Outsiders (Madara)
Madara wasn't in Konoha. He had left his house, the Uchiha compound, and the village early in the morning. When stood at the gates, he had looked back one time. He had caught a glimpse of the lights in the Hokage tower, Hashirama's office, and his heart stung. He shook his head and decided not to seek him out now. He was still angry.
He also required time for himself, primarily to organize his thoughts. He would never find the right path when the whole village was out of their minds and celebrating in a few hours. So he turned his back towards Konoha, maybe just for today. Maybe for longer.
The land of fire was truly beautiful this time of year. It wasn't too hot yet, so early in the new day.
A flock of brown birds chirped and Madara watched them glide across him in formation. If his head hadn't been somewhere else, he might have appreciated this moment a lot more. He sighed with exasperation. He didn't notice how far away he had gotten from the village, but it felt relieving. To let everything from his shoulders go for once.
Madara found himself on a grassy plain, deep within the forest surrounding the village, and watched the sunrise behind the mountains in the distance. His eye caught the first glimpse of the brilliant, golden rays, shining through the green canopy that grew all around him. They warmed his face. He wished he could just stay here forever. Just watch on like this. That time would stay still so he wouldn't have to make a choice.
A warm, morning breeze played with his hair. Madara closed his eyes and a deep breath fell from his chest. Zetsu's words kept coming to the forefront of his psyche. Zetsu's dark and foreboding words. He didn't want to believe a single word Zetsu had said, that this creature was some kind of imposter playing tricks with his sanity.
But he knew the truth about him. Madara's blood ran cold just at the thought of last night's conversation. It was the most scarring fact, on which Madara simply couldn't wrap his head around.
It couldn't be true. Madara shook his head. But then, how did Zetsu know.
"Because I am a part of you! Of course, I know how much you hate being a lowly omega as your own will, Madara!" Zetsu's voice echoed in his skull.
Did the elders leak this information? No, if they wanted to depose him, there could have been better options to cause clan-wide uproar than to include this creature into their schemes. Zetsu didn't look like he would work together with the elders anyway.
"We are born for a much greater destiny. You know that!"
Madara couldn't trust this Zetsu, his rationality spoke. A shinobi never trusted just anyone who walked by. This could easily be a trick, but who knew about the eternal dream other than him. Who yearned more to create it than himself?
"I was born out of your wish to renew this world. I am here to remind you of your purpose. I am your wish to be with your brother again. You are trapped between your own doubts, you are delusional. What do you have left here that makes you hesitate? What do you want?"
What did he want? That was the question it all came down to, didn't it?
"We don't have to hurry. Think about our fate, Madara. Think about Izuna. I'm sure we will come to an outcome we both endorse. I will be back then."
With that, he had left Madara all alone again. Alone with his own frightening thoughts.
Madara sat himself up. He cracked up nervously. He laughed at the absurdity of his situation because he couldn't fully grasp it yet. He felt conflicted as if his mind and heart were being pulled in two different directions.
If that thing really was the manifestation of his will, his very own soul was uglier than he would have imagined. The worst part of it all was, that he wanted to believe in Zetsu. He wanted to believe that there was a way for him to create peace. To make not just his, but everyone's dream's come true and when everyone is satisfied, there would be no need for conflict, war, and death.
That's what he wanted, wasn't it?
He relaxed once more. The sun had gotten higher. It was getting warmer, yet he still felt so cold and twisted inside.
Madara bit his lower lips. He knew he needed to make a choice sooner or later. Trust Zetsu's words, flee the village and assemble the tailed beasts, tainting loyalties with Konoha completely, or stay in the village with his clan and Hashirama and pray that things would turn out alright.
A tiny part of his heart fluttered just at the thought to stay with his childhood friend, but that was nothing unusual. Madara growled. That stupid moron, who was too friendly to stand his ground for once in his life. That sorry moron, that had lied to him. That moron that made his heart ache with every single thought of him.
Madara groaned. He had gotten distracted by his annoying omega nature once more. He scratched his scentless gland on his neck, as if in punishment. He needed to be more levelheaded from now on. He couldn't do this anymore.
Madara was growing so tired of it all. Tired of all these conflicting emotions, tired of being confused, tired of holding back, tired of always having to justify his actions, tired of always second-guessing himself.
How was he supposed to keep his sanity? Wouldn't it just be easier, if he didn't care about any of this? What anyone, let it be Hashirama or even the elders, thought of him? What happened to his clan, this village, this realm?
