When Uchiha Madara entered the cafeteria at noon, the atmosphere shifted like a ripple in still water.
Eyes turned his way—some openly staring, others glancing and quickly looking away. The weight of countless gazes pressed on him, thick with mixed emotions.
Some were curious.
Some were wary.
Many… were outright hostile.
And leading the list of glares hotter than Bakugo's explosions was… well… Bakugo Katsuki himself, scowling like he might blow a hole through Madara's head with his eyes alone.
Hitoshi Shinso wasn't much better, standing across the hall with his arms crossed, eyes narrowing into a slit.
Madara took it all in with the faintest of smirks.
Right beside him, Yaoyorozu Momo caught the mood instantly. "Ignore them," she said softly, looping her arm around his as they made their way toward the food counter. "Let's just eat."
Madara nodded, his smirk fading into a cool, unreadable expression. "Yeah."
They'd barely settled into their seats, trays filled with grilled chicken and miso soup, when—
"YO! Uchiha boy! Yaoyorozu-million-girl!"
The booming, cheerful voice made Yaoyorozu nearly drop her juice.
"All… All Might?!" She stammered, eyes wide.
The Number One Hero stood before them, smiling with his signature thousand-watt grin—and holding a tray topped with a monstrous pork cutlet bowl.
"Mind if I join you?" All Might asked, eyes gleaming under his blonde bangs.
"Uh… of course!" Yaoyorozu gestured quickly, scooting aside to make space.
All Might plopped down with the grace of a falling boulder.
"Congratulations on your first-place finish in the cavalry battle!" He shot a thumbs-up toward Momo, who blinked in surprise.
"Thank you, but… honestly, wasn't it… causing trouble for everyone else?" Momo muttered, glancing at Madara from the corner of her eye.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" All Might paused mid-bite, looking genuinely puzzled.
"Well… because of us, now everyone else has to go into a playoff."
All Might chuckled warmly. "You worked hard, didn't you? There's nothing wrong with that. That's what heroes do—they give their all."
Momo flushed slightly. "It was mostly Madara…"
Madara smiled faintly, shaking his head. "If you hadn't supplied me with those kunai, I wouldn't have been able to pull it off that fast."
Though if he was honest with himself, he probably still could have.
But All Might wasn't here for compliments.
With a glance around, he leaned forward, voice dropping low.
"But… Uchiha boy. You may be in some real trouble."
Madara's chopsticks paused mid-air. "Trouble?"
"Your Quirk," All Might said seriously, setting down his bowl. "Or rather… the record of your Quirk."
Madara met his gaze head-on, unblinking. "What about it?"
All Might sighed, folding his massive hands together.
"After the Sports Festival, pro heroes will scout students based on performance. But if your Quirk doesn't match what's on file…"
"It creates trust issues," Madara finished calmly.
"That's part of it," All Might nodded. "But I also think… It's better if you head down to the police station soon. Get your file adjusted before this gets messy."
Madara didn't reply right away.
And then, All Might leaned closer and whispered,
"Don't worry. I'll handle the rest for you."
Madara blinked, genuinely caught off guard for once.
"…Huh?"
Was All Might… covering for him?
Wasn't this supposed to be Midoriya's mentor?
Did the Symbol of Peace have time to babysit two problem kids?
All Might only smiled and gave his signature peace sign.
2:00 PM — The Stadium
The first-year students gathered once more, their faces shadowed by fatigue… and irritation.
Standing tall at the front, Midnight smirked as she addressed them, hips cocked.
"Alright, listen up! Except for Uchiha's team, the rest of you will be participating in a special extra match!"
A collective groan rippled through the students.
"Ugh, I knew it," Bakugo growled, turning away with a dangerous glare aimed squarely at Madara.
Out of sight, out of mind—except Madara's existence alone seemed to make Bakugo want to explode.
"As for the match type…" Midnight trailed off, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
The giant screen behind her began flashing.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"
From the stands, Present Mic's voice roared through the speakers.
"This year's Sports Festival is breaking records left and right! Never before have we had eleven teams tie for second place!"
The crowd erupted in cheers as the screens displayed the determined faces of each student.
"So, it's time for a brand-new type of match!"
The stadium lights dimmed slightly.
"Form teams however you like! Use sports combat or one-on-one—BUT! No serious injuries allowed! The goal?"
The screen flashed—
"Tear Off the Nameplate on the Opponent's Back!"
A beat of silence—then laughter broke out among the students.
"Pfft, nameplate tearing?" Madara couldn't help but chuckle. "What is this… a game show?"
Beside him, Momo's brows furrowed thoughtfully. "I've never heard of this event before."
"It's disguised as free-for-all combat, but it's really about teamwork," Tokoyami murmured nearby, analyzing the rules quickly.
"And it raises the difficulty by giving complete freedom of movement," Iida added, eyes sharp. "An excellent challenge for coordination and tactics!"
On the stage, Midnight raised her hand with a dramatic flair.
"Uchiha Madara and Yaoyorozu Momo—please move to the rest area!"
"The rest of you have fifteen minutes to form your teams. Get ready—this will be a battle of wits and reflexes!"
As the students began splitting off into clusters, murmurs rose among them.
"This is our chance to prove ourselves."
"We can't let Uchiha hog the spotlight!"
"Tear-off match, huh? This might be fun."
And while they scrambled to find allies…
Madara and Momo quietly made their way toward the rest stands.
"Looks like you made quite the impression," Momo remarked with a soft smile.
Madara smirked. "Let them come."
His crimson eyes glinted faintly.
After all, this was just a warm-up for the real storm to come.
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A/N: On every 100 Powerstones, 1 EXTRA CHAPTER will be uploaded, so give me your Powerstones ~ Thanos The Great
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