When Might Bai found Danzo, he was sparring with Sarutobi and the others. Even though Kazekaze was
just a seven-year-old child
, Danzo still
took their match seriously
. After all... This was a
monster
who had
adapted to survival training in just half an hour
!
"Danzo."
Might Bai called his name before explaining why he was there. As expected, the
moment
they heard that Kazekaze wanted to fight
today
, Sarutobi and the others'
expressions twisted in disbelief
. Especially Danzo— He looked like he had
just swallowed two pounds of flies
.
"It's only been a day! What is Kazekaze even thinking?!"
With
his monstrous talent
, maybe in
half a month
, he'd have
some
chance. But
now?
Kazekaze was trying to
close a ten-year gap in a single day
. It was
pure delusion
.
"This match is a joke,"
Danzo said bluntly.
The others
felt the same way
. Even Might Bai still
couldn't wrap his head around it
. A
seven-year-old
challenging a
seasoned Chunin
like Danzo? Even if he was
the grandson of the First Hokage
, that was
too ridiculous!
Might Bai could already
see the outcome
— Kazekaze getting
utterly crushed
and
questioning his entire existence
. No matter how talented he was, the
age gap
was just
too big
! Danzo's
arms were longer than Kazekaze's legs
. If Danzo
just held Kazekaze by the forehead
, the kid could
flail his arms and legs all he wanted
— he
still
wouldn't reach him!
And that wasn't even considering
their massive difference in strength and experience
. With Sarutobi and the others accompanying him, Danzo arrived at the training ground. Tobirama stood with
arms crossed, eyes closed, completely calm
, While Kazekaze was in the middle of
his warm-up routine
.
"Lord Tobirama."
Danzo stepped forward from the group, glancing at
Kazekaze's confident expression
, Trying to
understand where in the world this kid's courage was coming from
. At first, Danzo assumed
this was just Kazekaze being childish
— But to his
shock
, Tobirama's face was
completely serious
.
"Danzo, are you ready?"
...
'He's seriously letting me beat up Kazekaze?'
"But... Lord Tobirama, Kazekaze is just—" Danzo started to protest, but Tobirama
cut him off
.
He already knew
exactly
what his student wanted to say.
"Danzo, you only need to do
one thing
in this match—
hold nothing back and defeat Kazekaze with your full strength!
"
Tobirama's voice was
firm and unquestionable
. This wasn't just a message for
Danzo
— It was also a message for
Kazekaze
. If Kazekaze
thought
that being the
First Hokage's grandson
meant Danzo wouldn't dare go all out against him— Then he was
gravely mistaken
.
No member of the Senju Clan should ever have such a pathetic mindset!
"Might Bai, you will be the referee," Tobirama commanded.
If this was a match, it needed to
be treated like one
. But also— Tobirama was
a little worried
about Kazekaze. He still
didn't understand
where this confidence came from, But he
knew
that Danzo wasn't as weak as Kazekaze might think. Especially his
Wind Release techniques
, which were
some of the best in Konoha
. If Kazekaze found himself in
serious danger
, Might Bai was there
to intervene
. It was obvious— Tobirama
did not believe Kazekaze could win
. And neither did
Sarutobi, the others, or Might Bai
— They
all
thought he was going to
lose miserably
.
"I understand," Might Bai nodded before stepping into the center of the training field.
He had
never been a referee before
, But he had
seen plenty of official matches
during the Chunin Exams. He gestured with his hands, signaling
Kazekaze and Danzo to take their positions
— Each standing
five meters apart
.
"As the referee, I will now explain the rules," Might Bai began. "This is a
controlled match
—if I determine that either fighter is in
serious danger
, I will
immediately stop the fight
. Any objections?"
As he spoke, his
eyes were locked onto Danzo
. His tone sounded
less like a match explanation
and
more like a warning specifically for Danzo
.
"No problem."
Kazekaze answered
nonchalantly
, already preparing himself.
Sigh...
Danzo
shook his head
in frustration, his lips curving into a
bitter smile
.
He still
couldn't understand
Kazekaze's way of thinking. Confidence was good— But
blind confidence
? That was just
stupidity
.
"Kazekaze-sama," Danzo said, his
expression turning serious
. "You heard Lord Tobirama's instructions just now. Even though you are the
grandson of the First Hokage
, I will
not
hold back in this match! As a ninja, you should already have
that level of resolve
. And honestly, treating a battle like a
game
is something I can neither understand nor accept. So..."
Danzo took a
deep breath
before speaking his next words.
"If you want to back out, now is your chance—I
don't want to hurt you.
"
Yes, Might Bai had said this would be a
controlled match
— But Danzo was still
worried
he might
break Kazekaze's ribs with a single kick
. Their
physical differences
were simply
too massive
. Sarutobi, Kagami, Koharu, Homura, and Torifu all
watched intently
, Secretly
nervous for Kazekaze
.
'Danzo is taking this seriously.'
Tobirama had
not expected Danzo to be so firm
— And now, he was
even more certain
Kazekaze would
suffer a crushing defeat
.
'He's going to get completely destroyed.'
But
this was his own fault
. Tobirama had
given him half a month to prepare
. He was the one who
threw away that time
.
'He's treating this like a joke. Let this be a lesson for him.'
Tobirama even started to think— Maybe all his
praise
had made Kazekaze
arrogant
. Using Danzo's
overwhelming strength
to
bring him back down to earth
might actually be a
good thing
. Meanwhile, Kazekaze
calmly observed Danzo's posture
— The way he spoke as if
he was guaranteed to win
.
'Danzo, my dear little brother... Go ahead and use your full power. Then you'll realize—if effort alone was enough, why would cheat systems even exist?'
"If there are no other objections, then I declare—
the match begins!
" With Might Bai's
shout
, Kazekaze and Danzo's
fight officially started
!
Sarutobi, Kagami, Koharu, Homura, and Torifu
watched nervously
, Praying that
Danzo would show mercy when necessary
. Tobirama and Might Bai stood silently, Ready to
step in at any moment
to stop the fight. But then— Something happened that
no one expected
. The
very instant
the match began, Kazekaze
clenched his fists
, Lowered his stance, And—
"First Gate—Gate of Opening—OPEN!"