C700 Spider-Man (Patreon)

“This is my new friend, Madara Uchiha."

The words sent a shockwave through the immediate area. Itachi and Shisui’s eyes widened in awe and disbelief. Teuchi and Ayame, who were working in the stall, froze as they heard that name. The same reaction rippled through some of the nearby citizens who were simply walking by, unaware of the situation.

“”“?!”””

Both Itachi and Shisui scrutinized Madara for a moment before turning back to Peter. “That isn’t Madara Uchiha,” Shisui declared confidently.

“Yeah, it can’t be,” Itachi added, his tone calm but firm. “Madara Uchiha is dead. We’re from the Uchiha Clan. We should know about our own ancestor.”

They both looked at Peter with concern. “Are you getting scammed by some old conman, Teacher?” Shisui asked, tilting his head.

Hearing his descendants call him a conman, Madara felt a strong urge to beat the two kids in front of him. His hands twitched slightly, but he knew better than to act with Peter there.

The nearby civilians, overhearing the exchange, began to murmur amongst themselves. “That’s supposed to be Madara Uchiha? He looks like an old beggar,” one whispered.

“He must be joking,” another chuckled. “Or maybe he’s gone crazy.”

A few even laughed openly, pointing at Peter. “What a ridiculous claim. Madara Uchiha has been dead for ages!”

Peter didn’t blame these people for doubting him. After all, to the world, Madara Uchiha had been dead for a very long time. Many of them didn’t even know what Madara looked like.

Of course, the surrounding ninja, who had come to watch, saw the scene unfolding and immediately got to work dispersing the crowd. They were fearful that these idiotic civilians would get themselves killed by unknowingly angering two very powerful beings.

“Move along, everyone,” a Jonin ordered, waving his hands. “There’s nothing to see here.”

“This isn’t a spectacle,” another added sternly. “Go back to your homes.”

The crowd began to disperse reluctantly, their curiosity unsatisfied. The whispers gradually faded as the civilians returned to their daily routines, leaving Peter, Madara, and the two young Uchiha alone at the ramen stall.

Madara glanced at the departing civilians, a hint of sadness in his eyes. “It seems the village has truly forgotten me.”

Itachi and Shisui exchanged confused glances, still struggling to process the situation. Peter turned back to them with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about it, you two. Let’s focus on your training later.”

The two young Uchiha nodded, still puzzled but trusting their teacher. They moved to sit at a nearby table, keeping a close eye on Peter and Madara.

Glancing at Madara, Itachi mutters, “He does kinda look like him though…”

“Itachi,” Shisui whispered, leaning closer to his friend. “You don’t really think that’s Madara Uchiha, do you?”

Itachi, his expression thoughtful, glanced over at Madara. “I don’t know. At first, I thought he was just a scammer, like you said. But the more I look at him…” He paused for a moment, in thought. “You know, he kinda resembles the images I’ve seen of Madara in my family’s library. He just looks older and his hair is white.”

Shisui scoffed, crossing his arms. “Yeah, right. He’s just some old scammer trying to pull one over on our new teacher. There’s no way he could be the legendary Madara Uchiha…”

As Shisui spoke, he glanced disdainfully at Madara, who seemed to hear their conversation despite the distance. Madara turned his head ever so slightly, his eyes flashing red with the Sharingan.

“?!” Both Itachi and Shisui froze, their eyes widening in shock and fear. The unmistakable red glow of the Sharingan sent a chill down their spines, dispelling any remaining doubts they had about the old man’s identity.

“It… it really is him…” Itachi murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

…

Seeing Madara scare his students, Peter rolled his eyes and said, "Stop scaring the kids. Aren’t you supposed to be the great and mighty Madara Uchiha? Why get mad at some innocent children?"

Madara scoffed, turning away from the cowering boys and back to Peter. "What now?" he asked, his tone impatient.

Peter raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You said you wanted to get to know me so that you can decide what to do with me. We’ve eaten together as you wanted, so what now?" Madara's voice was edged with frustration.

Peter thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don’t know."

Madara's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, this was your idea, so figure it out. Unlike you, I don’t have much time left on this earth, and I would rather not waste it in this godforsaken village."

Peter tilted his head, curiosity piqued. "Why do you hate the Leaf Village so much?" He asked, receiving a reluctant and annoyed look in return. “Look, the faster you explain, the faster I can make my decision…”

Madara sighed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to leave unless he gave an answer. "Fine. When the Leaf Village was just a concept, I was willing to join forces with the Senju and Hashirama. Despite the many wars fought between our clans, we became friends, sharing a common dream of a shinobi village. We built this village together and brought our clans together through our strength alone."

He paused, his eyes reflecting a mixture of nostalgia and bitterness. "But things began to fall apart with Hashirama’s plan to install me as the first Hokage. Despite how we ended things, that idiot Hashirama was a true friend, believing in me even though he was more loved by the people. He wanted me to lead the village. But his brother, Tobirama, had other plans."

