Yes, the Hokage

Hashirama frowned: "How could that be? Hiruzen is your disciple, and I once taught him the Will of Fire. He should know what we said..."

“Of course he’ll listen,” Tobirama interrupted him, “but what happens after he listens?”

He turned to his elder brother: "The current Hokage of Konoha is Minato Namikaze, not Hiruzen Sarutobi. If we show up in the village and try to persuade Hiruzen... how will Minato's authority be established? If we offer our support for Minato... what will Hiruzen's subordinates think?"

"Even if we don't say anything, just standing there will attract people spontaneously. The fact that the First and Second Hokage have been resurrected will be used by various forces. Some will use us as a banner, and some will use us as a weapon. At that time, the situation in Konoha will only be more chaotic than it is now."

"And the forbidden technique of Impure World Reincarnation would give people countless excuses to criticize us, which is why I sealed it away in the first place. Although it was Orochimaru who used it, it was Fenglan who brought us back, so all the blame will be directed at him, at Minato!"

"If you and I still had the strength we had in life, that would be fine, but now we can only exert 30% of our strength at most. It is impossible for us to fight against the ninja world on our own."

In the original work, Kabuto once said something like this: "Because the Impure World Reincarnation is so overpowered, the user will inevitably become infamous, and may even be considered more dangerous than Madara Uchiha in the eyes of the public."

Although it seems a bit humorous now that we know Madara can use the Impure World Reincarnation technique, its positioning is undoubtedly correct.

Regardless of whether Feng Lan used the Impure World Reincarnation technique, the fact that he brought back two Hokage undoubtedly means he was using this technique for profit. Under such circumstances, he would inevitably be condemned by everyone. Not only would countless people in the other four great nations be wary of him, but also in Konoha Village. His infamy would far surpass that of the Uchiha clan.

Hashirama opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Tobirama continued, “Brother, I remember you once said that the will of the village should be decided by the people of the village. We are dead now. The people of the village now are Minato, Hiruzen, Fuuka, Tsunade, and those ninjas who are still fighting for Konoha. We dead people should not interfere with the choices of the living.”

After a moment of silence, Hashirama returned to the corner and began drawing circles again. This time, however, it wasn't the dejection from being scolded by his younger brother, but rather a sense of resentment towards the current state of the village.

Feng Lan let out a soft breath, her wariness of Tobirama growing even stronger: [Not only did he see through the situation, but he also spoke with such clarity and ruthlessness. No wonder he's the Second Hokage who led the village to become the strongest among the Five Great Nations.]

"I have achieved some results."

He continued to demonstrate his value, from seizing financial power to establishing an orphanage, to building a standing army and hunting down Danzo. The fact that he could accomplish so much with seemingly nothing even prompted Tobirama to nod in approval, offering a subtle comment:

"Not bad."

Chapter 82 Tobirama's Recognition

"It is an honor to be praised by the Second Hokage."

Feng Lan smiled slightly. His words came from the bottom of his heart. Tobirama was not bad, but it was completely different from a certain fellow’s “Abandoned Emperor, not bad”. There were very few people in the entire ninja world who could receive such a good evaluation from him.

"State your conclusion." Tobirama crossed his arms and continued to calmly observe Fenglan.

"My conclusion is that Konoha can hold on for now, but it absolutely cannot withstand a second internal conflict on the scale of Danzo." Feng Lan smoothly shifted from the first question to the second, which was how to guide the village's direction.

"First, take power back from the elders. The Hokage is the decision-maker of the village. Minato should be able to mobilize the Anbu, approve the budget, and have the final say."

"Second, we need to establish a standing new army, not a patchwork of private soldiers from various clans, but a truly Hokage-owned, deployable, and standardized military force. I'm already working on it; it's not large at the moment, but the framework is in place."

"Third, the research and development and popularization of scientific ninja tools. Ninjutsu is not the exclusive domain of major clans. Ordinary ninjas should have a path to become stronger. This path is not easy, but it must be taken."

