Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Therefore,

After Zongxian made his decision

No one dared to express any opinion on Orochimaru's fate.

That's the end of the matter.

To be precise, very few people paid attention to Orochimaru's capture. Compared to the outdated Orochimaru, the two former Hokage who were wandering around the village and the ongoing Chunin Exams were more worthy of attention.

The news of the return of the First and Second Hokage could not be kept secret in the end.

Of course, this news did not spread widely. Only a small group of people at the top of the village had this information. Even the Fifth Hokage, Akimichi Torifu, who was resting in bed to recuperate, couldn't sit still. If it weren't for his physical condition making it difficult for him to travel, he would have gone to visit the two previous Hokage long ago.

However, his body wouldn't allow him to act recklessly.

Even though Tsunade treated him, Akimichi Torifu's problem was less of an illness and more of a fate. Unless he could defy fate like Orochimaru, his condition would only worsen. It was just a matter of how long he could hold on until he could finally be laid to rest.

After learning that Akimichi Torifu was bedridden...

Tobirama Senju then decided to come and visit. To be honest, he didn't have a deep impression of Akimichi Torifu, his disciple. Unlike Kagami, whom he had high hopes for, Akimichi Torifu didn't perform as well as Sarutobi. He never expected that the chubby boy would become the Fifth Hokage.

"Yan, Xiaochun, what brings you here?"

Sitting upright on the tatami mat, Akimichi Toki asked in a cold voice.

"We've come to pay our respects to our teacher. What? Torifu, are you going to kick us out?" Sitting next to Akimichi Torifu were none other than Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, two advisor elders who had long since retired. However, judging from their conversation with Akimichi Torifu, they didn't seem to be invited guests.

"If you don't welcome us, we'll take our leave now."

Mitokado Yan said calmly.

"······snort!"

Akimichi Torifu ultimately did not choose to kick them out, even though he knew that his two old classmates must have some ulterior motives. After all, they were fellow students, and he did not want to cause trouble when the teacher was about to come. Moreover, he was not afraid of Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu causing trouble.

"If you want to see the teacher, then stay! But... I hope you really just want to see the teacher. If you have other ideas, I advise you not to go too far in the end." Akimichi Torifu warned his two old classmates.

Mitokado Yan and Utatane Koharu did not speak.

He knelt on the tatami mat, patiently waiting for the teacher to arrive.

Compared to Akimichi Torifu, who is plagued by injuries and has even lost his sight, the two of them are in really good condition. They are truly in good shape, even though they are the same age. Fate is so cruel; they are the same age, but they are in two completely different states.

They didn't have to wait too long.

They heard the heavy, loud footsteps of Akimichi Choza entering the courtyard, and then saw Akimichi Choza, his forehead dripping with sweat, accompanying the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, as he entered. When they reached the gate of the Akimichi family mansion, he deactivated his transformation jutsu, revealing his true form.

"Teacher Tobirama!"

Three elderly people with white hair greeted Tobirama Senju as he entered the room.

"Take the wind, and... flame? Xiaochun?"

Tobirama Senju was taken aback, not expecting to see two other disciples here. Fortunately, although the disciples had aged and their appearances had changed considerably, the nature of their chakra had not changed, and he recognized them with a little perception.

"Teacher Tobirama, please sit down! My health is so poor that I can't even go out to greet you."

Akimichi Torifu couldn't see, so he could only judge Tobirama Senju's location by sound. A complex expression of excitement and shame appeared on his face. He was excited about Tobirama Senju's visit, but ashamed that he couldn't go out to greet him. Before Tobirama Senju could sit down, he hurriedly called out, "Choza, quickly serve tea."

"Alright, Qu Feng, if you're not feeling well, don't move around. You're not young anymore, so don't think about doing anything fancy."

Tobirama Senju sat cross-legged on the tatami mat opposite Akimichi Torifu.

He then glanced at Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu beside him, whose expressions were constantly changing, and said, "Homura, Koharu, you two sit down too!"

