“Hahahahaha!”
Madara Uchiha was still cackling wildly after he finished speaking.
Hirofumi Ito looked at him with helpless resignation, then said in a completely calm voice…
“I know.”
“Ugh… gah…”
The laughter died in Madara Uchiha’s throat.
And somehow, inexplicably, he felt a little embarrassed.
This brat already knew every single one of his plans, so of course knowing about his ambition to unify the Shinobi World came as no surprise at all.
For a moment, neither of them said a word.
Hirofumi Ito was in no hurry.
All he had to do was release the Summoning Technique, and Madara Uchiha would pass into the Summoning Space, not back to the Netherworld.
The system had already explained this: his Summoning Space worked essentially like Naruto Uzumaki’s Sealing Space.
Within that space, he could control everything.
The summoned souls he brought forth could also live there.
They could live in the outside world too, in the form of a summoned beast.
The only difference was that once the Summoning Technique was released, they wouldn’t return to the Netherworld.
They’d go straight back to his Summoning Space.
No rush on his end.
Madara Uchiha, on the other hand, had been turning over a great many things in his mind.
First: he knew absolutely nothing about this brat called Hirofumi Ito.
Where had this kid come from?
Why did he understand his plans so thoroughly?!
Then there was this technique, summoning souls from the dead.
He’d never even heard of such a thing.
A completely bizarre ability.
And absurdly overpowered on top of it.
Madara Uchiha was supremely confident in his own strength.
And the state in which he’d been resurrected was his absolute peak.
His body was at its most youthful, not aged in the slightest.
Most importantly, he still had the Rinnegan!
The eyes of the legendary Hagoromo Otsutsuki.
The very reason he had set the Eye of the Moon Plan into motion in the first place.
He had been preparing to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi across the entire Shinobi World.
But even with eyes as terrifying as those, he still had no way to make a move against Hirofumi Ito.
Worse, the moment any thought of acting against Hirofumi Ito arose in his mind, not even the Rinnegan could be activated.
Madara Uchiha hated this feeling.
The feeling of something slipping beyond his control…
But right now, he had no choice but to accept it.
He had apparently become what was called a…
summoned beast…
While Madara Uchiha was still chewing on all of this, Hirofumi Ito was simultaneously receiving a message from the system.
[Congratulations to the host for successfully summoning a soul! Summoned beast Madara Uchiha has been obtained! Extracting one random ability from the target for the host! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Indra’s Chakra, the reincarnation Chakra of Indra Otsutsuki! Indra’s Chakra has been loaded into the host’s body!]
Hirofumi Ito stared at the notification.
He was a little stunned.
The system had said it before: every time he successfully summoned a soul, he could randomly extract one ability from them.
He’d been genuinely excited about whatever he’d pull from Madara Uchiha.
The Mangekyō Sharingan, maybe.
The Rinnegan.
Something like that.
And even if he didn’t get the eyes, some powerful ninjutsu or battle instincts would’ve been more than fine.
Because Madara Uchiha’s battle instincts were absolutely terrifying, the man had danced effortlessly through armies of tens of thousands of ninja.
Pure style.
Total dominance.
So after all that anticipation…
why did he end up with Indra’s Chakra?!
Did this mean he’d basically become a son of that Hagoromo Otsutsuki?!
And if the Chakra had been extracted, did Madara Uchiha’s body no longer have Indra’s Chakra in it?!
But thinking it through, that didn’t add up either.
Both Indra Otsutsuki’s and Asura Otsutsuki’s Chakra had already been reborn, otherwise Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha would never have been born at all.
So why could he still extract Indra’s Chakra from Madara Uchiha?!
“System, explain this to me. Madara Uchiha is clearly dead — so why does his body still carry Indra’s Chakra? And after I extracted it, does Madara Uchiha’s body still have Indra’s Chakra or not?!”
[The reincarnation of Indra’s Chakra and Asura’s Chakra does not dissipate with the death of the reincarnated vessel! In this world’s Netherworld, Indra Otsutsuki and Asura Otsutsuki do still exist, only in the state of soul flames. If reincarnation worked the way the host understands it, the souls themselves should have dissipated as well. Yet Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju still exist. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha still exist too. Therefore, even with Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha having been born, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha remain the reincarnated vessels of Asura’s Chakra and Indra’s Chakra!]
