The Land of Frost, underground
Graveyard of Mountains
Uchiha Madara sat quietly before the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, his figure looking especially sinister in the dim light.
Ever since summoning the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he had lived here in seclusion, rarely leaving.
In his later years, Madara had finally succeeded in merging Senju Hashirama's cells and gaining the power of Creation of All Things.
However, his Rinnegan had awakened too late, forcing him to adjust his plans and restore his youth first.
"Lord Madara, the mission went smoothly. The Iwagakure Ninja and Konoha have gone to war. Ōnoki takes this war very seriously and even sent the Jinchuriki to the battlefield."
"Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara's squad have also arrived at the battlefield. We're just waiting for the right moment."
Black Zetsu rose from the ground and respectfully reported to Madara, who was seated before the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"There's also a boy from the Uchiha Clan who has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. His Susanoo is unusually huge, and his ocular ability may be related to it."
Madara raised his head slightly, a hint of interest in his eyes.
Black Zetsu had seen a great deal. Mangekyō abilities came in many forms, and over the past thousand years, he had witnessed all kinds of unusual ocular powers.
Uchiha Iori's extraordinary Susanoo was likely the result of his ocular ability.
"Oh? Have you gathered any information on him?" Uchiha Madara asked curiously. After all these years, another of his descendants had finally awakened these eyes.
A Mangekyō Sharingan wielder was now in a position to interfere with his plans, so Uchiha Madara needed to learn more about him and prepare accordingly.
If he could be useful, Madara would draw him into his Eye of the Moon Plan.
If he couldn't be used, Madara would exclude him from the plan and ensure he couldn't interfere with its progress.
If necessary, Uchiha Madara would personally kill him before his own death and remove this obstacle.
"Uchiha Iori lost his parents when he was young. Both of them were Chunin who had never awakened their Sharingan."
"He awakened his Sharingan while he was at the Ninja Academy and specializes in Taijutsu and Fire Release. But even before going to the battlefield, he was only a Chunin."
"The real change came a week ago. While scouting the Iwagakure Ninja, he suddenly learned a new ninjutsu."
"He claims he inherited his ancestors' legacy and can use all kinds of spiritual weapons."
Black Zetsu recounted all the information he had gathered, even clearly explaining things known only to the senior officers at Konoha's front-line camp.
"Spiritual weapons? I've been searching for the Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror. Are those the two?"
Uchiha Madara straightened up, growing curious.
Bathed in the moonlight, Madara's aged face looked especially terrifying.
Pipes were embedded in his back, connecting him to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
His life now depended entirely on nourishment from the statue. If he lost it, he would die quickly.
His Rinnegan had already been transplanted into Nagato, and in its place he had a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan of unknown origin.
The only things that hadn't changed were his immense chakra and terrifying presence.
Uchiha Madara had seen records of the Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror in the Uchiha Clan's archives, but he had never found these mysterious spiritual weapons.
"No. They're spiritual weapons I've never heard of. There's no record of them anywhere in the history of the Ninja World."
Black Zetsu found it strange too. Despite having lived for over a thousand years, he had never heard of these spiritual weapons.
And throughout those thousand years, he had kept an eye on nearly every Uchiha prodigy.
Yet he had never seen an Uchiha use a secret art like this.
Where did his power come from? Could it be connected to Mother's enemy? Black Zetsu wondered uneasily.
Should I find a chance to test him? No, it's better not to complicate things for now.
Black Zetsu thought it over. A plan a thousand years in the making was about to bear fruit, and he didn't want anything to change.
Besides, he firmly believed that once his mother was freed from the seal, no one could stand against her.
"I see. It looks like he has a few secrets." Madara narrowed his eyes. Though he was little more than a dying old man, he still radiated a terrifying pressure.
"What is he like, and how are his relationships with his friends?"
"He gets along well with his teammates and teacher, and he's close to his cousin Shisui. Other than that, he doesn't have anyone he's particularly close to."
"His daily demeanor seems warm and friendly, but his actual relationships suggest that's just a façade."
"In truth, he's still an arrogant Uchiha. He's only warm toward people because he doesn't consider them worth taking seriously."
Black Zetsu had sharp instincts. As a transmigrator, Uchiha Iori rarely let anyone get close to him.
And the maturity that came naturally to a transmigrator also made it difficult for him to fit in at the Ninja Academy.
"What does he think about the Ninja World and peace?" Madara pressed. His Eye of the Moon Plan was built around his understanding of peace in the Ninja World.
If Iori had his own ideas, it would be difficult to persuade him. Madara also didn't have time to make new plans.
"He's never expressed an opinion about the Ninja World or peace, but based on his actions so far, he supports Konoha's hardline approach."
"He's also relatively calm and shrewd, so he'd be unlikely to trust the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"For now, Obito Uchiha is still the best choice. We've already prepared everything for the plan; we only need to continue with it."
Black Zetsu relayed the information he had gathered to Uchiha Madara and concluded that Obito Uchiha was still the best choice to succeed him.
Uchiha Iori seemed too calm and independent. Black Zetsu didn't think he would embrace Madara's ideals, and he would also be difficult for Black Zetsu to control.
Madara stared coldly at Black Zetsu. The tomoe in his crimson eyes turned slowly, as though even the air had grown heavy around them.
"Have White Zetsu spread word of his power and achievements in Konoha. Make the Konoha High Command wary of him and have them bring him back from the front lines."
"One of Tobirama's wretched students—the one called Shimura Danzō. He's always been targeting the Uchiha, hasn't he? Encourage him to get involved."
"In this situation, Konoha can't afford to sideline a fighter like him. But besides Iwagakure and Kirigakure, Konoha is also at war with Sunagakure."
"Aren't Konoha and Sunagakure still locked in a stalemate over in the Land of Wind?"
"Create trouble for Konoha and put it at a disadvantage, then encourage Shimura Danzō to send him to the battlefield in the Land of Wind."
"I can't let him interfere with my plans in the Land of Earth and the Land of Water. Understood?"
Madara looked at Black Zetsu and spoke in a low voice.
"Understood. As you command, Lord Madara."
Black Zetsu replied. He didn't want Iori interfering with his plans, either.
Black Zetsu's figure gradually sank into the earth and left the secret base.
"You're an interesting young man. If you keep causing trouble, I'll come see you myself."
"But by then, you'll have only two choices: death or submission."
"I hope you don't disappoint me." Madara's voice grew lower and lower, until only a whispering echo remained.
His figure gradually disappeared into the darkness. At last, only his crimson eyes remained, flickering endlessly.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path behind him looked more and more sinister as the night deepened.
Iori still had no idea that Uchiha Madara had set his sights on him.
He was still celebrating with the Heroic Spirits in the Hall of Heroes and had also gotten the A++-rank Noble Phantasm that previously required him to spend his life force to project.
If he'd been able to project it normally before, he could have taken care of the Five-Tails without even activating Susanoo.