Somewhere within the vast primeval forest at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass.
"I can only say, as expected of Madara's chosen successor. Even though I was so careful, you still discovered me."
Inside a concealed hollow within an enormous, withered ancient tree, the man in a black cloak lowered his head slightly. His face was hidden beneath his hood, but his tone carried a hint of emotion and weakness.
"Madara's successor? What nonsense are you talking about? I am Madara."
Hearing this, the man standing some distance away from the black-cloaked man, keeping his distance, let out a cold laugh. Dressed in a black robe patterned with red clouds and wearing a spiral mask that revealed only his right eye, he looked down at the black-cloaked man leaning against what had once been the tree's core, one hand covering his right shoulder. With disdain in his voice, he said coldly.
"Heh!"
The black-cloaked man seemed to sneer. "Have you completely immersed yourself in the role? Do you think Madara Uchiha prepared only one stand-in, one successor? Madara? You and I both know that old man is dead. That ugly sight of him clearly having failed, with no chance of turning things around, yet still dragging out his miserable existence like a gambler who had lost everything and gone mad... It truly makes me sick."
His tone was filled with contempt and mockery toward both the Masked Man and Madara Uchiha.
"Is that so... Have you become so weak that you need to provoke me just to find an opportunity to escape? Then that means I can kill you right here."
Yet the Masked Man was not affected by that contemptuous, mocking tone. On the contrary, after hearing those words, a trace of a