Every single person in the classroom snapped their gaze over at once.
Hirofumi Ito took a quick look around.
Good grief.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had come?!
Both his father and his grandfather had shown up too…
And that person over there, wasn’t that the legendary original “Pot-kage” of the Hidden Leaf Village, the Fifth-Point-Five Hokage, Danzo Shimura?!
How did this old schemer end up here too?!
“Hey! Hello, everyone! What’s all the fuss about?!”
Truth be told, Hirofumi had already mentally prepared for this.
Vanishing from the classroom so inexplicably was bound to cause a massive uproar.
There was a real chance someone with ulterior motives would take notice of him because of it.
He now had Madara Uchiha as a summoned beast, but Madara Uchiha answered to no one’s commands.
At this stage, ordering Madara Uchiha around was simply not something Hirofumi could do.
Let alone getting someone who had once been the terror of the Shinobi World to act as his muscle.
At best, Madara Uchiha might step in to save him when his life was genuinely on the line.
After all, if Hirofumi died, Madara Uchiha would revert to that soul-flame state, and the way things stood right now was at least not much different from being resurrected.
So back in the Netherworld, Hirofumi had already thought it through.
The Summoning System was something he would absolutely never reveal.
The whole matter of being reborn from the Netherworld couldn’t be exposed either, not yet.
All he had to do was play dumb.
He had mysteriously ended up in some strange space, then came back just as inexplicably, knowing nothing about any of it.
Besides, there was no way these people could prove he was lying…
The moment Hirofumi finished speaking, his grandfather Taiga Ito rushed forward and wrapped him in a crushing embrace.
“My dear grandson! You nearly gave your grandfather a heart attack! Your grandfather is already this old — can’t handle a scare like that! From now on, whatever you want to do, your grandfather will agree to it. But you have to promise your grandfather: never pull a disappearing act like this again!”
Aoyama Ito, upon seeing the son reappear, let out a long breath of relief…
If the son had just vanished like that for good, there truly would have been no explaining it to his wife.
But he was back.
He was back, and that was all that mattered!
Taiga Ito and Aoyama Ito couldn’t have cared less whether Hirofumi had experienced something called Reverse Summoning.
In their eyes, as long as he was unharmed, that was worth more than anything.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood to the side, equally anxious and eager to know what Hirofumi had gone through, but upon seeing the state Taiga Ito was in, said nothing to interrupt.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was actually quite understanding about it.
After all, if it were a grandchild of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s who had suddenly vanished, Hiruzen Sarutobi would undoubtedly be just as worried.
But Danzo Shimura had no such reflections.
Leaning on a cane, Danzo Shimura walked straight up in front of Hirofumi.
“Hirofumi Ito! This old man is Danzo Shimura, an elder of the Hidden Leaf Village! Tell me what you just went through! Why did you suddenly disappear, and what happened after you disappeared?!”
Hirofumi quickly reached out and patted his grandfather on the shoulder.
The old man’s snot was practically about to fling onto him.
“Grandpa! I’m fine, aren’t I?! You don’t need to worry anymore!”
“Hirofumi Ito! This old man is talking to you!” Danzo Shimura cut in, voice blunt and hard.
Hearing that tone, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s brow furrowed, almost imperceptibly.
“Danzo! The child has only just returned. Don’t be so impatient!”
“Hmph! This old man understands!”
Hirofumi soothed his grandfather, then gave his father Aoyama Ito a nod, perfectly fine, not a scratch.
Aoyama Ito nodded back.
“Lord Hokage!”
Hirofumi stepped directly in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi and didn’t so much as glance in Danzo Shimura’s direction.
Inwardly, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Looks like an obedient, sensible child.
“You’re Hirofumi Ito, correct? What a well-behaved young one. Your grandfather served under this old man a long time ago, so you don’t need to be so formal with me — you can call me Grandpa Third, or Grandpa Hokage. Either one is fine!”
Hirofumi put on an expression of complete delight.
His family’s background was completely beyond reproach, and on top of that, his young appearance was a natural shield.
