The next morning, Hirofumi Ito woke up feeling like his entire body was screaming in pain.
He couldn't figure out why—his body in the summoning space was just a chakra construct, but the pain from sparring with Madara Uchiha felt all too real! Well, "sparring" was generous. It was more like getting pummeled one-sidedly. Sure, Madara might've been taking out some personal grudges, but Hirofumi had to admit—the guy was a damn good teacher. One night of getting beat up, and he'd already learned a ton.
Madara hadn't even used any ninjutsu—not even basic clone or substitution techniques. He relied purely on his insane physical prowess and combat skills, leaving Hirofumi with no chance to fight back. The warriors of the Warring States era were on another level, especially someone like Madara, one of the strongest of that time.
Hirofumi had sparred with his dad and grandpa before—both jonin—but compared to Madara, their skills felt like child's play. Now he understood why Madara always taunted his enemies with, "Do you also wish to dance?" His fighting style wasn't just combat; it was like a deadly, elegant dance, full of flair and killing intent.
Hirofumi couldn't help but feel like he'd hit the jackpot with the system's first summon. Getting Madara Uchiha as his summoned beast? That was a steal! The guy was a walking masterclass. If he'd gotten Hashirama Senju instead, Hirofumi might've been flattened by a giant Buddha statue while Hashirama cheerfully asked, "Pretty good lesson, huh?" The mental image made Hirofumi grimace.
Groaning, he got up, got dressed, and muttered, "Ouch… feels like my bones are falling apart! That damn Madara! No more pig trotters for him!"
Last night, he'd noticed Madara's odd obsession with pig trotters. When Hirofumi asked about it, Madara got all cagey, just telling him to leave a pile of them in the summoning space. Weird, but okay.
Inside the summoning space, Madara confirmed Hirofumi was gone and picked up a blank scroll—one he'd asked Hirofumi to conjure up with his mysterious powers. Madara studied it closely, even activating his Mangekyo Sharingan, but it was just an ordinary scroll. Nothing special about it.
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That made Madara even more curious about Hirofumi's abilities. The kid's powers were stranger than he'd imagined.
But Madara wasn't focused on Hirofumi right now. He unrolled the scroll and began inscribing a sealing array. For someone of his caliber, it was child's play. In no time, a freshly made sealing scroll was ready. A peculiar smile crept onto his face—one that, if Hirofumi had seen it, he'd have sworn was almost… affectionate.
Madara turned to the mountain of pig trotters in the kitchen—roasted, braised, spiced, you name it—and sealed them all into the scroll. He tucked it away carefully, close to his chest.
Hirofumi had mentioned he could contract spirits from the Hidden Leaf, and Madara was one of them. That meant Hashirama, that big oaf, might show up here someday too. And pig trotters? They were Hashirama's favorite. Madara could already picture it: handing over a scroll stuffed with trotters, Hashirama's eyes lighting up, maybe even hugging him and bawling with gratitude.
The thought made Madara's smile widen. That dumb Hashirama better thank me properly! He let out a low, mischievous chuckle. "Heh heh heh…"
Strangely, after spending a night with Hirofumi, the humiliation and anger of being a summoned beast had faded. Being around the kid felt oddly familiar, like dealing with another version of himself. It was a new sensation for Madara, one that made him miss Hashirama even more.
Back in the real world, Hirofumi was oblivious to Madara's antics. He wasn't like the Third Hokage with his crystal ball voyeurism hobby. After washing up and getting ready, he joined his family at the breakfast table—his mom, dad, and grandpa all there.
Hanako glanced at her son, a flicker of worry crossing her face. "Hirofumi…"
"What's up, Mom?" Hirofumi asked, noticing her concern.
"Did you not sleep well last night?" she asked gently.
"Huh? I slept okay. Why?" Hirofumi tilted his head, curious.
"Your dark circles look pretty heavy," Hanako said, studying him. "And you seem kind of out of it… Hirofumi, do you have a crush on someone? Are you in love?"
"Pfft!" Hirofumi choked, spraying rice across the table. "Mom, what are you talking about?! I'm just a ninja academy student! Love's a bit early for me, don't you think? At least wait till I graduate!"