When Shouta Kazuki awoke the next morning, his entire body was wracked with excruciating pain. It felt as if every bone in his body had been shattered and hastily pieced back together overnight. His muscles screamed in protest with the slightest movement, and even the act of breathing seemed to send sharp jolts of agony through his ribs.
He groaned, forcing himself to sit up. His first instinct was to chalk up the pain to a bad dream—after all, he had been inside that strange summoning space. But as he shifted, the soreness was far too real. His body ached in a way that was impossible to ignore.
Even though his existence within the summoning space was supposed to be more spiritual than physical, the pain he had suffered at Uchiha Madara's hands had transferred directly into his body. That could only mean one thing…
"Damn it… That wasn't a fight at all. That was just one-sided abuse!"
He sighed, rubbing his temples.
Sure, Madara had claimed he was teaching him, but it was clear the legendary ninja had taken the opportunity to vent his frustrations. Still, even if he had been mercilessly beaten for an entire night, Shouta had to admit—he had learned a lot.
Madara hadn't even used a single ninjutsu against him. Not even the most basic techniques like the Clone Jutsu or the Substitution Jutsu. And yet, relying purely on his monstrous physical abilities and peerless combat skills, Madara had completely dominated him.
"The difference is terrifying…"
Shouta had sparred with his father and grandfather before. Both were highly skilled jounin, respected warriors of Konoha. But now that he had experienced Madara's combat firsthand, he couldn't help but feel like all those past fights had been child's play.
The way Madara fought was on an entirely different level. His movements were precise, overwhelming, and artistic.
No wonder he always asked his opponents, 'Would you like to dance?' before battle.
Because that was exactly what it felt like.
His combat wasn't just brutal—it was beautiful. A deadly dance that left no room for mistakes.
Shouta chuckled bitterly as he struggled to his feet. "So this is what it means to fight someone from the Warring States Era… terrifying."
He glanced toward the mirror and grimaced. His entire body was covered in bruises, and his reflection looked like someone who had barely survived a natural disaster.
"Damn it… All my bones feel like they're about to fall apart. That bastard Madara…"
Then he suddenly thought of something.
"Wait a minute! I remember something from last night…"
A wicked grin formed on his lips.
"That guy actually likes pig's trotters…"
Shouta had noticed it during their time together. At first, he had thought it was just a random craving, but when he had asked Madara about it, the Uchiha legend had hesitated and refused to explain. Instead, he had silently stored away a mountain of pig's trotters in the summoning space's kitchen.
"Hah… So even Madara has things he's embarrassed about."
Shouta smirked, stretching his sore limbs as he changed into his clothes.
Meanwhile, in the Summoning Space…
Madara Uchiha sat cross-legged in the middle of the space, his expression unreadable as he studied a blank scroll before him. This scroll, strangely enough, had been created out of thin air the moment he and Shouta had entered the summoning space together.
Madara had examined it for hours, even activating his Mangekyō Sharingan, yet he found nothing unusual about it.
It was just an ordinary scroll.
"Hmph… That brat's abilities are even stranger than I imagined."
Madara shook his head and pushed aside the mystery for now. Instead, he focused on something else. He carefully unfurled the blank scroll and began inscribing a sealing formula upon it.
His fingers moved with practiced ease, sketching intricate patterns and symbols.
Within moments, a brand-new sealing scroll was complete.
Madara examined his work, and then, quite unexpectedly, the corner of his lips curled into a small, almost mischievous smile.
If Shouta had been there, he would have been horrified—because Madara's smile looked eerily similar to his own when he was plotting something ridiculous.
Without hesitation, Madara began sealing various pig's trotters into the scroll.
Roasted pig's trotters, braised pig's trotters, spiced pig's trotters—one by one, he stored them away carefully.
When the scroll was finally filled, Madara held it up and smirked.
"Hah… That fool Hashirama would love this."
A nostalgic look crossed his face.
Shouta had mentioned before that he could potentially summon other spirits from Konoha's past. That meant there was a chance that Senju Hashirama could one day appear in this space.
Madara's smirk widened as he imagined the scene.
He would hand Hashirama a pig's trotter and watch the idiot's face light up in childish excitement.
Then, with the same mischievous grin, he'd tell him, "Consider it a gift from your best friend, Madara."
…And Hashirama, being the fool that he was, would probably cry out of gratitude.
"Jie jie jie jie jie…"
Madara let out a sinister chuckle, his eyes glinting with amusement.
Perhaps, spending time with that annoying brat Shouta Kazuki wasn't as frustrating as he had first thought.
Back in the Real World…
Completely unaware of what was happening in the summoning space, Shouta finished getting dressed and made his way to the dining table.
His father, grandfather, and mother were already seated, enjoying their morning meal.
As he sat down, his mother, Hanako Kazuki, turned to him with a concerned expression.
"Shouta… Are you feeling alright?"
Shouta blinked in surprise. "Huh? What do you mean, Mom?"
Hanako gave him a scrutinizing look. "Your dark circles look really heavy today. And you seem exhausted. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Ah… I just didn't sleep well last night."
His mother narrowed her eyes slightly before leaning in closer.
"Shouta… tell me the truth. Do you have a girl you like?"
Shouta nearly choked on his rice.
"W-What?!"
Hanako continued, her expression unreadable. "Or are you already in a relationship?"
"PFFT!!!"
Shouta spat out his rice in shock.
His father and grandfather paused mid-bite, glancing between him and Hanako with amused expressions.
"Mom!! What the hell are you even saying?!"
Hanako shrugged, resting her chin on her hand. "I mean, you've been acting strange lately. Staying out late, looking exhausted every morning… It's suspicious."
Shouta groaned. "I'm just a student at the ninja academy! It's way too early for me to be thinking about stuff like that!"
His mother gave him a knowing smirk. "Hmph. We'll see about that."
As Shouta continued eating, he couldn't help but think to himself…
'Damn it, Mom… If only you knew that the real reason I'm exhausted is because I spent the whole night getting my ass kicked by Uchiha Madara.'