Facing Stain, who could end the boy's life at any moment, Death Red Fist's heart was practically lodged in his throat.
What Death Red Fist didn't expect was that Stain showed no killing intent toward Madara. Instead, he slowly lowered the dagger in his hand and looked at Madara expressionlessly.
"He's right. This isn't a place for children," Stain said calmly. "At least, I won't do anything to you until you become a professional Hero." He glanced at the school badge pinned to Madara's uniform.
U.A. High School—an academy renowned for producing professional Heroes, and not mediocre ones.
But Madara ignored Stain completely. He simply waved toward Death Red Fist and smiled. "Death Red Fist—do you remember me?"
"You should get out of here!" Death Red Fist felt almost dizzy with exasperation. Was this kid an idiot? Couldn't he see the danger of the situation?
"We met more than ten months ago." Madara calmly set down the bags of groceries he was carrying. "I had a pretty good impression of you."
"Huh?" Death Red Fist tried hard to remember, but still couldn't recall where he'd seen this boy before.
"Kid." Stain cut in, resting the back of his sword across his shoulder. "I'll give you five seconds to disappear from my sight."
"What if I don't?" A faint smile played on Madara's lips as the three tomoe in his scarlet eyes began to spin slowly.
"I don't have time to play games with children." Stain's gaze turned cold and lethal. "If you won't leave, you'll die."
"Then go ahead and try."
The instant Madara spoke, he vanished. When he reappeared, he had already whisked Death Red Fist twenty meters away from Stain.
...
"What…" Stain's pupils shrank sharply. He'd only glimpsed a black blur—and it had moved so fast, it was almost invisible.
"You…" Death Red Fist was so disoriented by the sudden relocation that he could only gape at Madara. "Teleportation?"
"Remember the sludge incident ten months ago?"
"I vaguely recall," Death Red Fist said, nodding.
"I was the kid who was taken hostage back then." Madara stepped forward, positioning himself between Stain and Death Red Fist.
"You…" Death Red Fist stared. "But I remember your Quirk was—"
He was one of the few who knew that Madara's Quirk was listed as Hypnosis in the police files. But how did someone with Hypnosis jump around like this?
Had he been hypnotized himself?
Death Red Fist instinctively patted his cheek to be sure.
"Kid…you're interesting," Stain said, finally recovering from his surprise. He locked his gaze on Madara's spinning Sharingan and became fully serious.
In the next instant, Stain raised his tachi high, then swung it down sharply. The force of the motion sent a gust of wind that scattered blood droplets onto the cold ground.
"But a child is still a child. You don't understand what a real Hero is." Stain bent slightly, killing intent radiating off him in waves. "Although it goes against my principles, you have only yourself to blame."
"Get out of here! You can't fight him!" Death Red Fist shouted desperately, heart hammering in terror.
"Don't be stubborn!" Moving too forcefully made fresh pain explode in his wounds, and he gasped for breath. "Find a real Hero! He's not someone you can handle!"
"It's too late!"
A flash of red glimmered in Stain's eyes. He pushed off with both feet, closing the distance at terrifying speed. Under the street lamp, the blade caught the light with a cold gleam.
"Don't!"
Death Red Fist, his body locked up and trembling, could only watch helplessly as Stain's blade streaked toward Madara.
In Death Red Fist's eyes, Stain's charge was so fast it was just a blur.
But to Madara, Stain was practically moving in slow motion.
At that moment, the shape of Madara's eyes shifted. The three black tomoe rotated rapidly and locked together, merging into a complete ring.
Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Just as Stain's blade was about to strike, a layer of blue energy erupted around Madara, spreading outward into a translucent skeletal form.
Clang!
The blade collided with the blue ribcage, producing a sharp, metallic ring. The recoil sent Stain flying back, slamming into a pile of trash with a thud.
Death Red Fist sprawled against the wall, stared in disbelief.
He never could have imagined that this was how things would turn out.
And he clearly remembered that the records said Madara's Quirk was Hypnosis—but what on earth was this enormous blue skeleton?
"An unusual Quirk…" Stain didn't retreat. Instead, he straightened slowly, an intense curiosity in his gaze.
But that curiosity soon turned to an unrestrained, murderous excitement.
"You're just a child—what do you know of Heroes?"
Stain's grip on his sword tightened. His killing intent rose to a fever pitch.
"Show me. Let's see exactly how strong you are."