One night when he was seven, curiosity drove him to secretly slip into the hawk faction’s secret chamber.
The chamber was filled with an old smell, and swaying candlelight cast eerie shadows on the walls.
Madara walked in cautiously.
In the dim light, he saw a girl kneeling in the center of the chamber.
The girl wore a high-collared blue robe.
The collar stood tall, almost covering half her face, and her head was lowered deeply, making her expression impossible to see.
In that oppressive darkness, she looked especially lonely, as though forgotten by the world.
Madara had just wanted to approach when a hand suddenly grabbed him.
He turned and saw that it was Reikei.
Reikei looked panicked, fine sweat seeping from his forehead as he lowered his voice.
“Young clan head, why are you here?
Leave quickly.
Don’t let the Great Elder find you!”
After saying that, Reikei pulled Madara, preparing to leave.
Just then, footsteps sounded.
Reikei’s expression changed sharply.
He subconsciously hid Madara in the darkness of the corner and apologized, “Forgive the offense, young clan head.”
Uchiha Yoshio slowly appeared.
His gaze was sharp as a torch, sweeping around the chamber before finally falling on Reikei.
“Did you see the young clan head just now?”
Cold sweat soaked Reikei’s back, but his face showed no fluctuation as he answered calmly, “The young clan head?
Shouldn’t he be at headquarters?”
Uchiha Yoshio stared tightly at Reikei for a long time.
In the end, he felt he had overthought things and instructed, “Guard this place well.
Do not let other elders approach, especially people from headquarters.”
After speaking, he watched the girl in the center of the chamber for a while longer before turning to leave.
Only after Uchiha Yoshio’s footsteps disappeared completely did Reikei let out a long breath and bring Madara out.
Once they left the chamber, Reikei warned him seriously, “The Great Elder has been plotting rebellion all these years.
His power is now equal to the clan head’s.
You absolutely must not let them know you came to this chamber.”
Madara’s heart was full of doubts, and he could not help asking, “Who was that girl just now?
I’ve never seen her in the clan grounds.”
Reikei stopped, looked back at Madara, hesitated, and explained, “She is Nagi.
Very dangerous…”
“If things go as expected, should internal conflict break out in the Uchiha, she will be the Great Elder’s trump card.”
Madara murmured softly, “Nagi, huh.”
That name, like a brand, was deeply carved into his heart.
Until that rainy night a few months ago, when he saw the person in the black cloak, Madara had already known it was Uchiha Nagi.
Everything seemed destined…
You finished preparing your luggage and hurried toward the meeting point.
When you arrived, Uchiha Madara was already standing there straight and tall, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing your figure, Madara gave a slight nod.
The motion was brief and elegant, carrying the Uchiha Clan’s unique coldness and restraint.
You were somewhat surprised that your mission partner had become Madara, but did not ask further.
Madara quickly stepped forward, and the two of you walked together toward the Noble Prince who had commissioned the mission.
When the Noble Prince saw you approaching from afar, his heart had already begun to pound.
You naturally gave off a cold and distant aura, as though rejecting people from a thousand miles away, with a faint sense of danger lingering around you.
And when Uchiha Madara appeared in his sight, that untamed aura came even more forcefully.
His deep eyes carried a sharpness that made people not dare look directly at him, and he seemed even more unapproachable than you.
The Noble Prince’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
His lips trembled slightly, and he thought he would rather be killed by enemies than be escorted all the way by these two death-god-like ninja.
But when his gaze met your cold eyes, like frigid stars, his throat seemed blocked, and the refusal he had prepared would not come out.
“I’ll trouble you on this journey.
Don’t call me unless there’s something!” After saying this, the Noble Prince hurriedly hid inside the carriage like a frightened rabbit and pulled the curtain closed, as though this could shut away all outside danger and unease.
You and Madara looked at one another, both seeing a trace of confusion in each other’s eyes.
You did not understand why this Noble Prince was so afraid, but neither of you had any intention of investigating the reason.
To you and Madara, this mission was merely to escort the Noble Prince safely to the Land of Wind.
As for everything else, it was outside your consideration.
The journey proceeded surprisingly smoothly.
Perhaps Madara’s cold and powerful image was too intimidating.
