Chapter 20: Becoming Uchiha Madara's Disciple
"Me!"
Uchiha Madara raised a single, skeptical eyebrow. With age, his features had honed into something sharper, more severe, a visage that sent all the children in the Uchiha clan grounds scattering. Since the village's founding, even the bravest children from other clans would shrink back like frightened quails at the mere sight of him. To have a child actively pestering him was, for the first time in a long while, a novel experience.
Not receiving an immediate answer, the little girl seemed to grow dissatisfied. She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his thigh, and began to huff and puff as she attempted to climb him like a tree, determined to reach his embrace.
Just as her fingers brushed the hem of his armor, a hand seized her by the collar and unceremoniously plucked her away. Uchiha Izuna caught her mid-air, pulling the small child into his own arms.
"Big Brother, she's just a child. You're being too rough."
Uchiha Madara let out a cold snort. "If she weren't a child, she wouldn't have landed in your arms. She would have landed outside the window."
Undeterred by her failure, the little girl wasn't the least bit upset. Instead, she squirmed in Izuna's hold, enthusiastically trying to launch herself back toward Madara. Her pitch-black pupils widened as she stared intently at his face. No one could guess what was running through her mind, but a sudden blush crept up her small cheeks. Then, with a voice full of heartfelt admiration, she praised him.
"So handsome!"
This was the new persona she had set for herself: the adoring fangirl. Her target was Uchiha Madara, and her primary objective was to annoy him so thoroughly that he would cast her aside.
Uchiha Madara was silent. He had completely failed to grasp the logic of a child's mind.
Suddenly, the girl's expression shifted. She furrowed her brows, rubbed her small belly, and let out a soft whimper.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Izuna asked, his voice laced with concern.
Every eye in the room, including Madara's, fixed on her. The Uchiha clan head found himself wondering if perhaps he had been a bit too forceful just now.
Stelle shook her head, looking up with wide, pitiful eyes. "I'm so hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
It wasn't that she had become a glutton after switching aliases; it was simply that the food at the orphanage was appallingly scarce. The portions were barely enough to fill one's stomach and tasted dreadful. After only a few days there, Stelle was eating herself into a state of genuine depression. She had to remember that in her previous life as the third-in-command of the Senju, even with the lack of resources during the Warring States period, she had always eaten the best. Her palate had been thoroughly spoiled. Having not eaten her fill at lunch, she was now ravenous.
"Yes, of course. Wait a moment, I'll have someone prepare something for you," Uchiha Izuna said, immediately calling for an attendant.
A short while later, a simple but fragrant meal appeared on the table: a grilled fish, a bowl of rich mushroom soup, and a perfectly formed plum-filled onigiri. Under the intense gaze of four of the most powerful men in the world, Stelle picked up the rice ball and began to munch away without a shred of self-consciousness.
To the side, Uchiha Izuna was already making his case to his brother.
"Big Brother, just take her as your disciple."
Uchiha Madara poured cold water on the idea instantly. "There's no need. I have no interest in babysitting a brat."
"Big Brother!"
"This matter is not up for discussion."
Madara's cold, hard refusal was music to Stelle's ears, and she felt a wave of relief.
"If you won't agree, then you won't agree," she declared, hopping down from her chair. She swiped the onigiri from the table and turned to make a break for it. "I'm going back to the orphanage."
Before she could even reach the door, she was scooped up and brought back by Uchiha Izuna.
"Big Brother and I live in the same courtyard," Izuna explained with a gentle smile. "If you take me as your master, it's the same as taking him. You'll be able to see him every day."
The little girl huffed, crossing her arms and mimicking the exact same expression of disdain she had seen on Uchiha Madara's face.
"No, thank you. I don't want anyone else to be my master."
'So let go of me already,'she thought.'I need to get back and develop my grand plans.'
"Then move into the Uchiha grounds first," Izuna countered, not missing a beat. He had no idea why this strange girl was so fixated on his perpetually cold-faced brother, but he immediately devised a second solution. "We'll live in the same courtyard. I'll arrange a room for you. You can pester my brother every day. He's actually very easy to talk to; maybe he'll agree in a few days."
Stelle stared at him. 'Izuna, believe it or not, if you keep this up, you'll be the first target of my next scheme.'
She feigned a thoughtful expression, her gaze burning a hole into Uchiha Madara. Then, she turned her head away and gave a secretive, thin-lipped smile, like a mouse that had just stolen a drop of oil, letting out two small giggles. Her fangirl persona was on full display.