“Really?! Grandpa Hokage?!”
“Haha… of course!”
It had to be said, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a truly exceptional politician.
If Hirofumi hadn’t been a transmigrator, those few short sentences alone would have been enough to earn enormous goodwill.
And at the same time, those two lines also worked on the Ito Clan, after all, both the current and previous heads of the clan were standing right there.
First establish the connection with Taiga Ito, imperceptibly closing the distance between Hiruzen Sarutobi and the whole family, then make clear that Hirofumi was of the grandchild generation too.
One of their own.
On the side, Danzo Shimura watched Hirofumi Ito give not a single second of attention to a Hidden Leaf elder, and felt a dark shadow pass across that face…
“Well then… Hirofumi, can you tell Grandpa Hokage what just happened? Grandpa Hokage and everyone here is very curious!”
Hirofumi scratched his head and put on a perfectly clueless expression.
“Ah… Grandpa Hokage, I actually don’t really know what happened either! It was just that Teacher Iruka was explaining some things about the Summoning Technique and the hand seal methods. So I studied it a bit and gave it a try… And then — I just inexplicably found myself in some strange space. I don’t know what that place was!”
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi reached a conclusion.
The reason Hirofumi had vanished was the Reverse Summoning Technique.
And the place Hirofumi had gone was very likely one of the Three Great Sage Regions.
“Did you encounter any strange creatures there?!”
“Well… no. There was nothing there at all, and I didn’t find anything. After wandering around inexplicably for a while, I just came back!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s brow furrowed slightly.
How could there have been nothing there?
Back in the day, when Jiraiya entered Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya immediately encountered the toads and began learning Senjutsu.
If the place Hirofumi had entered was truly one of the Sage Regions, there was no way no other creatures would have appeared.
Could it be that the place wasn’t one of the so-called Sage Regions?
Or perhaps Hirofumi had simply not been accepted?
Or…
was this child hiding something?
➤ Next: Your Best Friend Is Sasuke!
Chapter 10 – Your Best Friend Is Sasuke!
“I see… So, Hirofumi, have you noticed anything else interesting? Any other special discoveries? If you have, would you mind sharing them with Grandpa Hokage…?”
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, probing for clues in Hirofumi Ito’s words, hoping to learn whether the place the boy had just visited was one of the legendary Three Great Sage Regions.
Hirofumi put on a thoughtful expression.
“Something interesting?! Oh! There actually is!”
“What is it?!” The light in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes burned hot.
Could it be that the Hidden Leaf Village was truly about to produce another powerhouse like Jiraiya?!
If that were really the case, that would be wonderful.
The Hidden Leaf Village was caught in a generational drought right now.
Of Hiruzen’s three students, one had gone down the wrong path and another had run away outright, leaving the village’s next generation looking more than a little thin!
“Grandpa Hokage, it’s not really anything that interesting — it’s just that I had a very peculiar feeling… Like I had arrived too early! Yes! That peculiar feeling kept telling me I had come too early! Once it hit, I came back…”
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned it over in thought.
Too early?!
So it seemed this child had already earned that place’s acknowledgment, but perhaps the timing wasn’t right yet, or perhaps the child was still too weak, so it had simply sent him back?!
How strange…
Back in the day, Jiraiya never ran into anything like this!
Still, this was at least a good thing.
Based on what the boy said, there was still a chance to return to that place in the future, and a very real chance of earning its approval!
Hmm…
this was worth mentioning to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya had experience with this, after all.
And if it was possible, having Jiraiya take this child on as a disciple wouldn’t be a bad idea at all!
Even setting this matter aside, the child’s raw talent was already quite decent!
And the young heir of the Ito Clan at that, not a major clan, certainly, but more than enough to become Jiraiya’s disciple.
Then it was settled.
Bring it up once Jiraiya returned…
With that thought, the Third Hokage reached out and ruffled Hirofumi Ito’s head.
