[As the war dragged on, it devolved into a war of attrition between nations. Only after countless shinobis and civilians had died, the Five Great Nations were severely weakened, and the interests of the hidden villages had basically reached a balance—only then did the Third Great Ninja War finally come to an end.]
[Compared to the relatively relaxed and restrained nature of the Second War, Konoha appeared glorious and formidable in the Third War, with an abundance of high-tier combatants while Kirigakure, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure seemed to suffer heavy losses.]
[However, Konoha's reserve of grassroots shinobis was also completely exhausted. Even students from the Ninja Academy had been thrown into the battlefield. If the war had continued even a little longer, the village would have faced a near-generational collapse.]
[The outcome was merely a pyrrhic victory. Therefore, Sarutobi Hiruzen strongly favored a defensive approach in military matters. His ability could only be said to be barely passing, yet he was prone to lapses that enemies could exploit—relying purely on Konoha's solid foundation to secure victory.]
Hashirama felt a chill running down his spine as he watched.
He had never expected that the village he had built would eventually fight to the point of generational collapse due to war, recreating the situation from the Sengoku era where children as young as five or six were sent to the battlefield.
Nothing had changed at all!
Was the "one country, one village" system truly a mistake?
How could true peace ever be achieved then?
Madara stood with his arms crossed, expressionless as he watched the Sky Screen. No one knew what was going through his mind.
---
[In summary, Sarutobi Hiruzen served as Konoha's stabilizing anchor, dedicating his entire life to protecting the village and maintaining Konoha's survival and strength through difficult times. However, he was also a Hokage who failed to take decisive action. His boundless compromises ultimately came at a terrible cost. He could have done much better, yet always seemed to choose the worst option.]
[Overall evaluation: A powerful Shinobi, a mediocre politician, and a Hokage with an excessively long tenure.]
As the final words of the evaluation ended, people across the Shinobi World's various timelines prepared to continue watching—only to see the Sky Screen slowly fade away, leaving only its luminous edges, just as it had been at the very beginning.
[Konoha, Year 60 · Hokage Office]
An elderly Hiruzen was still standing by the window, hands behind his back, his pipe long extinguished. Even though the Sky Screen had disappeared, his body remained motionless, like a statue.
Then, an angry voice rang through the office, harsh and grating.
"Hiruzen!"
"Did you see that final evaluation?!"
Danzō, leaning on his cane, strode up behind Hiruzen.
"A mediocre politician, a Hokage with an excessively long tenure—you are truly a failure!"
"See? Your boundless compromises have cost us the initiative! The peace talks after the Third War, the Hyuga Incident, the Uchiha problem… which of these wasn't the result of your indecisiveness?!"
"If you had just listened to me—taken the initiative to strike against Iwagakure and Kirigakure during the Third War, would Konoha have been dragged into a war of attrition? Would we have lost so many shinobis?"
"Are you finished?"
Hiruzen's voice was calm.
Yet it brought Danzō's outburst to an abrupt halt.
Hiruzen slowly turned around. The twilight behind him casting his face in shadow.
The unusual calmness made Danzō feel a strange sense of unfamiliarity—even a flicker of unease.
Danzō gripped his cane tighter, mustered his courage, and forced out the words he had buried deep in his heart for decades.
"If you are mediocre, you should voluntarily step aside. Instead of choosing to be a Hokage with an excessively long tenure, occupying the position and dragging Konoha into the abyss."
Hiruzen looked at Danzō, he looked for a long time. Then he laughed—the sound growing louder and louder, with undisguised mockery.
"Danzō."
"In my entire life, I have indeed done many things wrong."
Hiruzen said with a sense of release.
"Seems to me now that my biggest mistake was being too indulgent with you."
Danzō's pupils suddenly contracted. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat dry.
Had he gone too far just now?
If he had known, he wouldn't have spoken his true feelings.
The thought flickered through his mind, but Danzō forced himself to straighten his back and maintain a tough expression. Yet his palms were gripping his cane so tightly it grew warm to the touch.
He had expected Hiruzen to sigh as usual, to say his ideas were too extreme, then reject the suggestion in a gentle but unquestionable manner.