“Got it. System — my second question?”
[The ability the system extracted for the host is a copy, not a seizure! Madara Uchiha remains the reincarnated vessel of Indra Otsutsuki. The host’s body simply now carries an additional copy of Indra’s Chakra!]
“Ah. So it’s basically a duplicate.” Hirofumi Ito frowned.
“But it doesn’t seem all that useful. It won’t boost my combat power anytime soon. Would’ve been way better to just pull the Rinnegan directly.”
[Friendly reminder to the host! Indra’s Chakra is the origin of the Uchiha Clan! The Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan evolved from Indra’s Chakra and has been passed down as a bloodline trait to this day! Therefore, the host now essentially represents a bloodline throwback to the source of the Uchiha Clan!]
Hirofumi Ito’s mouth went dry.
According to the system, now that he carried Indra’s Chakra, his starting point was already the same as Indra Otsutsuki’s and Madara Uchiha’s.
Which meant he now had every chance to climb to the heights those two had once reached.
The thought sent a jolt of excitement through him.
Didn’t that mean he could awaken the Sharingan?
Even the Mangekyō Sharingan?
Possibly even the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?!
In other words, he was now essentially a member of the Uchiha Clan.
Not just any member, one with the purest bloodline of them all.
Madara Uchiha had been quietly observing Hirofumi Ito the entire time.
But all of a sudden, he noticed something.
This brat had changed.
It was subtle, but it was unmistakable.
The feeling Hirofumi Ito gave off now was exactly like a long-lost brother, different father, different mother, but a brother all the same.
It was a feeling even stranger than anything Hashirama Senju had ever given him…
What was going on?!
Why had this brat suddenly changed like this?!
Madara Uchiha truly could not figure it out.
This kid had far too many secrets.
Perhaps it was worth taking his time to observe him properly.
Get to the bottom of whatever was hidden beneath the surface.
➤ Next: Madara Uchiha’s Fantasy Time
Chapter 8 – Madara Uchiha’s Fantasy Time
At that thought, Madara Uchiha narrowed his eyes.
If he could obtain this strange technique, his plan would have a much better chance of success.
And when that time came, would he have the opportunity to turn that blockhead Hashirama Senju into his very own summoned beast?!
KEKEKEKEKEKE……
The moment he imagined Hashirama Senju becoming his summoned beast, the corner of Madara Uchiha’s mouth curled upward against his will.
If he possessed this technique, any time he had nothing better to do he could just summon that blockhead out for some entertainment!
Just thinking about it felt incredible!
And he could bring his little brother back to life too.
Then the three of them together……
ptooey ptooey ptooey!
Then he and his little brother could live happily together!
As for Hashirama Senju?!
Nothing but a blockhead summoned beast!
“Hey! Madara! The corner of your mouth is practically touching your forehead! What are you thinking about? Why do you have that disgusting look on your face?!”
The voice yanked Madara Uchiha back from fantasy into reality.
Damn it!
He had just been fantasizing about that blockhead Hashirama Senju becoming his summoned beast, and now he turned around to find that the summoned beast was himself!
What was this supposed to be?!
Was this what people meant when they said the clown was yourself all along?!
Damn it all!
“Hmph! You little brat! What exactly are you planning to do next?! Let me be clear upfront — even if this old man becomes your so-called summoned beast, don’t even dream about ordering this old man around!”
“Honestly, I never once thought I could order you around. After all, in this entire world there’s probably no one who could give you orders except Hashirama Senju……”
As Hirofumi Ito said those words, a scene surfaced in his mind.
The moment during the future war when the Allied Shinobi Forces faced Madara Uchiha, and Madara Uchiha, upon seeing Hashirama Senju reanimated through the Reanimation Jutsu, had been seized with uncontrollable excitement.
He had immediately wanted to charge in for one passionate, all-out clash!
But Hashirama Senju told him flat out to wait a moment, no time to deal with him right now.
And Madara Uchiha had actually just sat down right there and started waiting……
“Heh heh! That blockhead Hashirama Senju?! What gives him the right to order this old man around?! He’s nothing but a blockhead!”
