At that moment, as the room grew silent, all eyes fixated on Uchiha Madara. His normally composed demeanor had cracked, and his rare expression of panic did not go unnoticed. Souta Kazuki, having observed this legendary figure for a while now, had already formulated a theory about the scroll that had slipped from Madara's robes.
Senju Tobirama's sharp gaze locked onto the mysterious scroll. His mind raced with possibilities—could it contain some ancient secret? A forbidden technique? Or worse, was it a strategy devised by the Uchiha to disrupt the balance of power once again? Tobirama's skepticism toward the Uchiha clan never wavered, and seeing Madara so desperate to retrieve it only fueled his suspicions further.
"Madara, what is in that scroll?" Tobirama crossed his arms over his chest, his usual arrogance evident in his stance. "This is the first time I've seen you so shaken. Surely, it must be something disgraceful. Could it be yet another one of your devious Uchiha plots?"
Madara's brow twitched, and his grip on the scroll tightened. His crimson Sharingan flared for a brief second, irritation evident in his gaze. "Tobirama, you must have a death wish."
The Second Hokage smirked. "What? You think I'd back down just because you glared at me? Please. My elder brother is here, my sister-in-law is here, and even the Fourth Hokage is here. You wouldn't dare start a fight now, would you?"
Madara clenched his teeth. This damn Tobirama. Did he really think numbers would be enough to deter him? In the past, he would've held back only because of Hashirama. But now? With the Rinnegan at his disposal, he feared no one—not Hashirama, not Minato, not even this loud-mouthed Senju.
Before the tension could escalate any further, Hashirama, who had remained strangely quiet, suddenly lunged forward with surprising speed.
"Ah! Got it!"
In a split second, the First Hokage had snatched the scroll out of Madara's grip. The Uchiha's eyes widened in horror.
"Senju Hashirama! You idiot, give that back!"
But Hashirama had already crouched on the ground, a childlike grin on his face as he eagerly unsealed the scroll. "Hehehe… What could you possibly be hiding in here, Madara? Something cool? Something valuable? Let's take a look!"
Madara's heartbeat quickened. His face turned an uncharacteristic shade of red as he reached out to stop him. "No! Wait—!"
With a loud puff, the seal was undone.
And then—
A torrent of pig's trotters spilled out from the scroll.
The room fell into absolute silence as the contents of the scroll formed a miniature mountain in the center. Steamed pig's trotters, braised pig's trotters, roasted pig's trotters, spicy pig's trotters—every possible variation imaginable, piling up until Hashirama was almost buried beneath them.
Everyone's expressions were frozen in shock.
Souta Kazuki's lips twitched. He had suspected as much, but seeing it with his own eyes was an entirely different experience.
Minato and Fugaku exchanged glances, their eyes betraying their sheer disbelief. Tobirama, whose mind had been bracing for some terrible revelation, could only stare blankly.
Uzumaki Mito sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. She had long since accepted her husband's peculiar fondness for pig's trotters, but she never expected that Uchiha Madara of all people had been hoarding them.
As for Hashirama—his eyes sparkled with excitement, his entire face glowing as if he had just uncovered a legendary treasure.
"Madara!!!" he cried out, pure joy in his voice. "You… You actually saved all of these… for me?!"
Madara's face turned an even deeper shade of red. "I-I… No! These are for myself! I wasn't saving them for you, you idiot!"
But his words were lost as Hashirama, still clutching a pig's trotter in each hand, threw himself at Madara in sheer delight.
With a thud, the mighty Uchiha found himself with a grinning Senju wrapped around him like a koala.
"Madara, you're the best! You remembered my favorite food after all these years! This is why I always say you're my closest friend!"
A loud smack echoed through the room as Madara, his embarrassment reaching its limit, landed a solid punch to Hashirama's head.
"Idiot! Get off me!"
Hashirama let out a muffled laugh even as he rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Hehe… You're so shy, Madara."
Meanwhile, Mito watched the entire scene unfold with narrowed eyes, a hint of amusement but also exasperation flickering within them.
"When we got married, Madara secretly asked me what Hashirama's favorite food was," she muttered under her breath. "And now this…"
Fugaku, observing from the side, leaned slightly toward Minato. "Is it just me, or do they look like an old married couple?"
Minato gave a small, helpless chuckle. "You're not wrong…"
Tobirama, who had been completely ignored throughout this ordeal, clenched his fists. His whole body trembled, his lips twitching in barely contained fury.
"Damn it! This cursed Uchiha! Why does he always steal my brother's affection?! First, he took his attention in battle, then in politics, and now even in pig's trotters?!"
He stomped his foot. "Evil Uchiha! Evil pig's trotters!!!"
Despite the absurdity of the situation, Souta Kazuki found himself smirking. This was exactly what he needed—the perfect way to break down these legendary figures' walls.
If he could turn even Uchiha Madara into a provider of pig's trotters, then what else could he accomplish in this world?
Now that Souta had exhausted his summoning opportunities, he decided it was time to make proper accommodations. Turning toward the empty landscape, he concentrated, and within moments, a collection of grand villas materialized before them.
After all, they were all living people now. They couldn't just sleep on the ground, and cramming everyone into Madara's single villa wasn't an option either.
Once everyone had settled in, Souta left the summoning space. He was exhausted and needed a proper rest—especially since he had school in the morning. If he didn't sleep soon, he'd end up with dark circles under his eyes, and his parents would definitely misinterpret it.
—---
The Next Morning
As dawn broke, Uzumaki Mito sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers idly brushing over the fabric of her robes. She had been waiting all night.
She had been so excited to see Hashirama again, to be by his side, to finally have time alone with him after being apart for so long…
But her husband never returned home.
A muscle twitched in her jaw.
Her mind flashed through the possibilities, but the answer was obvious.
Where else could he be except there?
A cold aura filled the air as Mito stood up. A stiff smile graced her lips, though it didn't reach her eyes. With a sharp turn, she stormed toward her target.
—--
Inside Uchiha Madara's villa, Madara groaned as he turned to see Hashirama still sleeping beside him. The fool was sprawled out, snoring lightly, completely at peace.
Madara frowned in exasperation. He had put up with this nonsense all night.
With a swift kick, he sent Hashirama tumbling off the bed.
"Oi, Senju! Get up! Your wife is calling you home for breakfast!"
Hashirama groaned. "Mmm… just five more minutes, Madara…"
Madara's eye twitched. The warning signs were there. That ominous, vengeful presence drawing near…
Too late.
BOOM.
The doors burst open as golden chakra chains ripped through the room.
"Senju. Hashirama," Mito's voice rang out in a dangerously sweet tone.
Madara, sensing immediate danger, vanished in a blur, escaping just in time to witness his villa get obliterated in a flurry of golden chains.
Hovering at a safe distance, he sighed. "Mito's temper is still as terrifying as ever…"
He turned away, shaking his head. "And here I thought she was just being gentle after coming back to life. My mistake."
His gaze lingered on the wreckage of his once-pristine home.
"Tch. Looks like I need to rebuild."