Madara's depression

This ficlet is the child of my boredom and not to be taken seriously, in any shape or form… at all. I mean it.

All things Uchiha

To the ninja world of today, Madara Uchiha's name was either taboo or legend. In the villages of rock, grass, mist and lightning. Madara Uchiha was a legend, a Godly figure often described with words like Powerful, Righteous and his favorite, Demon, now, why did Madara enjoy the title? Because A) He racked up a demonic kill count during the war. And B) He lead a clan of people who's eyes were red, they spat fire and could do so much a single blink he felt that the title was an honor since it had only been given to him.

But apparently in the village he helped create he was one of the biggest douche bags to ever walk the planet!

Yeah… Nice.

But, that was all in the past. When War was the hip thing and people followed it like blind sheep to their shepherd, now? Madara sat inside his office in Mizugakure on the fiftieth story tower in the center of the village where the Mizukage often was when they were chosen. Now, he was doing paperwork and otherwise rotting away in a pointless existence once great now flawed to shit.

How had it come to this?

Where should he start…?

It might have been when he went blind after his repeated use of the Mangekyou Sharingan during the great wars when he and his loving younger brother, Izuna, had lead the Uchiha clan to victory time and time again. Forcing his brother to make the insane decision to sacrifice his sight to restore Madara's own.

The elder Uchiha felt a familiar guilt stab at his withered and beaten heart for his brother.

At least he had survived, then… he died in battle trying to fight blind.

The elder Uchiha felt tears tug at his eyes as he wiped them. Kami have mercy on his dear little brothers soul.

Then, after some mourning away from the clan so they couldn't see their all powerful leader break under the emotional turmoil of losing the only one he allowed within touching distance of his heart. He lead them to such victories that only one clan dared to stand up to them.

"Senju…" Madara spat the word as if it were a curse. He signed his name on some documents.

And they may as well have been a curse, it was from that clan that spawned all of Madara's current troubles to date. Everything could have been traced back to Senju. One in particular, but we'll get to that later.

Whenever someone hired Uchiha, their enemies hired Senju. And vice versa, it was all very sickening. For years this happened until finally the two clans decided that constant draws was growing tedious, so they agreed to the ceasefire and alliance. Together, they built the foundation for the one villager per country system of the modern day.

Yeah, big whoop.

The clans had been all buddy buddy about it for the first few days and completely ignoring the fact Madara's loving brother had died so he could keep fighting and protecting the clan! Then they just spit on his sacrifice and form an alliance with their arch nemesis!

The Elder blinked. Somewhere in the back of his mind told him it wasn't healthy to hold a grudge like this for this long. But then he didn't care, he was Uchiha-freaking-Madara, he did what he pleased, when he pleased how he pleased. And he held that grudge like a boss.

But that was fine, he could see how it could have worked out for his clan. They could work around the animosity after a few decades, sure. Then came the time to select the leader of their new village, Konohagakure. And then, Madara realised something very important about that title.

There could be only one.

So, instead of a duel of skills and strategy, they voted. They freaking voted! And that wasn't the worse part! His clan had chosen a Senju, A SENJU over him! They didn't just stab him in the back they dipped the blade in salt and vinegar and twisted it inside his back. Shortly after that extremely infuriating decision he had done some brooding research and came up with the "Moon's eye plan" as a passtime, streamlining it and filling in the gaps as best he could.

But, then came the time he saw that friction was starting grind between the Senju and Uchiha. Friction Madara knew would escalate down the line and he had to protect his clan. He did the only thing he could, he approached them and urged them help him acquire the title of Hokage so that he could ensure their clan wouldn't side branched.

For a moment, as he stood before the clan and explained himself. He had hope they still remembered he had been their lifeline most of the time.

They hadn't, no. The called him power-hungry, warmonger and petty. They turned their backs on him. His clan, no! his family… had turned their backs on him.

He didn't feel like sticking around after that. His heart grew bitter and hateful towards the clan and Konoha in general, so maybe a vacation would help him cope with it.

It didn't, as he sat inside his dark cave and brooded his rage and bitterness only grew until it became full blown hatred. Pure, blinding hatred. So, in a fit of rage he found, then tame the nina tailed Kyuubi No Kitsune and used it to fight Senju Hashirama to the death.

Looking back on it now, Madara realised it had been a bit of an overeaction on his part. Sure he had been emotionally torn apart by the rapid string of events and such, but he saw now that maybe trying to destroy the village he helped build simply because they didn't see his way or elect him leader might be a tad petty.

Anyways!

So, he had failed that attempt and nearly died when Hashirama had, albeit just ever so barely, defeated him. For his troubles though, he had unlocked the Rinnegan and gained god-like powers in return. But that was just silver lining on a shit covered cake. He had lost to Senju Hashirama, his rival and most hated person in his entire life. He had lost to him and that broke something inside his heart.

In fact, he imagined now he might have been unhinged a bit by the events. Since he was seriously began to implement the Moons Eye Plan by giving the Rinnegan to some kid in Ame so he could start a gang and become famous and strong enough to be the leader of the a future organization dedicated to capturing the tailed beasts which were a must for the plan to succeed.

But, even now that felt like such a chore to the Uchiha. He just didn't have the same burning enthusiasm for genocide and global devastation like he used to when he started his walk down evil-and-bat-shit-crazy lane.

Why?

Maybe because he just couldn't bring himself to see the few ups there were in life. He was alive, but he was so deep in a rut that he almost wanted to actually bury himself so his physical state could match his mental. He was forced into hiding and to let other do his dirty work because he needed to maintain the illusion he was dead.

Which was why he took control of the current Mizukage!

But, that was all very moot since he required the tailed beast inside said kage sooner or later. So that wouldn't last either.

He sighed and put the papers away with a huff. Life sucked so bad right now he couldn't even give a proper level of much it sucked. Somewhere between "rock bottom" and "Just kill yourself already!" he supposed. He glanced at the kunai on his wall, he could kill himself. But, he had an obligation to ensure his plan made it to the end…

Or to hell with it! He wanted to see his brother smile. He wanted to hear the other pant after they sparred and he wanted to hear their combined laughter when one of them did something dumb and the other found it hilarious.

He just wanted someone he could call family.

Walking over to the kunai he sighed, gripped it and lazily lifted the sleeve of his full body suit so his wrist was exposed. No point in bloodying the thing, right? He didn't need to make a total mess for whoever found his rotting and stinky body in a week or so after it smelled the placed up.

He placed the cold steel to his flesh. Took a breath and mentally counted down.

Three… two…O-

His door slammed opened and Zetsu charged inside with a shout of. "Madara-sama! I bring news!"

"Shits!" Madara cursed and tossed the kunai into the ceiling where it embedded itself nicely into the cement. "What is it, Zetsu! I'm busy!" he wasn't going to say what had he had been busy with, but the dubious look Zetsu was giving him made him think the plant man knew anyways.

"Yeah, Sasori is dead..." Zetsu replied.

"..." Madara blinked once behind his mask and asked. "And?"

"That's it."

"...Oh, well. that's a minor set back, least with the ring we can recruit anothe-" Madara was about to shrug when Zetsu said the next sentance.

"I couldn't get the ring..." the Plant man stated. "too many shinobi around..."

Madara whirled on him and his Sharingan spun wildly. "Senju Hashirama you bastard!" he screamed, the room shook and Zetsu sank into the floor. unaware of the what the first Hokage had to do with this...

He left just as Madara broke down into a sobbing, angry ball of vengeance.