The enemies along the way seemed frightened off by your presence and gave up any thoughts of causing trouble. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
You and he were happy to have peace, only silently maintaining vigilance as you steadily advanced toward the destination.
Night fell, dyeing the land ink-black.
You stopped in an open area, preparing to rest for the night.
The Noble Prince had already fallen asleep inside the carriage, letting out faint snores.
You lit a campfire outside the carriage.
Orange-red flames leapt, dispelling a little of the chill.
Madara turned to look at you and said softly, “Go rest.
I’ll handle things here.”
You shook your head slightly, refusing his kindness.
Madara’s gaze fell straight on you, his deep eyes hiding passionate yet restrained affection.
In this quiet atmosphere, you felt an unprecedented embarrassment rising in your heart.
You opened your mouth and were just about to say something when you suddenly heard Madara’s urgent cry of “Careful!”
Without hesitation, Madara threw the kunai in his hand behind you.
It traced a cold flash through the air, collided with a hidden weapon, then fell to the ground with a clang.
You instantly became alert.
With extreme speed, you drew the twin blades on your back, turned with agile movements, and stood guard before the carriage.
A group of bandits surged out from the surrounding darkness.
They wore ragged clothing, and greed and slyness showed in their eyes.
These bandits freely sized up your appearance, spitting out vulgar words one after another.
Those filthy remarks were especially piercing in the quiet night.
Hearing them profane you, the anger in Uchiha Madara’s heart was instantly ignited.
His eyes changed rapidly.
The original single tomoe instantly became three tomoe, and those blood-red eyes seemed to burn with flames.
Before you could act, Madara charged toward the bandits like a bolt of lightning.
His movements were vigorous and fierce.
The weapon in his hand flashed coldly under the moonlight, and each swing brought up a mist of blood.
In only a short time, the bandits lay scattered across the ground, lifeless.
You looked at the corpses covering the ground, slightly dazed, then slowly raised your head and met Madara’s gaze from afar.
The Noble Prince was awakened in the carriage by the commotion outside.
Only after the sounds of fighting stopped did he tremblingly lift the curtain and get down.
But when he saw Madara holding a sharp blade, covered in blood and looking like an asura, his legs weakened in fright and he immediately cried out, “Don’t kill me!”
Madara frowned, put away his blade, walked to the side, and sat down, no longer paying attention to him.
Looking at the Noble Prince’s cowardly appearance, you could not help feeling some disdain.
You quickly stepped forward, lifted the prince by the collar with one hand, and stuffed him back into the carriage like carrying a chick.
After handling everything, you walked before Madara.
“Congratulations.”
“What is there to congratulate?” Uchiha Madara suddenly asked.
Meeting his gaze, you were silent for a long time.
In that long quiet, there was only the occasional crackle of the campfire and the rustle of leaves in the breeze.
“The Sharingan is the capital of our pride, even if it is also a curse.”
After that night, the atmosphere between you and Madara quietly changed.
A subtle and indescribable feeling spread between your hearts, making the way you interacted turn strange.
Whenever there was no one around, Madara would be unable to suppress the longing in his heart and quietly hold your hand.
At first, you would always subconsciously try to pull free.
Whenever you tried, Madara’s hand would unconsciously grip even tighter, the force filled with his persistence.
Gradually, before Uchiha Madara’s passionate and firm feelings, the resistance in your heart slowly faded.
And so you let him hold you like this, though your heartbeat could not help accelerating, as if it wanted to leap out of your throat.
Escorting the Noble Prince all the way, you finally reached a small town on the border of the Land of Wind.
This town sat where yellow sand met oasis, simple and quiet.
Earth-yellow houses were arranged in orderly fashion, giving off a unique charm under the sunlight.
The only inn in town became your temporary place to stay.
When you and the Noble Prince entered the inn together, you were told there were only two guest rooms left.
The moment the Noble Prince heard this, he immediately shouted, “I want to sleep alone.
You two can stay together!”
He truly could not endure sharing a room with these two death-star-like ninja.
That oppressive atmosphere would make him feel incomparably hopeless.
You lowered your head slightly and did not speak, seeming to think about something.
Madara, however, made the decision for you without hesitation.
He looked at the innkeeper and said in a low, firm voice, “Fine.”
The Noble Prince could not help sizing up the two of you a few more times.
