## Valley of the End ##
The statues of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju stood tall here, both posed for battle, as if they were still fighting to this day.
A man sat atop Madara Uchiha's head, the wind stirring his cloak.
He wore a black long-sleeved shirt and black gloves. A thick black belt was tied around his waist. But the most eye-catching thing was the strange mask on his face. The mask was a vivid orange with a spiral pattern, revealing only his right eye.
His cloak was adorned with red clouds, marking him as a member of Akatsuki.
According to Jiraiya, Akatsuki was searching for the Tailed Beasts.
The man seemed lost in thought, gazing at the sky as though searching for the meaning of life.
(Flashback)
The same figure walked through an unknown cave.
When he noticed two other figures approaching him, he stopped.
The first had spiky orange hair, multiple metal piercings in his nose, ears, and lower lip, but his most striking feature was his purple eyes. He wore a black cloak with red clouds.
The other figure was clearly female. She had blue hair, amber eyes, and a paper flower pinned in her hair.
"We need to talk... Madara," the orange-haired figure said seriously to the man in the orange mask.
"Of course, Pain... Tobi is a good boy," Tobi said in a childish voice.
"Stop fooling around," Pain said sternly.
Tobi immediately turned serious.
"We have some information that you... left out," Pain explained.
"What?" Tobi asked.
"First, Kisame and Itachi Uchiha heard some very interesting news while investigating the Nine-Tails jinchūriki."
"Get to the point," Tobi said.
"The Nine-Tails jinchūriki claims to be Madara Uchiha's grandson," Pain said. Tobi's eye widened. "Your grandson, to be precise." Pain stared directly into Tobi's