Border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass.
In a magnificent underground palace.
Madara sat on a stone chair with his eyes closed, listening to Black Zetsu recount his experiences on this trip.
He gently tapped his thigh with one hand.
The expression on his face did not change in the slightest.
After a long time.
He opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through his pupils.
"You mean a nobody rescued Nagato and the others from the hands of Amegakure and Konoha?"
Black Zetsu answered respectfully.
"Yes, Lord Madara."
"This fellow doesn't know where he popped out from, and the current Shinobi World doesn't seem to... have any matching powerhouses."
Madara snorted softly and said with disdain.
"In all my life as Madara, I've looked down the most on fellows who hide their tails like this."
Black Zetsu glanced at Madara and muttered inwardly to himself.
Well, you really are living to become the very thing you hate the most right now.
Madara frowned and said no more.
The huge palace suddenly fell into silence.
The scheduled plan failed.
And it was inconvenient for him to walk around the Shinobi World right now...
Madara rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a faint headache.
After a moment.
He lowered his hand and looked at Black Zetsu with deep eyes.
"Since this chess piece is wasted, let's change to another one."
"Black Zetsu, go find me an Uchiha child, a child capable of shouldering our great cause."
Black Zetsu smiled and nodded.
"I understand, Madara-sama."
With the Third Great Ninja War not yet settled, the difficulty of picking up a child wasn't too high.
Black Zetsu's body plunged into the ground and scurried off into the distance.
Land of Rain.
Base of the Akatsuki organization.
Obito