Tsunade, you're really drunk!

"Hey, do you guys know what the police department is doing? Why are there so many people building such a big stage?"

"Hey, brother, how come you don't even know this? The police department posted a notice three days ago."

"Yes, yes. It is said that this celebration is held to summarize the achievements of the reform of the police department."

"Yes, by the way, I got the news from my cousin's wife's brother's sister-in-law that after the celebration, all customers at Akimichi's barbecue restaurant will eat and drink for free tonight! Everything will be paid for by the police department!"

"Is your...sister-in-law's information reliable?"

"Of course my cousin's wife's brother's sister-in-law has already joined the 49th Squad of the Police Department. This is gossip!"

The three villagers were standing not far from the entrance of the police department.

The entire police department at the door was busy setting up a new stage.

Not only these three villagers, but other villagers as well, gathered in groups of three or four with acquaintances to participate in today's Uchiha celebration.

……

Inside the Hokage Building.

"Hiruzen! How could you allow the Uchiha clan to do such a thing! Don't you know how dangerous the Uchiha clan is!?"

Danzo stormed into the Hokage's office angrily, slamming the cane in his hand heavily on the floor, making an irritating sound.

Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe, took a deep puff, and started puffing out smoke.

"Danzo, you think too much. The Uchiha celebration this time was approved by me, and all matters have been reported to me. Moreover, I have already asked the Anbu to monitor it. What danger can there be?"

Seeing Hiruzen looking confident of victory, Danzo felt increasingly unhappy and thought back to that night.

Damn it! It was all because of my hesitation. I should have been the Hokage!

Of course, Danzo didn't dare say this in front of Hiruzen, and only dared to say a few words in his heart.

"What's the point of the police department organizing these meaningless celebrations? Isn't it a waste of the village's financial allocation? We don't even have enough funds for the training of the Root. When did our Konoha become so wealthy?"

Hiruzen took another drag on his pipe, his expression starting to sour.

"Danzo, this celebration of the Uchiha Police Department was paid for by the Uchiha themselves, and I have reviewed everything and have taken care of it all."

"How dare you talk to me about the Root's funding? Do you think I don't know that you went to several major families and forcibly took children back to the Root not long ago? You even dared to forge my Hokage warrant!"

Hiruzen slammed the pipe in his hand onto the table, his eyebrows knitted together.

"I don't care about other families, forget it, but you have to let Hyuga Neji go back. You have to know that his father Hyuga Hizashi has already lost his life for the village! How could you kidnap him!"

Danzo sneered, with a sarcastic and mocking expression on his face.

"Humph!"

"Huruzen, it's too late. I have marked all the children with the Tongue-Extermination Mark. It's too late. It's too late. They will never be able to leave the Root in this lifetime."

He stood up suddenly, smashing the dark brown chair directly to the ground, and Hiruzen stood up, pointing at Danzo.

"How could you treat these children like this! You! Danzo, you really went too far this time. No matter what, you must send these children back this time!"

To Danzo, Hiruzen's words sounded like whining, because this was already an impossible thing. Once the seal of wiping out the tongue was planted, there was no possibility of removing it unless one of the caster or the recipient died.

The recipient of the spell will never be able to reveal the information specified by the caster for his entire life, and even life and death depends on the caster's decision.

"Why, do you want me to commit suicide to remove the spell from these children? I am the root of the village. Where there is light, there must be shadow. Where there are trees, there must be roots. Hiruzen, you can't live without me!"

Danzo thought he had Hiruzen under control. After all, after decades of getting along with each other, the two had become inseparable, and Danzo already understood Hiruzen's character thoroughly.

The fact was just as Danzo had thought. Hiruzen just sighed, because he knew it was too late. It was his repeated indulgence of Danzo that made Danzo become what he is now.

"Forget about it this time. The funding for the Root Department will be cut in half next year."

"What! How can you cut the funding for my root? Why?!"

"We'll use the cuts to clean up your mess this time! We'll use them to compensate these families!"

Danzo then stopped and put his hands on his cane, tapping the ground again.

"Hiruzen, don't forget the teacher's will. The Uchiha will always be unstable! I do all this because of the teacher's will! The Uchiha are a clan that is born evil!"

Hiruzen lifted up his chair, sat down, and took a few more puffs of his pipe, thinking back to what his teacher had once told him.

"Monkey, although the Uchiha are a naturally evil and dangerous clan, their love is more sincere than any other clan. You must handle the Uchiha properly. When you can appease the Uchiha, you will be a qualified Hokage."

This is what Tobirama Senju said privately to Sarutobi Hiruzen before he left. It was the entrustment from the Second Hokage to the Third Hokage.

Hiruzen opened his eyes, and his gaze regained the sharpness that it once had as a ninja hero.

"Danzo, no matter what, the Uchiha have always been a member of the village. In the past, we had to take special measures to deal with the Uchiha, but now, the Uchiha show signs of integrating into the village. I will never allow you to take action against the Uchiha again!"

"You have to remember! Danzo! I am the Hokage!"

When Danzo heard Hiruzen say this again, countless frustrations and resentments surged from his heart.

"Hiruzen! You will regret it!"

After saying some harsh words, he slammed the door and left.

Seeing Danzo leave, Hiruzen turned his chair and looked out the window in the direction of the Police Department. The stage for the celebration had already been set up and could be seen from such a distance.

A smile unconsciously appeared on Hiruzen's face, and Hiruzen slowly closed his eyes.

The words that Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju had said to him began to emerge from his memory.

"Hahaha, Monkey, you must not be as addicted to gambling as I am in the future."

"Monkey! Your ninjutsu hand seals are too slow! Your chakra is still too chaotic! Go climb the tree ten more times and keep practicing!"

"Monkey...you must practice well with Tobirama in the future...you are the future of Konoha..."

"Monkey! From today on you are the Hokage of Konoha! As the Kage of the village, it is my responsibility to protect the next generation! Let's go!"

"Tobirama... I'm sorry Madara... You must take good care of Uchiha, Monkey, and you too. If possible, I really want to see how prosperous the village will be in the future..."

"Monkey, I failed to properly handle the Uchiha issue. Although it has not erupted yet, the conflict in the police department will definitely erupt in ten or twenty years. You must solve it properly. This is why I accepted Uchiha Jing as my disciple. I hope he can serve as a bridge... I failed to fulfill my eldest brother's last wish, so I will entrust it to you, the third generation Hokage!"

He slowly opened his eyes. They were no longer as black as when he was young. Now they had turned gray and chaotic, having long lost their former clarity.

But it exudes a radiant brilliance and has a charm, looking up at the white clouds in the sky...

"Shodai-sama, Tobirama-sensei..."

"Have I finally been able to fulfill your wish..."

"Can I still be called a ninja with the will of fire now?"

A line of clear tears flowed from his stained eyes and flowed down Hiruzen's old, weathered, wrinkled, tan skin.