The Eight-Year-Old Me Became Hokage

One wave had yet to settle when another rose. Sarutobi, Danzo, and the others were still reeling from the shock of Kazekaze effortlessly taking down the massive beast when Tobirama dropped yet another bombshell. Kazekaze had mastered monstrous strength… Tobirama had taken five years to learn it. Hashirama had taken three. And they all knew the legend of Hashirama— The man who ended the Warring States Period. The man who founded the first-ever ninja village in history. The man who stood at the peak of the shinobi world, revered as the God of Shinobi. Without a doubt— Hashirama was a living legend.

And now, Kazekaze had mastered monstrous strength even faster than both Hashirama and Tobirama. Without anyone even teaching him. How terrifying was that? How absurdly shocking? Comparing themselves to him… Forget being seven—even at their current age, they couldn't control chakra with such precision. The best they could do was concentrate chakra into a specific body part and release ninjutsu. But to cover the entire body with chakra? They had no clue how to do that. If they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, not a single one of them would have believed it. A seven-year-old completely mastering monstrous strength?

Yes.

He was only seven! Seven years old! This was utterly unbelievable!

'Whether it's Lord Hashirama or Lord Tobirama, both were genius ninjas with strength that surpassed tens of thousands of shinobi,' Sarutobi thought, his mind in turmoil.

'But Kazekaze is even more terrifying than them... This isn't just genius—this is beyond genius. No…'

Sarutobi shook his head and let out a bitter smile. He voiced his thoughts aloud.

"Young Master Kazekaze is so strong… it's almost monstrous."

Even though Kazekaze was younger than everyone present, he was still the grandson of the First Hokage. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen had no choice but to address him as "young master." Danzo and the others shared the same thoughts as Sarutobi. Before meeting Kazekaze, they had never believed in talent alone. They didn't think bloodline determined everything. Even the most gifted prodigy, if they didn't train diligently, Would fade into obscurity. But now, Kazekaze was a living, breathing contradiction to that belief. A slap to the face that forced them to accept the truth. There really were people in this world whose sheer talent could completely crush all your hard work. Kazekaze had never undergone any formal training. His monstrous strength? It was something he discovered and mastered unconsciously. Tobirama himself had confirmed this fact. And given his status and personality, Tobirama had no reason to lie about such a thing. He simply wouldn't. If anything, Sarutobi could feel that Tobirama was both shocked and thrilled.

At that moment, all eyes were locked onto Kazekaze. He was the center of attention. Envy. Jealousy. Even resentment. A whirlwind of emotions swirled in Sarutobi and the others. But Tobirama didn't disagree with Sarutobi calling Kazekaze a "monster." Forget these kids—even he himself thought Kazekaze's strength was monstrous. Back when he was seven—no, even when he was seventeen— He probably wasn't even a match for Kazekaze's pinky finger. But then, Tobirama snapped back to reality.

"I'm the Second Hokage, for crying out loud. Why am I even comparing myself to a kid?"

Tobirama silently reassured himself. Of course, that wasn't the only feeling he had. Deep inside, he also felt pure, unfiltered joy. Just look at how Sarutobi and the others were looking at Kazekaze. This feeling was like watching your own kid take the Chunin Exams, And only your child passed, becoming a Chunin— While everyone else's kids could do nothing but stare with envy and jealousy.

Yes. That was exactly how Tobirama felt right now. His grandson Kazekaze was that "other family's kid".

The Sarutobi Clan?

The Shimura Clan?

The Mitokado Clan?

The Hyuga Clan?

The Akimichi Clan?

The entire Uchiha Clan?

None of them could compare to the Senju Clan! Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others were Tobirama's cherished, handpicked disciples, He couldn't suppress the sheer pride and excitement of comparing them to Kazekaze. After all, everyone has a little bias. Your own family versus your disciples— Of course, there's a difference in priority.

'Madara Uchiha… I wonder what kind of face you'd make if you were still alive and saw my grandson Kazekaze.'

Tobirama muttered to himself.

Kazekaze, on the other hand… Though his body was that of a seven-year-old, his mind was that of a transmigrator. Before coming to this world, he had lived as an ordinary person for nearly twenty years. Now, being the center of attention like this— It felt… awkward. Uncomfortable, even.

"I'm just an ordinary seven-year-old child," he said.

He figured that humility was the best way to handle this kind of situation. But his words only made Sarutobi and the others feel even more ashamed. Ordinary? Did he seriously just call himself ordinary? Young Master Kazekaze, do you have any idea what "ordinary" means?! If you're ordinary— Then what are we?! Dead weight? Failures?

That single, casual sentence stabbed their hearts like a kunai with critical damage multipliers. Absolute heartbreak! And yet, what made them feel even more despair— Was that they couldn't deny it. Because Kazekaze was only seven years old. A seven-year-old with monstrous talent.

And them? They were grown men, yet whenever they mastered even a single jutsu, they'd puff up with pride, eager to show off in front of Lord Tobirama. They wanted to hear praise. Recognition. But compared to Kazekaze— His humility made them feel utterly ashamed.

Kazekaze never expected that a simple chakra burst would cause this much of an uproar. After all, wasn't monstrous strength just precise chakra control? Even Sakura and Sarada learned it. Surely no one thought it was that difficult, right? But in the end, Kazekaze held back from saying that. Seeing Sarutobi and the future high-ranking officials so dejected, he didn't want to break their spirits any further. Still, their stares made him uneasy. Having all eyes on you, feeling like everyone was waiting for you to speak… That wasn't something he could easily get used to. So, to break the awkward tension, he changed the subject.

"Can we continue the survival training now?"

That was their original purpose—training, improving themselves. Not just chatting and grilling food. Kazekaze wanted Tobirama to leave, so they could resume training. So he could fade back into the background. But then… Tobirama paused, then chuckled.

"Kid… you really think this kind of training can still help you improve? With your current strength, you could roam this entire forest without a care in the world."

Kazekaze: "???"