Suddenly, as if discovering some shocking secret, he understood: this fierce male ninja liked this seemingly emotionless female ninja. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
And so he added, “There are guards patrolling here.
Don’t worry about my safety.
Do as you please.”
After saying this, afraid you would go back on it, the prince immediately hurried up to the inn’s second floor like a frightened rabbit, leaving only the two of you where you stood.
You were still immersed in this sudden arrangement and had not reacted when Madara had already lightly taken your wrist and walked outside.
You stepped into the town streets.
Sunlight fell on you, drawing out two long shadows.
Madara’s steps unconsciously slowed so he could walk beside you.
His fingers curled slightly, still resting on your wrist, as though this made you closer.
Uchiha Madara raised his head slightly, looked at the sky, and took the initiative to mention the past.
“Actually, I knew of your existence very early on.”
Hearing Madara’s words, you froze in place.
As a death warrior, you had always hidden in darkness.
Before betraying the Uchiha, almost no one knew of you aside from the old faction and a few higher-ups of headquarters.
Guessing your confusion, Madara continued, “In the hawk faction’s secret chamber.”
Your thoughts were instantly pulled back to that dark and oppressive night.
That was the first time you disobeyed the old faction’s orders.
As a death warrior, disobeying orders was an unforgivable crime.
You were locked in the secret chamber by Uchiha Yoshio, forced to kneel on the cold floor, surrounded by endless darkness and silence.
The one responsible for guarding you was Uchiha Reikei.
Reikei had always been quiet, only silently guarding the chamber entrance like an emotionless statue.
During the long punishment kneeling, faint footsteps came from outside the chamber.
You pricked up your ears, wanting to hear the conversation outside, but the voices were too indistinct, and you could only catch a few fragmented words.
Soon, the footsteps gradually moved away, seeming to have been led off by Reikei.
At the time, you had not taken the matter to heart.
After all, as a death warrior, what did people coming and going outside have to do with you?
Now, however, Madara’s words made you suddenly awaken as if from a dream.
You tried hard to piece together those memories in your mind, attempting to grasp details you had ignored.
You remembered that the person’s footsteps had been very steady, unlike an ordinary patrol ninja.
Moreover, when Reikei took that person away, he seemed unusually cautious, something extremely rare for the normally cold and hard Reikei.
So the outsider Reikei had taken away back then was Madara.
Suddenly, a low and clear “Uchiha Nagi” broke your contemplation.
You turned toward the voice, only to see Madara had approached at some point and was almost within arm’s reach.
Before you could react, Madara suddenly leaned forward, and warm breath instantly enveloped you.
Your pupils abruptly contracted.
You only felt softness on your lips, and your mind instantly went blank.
Your throat seemed blocked by something, and for a moment, you could not speak.
“What’s wrong?” Madara looked composed, his tone relaxed as if nothing had happened just now, though a trace of teasing faintly showed in his deep eyes.
You had still underestimated Madara’s shamelessness.
Your cheeks heated slightly, and you turned your head aside, avoiding Madara’s gaze while pretending to be calm.
“Nothing.
You know yourself.”
Your voice was calm, but beneath that calm hid a faint tremor, as if you were trying hard to suppress the waves in your heart.
To conceal this panic, you clenched your fists tightly, nails sinking deep into your palms.
Madara realized his emotions had been too excited and seemed to have frightened you, but there was not the slightest guilt in his heart.
In any case, sooner or later you would be his.
The Uchiha’s understanding of love was extremely profound by nature.
Once they decided on someone, they would cling with the persistence of moths flying into flame, entangling themselves even unto death.
In Madara’s eyes, love was this selfish.
Where in the world were there so many cases of mutual affection?
As long as he could be with the person he loved, he would be satisfied.
Even if this love was called a curse, he would not hesitate.
Afterward, you and Madara entered that slightly narrow yet warm inn room.
Madara gently closed the door.
With that soft click, the entire room seemed cut off from the world, leaving only the slightly hurried breathing of the two of you mingling in the air.
Your heartbeat abruptly quickened.
Almost immediately, you picked up a bathrobe and hurried into the bathroom.
The instant the bathroom door closed, Madara let out a slight breath.
Yet his thoughts involuntarily drifted to that brief, scorching kiss with you, the soft touch seeming still to remain on his lips.