"Yes, Tobirama-sensei."

Mitokado swallowed hard.

If it weren't for the fact that this moment was really inappropriate, I would have loved to punch myself in the head. I was so preoccupied with how to tell Tobirama-sensei about Uchiha Mugen that I didn't even think to go out and greet him. And I didn't even remind Torifu.

He rolled his eyes and exchanged a glance with Koharu Tsutomu, both seeing each other's helplessness and unease.

It's too late to say all this now.

But it shouldn't have any impact, right? Tobirama-sensei isn't someone who cares about such trivial matters, so hopefully it won't affect the rest of the conversation.

"Toru, you've done a great job these past few years," Tobirama Senju said. "I've practically traveled to every corner of the village these past few days. Konoha is much bigger now than it was back then, and the population is much larger, especially the Ninja Academy... it's really well done!"

"You flatter me. I haven't done anything that deserves your praise."

Akimichi Tokifuki lowered his head.

For no other reason than to conceal the barely concealed smile on his face, he wondered what Tobirama-sensei would say if he came knocking. Would he question him about why he passed the Hokage position to Uchiha Sogen? Or would he inquire about Hiruzen Sarutobi's sudden death? Or perhaps he would try to obtain information about Uchiha Sogen from him?

He hadn't expected Tobirama Senju to shower him with praise right away, which almost made him burst with joy.

The recognition from Tobirama-sensei was undoubtedly the highest honor in his heart, and he could now hold his head high and meet Sarutobi in the Underworld.

beside,

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu both looked rather grim. Praising Akimichi Torifu for doing a good job was tantamount to tacitly approving of Akimichi Torifu's actions. How could they possibly persuade Tobirama-sensei to deal with that wretched brat Uchiha Sogen?

No, I'm telling the truth.

Tobirama Senju's expression was serious. "I've learned about almost everything that happened after my death these past few days. To be honest... Sarutobi was a qualified Hokage, but he failed to live up to my expectations. Being wary of the Uchiha doesn't mean we should just humiliate and suppress them. I hoped he could truly integrate the Uchiha into the village, but his actions have only continued to sever the relationship between the Uchiha and the village."

As he spoke,

He turned his head and glanced at his two disciples, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who were standing next to him.

"Yan, Koharu, you two, as advisors and elders of the village... instead of dissuading Sarutobi, you colluded with that bastard Danzo, blindly hating the Uchiha and pushing the Uchiha clan out of the village. You have disappointed me to the extreme."

These words,

Startled, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu hurriedly bent down, their foreheads pressed against the tatami mat, and anxiously protested, "Tobirama-sensei, we... we... Kagami sacrificed himself too early. Without Kagami to mediate between the Uchiha and the Uchiha, there's really no way to deal with those arrogant Uchiha."

"An arrogant Uchiha? Sigh!!"

Tobirama Senju muttered to himself, a visible look of disappointment on his face, and let out a long sigh.

"...It's my fault. I didn't teach you well. Back then, I only let you know how terrifying the Uchiha clan was, but I didn't teach you that the Uchiha are also part of the village, and that the Uchiha clan... is not the enemy of the village!"

Tobirama Senju sighed helplessly.

In the past three days,

He and his elder brother traversed every street and alley of Konoha Village, witnessing firsthand what Konoha looked like now. They saw the police force comprised of ninjas from different clans and commoner backgrounds; they saw members of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans drinking and complaining about their wives; they saw members of the Uchiha and Yamanaka clans working together to hunt down criminals; they saw children from various clans playing together at the Ninja Academy…

After witnessing so many scenes, Tobirama Senju had to admit that although Konoha was not quite the same as he had dreamed of, it was still a sight he was happy to see. He had to admit that the practice of using the police department to restrict the Uchiha clan back then was questionable, and he had to admit that some of his older brother's seemingly naive ideas were actually not unrealistic.

Perhaps it was precisely because of his overly cautious approach that Sarutobi and the others had the wrong understanding.

