Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

This was the first time Sarutobi Asuma had ever seen his father so helpless.

Faced with the approaching ninjas from various clans, and seeing his clansmen lying on the ground, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who could do nothing but tremble all over, showed no trace of his former self as the Third Hokage.

It was at this very moment that Asuma, as if struck by a sudden enlightenment, suddenly understood everything.

He struggled to his feet, slowly walked to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and knelt down with a thud.

Asma's eyes were filled with guilt: "Father, I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble."

"It's my fault for causing trouble for you, making it impossible for you to protect Konoha Village, and even the Sarutobi clan..."

"We've lost, we've lost completely..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was covered in wounds, his armor stained with blood, and tears streamed down his face.

He looked at Mitokado Homura's corpse, at the Sarutobi clan ninja lying on the ground, and at the ninjas from various clans who were constantly approaching, his heart filled with pain and regret.

Hiruzen Sarutobi forced a smile through his pain: "No, Asuma, this isn't your fault."

"You did cause me a lot of trouble, but that has nothing to do with how things ended today."

"The one who should be apologizing... is actually me!"

"Teacher Tobirama is right. I was too obsessed with power and blinded by the interests of my family. I indulged Shimura Danzo without any limits, which led to this disaster."

"I wasn't unaware that the Sarutobi clan had seized too many benefits, but I thought it was no big deal to take over. That's why, due to the twists of fate, we are now facing annihilation."

"It's my fault. I'm sorry, Konoha. I've plunged Konoha into civil war..."

"Thinking about it carefully, I seem to have hurt a lot of Konoha ninjas. I really am a Hokage with a lot of sins."

Orochimaru appeared in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi: "I didn't expect that at the last moment, you would actually come to your senses, Sarutobi-sensei."

"It seems that the corrupting influence of power on people's hearts is truly terrifying."

"But no matter what, you have completely lost now, teacher. For the sake of peace in Konoha and to reduce the losses of Konoha ninja, please surrender publicly."

Sarutobi Asuma roared, "Orochimaru, how dare you show your face before my father!"

Orochimaru chuckled nonchalantly: "Asuma, what right do you, a rogue ninja, have to yell at me like that?"

Asuma was bewildered: "Me, a rogue ninja?"

"You're talking nonsense! I'm not a rogue ninja!"

Shan Zhong Chu Jiu sneered, "You are!"

"You have betrayed the order and discipline of Konoha Village and joined the Twelve Guardian Ninjas as an individual. You are no longer a Konoha ninja."

"Look at your headband. You even threw away your Konoha headband, and you're not a rogue ninja? Then who is?"

Sarutobi Asuma reached out and touched his headband, feeling the "fire" syllable representing his daimyo, and was utterly speechless.

Yamanaka Chukyu said, "Get out of the way and don't cause trouble for my Orochimaru teacher. Let the master and disciple properly complete the handover and succession between the Hokage."

At this time, the smaller ninja clans had already wiped out the ninjas of the four major clans. Two Hyuga ninjas rushed over under the orders of Yamanaka Hatsukyu, pinned down the seriously injured Sarutobi Asuma, bandaged him up briefly, and dragged him away.

Yamanaka Chujiu also retreated a considerable distance, leaving Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi alone.

At least he appears to be alone.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru: "You've grown up. You're no longer the exceptionally talented, aloof, and withdrawn boy who needed my careful guidance and instruction."

"Tobirama-sensei made me realize that I was wrong in the past, so can you avoid making mistakes?"

His heart was filled with mixed feelings: regret, sorrow, and resentment, but no resentment.

Having shared a decades-long master-disciple relationship, he understood Orochimaru's obsession better than anyone else, knowing that he did not have a lust for power.

Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils were devoid of emotion: "Sarutobi-sensei, you always said you would dedicate your life to protecting Konoha, the villagers, and the peace of the ninja world."

"But what you are protecting is no longer the existence of Konoha, but a monster that parasitizes Konoha Village, desperately sucking blood and gnawing on flesh and bones, and a rigid and corrupt system."

"The Konoha leadership is complacent, clinging to power, suppressing new forces, and adhering to outdated factional rules."

"Ninja academy teaching has become increasingly simplified, the channels for commoner ninjas to access advanced ninjutsu have been cut off, the four major clans have strict barriers and serious class solidification."

"When you weren't Hokage, Jiraiya and I were able to become your students, Might Dai was able to learn the Eight Gates Formation, a small ninja clan like Kato Dan was able to learn the Spirit Transformation Technique, and Hatake Sakumo was able to rise to prominence."

"But now, commoner ninjas cannot become apprentices of Jonin, and even if they try their best all their lives, it is difficult for them to be promoted to Chunin."

"Without a continuous stream of powerful ninjas rising up, Konoha Village was stretched thin in the face of the siege of the four great ninja villages, and had no choice but to send ten-year-old genin to the battlefield."

"The large number of children's deaths plunged you into despair and grief, and you unknowingly became a different person."

"You have begun to be inflexible and yielding to external forces, and rigid and conservative internally, only thinking about living a peaceful life. You have completely lost your drive to advance and further reduced the chances of commoner ninjas rising to prominence."

"In the end, it's because you've been Hokage for too long that you've become corrupted and degenerate, making you Konoha's greatest enemy."

Orochimaru's analysis was sharp and accurately hit the nail on the head regarding Konoha's long-standing problems.

At another time, the Third Hokage would absolutely not listen; he would only angrily rebuke Orochimaru for talking nonsense and tell him to get out.

But after being brutally beaten by Tobirama Senju and Hashirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally listened to reason.

He slowly closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi reopened his eyes, his gaze had become calm: "Orochimaru, you were right."

"You defeated me today not because you killed your teacher or betrayed your clan, but because you broke the old shackles on Konoha."

"Now that the outcome is decided, the future of Konoha is in your hands."

Orochimaru's lips curled into a very faint smile, but he wasn't actually smiling: "Finally, Sarutobi-sensei has figured out what I'm thinking."

"Konoha Village has been established for nearly fifty years. Its former order is no longer suitable for the times. Konoha, which clings to the old rules, will only decline step by step."

"I will lead Yamanaka Chugu to break with the old and establish the new, destroy the monopoly of the upper class, open up the channels for upward mobility, and open up the channels for the spread of ninjutsu."

"I will make Konoha Village great again, standing firmly at the top of the ninja world."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, supporting his broken body, and slowly straightened his back, handing the tattered Hokage hat to Orochimaru, thus completing the Hokage handover ceremony.

His tone was extremely solemn: "I have ruled Konoha for decades, and while I have been good at maintaining the status quo, I have not been good at expanding it, and I have failed to eradicate the deep-seated problems of Konoha. Now that I am exhausted and defeated, and unable to protect Konoha, I formally entrust the will of the Hokage and the authority of Konoha to you."

"I'm leaving everything to you."