But Madara cared. He cared that he was a respected and feared or even hated clan leader. He cared that Hashirama probably would never replicate feelings. He was enraged that this world was so unstable and cruel and knew with all his heart and intellect that it needed to be repaired. He cared so much and it hurt. It hurt because he felt stuck.
Maybe that was the reason why Zetsu's words had sounded so alluring. He had been praising him, telling him that he was destined for something higher than everyone else. In hindsight, it sounded too good to be true, but at that moment, it had felt great to be understood, to be seen.
Madara formed a fist and punched the grassy ground next to him in frustration. He wished Izuna was by his side right now. Izuna wouldn't know what to do either. He had never been one for words of wisdom. That was Madara's job as an older brother anyway, but just his presence would have made Madara feel a little less lonely.
"This needs to stop," Madara uttered. "One way or the other." With that sentiment in mind, he got to his feet again. The sun had already risen to its zenith, but Madara didn't plan to head back to Konoha just yet.
The festival was just about to fully begin and Madara wanted to have nothing to do with it. Maybe he should be above such things as the noble clan head of the Uchiha. He would have thrown the phrase "Get over it!" at anyone else's feet without a second thought.
But now, he couldn't be that man.
Therefore, he started wandering further away from the village. Into the woods and hills of this nation. He had no real idea where he was heading, but that didn't deter him. He felt like a little boy again, always scouting the farthest outskirts of the Uchiha territory as if already on patrol as a shinobi like the grown-ups.
He found a small riverside, similar to the one where he had met Hashirama for the first time. He watched the clear water move past him. It had a pacifying effect even though his chakra nature of fire would indicate otherwise. The air was soothingly colder around the stream.
His fingers were twitching. He thought about skipping a stone above the surface of the water. Just like back then. He shook his head, but couldn't fully suppress the small grin that dared to appear on his lips. He was really too old for this.
Just like that, the hours of the day went on and on. Madara tried to enjoy the silence, the nature. Not a soul crossed his path, but wasn't that kind of intentional when he had been so far off the beaten roads? The world seemed as if he was the last human on it. It was an exhilarating and terrifying idea.
One could color him surprised when he came across another human being after he had elected to slowly make his way back to Konoha. He was still relatively far away from the village, especially considering the big detour he took on purpose.
It was a child in training clothes, definitely not older than ten. Brown short hair. The composition of his face looked familiar, but Madara didn't remember anything of significance at first glance.
Madara wanted to ignore the kid. He had better things to do than to take responsibility over a child that wasn't even an Uchiha. He seemed to be in the middle of training of some kind, judging by the shuriken and kunai stuck in the bark of the surrounding trees. The boy didn't seem distressed or scared in the slightest, so why should he be concerned?
Madara just wanted to turn around as a peculiar smell reached his nose. His brain short-circuited.
Omega. One that had presented not too long ago.
What was a young omega doing this far out of the village? Madara's stomach turned at all the possible disastrous consequences this could have. He cared.
"Hey, do you live in Konoha?" He exclaimed. The boy was startled at the sound of his voice. He missed his next throw by a wide margin. His footwork was clumsy as he faced him. His eyebrows arched as he set his brown eyes on the Uchiha and then his entire face formed itself into an angry grimace.
He didn't answer, just gawked at him.
Oh god, Madara hated children, that didn't understand authority. That didn't answer when asked.
"Listen, kid. It is dangerous out here alone. You should go back home before I make you!" Madara smiled, in a passive-aggressive kind of way. His left eye switched a little.
"Do you say that because I'm an omega?" The kid spat out, his voice lower than expected. His eyes were stubborn. Madara blinked in confusion and the child just continued his passionate rambling.
"I hate this! Just because some stupid scent says I'm an omega, everybody thinks they can command me around! This sucks!"
"That's not why I said that," Madara reflexively tried to defend himself. On the inside, he acknowledged, that it was exactly the motive why he had asked.
The kid looked at him distrustfully and likewise, Madara remembered where he had seen this face before. This child was Sasuke Sarutobi's son, Hiruzen Sarutobi. They looked very similar now that he had realized. Hiruzen had to recognize him as well, hadn't he?
"Do your parents know you're here?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "They're on that stupid festival. I sneaked out of my room," he mumbled.
"And why are you-"
"I wanted to go to the competition. I was the best at target practice in my entire class! But they didn't permit it. Nobody permitted it! This is so unfair! "He said, glaring daggers at Madara. He had obviously just hit a sour spot.
