Covering up the mistake

Contrary to Madara Uchiha's initial aspirations, his initial attempt at executing a seemingly straightforward jutsu did not unfold as anticipated. On a seemingly ordinary day, atop the roof of his expansive residence, he endeavored to perform the clone seal. With confidence bordering on hubris, Madara believed he had mastered the technique instantaneously when a clone, mirror image of himself appeared by performing the jutsu.

Eager to test the resilience of his newly created clone, he struck it, only for his efforts to be met with an unexpected explosion of flames. This eruption was not the result of a simple clone jutsu but was, in fact, the Fire Release: Fire Clone technique. Madara's profound affinity for fire nature chakra had inadvertently steered him towards this unintended outcome. His body, having been so attuned to manipulating fire chakra, had autonomously chosen this path, a fact Madara was blissfully unaware of until this revelatory moment.

The implications of this mishap were not lost on Madara. Had the fire clone possessed even a fraction more chakra—exceeding 10% of its current capacity—the explosion could have escalated dramatically, potentially reaching and devastating his mansion. Although relieved by the relatively minor scale of the incident, Madara was acutely aware that his blunder had not gone unnoticed. The explosion had effectively alerted every sensory shinobi within the village, drawing the immediate attention of his clansmen, who were now hastily converging on his location.

'What excuse should I make?' Faced with the prospect of explaining his actions, Madara found himself at a loss. Acknowledging the mistake was not only a blow to his pride but also a potential source of ridicule. The situation demanded a plausible explanation, yet the truth seemed far too humbling to confess. He was all too aware of the dangers of silence; in the absence of a credible explanation, rumors and speculation would inevitably fill the void, potentially causing more damage to his reputation than the truth itself. This predicament reminded him why he preferred solitude, a lesson learned from past experiences where misunderstandings and unfounded rumors had sown discord.

'Think, Think! In this situation, what excuse would sound reasonable?'

***

As soon as they sensed the release, the response from his clan was swift and decisive. Hikaku, alongside a contingent of Madara's attendants and a half of Uchiha guards, raced through the streets towards the site of the explosion.

To them, the scale of the chakra released—though merely a 1/10th of Madara's true power— was equivalent to 1/3rd of Uchiha Adult Power, suggesting a significant threat, possibly an assassination attempt was happening in their very compound!

The urgency of their mission was palpable; to fail in their duty to protect the patriarch of the Uchiha clan was unthinkable, a stain on their honor that could not be easily erased. Even if Madara was significantly stronger than them, it doesn't excuse them from the failure of their duty early and their soon to be failure of not aiding him on time.

Their journey took them to the south of the compound, urgency propelling their steps as they navigated the familiar yet suddenly ominous pathways of their home. Hikaku, sensing subsequent releases of chakra, urged his companions forward, their readiness palpable in the tense air.

Sensing the 4th attack from Madara at the Uchiha's Training ground, each of them waving hand signs, molding chakra in their mouth, readying to release it.

"Why are you here?" Madara inquired, his arms folded across his chest,, appearing unharmed and unfazed by the commotion, questioned their presence nonchalantly.

His casual demeanor and the visible activation of his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan prompted a swift de-escalation of the situation. The guards, initially prepared for combat, were now caught in an awkward exchange, their prepared jutsus dissolving into the air.

"We thought perhaps an assassin had breached—"

"So, the guards have neglected their duties?"

"Well—"

"Did you detect any foreign chakra signatures?"

"No, but it's possible that—"

"Enough. It seems my experiment has drawn undue attention." Madara's voice was tinged with a hint of resignation as he scribbled on a scroll.

The guards' focus shifted to the scroll in his hands, their initial purpose momentarily forgotten. Hikaku, seizing the moment, ventured to inquire about the 'experiment'.

Seizing control of the narrative, Madara offered an explanation that was both ingenious and audacious.

"I've been attempting to emulate elemental Kekkei Genkai, such as Scorch Release, by amalgamating two distinct and complementary chakra natures, which is soeculated to be Fire and Wind chakra, hypothesizing the precise ratios necessary for their combination. Unfortunately, my calculations were off this time."

Sensors like Hikaku, with his Sharigan, indeed sensed the intermingling of fire and wind chakra, lending credibility to Madara's claim.

Though Naori was a bit skeptical about the point emulation. "Excuse me, Patriarch, shouldn't it be impossible for us since it's a Kekkei Genkai?"

If just maintaining the correct chakra ratio between two chakra nature is needed to emulate, why has no one else done it before and why would a certain elemental release be called Kekkei Genkai if anyone can use it?

"That's why I am calling my attempt as an

'Failed experiment' since I haven't accomplished it."

"When the time comes, I will show the result, still they pretend you see nothing." Madara sternly said before turning around, waving hand sign, continuing the experiment.

"We understand Patriarch." They collectively said before leaving, looking forward to the result. As the guards dispersed, their concerns allayed if not entirely satisfied, as his reputation as a formidable shinobi lent credence to his claims, making them excited for the future.

As they were out of sight, Madara sighs in relief. He thanked his intrusive thoughts for reminding him about fanfic where MC was trying to emulate boil release, giving him enough info to stage the scene, avoiding himself from embarrassment.

Yet, his interest in emulating Scorch Release was genuine. Drawing from the lore of 'Gaara Hiden: A Sandstorm Mirage,' it was stated that by combining two different kekkei genkai — in this case Lava and Steel Release — in one attack, the resulting attack would be a "pseudo-kekkei tōta" or Giji Kekkei Tōta.

This line of thought led him to consider whether a similar approach could be used to create a pseudo Scorch Release, leveraging the elemental affinities inherent to the Uchiha clan.

If it is possible to make Giji Kekkei Tōta even by combining two different kekkei genkai, why wouldn't it be possible to make pseudo Scorch Release by using 2 complementary elements nature every Uchiha can use? Today's mistake and realization was a stepping stone towards one of the goals he had in mind, which is to elevate the Uchiha clan to new heights of power and prestige.

With the dawn casting a warm light over the Uchiha compound, Madara performed the clone seal once more, aiming to finish the job. His subsequent attempt at the clone jutsu, this time meticulously controlling the type of chakra to use, led him to form a mirror image clone of himself once again.

"The moment of truth." Madara muttered before releasing it, where the smoke from the successful clone dissipated signaled his success to perform the jutsu.