Let's go, kid

"Your nephew? Tobirama's son?" In an instant, Dave felt a tremendous wave of murderous intent wash over him. Madara Uchiha's crimson eyes were fixed on him.

Dave's heart lurched. He had forgotten—wasn't Tobirama the one who had killed Madara's younger brother?

"Madara! He's not Tobirama!" Hashirama hurriedly shouted.

"Hmph, I know that." Madara withdrew the murderous intent that had surged from him like a towering tidal wave and spoke coldly.

"Uncle, is your name Madara?" Dave wasn't about to miss this chance to cozy up to someone powerful. At the very least, he had to leave a good impression, so that when a certain thousand-year-old Filial Son twisted Madara's worldview and hoodwinked him later, Madara wouldn't stab Dave in the back.

"Mm." Madara gave Dave a cold look and answered woodenly.

Between Madara's aloof demeanor and the terrifying impression he had left during the Warring States Period a few years earlier, hardly anyone in the Village outside the Uchiha Clan wanted to interact with him, much less the children. Usually, one look from Madara Uchiha was enough to send a child fleeing in a daze. Yet this child wasn't afraid of him? Was it ignorance? Or fearlessness?

"Uncle Madara, you're so handsome! Way more handsome than my uncle!" Dave's eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Huh? Hahahaha! Kid, you've got good taste! Hashirama, I won this time! I'm more handsome than you!" Madara froze for a moment, then burst out laughing, repeatedly arching his eyebrows at Hashirama, who seemed to have fallen under a cloud.

This time, I, Madara Uchiha, beat you! Hashirama Senju!

"Hey, hey, hey! Dave! Your uncle is obviously much better-looking than Uncle Madara!!" Hashirama shouted at his nephew, utterly unwilling to accept it! This was the first time he had officially lost to Madara! Aside from losing one peeing contest as a child, he hadn't lost once in all these years! And now he had lost over something like this?

"Ooh, Uncle Madara, my uncle's scary." Dave hurried into Madara's arms, pointing at the shouting Hashirama as he complained pitifully.

"Come on, Hashirama. A loss is a loss. Don't take it out on a child." Looking at Dave, who had suddenly run into his arms, Madara thought, Is this what it feels like to have a child trust you... So... is this how Hashirama feels when those children in the Village run into his arms... This feels pretty good. How am I, Madara Uchiha, any worse than Hashirama? He's not even as handsome as me! Those children must have no taste! Then he reached out to pat Dave's back and spoke disdainfully to Hashirama.

"Aaargh! I won't admit defeat! I'll take good care of my looks when I get home! Next time, I definitely won't lose to you!! Madara! Dave! Come home with me!" Hashirama hollered.

"No, we only just came out!" Dave turned his head and replied.

"Enough, Hashirama. You go back first. I'll take the child around the Village a little longer." Madara Uchiha frowned as he looked at the "ugly" Hashirama before him.

"Hmph! Dave, be back before evening." Hashirama turned and left in a huff.

Once he turned away, a smile appeared on Hashirama's face. Madara had always had a poor reputation in the Village, and no one wanted to interact with him. Hashirama felt that if things continued like this, something would go wrong with Madara sooner or later. But Dave's behavior just now had shown him that there were people who liked Madara, too. It was also the first time Madara had smiled at him in the Village. Still, his anger just now really hadn't been an act. Could it be? Am I really not as handsome as Madara? Should I try some of Mito's skincare products? Hashirama fell into an existential crisis. The sight of his dejected back left Dave utterly bewildered... and even a little tempted to laugh...

"Let's go, kid." Once Hashirama left, the smile disappeared from Madara's face. He spoke, then continued taking Dave around the Village.

Along the way.

Dave saw quite a few children watching him and Madara from a distance. Their frightened gazes made his heart pound. The powerhouse beside him showed no reaction, but that only made Dave more uneasy.

"Uncle Madara, I want some dango!" Dave felt he ought to do something, so he spoke to Madara beside him.

