But Kingpin had only submitted so sincerely because he was under control, wasn't he?
A thought suddenly occurred to Wu Chen, giving him a few ideas.
But now wasn't the time to discuss them, so Wu Chen transported all five of them, along with himself, out of the Kamui Dimension.
As soon as they returned to the office, the four villains, aching all over, immediately forced themselves to stand through the pain. Then they lowered their heads respectfully to Wu Chen. "Boss!!"
Wu Chen nodded slightly and said to Kingpin, "Have them go downstairs and treat their wounds. Once they're bandaged up, have them come back up."
Kingpin immediately did as Wu Chen said, but when he was about to go downstairs to treat his own wounds, Wu Chen stopped him.
Snap~
Wu Chen raised a hand and snapped his fingers, releasing Kingpin from the Genjutsu. "Kingpin, I'll only say this once. Listen quietly until I'm done, or you'll lose yourself and your chance to become stronger forever."
Kingpin, who had been about to rise up and resist, froze. Now that he had regained his senses, he naturally had no desire to address Wu Chen respectfully as his master. The emperor of the underworld had his own dignity.
But now, Kingpin suddenly had a feeling that if he really resisted, he would lose something extremely important to him.
The anxiety of losing and gaining made Kingpin lower his clenched fists.
Seeing this, the corners of Wu Chen's mouth curled up slightly beneath his mask. He continued, "Do you know why I'm so strong and can do those amazing things?"
Kingpin said nothing, remaining as silent as a clam.
Wu Chen didn't press him. Instead, he attached Chakra to the soles of his feet, then walked up the office wall until he was standing on the ceiling, face-to-face with Kingpin.
"That's because I possess a power called Chakra!"
"Chakra?" Kingpin spoke up. "What is it?"
Instead of answering directly, Wu Chen went over to the computer and pointed at the video on the screen. "Now I'll tell you why I laughed earlier."
"Even I can't be completely certain I could defeat this man, yet you called him an insignificant little lackey. Tell me, shouldn't I have laughed?"
Kingpin said nothing. He looked at Minato Namikaze on the screen, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Wu Chen didn't explain. Instead, he clicked on another video—the one of Wu Chen pummeling Abomination and Hulk at the start. "Do you think these really are movie special effects?"
"Aren't they?" Kingpin retorted instinctively.
Wu Chen shook his head. "This is Minato Namikaze's strength. He possesses the same power as me—Chakra! And the abilities he uses are Ninjutsu. Whether it's the Flying Thunder God Technique he uses to flash around or that blue-glowing Rasengan, they're all Ninjutsu!"
"And Ninjutsu requires Chakra to power it."
"Of course, the most important thing is that once a person has Chakra, they can learn Ninjutsu and eventually become a true powerhouse."
"Kingpin, you're beneath notice in my eyes for a simple reason: you're just an ordinary person."
"In our world of ninjas, even a slightly capable Genin could easily defeat you."
"Now, I'm giving you an opportunity. I'll give you Chakra and teach you some Ninjutsu."
"Are you willing to submit to me?"
He would give Kingpin an opportunity to keep his own mind and increase his strength.
None of this had actually been part of Wu Chen's plan. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
But if Kingpin was willing to submit sincerely, adding a fairly capable peripheral member to the Akatsuki would be quite nice.
Of course, the most important thing was that, in Wu Chen's view, Kingpin couldn't make any waves no matter what, so there was no harm in giving him a little power.
After all, a stick alone wasn't enough to win someone over. A sweet date was needed too.
Having said his piece, Wu Chen sprawled in the chair reserved for Kingpin, casually rummaging through Kingpin's drawers as he waited for an answer.
Kingpin didn't stop Wu Chen. With his head lowered, he seriously weighed the gains and losses.
But in truth, there was only one path before him.
That was to submit to the Masked Man in front of him.
If he refused, he would lose his sense of self and still be forced to submit.
If he submitted, his mind would not be restricted, and he would also gain a way to continue growing stronger. The price was merely his freedom and becoming the subordinate of the man before him.
How long had it been since he was someone's subordinate?
Back then, Kingpin had just joined a gang, and he still had a boss above him.
Then, through his fearless fighting style, formidable strength, and clever mind, he had worked his way up step by step to where he was today.
Now, Kingpin could no longer find a way to grow stronger.
More precisely, he could no longer find a way to grow stronger without modifying himself.
If he had been willing to modify himself, Kingpin would have become a humanoid monster long ago.
A few minutes later, Kingpin dropped to one knee and slowly lowered his head. "Master! I hope you'll grant me power!!"