madara

The Uchiha compound was unusually quiet that night. Moonlight covered the training grounds as Mallory stood alone in the center, holding a kunai loosely in her hand. Several Uchiha clan members watched from the sidelines. “She’s been training for hours.” “She’s not even tired.” “Who does she think she is?” Mallory ignored them. A sudden gust of wind swept through the training ground. Then— THUD. A figure landed behind her. Mallory didn’t even turn around. “You’re late.” Madara Uchiha slowly straightened, his Sharingan already active. “You were expecting me?” Mallory finally looked over her shoulder. “I knew you’d come.” The clan members immediately went silent. Madara walked toward her, his expression unreadable. “You’ve been challenging my clan members all week.” Mallory smirked. “And none of them could beat me.” A few Uchiha members immediately looked offended. Madara stopped a few feet away. “Then fight me.” Mallory turned fully toward him. “Gladly.” The two stared each other down. The air suddenly felt heavy. One of the clan members whispered, “Is she actually going to fight Madara?” Madara’s Sharingan spun. Mallory tightened her grip on the kunai. Neither of them moved. Then Mallory disappeared. BOOM! She appeared directly in front of Madara, her fist barely missing his face as he jumped backward. Madara landed smoothly. For the first time, a small grin appeared on his face. “Interesting.”