Madara's voice grew increasingly aggrieved as he continued. "Tobirama incited the villagers and the other clans that joined us to support Hashirama instead, manipulating them into rejecting me. Despite Hashirama's unwillingness to lead and support for me, somehow, I never stood a chance. The people refused to follow me, swayed by Tobirama’s words and Hashirama’s popularity."

He clenched his fists, the memories clearly still painful. "But I let it go, thinking that the creation of the village was more important and that Hashirama's leadership would be beneficial."

Madara’s gaze turned distant as he recalled the past. "As the years went by, the village prospered, but I began to see the discrimination against the Uchiha. Unlike the Senju, we weren’t known for making friends. We relied on our strength, the power of the Sharingan. This made us proud, but it also made others view us as arrogant. And I admit, some of us were arrogant, but I was doing my best to fix that…”

“I hoped that joining hands under one banner and living together would change things, but it didn’t." He looked at Peter, his eyes burning with a mixture of anger and sorrow. "Our past reputation haunted us. The Uchiha were excluded from high-level positions, treated as adversaries rather than partners. The other clans and even the civilians looked at us with suspicion and envy. They saw us as an internal threat rather than allies."

Madara's voice grew colder. "I sensed danger in this and warned my clan, but they didn’t believe me. They thought I was just bitter about losing the Hokage position…” he paused, his hands tightening into fists. “From that day, I was treated as an outcast, even by my own clan. Soon enough, I began to grow resentful, even towards Hashirama…”

“I asked myself things like ‘Why did they choose to follow him over me?’ Or ‘Why isn’t he doing anything about this?’" His expression darkened. "These feelings and thoughts festered until I couldn’t take it anymore. I declared war against Hashirama and became a rogue ninja. I no longer cared about the Uchiha clan. I took the Nine-Tails to challenge Hashirama, and we fought in the Valley of the End."

Madara's voice was filled with bitterness and a sense of betrayal. "This village turned against me, treating me like an enemy. They forgot everything we built together and everything I did for them. That’s why I hate this place, and that’s why I can never forgive them."

Peter listened quietly, absorbing Madara's words. He could see the pain and betrayal etched into every line of Madara’s face. For the first time, he understood the depth of Madara’s hatred and the reasons behind his actions.

"It’s not easy to let go of betrayal," Peter said softly, his eyes meeting Madara’s. "But it doesn’t have to define you."

Madara scoffed, turning his gaze away. "Spare me your platitudes. The village will never change. They will always fear and distrust those they cannot control. Even today, they still ostracize the Uchiha..."

Peter leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Maybe you’re right," he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "But what if, just maybe, there's a chance for something new? What if you could leave your past grudges behind and start over again?"

Madara raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "What do you mean by that?"

"I want to recruit you," Peter said bluntly.

Madara scoffed, a dry laugh escaping his lips. "Recruit me, a dying man? I won’t live past the next few months, you know. Why waste your time? Besides, I’m not much of a follower.”

Peter smirked. "What if I help you with your plans?"

Madara's interest was immediately piqued, though confusion clouded his features. "How do you know about my plans? Or that I have any to begin with?"

Peter shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course, you have plans. You kidnapped Obito for whatever reason and you have that plant thing skulking around everywhere." He looked Madara in the eyes, his expression serious. "Simply tell me your end goal, and I’ll get it done. Once it’s finished, you can let go of your past, start over, and work for me. How does that sound?"

Madara's eyes narrowed, suspicion mingling with temptation. "Even if I wanted to, this doesn’t change the fact that I won’t live past the next few months."

Peter waved his hand dismissively. "That’s easy. I’ll just make you young again."

Madara's eyes widened in shock. "Y-You can do that?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, it’s easy. Just tell me your end goal, and I’ll get it done. Then you can join me, and I’ll make you young again. After all, I can’t have my newest recruit dying of old age right after he joins me."

Madara fell silent, the weight of Peter's offer settling over him. He had spent so long chasing his dream, fighting against the world, that the idea of starting over seemed almost impossible. Yet the allure of a second chance, of seeing his plans come to fruition, was too tempting to ignore.

After a moment, Madara made up his mind. "My goal is to create a lasting peace for this world. I want to free the world from pain and suffering."

Peter smirked, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I don't believe a truly peaceful world is possible, but I think I can create something pretty damn close, as long as you're willing to follow my lead. Can you do that?”

Madara hesitated. “I already have a plan in motion…” he revealed.

Peter shrugged. “Plans change. If you want my help, which is invaluable, you'll need to follow my lead and adapt to my methods. Besides, I'm pretty sure your plans have already failed. I have Obito, that plant thing, and you. How can you expect to complete your plans like this? Aren't you dying soon?”

“…” Madara turned silent and studied Peter for a long moment, his eyes narrowing as he weighed the options. Finally, he let out a slow breath and nodded.

"You make a compelling argument," Madara admitted, his voice tinged with reluctant respect. "Perhaps my plans do need to adapt if we are to succeed… Very well, I'll follow your lead..."

“Good,” Peter smirked victoriously. “Now, tell me all about your plans so far…”

A/N: 2000 words :)