As he walked farther forward, he noticed that something was not quite right. Near the center behind him, there was a small shadow.
Although Uchiha Madara did not know what that shadow was, the fact that he had not sensed it at all made him vaguely feel that it was a serious problem.
Belaque, waiting on the shore, saw Uchiha Madara gradually slow down and shouted, "What's wrong? Did you find something?"
"I'm not sure yet, but there really is something in the middle of the lake," Uchiha Madara said.
"Then be careful. If things get too difficult, we can fly up and take a look from above," Belaque said.
"Don't worry. Nothing in your world can trouble me, much less something in a lake. It's not even the sea," Uchiha Madara said.
Uchiha Madara walked forward step by step, getting closer and closer to the black shadow.
When he finally saw what the shadow was, even Uchiha Madara was startled.
Beneath the frozen surface of the lake lay a little boy, as if he were asleep.
The little boy looked innocent and adorable, perhaps only five or six years old. Uchiha Madara could no longer sense even the slightest trace of life from him. He must have frozen to death in the icy lake.
What Uchiha Madara could not understand, however, was that he had clearly activated his sensory ability earlier. Everything in the lake should have been within his sight.
So why had he failed to notice this little boy?
From the shore, Belaque saw that Uchiha Madara had stopped and asked, "What is it? Did you find something?"
"There's a person—a child, it seems. Do you want to come over and take a look?" Uchiha Madara shouted back toward the shore.
"What did you say? A child?"