At this moment, Itou Hirofumi had arrived in the summoning space.
Uchiha Madara was lounging in a rocking chair, casually gnawing on a pig's hoof. Life in the summoning space was pretty chill, but for Madara, it was also mind-numbingly boring. There wasn't a single living soul around, and aside from munching on pig's hooves, there wasn't much else to do...
"Damn brat, you're back again?!" Madara muttered, glancing at Hirofumi while still chewing.
But that one glance made Madara freeze.
What the—how did this kid's chakra skyrocket like that?!
In just one day, his chakra had surged by a huge margin! Based on chakra alone, this annoying brat was already on par with a proper genin, wasn't he?!
Could this kid actually be a genius?!
"Hey, Madara, you polished off all those pig's hooves by yourself?!" Hirofumi exclaimed. "Man, you can eat! That was a whole kitchen's worth of hooves! Oh, and what's with that blank scroll you asked me to get you?"
Madara's face flushed slightly. Of course, he hadn't eaten all the hooves. He'd turned that blank scroll into a sealing scroll to store them. But no way was he telling this annoying kid that. Otherwise, Hirofumi would probably start yapping about how he's the "man worthy of the Ninja God" or some nonsense.
"None of your damn business!" Madara snapped. "What do you want, brat? If you've got nothing important, don't bother me while I'm resting!"
"This is my space, and I can't even show up?!" Hirofumi shot back, plopping down into a rocking chair of his own.
Madara just scoffed and didn't bother responding.
"Madara... I'm basically half your disciple by now, right?" Hirofumi asked slyly.
Madara didn't deny it. In his eyes, it was rare to find someone who shared his mindset, and this kid gave him a peculiar vibe. Plus, the brat's talent didn't seem half bad. He'd only called himself half a disciple, not a full one, and Madara had been teaching him a bit, so it wasn't exactly wrong.
Seeing Madara not object, Hirofumi's lips curled into a slight grin.
"This afternoon, my class is holding a ninja sparring session," he said.
"And that's got what to do with me?" Madara replied lazily, rocking his chair.
WHAM!
Hirofumi slammed his hand on the armrest and shouted, "It's got everything to do with you!"
His eyes gleamed as he locked onto Madara. "Think about it, Madara! You've basically acknowledged me as half your disciple, which means I'm carrying your reputation. The reputation of the Asura of the Ninja World! If I lose in this sparring session—or worse, get my butt handed to me—whose face is getting dragged through the mud? Not just mine! No, no, no—it's yours, old man!
"The disciple of the great Asura of the Ninja World, losing to a bunch of rookie kids? Can you stomach that?! 'Cause I sure as hell can't! If I get my butt kicked in training, that's not just embarrassing for me—it's like they're slapping your face! Isn't that how it works?!"
Madara's brain short-circuited for a moment. The kid's logic kind of made sense, but something felt off. What's this about kicking his butt equaling a slap to my face? Doesn't that make my face his butt?!
"Brat, what do you mean kicking your butt is like slapping my face?!" Madara growled.
"Don't sweat the details, Madara!" Hirofumi waved it off. "Point is, if I lose, it's your reputation that takes a hit!"
"Hm... you're not entirely wrong..." Madara mumbled, stroking his chin.
"So teach me a couple of moves!" Hirofumi pleaded.
Madara finally caught on. This sneaky brat had talked in circles just to get him to teach him some techniques! But Madara couldn't deny it—if his so-called "half-disciple" got thrashed by a bunch of ninja academy students, it'd be a blow to his pride. And knowing that idiot Hashirama, he'd probably never let him live it down!
Plus, this kid's talent wasn't bad. In just one day, his chakra had spiked impressively. He was moldable clay, a promising prospect.
"Fine, brat," Madara smirked. "Since you put it that way, I'll teach you a few tricks. Your chakra's strong enough now, so I'll show you some ninjutsu."
Hirofumi blinked, stunned. He hadn't expected Madara to agree to teach him ninjutsu so quickly! What a pleasant surprise!
Sure, his family had plenty of basic ninjutsu, but his dad and grandpa forbade him from practicing any since he hadn't even graduated from the academy yet. They thought it was too dangerous. But now...
Hirofumi hesitated. "I do wanna learn ninjutsu, but I don't even know my chakra nature yet... Should I go test it first?"
Madara scoffed. "Tch, pointless tricks. I already sensed your chakra. You've got all five elemental natures from birth. Gotta say, you're one lucky kid. Without that, you'd have to train your chakra nature the hard way."
Madara couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. Even he hadn't been born with all five chakra natures. Learning other natures required grueling training, and it was never as efficient. This kid was starting miles ahead of most.
"No way, Madara! You can sense that?!" Hirofumi exclaimed. He knew chakra test paper was needed to determine chakra nature, but apparently, someone as powerful as Madara could just feel it.
"Enough chit-chat, brat!" Madara barked. "Let's get to training!"
BOOM!
In an instant, Madara vanished from his rocking chair and appeared beside Hirofumi. With a swift kick, he sent Hirofumi—and his chair—flying across the room!