Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

"Senior Chu Jiu, the 'kill line' you told me about yesterday... Is Konoha Village really that dark?"

"Itachi, Konoha is an extremely powerful place, its brilliance is enough to illuminate the ninja world, but you must know that the brighter the light, the darker the shadow it casts."

"Of course, the shadow cast by Konoha Village right now... is indeed a bit too great."

"Senior, what would it be like if the shadow weren't so big? Would it be a paradise of pure light?"

"No, there is no difference between pure light and pure darkness. Heaven and hell are one and the same. Only a colorful and vibrant world is a happy one."

"I don't understand……"

Do you like your younger brother?

"I love it, I really love it!"

"Haha, you don't hide your affection for your younger brother at all."

"So when your younger brother grows up and you play hide-and-seek together, will you prepare some little jokes to scare him?"

Of course.

"This is also darkness."

"How could that be?"

"Because darkness and light cannot define themselves, they need to depend on each other to determine their own meaning."

"If you pursue absolute light and eliminate all true evil, then harmless jokes will become darkness because they are not gentle enough."

"...Senior Chu Jiu, what do you think the best Konoha Village would be like?"

"Yes, it's vibrant, with equal opportunities and equality of human dignity. Although there are still dark places, the light keeps trying to penetrate, allowing even the most tragically fortunate to see hope."

"That's great... Senior, tell me about the shadow of Konoha. Is it the Third Hokage?"

"No, but Hiruzen Sarutobi is the source of the enormous shadow."

"In other words, if we kill the Third Hokage, Konoha Village can be saved."

"..."

"You can't think like that. Itachi, the world isn't that simple. It's not black and white, and killing one person can't solve the problem."

"Does that you mean killing Hiruzen Sarutobi now would only make things worse?"

"right."

For the first time, Shan Zhongchu Jiu felt that sometimes an extremely intelligent child is more frustrating than an extremely stupid child; even a neurotic's thinking might not be able to shift so smoothly.

His original plan was to instill information and knowledge, overload Itachi Uchiha's brain, and thus cause the dream to collapse gently.

But Itachi Uchiha was the kind of genius who could grasp things instantly, learn them quickly, and apply what he learned to other situations.

No matter how difficult the social knowledge that Chu Jiu instilled in him was, he could quickly understand and accept it.

The educational pleasure he experienced was so intense and addictive that he unknowingly talked about far too much.

When Yamanaka Hatsukyu casually remarked, "As the Hokage who wields power, Hiruzen Sarutobi needs to be responsible for all the problems of Konoha Village,"

"This is what they call: With great power comes great responsibility!"

After that, their conversation inevitably turned to the Third Hokage. Itachi Uchiha listened intently with wide, round eyes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi isn't a bad person, but he's not a qualified Hokage either, at least not right now.

In domestic affairs, he continued the Second Hokage's policy of "supporting commoners and suppressing ninja clans".

He vigorously promoted the popularization of ninja education, expanded the enrollment scale of ninja schools, and greatly increased the number of ninjas in Konoha Village.

He used civilian ninjas as his base, and employed task allocation and resource management to ease tensions between ninja clans, promote rapid economic development, and ensure a sufficient supply of materials.

He vigorously promoted the "Will of Fire," using its spirit to inspire and unite the hearts of Konoha ninjas, making Konoha Village even stronger and solidifying its position as the strongest ninja village in the ninja world.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi never left Konoha Village and did not directly participate in wars, his title of "Hero of the Ninja" was well-deserved.

However, as Hiruzen Sarutobi grew older and his strength was no longer at its peak, he gradually lost his confidence.

The most iconic turning point was the suicide of Konoha's White Fang. On that day, not only did Hatake Sakumo die, but also Hiruzen Sarutobi, nicknamed "The Oath-Hero," and was replaced by the Third Hokage, known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu."

The Third Hokage was a collection of contradictions.

He skillfully won over the ninja clans with appeasement, yet allowed Danzo Shimura to persecute the Uchiha and other ninja clans.

His love for children remains genuine, and he will even send children under ten years old to the battlefield.

He strongly supported Minato Namikaze while forcefully suppressing Orochimaru, whose reputation was rising.

He devoted all his efforts to handling village affairs, and without hesitation sidelined the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

He was strict with his son, but turned a blind eye to the expansion of the Sarutobi clan.

He championed the "Will of Fire," yet allowed the Hokage advisors to wield power.

What the Konoha ninjas found most unbearable was the Third Hokage's increasing weakness towards his enemies.

Konoha won the war, and the Third Hokage took the initiative to negotiate peace with Onoki, giving up war reparations and large tracts of land, simply to reach a peace agreement as quickly as possible.

The unprincipled compromise did not move Onoki; instead, it made the Fourth Raikage see Hiruzen Sarutobi's weakness and fueled the Cloud Village's sense of complacency.

The war thus lasted longer, and Konoha paid a greater price.

Konoha Village, the victor, was so impoverished that it even began to default on its compensation payments.

Yamanaka Chukyu knew that what he said in the dream would affect Uchiha Itachi, but it would not leave any specific memories.

So he spoke frankly, "Itachi, don't you think it's time for the Third Hokage, who was initially wise but later became foolish, and could be considered a master of illusion, to retire completely?"

Uchiha Itachi firmly stated, "Hatsukyu-senpai is right, the Third Hokage should have retired long ago!"

"Konoha shouldn't be in arrears on compensation, shouldn't have any kill lines, shouldn't be threatened by war... In short, Konoha shouldn't be like this!"

"For the sake of Konoha, we must defeat the incompetent Third Hokage!"

As Itachi Uchiha solidified his belief in defeating the Third Hokage, Hatsukyu Yamanaka watched with satisfaction as the dream world of Tsukuyomi changed.

The red moon quietly transformed into a silver moon, and although the sky was still red, its brightness had increased significantly.

More importantly, the blood and gore on the ground was rapidly decreasing and completely disappeared under the watchful eyes of Chu Jiu in the mountains.

But Yamanaka Chukyu was also surprised to find that Uchiha Itachi himself had not become clean. His body was covered in mud and his face was covered in blood, with only his eyes shining brightly.

Uchiha Itachi looked at Yamanaka Hatsuyu with a determined gaze and said, "Senpai is right. Only by becoming brave and facing the bloodshed and brutality of war can I have peace and tranquility behind me."

Sure enough, this kid is a martyr at heart.

Coincidentally, the same applies to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which is why they are able to understand each other.

The finest men of China spend their lives searching for an opportunity to make their death ceremonial and to leave their mark on history.

He simply wouldn't sacrifice himself for Konoha.