His first C-rank mission

"Only seven years old, and already as strong as a Chunin. Did he use his Sharingan?"

Inside Root's base in Konoha, Shimura Danzō stood in the shadows while Sōsuke Aburame knelt obediently on one knee before him. Sosuke had just recounted everything Madara Uchiha had done that day. Sōsuke Aburame was a spy Danzo had planted.

"Reporting, sir: I never saw him use it. He activated it neither when throwing shuriken nor during close combat. Even now, he still relies on Hayato's Byakugan to locate Lord Kazuhiko."

"Hmph. A prodigy of the Uchiha Clan who hasn't even awakened his Sharingan? I doubt he's worth worrying about. Just stay with him. If he makes any suspicious moves, you have my permission to act first and report afterward."

The moment Danzo heard that Madara Uchiha had not even awakened his Sharingan, he lost interest in him. If Sosuke had not already been intended as a mole within Konoha's ninja ranks, Danzo would have considered assigning him to watch Madara Uchiha a waste. After all, Sosuke was a prodigy of the Aburame Clan.

After their three-man squad was formed, Madara Uchiha, Hayato, and Sosuke began carrying out missions under Kazuhiko. Since they were Genin, their initial missions were extremely simple: helping the village's elderly find their pets, finding children who had wandered off, and so on. At first, Hayato showed some enthusiasm for these missions, but as they piled up, he gradually grew impatient. Madara Uchiha, on the other hand, took it all in stride. When it came to patience, perhaps no one in this world could match him. The more quietly he behaved, the less of a threat Danzo and the Third Hokage would judge him to be, giving him more time to reclaim his power. Once his power was restored, every obstacle would naturally vanish.

"Sensei Kazuhiko, can't we get some easier missions? My Byakugan is for scouting out enemies, not finding people's pets and lost belongings every day!"

After they completed yet another mission to find an old woman's missing bracelet, Sosuke could not help complaining about how boring their missions were. Hayato's pride in being a Genin had also been all but worn away by the same simple tasks day after day.

"Congratulations, Hayato. Our next mission is sure to meet your expectations. It's a C-rank mission."

Kazuhiko had always taken his students' complaints to heart. After Madara Uchiha and the others had spent some time gaining experience on simple missions, Kazuhiko Sarutobi successfully secured a C-rank mission for Team One. Ninja missions were ranked D, C, B, A, and S in ascending order of difficulty. C-rank missions were the hardest missions Genin could accept.

"Really? That's great!"

Hearing that their next mission was C-rank, Hayato Hyuga cried out in delight, while Madara Uchiha and Sōsuke Aburame remained silent. Sometimes Kazuhiko wondered whether Hayato was the only person on Team One. The other two barely said a word in eight hundred years. Thank goodness Hayato was there; otherwise, Kazuhiko felt that Sosuke and Madara's cold indifference would have made him weary of life himself.

"Mission details: escort the merchant Shizuko and her party from the Land of Fire to the Land of Rice Fields. Departure time: gather at the mission hall at nine in the morning the day after tomorrow. Now, dismissed!"

"Yes! A mission outside the village! I've never left Konoha in my entire life! Wait, we're even leaving the country! This is amazing!"

When he heard that the mission involved escorting people out of the country, Hayato Hyuga, who had never left the village, jumped for joy. Madara Uchiha showed little interest. To him, escorting a merchant was no different from finding cats and dogs. Leaving the village would mean he could neither look after Sasuke nor train on his own for a while.

"Are you going far away, big brother? Can't you stay?"

Sasuke, now a little over a year old, had already learned to talk. As soon as he heard that Madara Uchiha was going far away, his eyes misted over, as though he might burst into tears at any moment.

"Yes, I'm going far away. Sasuke, listen to Mom and Dad while you're home, and wait for me to come back. I'll bring you a present from the Land of Rice Fields, all right? If it's fun there, I'll take you with me next time."

Madara Uchiha had had younger brothers in his first life, after all, so he knew a thing or two about soothing children. Seeing that Sasuke was about to cry, he casually offered a few words that shifted Sasuke's attention from his brother leaving home to the enticing promises of presents and an outing together.

As he spoke, Madara Uchiha held two fingers together and tapped Sasuke's forehead. Whenever Fugaku had to go out on business, he would use this gesture to express his apologies to Mikoto. Without realizing it, Madara Uchiha had begun doing the same to Sasuke.

"Okay! I'll be good!"

After Madara Uchiha tapped his forehead with two fingers, Sasuke's sadness turned to joy. His mind was now filled with images of traveling with his big brother. Watching Madara Uchiha coax Sasuke Uchiha so effortlessly, Fugaku and Mikoto exchanged a smile. Having a child like Madara Uchiha had always been a source of pride for them.

"You're leaving the village on a mission?"

After coaxing Sasuke to sleep, Madara Uchiha went out for his nighttime training. It was then that Shisui came to his side.

"Here. This is for you."

Shisui held out a brand-new Ninja Tool Pouch in front of Madara Uchiha. Madara Uchiha opened it and found it filled with brand-new shuriken and kunai. It was clear that Shisui had prepared this gift especially for him.

"You ANBU really do hear everything."

He accepted the Ninja Tool Pouch Shisui offered him without the slightest hesitation. After years of friendship, the two no longer needed such formalities.

"Outside the village, there are all sorts of unknown dangers. You can't be too careful. Watch out for insect bites, too. Don't get sick."

In Shisui's eyes, Madara Uchiha was a junior who, like Hayato, had never ventured outside the village. Although Madara Uchiha was far too mature to seem like a child, Shisui still thoughtfully gave him all sorts of reminders. Madara Uchiha also picked up on the unspoken meaning behind Shisui's words.

"Don't worry. Even if Sensei Kazuhiko dies, I'll come back alive."

A shuriken flew from Madara's hand, precisely pinning a flying ant to the target. Hearing his friend's outrageous reply, Shisui felt no alarm; he was even a little tempted to laugh. It was strange. If his past self from a few years ago had heard someone from the Uchiha Clan say such a thing, he would certainly have considered that person dangerous. Yet now, when Madara Uchiha said it, Shisui found it perfectly reasonable. He even felt that was exactly how it should be.