The Eight-Year-Old Me Became Hokage

Kazekaze had imagined countless possibilities. Flying Thunder God, Wood Release, Sharingan, Tenseigan—powerful and legendary techniques. But now, at this crucial moment, anxiety began creeping into his heart. His belief that he had the luck of a god was just a hypothesis. After all, luck wasn't listed on his attribute panel. Sure, his first check-in had granted him something as insane as Hashirama's Chakra, but who knew what he'd get this time? What if his luck ran out? What if he dropped from a divine gambler to a cursed loser overnight? Worst of all—this check-in would determine whether he could defeat Danzo! If he pulled something like Great Fireball Jutsu, then it was game over!

'Besides, my check-in system isn't like those daily login rewards or location-based check-ins. Based on the first check-in, after using it once, the system enters a cooldown period. During this time, the check-in interface in my mind turns completely gray—no matter how I interact with it, it won't respond.'

Kazekaze muttered to himself, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.

'I am willing to trade ten years of Uchiha Madara's lifespan for the luck of a god!'

With this ritualistic plea, Kazekaze immediately opened the reward package! This was the moment of truth. Was he blessed or cursed? Everything depended on this!

[Opening Check-In Reward!]

A dazzling array of jutsu, Kekkei Genkai, and chakra types flashed before Kazekaze's eyes. It reminded him of spinning loot boxes in a certain online RPG. He could almost hear the phantom voice in his head saying, 'Come on, just one more roll!'

[Snap!]

The images froze in place, a blinding white light filling Kazekaze's vision, obscuring his result.

[Congratulations! You have received "The Eight Inner Gates Release Technique" Lv5!]

As the light faded, Kazekaze stood frozen for a moment. Then, pure joy exploded inside him!

'Holy shit, I got The Eight Inner Gates!'

This wasn't just any taijutsu—this was the pinnacle of physical combat in the entire Naruto universe! And the power of The Eight Inner Gates varied wildly depending on the user's talent. For example, Might Bai, who had unlocked all The Eight Inner Gates, only managed to kill four out of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. But Might Guy, using the same technique, went toe-to-toe with Uchiha Madara himself!

Speaking of Madara… Hmm, losing ten years of his lifespan shouldn't bother him too much, right?

'As long as I keep checking in, I'll only get stronger!'

Kazekaze was ecstatic. Originally, he had planned to learn the The Eight Inner Gates from Might Bai. After all, the check-in rewards were random— It was entirely possible that he could have gone ten years without ever pulling this jutsu. But now? Kazekaze no longer needed Might Bai's instruction! Because he had skipped the entire learning process and mastered the technique instantly! That said, one small detail caught his attention.

[Current Status]

Host: Kazekaze

Strength: 4

Speed: 3

Endurance: 6

Abilities: Hashirama's Chakra Lv1, The Eight Inner Gates Release Technique Lv5

Why was Hashirama's Chakra only Level 1, while The Eight Inner Gates was Level 5? It reminded him of skill systems in RPGs— Some abilities reached full mastery at Level 1, while others needed Level 30 or more.

'Does this mean there are higher levels of Hashirama's Chakra that I just haven't unlocked?'

Kazekaze shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. Thinking too much about it would only give him a headache. Besides, after claiming his reward, the check-in system entered cooldown again—this time, the progress bar moved even slower than before. It seemed like each subsequent check-in took longer to recharge. During this cooldown period, the system was completely unresponsive—it wouldn't answer any of his questions. It was a pure tool, nothing more.

The rewards from the check-in system required no training or experience. They were instant mastery! Just like how his first check-in had granted him muscle memory for Hashirama's Chakra, allowing him to instinctively unleash monstrous strength in battle… The knowledge and control of The Eight Inner Gates flooded his mind and body like an unstoppable tide. It became second nature, like he had always known it! This sensation was incredible. In just an instant— Kazekaze had become a true taijutsu expert!

'I get it now—Lv5 means I can use the technique up to the fifth gate, the Gate of Closing!'

In other words, his current limit was the fifth gate, Dōmon (Gate of Closing). Following this logic… Full mastery of The Eight Inner Gates would be Lv8! Although not unlocking all The Eight Inner Gates immediately was a tiny disappointment, Reaching five gates was more than enough to annihilate Danzo! At the moment, Danzo was only Chunin-level— He hadn't grafted a single Sharingan onto himself yet. And Gate of Closing? During the Chunin Exams, a fifth-gate Rock Lee had beat the crap out of Gaara! And Gaara was a Jinchūriki! Danzo might be strong, but could he beat a Jinchūriki? Hell no! 

That fight between Rock Lee and Gaara— Even Jonin-level ninjas had to take a step back and rethink their life choices after watching it.

'What is a taijutsu prodigy?!'

'What is a Jinchūriki?!'

Now, Kazekaze was even more talented and powerful than Rock Lee!' Chakra was just a fusion of spiritual and physical energy. And with Hashirama's Chakra, he could use it to enhance his physical strength even further. During the survival training, Kazekaze had already used this method to match Sarutobi's speed. Compared to that, crushing Danzo would be effortless!

'Are you kidding me? If I can't even beat Danzo with a cheat system, I might as well find a ramen noodle and hang myself with it!'

The more he thought about it, the more fired up Kazekaze became. He wanted to fight Danzo right now! This match was no different from Hashirama fighting Kurama— If anything…Wasn't this a little unfair to Danzo? After all, that guy… Didn't really have much natural talent. He was the kind of person who would try to stab a fully armored Susano'o with a kunai…

"Lord Tobirama." Kazekaze turned toward Tobirama, interrupting Might Bai's lesson.

Although Tobirama was his great-uncle, it was better to use formalities in front of others. Plus, Kazekaze still wasn't used to having a grandparent figure suddenly appear in his life.

"Kazekaze," Tobirama said seriously. "I know this training may feel repetitive, but if you stick with it, you'll see tremendous results."

But before he could continue— Kazekaze cut him off.

"Can we move up my fight with Danzo? I don't think I need half a month."

Meanwhile, deep within a secret underground lab… A certain old man, busy cultivating Hashirama cells, suddenly sneezed.

"Achoo!"