Madara knocked on the door in the tree. He found it odd that the people had cut away at the lower bark, as that would weaken the stability, though the base was still gigantic. When the door opened, he was momentarily taken aback.
The man who opened had his hair and beard styled so that it looked like a three-leaved clover. What the hell. "Good morning." The man spoke. "My name is professor Clover, how can I help you?"
The only thought that went through Madara's head was 'You're shitting me. Clover? Are you for real?' Still, he cleared his throat. "Good morning. My name... is Izuna Nara. You see, I was born far away, and one day realized that I knew little about this world, so I decided to travel. I was told that this was the greatest of all libraries, especially in history, so..."
Professor Clover smiled. "So you came here. Quite understandable my boy, come right in."
Madara entered, and whistled. "Color me impressed."
Clover nodded. "Yes, the library is our heart and soul. You can take any book you want, though please don't leave the library with them. They're ordered in three layers. First, here are the more common books, which you can freely read. The further you go in, and up, the rarer the texts become, and I ask you that if you want to read anything from category III or higher, please consult one of our scholars, as we have to supervise you to ensure that the text isn't damaged. The second distinction is, of course, by topic, while in the topics, the books are ordered alphabetically. We ask that you put a book back where you got it from, unless you notice it was misplaced. Any questions so far?"
Madara looked around. "Just two. How long is the library open, and where can one wash his hands to continue reading after a meal?"
Clover laughed. "A man after my own heart. The library is open around the clock, as there are always scholars working, of course different ones, but all the same. As for washing hands, we have bathrooms."
Madara rubbed his hands, then showing them to prove they were clean. "Do you mind if I start now?"
Clover laughed. "Of course not Izuna, help yourself. I'll pass by sometime to see how you're doing."
Madara nodded, and went to the first bookshelf. Category I, Biology, A-C. He pulled out a few books, and started reading.
A few hours later, Professor Clover decided to check up on the man that had come. He had halfway expected him to be gone, bored by all the reading, but he was still sitting there, two orderly piles of books framing him. He glanced at the titles, and found they were, while still biology, from the lower half of shelf D-F. Also, Izuna seemed to be looking for something, as he only scanned the pages for a second or two, before flipping to the next page. He walked down to him. "Are you looking for anything in particular?" He asked.
Izuna shook his head. "Not really. I'm more interested in general information."
Clover nodded. "But why are you only skimming over the books?"
"What?" Izuna asked, before he had an epiphany. "Of course, you couldn't have known. You see, I was born with a rather unusual gift, if I do say so myself. I have a photographic memory, which allows me to read faster than normal."
Clover's brows raised. "Really? Do you mind if I test that?"
Izuna shrugged. "Please. The pile to my right is the books I've already read."
Clover picked one from the middle, and opened it. "Please recite the text on page 74, starting at the 29th word."
Izuna looked at the title and frowned. "...to remember that, while most of these creatures are harmless, there exists a sub-species, identified by the red stripe on its head, that contains a deadly poison which dissolves tissue, and is highly aggressive. The only known antidote it the fruit of the curtola-tree, which these predatory birds must eat to prevent their own poison from killing them. This thankfully flightless subspecies is therefor only found in areas which support the growth of..."
Clover's eyes had widened as Izuna word for word recited 'Poisonous Creatures of the North Blue', by Olf Cortner. "That's enough, thank you. What an amazing gift."
Izuna, or rather Madara, smiled. 'Yes, the Sharingan is a wonderful tool.' Loud he only replied "Thank you."
Clover smiled at him. "So how long do you intend to stay on Ohara?"
Izuna shrugged. "I have a lot of time, so probably as long as I can. Either when I read every book, or when you get tired of me and kick me out." The last part was spoken in a humored tone, and Clover laughed.
"Far be it, Izuna my boy! It's good that there are still those that seek knowledge in this world. I'm old, and most of my colleagues are also at an advanced age. Every young man and woman who willingly seeks knowledge warms our hearts, as it shows us that our work will continue even after we have passed."
Izuna frowned. "Now now, it's a little early for such talks, professor. You still have your best years ahead of you."
Now Clover really laughed, and patted his back, Madara being grateful that the transformation technique was solid. "If you say so, my boy. But as I said before, call us if you want to read rarer and more valuable texts."
Izuna smiled. "I will." With that, he turned back to the book.
Secretly Madara had begun to wonder what was wrong with him. He had never been this giddy or friendly before. He pondered this newest change in personality, and finally came up with an explanation. It was because he was free.
Back in his world, there had always been pressure and expectations on him. Pressure of being a member of the Uchiha-clan, having to meet high expectations the moment he learned to walk, pressure of being the head of such a powerful clan, then of being a founder, and finally, of being the only one who could put a stop to Hashirama's madness. There had always been this weight on his shoulders, forcing him to be cold, supreme and emotionless.
Here in this world, nobody had known him, nobody could pressure him. Of course, there was a bounty on his head, but while some may expect different things from him, their thoughts were without consequence for Madara. He was not accountable to anyone but himself, he owed nobody but himself. All the things that had weighed him down back home, here, they were nothing. Nobody could demand anything from him, and nobody had a right to expect things from him. There were no blood-feuds to settle, no bitter enemy that had to be stopped, the only thing that was here was Madara, and what he wanted to do.
Madara had, in his entire life, never played around, or really enjoyed something, but here, there was an entire world to explore, and nobody to tell him what to do. He chuckled.
"This is certainly new." Madara muttered to himself. He smiled. "Well, it might be fun."