After a few seconds of silence, he asked "Are you gonna snitch to my parents?"
"No," Madara said, but didn't know whether this would be a lie or the truth just yet. "Why would you think that?"
"Because you obviously don't want me here all alone. You don't think I'm strong enough to protect myself. You're afraid I might get myself killed or kidnapped or something." The boy accused, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"So you're training here in secret?" Madara changed the subject, not as smooth as he would have liked. He couldn't believe it, but this kid was making him uncomfortable. Not that it would be noticeable, but something about him egged Madara on in exactly the wrong way.
"I have to become even better if I want to become a shinobi!"
"But you're an omega," Madara said plumply as if it weren't evident. As if he weren't an omega himself and the mere notion of an omega being allowed to become a shinobi was foreign and out of this world, but for him, it somehow still was.
Wasn't he the exception?
"Then I'll be the first omega to be the greatest ninja in Konoha!" Hiruzen responded without any hesitation. He didn't even raise his voice as he spoke. He was absolutely determined and confident.
"Would you change it if you could?" Madara asked abruptly and the kid looked taken aback. He thought about it for a moment.
"Change what?"
"That you're an omega. Would you change it?" Madara knew exactly, which part of his mind needed this question resolved. If he did awake the eternal dream, everyone would be satisfied. This kid could be an alpha or beta and fulfill his dream without any hurdle. He seemed committed and tireless.
"That's impossible. You can't change your second gender that easily. Do you think I'm stupid?" The kid said rudely, sticking out his tongue. Offense was the best defense in his opinion.
"That's not what I-" Madara groaned in frustration. He dragged his next breath through his teeth. Had he already declared how much he detested kids? He could just turn around and leave this annoying omega child be. He would be at peace and could forget this interaction ever happened, but Madara didn't.
Something made him linger. It wasn't an urge to protect this kid, but the weird sensation of resemblance that wished to hear an answer. Madara didn't want to think about it further.
"But if it were possible. Like waking up in a different world, where all of your dreams would come true. Would you change being an omega?" Madara asked again. The kid rolled his eyes but also didn't dismiss this little thought experiment outright.
"I don't know." He muttered.
"What's holding you back?"
"Like-It's not that I hate being an omega. Other people might feel this way, but I don't. I just hate that everyone suddenly treats me differently than just a week ago! It's not a me problem!" The kid pouted. "Everybody else just needs to change!"
Madara was taken aback. This... wasn't the answer he had expected.
"You're very naive," Madara said without realizing it. The Hiruzen's hurtful eyes snapped at him.
"And you're a huge jerk if you think you can try to convince me to give up my plans to be someone I'm not for the rest of my entire life. You'll just sound like my stupid parents." The kid retorted with a blazing fire in his eyes. He was very good at this, turning the conversation around.
Madara was bewildered. This kid had a foul mouth unlike any other. And while any other person insulting Madara like this would fear for their life, Madara somehow didn't feel the need to retaliate this time. Not because the words were said by a kid, that hadn't stopped him in the past to make himself be respected, but the emotions behind those words resonated with Madara.
He looked into these eyes and saw a wave of untameable anger. A fit of anger not directed at Madara specifically, but aimed at an injustice, larger than all of them, that expected him to conform to rules set upon him within a few days. A righteous rage, that wanted to prove everyone wrong.
A fury, Madara remembered all too well.
He realized how he had gotten used to this pain. He recalled the night he himself had presented clear as day. Outrage, uncertainty, and panic mixed into a soul-crushing dread. Everything he had ever wanted, could have been taken from him just like that. Others wouldn't care about your wishes anymore. Others would think of themselves as right. The stubbornness born out of nothing but the desire to hold this crumbling world together by the seams. To defy everyone's expectations. To defy his mother's example.
Madara knew all of that.
"I'll become Hokage one day." The boy whispered full of determination. "And no one will tell me what to do then."
The silence was deafening. The boy looked at him as if he was expecting Madara to get mad, to yell at him, to disapprove of him in some way or form.
Nothing came. He just kept staring at him, waiting for his response. Waiting for his judgment. "Don't get too cocky." Madara finally growled. "One day you won't need to be told what to do anymore."
"Exactly!" Hiruzen threw his fist in the air, showing his white teeth in his wide grin. The amount of happy pheromones that hit Madara was nauseating as if Madara had been the first to not outright dismiss him. That was probably it. He didn't even notice how Hiruzen's tiny hands clasped his own.
