Board Thread:Versus Debates/@comment-31337598-20170812163641/@comment-3523655-20170815232553

I checked the english translation (both viz and mangastream) the french translation, the italian translation, and asked for confirmation on the japanese translation from a buddy.

In each one of these sources, he's saying something along the lines of: "im the strongest one here" or "if anyone here has got the highest chance of survival, it's me". At no point is it specified whether or not he included Tobirama in his count or not.

So to be frank, we're both technically making assumptions.

However, Hiruzen has been portrayed as a prodigy child, acing the classes, getting trained by both hokages, etc etc. A prodigy, like Sasuke who basically surpassed Kakashi by the time he had obtained an eternal mangekyo. A prodigy like Kakashi who made Jonin at the age of, what, 13? A prodigy like Itachi who was an anbu by that same age (i think...?).

If a non-prodigy like Naruto can surpass his master Kakashi by the "Pain" arc, then I got no problems at all thinking that a Hiruzen in his 20s, a character who was considered a prodigy, has surpassed Tobirama.