Sweet Mask's voice wasn't particularly loud, but it carried clearly enough for Uchiha Madara to hear it without issue.
There was no mistaking it. That comment was aimed directly at him.
Madara set down his fork beside the half-eaten cake and smiled, not pleasantly but with cold sharpness.
"Heh," he muttered, brushing cake crumbs from his fingers. "Let's see who the real trash fish is."
With a flick of his wrist, Madara picked up another fork from the cutlery box. Chakra surged subtly through his fingers.
Whoosh!
Ding!
The fork shot across the cafe like a silver blur, embedding itself in the table where Sweet Mask sat—precisely one centimeter from the idol's hand.
"Ah!" the woman beside Sweet Mask shrieked and stumbled out of her seat, pale with fright.
"I'm sorry," Madara said calmly, not looking up from his cake. "My hand slipped."
There was no sincerity in his voice. None was intended.
The woman opened her mouth to protest, but Sweet Mask raised his hand ever so slightly.
She bit her tongue and sat down stiffly.
Sweet Mask smiled. His public image as an idol meant he couldn't create a scene. Not yet.
"It's not bad," he said vaguely, adjusting his collar. "Still, reckless behavior like that... You're not suited for public life."
Madara gave him no reply. He finished his coffee in a single swallow, stood, and walked out of the cafe without so much as a glance backward.
Drip bell~
Madara had just stepped outside when his phone rang in his pocket. Without checking the caller ID, he answered.
"Where the hell are you?" Snake's voice barked from the other side, thick with frustration. "Weren't you supposed to be on patrol?"
"I am on patrol," Madara replied casually, walking down the sidewalk with hands in his pockets.
A pause. Snake clearly took a moment to process that.
"You call drinking coffee 'patrolling'?" Snake shouted. "Do you even realize something happened?"
Madara yawned. "Nope. What happened?"
"In City A! The zone you're assigned to! Are you completely brainless?"
"I'm new here," Madara replied, scratching his ear. "Isn't it normal to get lost?"
"You—!" Snake growled, clearly at his limit. "Forget it. I'm sending you the location. Meet me there ASAP."
A second later, a map pinged onto Madara's phone, marking a supermarket in the heart of City A.
Madara raised an eyebrow. "Hmm... a supermarket?" He glanced back at the cafe. Sweet Mask was still inside.
Then he vanished.
"…He disappeared?" Sweet Mask's eyes widened. He was no stranger to flashy moves—he was an A-Class hero, after all—but that speed...
"What disappeared?" the woman across from him asked, confused.
"…Nothing," Sweet Mask muttered.
Madara arrived at the supermarket moments later.
The place was a wreck.
Shelves overturned. Boxes torn open. Bags of snacks ripped apart. The air stank of wet fur and rotting meat. Long gray hairs, like from some beast, were scattered everywhere.
Madara took a step inside. "Anyone here?"
Bang!
A refrigerator flew toward him, filled with melting ice cream.
Madara raised a hand, focused Chakra into his fist, and struck.
Boom!
The entire fridge shattered into twisted metal and plastic. Cold cream and milk splashed across the floor.
"Whoosh!"
A blur landed before him.
A massive wolf-like creature—three meters tall, upper body all fur and fangs, lower body humanoid—crouched low with claws ready.
"Human, you're not bad," it said, grinning wide.
From behind a nearby wall, Snake peeked out, jaw clenched in horror.
"This… this is bad," he muttered. "That freak's huge! And I brought the intern?! I'm dead!"
Despite being an A-Class hero, Snake knew his limitations. Stronger B-ranks could mop the floor with him on a bad day.
"Should I call for backup?" he thought aloud, then shook his head. "No time!"
Cold sweat dripped down his face as he bolted toward the scene. "Stop, kid!"
Both Madara and the wolf turned toward the voice.
"Another one," the beast sneered. "Excellent! I'll eat him first, then you."
Snake clenched his fist, summoned what little courage he had, and struck.
"Hoah!!"
Thud!
The wolf barely flinched.
"Tickling me?" it chuckled.