"Lord Madara, will you help me train for the rest of the day." His bright eyes could have rivaled the sun in the sky with ease. His attitude towards the Uchiha changed within milliseconds.
"If I want to be Hokage, I have to learn from the very best!"
Again, Madara was surprised by this kid's directness. Maybe he shouldn't have encouraged him, he wondered silently.
"I challenged Lord Hokage to a duel yesterday already! He can't run away forever." Hiruzen scratched his chin and giggled mischievously.
"You'll fight Hashirama?" Madara smirked at the thought of this tiny, pompous kid, against the mighty Senju Hashirama. He felt a strange warmth bubbling in his chest, which amazed him. This would make a good enough distraction for a while.
"I'm a strict teacher." He said.
"So you'll do it?" Hiruzen's voice changed the octave at the end.
Even children of the Uchiha were often too scared to talk to him, or even consider beseeching him for his harsh feedback. He liked to supervise their progression but Madara could tell, that oftentimes those little shinobi wanted to be anywhere else but under his watch. So this was a change of pace.
Hiruzen howled, when Madara nodded, waiting eagerly for instructions. Madara looked at the sky. They'd have a few hours before it got dark and those wouldn't go to waste.
----
The evening was accompanied by the singing of cicadas. The darkening firmament above gave them a reason to return. Madara was walking back to the village and Hiruzen, only half the size of the Uchiha, followed him like a little puppy and kept chattering about anything that came to his mind.
About becoming a shinobi, about his friends in the academy like Kagami, about his fight with Hashirama and Madara couldn't care less at this point. It was hard to make his face seem neutral. It had definitely been a mistake to talk to this kid. An even bigger mistake had been to train with him for the last few hours.
Hiruzen was absolutely talented, but Madara simply couldn't handle people like him. People that got overly excited over the littlest things, people that had hopes too big for them to realistically achieve yet they had to drag Madara into them somehow.
"You know this was a one-time thing," Madara said. He didn't need to know every single detail of this boy's life. He wasn't going to be his student anyway and he certainly didn't want to set his hopes up. Children trusted other people way too quickly these days.
"Yeah, I know!" Hiruzen answered and nodded almost violently." But I'm really grateful to you, Lord Uchiha. I learned so, so much today. You're the best teacher I've ever had!"
The gates of Konoha came into their vision. Madara could see the busy streets already. So the festival was still in full swing despite the hour. He sighed heavily. "Let's not talk about it anymore," Madara said coldly. The kid nodded and fell silent.
They walked through the gates and the orange light of the decorative lamps lit the way ahead. The whole village seemed to be filled with happiness, but something made Madara's steps heavy as he walked inside. He somehow had the feeling of dread rumbling in his gut, as if he was being watched.
The voice of an old man rang in his ear and Madara shuddered internally. Out of the corners of his eyes, he spotted the elder of the Uchiha Tadashi with a wicked grin on his dry and wrinkly face, talking to someone Madara didn't recognize. He could only see their back, but he knew they were no Uchiha. No one else really paid attention to them. The people were too busy celebrating.
What was Tadashi doing here? So close to the entrance of the village?
The crowd moved and the couple was pushed forward, the elder and stranger out of sight. Madara tried to find them again, but they were truly gone.
"Is everything alright?" Hiruzen asked beside him and Madara was jerked out of his thinking process.
"Yes..." Madara mumbled. "Nothing to worry about."
He continued walking ahead, trying to ignore that weird sensation that was forming in his gut. He knew the elder couldn't have spotted them. He probably didn't even realize that anyone had noticed him. Madara just needed to forget about this whole situation.
Nothing bad had happened, nothing was happening.
"I'll go back home then. Thanks for everything, Lord Madara" Hiruzen bowed a few times. Madara didn't know where this streak of politeness was coming from but nodded anyway.
"Continue to dream, Hiruzen," Madara said and ruffled the boys locks, not really sure which dream he was talking about, but wanting to encourage the young omega.
Maybe he would be an exception as well.
They parted ways. Madara walked directly to the Uchiha compound. His senses were overwhelmed with the scents of food and pheromones, the sound of voices and music mixing together, the heat of every person that bumped into him. His head felt dizzy and he hadn't even drunk anything.
Luckily, the Uchiha compound was quieter, as if he had walked into a different town entirely. The sounds and smells were nothing but an echo from far away. The streets were darker, lonelier. Madara breathed the night air, cold and crisp.
His feet took the familiar path towards his house on their own. He walked past many buildings until he reached his doorstep and he opened the door without hesitation. His mind was foggy and not paying as much attention as he probably should.
