Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha never could've imagined that the "surprise" Hirofumi Ito had been talking about would be this mind-blowing!
This surprise was straight-up terrifying!!!
Both of them were beyond hyped.
The rest of the Rookie Twelve were just as thrilled. After all, something like this had to be Hirofumi's biggest secret. What ninja doesn't have a few secrets up their sleeve?!
But for Hirofumi to share his secret with everyone just to help them get stronger…
He even managed to get the legendary Second Hokage to teach a bunch of kids like them.
You could bet Hirofumi had paid a steep price for this…
In that moment, everyone's hearts were filled with gratitude.
To the Rookie Twelve, Hirofumi was already the next Hokage in their eyes. If he didn't become the Fifth Hokage, fine—they'd just seize control of their clans and lead a rebellion out of the Hidden Leaf!
Then they'd build a new ninja village!
Even Naruto, who'd always dreamed of being Hokage, was thinking to himself: Let my bro Hirofumi take the Fifth Hokage spot. I'll just aim for the Sixth!
Hirofumi had pretty much explained everything to the group and started channeling chakra inside the summoning space…
"Lord Second Hokage, you ready?! These guys are super pumped! I mean, it's not every day you get to meet a living Second Hokage…"
"Hmph! You naturally evil little Ito brat! I promised you, so I won't go back on my word. But I'm only here to teach these kids. If Sarutobi or Danzo find out about this, don't expect me to bail you out!"
"No worries, Lord Second Hokage. I've got it covered. My two teachers aren't exactly slouches, you know!"
As he spoke, Hirofumi glanced at Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju standing nearby…
Hearing this, Tobirama Senju grimaced.
Damn it!!!
This kid had both his big brother and that evil Madara Uchiha as his teachers. Was there anything in the ninja world this brat needed to fear?!
For some reason, Tobirama started worrying about Sarutobi and Danzo's safety. Sure, they were "evil" Sarutobi and "evil" Danzo, but they were still his students. If a conflict broke out, he'd have to talk some sense into his brother.
But what about that evil Madara Uchiha?!
Ugh… forget it. He'd deal with it as it came…
That naturally evil Ito brat!!!
Meanwhile, Hashirama Senju was busy shaking Madara's arm.
"Madara~~~ Let's go out and have some fun, yeah? Pretty please~~~
This place is cool and all, but I'm kinda missing the Hidden Leaf!
Come on, let's go out and play~~~ I'm begging you~~~"
Madara was getting fed up with Hashirama's pestering. Honestly, he had zero interest in meeting those kids. If he went out, he'd rather go deal with Danzo!
But with Hashirama begging like this…
"Ugh… fine, fine, I'll go! Just stop shaking my arm—it's gonna fall off!"
"Madara~~~ I knew you were the best!!!"
Looking at the three figures in front of him, Hirofumi figured the Rookie Twelve's jaws would hit the floor when they saw them!
---
Moments later, in the courtyard of Sasuke Uchiha's house.
The Rookie Twelve couldn't even blink, their eyes glued to the scene. They were about to meet the legendary Second Hokage!!!
Hirofumi stood in front of the group.
"Summoning Jutsu!!!"
Bang!!!
His hand slammed onto the ground, and the summoning array lit up. Poof! Poof! Poof… Three clouds of smoke appeared!
As the smoke cleared, three figures stood before them!
Naruto, being his usual oblivious self, piped up…
"Huh? Hirofumi, didn't you say you were summoning the Second Hokage?! Why're there three guys now? Who're these other two dudes?!"
Naruto was clueless as ever, but the rest of the Rookie Twelve recognized two of the figures…
After all, they saw their faces every day. One was the legendary Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. And the other… wasn't that the First Hokage?!
How was he here too?!!
And then there was the third guy, looking all proud and intense…
Who the heck was he?!
The Rookie Twelve were too stunned to even speak.
Sasuke stared hard at Madara Uchiha, his heart racing with a terrifying guess. He'd seen portraits of his clan's ancestor in the Uchiha records, and this guy looked exactly like him!
Could this be… his ancestor, Madara Uchiha?!
Seeing everyone's nervous faces, Hirofumi decided to break the ice.
"Hey, relax, everyone! These three are legends of our Hidden Leaf Village!
Let me introduce them. This is the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, also known as the God of Shinobi! He's the strongest Hokage in our village's history!!!"
Hashirama gave a goofy grin and waved at the young Leaf shinobi.
"Hey there, kids! You all look like a talented bunch. I'm Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage!"
"Hello, Lord First Hokage!!!"
"Greetings, Lord First!!!"
"…"
The Rookie Twelve were losing it. The legendary God of Shinobi, the First Hokage, was casually waving and smiling at them…
This was crazier than any dream!!!
Seeing how much respect the kids showed him, Hashirama's grin grew even wider…
But then, out of nowhere, the ever-clueless Naruto blurted out:
"The strongest Hokage?! Isn't Gramps Third the strongest?! Can you beat Gramps Third, First Hokage dude?!"
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone froze. The Rookie Twelve, Hirofumi, Hashirama—even Tobirama and Madara were stunned!
Fearing Naruto had offended the First Hokage, Sakura Haruno smashed a fist into his head!
"Ow~~~ Sakura, why'd you hit me?!"
"Naruto, you idiot! Shut your mouth!!!"
"But Gramps Third told me himself he's the strongest Hokage in the village!"
Hashirama's smile stiffened.
Even Tobirama felt embarrassed. His student… really had some nerve!!!
What a shameless guy!!!