Tobirama was
overwhelmed with emotions
, unable to calm down for a long time.
The reason he had arranged this survival training was because he was
deeply worried
about his elder brother Hashirama's terminal illness.
The ninja world
was indeed at peace
—for now.
- Konoha.
- Kirigakure.
- Kumogakure.
- Iwagakure.
- Sunagakure.
The Five Great Ninja Villages had all
signed a peace treaty.
But Tobirama
knew better than anyone
that this peace
would not last.
In his view, this so-called peace was
built entirely on Hashirama's terrifying power.
If all the other Kage
joined forces
, they
still wouldn't be able to defeat Hashirama alone.
And once Hashirama succumbed to his illness, the fragile peace
would collapse instantly!
As cruel as it sounded,
this was the undeniable truth.
Tobirama could
already foresee
the future.
- Wars that were once fought between clans
would escalate
into wars between entire villages.
- The number of combatants
would multiply exponentially.
- The scale of destruction
would reach unprecedented levels.
The moment Hashirama was gone, the world
would plunge into chaos once more.
Even now, Tobirama could see the
seeds of conflict sprouting.
- The desert villages
would fight for access to water.
- The island nations
would seek more land.
- The mountain villages
would covet fertile soil.
And Konoha possessed everything
they desired.
Hashirama had attempted to
prevent war
by distributing the Tailed Beasts among the villages, hoping that their
mutual fear
would act as a deterrent. But Tobirama
wasn't fooled.
The reality was simple— It wasn't the Tailed Beasts that prevented war. It was
Hashirama himself.
As long as he lived, no village
dared
to start a war. Once he was gone, the peace treaty
would become worthless.
There was no such thing as
friendship
or
bonds
between villages. There was
only self-interest.
Tobirama had
learned this lesson the hard way.
His brothers—
- Itama
- Kawarama
Both had
died in battle.
Their deaths had
shattered his youthful idealism.
From then on, he had
devoted himself
to preparing for the day Hashirama was no longer there.
This was why Tobirama had started
personally training a new generation of ninja.
* Sarutobi Hiruzen.
* Shimura Danzō.
* Uchiha Kagami.
* Koharu Utatane.
* Homura Mitokado.
* Akimichi Torifu.
They were meant to become
the pillars of Konoha.
The ones who would
inherit the Will of Fire.
Among them, Tobirama had
high hopes for Hiruzen.
He had
planned
for Hiruzen to be the future Hokage. After all—
- Mokuken
had failed to inherit Hashirama's power. He hadn't awakened
Wood Release
or even
Senju's monstrous strength.
And Tobirama himself
had no children.
So, logically, the position of Hokage
had to go to an outsider.
Tobirama had
resigned himself
to this reality. But now— Everything had changed. Kazekaze's
talent
completely
surpassed Hiruzen.
No—
It
surpassed
Tobirama.
It
surpassed
Hashirama.
It
surpassed
Madara!
And most importantly— Kazekaze
was a direct descendant of Hashirama!
A perfect successor!
Some fools claimed that
nepotism
was bad. But in reality—
Power must be entrusted to those you can trust!
Would it be better to give authority to
someone unrelated
? Someone who might
one day turn against you?
Only
a fool
would think so.
'No more Hiruzen.'
'No more Danzō.'
'No more outsiders!'
Kazekaze
was the
only true heir
to the Hokage title! Tobirama suddenly
froze.
'Wait...'
He had
overlooked something critical.
When Kazekaze had
fallen from the centipede's back
,
He had not panicked.
Instead, in
mid-air
, he had calmly
adjusted his posture
and
secured Koharu in his arms.
Then, once they landed safely— He had simply
dropped her.
'He wasn't scared?'
Any other seven-year-old— Would have been
crying
in terror. Would have been
frozen in fear.
But Kazekaze?
Completely calm.
There were only
two possible explanations.
1.) He
fully trusted
that his teammates would rescue him.
2.) He
was certain
of his own power.
Tobirama
dismissed the first possibility.
'Even if he trusted Hiruzen, there's no way he'd be that calm.'
Which meant—
Kazekaze knew all along that he could handle the situation himself.
'Not an accidental power surge. Not a last-minute awakening. He has fully mastered his own strength!'
Tobirama— The
greatest genius in ninja history.
The
creator of over 90% of Konoha's jutsu. Felt his understanding of reality crumbling.
If Kazekaze had
been trained
by a master, It
wouldn't be as shocking.
But—
Kazekaze had no teacher.
In the two years he spent
outside Konoha
, His only guardians were—
* Mokuken, who had no special abilities.
* Ayako, who was even less remarkable.
'Mokuken never mentioned this.'
Which meant—
Even Mokuken had no idea.
And that could only mean—
'No one ever trained Kazekaze in chakra control. No one taught him how to use monstrous strength. No one guided him at all.'
Yet somehow—
He mastered everything... on his own.
'Two years. No—less than two years. How long did it really take him?'
He was
beginning to tremble.
'He taught himself?"
'Self-taught?!'
'Without any guidance?!'
'Impossible!'
And yet—
Kazekaze had done it.
Tobirama— The
most rational, most calculating
of all shinobi—
Was completely, utterly, and entirely shaken to his core.
'What was Hashirama doing at seven?'
Oh, right.
Competing with his clan to see who could pee the farthest.