"Kazuku, as a ninja, you need to stay calm and composed. This training lasts ten days; there's no need to rush," Hiruzen said, eyes forward, explaining to Kazuku. "That would only waste unnecessary stamina."
Hiruzen's words brought a collective sigh of relief from everyone except Kazuku.
Their current pace was the maximum they could maintain while staying vigilant and stable.
Forcing a faster speed would only harm them.
But…
Everyone in the team was roughly twice Kazuku's age.
They couldn't just admit the truth!
Even with Kazuku's prodigious talent, these "seniors" had their pride to maintain!
"You're right. I didn't think it through," Kazuku said, suddenly enlightened.
Having just acquired Hashirama's chakra and not even being a genin, he naturally lacked a ninja's mindset.
His thinking and judgment were still shaped by his pre-transmigration assumptions.
Plus, this team consisted of future Konoha elites.
Big shots who would one day control the village.
Kazuku had no reason to doubt them.
In short, Kazuku was experiencing a bit of delusion.
He thought he was surrounded by big shots, unaware that he was the strongest one.
But just as Kazuku adjusted his mindset, ready to learn more ninja thinking from Hiruzen…
A deafening roar erupted from ahead.
Even Hiruzen was startled, quickly signaling with a gesture.
Everyone except Kazuku scattered, leaping from the branches and hiding behind tree trunks.
Kazuku, however, stood there, dumbfounded.
Weren't these guys Konoha's big shots?
Why would they be scared of a mere beast?
Sure, its roar was a bit louder and more dramatic than the ones they'd encountered, but still.
During the Chunin Exams, Sasuke took down a two-meter-tall bear with one move!
Seeing Kazuku unmoving, Koharu jumped back out, grabbed his arm, and pulled him behind a large tree.
She pressed a finger to her lips, signaling him to stay quiet.
The others' reactions also showed a hint of wariness.
"I didn't expect we'd encounter such a tough one so soon. Should we go around?" Kagami signaled with hand signs.
Since not every mission allowed verbal communication, Hiruzen and the others had developed this method.
"Let's wait. It might not have noticed us," Hiruzen replied with hand signs.
In his view, the training had just begun, and avoiding unnecessary battles was the best approach.
Seeing these big shots act so cautiously, Kazuku furrowed his brow.
Naruto and Sasuke reached peak strength at sixteen because they were protagonists loaded with cheats.
Ordinary people at that age didn't have such power.
Even so, Kazuku couldn't understand why they were wary of a single beast.
But he soon realized…
His thinking was still stuck in the Chunin Exam era.
As the roaring creature drew closer, the ground trembled with its steps.
Kazuku's gaze locked onto the massive beast.
It was a one-horned rhinoceros, its skin as tough as rock, standing six or seven meters tall and weighing at least several tons.
It resembled the summoned beasts Pain used during his invasion of Konoha!
Why was something like this in the Forest of Death?!
"This is because Lord Tobirama thought the wilderness survival training was too easy, so he deliberately released various giant beasts into the forest," Koharu whispered faintly in Kazuku's ear, seeing his confusion.
Kazuku didn't understand their hand signs, after all.
"Kunai and shuriken can't pierce that thing's hide, and even Kagami's best Fire Release can't deal lethal damage."
"Unless absolutely necessary, fighting such a beast isn't wise."
Hearing Koharu's words, Kazuku didn't find it strange that Fire Release couldn't deal damage.
The Uchiha's Fire Release never seemed to kill anyone!
Just as they prepared to let the one-horned rhino pass…
The massive beast, as if sensing something extraordinary, roared again in their direction.
The sound formed an invisible shockwave, shaking half the leaves off the trees.
Birds of all kinds fled in panic, flying into the sky to escape.
"It's spotted me…" Koharu instinctively began signaling, but her gesture stopped halfway.
The ground beneath her and Kazuku began to shake and rise.
It was as if the earth itself was collapsing.
Hiruzen and the others paled in fear.
Kazuku and Koharu weren't standing on solid ground!
In that moment, they realized why the rhino had noticed them.
And why it had let out such an exaggerated roar.
It was a warning!
Warning another beast that had entered its territory!
The "ground" beneath Kazuku was actually a giant black centipede, nearly ten meters long, its shell like steel.
It arched its front half, trying to straighten its body.
In a panic, Koharu shouted at Kazuku not to move. She swiftly drew a kunai, channeling chakra to her feet to stick to the centipede's back.
One hand grabbed Kazuku's clothes to keep him from falling, while the other drove the kunai into the centipede's weaker joint with a burst of muscle strength.
Bang!
The kunai snapped on impact, its sharp end flying back and embedding into Koharu's collarbone.
The intense pain caused a momentary lapse, and the centipede's thrashing flung both her and Kazuku off.
At the critical moment, Kazuku adjusted his center of gravity mid-air, catching Koharu's back with one hand and her legs with the other.
In a princess carry, he landed steadily with her.
Thud.
As soon as Kazuku regained his footing, he dropped Koharu to the ground.
It wasn't that he lacked the strength to hold her, but both the one-horned rhino and the black centipede were charging.
The rhino lowered its head, stampeding forward, shaking the earth.
Their targets were each other, completely ignoring Kazuku and Koharu.
But…
Kazuku and Koharu had landed right in the path of these two behemoths.
This was bad.
Hiruzen and the others' pupils dilated, their faces turning pale.
No matter what, Kazuku was the First Hokage's grandson!
If he got hurt here, not only would Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama be furious, but they'd feel deep guilt and self-blame.
Yet, from their positions, they couldn't reach him in time.
Meanwhile, at the Forest of Death's entrance…
Tobirama stared intently at the crystal ball, unable to believe Kazuku's first training had landed him in such danger.
If anything happened to him, how could he face his brother?
In that moment, he even saw visions of Itama's corpse.
Flying Thunder God!
(End of Chapter)