The Eight-Year-Old Me Became Hokage

After witnessing Kazekaze's terrifying power, the black centipede lost all will to fight. Panicked and disoriented, it fled deep into the forest— But its movements grew sluggish, and eventually, it collapsed headfirst—right in front of Tobirama. The one-horned rhinoceros met the same fate.

Tobirama stood frozen in place, his Flying Thunder God technique halting mid-activation. His body felt as if it had grown roots, anchoring him to the ground. Only when the black centipede crashed lifelessly before him did he finally snap back to reality.

"It… It's dead."

Tobirama's lips parted slightly, his sharp mind momentarily blank. The beast had no more life signs. Its organs were completely shattered, and its mouth overflowed with blood. Creatures of this magnitude— Ordinary ninjutsu couldn't even scratch them.

Even Hiruzen and the others, at their current strength, would have required a prolonged battle to bring one down. That's why Tobirama arranged this survival training. The whole point was to force them into hardship—to make them grow.

'These creatures were meant to drastically lower their survival rate. Let alone encountering two at the same time.'

By Tobirama's calculations, even if Hiruzen and the others performed beyond expectations, They would still need to struggle desperately to make it out alive. But instead… The one who had turned the tides— Was his brother's seven-year-old grandson.

Tobirama gulped. He was a child of the Warring States era—where war was as common as eating. A ninja's average lifespan was barely thirty. The main reason? Children died too young in battle.

The so-called "survival training" was only a simulation. Real war was far more brutal. Only kids who had survived the battlefield— Had truly honed their instincts and survival skills. Any child who lived through that hell would be considered a genius beyond compare. Take Uchiha Kagami, for example. He was already one of the top talents in his clan— A young prodigy bearing the Uchiha name. Right now, he had barely unlocked a single tomoe in one eye and two tomoe in the other. At the same age, Madara and Izuna Uchiha had already awakened three-tomoe Sharingan.

However!

Even Madara and Izuna— At seven years old, they were still weaklings compared to this! Tobirama struggled to find words. His mind raced as he instinctively compared Kazekaze to the greatest shinobi he had ever known. And yet— Even at seven years old, neither Hashirama, Madara, nor Izuna had ever demonstrated such monstrous power.

"Not even my brother—at seven—could match this."

Tobirama felt his breath hitch, realizing something even more absurd.

'At that age, Hashirama didn't even understand what superhuman strength was. He hadn't even learned precise chakra control yet—let alone using it to unleash a shockwave.'

But Kazekaze? Tobirama had no doubts now. The technique Kazekaze just used— Was Senju-style Superhuman Strength. Superhuman strength wasn't just raw force. It required perfect chakra control— Concentrating chakra throughout the body, reinforcing every muscle and bone, Then releasing it in an explosive burst.

Just as the Uchiha excelled in genjutsu, The Senju's specialty was super strength. But— Just because someone was born a Senju didn't mean they could use it. Take Kazekaze's father, Mokuma—he had never learned it. Even among those who did— There were vast differences in power. Even Tobirama himself, at full strength, could only demolish a building with one punch.

But Kazekaze?

In a single moment, he had obliterated two twenty-ton beast kings. He had flattened dozens of towering trees. He had cracked the very earth itself. If Tobirama hadn't witnessed the entire sequence of events with his own eyes— He might have thought Hashirama himself had reappeared. Because even Tobirama couldn't do this.

Kazekaze's Chakra—On Hashirama's Level

There was no doubt now. The colossal chakra surge from before— The devastating force that had annihilated the giant beasts— It all came from Kazekaze. There was no other possibility.

Not Hiruzen.

Not Danzo.

Not Kagami.

Not a single one of them had the chakra reserves or precise control to pull that off.

'Throughout all the generations of the Senju clan— Only my brother has ever possessed chakra on the level of a Tailed Beast. A true one-in-a-million prodigy. I once thought my brother would remain a legend—a singular existence in the history of our clan. But now… Another one has appeared. Kazekaze.'

Tobirama took a deep breath, his pulse pounding in excitement. Since Madara's supposed death at his brother's hands, Tobirama had never felt such a surge of adrenaline.

'Hashirama's Grandson… Is Also My Grandson. He is Senju Tobirama's grandson. He is the future of the Senju clan.'

Tobirama's eyes flashed sharply. And then— A realization struck him.

'If Kazekaze has inherited Hashirama's chakra and super strength… Then maybe… Just maybe… He also has Wood Release.'

At the mere thought, Tobirama's entire body tensed in excitement. At the same time, his mind solidified with resolve.

'I absolutely cannot let my brother corrupt him!'

Hashirama was a powerhouse, no doubt. But he was also an airhead, easily depressed, and had a terrible gambling habit. Tobirama had to ensure Kazekaze didn't pick up those bad habits.

'Kazekaze must surpass both my brother and me— He will become the greatest Hokage Konoha has ever seen!'

In just a short span of time, Tobirama's mind had already mapped out Kazekaze's future. If Hashirama wanted to eradicate the divide between clans, He encouraged the Senju to intermarry with outsiders. He had even married an Uzumaki himself. He had even once suggested that Tobirama marry into the Uchiha clan.

Of course, Tobirama had flat-out refused.

'But now… Maybe Kazekaze should reclaim the Senju name.'

Kazekaze was already a perfect blend of Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines. And if he were to marry into the Uchiha… Tobirama's brain spiraled into overdrive.

He had never hated the Uchiha. If he did, he never would have taken Kagami as a student. But he also recognized their power.

'If Kazekaze could merge the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha bloodlines… His potential would be limitless.'

He would become the ultimate shinobi. And so— Without realizing it, Senju Tobirama had begun planning his grandson's marriage.