Uchiha Madara watched the bizarre performance. 'Are all children raised by the nobility this strange?'
After that day, Stelle moved into the Uchiha clan compound and into the brothers' personal courtyard. She fully committed to her role as a devoted fangirl, pestering Uchiha Madara from dawn until dusk. Except for when she was sleeping, she was glued to his side. Every single day, the first thing she would ask upon seeing him was if he would finally take her as his disciple.
Uchiha Madara never agreed, but she never got angry. Stelle simply followed him automatically. When Madara ate, she ate. When Madara went to work, she followed him to the Hokage's office and sat nearby, just staring at him with unnerving intensity.
The Uchiha Madara of this era had not yet lost his brother. With Izuna by his side and having began the path to fulfill his dreams with his best friend, no major rifts had yet formed. His entire temperament was considerably gentler—so much so that he actually allowed Stelle to continue her ridiculous antics.
Only when he was truly annoyed would he order the ninja guards at the building to stop her.
Unfortunately for him, with both Izuna and Tobirama quietly opening back doors for her, Stelle treated the Hokage Building like her own personal vegetable garden; she simply could not be stopped.
Sometimes, when he was pestered beyond his limit, he would lift the little girl by her collar and toss her out of his office. Without fail, one of the other three men would appear, catch her steadily, and simply put her back. Worse, they would watch his frantic state with undisguised interest, as if witnessing something truly delightful.
"I never expected to see such an interesting expression on Madara's face," Senju Hashirama mused, having a grand time watching the show from the sidelines. "Letting her be his disciple doesn't seem like such a bad thing after all."
This little girl was a true master of trouble, dancing right on the razor's edge of Uchiha Madara's temper.
She claimed to be helping him clean his room, only to leave it looking like it had been ransacked by bandits.
She tried to help him cook and nearly blew up the kitchen.
She offered to help organize his documents and somehow tricked Madara into delivering a beatdown to the very people who had raised the issues. Her reasoning was flawless: if you can't solve the problem, solve the person who raised the problem. Then, there will be no problems left.
Every time Uchiha Madara was provoked to the point of wanting to strike her, Uchiha Izuna would appear with a placating smile and soothe his brother's frayed nerves.
"Big Brother, calm down. She's just a child. Let it go."
Uchiha Madara was so angry he wanted to kill someone. The only 'child luck' he'd had in his entire life was this one infuriating girl!
Meanwhile, Stelle was sighing internally. She had already acted so outrageously, yet Uchiha Madara could still tolerate it. Since when did he possess such a good temper?
One day, Uchiha Izuna's curiosity got the better of him. "Stelle, why are you so obsessed with having my brother as your master?"
The little girl's eyes began to sparkle again. Her face flushed, and she said with stars in her eyes, "Because he's handsome!"
Uchiha Izuna touched his own face. "Am I not handsome enough?"
The little girl delivered the blow without a hint of hesitation. "You can't compare at all!"
The white-haired man standing nearby quietly touched his own face and decided not to ask. 'As long as I don't ask,'Tobirama thought,'I'm more handsome than Uchiha Madara.'
[Ding! Emotion value from Uchiha Izuna +10,000]
[Ding! Emotion value from Senju Tobirama +10,000]
Stelle's eyes widened at the notifications. 'You guys are having such a massive emotional fluctuation over the question of who's more handsome? Are you kidding me?'
A man's competitive drive was truly a bizarre thing.
Later, Izuna asked his brother, "Big Brother, why do you think she insists on pestering you?"
Uchiha Madara's voice was low and meaningful. "Because she can tell. When I look at her, I see only her. I am not looking through her to reminisce about someone else."
Uchiha Izuna's smile grew a bit bitter. "Even though I know she's not her... I still can't help but want to do something."
And just like that, Stelle became the only non-Uchiha to live in the Uchiha clan's main compound.
Finally, one afternoon, Uchiha Madara agreed to her request.
Watching the little girl sweating profusely, collapsing from the brutal training regimen he had arranged, yet still glaring back at him with defiance after a harsh scolding, a strange sense of satisfaction arose in Madara's heart.
He definitely wasn't thinking about the time a certain Senju Stelle had scolded him by the river all those years ago.
For Stelle, this was a bolt from the blue. She never expected that while actively trying to get kicked out, she would actually succeed in becoming Uchiha Madara's disciple.
'Forget it, forget it,'she thought with a sigh.'If I have to blend in with the middle-aged group, so be it. I've changed my persona and personality completely; there's basically no overlap with my old self. It should be fine.'
"Master is above, please accept your disciple's bow!"
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]