At the sight of this, everyone in the classroom immediately turned to look.
Ito Hirofumi glanced around as well.
Good grief!
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was here?!
His father and grandfather were both here...
And that person over there... Wasn't that the famous First Pot Kage of Konoha, the Fifth-and-a-Half Hokage, Shimura Danzō?!
What was that old schemer doing here, too?!
"Hi, everyone!!! What's all the excitement about?!"
Ito Hirofumi had been prepared for this. His inexplicable disappearance from the classroom was bound to cause a huge commotion!
He might even attract the attention of someone with ulterior motives.
Even though he now had Uchiha Madara as a summon, Madara would answer a call but not obey a command!
At present, there was no way he could order Uchiha Madara around.
And forget about making the former Ghost of the Uchiha his underling. At best, Madara might save him if his life were in danger.
After all, if he died, Madara would return to his Soul Fire state. At least things as they were now weren't all that different from being resurrected!
So, while he was in the Underworld, he'd already decided what to do.
He absolutely couldn't tell them about the system, and he couldn't reveal that he'd been reborn from the dead, either. So all he had to do was pretend he knew nothing!
He'd somehow ended up in a strange place, didn't know anything about it, and then somehow returned!
They had no way to prove he was lying, anyway...
As soon as Ito Hirofumi finished speaking, his grandfather, Ito Taiga, rushed over and hugged him tightly!
"My precious grandson!!! You scared the life out of me!!! I'm an old man—I can't take scares like that! From now on, whatever you want to do, I'll let you. But you have to promise me you won't disappear like that again!!!"
Ito Aoyama also breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his son reappear...
If his son had disappeared for good, he wouldn't have known how to explain it to his wife. Thank goodness he was back! Thank goodness!
Ito Yamato and his father, Ito Aoyama, didn't care whether Ito Hirofumi had gone through some so-called Reverse Summoning. To them, nothing mattered more than him being safe!
Sarutobi Hiruzen was also anxious to find out what Ito Hirofumi had been through, but seeing Ito Taiga's state, he chose not to interrupt.
Hiruzen could understand. If his own grandson suddenly disappeared, he would be just as worried!
Shimura Danzō, however, spared none of that thought. Leaning on his cane, he came straight over to Ito Hirofumi!
"Ito Hirofumi!
"I am Shimura Danzō, an elder of Konoha!
"Tell us what you went through just now!
"Why did you suddenly disappear, and what happened after you did?!"
Ito Hirofumi hurriedly patted his grandfather, Ito Taiga, on the shoulder. The old man's snot was practically flying onto him!
"Grandpa! I'm fine, aren't I?! You don't need to worry!"
"Ito Hirofumi! I'm asking you a question!!!" Shimura Danzō repeated sharply.
Hearing Danzō's harsh tone, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned almost imperceptibly.
"Danzō! The boy just got back. Don't rush him!"
"Hmph!!! Very well."
Ito Hirofumi first reassured his grandfather, then nodded at his father, Ito Aoyama, to show that he was all right.
Ito Aoyama nodded in return.
"Lord Hokage!"
Ito Hirofumi walked right up to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, without even acknowledging Shimura Danzō.
Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen was quite pleased with Ito Hirofumi.
He seemed like a well-behaved, sensible child!
"You're Ito Hirofumi, right? What a sweet and sensible boy.
"Your grandfather was my subordinate a long time ago, so you don't have to be so formal with me. You can call me Grandpa Third or Grandpa Hokage!"
Ito Hirofumi put on an excited expression as he looked at the Third Hokage.
His family was thoroughly loyal to Konoha, and his young appearance was the perfect disguise!
"Really, Grandpa Hokage?!"
"Haha... Of course!"
There was no denying that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was an excellent politician. If Ito Hirofumi hadn't been a transmigrator, just those few words would have been enough to make him feel very favorably toward the Third Hokage!
Hiruzen's words could also win over the Ito Clan, since both its current and former heads were present!
First, he'd established his connection to Ito Taiga, subtly bringing himself closer to the Ito Clan. Then he'd said Ito Hirofumi was like his own grandson, making them family!
Meanwhile, when Danzō saw that Ito Hirofumi had ignored him, a Konoha elder, his expression darkened...
"Now then... Haowen, can you tell Grandpa Hokage what happened just now? Grandpa Hokage and everyone here are very curious!"
Ito Hirofumi scratched his head, acting adorably oblivious.
"Um... Grandpa Hokage, I'm not really sure what happened, either!
"Just now, Iruka-sensei was teaching us some things about the Summoning Technique and how to form Hand Seals.
"Then I tried practicing it...
"And then, somehow, I ended up in a strange place!
"I don't know where it was!"
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen was certain that the Reverse Summoning Jutsu was the reason Ito Hirofumi had disappeared! And the place he'd gone was very likely one of the Three Great Sage Regions!
"Did you encounter any strange creatures?"
"Well... no! There was nothing there, and I didn't find anything, either! I wandered around for a while, then somehow came back!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brows slightly.
How could there have been nothing there?!
When Jiraiya had entered Mount Myoboku, he'd seen the toads there and then started learning Senjutsu!
If Ito Hirofumi had gone to a Sage Region, there was no way he wouldn't have encountered any creatures!
Could that place not have been a Sage Region after all?!
Or had Ito Hirofumi failed to gain their recognition?
Or was the boy hiding something...?
Before you continue