Immediately, his nose caught a scent that caused a tingle to crawl up his neck. It felt like there was a pair of eyes on him. The feeling lingered longer than it should have. Madara stopped in on his doorstep immediately, unsure whether to look around or not. He heard footsteps approaching him from behind.
Was Zetsu back this soon? No, he wouldn't have noticed him that easily.
As Madara turned around, sharp needles scratched the skin on his cheek. Reflexively, Madara jumped backward, into his home. Three thin lines on his left cheek began to bleed.
His Sharingan activated. He spotted a person dressed in dark cloth standing on top of the opposite house. They wore a white mask with dark blue stripes running across it. They moved their right arm out of their coat, more needles between their fingers. They glistened under the moonlight, ready to be thrown at their target.
That target was Madara.
An assassination attempt, Madara's quick mind reasoned.
He didn't have enough time to think about the implication, because the other started to attack once more. They jumped down the roof and threw the needles in Madara's direction.
He avoided most of them; running deeper into his house, some pierced through his clothes but didn't pierce any other vital parts of him. They followed him inside. The wooden floor creaked. Needles hit a crossbeam. Madara's senses were racing, neglected systems were effortlessly switched on.
He needed a strategy. Quickly. He kept running. He could surprise the attacker or escape through the backdoor.
He didn't hesitate and considered the pros and cons. He sprinted through the hallway, deeper into the building. He needed to get out of this close space immediately. He shoved the final door to the side and probably gave away his current position. The assassin pursued within seconds.
Madara jumped onto his rooftop and tried to avoid being hit by the needles again. The assailant also leaped into the air, landing on top of a wall and launching another attack on Madara. It missed his chest by inches and Madara knew this would become an increasingly dangerous game of tag from now on. They were staring at each other for a second.
Madara had just formed a plan when he felt two strong arms wrap themselves around his waist. Someone grabbed his legs and pulled him back down. With a loud crash, Madara landed on the ground on his back. One hand grasped his throat and pressed hard against his windpipe. Madara let out a muffled gasp and his feet kicked at the figure that pinned him down. They were touching his scent glands. Madara's adrenalin kicked in.
There had been a second?
“Got you now!” said a voice in his ear, muffled by an identical mask. In the corners of his vision, he saw a blade in the other hand. Without thinking, Madara punched his attacker’s stomach as hard as he could. The figure gasped in pain and released their grip on Madara’s throat. Madara coughed violently and rolled to the side.
The second assailant turned into a puddle of water.
A water clone, Madara's psyche explained.
The true assailant jumped closer. Madara needed to act quickly and aggressively now before he could summon more duplicates.
He pushed himself up and got on his feet. He charged while molding his chakra. Forearms clashed once Madara had finished his hand seals.
Up close, he unleashed his fire bullets Jutsu and hit his opponent right in his chest. It was certainly a risky move, but the surprise had caught the other off-guard. He screamed and Madara could smell the smoke of burning linen and skin.
Madara didn't wait for the other to recover, which they certainly would with their water nature. He grabbed the other's mask through the hot, red flames and pulled it away, revealing his pained, wide eyes.
That was the opportunity he was waiting for. His sharing caught the other's gaze and his pupils widened. His body went lax and every motion stopped, caught in a Genjutsu. His body trembled, gasping for air, hyperventilating.
Madara frowned. He might have not chosen the nicest visions to imprison the other's mind in, but normally they didn't have such an immediate effect on various corporal functions.
Madara inhaled and exhaled. He had survived. A single drop of sweat ran across his forehead and he eyed the mask in his hands.
He didn't recognize the design. It had to be a force out of the nation of fire. This needed to be investigated.
Suddenly, the assailant screamed and grabbed his own chest. High pitched and full of anguish. Their chakra flow stopped entirely. Madara moved promptly. He checked the pulses, the breathing, the heart.
Nothing.
Dead.
They were lifeless.
Just a corpse in his backyard.
Madara's eyes widened, not understanding how this had happened. The Genjutsu shouldn't have slain him. He had planned to interrogate him first.
He ripped open the dark shirt, where he had clenched his fist. A bloody and glowing mark appeared on the other's skin just under the collar bone.
Madara was no expert on sealing jutsus but he was sure that this had killed them. Executed because they had failed, because the enemy didn't want any prisoners taken.
This had to be an organized attack.
Suddenly, Madara had a dark suspicion growing inside of him.
He needed to get to Hashirama.