So that

After his death, the Uchiha clan suffered so much hardship and torment that it almost completely severed the Uchiha clan from Konoha. If that had happened, Konoha would have definitely suffered a heavy blow, and perhaps... even the system of one country and one village would have been destroyed.

after all,

He had witnessed the Sixth Hokage's strength firsthand. To be honest, if they were to fight, Sarutobi would most likely be no match for him. Fortunately, things didn't escalate to that point. Uchiha Sogen's choice saved the Uchiha clan and also saved Konoha from its decline.

He came to see Akimichi Torifu today simply to talk about the changes in the village.

But after seeing his disciples Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, he changed his mind and said those words. He was an extremely intelligent person, and how could Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's obvious little actions escape his discerning eyes? Before the two disciples could say anything that would spoil the mood, he directly shut them down.

"What's past is past, there's no point in dwelling on it. Yan, Xiaochun, you're not young anymore, so stop thinking about causing trouble. Wouldn't it be better to just retire peacefully at home? In my opinion, Konoha is now an excellent place to retire. Let the younger generation handle the future!"

Tobirama Senju changed the subject, choosing to stop short of punishing his two white-haired disciples.

"Yes, Tobirama... teacher!"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu answered in hoarse voices, their expressions extremely dejected at this moment. Their idea of ​​persuading Senju Tobirama to deal with Uchiha Sogen had completely vanished.

Yes!

They are old.

Even if Uchiha Munen were removed from the position of Hokage, what difference would it make? There are no young people in the village who can inherit their will and ideals. Even the young people in the Mitomon and Utatane clans are not very close to the two old guys. The Sarutobi clan has been moved to the Daimyo's residence by Sarutobi Asuma... There is simply no one qualified to compete for the position of Seventh Hokage.

in contrast,

Uchiha Munen, on the other hand, had a wealth of talented people.

Not to mention Uchiha Sogen himself, his disciples are all famous geniuses. Even the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is very close to Uchiha Sogen. Even if Uchiha Sogen steps down and makes way for someone else, the Seventh Hokage will most likely be selected from that group of young people. There is no chance for these old fogies.

"Teacher Tobirama, we're just getting senile."

Xiaochun, who was turning over to her new room, had a bitter smile on her face.

Their era has truly passed completely; the future of the village and the family is no longer something these old fogies can decide or interfere with.

"It's good that you understand. I failed to teach you properly back then, so I'm making up for it now. Remember this: the village's interests come before the family's. If you have the ability to strengthen the village while also expanding your family, that's perfectly acceptable. But if you sacrifice the village to benefit your family, that's absolutely unacceptable!!!"

"That's what Tobirama Senju said firmly."

He was genuinely disappointed.

They, the brothers, gave up the Senju clan for the sake of the village, but Sarutobi, their successor, only knew how to attack the Uchiha clan, allowing them to leech off the village. This was... extremely disappointing to him.

[438. Calvin]

As the title suggests, a day filled with dizziness and headaches...

"Saving the Uchiha Starts with Becoming the Clan Chief" by Kaven

[Chapter 439. Yakumo VS Gaara]

"Sōgen, is it true that Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu met with the Second Hokage?" Uchiha Arashiyama rushed into Sōgen's office and, in his haste, called out Sōgen's name.

"it is true."

Zongxian nodded, looking curiously at Uchiha Arashiyama, who was resting his hands on the table. "Where did you hear this news from?"

"Never mind where I heard it from, this matter...aren't you going to make some preparations? Those two old geezers will definitely have a lot to say to the Second Hokage. If the Second Hokage is bewitched and persuaded to cause trouble for our clan, this matter will really be a problem!"

Uchiha Arashiyama frowned.

He had absolutely no goodwill towards those two elders.

If these two hadn't served as advisors and elders, their role in the past was primarily to offer advice and strategy, and they hadn't actually taken action against the Uchiha clan like Danzo did, frankly, many within the Uchiha clan would have wanted to eliminate these two old men.

"What trouble? Don't worry! There won't be any trouble at all."