The Eight-Year-Old Me Became Hokage

The battlefield is a harsh and cruel environment. Especially in a world like Naruto, where ninja battles are often battles of intelligence. But no one can always preemptively obtain information. Take, for example, Hidan from the Akatsuki in Shippuden. If his abilities were known in advance, a few Jonin could simply kite him to death with ranged jutsu.

The same logic applies to the battlefield—without long-range communication devices, ninjas have no way of knowing when reinforcements will arrive. During the Second Great Ninja War, Orochimaru nearly killed Jiraiya—proving this fact. Ninjas cannot predict enemy movements, nor can they determine whether traps have been set in advance.

But… The current ninja world is mostly at peace. Tobirama had no way to train his students through real war. So, he came up with the idea of using a survival training exercise to simulate warfare. This way, his students could develop the necessary skills for surviving a real battle.

The Three Key Training Goals : 

- First: Energy Replenishment

Life cannot exist without water. All living beings rely on food and water to maintain their strength. Though ninjas carry rations and water supplies, there are times when they get stranded or when supply chains fail due to prolonged warfare. In those moments, knowing survival techniques becomes a crucial advantage.

- Second: Observation Skills

In the wild, the key to survival is keen observation. The natural world and humans may not communicate through words, but they are deeply interconnected. For example, when Kakashi led Team 7 to escort Tazuna, he deduced there was an ambush just by noticing water puddles on the ground. 

Why? Because it hadn't rained recently—so those puddles shouldn't exist. Another example is snow hares—their fur color depends on their natural habitat. By analyzing it, one can determine whether the hare is wild or domestically raised. If it's the latter, it means there are scouts nearby. Some ninja reconnaissance squads use hares to mislead enemy forces.

- Third and Most Important: Crisis Management

The Forest of Death is filled with aggressive creatures whose combat prowess rivals that of regular ninjas. Panicking, wasting time on self-pity, or mentally breaking down will only cause a ninja to lose their ability to analyze and react. But with proper training and knowledge, a ninja gains confidence, allowing them to overcome fear, despair, and exhaustion. This was Tobirama's true goal behind the survival training.

And yet, here they were— Kazekaze had adapted to the environment in less than an hour! His sharp senses were on par with a professional hunter. His observational skills seemed innate. But the most terrifying thing? Faced with two monstrous beasts, all he did was release a burst of chakra, and— They died instantly. Those creatures were among the deadliest threats in the entire Forest of Death.

And yet— Kazekaze wiped them out in seconds. So now… What danger did this forest even pose to him? Without danger, there is no crisis management. If there's no crisis to manage… the whole exercise is pointless!

Tobirama sighed.

"Kid, do you really think this survival training can help you improve? The purpose of crisis management is to force you to activate your hidden potential in life-or-death situations… so that the next time you face danger, you remain calm and rational. If you panic, you'll never come up with the best possible solution." Tobirama paused and turned his gaze toward Koharu.

She lowered her head in shame. At this moment, she was clearly being used as an example of what not to do. It was her panic and hesitation that made her miss the chance to escape the danger zone— And as a result, both she and Kazekaze nearly got killed by the two beasts.

"This is critical for a ninja! Even more important than observation skills or energy replenishment!" Tobirama's voice was loud and commanding, as if engraving these lessons into their minds.

Seeing that everyone was taking his words seriously, He suddenly changed the topic.

"But for someone like you, who can freely unleash monstrous strength, this forest poses no danger at all. Even the most powerful creatures here were effortlessly defeated by your strength—so what's left that could threaten you?"

"For someone like you, who has completely mastered monstrous strength, this 'survival training'… is basically just a camping trip. With your power, you can walk through this forest as if it were a backyard garden."

Tobirama's implication was clear— Even if Kazekaze wanted to continue, it would just be a waste of time.

"As much as I hate to admit it… with your abilities, this survival exercise is completely meaningless now."

Tobirama really didn't want to admit it! Who would want to acknowledge that the 10-day-long survival training they planned— Had been completely invalidated within an hour? And by a seven-year-old child, no less! Especially in front of his own students… This was a little embarrassing. But at the same time… Tobirama felt an overwhelming sense of pride.

Kazekaze wasn't just any child. He was the grandson of Senju Hashirama! Which meant— He was also Tobirama's grandson! The future hope of the Senju Clan! A seven-year-old who had completely mastered monstrous strength— Who had single-handedly invalidated an entire survival exercise— Who else in the entire ninja world could compare? Who else could replicate this feat? No one! Even Hashirama himself, when he was seven, wasn't this absurdly powerful! There wasn't a single shinobi alive who could match this level of talent.

Sarutobi took a deep breath.

"To be honest, as long as Young Master Kazekaze is here, none of us even need to do anything. As long as we move slowly, help him conserve energy, and make sure he stays hydrated and fed… we'd be fine. If we ran into an actual threat, all he'd have to do is burst his chakra, and the problem would be solved instantly."

"So this so-called 'survival training'…It's basically a sightseeing trip now."

After experiencing all of this, None of them had any motivation to continue training. They had spent three months anticipating this exercise, Two months preparing for it, One month simulating different scenarios, And carefully designing their strategies. And yet— In less than an hour, Kazekaze rendered it all meaningless. And he didn't even train beforehand. He had no prior knowledge of the training plan. No strategies prepared in advance. Yet still— He annihilated the challenge effortlessly. In comparison, Sarutobi and the others felt like… Useless trash. No— It wasn't that they were trash. It was that Kazekaze was simply beyond human standards. This wasn't just "genius-level" talent. This was something else entirely— A monster wearing human skin.

Meanwhile, Tobirama had already moved on to another thought.

"Big Brother… you would not believe how terrifying this kid is."

He imagined telling Hashirama about today's events— And he could already picture the dumbfounded look on his brother's face.