“Alright, Madara. Questions can wait — we’ll talk later. Right now I’m going to release the Summoning Technique, and then you’ll appear inside my Summoning Space. We can meet there whenever we need to. After all, I’ve been Reverse Summoned to the Netherworld for a while now — the people outside have probably grown anxious by now.”
“Tch. I get it, you little brat……”
Madara Uchiha had no real way to refuse.
There was simply no refusing this little brat’s arrangements right now, so for the time being there was nothing to be done about it.
Once he had figured out the secrets this little brat carried, perhaps by then he could possess this heaven-defying technique himself.
When that day came, he would deal with this infuriating little brat properly!
Kill him?!
No, no, no, that would let him off far too easy!
He would make this little brat become his own summoned beast!
Without realizing it, Madara Uchiha had already fallen under the influence of Indra’s Chakra.
By Madara Uchiha’s own proud standards, becoming someone’s summoned beast would be even more unbearable than death itself.
And yet the current Madara Uchiha held no desire whatsoever to kill Hirofumi Ito……
The shift in his own mindset had gone completely unnoticed.
Hirofumi Ito formed hand seals and released the Summoning Technique.
With a bang, the Madara Uchiha standing before him dissolved into a wisp of white smoke and vanished.
At that same moment, Hirofumi Ito felt a remarkable space open up inside his own body.
This had to be the Summoning Space the system had mentioned.
He could sense it easily through his own Chakra.
It resembled the Sealing Space of the Nine-Tails, but the environment was worlds apart.
Naruto Uzumaki’s Sealing Space was a dim, gloomy sewer.
His own Summoning Space was lush mountains and clear streams, birdsong and flowers in bloom.
He could even see the expression on Madara Uchiha’s face as he entered, wide-eyed astonishment, plain as day.
Hirofumi Ito didn’t linger on it.
He reached out directly to the system.
“System! Isn’t it time to send me back?!”
[Please prepare yourself, Host!]
A bang.
A flash of white smoke.
The Netherworld settled back into its usual silence…
The next moment, inside the Ninja Academy classroom.
The room was packed.
Iruka stood at the front, every student in their seat.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was present as well.
Aoyama Ito and Taiga Ito had received the news and come immediately.
Both looked visibly anxious, eyes drifting again and again toward Hirofumi Ito’s empty seat.
But there was one more person in the room beyond the usual faces, a one-eyed figure with bandages wrapped around one arm.
Danzo Shimura.
Danzo Shimura had gotten word through some channel or other and made haste to the Ninja Academy.
The life or death of a Ninja Academy student meant nothing to Danzo Shimura.
What mattered was this: if this little brat Hirofumi Ito had truly been Reverse Summoned to one of the sacred training grounds, then his future achievements could very well rival Jiraiya’s.
If Danzo Shimura could bring this little brat into the Foundation……
KEKEKEKEKEKE……
After all, the Foundation was the biggest operation of its kind in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Surely this little brat wouldn’t refuse.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced sideways at Danzo Shimura and said nothing.
Both eyes narrowed slightly.
The incident at the Ninja Academy had only just occurred, and yet Danzo Shimura had already gotten wind of it?!
Danzo’s reach was very long indeed……
Taiga Ito was beside itself with worry.
How had a grandchild just vanished like that out of nowhere?!
Taiga Ito was around the same age as Hiruzen Sarutobi, and in younger years had served directly under Hiruzen Sarutobi.
“Lord Hokage…… what on earth happened?! How could my grandson Hirofumi just suddenly disappear like that?! If it truly was a Reverse Summoning, when will this child be able to come back?!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a long, slow draw from the pipe……
“Taiga…… this is something this old man is truly powerless over. The only person this old man knows of who practiced the Summoning Technique and was Reverse Summoned is this old man’s own disciple, Jiraiya. But Jiraiya is not in the village right now, this old man already sent Anbu out to find Jiraiya earlier.”
Taiga Ito let out a long, heavy sigh…
And right at that moment, a bang rang out from Hirofumi Ito’s seat.
A burst of white smoke bloomed into the air.
A figure appeared.
➤ Next: Danzo Shimura, the First “Pot-kage” of the Hidden Leaf Village
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