The One to Succeed Madara

In a hidden underground chamber in the Land of Fire, a legendary figure who had once been renowned during the Warring States era was concealed. He was Uchiha Madara, who had founded Konoha alongside Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, and established the system by which the Shinobi World was divided into nations and ruled, with the strength of the hidden villages keeping one another in check!

The vast underground chamber was empty and dim. At its center stood a hideous statue hundreds of meters tall.

The statue looked like a person who had been stripped of their skin. Its entire body was covered in patterns resembling muscles, and its face had nine tightly closed eyes. Its hands were spread open, palms facing upward, and shackled against its chest.

The statue was made of an unusual material. It looked like both stone and ancient wood, giving the impression that it was incredibly hard yet also resilient.

This statue was the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the Ten-Tails' husk. Directly in front of it, beneath its feet, stood a throne, where the aged Uchiha Madara sat in quiet contemplation.

Madara was already on the verge of death. His once wild black hair had turned entirely gray, the muscles throughout his body had withered, and the skin covered in age spots had grown loose and wrinkled.

Eight black tubes, each as thick as a thumb, connected his back to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. They continuously transferred the statue's life force to him, which was the reason he had managed to cling to life until now.

"My time is running out. It's time to prepare the one who will succeed me." Madara slowly opened his eyes and spoke calmly.

There were no pupils in his eyes, only two pitch-black hollows. The sight was terrifying and unsettling.

As soon as Madara finished speaking, two mounds slowly rose from the ground before him, and two strange-looking people emerged from the earth.

One of them was black on one side and white on the other. Two enormous aloe-like leaves sprouted from his shoulders, one on each side, enclosing his body between them. He was Black Zetsu, who had hidden himself by Madara's side in an attempt to resurrect Kaguya-hime.

The figure beside Black Zetsu was entirely white, his body made of a white substance coiled into a spiral pattern. He had no facial features, only spiral markings and a black hole that might have been an eye.

This strange white humanoid was White Zetsu, Tobi—the strongest and most unusual of all the White Zetsu. He also had a very eccentric personality, which could perhaps be described as "a total goofball."

"Pfft. The one to succeed Madara—the 'Madara successor.'"

Tobi suddenly burst out laughing and started making a pun, but neither Madara nor Black Zetsu paid him any attention.

Black Zetsu looked at Madara and grinned. "Are you really sure you want that kid, Obito Uchiha, to succeed you? He was a dead-last at the Ninja Academy and only just passed the Chunin Ninja Exams."

Black Zetsu's voice was so shrill and grating that it was unpleasant to hear.

Madara coughed twice and replied weakly, "The talent of the Uchiha Clan can't be measured by the standards used for ordinary ninja. He has potential hidden within him that you can't imagine."

Black Zetsu smiled. "Since it's your decision, I naturally have no objections."

"But Konoha has always protected inexperienced ninja like him very well. Even with you controlling Kirigakure's forces and bringing them to Konoha's doorstep, I doubt the Third Hokage would send a ninja like him to the battlefield. Are you planning to abduct him directly from Konoha?"

"Don't worry about that," Madara said slowly. "I've already reached an agreement with that kid, Ōnoki. Iwagakure will soon declare war on Konoha. When the time comes, Sarutobi will be short on troops and have no choice."

Although Ōnoki was now one of the most senior figures in the Shinobi World, in Madara's eyes, he was still just the same timid junior he had been back then.

While Kirigakure was waging war against Konoha, Madara had also secretly arranged an alliance with Ōnoki by controlling the Fourth Mizukage. When Kirigakure and Konoha were locked in a stalemate, Ōnoki's forces would invade the Land of Fire from another direction.

The time was now right. When Iwagakure launched a sneak attack from behind Konoha, Konoha would have to face the forces of two great hidden villages alone. Under the pressure of war, they would have no choice but to send even the young ninja who had only just left the Ninja Academy to the battlefield.

And that would be Madara's chance to take Obito for himself!

For Madara, abducting Obito from Konoha would be simple. But if he wanted to draw out Obito's potential, awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan, and sever his ties with Konoha completely, he would need to make careful arrangements.

Only by letting Obito witness the cruelty of war and see the person he loved die at the hands of Konoha Ninja would he cut off all his former bonds with his own hands and become Madara's pawn willingly!

"Tobi, I'm also entrusting you with protecting Nohara Rin. This girl is key to Obito awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan and turning against Konoha, so don't let your guard down," Madara said evenly.

At that, two blushes suddenly appeared on Tobi's cheeks. He hugged his right shoulder with his left hand and his left shoulder with his right, striking an extremely coy pose.

"Master, you're so cruel! Soon I'll be fused with Obito-chan, but you're still making me protect his crush. Waaaah!"

The "fusion" Tobi referred to was literal.

Obito had astonishing potential in his spiritual energy—or, more accurately, in his Sharingan—but his physical abilities were inadequate.

To improve Obito's physical abilities, Madara planned to have Tobi attach himself to Obito's body like a suit once Obito joined them, allowing Tobi to assist him in battle.

Madara had never paid any attention to Tobi's pointless chatter. He coughed a few more times, then weakly waved a hand with some effort. "You may leave."

At Madara's command, Black Zetsu and Tobi didn't linger. Their bodies gradually sank into the ground and disappeared from the underground chamber, leaving it once again enveloped in oppressive silence.

Madara slowly raised his head. His hollow eyes seemed to pierce through the underground chamber and gaze at the moon in the sky.

"Senju Hashirama, I'll use the Eye of the Moon to correct the mistake you left behind!"