Danzō was used to that pattern: he played the role of the sharp edge, Hiruzen played the role of compromise; he played the radical, Hiruzen played the balancer.
For decades, it had always been that way.
But today was different.
Hiruzen turned again, walked to his desk, gently set down his pipe, then lifted his eyes and looked directly at Danzō.
"Danzō."
"By the authority of the Hokage, I hereby order you—"
"You are to disband the Root within three days."
At this moment, Danzō felt his breath nearly stop. The sound of his heartbeat was deafeningly clear in the Hokage office.
His mouth hung open, his Adam's apple bobbed, but no sound came out.
"All organizational structures, personnel rosters, and supply inventories of Root… are to be transferred to the ANBU within three days."
Hiruzen continued, his tone steady, as if assigning an ordinary task.
"No form of retention, transfer, or destruction will be accepted."
"You… Hiruzen… You…"
Danzō's voice squeezed out from his throat, fragmented and barely coherent.
According to the Sky Screen, if Orochimaru insisted on carrying out the Konoha Crush Plan, Hiruzen had at most one year left as Hokage. In fact, Danzō could even help Orochimaru speed things up and make it happen sooner.
And now, Hiruzen's move to disband Root had a very clear goal: to pave the way for the Fifth Hokage.
Damn Hiruzen. He had just been saying that the Fifth Hokage could be him too—that he was also a disciple of the Hokage.
Wasn't this changing his mind a bit too quickly?
"Former Root members are to be evaluated and reassigned according to their individual wishes."
Hiruzen didn't look at him, continuing as if speaking to himself.
"Those who pass the evaluation may enter the ANBU. The remaining personnel, after retraining, will be integrated into regular shinobi squads. Records of prohibited experiments, illegal interrogations, assassination missions, and other unlawful activities are to be transferred to the Konoha Military Police Force for discretionary disposition."
"Hiruzen, you can't do this!!"
Danzō finally roared.
"Root is my life's work! I've done so many unspeakable things for Konoha—you know that better than anyone! All the dirty work no one else wanted to touch—I did it for you!"
His cane struck the floor heavily.
"Hiruzen! On what grounds do you—!"
"On the grounds that I am the Hokage."
Hiruzen's voice remained calm, but it cut off all of Danzō's protests.
The office fell into dead silence once more. Danzō leaned forward, his facial muscles twitching, his eyes fixed on Hiruzen.
Hiruzen also looked at him, without any evasion.
Forty years.
Forty years ago, they had been teammates under Tobirama. Hiruzen, Danzō, Kagami, Koharu, Homura, Torifu… six of them fighting side by side on the battlefield, discussing the future, dreaming of peace.
When had it all started to change?
Was it the moment Tobirama-sensei named his successor?
Or when Danzō became the Root in the shadows, frequently coming and going from that dark underground base?
Or perhaps… every time he, Hiruzen, chose to compromise?
Hiruzen didn't know.
Maybe, from the very beginning, he had been wrong.
"The order to disband Root takes effect immediately."
"You may retain your position as Hokage Advisor, and be responsible for compiling the Ninja Academy's teaching materials. If you wish."
Danzō's lips quivered, but no sound came out.
In the end, he turned around, his cane tapping against the floor.
When he reached the doorway, Danzō stopped. He didn't look back, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
"Hiruzen."
"You've chosen wrong once again."
"Perhaps."
"But as the Hokage, I will bear that responsibility."
Danzō's figure paused for a moment, then disappeared into the shadows of the corridor. The sound of his footsteps growing fainter and fainter, until they, too, vanished.
Alone in the Hokage office, Hiruzen stood there, looking at the open door for a long time. Then he slowly sat back down in his chair.
A moment later, he raised his head and spoke to the empty air:
"Come out."
From the shadows, a figure wearing a cat-faced mask emerged silently and knelt on one knee.
"Summon Jiraiya and Tsunade back to the village immediately. Also, keep an eye on Danzō. Make preparations to receive Root's members."
"Yes, sir."
"And…"
Hiruzen paused, his gaze lingering on the slightly yellowed teacher-student photo on his desk.
"Tell them… this is not an order. Just a request from their sensei."