The entire process left Kazekaze in a state of bewilderment. Although the title of Special Jonin includes the word "Jonin," its strength is actually between Chunin and Jonin. Logically, for an appointment of this level, just a word from Tobirama would suffice. There was no need to gather the heads of all the major clans in Konoha Village. At least, Kazekaze didn't think it was necessary.
'So, Tobirama isn't seeking everyone's opinion to appoint me as a Special Jonin.' Kazekaze thought for a moment, calmly analyzing the situation.
He finally reached a conclusion. The focus of this meeting wasn't actually on the Special Jonin title, but on Wood Release! As the one who ended the Warring States period and founded the history of ninja villages, Hashirama was hailed as the God of Shinobi! And unlike Naruto's era, people in this time have only heard of Hashirama's legends and have no real concept of his power.
But the clan heads sitting here are different. They are all ninjas who have lived through the Warring States period. Many of them have witnessed Wood Release on the battlefield with their own eyes. They know exactly what kind of power it is. There's no need for Tobirama to explain further. Especially when Hiruzen Sarutobi succeeded as the Third Hokage and joined forces with Danzo to conduct human experiments, hoping to regain Wood Release for Konoha. It's not hard to see... Hashirama's Wood Release is a power that can influence the next generation!
Before appointing Kazekaze as a Special Jonin, Tobirama deliberately emphasized his mastery of Wood Release. And when Tobirama mentioned this, every clan head present gasped in shock. Their eyes were filled with astonishment and disbelief!
'Even if this matter is important enough to require the clan heads to gather and discuss it together. They could have summoned me separately in the Hokage's office after the meeting!'
The more Kazekaze thought about it, the more he felt a sense of being singled out.
'I understand now.'
Kazekaze looked around at the gathered clan heads. Tobirama's real intention was to tell everyone that from today, Kazekaze... Will be the successor to the next Hokage! At the same time, Tobirama was also testing the attitudes of the various clans. Of course, this is just Kazekaze's personal opinion. As for the truth, Kazekaze couldn't be sure. Perhaps all of this is just a coincidence.
But no matter what, the promotion to Special Jonin is already settled. The clan heads present felt like their hearts were a stormy sea, unable to calm down. Being promoted to Special Jonin at the age of seven, what does that mean? Unprecedented! They even felt that Kazekaze's achievements today might never be surpassed in the future!
Especially Kazekaze's demeanor. They thought that upon hearing such news, Kazekaze would jump up in excitement. Or at least be unable to hide his enthusiasm. But who knew... He was even more composed than they imagined. He didn't act like a seven-year-old kid at all. His calm expression seemed to say,
'What's there to be excited about? It's just a Special Jonin.'
With his current strength, not to mention Special Jonin, even Jonin wouldn't be a problem. A... Seven-year-old Special Jonin. This matter is sure to cause a sensation among all the ninjas in Konoha Village.
And so, with Tobirama's official appointment of Kazekaze as a Special Jonin, the matter came to an end. But the clan heads couldn't shake off the shock of Kazekaze. Especially the head of the Uchiha clan. Without comparison, there's no harm. Uchiha Setsuna, whom he had high hopes for, was instantly defeated by Kazekaze in the first round of the Chunin Exams. And his achievements were unmatched by any Uchiha! Could it be that joining the Senju clan is the only way? The Uchiha clan head once again thought of marriage alliances.
After the meeting, the clan heads left the Hokage building and returned to their respective territories. On the way, several clan heads gathered together to discuss Kazekaze's future. In their view, being promoted to Special Jonin at the age of seven means that Kazekaze's achievements won't stop there. Most importantly, Kazekaze's battle records are indeed astonishing.
"I heard from that kid Hiruzen that during Kazekaze's first mission, he encountered the Magnet Release ninja, Toroi, from the Hidden Cloud Village." The Sarutobi clan head shared what he knew. At that time, Kazekaze didn't know how to use Wood Release, but he defeated Toroi with a single Morning Peacock. And the opponent was a ninja with a Kekkei Genkai!
"Even for a Jonin, a Kekkei Genkai user is a formidable opponent. Yet Kazekaze, fresh out of the gate, defeated such a terrifying opponent!"
"Indeed," the Shimura clan head agreed, "even our Danzo lost to Kazekaze. Lately, when he sleeps, he sometimes calls out Kazekaze's name. You all know that kid Danzo, his talent is high, undoubtedly a genius of our clan. Yet, he still narrowly lost to Kazekaze!"
When he first heard about it, the Shimura clan head couldn't believe it. But after repeatedly confirming, he had to accept the fact.
"And the Chunin Exams, his battle with the Sand ninja."
The Hyuga clan head joined the conversation, "It didn't seem like two Genin fighting at all."
In the eyes of these clan heads, even without using Wood Release, Kazekaze's talent and strength could be described as monstrous. Now that he has awakened Wood Release, it means his strength has undergone a dramatic change. Because of this, they felt that appointing Kazekaze as a Special Jonin was appropriate. Whether or not he's Hashirama's grandson didn't matter much.
"However, looking at it this way, Kazekaze is probably being groomed by Lord Tobirama as the future Hokage." Suddenly, the Sarutobi clan head pointed this out.
In his view, anyone with a bit of sense could see the high hopes Tobirama had for Kazekaze. Under Lord Tobirama's training, Kazekaze might very well become... The youngest Hokage in history.
"Do you think Kazekaze might become Hokage before he's twenty?" The Hyuga clan head joked, not caring much about who becomes Hokage.
As long as they could live in a peaceful village, that was already a good thing. During the previous Warring States period, they had racked their brains to protect their clan members. They had finally developed the Caged Bird Seal to protect the clan. However, when he jokingly said this, he suddenly realized. Everyone's expressions were very serious. As if... A Hokage under twenty wasn't an unrealistic idea at all.