"Hey, Obito—"
"I brought back something really interesting! Where are you?"
"Obito—"
The White Zetsu—A Fei—rose from the rock wall, his voice brimming with excitement and schadenfreude.
But in the dim underground cavern, only the increasingly aged Uchiha Madara lifted his head, responding blandly.
"That brat Obito is outside training alone, A Fei…"
"Eh? Training alone? Boring."
A Fei's faceless body somehow displayed a vivid look of disappointment.
"I rushed back early just so I could see his face the moment he heard the news…"
"What kind of face do you want to see?" Madara asked.
Before A Fei could answer, Uchiha Obito stepped out of Kamui space and returned to the cavern, his gaze cold.
"Of course I want to see you make any expression besides gloomy and cold~"
"Like this?"
Obito's aura sank. Killing intent exploded, pressing down on A Fei so hard the White Zetsu immediately retreated back underground.
Madara intervened calmly.
"Enough, A Fei. Now isn't the time for games. Speak."
"Tch, scary, scary… Obito, I really hope you can keep that sour face after you hear this…"
Muttering under his breath, A Fei surfaced only half his head and chirped out his intel.
"…The Uzumaki Nine-Tails jinchuriki, and that brat who knows Flying Thunder God… hmph. Konoha hasn't changed much since back then."
Madara snorted, as if an old memory had soured his mouth.
Obito remained expressionless, voice flat.
"First Minato-sensei… and now even Kushina-sensei, who kept her identity hidden."
"The village really is being squeezed dry."
"Then what, A Fei? Did Huiye Lian lose, or win?"
"Uh… hard to define."
A Fei tried to build suspense—
Then immediately understood what "cowardice is wisdom" meant under the combined pressure of Madara and Obito's gaze.
He spoke quickly and clearly.
"First half: back and forth. Minato used a surprise strike to control the bone freak, then tried to seal him with Kushina. But the bone freak pulled out a Sage Mode they didn't expect, seriously injured Minato, and forced the fight into the second half."
"Second half was bone freak versus the Nine-Tails jinchuriki. Kushina went partial transformation—five tails—and still couldn't really deal with Sage Mode. She fired a Tailed Beast Bomb to decide it… almost blew him away."
"But because she thought she'd won, she got ambushed by the bone freak who survived, and was heavily injured—went unconscious."
"Overall… it should count as Huiye Lian's win."
A Fei instantly sank underground, fleeing the cavern before the air could freeze.
But contrary to what he expected—
Obito didn't explode in rage.
He simply inhaled slowly, then walked up to Madara, whose brow had tightened.
"Madara… your fight with the First Hokage—the one that permanently altered the terrain and created the Valley of the End… that was real, right?"
"Why ask that now, brat?" Madara lifted his head, sensing something.
"You and the First at your peak… you were stronger than Huiye Lian is now, right?"
"Ridiculous."
Madara scoffed with absolute confidence.
"A man who can't even suppress the Nine-Tails alone has no right to be mentioned in the same breath as Hashirama and me."
"Good."
Obito extended his hand toward Madara. His Mangekyo spun, reflecting the storm in his heart.
"Then give me everything."
"A Uchiha as proud as you wouldn't cling to life like a coward out of fear. You've been plotting something—laying foundations where the Five Great Nations can't see."
"But you're old now. Old enough that you'll die soon. You don't have the luxury of waiting for the seeds you planted to grow into towering trees."
"You need a successor."
"Don't you, Uchiha Madara?"
Obito's words were blunt—borderline insolent.
And yet, after staring into Obito's eyes for a long time…
Madara threw his head back and laughed.
"Heh… hahahaha… A successor?"
"You, Uchiha Obito?"
"It's me."
Obito didn't move his hand.
"I'll inherit your plan. I'll inherit your knowledge."
"And I will inherit the name 'Uchiha Madara.'"
Behind him, the vast blue chakra silhouette of Susanoo rose again—as if confirming his declaration.
"Arrogant little brat."
Madara glanced at Susanoo and smiled meaningfully.
"But… Mangekyo Sharingan, Hashirama's cells, Susanoo, and hatred strong and firm enough…"
"You're barely an acceptable choice."
"So?" Obito asked, Susanoo mirroring his posture, palm offered.
"Uchiha ninjutsu and taijutsu. Hidden truths passed through the shinobi world. Yin-Yang Release beyond the five elements…"
"I'll teach you everything you can learn."
"And once you have enough to bear the name 'Uchiha Madara'…"
"I'll tell you what you truly need to know."
Madara raised his hand and clasped Obito's.
For the first time in ages, the tyrannical pride of his prime returned to his face.
"I am Uchiha Madara."
"A name that makes the Five Great Nations tremble."
"If you want to inherit everything… you'll need to wager your life for the right, brat!"
…
"Madara-sama, should we really not use our control over Kirigakure to forcefully erase Huiye Lian right now? That kind of abnormal growth rate… even if Obito inherits all your knowledge, he might not be able to win reliably."
"A successor is only a successor."
"True. That Kaguya brat has grown into a troublesome benchmark without anyone noticing…"
Madara's eyes narrowed in the cavern's eternal dark.
"But there's no need to rush."
"You don't seem worried."
"The Mist sent word. Huiye Lian requested to leave the front to search for a way to remove the Flying Thunder God mark. He plans to appear in nearby countries and draw Konoha's attention…"
"You plan to approve it?"
"If he doesn't wander into other nations' territory, the other villages won't feel pressured to act."
Madara's voice was soft—almost amused.
"No one wants to see a Mizukage emerge whose strength completely eclipses the other Kage."
"For their ambition to dominate the world… they know what to do."
"Zetsu."
"Carefully spread Huiye Lian's battle record… and the rumor that he intends to seize the Mizukage seat."
"Draw every nation's eyes to him."
"…Understood."
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