The Spot-Receiver

Deep within a hidden underground palace in the Land of Fire, a legendary figure renowned during the Warring States period lay in wait. He was none other than Uchiha Madara, the man who co-founded Konoha alongside the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, and established the current world order where nations are balanced by the power of their respective hidden villages!

The vast underground palace was empty and dim. Standing in the center was a hideous statue hundreds of meters tall.

The statue resembled a human stripped of its skin, its entire body covered in muscle-like striations. On its face were nine tightly shut eyes, and its hands were held upward with fingers splayed, locked in place by shackles across its chest.

The texture of the statue was peculiar, appearing to be a cross between rock and ancient wood, giving off an impression of extreme hardness yet remarkable resilience.

This statue was the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the husk of the Ten-Tails. Directly in front of its base sat a throne, upon which the elderly Uchiha Madara sat in silent contemplation.

At this moment, Uchiha Madara was at the end of his rope. His once wild, long black hair had turned completely gray, his muscles had withered, and his skin was slack, wrinkled, and covered in age spots.

Behind him, eight black transmission tubes as thick as thumbs connected him to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. These tubes continuously funneled life force from the statue into his body, which was the only reason he had been able to cling to life until now.

"My time is running out. It is time to cultivate my successor." Uchiha Madara slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a calm tone.

At this moment, there were no pupils in his eyes, only two pitch-black, hollow voids, making his appearance terrifying and ghastly.

No sooner had Uchiha Madara finished speaking than two protrusions slowly emerged from the ground in front of him, and two strange-looking figures crawled out from the earth.

One of them had a body clearly divided into black and white halves, with two large, aloe-like leaves on his shoulders clamping his body in the center. This was Black Zetsu, who had been hiding by Madara's side, plotting to resurrect Kaguya.

The creature beside Black Zetsu was snow-white, his entire body composed of a white substance spiraling in a vortex pattern. He had no facial features, only swirling markings and a single black hole that might have been an eye.

This strange white humanoid was Tobi, the White Zetsu, the most powerful and unique of all the White Zetsu. At the same time, his personality was incredibly flighty—or perhaps "goofy" would be a better description.

"Pfft, successor, suck-cessor."

Tobi suddenly laughed, playing with a pun, though neither Uchiha Madara nor Black Zetsu paid him any mind.

Black Zetsu looked at Uchiha Madara and said with a grin, "Are you truly decided on making that brat Uchiha Obito your successor? He was a dead last at the Ninja Academy, and he only just passed the Chunin Exams recently."

Black Zetsu's voice was sharp and grating, making it very uncomfortable to listen to.

Uchiha Madara coughed twice and said weakly, "The talent of the Uchiha clan cannot be measured by the standards used for ordinary ninja. He possesses potential hidden within him that you cannot imagine."

Black Zetsu chuckled, "Since it is your decision, then this subordinate naturally has no objections."

"However, Konoha has always protected such green ninja quite well. Even with you manipulating the Hidden Mist to press their borders, I doubt Sarutobi would arrange for a ninja like him to be sent to the front lines, would he? Are you planning to abduct him directly from Konoha?"

Uchiha Madara said slowly, "Do not worry about that. I have already reached an agreement with that brat Ōnoki. Soon, Iwagakure will declare war on Konoha, and when that happens, Sarutobi, stretched thin by military demands, will have no other choice."

Although Ōnoki was now of the most senior generation in the ninja world, in Uchiha Madara's eyes, he was still just the timid, subservient junior he had once known.

While the Hidden Mist launched a war against Konoha, Uchiha Madara had also controlled the Fourth Mizukage to secretly form an alliance with Ōnoki, who would launch an assault on the Land of Fire from another direction once the Hidden Mist and Konoha were locked in a stalemate.

The time was now ripe. Once Iwagakure launched a sneak attack from Konoha's rear, Konoha would have to face a pincer attack from two major villages alone. Under the pressure of war, they would be forced to send even those young ninja who had just left the academy onto the battlefield.

And that moment would be Uchiha Madara's chance to claim Obito!

For Uchiha Madara, abducting Obito from Konoha was simple. But to ignite Obito's potential, force him to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, and sever his ties with Konoha completely, he needed to arrange things with great care.

Only by letting Obito witness the cruelty of war and seeing his beloved die at the hands of Konoha ninja would Obito personally sever all his past bonds and truly become a pawn in his hand!

"Tobi, besides Obito, the task of protecting Nohara Rin is also entrusted to you. This girl is the key to Obito awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan and betraying Konoha. Do not be careless." Uchiha Madara said indifferently.

Upon hearing this, two red blushes suddenly appeared on Tobi's cheeks. He then hugged his right shoulder with his left hand and his left shoulder with his right, striking a very coy pose.

"Master, you are truly heartless. Soon I will be 'merging' with Obito-chan, yet you want me to protect his crush? Wuwuwu."

The "merging" Tobi spoke of was a physical union in the literal sense.

Although Obito possessed astonishing potential in terms of spiritual power—or rather, the capacity of his Sharingan—his physical constitution was indeed lacking.

To enhance Obito's physical capabilities, Uchiha Madara planned for Tobi to attach himself to the surface of Obito's body like a "suit" once Obito joined him, allowing Tobi to assist in Obito's actions.

Uchiha Madara had always ignored Tobi's nonsensical drivel. He coughed a few more times, then waved his hand with great effort and said weakly, "You may withdraw."

Hearing Uchiha Madara's command, Black Zetsu and Tobi did not linger. Their bodies gradually sank into the ground and vanished from the palace, leaving the underground chamber to return to its oppressive, absolute silence.

Uchiha Madara slowly raised his head, his hollow eyes seemingly piercing through the palace to gaze at the moon in the sky.

"Senju Hashirama, the mistakes you left behind shall be corrected by me through the Eye of the Moon!"