The Eight-Year-Old Me Became Hokage

"Might Bai have accepted Kazekaze's challenge, going all out?" Sarutobi and the others showed expressions of astonishment. This meant that in Might Bai's subconscious, Kazekaze was an opponent worthy of his full effort!

This was different from sparring. During sparring, Might Bai at most opened the Gate of Life, using only about thirty percent of his strength. And Kazekaze, who had been taught by Might Bai, should be more aware of this than anyone else.

"What exactly is Kazekaze thinking?" Sarutobi really couldn't understand. Did he really believe he had a chance of winning against a fully committed Might Bai? How could that be possible!

Kazekaze's talent was undeniably recognized by everyone. But the age gap between him and Might Bai was a chasm! This year, Might Bai was twenty-seven and had started physical training at Kazekaze's age. He not only had nearly twenty years of experience in taijutsu over Kazekaze but was also at the peak of his physical abilities! Where did Kazekaze's confidence come from?

"Could it be because of Danzo?" Standing beside Danzo, Sarutobi considered this possibility. No matter how you looked at it, Danzo was a Chunin. Defeating him undoubtedly gave Kazekaze a huge boost in confidence, making him feel strong. But...

Might Bai was not Danzo. He was a taijutsu expert and a master of the Eight Gates. When facing Might Bai, Kazekaze's advantages were not really advantages. Even if his Cherry Blossom Clash and Painful Sky Leg were powerful, they were meaningless if they couldn't hit the target. Moreover, even if we take a step back, while both Danzo and Might Bai are Chunin, Sarutobi believed Might Bai could at least take on five Danzos!

Including Hashirama, others thought the same. Kazekaze was being somewhat blindly confident this time. He was indeed strong now, but he couldn't possibly be Might Bai's match. He would lose, and he would lose badly. The confidence he had built up over this period might completely collapse.

"Hiruzen." Danzo stared at Sarutobi with a dark expression, "I heard what you just said, and I heard it very clearly."

"I didn't say anything." Sarutobi coughed twice, "In any case, I believe Kazekaze has no chance of defeating Might Bai. He will lose."

"Indeed, I really don't know what Lord Tobirama is thinking." Danzo agreed.

Soon, Sarutobi thought of a possibility, "Could it be that Lord Tobirama's intention is..." Sarutobi swallowed, feeling he had guessed the correct answer.

"I understand. For a ninja, arrogance is never a good thing. Lord Tobirama must want to use this match to make Kazekaze see reality. He indeed has extraordinary talent, but talent alone cannot make an excellent ninja. To become an excellent ninja, one must have hard work and... a humble heart." Sarutobi started to speculate.

Beside him, Danzo and Kagami agreed with this view. They seemed to foresee the outcome of this match. On the other hand, Hashirama was completely puzzled. He thought the match arranged by Tobirama should be something like snatching bells from Might Bai. But now it seemed that wasn't the case. And what was this going all out? Were these two guys planning to open the Eight Gates and go head-to-head?

Might Bai he could understand, but Kazekaze... even if he really learned the Eight Gates, at his age, he should only be at the level of the first gate, right?

In fact, after witnessing Kazekaze's various performances, Tobirama speculated that these things were secretly taught by his brother Hashirama. He thought Hashirama was pretending to be ignorant, so he didn't elaborate on which gate Kazekaze had opened. Because of this relationship, Hashirama was confused about the situation, and Tobirama was speechless. When did his brother Hashirama start liking to act?

Forget it. Never mind.

Tobirama shook his head slightly, signaling Kazekaze and Might Bai to move to the center of the training ground.

"If there are no other questions, then let the match begin." Tobirama, acting as the referee, announced the official start of the match.

"Might Bai-sensei, be careful." As soon as Kazekaze finished speaking, he successively opened the Gate of Opening, the Gate of Rest, and the Gate of Life. His skin turned red due to blood flow, and his whole body emitted a green energy. After a day of battle yesterday, Kazekaze was now fully adapted to this state.

"This is... the Gate of Life?" Hashirama couldn't help but exclaim, completely shocked. A seven-year-old Kazekaze had mastered the Gate of Life?

"Kazekaze-sama, since I promised to go all out, I won't hold back. Please be careful!" Might Bai shouted loudly.

Immediately, the Gate of Opening, open! The Gate of Rest, open! The Gate of Life, open! As Might Bai opened three gates in succession, his state became the same as Kazekaze's, his whole body emitting green energy.

"Hmm, not bad." Kazekaze nodded slightly. This was the all-out attitude he wanted.

However, just as Kazekaze finished speaking, Might Bai rushed directly in front of him. His speed was so fast it was as if he had used a flash step. Kazekaze's pupils immediately dilated, his eyes full of surprise. The current Might Bai was much more ferocious than yesterday.

"So this guy was holding back during sparring?" Kazekaze swallowed, his heels suddenly exerting force, forcing his body to retreat and dodge the straight punch attack.

The next second.

"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!" Might Bai's legs swung in the air, using incredible speed and power to perform a spinning kick, sweeping towards Kazekaze.

It was only at this moment that Kazekaze realized. Yesterday's sparring, every move Might Bai made, every response, was neither the best move nor the strongest move. Instead, it was... guiding him on how to fight from a very high level!

"If yesterday's Might Bai fought me with today's level, I would have been defeated in at most three rounds." It's no exaggeration to say that in Kazekaze's view, today's Might Bai and yesterday's Might Bai were like two different people. His attacks now were more seasoned, more direct, and more ferocious!

However, Kazekaze did not panic because of this; instead, he became excited. His eyes revealed a fervor. Indeed, Might Bai was like a different person from yesterday. But today, he himself was also like a different person from yesterday!

Suddenly, Kazekaze clenched his five fingers into a fist, choosing to confront directly. He aimed at Might Bai's whip leg and swung a punch. Without deviation, it hit Might Bai's calf. Two surging forces collided!

Boom! The air currents exploded in all directions. This time, it was Might Bai who felt surprised.

"A wise response. If you keep retreating, you'll only be suppressed by my continuous attacks. This will not only put you in a passive position but also create a sense of psychological pressure. Interrupting the enemy's attack is interrupting the enemy's rhythm." Even if the roles were reversed, Might Bai didn't think he could have responded better than Kazekaze.