The morning sun was already high in the sky, streaming through my window. I stretched languidly in bed, a deep, contented sigh escaping my lips. I woke up late today, I mumbled to the empty room.
It felt like the deepest, most restorative sleep I'd had in months, the kind that recharges the soul. "Feels like good sleep after a long time, feels like I've finally awakened."
A glance towards the window confirmed my suspicion that the shadows were short, indicating it was well past the usual hour. I looked outside my home, and it looks almost afternoon, I muttered, clicking my tongue in self-reproach.
The realisation of my tardiness spurred me into immediate action. I clicked my tongue and immediately began running towards the river, where I had planned to meet my training partners.
As I burst through the tree line, the familiar sight greeted me. I saw two figures sitting, silhouettes against the shimmering water. I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted, a rush of excitement mingling with breathlessness.
"Hashirama, Madara, I am here!"
Hashirama Senju, ever the warm and genial figure, flashed a welcoming smile. Madara Uchiha, however, turned his head with an expression that was a perfect blend of annoyance and impatience.
Hashirama smiled at me and Madara looked at me annoyedly,he said, his voice a low rumble.
"You are late."
I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly, letting out an I laughed embarrassingly chuckle.
"Sorry, I had a good sleep after a long time, so I woke up late."
The mood shifted slightly as they absorbed my explanation. A flicker of something akin to pity or perhaps concern crossed their legendary faces.
They both looked at me somewhat sad, and sensing the dip in energy, Hashirama immediately intervened, his voice booming with infectious enthusiasm, "Ok, you have to practice more today to improve your chakra!"
I said, ok, I agreed readily, though a more important task was at hand.
"But before that, I said yesterday that I would show you a magic and how I bounced back the fireball jutsu."
The mention of the feat immediately piqued their interest. Both looked at me curiously, their earlier mood forgotten.
I turned my attention to Madara, the one who had been the unwitting participant in the trick.
"I looked at Madara and said, just like yesterday, blow a fire jutsu towards me."
Hashirama, predictably, was the voice of caution. Hashirama looked at me worriedly, is it okay?
I struck a confident pose, puffed out my chest, and replied with absolute certainty. I proudly said, don't worry about me, Hashirama. Madara's fire jutsu can't do anything to me.
Madara let out a cynical sneer. Madara scoffed at me and said, 'You're just lucky yesterday, don't become a burnt fish today', and with a warrior's intent, and started doing hand signs for the jutsu.
As his hands blurred through the intricate seals, I performed my own subtle action. Unseen by them, I opened the system panel and took out the Reverse Cloak.
The object materialized in my hand, a shimmering, dark mantle woven with unknown technology.
Both legendary Shinobi reacted instantly. Both looked at it curious and shocked how I made it from thin air.
Hashirama, his shock overriding his composure, immediately questioned me. Hashirama asked, 'How did you take it from thin air, shockingly?'
A triumphant grin spread across my face. I said, Don't shock to this, Hashirama, there's more to come.
I then gave the final command. And said, 'Madara, do it!'.
Madara finished the final seal, a guttural roar escaping his throat.
Madara finished the hand signs and blew the fire jutsu at me.
A massive orb of intense fire roared across the ground, hurtling toward me with devastating speed.
Just like yesterday, the fireball neared me, and I timed my movement perfectly.
I took the Reverse Cape and hit it and bounced it back to Madara.
The cape acted as a high-tech mirror, deflecting the flames with zero resistance and sending them back at their originator with the same velocity.
The sudden reversal forced Madara to take evasive action, proving my point beyond any doubt. "Madara, seeing this jumped side."
Silence descended upon the scene, a stunned disbelief hanging heavy in the air. Both looked shocked.
Hashirama, ever the inquisitive one, broke the silence. Hashirama asked, 'How did you do this?'
I smiled mysteriously, offering no immediate explanation, drawing out the suspense.
Madara, pragmatic as always, cut to the chase. Madara also asked, 'Is it because of the cape?'
Inside, I felt a familiar, though lessened, sensation of fatigue. The Reverse Cloak's activation, even for a moment, had drawn on my internal energy.
Even though I felt weak with only 1 chakra remaining, but better than yesterday, I noted a small victory in my meager reserves.
I replied to them, 'Yes, this is the specialty of the cloak. Every attack that touches the cloak can be bounced back.'
Their eyes were wide with fascination now, gazing at the device. They both looked at it interestingly.
Hashirama, the epitome of the experimenter, couldn't resist. Hashirama asked, 'Can I try this?'
His curiosity also sparked a question in my own mind about the system item's limits. I am also interested in whether others can use it, so without hesitation, "I gave him the cape."
Hashirama took the cape and immediately understood its operation.
"Looks like he can use it," I observed.
He held the Reverse Cloak with a child-like excitement, then turned to his friend.
Hashirama held the cape and asked Madara to blow fire jutsu again.
A moment of pure fun ensued as the two legendary figures played with my gadget.
Madara hurled fireballs, and Hashirama expertly batted them away with the cape, roaring with laughter.
As they are both playing with the cloak, a familiar pang of inadequacy struck me.
I watched them effortlessly command immense power.
I got jealous of their large amount of chakra, realizing the stark contrast. They can use it multiple times, but I'm struggling for even one use.
The envy was quickly replaced by a sudden, protective alarm. As I watched them handle the powerful item, a thought flashed into my mind: What if they stole my gadgets? I quickly brought up the system's interface.
As I was thinking, I thought if others use it, what if they stole my gadgets? I saw in the props panel, I can use a recall function to get my gadgets back to me.
Deciding to test the feature, I activated it. "I used it and suddenly the cloak disappeared."
The effect was immediate and slightly dramatic. Madara, who had just launched a high-speed projectile toward Hashirama, had the cloak vanish from his friend's hand mid-repel.
Madara, who was using the cloak, almost got injured as suddenly the cloak disappeared, he dodged timely.
He spun around, his face a mask of incandescent fury, the near-miss shaking him to his core. He looked at me furiously.
I said apologetically, 'Sorry, it was my mistake.'
Seeing the rage still burning in his eyes, I decided to defuse the situation with a touch of cheekiness.
I pointed a finger toward him and gave him a playful, challenging look. Seeing he's still angry, I put my finger out and said, 'Take it as it was my revenge for yesterday. Now we are even.'
That was the last straw for the proud Uchiha.
Madara got furious and we started fighting verbally again.
The shouting match commenced, filled with dramatic accusations and equally dramatic comebacks.
Hashirama, seeing the familiar scene unfold, simply leaned back, a resigned but amused smile on his face.
Hashirama became the audience.