Moreover, your understanding of these eyes is even clearer than mine, the owner of these eyes. It's hard to believe that you have no thoughts about this Rinnegan."
"Brat, who do you think I am?"
The Masked Man's tone suddenly turned cold when he heard Pain - Deva Path's words. He stared at his Rinnegan and said in a deep voice, "I am Uchiha Madara!"
"No, you're not!"
At this moment, Naruto's voice suddenly came from behind the Masked Man. A blade wrapped in lightning slashed across him, and he scoffed, "You're just a rat who has stolen someone else's name!"
In that instant, Naruto had slashed at the Masked Man hundreds of times again, but still failed to unleash a slash that could break his ability.
The Masked Man turned his head, his gaze angrily fixed on Naruto, and he questioned coldly,
"What exactly do you want to do?"
"Of course, I want to expose you, this rat who impersonates others!"
Naruto raised the long sword in his hand, its blade pointing at the Masked Man, and said, "Because you are not the real Uchiha Madara at all!"
"You—"
The Masked Man's expression beneath his mask changed slightly when he heard Naruto's words, then he said in a deep voice, "I am Uchiha Madara!"
"No, you're not!"
"I am!"
"Then take off your mask and prove your identity to us!"
"I—"
Of course, the Masked Man dared not take off his mask. He stared at Naruto for a while, then looked at Pain - Deva Path beside him.
His voice returned to calm, and he asked faintly, "So, you two came together to confirm my identity? I want to know what made you doubt my identity?"
The reason the Masked Man went around scaring people with Uchiha Madara's name was not because he wanted to borrow power, but because the real Uchiha Madara, before his death, personally gave his name to him. That's why he seemingly used this name with trepidation, completely unafraid of being exposed.
But now, he felt that Naruto and Nagato seemed to have found evidence that he was not the real Uchiha Madara.
This was interesting!
The Masked Man was not worried about his true identity being exposed, as he didn't really care much about this identity. He kept using Uchiha Madara's identity to show himself, not only because the name was effective, but also because his true identity could not be easily exposed.
But he was more curious about what Naruto and Nagato had discovered.
"It's because of this Rinnegan!"
Pain - Deva Path spoke, saying in a deep voice, "Not long ago, someone brought me some items that the Six Paths Sage once used. When I came into contact with those items, I saw some memories from the Rinnegan. And in that memory, the owner of these eyes was not me, but Uchiha Madara!"
Saying that, Pain - Deva Path's gaze fixed on the Masked Man, and he asked word by word, "So I want to ask, if you are the true Uchiha Madara, why are your eyes on me?"
"Things used by the Six Paths Sage?"
The Masked Man was clearly stunned when he heard Pain - Deva Path's words, then he instinctively asked, "What items?"
"This!"
Naruto took out the Shichiseiken, which was like a door panel, and said, "This is the Shichiseiken, one of the ninja tools left by the Six Paths Sage.
It has residual Chakra from the Six Paths Sage on it, and it reacts to his Rinnegan. Doesn't that make sense?"
"Impossible!"
The Masked Man instinctively retorted when he heard Naruto's words, "Nagato's eyes evolved from Madara's eyes, not the Six Paths Sage's eyes. How could they react to—"
"Tobi!"
The Masked Man's words were cut off halfway by another voice. Then a pitcher plant emerged from under his feet, slowly opening to reveal a black-and-white figure of a strange person. The black half spoke to the Masked Man, saying, "You've said too much."
"Hmph!"
The Masked Man immediately reacted when he heard the pitcher plant monster's words, realizing that Naruto and Pain - Deva Path were trying to trick him into revealing information.
Because the Masked Man had told Nagato before that his Rinnegan was inherited from the Six Paths Sage, Nagato claimed that his Rinnegan reacted when he touched a ninja tool with residual Six Paths Sage Chakra.
But the Masked Man knew that Nagato's Rinnegan actually came from Uchiha Madara, not the Six Paths Sage, so his Rinnegan couldn't possibly react to a ninja tool with residual Six Paths Sage Chakra.
It was just that he was too surprised when he saw Naruto take out the Six Paths ninja tool, so he didn't react in time and instinctively blurted out those words.
This situation made him somewhat furious and embarrassed, and his emotions revealed an unreserved killing intent toward Naruto and Nagato!
"Heh, he's flustered!"
Naruto felt the Masked Man's killing intent and said triumphantly, then looked at the pitcher plant monster and asked curiously, "What is that thing?"
"He is Zetsu, a member of the organization responsible for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering."
