Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

Orochimaru raised his hand and gently took the heavy Hokage hat.

Only when he touched it did he realize that the fabric was very rough, and it was even more itchy and uncomfortable when worn on his head.

What's even more annoying is that this straw hat bears the weight of decades of time and responsibility, as well as the same amount of greasy hair from the same years...

Orochimaru tried it on his head, and after confirming that it was very uncomfortable, he silently took it off and handed it to Yamanaka Hatsukyu.

Yamanaka Chuu walked over, looking completely bewildered, and took the Hokage hat with both hands: "What does this mean?"

Orochimaru laughed and said, "As my student, isn't it only right that you clean it up for me?"

Shanzhong Chujiu: "Oh, okay."

Orochimaru smiled happily, much happier than when he received his teacher's straw hat.

He turned to his teacher, Sarutobi: "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi earnestly said, "I do not ask that you continue my way of governing the country, I only ask that you remember your original intention."

"No matter how you reform the system, break the old rules, or overturn the past and reshape the landscape, never forget that you are here to protect Konoha and not to destroy the roots of Konoha."

Orochimaru shook his head: "Sarutobi-sensei, your last statement is incorrect."

"Of course I'm protecting Konoha, but what I'm protecting isn't the so-called roots of Konoha, but the ninjas and villagers of Konoha, and a system that protects children as they grow up and doesn't push them onto the battlefield."

"Sarutobi-sensei, if your original intention is also to protect children, then I agree with you, even though we may have different paths."

"But in my view, what you have done is merely to protect the rules that are already in operation and to maintain superficial peace and stability."

Orochimaru's voice was calm and firm: "But I don't care about any rules, I don't care about peace, I only care about whether the village can let me study ninjutsu in peace."

"To achieve this goal, I will resolve all the problems in Konoha Village, destroy the current stability, and exchange it for a longer period of prosperity."

"I will not destroy Konoha, I will rebuild Konoha."

"The First Hokage ended the Warring States period, and I will usher in a new era for ninja villages."

"I will destroy the decay that hinders Konoha's progress, eliminate the outdated rules that bind the village, and free Konoha from internal strife and stagnation, making it the freest, most prosperous, and most vibrant village in the ninja world."

"Thus, as the Hokage of Konoha, I will gain the greatest freedom in the ninja world, and I can do whatever I want!"

Yamanaka Chujiu gave a thumbs up: "Well said. The strongest can do whatever they want. No matter what Orochimaru-sensei does, someone will stand up and explain everything for you."

"What human experimentation, live experimentation... Didn't the Second Hokage do that?"

"Didn't Shimura Danzo do that too?"

"Didn't Hiruzen Sarutobi sign off on this?"

"hehe……"

Faced with the mockery of his grand-disciple, Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes in anguish: "Alas, it's all my fault..."

"But if I make a mistake, can Orochimaru do whatever he wants with impunity?"

Yamanaka Chuuku sighed, "Hiruzen Sarutobi, things have come to this point, so stop putting yourself on a moral high ground and pointing fingers at my Orochimaru-sensei."

"You don't deserve it!"

"You don't deserve it! Do you understand?"

Shan Zhongchu took a deep breath and launched into his Confucian debate mode: "Who told you that human experimentation is wrong?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was struck dumb, and after a long pause, he asked in a heavy tone, "Hatsukyu Yamanaka, do you know what kind of nonsense you're spouting?"

"Orochimaru's human experiments, live experiments, and forbidden techniques research have cost the lives of countless Konoha villagers and ninjas, and destroyed countless families. How could it not be wrong?"

Yamanaka Chujiu sneered, "You say Orochimaru-sensei's human experimentation is an inhumane atrocity, but I'd like to ask: Did you see it?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Shimura Danzo has reported..."

Yamanaka Chukyu: "Hasn't Shimura Danzo told enough lies? Is everything he says true?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned. Yamanaka Hatsukyu continued, "Even if Orochimaru-sensei really did it, so what?"

"The forbidden techniques developed by the Second Hokage filled such a huge scroll; didn't he conduct human experiments?"

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, didn't you yourself approve the 'Wood Release: Reappearance' plan? Isn't that human experimentation?"

"Why is it that what two generations of Hokage were doing becomes an unforgivable crime when it comes to my teacher?"

"More importantly, you haven't even verified Hiruzen Sarutobi's identity yet, but you've already convicted Orochimaru-sensei and started fabricating stories about how many families he caused to break up..."

"Wait a minute, preventing Orochimaru from becoming Hokage and forcibly promoting Minato Namikaze to the position of Fourth Hokage is using Orochimaru's crimes as an excuse to strip him of his power and achievements, isn't it?"

"Heh, you yourself approved human experiments and that's not a crime, but you guess Orochimaru-sensei committed a crime and you can be punished silently... I'm speechless."

"Even if we assume Orochimaru did conduct human experiments, would that compare to the number of Konoha ninja who died on the battlefield?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was finally able to speak up and refute: "War and slaughter are the destiny of ninjas. Once you're on the battlefield, you should accept your fate."

"No amount of bloodshed on the battlefield can compare to the experimentation on innocent villagers and children. That is against nature and morality, and absolutely not the right path!"

"Destiny?"

"right way?"

Yamanaka Chuku softly countered, "Sarutobi Hiruzen, you say the right path is to stick to the present and not explore beyond your understanding, right?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said, "Of course not."

On the ninth day of the ninth month, Shan Zhong pressed, "Then what is the true path?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth, but didn't utter a single word.

Because he discovered that the righteous path he insisted on, when truly put into words, boiled down to the word "conservatism"—keeping his familiar environment, his familiar ninjutsu, everything familiar, and not changing anything.

However, despite his best efforts to maintain the status quo, Konoha Village still changed.

They simply became weak, fearful of war, and could only passively wait for the enemy's attack.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, having grown accustomed to being passive, developed an instinctive aversion to actively retaliating on enemy territory, which he then directed his anger at Orochimaru.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time, his heart filled with mixed feelings of guilt, helplessness, and melancholy.

After a long while, he slowly closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh.

"I was wrong, Orochimaru. I'm entrusting Konoha to you. Rebuild Konoha according to your vision."

"My heart is too old to keep up with the times; it is indeed time for it to come to an end."

His fists slowly loosened, and his back became noticeably hunched.

"I have only one request: no, please don't exterminate the Sarutobi clan..."