“If anything else interesting happens, Hirofumi is welcome to come tell Grandpa Hokage — Grandpa Hokage is very curious about this too! Because you may not know, Hirofumi, but back in the day, one of Grandpa Hokage’s own disciples did something very much like what you just did — in the middle of using the Summoning Technique, without meaning to, ended up getting sent off to another space entirely… The two of you went through something very similar!”
Hirofumi’s expression lit up with curiosity.
“Really, Grandpa Hokage?!”
Of course he already knew exactly who Hiruzen Sarutobi was talking about.
Who else could it be but Jiraiya, one of the Three Legendary Sannin?!
“Of course it’s true! Grandpa Hokage will introduce the two of you when the time comes, Grandpa Hokage’s disciple is an extraordinarily powerful ninja!”
The reactions around the room were all over the place.
Danzo Shimura’s brow pulled into a hard frown.
This little brat had originally been a target, and now it looked like Hiruzen intended to hand him straight to Jiraiya as a disciple!
Yamato Ito and Aoyama Ito, father and son, were quietly stunned.
They both knew the Third Hokage was referring to Jiraiya, one of the Three Legendary Sannin.
And what the Hokage had just implied was perfectly clear: Jiraiya should take Hirofumi Ito on as a disciple!
This was tremendous news!
With Jiraiya’s guidance behind him, Hirofumi Ito’s future was limitless!
“Hokage, we are truly, deeply grateful!”
Hirofumi’s father, Aoyama Ito, hurriedly bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
“No need for that! Taihe was an old subordinate of mine. Seeing his grandson achieve something remarkable brings this old man genuine joy!”
Hiruzen had been about to say a few more words, but Danzo cut straight across.
“Hiruzen!”
“Danzo, if there is something to discuss, let us take it to the Hokage Residence.”
“Hmph!”
And with that, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo departed.
Yamato Ito and Aoyama Ito followed shortly after, the Ninja Academy still had classes to run, and no one had any reason to linger.
Iruka looked out at the classroom.
Every face was bright with curiosity, and Iruka knew that trying to resume a lesson right now would be a lost cause.
Iruka was personally just as curious about what Hirofumi Ito had just experienced.
So with one broad wave, Iruka called a break and let everyone move freely!
Naruto Uzumaki shot straight out of his seat and sprinted to Hirofumi’s side.
“Iruka-sensei is the absolute best! Hirofumi! Tell this great me everything right now! What on earth did you just go through?! That was incredible! Was it some kind of special ninjutsu? How did you just vanish like that?!”
The rest of the class crowded around, equally riveted.
Then, right in the middle of all that excitement, Naruto suddenly went weirdly quiet.
The look directed at Hirofumi became a little strange…
For some reason, something felt off.
This good friend of his seemed somehow a little different!
It was almost like the feeling that annoying Sasuke always gave him!
No, no, no!
How could that be!
Hirofumi was this great me’s good friend!
How could Hirofumi possibly feel anything like that stuck-up Sasuke?!
“Hirofumi! Why do I feel like you seem a little… different somehow…?”
Not far away, Sasuke Uchiha heard Naruto say that and froze.
So even this idiot picked up on it?!
From the moment Hirofumi Ito had walked back in, Sasuke had sensed something had shifted about him.
But Sasuke couldn’t quite put it into words…
There was a vague, inexplicable thread of connection, something that hadn’t been there before.
Unlike what Naruto felt, what Hirofumi gave Sasuke was a feeling of shared origin.
Like they had come from the same source.
Could it be that Hirofumi Ito was some kind of long-lost biological brother, different father, different mother?!
That was insane…
Or wait, could this guy actually have Uchiha Clan blood?!
At that thought, Sasuke Uchiha’s pupils contracted slightly.
Hirofumi Ito heard Naruto’s question and went still for a moment.
Naruto Uzumaki’s perception was this sharp?!
Of course his body had changed.
He now possessed Indra’s Chakra, after all.
Was this the legendary mutual attraction between Indra’s Chakra and Asura’s Chakra?!
Damn it, Naruto Uzumaki!
Your best friend is Sasuke Uchiha!
Stop looking at me like that!
➤ Next: I Am the Hokage!
Thanks for reading!
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