Did Naruto truly fall under Itachi's Genjutsu, as Kisame had suspected?
Of course it was impossible!
Naruto had always been vigilant against Itachi's Genjutsu. From the very beginning, he wore his Sharingan contact lenses and had activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
With Itachi's Mangekyo-level Genjutsu, controlling Naruto was utterly impossible.
On the contrary, Itachi had been avoiding Naruto, keeping his distance cautiously.
Itachi had positioned himself wisely in this 'game', aiming solely to secure the top spot among the subordinates.
While controlling the other three with his Genjutsu, Itachi had already guaranteed his victory.
Half an hour later, Naruto stood on the Great Naruto Bridge, looking up at the sky and sighing deeply, "Oh, being invincible is so lonely."
This wasn't a show-off. After all, if Naruto hadn't wanted to stick to the traditional dragon boat race's rules, he wouldn't even have summoned shadow clones to row. He could have simply used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the finish line instantly.
The second place was decided an hour after the game began, with Itachi arriving leisurely.
As for the third place, the competition was incredibly intense.
Kisame and Zabuza had started almost neck-and-neck.
Haku's boat had already broken down. After boarding Zabuza's boat, Zabuza cast the Hidden Mist Technique once again, and he and Haku worked together seamlessly.
However, the mist was of no consequence to Kisame.
The reason was simple: his 'boat' wasn't a boat at all.
Kisame's shark-shaped boat was an actual shark. While the mist could obscure the surface, underwater, it was just water. Thus, the shark's movements were entirely unaffected.
Ironically, Zabuza and Haku's seemingly perfect coordination turned into a laughable case of overcomplication.
In the end, Kisame secured third place, Zabuza took fourth, and Haku was disqualified due to the destruction of his boat.
"Alright, everyone, let's go back and rest. Good work, everyone."
As the game ended, Naruto waved his hand, storing away his enormous boat.
After quietly sending Tazuna back home, Naruto returned to Zabuza's base and collapsed into a deep sleep.
It wasn't until noon the next day that Naruto lazily got up.
"Ah, that was such a satisfying sleep!"
Naruto stretched, then used his Observation Haki to locate Kakuzu's presence and teleported to him using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
When Naruto suddenly appeared, Kakuzu wasn't even surprised. He still kept his head down and was busy with the financial records in his hand.
"Leave the lunch there, you can go now." Kakuzu said flatly.
Naruto raised an eyebrow slightly but didn't say anything. Instead, he watched Kakuzu with great interest.
'His movements were chaotic yet orderly, not pausing for even a moment. It seemed he has adapted perfectly to this job.'
"Why are you still here?"
Kakuzu frowned and looked up. When he saw that it was Naruto, he quickly stood up and said, "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, I didn't realize it was you."
Naruto waved his hand and said, "It's fine. You can keep working. If talking doesn't interrupt you, I'll share some of my thoughts with you."
"Please, go ahead, Naruto-kun."
Kakuzu formed hand seals and created an Earth Clone to continue working, while his real body turned to face Naruto.
"Not bad."
Naruto hadn't expected clones to be so useful for work. He mentally noted this trick before continuing, "So, how do you feel after working for a day?"
"Not bad at all. The accounts prepared by Kin and Gin are detailed and neatly categorized, making them easy to understand. I've already gotten the hang of it."
Kakuzu answered with a smile.
Naruto pondered and said, "Then do you think you're up to the task? This kind of work doesn't show its toll in the short term, but over time, your body might end up as worn out as Kin and Gin."
Kakuzu waved his hand and said confidently, "No need to worry about that. I'm currently working on labor distribution. I plan to train a group of people, assign tasks by category, and handle only the final decisions myself. This approach will make the process more orderly and minimize errors."
"Oh? You've thought this through. Seems like you genuinely enjoy this job."
Naruto said with an amused smile, "How does it feel to control such a vast fortune? Not bad, huh?"
"Not just 'not bad', it's absolutely amazing!" Kakuzu admitted, his excitement barely contained.
Even the smallest of Kakuzu's decisions involved at least hundreds of thousands, influencing the lives of countless people. The sense of control thrilled him.
While exhausting, Kakuzu was joyfully immersed in the workload. The sheer temptation of so much money was irresistible, and it was simply exhilarating.
Naruto nodded slightly and said, "Since you're adjusting well, I trust you. Stay here and manage the finances. I'll coordinate with Zabuza to grant you full managerial authority. As for Kin and Gin, you'll need to treat them properly, they're quite capable."
"Is this for real? Thank you for your trust, Naruto-kun! I'm truly grateful!"
Kakuzu bowed deeply, even kneeling in a full dogeza to express his utmost respect.
With Naruto's trust, Kakuzu felt everything was worth it.
With this much startup capital and his immortality, Kakuzu was certain he could eventually control the world's entire economic system.
For this reason, he didn't even mention a salary. After all, once he held the reins of the world's entire economic system, what use would wages be? He would be money itself!
"Alright, get up. Working hard in the future will be the best way to repay me." Naruto said, casually lifting Kakuzu with his solid Kyubi's Chakra.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun!"
After bowing deeply once again, Kakuzu said, "As for Kin and Gin, I greatly admire their capabilities. I've decided to take them as my apprentices and train them to be my right-hand men."
"Sure. From now on, you can handle these matters however you see fit. No need to report back to me."
Naruto patted Kakuzu's shoulder and said, "Keep at it. I won't disturb you further."
After saying this, he vanished in a flash of golden light.
After Naruto disappeared, Kakuzu was nearly delirious with excitement. He even started talking to his Earth Clone, "Did you hear that? Naruto-kun has decided to give me full authority! Hahaha!"
"I heard, I heard. Don't get too carried away." The Earth Clone responded, still focused on the finance records, "The accounts are what really matter. By the way, what do you plan to do about the Akatsuki?"
Although both are Kakuzu, there is a slight difference in the way Kakuzu, who is in an excited state, and the Earth Clone, who is working calmly, consider issues.
Kakuzu waved his hand and said, "Why bring up the Akatsuki? I only stayed there for the money. Now that I've gained everything I wanted from Naruto-kun, why would I go back? Besides, Naruto-kun is the Akatsuki's second-in-command. Serving him means the Akatsuki can't touch me. Honestly, most of the Akatsuki's members have already pledged their loyalty to Naruto-kun. Sooner or later, the Akatsuki will become his organization entirely."
"Hmm... that's a fair point." The Earth Clone conceded, nodding subtly.
No matter what others thought, Kakuzu had tasted the sweetness of his new role and had made up his mind: He would dedicate himself wholeheartedly to Naruto.