The Eight-Year-Old Me Became Hokage

"Kazekaze, as a ninja, you must remain calm and composed. This training lasts ten days—there's no need to rush."

Sarutobi Hiruzen kept his gaze ahead as he explained, "Exerting yourself unnecessarily will only waste energy."

His words brought relief to everyone—except Kazekaze. At their current pace, they could maintain stability while still staying alert to their surroundings. If they pushed themselves too hard, it would actually be counterproductive.

However…

Everyone here was nearly twice Kazekaze's age. They couldn't just say the truth out loud! Even if Kazekaze was a prodigy, they still had their pride as "senior" ninja.

"You're right. I didn't think that through," Kazekaze replied, suddenly enlightened.

He had only just acquired Hashirama's Chakra and wasn't even a Genin yet. Naturally, he lacked the proper mindset of a ninja. His judgment and reasoning were still based on his pre-transmigration knowledge. And considering that everyone here would become future Konoha leaders, Kazekaze had no reason to doubt them. Simply put—he was overestimating them and underestimating himself.

He assumed he was surrounded by bigshots, unaware that he was actually the strongest one here.

Just as Kazekaze was mentally adjusting, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from ahead. Even Hiruzen visibly flinched before quickly signaling the group. Everyone except Kazekaze immediately scattered, leaping off branches and hiding behind tree trunks. Kazekaze, however, stood there, utterly confused.

'Aren't these guys the future bigwigs of Konoha? Why are they scared of a wild animal?'

Sure, the roar was louder and more dramatic than the ones they had heard earlier, but during the Chūnin Exams, Sasuke took down a two-meter-tall brown bear in one move! 

Before Kazekaze could process things further, Koharu suddenly jumped out, grabbed his arm, and pulled him behind a tree. She pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for him to stay silent. The others were also visibly tense.

"I didn't expect to run into something this troublesome so soon. Should we go around it?" Uchiha Kagami signed with his hands.

Since verbal communication wasn't always an option during missions, they often used hand signals instead.

"Wait first. It might not have noticed us," Hiruzen replied in sign language.

The training had just begun, so avoiding unnecessary fights was the smart move. Seeing how cautious these "bigshots" were, Kazekaze frowned. Naruto and Sasuke had peaked in power at sixteen, but that was because they were protagonists with ridiculous power-ups. Ordinary ninjas weren't that strong at that age. Still, he couldn't understand why they were afraid of a mere beast.

But then—he finally realized something. His perception was still stuck at the Chūnin Exam level. As the roaring creature approached, the ground began to tremble with its every step. Kazekaze's eyes finally locked onto the massive figure.

A monstrous, one-horned rhinoceros emerged, its skin resembling solid rock. It stood six to seven meters tall and easily weighed tens of tons. It looked just like one of the summoned beasts Pain used during his invasion of Konoha!

'Why is something like this in the Forest of Death?!'

Seeing Kazekaze's confusion, Koharu whispered in his ear,

"Lord Tobirama thought the survival training was too easy, so he personally released various giant beasts into the forest."

Because Kazekaze didn't understand their hand signals, she had to explain directly.

"Kunai and shuriken can't even pierce its hide. Even Kagami's Fire Release can't deal any real damage. Unless absolutely necessary, fighting these things is unwise."

Hearing this, Kazekaze didn't find the "Fire Release can't do damage" part surprising at all.

'Has Fire Release ever actually killed anyone in Naruto?'

Just as the group was about to let the rhino pass, The massive beast suddenly roared again—this time toward Kazekaze's direction. A powerful shockwave blasted through the area, sending leaves flying and causing birds to flee in terror.

"It sensed me…"

Koharu instinctively began signing, but before she could finish— The ground beneath Kazekaze and Koharu suddenly trembled violently and… rose. It was as if the earth itself was shifting beneath them. Hiruzen and the others turned pale in shock. Because Kazekaze and Koharu weren't standing on the ground at all.

At that moment, the group finally understood. The rhinoceros wasn't roaring at them. It was warning another beast that had entered its territory. Beneath Kazekaze and Koharu was a massive, jet-black centipede, nearly ten meters long. Its exoskeleton gleamed like steel, and its upper body had begun to rise.

Koharu panicked and shouted at Kazekaze not to move, immediately drawing a kunai. She channeled chakra into her feet, sticking herself to the centipede's back while grabbing Kazekaze's clothes with one hand— And with the other, she aimed for its weaker joint areas and stabbed down with full force.

CLANG!

The moment her kunai struck, it snapped in half, sending the sharpened tip flying back into her collarbone.

The searing pain stunned her for an instant, and the centipede's violent thrashing threw both her and Kazekaze into the air.

Midair, Kazekaze adjusted his body instantly. He grabbed Koharu's back with one hand and secured her legs with the other— Landing smoothly in a princess carry.

THUD.

The moment Kazekaze steadied himself, he immediately dropped Koharu to the ground. It wasn't because he lacked the strength to hold her— But because— Both the rhinoceros and the centipede had begun charging at each other.

Their massive bodies shook the earth, sending shockwaves through the air. Neither of them cared about Kazekaze and Koharu. However… Kazekaze and Koharu had landed directly in their collision path.

"Shit."

Hiruzen and the others' eyes widened in horror, their faces turning pale. No matter what—Kazekaze was Hashirama's grandson! If anything happened to him here, Not only would Hashirama and Tobirama be furious, But they themselves would carry deep guilt for the rest of their lives. The problem was—they were too far away to help in time.

Meanwhile, at the Forest of Death's entrance— Tobirama was staring intently at the crystal ball. He had never expected Kazekaze's first training exercise to escalate into such a dire situation.

'If anything happens to him… how will I face my brother?!'

For the first time, an image flashed through Tobirama's mind— The lifeless body of his fallen younger brother, Kawarama. His fists clenched. He wasn't going to let history repeat itself.

"Flying Thunder God!"