I apologize for the brief digression.
My computer broke down at the most inconvenient moment, and now I have to write from my mobile phone. Because of this, I'm having trouble checking the correctness of sentences and words.
As a result, I've had to reduce the volume of chapters I write to one or two per day. However, I hope that after finishing work on the old chapters (1–6), my writing speed will increase.
I ask for your understanding and forgiveness for any inconvenience caused.
***
Madara sat in the academy cafeteria, slowly sipping his tea. His cold, piercing gaze slid over the two girls across from him, who were enthusiastically telling something to the guys sitting nearby. He pretended to listen, but in reality, his thoughts were far away. His face, usually calm and serene, was now shadowed by irritation. He hated this game, this need to pretend, but he knew it was only a temporary measure. The power he once craved now seemed insignificant to him. It was merely a tool, a stepping stone to his true goal—strength. And strength... strength was everything.
Five days at the academy had flown by quickly. Most of his time was devoted to mathematics, with occasional training to stay in shape, and spending time with a group of teenagers. From them, he gathered valuable information. His skills in deception had allowed him to earn their trust on the very first day. He played with them like puppets, and they didn't even suspect that their words, their dreams, and their fears were becoming part of his plan. He was a master manipulator, and it brought him satisfaction. But today, his patience was wearing thin. Their stupid conversations, their naive dreams—all of it only filled him with contempt.
"Can you imagine! My family recently sent me a few soul fragments! Now I'm one step closer to a thousand!" one of the girls exclaimed excitedly.
Madara, usually indifferent to such conversations, showed interest this time. His eyes narrowed, and a cold glint flashed in them. He knew that soul fragments were the key to strength, and if they could be bought, it changed everything.
"Can soul fragments really be bought with money?" he asked, his voice calm but with a hidden edge of threat.
His question caused surprise. The guy sitting next to him smiled guiltily.
"Oh, right, sorry! If you earn enough money, you can buy almost anything: soul fragments, memories, even things from nightmares."
Madara stopped listening. For the first time in a long while, he thought about money. Until now, they hadn't interested him—the academy provided everything he needed. But now, knowing that so much could be gained with money, he decided that he needed it. He wasn't going to waste time on stupid games. If money could give him strength, he would take it. At any cost.
He sat through the rest of the meal, said goodbye to the group, and headed to his teacher. Charles, a middle-aged man, was glad to have Madara among his students. He willingly helped him with his studies, noting that most newcomers chose combat disciplines, while only a handful chose mathematics. This year, Madara was the fifth to take this course.
Madara often turned to Charles for advice and always repaid his debts. This time, he wanted to know how to earn money. Of course, he could steal it, but in this world, unlike his own, there were cameras everywhere, and powerful awakened individuals could easily stop him. So he decided to act legally. For now.
Finding the professor's office, he knocked.
"Come in!" a voice called from behind the door.
Madara entered. The professor sat at his desk, immersed in his notes. Hearing footsteps, he looked up.
"Ah, it's you! Do you have questions?" he asked with enthusiasm.
"Yes," Madara replied politely, but there was a steely determination in his voice. "But not about academics. Professor, do you know of any way to earn money? Preferably quickly and legally."
Charles thoughtfully rubbed his chin.
"There is one way... You said you're skilled with daggers, right?" Madara nodded, his eyes gleaming. "Good. My shift ends at seven. Be here by then."
Madara nodded and left the office.
Despite having been a great warrior in the past, now, lacking sufficient strength, he preferred not to take risks. Leaving the office, he headed to his room to prepare for the upcoming mission.
Once inside, he quickly locked the door and inspected the room. Making sure everything was in order, he rolled up his sleeve and commanded the tattoo to open its mouth. Without hesitation, Madara reached inside and pulled out several sheets of paper and ink.
He was about to use his Aspect.
Yes, Madara already knew how it worked and kept all the necessary materials at hand. He had tested it on his very first day at the academy, and the Aspect hadn't disappointed him. It allowed him to turn drawn objects into real ones—for now, only those drawn by hand, with ink or blood. The potential was enormous.
However, there were drawbacks. First, the objects weren't permanent. Their duration depended on the quality of the drawing and the durability of the objects themselves. If any of them broke, they would soon disappear.
Taking a brush, Madara began to draw, starting with one of the most important tools for a ninja—kunai and shuriken.
He quickly drew the lines, regretting that he didn't have the Sharingan or the Rinnegan. Otherwise, even without fully activating them, he could have drawn dozens of times faster and better.
He had discovered their absence just three days ago. Before that, he hadn't tried to activate them due to a lack of chakra. But now, having reached the level of a jonin, Madara attempted to activate the Rinnegan. He hadn't tried before, fearing instant death, but nothing happened.
He tried several more times, attempting to summon at least the Sharingan, but it soon became clear: either the eyes remained in the past world in the hands of Naruto and the others, or without the blood of the Uchiha clan, he simply couldn't use them to their full potential. And despite the reasonable arguments for the latter, he was inclined to believe the former, as even Danzo had been able to use them, albeit not fully.
However, he soon focused on his work, forgetting about his problems.
In an hour, he managed to create a dozen kunai and just as many shuriken. He also created a ninja outfit with multiple pockets for these weapons.
In his past world, he had relied on chakra, but in this one, he couldn't show it, or the Clan of Valor would become very interested in him.
So for now, he planned to use chakra only to enhance his body and increase his speed and reflexes.
He spent the remaining time until seven checking his equipment and adding missing elements.
And right at seven, he stood outside the professor's office, fully equipped. He had tied his hair back with a band to keep it out of his face.
Such a thing would never have occurred to him before. But now, with constant movement, his hair could fall into his face at the worst moment and block his vision, which could be fatal.
Initially, he had considered cutting it, but he noticed that longer hair attracted more attention from the opposite sex, which worked to his advantage, as it made it easier to gather the information he needed without seeming suspicious.
"So, I see you're ready," the professor said.
Madara could only nod in response.
After that, the professor led him out of the academy.
Now, Madara was determined to grow stronger, to regain his former power. And the professor was just a stepping stone on the path to greatness. But Madara knew this was only the beginning. He wouldn't stop until he reached the top. Strength was his only goal, and he was ready to go through anything to achieve it.