By noon, Hirofumi slowly opened his eyes, stretching his sore joints after dozing off on the desk.
"Damn Madara… He didn't hold back at all." Hirofumi muttered to himself, still feeling the lingering aches from their training.
"But... I've definitely gotten stronger."
He reflected on his progress. In just a day and a half, Hirofumi could clearly feel the difference in his body. His reaction time was sharper, his physical endurance had increased, and his chakra capacity had grown significantly. This wasn't just some vague feeling—he was genuinely stronger.
What surprised him even more was how quickly he had picked up ninjutsu. After spending just half a day in the summoning space with Madara, he had already mastered the C-rank Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu. And not at an amateur level either. He could now execute the technique with skill and control. With his current chakra reserves, he could perform the jutsu three times in a row.
Of course, it wasn't anywhere close to Madara's terrifying version of the Great Fireball.
When Madara had demonstrated his own jutsu during their training, Hirofumi had been left awestruck. He'd seen Madara's power in the anime, but witnessing it firsthand was on a completely different level. The fireball Hirofumi could manage now was like a small campfire, whereas Madara's was more like a blazing sun, scorching the earth.
Even Madara had been taken aback by how fast Hirofumi learned the jutsu, considering he didn't have the Sharingan to copy it. Being able to master a C-rank ninjutsu in half a day was a testament to his talent.
But Hirofumi wasn't too caught up in praising his own abilities. In his mind, much of his progress was due to the chakra of Indra coursing through him.
Each time he summoned a spirit, he was able to absorb part of their power, like copying a skill in a game. Madara had passed Indra's chakra to him, and that was why his growth seemed almost unnatural.
A wry smile appeared on his face as he thought about it.
"Honestly, they should've renamed 'Naruto' something like 'Hack Ninja' or maybe 'Tailed Beast Pocket Monsters.' Even 'Legend of the Eyes' would've made more sense…"
At that moment, Naruto's loud voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey, Hirofumi! Why'd you sleep in so long this morning? I, the great Naruto, have been up for ages, but you were still snoozing away!"
Hirofumi blinked and glanced around. Everyone had already pulled out their lunchboxes and snacks, getting ready for lunch.
In the years since they'd started at the Ninja Academy, Hirofumi had managed to influence the dynamics of the class. The Konoha 11 had formed a much tighter bond than they had in the original story, creating their own little group within the academy. Naruto had become a part of this circle too.
It had started with just him and Naruto. But soon after, Ino, who had a noticeable crush on Hirofumi, joined them. Then Shikamaru and Choji followed. After that, Kiba and Shino became part of the group as well. Hinata, drawn in by her feelings for Naruto, had slowly warmed up to the group and was now a full-fledged member. Her friendship with Ino also made her feel more at ease.
Even Sakura had joined because of her bond with Ino.
The only one missing from the original Konoha 11 was Sasuke, who remained distant. He sat by the window, eating a bento he had prepared himself, but every so often, his gaze would drift toward their lively group, envy flickering in his eyes.
Before Hirofumi could dwell on it, Naruto, with his usual boisterous energy, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him over to the table where the others were seated.
"Secret special burger! Naruto's secret special burger! Secret special burger! Naruto's secret special burger!" Naruto sang in a bizarre, rhythmic chant as he pulled out a burger-like object from his bag, holding it up with a grin.
The others were long used to Naruto's odd behavior. After years of being around Hirofumi, they'd picked up on various strange habits and phrases he had introduced to the academy. At first, everyone had thought these quirks were weird, but now, they embraced them as part of their daily life.
Sitting next to Naruto, Hinata glanced shyly in his direction, blushing slightly. "Naruto's song is so cute... He must really like burgers. Maybe I should learn how to make them for him someday…"
Unfortunately, Naruto was oblivious to Hinata's gaze. His attention was focused entirely on Sakura.
"Sakura! I made this secret special Naruto burger this morning just for you. Try it!"
He held out the burger to her eagerly, but Sakura recoiled, eyeing the questionable creation with suspicion.
It looked more like a potential biohazard than something edible.
Bam!
A fist came crashing down on Naruto's head, courtesy of Sakura.
"Why would I eat something as weird as that?!" she yelled.
The rest of the group couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's misfortune. Choji, always quick to capitalize on a moment for food, emptied a pile of snacks onto the table from his bag.
"Alright guys, let's dig in!" he cheered, already stuffing chips into his mouth.
Ino, not to be outdone, pulled out her own bento box along with a second, beautifully arranged one she had clearly spent extra time preparing.
"Hirofumi… I made this bento just for you. Try it and tell me what you think," she said, her voice soft but hopeful.
Hirofumi raised an eyebrow as he inspected the bento. Neatly arranged rice balls, sliced vegetables, and small snacks filled the box. It was obvious she had put a lot of effort into it.
But before he could respond, Hirofumi pulled out his own bento from his desk—an enormous one at that.
The eyes of everyone around him lit up instantly. They all knew what that meant. Hirofumi's mom had a reputation for making the best food in the academy, and every time Hirofumi opened his lunch, it was a treasure trove of culinary delights they had never tasted before.
What they didn't know was that the recipes his mother used came from Hirofumi's past life, filled with dishes no one in this world had ever heard of. And in a world like the *Naruto* universe, where food variety was limited, his meals were practically legendary.
Hirofumi smiled knowingly. He could already feel the anticipation in the air as his friends eyed the bento eagerly.
"Well, let's eat," he said, opening the box and revealing yet another feast of unique and delicious dishes.
The group's chatter and laughter filled the room as they all dug into their lunches, but amidst the noise, Hirofumi couldn't help but notice Sasuke's eyes on them from across the room. There was something about Sasuke's silent yearning that tugged at Hirofumi's thoughts, but for now, he let it be.