Thinking this over, Uchiha Madara narrowed his eyes slightly.
If he could grasp this absurd, unprecedented method, then his own plans would gain a completely new level of certainty.
And when that time came—
Wouldn't he also have the chance to turn that foolish Senju Hashirama into his summoned being?
"Heh… heh heh heh…"
The thought alone made the corners of Madara's mouth lift uncontrollably.
If he had this method, he could summon that idiot Hashirama whenever he felt bored—just pull him out for amusement.
Just imagining it was enough to make him feel delighted.
And if that were possible, then reviving his younger brother would also be within reach. The three of them—
No. No, no.
Madara immediately shook his head.
Just him and his brother.
As for Senju Hashirama?
Nothing more than a naïve summoned beast.
"Hey! Madara!"A voice snapped him out of his fantasy."The corners of your mouth are about to reach your forehead! What are you thinking about? Why does your expression look so disgusting?!"
Madara froze.
Damn it.
Just a moment ago, he'd been imagining Senju Hashirama reduced to a summoned being—and now, looking back at reality, he was the summoned one.
What kind of cruel joke was this?
Could it be that the real fool here… was himself?
"…Tch."
Madara snorted coldly.
"Brat," he said sharply, "what are you planning to do next?"
"And let me make one thing clear in advance—even if I've become what you call a summoned being, you are never allowed to give me orders."
"To be honest," Ito Akira replied calmly, "I never expected to command you in the first place."
"After all, in this world, the only person who could ever order you around was probably Senju Hashirama."
As he said that, Akira couldn't help recalling a scene from the future.
During the war against Madara, when the reincarnated Hashirama appeared, Madara had been so excited he'd practically been vibrating with anticipation, eager for a proper clash.
And then Hashirama had casually told him to wait because he was busy.
And Madara… had actually waited.
"Ha! That idiot Hashirama?!" Madara scoffed loudly."Why would he be qualified to order me around?! He's just an idiot!"
"Alright, Madara," Akira said, cutting him off, "if you have questions, we can talk later."
"I'm going to release the summoning now. After that, you'll return to my summoning space."
"When that happens, we'll be able to meet anytime inside that space."
He paused, then added thoughtfully,"I've been gone from the outside world for a while now. I'm guessing the people there are already getting pretty anxious."
"…Tch. I get it, brat," Madara replied.
He had no way to refuse.
At least not right now.
For the time being, he could only follow this arrangement. Once he fully understood the secret behind this boy, perhaps he could obtain this heaven-defying method for himself.
And when that day came—
He'd make this irritating brat suffer properly.
Killing him?
No, that would be far too merciful.
He wanted to turn this brat into his summoned being instead.
Without realizing it, Madara's thinking had already begun to shift.
By his very nature, being turned into a summoned being should have felt worse than death itself.
And yet—
He found that he no longer felt the urge to kill Akira at all.
Madara didn't notice the subtle change in his own mentality.
Akira formed the release seal with his hands.
In the next instant, Madara's figure dispersed into a wisp of white smoke and vanished.
At the same time, Akira sensed something new within himself.
A strange yet natural space had formed inside his body.
This had to be the summoning space the system mentioned.
With a simple flow of chakra, he could clearly perceive it.
Although it was technically a sealed space like the Nine-Tails' seal inside Uzumaki Naruto, the difference was enormous.
Naruto's sealed space was a dark, filthy sewer.
Akira's summoning space, by contrast, was filled with clear mountains and flowing water. Birds sang, flowers bloomed, and the environment felt serene and alive.
He could even clearly see the look of surprise on Madara's face as he entered that space.
Akira didn't dwell on it.
Instead, he directly contacted the system.
"System. Is it time to send me back now?"
[Host, please prepare.]
Bang.
A flash of white smoke erupted, and the world of the dead returned to its original silence.
The next moment—
The Ninja Academy classroom.
At this point, the room was packed.
Umino Iruka, every student from the class, and the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, were all present.
Standing near the front were Ito Aoyama and Ito Taiga, both having rushed over after receiving the news. Their expressions were tense with worry, their eyes repeatedly drifting toward Ito Akira's empty seat.
And then there was another presence.
A man with one eye, his arm wrapped in bandages—
Shimura Danzō.
No one knew how he'd gotten the information, but he'd rushed to the Academy the moment he heard.
He didn't care whether a student lived or died.
What mattered to him was something else entirely.
If this boy—Ito Akira—had truly been reverse-summoned to some sacred place, then his future achievements might rival those of Jiraiya.
If such a child could be brought under his control…
Heh heh heh…
After all, he was the root beneath Konoha.
Surely a child like that wouldn't refuse him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced sideways at Danzō, saying nothing—but his eyes narrowed slightly.
The incident had only just happened, and Danzō already knew.
His reach… was growing longer.
Ito Taiga was on the verge of panic.
How could his grandson vanish without warning?
He was roughly the same age as Hiruzen and had once served under him in his youth.
"Hokage-sama," Taiga said anxiously, "what exactly is going on?"
"How could my grandson Akira suddenly disappear?"
"If this really is reverse summoning… when will the child come back?"
Hiruzen took a long pull from his pipe.
"Taiga," he said slowly, "there's nothing I can do about this."
"The only person I know who was ever reverse-summoned during summoning practice was my student—Jiraiya."
"But Jiraiya isn't in the village right now. I've already dispatched ANBU to search for him."
Taiga let out a heavy sigh.
And at that exact moment—
Bang!
A burst of white smoke erupted from Akira's seat.
A figure appeared, sitting exactly where he had vanished before.