The Eight-Year-Old Me Became Hokage

At first, Kazekaze's movements were indeed a bit clumsy. With the body of a seven-year-old and no prior training, the sudden intense physical exertion caused his heart rate to skyrocket to 160 BPM. But as soon as he started channeling Hashirama's Chakra, his rapid heartbeat stabilized and his labored breathing became steady. It only took ten minutes for him to fully adapt to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others' pace. Not only that, but he no longer needed to focus entirely on running—he started scanning his surroundings.

Kazekaze couldn't shake the feeling that the Forest of Death seemed much larger than it was during the Chūnin Exams. The wild beasts also appeared far more aggressive.

'If I'm not mistaken, it's probably due to population differences,' Kazekaze speculated.

Since Konoha's population was still small at this time, the forest naturally covered a larger area. As the village expanded over time, the forest's size shrank accordingly. This also explained why Tobirama had given them ten days to reach the central tower. The distance was longer than it had been during the Chūnin Exams, and the wild beasts were more dangerous. Even for Hiruzen and the others, this survival training was no easy task.

What Kazekaze didn't realize was… This wasn't just "difficult." It was brutally hard.

Hiruzen frequently glanced back at Kazekaze, utterly stunned by his performance. How could a seven-year-old adapt in just ten minutes?! Hiruzen clearly remembered his first time entering the Forest of Death. He was twelve years old at the time, excelling in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and adaptability. Even Uchiha Kagami was slightly inferior to him.

Yet, when he trained under Tobirama, he had to run for his life just to keep up. Within five minutes, he had completely exhausted himself and even threw up. Fearing that Kazekaze would end up like his younger self, Hiruzen deliberately slowed his pace. But once he saw Kazekaze gradually adapting, he started increasing his speed. By the five-minute mark, he was already running faster than he had in his training with Tobirama.

Right now, he was at his absolute limit.

And yet, Kazekaze was still keeping up effortlessly—his breathing smooth, his footsteps steady, his movements graceful. Most importantly— Tobirama had clearly stated that this was Kazekaze's first-ever training session!

'This kid's adaptability is beyond ridiculous…Is this the power of Lord Hashirama's grandson?'

Even if someone boasted endlessly about it, Hiruzen still wouldn't believe it. It was simply impossible! Yet, watching Kazekaze in action… Hiruzen suddenly felt a crushing sense of inferiority. It was as if Kazekaze's talent was a towering mountain—one so high he couldn't even see the peak. Much less surpass it.

'I've spent over ten years training relentlessly to reach this level. Yet Kazekaze caught up in just ten minutes?! This level of innate talent is terrifying…'

A heavy stone dropped into Hiruzen's heart, sending ripples of doubt through his once unwavering confidence. For years, he had believed that as long as he worked hard enough, He could someday catch up to Tobirama. The strength of that belief had always been absolute.

And now… His confidence had taken a devastating blow.

Shimura Danzo felt almost the same way. At the start of the exercise, he had intended to protect Kazekaze. After all, he was the First Hokage's grandson. If he could earn Tobirama's favor, that would be a huge political advantage. But who would've thought…

Kazekaze needed no protection whatsoever?!

His talent was absolutely monstrous. The results that Danzo had spent nearly ten years grinding for… Kazekaze had achieved in mere minutes! It made him question if he had wasted his years of effort. His gaze toward Kazekaze was no longer just shocked— It was utterly blank.

Danzo had never believed in "genius." He had spent his life surrounded by prodigies—

Hiruzen from the Sarutobi Clan,

Kagami from the Uchiha Clan,

Torifu from the Akimichi Clan,

Shirakawa from the Hyūga Clan.

But even among them, he had never felt inferior. He had always believed that these so-called "geniuses" weren't special. Through sheer effort and cunning, He could defeat them all and become the Third Hokage. But now, Kazekaze's existence was like a sledgehammer to his face. It was as if the world itself was telling him that true geniuses exist.

Geniuses who were simply born different.

Geniuses who were beyond reach.

"Kazekaze… I can call you that, right?"

Uchiha Kagami, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

"I have to ask… Did you really never train before coming here?"

Good question! At this moment, Kagami had asked what everyone was thinking. Everyone was desperately hoping to hear Kazekaze say— "Oh no, I've been training every day for years!"

But…

"Mm, this is my first time. I hope I'm not slowing you all down," Kazekaze replied.

Right now, he only had enormous chakra reserves but had no idea how strong Hiruzen and the others truly were. After all, these were Konoha's future elites! The future leaders of the village! From Kazekaze's perspective, they were probably just going easy on him. After all—he was the ultimate nepotism protagonist, right?

But the reality was… Slowing them down? We feel like we're the ones slowing you down! If you weren't only seven years old, you'd probably be leaving us all in the dust!

Especially for Uchiha Kagami. He had already awakened his Sharingan. Without exaggeration, he was the Uchiha Clan's most talented prodigy. One day, he was destined to surpass even Madara. The Senju and Uchiha had been rivals for generations.

Yet now, seeing Kazekaze casually outclass him, Kagami felt like he had eaten something rotten. It was beyond frustrating.

'Is the Uchiha Clan destined to always be overshadowed by the Senju?!'

Despite their internal struggles, none of them voiced their thoughts. After running for half an hour, and fending off some wild beasts and giant insects, Kazekaze began to realize that the Forest of Death was far more dangerous than he had imagined. The sun was setting, yet they still hadn't found a water source. As a transmigrator, Kazekaze had watched countless survival shows. In the wilderness, water was the key to survival. His voice immediately caught the group's attention.

"Guys, you don't need to slow down for me. I can keep up with you."

The group: ???

Are we… the ones holding him back?!