Watching the two figures walk away, Tobirama Senju helplessly rubbed his forehead, while Mito Uzumaki clenched her teeth in frustration.
"Uh… Big Sis Mito… how about I sing you a song too?" Ito Hirofumi said cautiously.
"What song, little brother?" Mito asked.
"Ahem… I should be under the car, not inside it, watching you two being all lovey-dovey~!"
"Aaagh!! Tobirama, you idiot!!"
Mito's chakra erupted in an instant, her red hair fluttering wildly in the wind. Chains of the Adamantine Sealing Chains surged from behind her, zooming toward Hashirama Senju in the distance!
"Hey, hey, honey!! Why are you hitting me again?!" Hashirama wailed.
---
Watching the scene unfold, Ito Hirofumi found it pretty amusing. For his past life, Naruto was a big part of his youth. But in this life? He was Naruto!
Sometimes, Ito couldn't help but think this was exactly what Naruto should be—full of passion, bonds, and friendship.
After stretching lazily, the chakra in his summoning space dissipated. Today had been quite a haul! First, he'd developed a new technique: Susanoo Flying Thunder God Slash. Then, he learned three Water Release techniques from the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and even a genjutsu called Dark Row Technique!
That genjutsu was something Tobirama had used during their spar when Ito unleashed his Flying Thunder God Slash. It messed with part of his Mangekyo Sharingan's perception, but he still managed to copy it perfectly.
The next day, Ito went to the Ninja Academy as usual. But after school, the Konoha 12 didn't leave. Instead, they all insisted on heading to Sasuke Uchiha's house.
Ito thought they were just planning another group meal, but to his surprise, the Konoha 12 weren't there to eat—they were training like crazy at Sasuke's place.
After the incident with Ito and learning about his ambitions, everyone was giving 200% effort.
Half a month passed in a flash.
During that time, Ito hadn't heard from Minato Namikaze or Fugaku Uchiha. They were probably still out there hustling for cash. Meanwhile, Hashirama Senju kept pestering him to teach him new songs. Every time Ito taught him one, Hashirama would drag Madara Uchiha into learning it too. Even Tobirama ended up learning a few songs against his will.
Ito couldn't help but think that if this kept up, they might just hold a concert in the Hidden Leaf Village. After all, pretty much every member of the Konoha 12 now knew a few of his songs!
One evening at Sasuke's house, the entire Konoha 12 was there—even Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten.
Sweat dripped from their faces, evidence of the intense training they'd just gone through.
"Damn it, Hirofumi! You're getting way too strong!" Sasuke growled. He'd lost track of how many times he'd challenged Ito, only to lose every single time.
It was frustrating. He knew Ito had gotten stronger because of that 500 million ryo deal, but it still stung. If this kept up, how was he supposed to help Ito achieve his dreams? How could he help change the Hidden Leaf Village in the future?
Nearby, Naruto Uzumaki looked troubled. He'd been working hard too, but he couldn't master a single new ninjutsu. His physical strength, though, was getting insane.
Ito knew exactly what was going on—Naruto's Nine-Tails was messing with him. But Ito didn't step in. Naruto had a big opportunity coming up with the Scroll of Seals, where he'd learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, a move he'd use all the way to the end. So, Ito figured he'd wait until after that event to have a chat with the Nine-Tails.
Ito had also considered learning the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique directly from Tobirama, its creator. But ever since their last spar, Tobirama refused to fight him again. Even when Ito activated his Susanoo and held a blade to Tobirama's neck, the Second Hokage just stood there like he didn't care, basically saying, "I'm not teaching you. Kill me if you want."
Ito was exasperated. He couldn't exactly kill Tobirama—that guy was worth a billion ryo!
But it wasn't like he hadn't made progress elsewhere. Unlike Tobirama's stubbornness, Madara Uchiha had been surprisingly supportive, letting Ito copy a ton of his ninjutsu with his Sharingan. Almost every day, Madara sparred with him to sharpen his combat instincts.
Thanks to Madara, Hashirama had also been trying to teach Ito. Problem was, Hashirama's teaching style was just clapping his hands and summoning a giant Buddha statue, which Ito couldn't even begin to learn.
Still, it wasn't a total loss. Ito noticed that the water and earth chakra natures in his body were starting to fuse in a strange way. He had a hunch that if they fully combined, he might awaken the Wood Release kekkei genkai. Plus, the Indra and Asura chakra in his body were showing faint signs of merging too—slowly, but surely.
Mito Uzumaki hadn't held back either. She often shared sealing technique knowledge and Uzumaki clan secrets with him. Since Ito now had Uzumaki blood, picking up sealing techniques was a breeze.
His schedule was packed. Days at the Ninja Academy, evenings training with the Konoha 12 at Sasuke's, and nights studying in the summoning space. On top of that, he'd basically become the Konoha 12's teacher, sharing every ninjutsu and sealing technique they could handle without holding anything back.
Because of this, the Konoha 12 during this time were leagues stronger than their counterparts in the original timeline. With a Hokage-level fighter like Ito personally guiding them, even a pig could get strong—let alone these geniuses!