Uchiha Madara

While Uchiha Aoba listened absentmindedly, Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato discussed their plans.

Meanwhile.

In a dark cave somewhere in the Shinobi World.

An elderly white-haired man, nearing the end of his life, sat upright on a stone platform.

He held a long-handled, sickle-shaped weapon in his hand. At a glance, he looked like a grim reaper who could control life and death.

Behind the old man stood a gigantic, fearsome-looking statue, motionless and silent.

Several long, tough tendrils, like gas hoses, extended from the statue and connected to the white-haired man's back, continuously supplying him with life force.

This old man was none other than Uchiha Madara, the Asura of the Ninja World, who had once struck fear into everyone's hearts.

Unfortunately, time was a merciless thing.

No one could escape the ravages of time. Even Uchiha Madara could only cling to life with the Demonic Statue's help.

The cave was silent.

Until a white figure with a spiral-shaped body emerged from the ground.

Uchiha Madara, whose life force was weak, finally reacted.

"Tobi?"

"Hello, Lord Madara."

Tobi greeted him in a playful manner, then reported, "I have some good news for you."

"The two Uchiha Clan children you asked me to keep an eye on."

"Uchiha Aoba and Uchiha Obito have both appeared at the frontline camp in the war between Konoha and Iwagakure."

"Hmm. How are things going with the plan?" Uchiha Madara asked quietly.

"No problem. I guarantee it'll go smoothly."

Tobi's face showed no expression, but his tone conveyed how he felt.

Hearing how confident Tobi sounded, Uchiha Madara felt a little more at ease.

He had waited far too long to find a suitable proxy for his dream, the Eye of the Moon Plan. If the Demonic Statue hadn't been able to supply him with life force, the grass would already be several feet high over his grave.

Fortunately, heaven still favored him.

That was what Uchiha Madara believed.

It had even sent him two candidates at once, both qualified to become proxies for the Eye of the Moon Plan.

"Be especially careful of that boy, Aoba, when you put the plan into motion."

"Tobi, remember that."

"I understand, Lord Madara." Tobi's tone was solemn. "That kid's growth is astonishing. A Kage Level fighter at thirteen years old is practically unheard of."

"When I discovered this deep underground in his home, I was so startled I nearly gave myself away."

"That's why he's only my second choice," Uchiha Madara said slowly.

"Although the stronger the proxy for the Eye of the Moon Plan is, the better, since that would help the plan proceed smoothly, compared to Aoba, who has already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at this stage—"

"Uchiha Obito may be weak, and he hasn't even awakened the Sharingan yet, but he'll be much easier to control. As for his lack of strength, I have plenty of ways to make him stronger."

"All right, that's all I have to say."

"Go tell the White Zetsu to get ready. As soon as their team goes off on its own, find a way to draw Namikaze Minato away. Before the war between Konoha and Iwagakure ends, you must bring Uchiha Obito back."

"I understand, Lord Madara."

After speaking, Tobi sank back into the ground and disappeared from Uchiha Madara's sight.

The cave.

Became silent again.

"Achoo!"

After listening to Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato discuss their plans, Uchiha Aoba had left the tent.

He was about to go find Kakashi and the others when his nose suddenly tickled, making him sneeze.

"Which bastard's talking about me behind my back?"

Muttering to himself, Uchiha Aoba didn't give it much thought.

He was more concerned with the battle ahead: the head-on clash between Konoha and Iwagakure.

There was one thing he didn't quite understand.

If they knew the Iwagakure supply line ran through Kannabi Bridge, why were they planning to fight head-on?

Hadn't they heard of keeping the enemy occupied in the open while secretly attacking elsewhere?

They'd used that clever tactic in the Battle of Kikyo City. Why were they planning to charge straight in this time?

He didn't get it. He really didn't.

Still, as far as Uchiha Aoba was concerned, he was quite happy to fight on the front lines.

It meant he could kill more enemies and rapidly raise his panel fusion rate again.

So even though he'd noticed something was off while Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato discussed their plans, Uchiha Aoba hadn't said anything. He'd just sat there and listened.

His fusion rate had already reached 46.1%. He was only 4.9% away from the next stage.

He was confident he'd reach his target during the coming battle.

Guided by a member of the Logistics Department, Uchiha Aoba arrived at the tent where Kakashi and Uchiha Obito were staying.

Nohara Rin was surely in the area reserved for female ninja.

At that moment, the two were arguing about something again, paying no heed to the people around them.

They only quieted down when they saw Uchiha Aoba.

"You two have been traveling for so long. Aren't you even a little tired?"

"Why don't you rest and recover while you can? When we head onto the battlefield, will you still have the energy to kill enemies and earn merit?"

"Aoba, it's not like I wanted to argue. Stupid Kakashi was the one who started it."

"Was I wrong to say it?"

Kakashi gave Uchiha Obito a scornful look for tattling, then said to Uchiha Aoba, "You know what I'm like, Aoba. I don't bother with Obito unless he's done something stupid."

"If I hadn't stopped him earlier, he would've followed Rin straight into the area where the female ninja live."

"I didn't do it on purpose."

Uchiha Obito's face flushed as he defended himself. "I was just thinking about something and got distracted."

"Honestly, I don't know what to do with you."

Uchiha Aoba sighed. "Obito, we're on the front lines now, which means war could break out at any time. So I'm asking you to put your lovestruck thoughts aside for now."

"Whatever you're thinking about, whatever you want to do, wait until the war is over."

"Lose focus on the battlefield, and you could get killed."

An apologetic look appeared on Uchiha Obito's face. "Sorry. It won't happen again."

"Enough. You don't need to say it out loud. Just understand how serious this is."

Uchiha Aoba waved a hand, then looked at Uchiha Obito and Kakashi, as well as the others in the tent. His expression grew serious. "Everyone, get some rest while you can. You all know I just came back from seeing Lord Jiraiya."

"So I can tell you for certain: a major battle is waiting for us."