"All right." Madara paused, first frowning, then agreeing. Are children really this much trouble?

Madara took Dave into a Dango Shop and bought a serving of dango.

"Hey, Taiga, see that guy wearing Uchiha clothes? Heard about him? He's a pervert. Over forty and still doesn't have a wife. I heard he likes men! Look at that face, cold as a block of ice. What a creep."

"No way, that's ridiculous! Who told you that?"

"My dad told me! Apparently, the guy he likes is our Lord Hokage!"

"Whoa! That's scandalous!"

As Madara and Dave sat awkwardly waiting for their dango, a table of boys a little older than Dave pointed at Madara and whispered behind them. Even Dave could hear them, let alone Madara. His expression grew darker and darker...

"Hey! You bastards! Who gave you the right to insult Uncle Madara!" Dave couldn't stand listening anymore. He grabbed the two bottles of Sake sitting on Madara Uchiha's table, walked over to the boys' table behind them, and slammed one bottle onto it as he roared.

The boys froze. So did Madara.

"...Wh... where did this brat come from! Are you asking for a beating?" Dave's slam had frightened the boys, but when they saw he was just a tiny little kid, one of them shouted.

"Asking for a beating? You're the one fucking asking for it!" Dave's temper flared. He swung a bottle of Sake straight into the boy's forehead and roared.

The boy immediately collapsed to the floor, wailing.

"People like you, gossiping behind someone's back, piss me off more than anything! If you've got the guts, come fight! Who the fuck do you think you are, bad-mouthing people behind their backs!" Duy shouted, kicking the boy on the floor. His fierce display scared the other boys so badly that none of them dared move...

They were just ordinary boys. The Ninja Academy hadn't yet begun accepting commoners on a large scale, and they hadn't seen much of the world. Naturally, something like this frightened them...

"You'd better not let me hear you bad-mouth Uncle Madara again! If you've got a problem, come find me at the Senju Compound! Bring your parents, and I'll beat them up too!" Duy snorted coldly, then returned to his seat and sat there obediently again.

Watching everything that had just happened, Madara was deeply shaken. This child... is so much like me...

"Kid... you..." Madara didn't know what to feel, or what to say...

"Hehe... I grew up living alone with my mother in our clan's compound. My mother had me after that incident with my father back then, and she was always subjected to the clan's gossip. Every time we went out, people would point at us just like those people did. Every time, I wanted to do what I just did, but my mother always stopped me. Every night, she'd cry quietly by herself. It hurt so much. After she died, I came here to find my father. On the way, I swore that whenever I ran into people like that again, I'd beat them up every single time!" Duy lowered his head and spoke in a low voice. That grief and anger came from this body, and his earlier impulse had felt as though it were beyond his control...

"You... you're much better than your father." Madara didn't know what to say. He had never comforted anyone before. Comforting Hashirama used to be easy—he just had to beat him up. But Dave was still a child, so naturally he couldn't do that.

This child was much better than his infuriating father, who was even colder than Madara himself...

"Hehe, the dango's here, Uncle Madara. Let's eat."

"Mm."

After they finished eating, Dave sat there waiting for Madara to pay.

"Charge the damage to your shop today to the Uchiha Clan. And about what happened earlier, if those people have any complaints, tell them to come find me at the Uchiha Clan." Madara Uchiha spoke coldly to the owner before him.

With that, he took Dave and left.

“Uncle Madara, could you carry me on your back? I'm a little tired.” As they walked down the street, Dave suddenly had a bold idea. He looked at Madara Uchiha beside him and asked rather nervously.

“Tch, kid, you're such a pain. Get on.” Madara paused, then replied somewhat speechlessly. Still, he crouched down and let Dave climb onto his back. Once Dave was up, Madara himself froze. Why did I do that?

“Hehe, I'm so high up, Uncle Madara! I'm definitely going to grow as tall as you! When you're old, I'll carry you!”

"...Kid."