Despite his fear, Snake took a step forward and shielded Madara with his body.
He knew he couldn't win. But this was his job.
Gasps erupted from inside the supermarket. Civilians peeking from behind counters and overturned shelves began cheering.
"It's Snake!"
"We're saved!"
"Hero! You can do it!"
The wolf's eyes lit up. "So many snacks today."
Drool dripped from its jaws as it lunged for Madara.
"Kid, get out of here!" Snake shouted, arms spread. "I'll handle this!"
Madara tilted his head. "You? Alone?"
"I'm an A-Class hero!" Snake replied, his voice quivering with pride.
Madara raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you were during today's training?"
Snake's face turned red. "That was— That didn't count! I wasn't even trying!"
"You ignored me earlier," the wolf growled, eyes locked on Madara. "You care about him? Fine, I'll eat him first!"
It jumped high, claws raised, ready to shred Madara apart.
"No!" Snake cried. "I won't make it in time!"
The civilians inside screamed.
The wolf's maw opened wide—
Madara vanished.
"Too slow," a calm voice said.
The wolf's eyes widened. What?
Before it could react, Madara appeared right in front of it—his arm plunged into its chest.
Schlk!
Blood spurted from the beast's mouth. Its body convulsed mid-air.
"You—" it gasped, eyes trembling. "How... did you…?"
Madara's face was emotionless. His eyes, glowing red with the Sharingan, reflected no pity.
"You don't get to ask questions," he said coldly.
He pulled his hand free, and the monster dropped to the ground with a dull thud.
Dead.
Gasps echoed through the street.
People slowly emerged from the ruins of the supermarket, eyes wide and hesitant.
"…Who is he?"
"Never seen him before…"
"Is he a hero?"
"I checked the Hero Association site. He's not registered."
Madara stood silently, blood still dripping from his fingertips. His expression was unreadable.
Snake stood frozen. Even after witnessing it with his own eyes, he couldn't believe it.
He killed that thing… instantly?
Who—what—was this intern?
The sun dipped low, shadows stretching long across the ruined street.
Madara turned. "I'm heading back."
He wiped his face with his sleeve and glanced at Snake. "By the way. Can the Hero Association supply weapons?"
"Huh?" Snake blinked, still in shock.
Madara handed him a page, torn from the notebook he once gave Yaoyorozu Momo during the Sports Festival.
"Kunai?" Snake said, recognizing the shape sketched on the paper.
"Yeah."
"…Are you a ninja?"
Madara gave a slight nod. "Also scrolls. You can get those too, right?"
"I—I'll ask," Snake stammered. After what he'd just seen, arguing wasn't an option.
Madara nodded, waved lazily, and walked off.
It was well past midnight when Madara returned to the apartment.
He wasn't interested in reports, or hero rankings, or praise. That wasn't his goal here.
But the moment he reached the door, he stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Took you long enough," he murmured.
"Hey, kid," a smooth, mocking voice echoed around him, bouncing from wall to wall. "You said earlier you were a ninja?"
Madara didn't react at first.
Then he smiled.
"I knew you were tailing me since the supermarket."
His eyes glowed scarlet again—Sharingan active.
He looked straight up at a tree branch overhead.
"Come down," he said simply. "Or I'll drag you down myself."
"…He sees me?" the hidden figure's breath hitched.
A moment later, a ninja in dark clothes landed silently before him. Spiked black hair. Camouflage markings. Twin swords on his back. He looked more like a dancer than a soldier.
"I'm the strongest ninja in this world," he said with flair, spinning one blade once for effect.
"Call me Sonic. Sonic the—"
"I didn't ask for your name," Madara interrupted, bored.
Sonic's eye twitched.
He was about to speak again when Madara took a single step forward—and in that step, his presence became oppressive.
"Strongest ninja?" Madara whispered.
His smile turned feral.
"Let's see about that."
---
A/N: New Fanfic Is Out "Marvel: I'm Married To Black Widow?"
A/N: Advanced Chapters have been uploaded on my Patreon, please do check it out, it will mean a lot to me
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