Deep within the underground cavern, only some faint light sources gathered from who knows where managed to illuminate the place.
"Lord Madara."
A creature called 'White Zetsu' emerged from the earth, respectfully addressing the white-haired old man seated on the wooden chair.
"Ah, it's White Zetsu. What is it?"
The old man woke from his slumber and immediately noticed White Zetsu's presence.
"Lord Madara, I'm not sure how important this is, but while investigating in the Land of Wind, I discovered that Hidden Sand Village is secretly stockpiling supplies, and quite a lot of them, too."
White Zetsu shared what he had found with the old man known as 'Madara'.
After hearing White Zetsu's brief account, a knowing look flashed in Madara's eyes, and he murmured quietly:
"So that's it… It's coming again, war…"
"War?"
White Zetsu tilted his head, struggling to understand why Madara would reach such a conclusion given his limited intelligence.
Madara did not explain to White Zetsu, but he trusted his many years of life experience—Hidden Sand was undoubtedly plotting the Third Ninja World War.
In the Ninja Realm, there is never a shortage of ambitious people.
It's been barely over five years since the last Ninja World War, and already a new one is about to descend.
You could say that the coming Ninja World War is a direct continuation of the last unfinished conflict; it is something inevitable.
Therefore, receiving this news from White Zetsu, Madara felt no surprise; rather, he thought it was only natural, not worth making a fuss over.
As long as humans exist, war is unavoidable, there will be blood, and there will be sorrow.
And that fate is a cursed chain that humans themselves cannot break.
"Cough… Hashirama, the one nation, one village system we established back then is simply repeating the tragedies of the Warring States Era…"
Gazing upon a Ninja Realm trapped in endless wars, Madara was suddenly reminded of much.
Childhood dreams, his promise with that man—the more he recalled, the more it seemed this world was always repeating the tragedies of the Warring States.
The longer one lives, the more one understands the sorrows of this era.
He had faked his death in the battle at the Valley of the End and escaped, so he could see the world's pitiful, hate-filled, violent, and agonizing nature more clearly than even his deceased friend, Senju Hashirama.
The previous two Ninja World Wars had already proven this—one nation, one village was useless; just like the dead God of Ninja, he could protect nothing this way.
White Zetsu listened to Madara's murmurs from the side, just awkwardly scratching his head.
Lord Madara was good in every way, but he was always reminiscing about the past, saying things no one could understand, and every time he did, he would mention 'that man' again.
'That man' was someone very important to Lord Madara.
Maybe it was an old man's habit.
The older people get, the more they talk, and the more they cherish memories of people and things from the past.
Thinking this way, White Zetsu felt that Madara's behavior was actually pretty normal.
"White Zetsu, is it still impossible to infiltrate the Uchiha Clan Land?"
After a while of reflection, Madara asked about what concerned him most—how the Uchiha Clan of Konoha was faring these days.
Did that clan now have someone who could shoulder his 'will,' someone who, bearing the name 'Uchiha Madara,' could fulfill a particular plan?
"Yes, Lord Madara. Two White Zetsus were sent in last month, but it ended the same as before—any time we get near the Uchiha Clan Land, they suddenly and mysteriously disappear. We have absolutely no idea what actually happens there."
White Zetsu helplessly shook his head and answered Madara's question.
To be honest, for the existing White Zetsus at this moment, the Uchiha Clan Land had already become an untouchable forbidden zone.
The White Zetsu sent to infiltrate vanished without a sound on the very first day.
If things kept going this way, not only would they gain no useful intel, but would only waste more White Zetsus for nothing.
Other than that, there was no benefit at all for them.
After hearing this, Madara only nodded silently, saying nothing.
Though he was anxious to know what was happening to the Uchiha Clan now, Madara knew that at such a critical moment, he must not be ruled by impatience, but should instead think calmly and handle these unforeseen obstacles with caution.
Selecting a suitable 'successor' from the Uchiha Clan was only to ensure his plan would be flawlessly executed, so for him, this was simply another part of the plan.
However, there were many substitutes; after all, with his current state, clinging to his last breath, it would only be normal if any accident occurred at any time.
To ensure his plan could continue, he still had many backup options yet to be used, just in case something happened and alternative measures were needed.
"By the way, what is Tobi up to? Why haven't I seen him around here?"
Tobi was also one of the White Zetsus; different from the usual kind, Tobi was the only White Zetsu with a 'name' of his own.
Madara kept a special eye on him—given Tobi's abilities, most ninja in the Ninja Realm were no match for him.
After all, Tobi had inherited that man—Senju Hashirama's—Wood Style ninjutsu. Even though he couldn't compare to Hashirama himself, for the ninja of this era, that level of Wood Style was already more than sufficient.