Pain - Deva Path revealed Zetsu's identity, then said, "But he is Tobi's subordinate."
"Subordinate?"
Naruto heard Pain - Deva Path's words, his gaze curiously fixed on the pitcher plant monster named 'Zetsu' for a moment, then his figure transformed into a flash of lightning, instantly appearing beside Zetsu, and he cut it in half at the waist with one slash.
"Uh!"
"Oh, dear!"
The two halves of Zetsu emitted two different tones, then split into black and white figures. They both glanced at Naruto simultaneously, then plunged into the ground and disappeared.
Soon after, they emerged from under the Masked Man's feet again, revealing half of their bodies. Then the black figure said to the Masked Man, "I told you, that guy is indeed a threat."
"Didn't die."
Naruto looked at the black and white figures emerging halfway from the ground, and said thoughtfully, "And they can split. It seems that thing is indeed not a normal person."
The moment Naruto saw Zetsu, he felt that something was off, which is why he attacked without hesitation.
However, the ability to kill in one strike was ineffective against Zetsu, which greatly surprised Naruto and confirmed that it was definitely not a normal living being.
However, Naruto could feel a familiar aura from them, especially the white one, but he couldn't recall where that familiarity came from.
"Hmph!"
The Masked Man couldn't help but snort when he heard Black Zetsu's words, then he looked at Naruto and Pain - Deva Path and asked coldly, "So, are you two planning to turn against me here?"
"That depends on you."
Pain - Deva Path spoke, looking at him and saying, "If you can tell us your true identity and your true purpose, perhaps we can continue to cooperate."
The Masked Man narrowed his eyes slightly at the words and asked again, "What if I refuse?"
"Then we'll kill you here!"
Pain - Deva Path spoke coldly, and then the other Pains simultaneously moved, surrounding the Masked Man.
"Kill me? Heh!"
The Masked Man sneered disdainfully when he heard Pain - Deva Path's words, then looked at him and said, "You are merely a vessel chosen by Madara. How dare you say such words to me? It's simply preposterous."
After speaking, he looked at Naruto again and said coldly, "And you, have you really chosen to be my enemy?"
The Masked Man was actually a bit confused as to why Naruto, who had agreed to cooperate with him, had suddenly turned against him. He completely failed to understand what Naruto was thinking.
"Enemy?"
Naruto raised his sword horizontally and said coldly, "You're wrong. I just purely want to kill you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto's figure turned into lightning, instantly flashing before him, and he unleashed a fierce barrage of slashes with his long sword.
"It's useless!"
The Masked Man stood still, allowing Naruto to continuously slash at him, and said disdainfully, "Even if I stand here and let him slash, you won't be able to harm a single—"
Pfft!
The Masked Man's words were unfinished. After Naruto's sword had swung thousands of times, a silver gleam suddenly appeared on the blade, then it firmly struck his neck, directly severing his head.
"How could this be?"
The Masked Man's head spun in mid-air, his face beneath the mask filled with confusion. Immediately after, his left eye, hidden beneath the mask, flickered slightly, and then the light in his eye quickly dissipated. The next moment, his decapitated body vanished into thin air like a dream, and his figure reappeared not far away.
Completely unharmed!
"That was close, I almost got taken out!"
The Masked Man recalled the experience of being decapitated just now, feeling a chill down his neck. When he looked at Naruto again, his eyes showed an inexplicable dread.
This was the second time!
The Masked Man then remembered that the last time he fought Naruto, Naruto had also broken his ability.
At the time, he thought it was just a coincidence, but now it seemed that this guy had indeed mastered a technique that could break his intangibility ability.
"He really came back to life!"
Naruto looked at the Masked Man, who was clearly decapitated but unharmed, and held his long sword horizontally, saying coldly, "Is that the Izanagi jutsu? That jutsu can only be used once per eye. I'd like to see how many eyes you have for me to cut!"
After speaking, Naruto's figure once again turned into lightning, flashing before the Masked Man, and he furiously slashed at him again.
But with the lesson from last time, the Masked Man would no longer foolishly stand there and let Naruto slash him. Instead, he activated another ability, allowing his body to enter another dimension.
Seeing this, Naruto immediately increased the speed of his slashes, unleashing hundreds of slashes in an instant, but he failed to trigger the spatial-tearing slash again.
He could only watch helplessly as the Masked Man escaped in front of him.
"I was careless this time. The next time we meet, I'll make you pay. Just wait!"
The Masked Man left a harsh threat, then his body was sucked into the vortex-like alternate dimension, completely disappearing.