At first, Kazuku's movements were indeed a bit clumsy.
His seven-year-old body, unaccustomed to regular exercise, saw his heart rate skyrocket to 160 with the sudden intense activity.
But as Kazuku began utilizing "Hashirama's Chakra," his racing heart stabilized, and his rapid breathing calmed.
In just ten minutes, he had adapted to the pace of Hiruzen and the others.
Not only that, he no longer needed to focus all his energy on running, starting to observe his surroundings.
Whether it was his imagination or not, Kazuku felt the Forest of Death was much larger than it was during the Chunin Exams.
The beasts here also seemed far more aggressive.
"If I'm not mistaken, it's probably due to population," Kazuku mused to himself. With Konoha's population still small, the forest naturally occupied a larger area.
As the population grew in the future, the Forest of Death would shrink.
This explained why Tobirama required them to reach the central tower within ten days.
The journey was longer than during the Chunin Exams, and the beasts were fiercer.
Even for Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, this wilderness survival training posed a certain level of difficulty.
What Kazuku didn't realize, however, was that it wasn't just a certain level of difficulty—it was extremely difficult.
Hiruzen occasionally glanced back at Kazuku, his heart filled with shock at his performance!
He couldn't fathom how a seven-year-old had adapted to all this in just ten minutes.
When Hiruzen first entered the Forest of Death at twelve, he was the best among his peers in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and adaptability.
Even Kagami Uchiha paled in comparison.
Yet, when he entered the forest with Lord Tobirama, he had to sprint desperately to avoid being left behind.
Within five minutes, he was vomiting from exhaustion!
Worried Kazuku might end up like he did, Hiruzen deliberately held back his speed.
But as he noticed Kazuku adapting, he gradually increased his pace.
By the five-minute mark, he was running faster than Tobirama had back then.
Now, he was at his absolute speed limit!
Yet Kazuku was still steadily keeping up, breathing smoothly, steps steady, and performing with ease.
Most importantly, Tobirama had emphasized…
This was Kazuku's first time training!
"This kid Kazuku's adaptability is just too ridiculous…" Hiruzen thought.
"Is this what it means to be Lord Hashirama's grandson?"
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, no amount of exaggeration could have convinced Hiruzen.
It was simply unbelievable!
Suddenly, Hiruzen felt the crushing weight of comparison.
Kazuku's talent was like an insurmountable mountain, towering over him, its peak out of sight.
Surpassing it? Impossible.
"My current stamina and speed are the result of relentless daily training, honed over ten years."
"But Kazuku caught up in just ten minutes."
"This kind of innate talent is just too terrifying."
Hiruzen's heart felt like a boulder had plunged into a lake, sending ripples that refused to settle.
He had always believed that with enough effort and perseverance, he could one day catch up to Lord Tobirama.
That belief had been his unwavering confidence.
But now, it was matched by an equally crushing sense of defeat and disappointment.
Danzo, nearby, felt much the same.
When they first entered the Forest of Death, Danzo's plan was to look after Kazuku.
After all, he was the First Hokage's grandson.
It might even earn him points with Lord Tobirama.
But who could've known…
Kazuku didn't need looking after!
His talent was downright terrifying.
The results Danzo had achieved after nearly a decade of effort…
Kazuku had matched in just ten minutes!
It made him question whether he'd been wasting his time all these years.
Even Danzo's gaze toward Kazuku was not just shocked but dazed.
Danzo had never believed in the idea of geniuses.
He was surrounded by them—Hiruzen from the Sarutobi clan, Kagami from the Uchiha, Torifu from the Akimichi, and Shirakawa from the Hyuga.
In their presence, Danzo never felt inferior.
On the contrary, he firmly believed that these so-called geniuses weren't special.
With effort and cunning, he could defeat them all and eventually become the Third Hokage.
But now, Kazuku's appearance was a brutal wake-up call.
It was as if the world was telling him that not only did geniuses exist…
They were born with it.
Utterly unattainable!
"Kazuku, may I call you that?" Kagami Uchiha, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "I have a question. Before entering the Forest of Death, you really hadn't undergone any training?"
Great question!
In that moment, Kagami voiced what everyone was thinking.
They all desperately hoped to hear something like:
"Oh, no, I've been training daily."
But…
"Yeah, this is my first time. I hope I'm not holding you guys back," Kazuku replied.
Right now, he only had his powerful chakra and couldn't gauge the skill level of Hiruzen and the others.
After all, these were future Konoha elites!
Future big shots!
To Kazuku, it seemed likely they were slowing down to match his pace.
After all, he was the ultimate nepo baby, right?
But the truth was…
Holding them back?
They were starting to feel like they were holding him back!
If you weren't just seven years old, you'd probably have left us in the dust!
Especially Kagami.
He had already awakened the Uchiha's Sharingan.
Without exaggeration, he was a genius of the Uchiha clan!
One day, he'd surpass even Madara.
Add to that the decades-long rivalry between the Senju and Uchiha.
Seeing his genius status trampled by Kazuku, Kagami felt like he'd swallowed something vile.
It was unbearable!
Was the Uchiha clan destined to be suppressed by the Senju forever?!
But these were just their private thoughts, not expressed aloud.
"Um…" After half an hour of running, punctuated by occasional beast and giant insect attacks, Kazuku gained a new understanding of the Forest of Death.
This place was far more dangerous than he'd imagined!
The sky was darkening, and they hadn't even secured a water source.
As a transmigrator, Kazuku had watched Bear Grylls' survival tutorials in his spare time.
In wilderness survival, water was critical.
Kazuku's voice instantly drew everyone's attention.
"You don't need to slow down to match me. I can keep up," he said.
Everyone: ???
Are we the ones holding you back?!
(End of Chapter)