Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

Hashirama Senju shook his head in disappointment, while Tobirama Senju's eyes widened in fury: "I must have been blind!"

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, you, the Third Hokage, actually beg for mercy for your own son?"

"It's human nature for you to seek personal gain; your humiliating concessions to Kumogakure may stem from poor judgment or a lack of ruthlessness; your unfair internal distribution may be due to insufficient ability; your boundless indulgence of Shimura Danzo may be due to being too sentimental..."

"Although these are all mistakes, they are merely due to a lack of ability and errors in methodology!"

"But by begging for mercy for your son, you have completely betrayed your responsibility and the honor of the Hokage!"

"Yes, you did say at the end that innocent Konoha ninjas should be spared, but ask yourself honestly, was that just something you said offhand, or did you genuinely care about them?"

Tobirama Senju's question struck Hiruzen Sarutobi like a thunderbolt, leaving him frozen in place, clutching his son.

Hashirama Senju sighed, looking at his already crumbling Edo Tensei body, and said to Tobirama Senju, "Tobirama, we don't have time."

"Let the Konoha ninja handle the rest."

Only then did Tobirama Senju realize that his own body was also beginning to break down.

He turned to Orochimaru, who was outside the battlefield, and angrily scolded him, "You brat, why didn't you prepare the offerings properly? You've made it impossible for me to get things done!"

Orochimaru helplessly spread his hands: "Second Hokage, this is not my fault, and it has nothing to do with the sacrifice."

"This is the limit of the forbidden technique, Impure World Reincarnation."

"The Impure World Reincarnation technique you developed is fundamentally based on the idea that 'as long as it works, it's fine.' It's full of wildly imaginative ideas and piles up with even more errors..."

"How could I possibly resolve this in such a short time?"

Tobirama Senju: "..."

He remembered; it really wasn't Orochimaru's fault.

The Impure World Reincarnation Technique was originally designed to replace the Mutual Explosion Tags Technique. It was a ninjutsu that allowed a dead person to die in place of the user in order to avoid being blown up.

Seeing his younger brother's embarrassed expression, Hashirama Senju laughed heartily: "Tobirama, to think that a Konoha ninja could leave you speechless in terms of ninjutsu development."

"Our Konoha Village has some talented younger generations!"

"Kid, we're both running out of steam now, can you handle it?"

Orochimaru did not answer, but turned to look at Yamanaka Hatsukyu.

He has absolute confidence in his personal combat skills and in his research on ninjutsu.

However, in military command and political struggle, (subject) has more faith in the command and arrangements of Yamanaka Chujiu.

Yamanaka Hatsukyu confidently raised his hand, pointing towards Konoha Village: "Orochimaru-sensei, and the two Hokage, did you hear me?"

"Konoha Village is awakening, determined to break free from the rotten shackles of its past and oppression, and to welcome the resounding echoes of new life..."

Orochimaru, Hashirama Senju, and Tobirama Senju turned their heads and looked towards the east gate of Konoha Village.

They saw Konoha ninja leaping across rooftops, heard the footsteps of large groups of ninjas, and even heard the weak sounds of ANBU ninjas and the four great ninja clans being destroyed as they tried to stop them.

Tobirama Senju smiled: "Konoha Village... there is still hope!"

Hashirama Senju smiled as well: "My efforts have not been in vain, and my ideals have not been shattered."

The two Hokage said to Orochimaru, "We're entrusting Konoha to you, Orochimaru!"

"Please rectify Hiruzen Sarutobi's mistakes, cleanse the atmosphere he left behind, and make Konoha great again!"

Orochimaru: "Hehehe, leave it to me. But the two Hokage should place their hopes on my student."

He patted Yamanaka Hatsuyuki on the shoulder: "He is Konoha's hope for a great future!"

Orochimaru's eyes shone with pure light, devoid of any greed for power, only the ease and relief of delegating responsibility.

Of course, there's also the relief of "finally finding someone to take over."

Hashirama Senju keenly noticed this, and a joyful smile flashed in his eyes.

His smile gradually crumbled: "Alright, I'm really looking forward to the future Konoha Village. I really want to see it with my own eyes..."

Orochimaru promised, "That's easy. Once Konoha is completely stable and has reached a new peak, I will use the Impure World Reincarnation again to invite the First and Second Hokage back to see us."

Yamanaka Hatsukyuu said, "Orochimaru-sensei's idea is really good!"

"I will work hard to make Konoha a better place and make Konoha great again. At that time, not only the two Hokage can come back to see it, but also all the Konoha ninjas who fought and sacrificed for the village can come back to see it."

"I will let our fallen ancestors know that their sacrifice was not in vain."

Tobirama Senju's cold expression finally crumbled, revealing a look of anticipation and longing: "I'm really looking forward to it..."

"Orochimaru, Yamanaka Hatsukyu, you are both very good, truly very good!"

The bodies of the two Hokage collapsed, the reanimated soil scattered everywhere, and then they disappeared without a trace in mid-air.

On the ground where they stood, only two blackened, withered corpses, resembling skeletons, remained.

Yamanaka Hatsukyu asked curiously, "Orochimaru-sensei, where did you get these offerings from?"

Orochimaru replied, "We just finished fighting Kirigakure, so of course they're the captured Kirigakure Jonin."

Yamanaka Chuuku nodded and said, "No wonder the Second Hokage's power is comparable to that of the First Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding his son, watched as his teacher and the First Hokage disappeared, his mind unable to process what had happened.

The surviving Sarutobi Masao shouted, "The First and Second Hokage are gone! The Edo Tensei is over!"

"Sarutobi ninjas, it's time for us to fight back!"

Koharu, the ninja of Utatane, screamed hoarsely, "Utatane ninjas, kill Orochimaru and Yamanaka Hatsukyu!"

She then called out to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Hiruzen, stop spacing out!"

"Our teacher has returned to the Pure Land, and the First Hokage is no longer in this world. Now you are the only Hokage, and you are the supreme leader of Konoha!"

"Think of Danzo who was killed, think of the dead Yan, and the overwhelming stench of blood on the battlefield. The two Hokage must have been controlled by Orochimaru to commit such brutal atrocities!"

"You must stand up, lead us to defeat Orochimaru, capture him, put him on trial, and thoroughly punish his crimes in order to save Konoha!"

Sarutobi Asuma also said, "Father, you can't give up like this. You have to lead Konoha back on track!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze gradually hardened from confusion to determination: "That's right, I am the Third Hokage, I am the supreme leader of Konoha!"

"If Tobirama Senju chose me to portray the Third Hokage, he definitely won't criticize me!"

"Orochimaru must have been behind those accusations against me!"

"It must be!"

"Konoha ninjas, join me in defeating Orochimaru and ending the crisis in Konoha!"

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, the morale of the ninjas—Sarutobi, Utatane, Mitomon, and Shimura—quickly returned to high levels.

"yes!"

"Kill Orochimaru!"