"Fourth, the ninja academy can also be improved to teach some truly practical ninjutsu, so that the genin will have a skill to rely on after graduation instead of being blank slates."

Of the Konoha 12, did they learn any skills at the academy? Most of them were inherited from their clans. Sakura, the only genin who graduated without the help of her clan, was a complete blank slate. So when Sasuke left, she could only cry and beg Naruto. Before Shippuden, she was almost useless.

"That's all?" Tobirama narrowed his eyes. "What about the most important thing: eradicating the scourge of the village?"

“I will naturally take care of this matter,” Feng Lan said with a smile. “I will take care of everything that needs to be done while Shui Men is still in power.”

"And then?" Tobirama continued, his gaze fixed on Fenglan. "Judging from your tone, you're preparing to become the next Danzo."

"Someone will always have to do Danzo's job, but I'll definitely do it better than him."

Feng Lan smiled confidently, but the more confident he was, the more doubts Tobirama had. Unlike Danzo, this kid named Feng Lan had a huge influence on the Fourth Hokage. If he really took away all the power of Hiruzen and the others in the future, wouldn't Konoha become his one-man show?

"No, he won't become Danzo." However, at this moment, someone no one expected spoke up—it was Tsunade.

"What do you mean?" Tobirama immediately looked over sharply. When it came to matters concerning the village, even his own grandniece was not an option.

“Because Fenglan has a bottom line than Danzo, and Minato is not an old teacher.” Tsunade said seriously, “They will not become the clearly separated Konoha and Root, but the closely connected Fire and Kage. Minato will not let Fenglan bear all the darkness alone, and Fenglan will not treat Minato the way Danzo treated his teacher.”

"Can you guarantee that?" Tobirama said coldly. "This matter concerns the future of the village, and I hope you can make a fair and calm judgment."

"I swear on my life." Tsunade showed no sign of backing down. "If Fenglan and Minato really go that far, I will stop them!"

"What right do you have to stop me!"

“I think it would be better if…” Feng Lan raised his hand, making a conciliatory expression, “The two Hokage left Tsunade-sama a will or something, designating her as the Fifth Hokage. Once Minato and I have completed all our work, we will immediately make Tsunade-sama the Fifth Hokage. What do you think?”

“Hmm…” Tobirama pondered for a moment, “That’s a good idea.”

After concentrating all power, he immediately stepped down, which prevented Fenglan from secretly manipulating Konoha by controlling Minato. Tobirama had a lot of confidence in Tsunade, and looking at the original Naruto work, she was indeed a very competent Fifth Hokage.

This is clearly what Feng Lan wants. As mentioned earlier, Feng Lan's ultimate goal is to be like Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, secretly reaping benefits without making a fuss. When Tsunade becomes the Fifth Hokage, he will be her disciple, have Minato as his backer, and make great contributions to the village. Isn't that exactly the status of those two?

No matter how shrewd Tobirama was, he never imagined that Fenglan's ultimate goal was not to control the village but to reap benefits (of course, this was largely due to the fact that he hadn't spent much time with Fenglan). Therefore, after thinking for a while, he said, "Brother, I think this is feasible."

Although he still had doubts, he had no better solution at the moment, so he placed his hopes on his descendants.

“Let Tsunade be the village chief…” But Hashirama hesitated instead, “You won’t lose the whole village, will you?”

"How could that be!" Tsunade was both embarrassed and angry, her face flushed red. "You idiot grandpa, I will definitely become the strongest Hokage and show you!"

"That's right!" Hashirama laughed heartily. "That's more like my granddaughter! Let's settle on that then!"

The two immediately wrote a letter, adding their signatures and fingerprints, along with a special spell. This spell was clearly something like a token, and they even added two seals inside.

Feng Lan didn't understand these things, but in the original work, Minato was able to use the Uzumaki clan's sealing technique to allow himself and Kushina to briefly appear in Naruto's sea of ​​consciousness. Hashirama's wife was Uzumaki Mito, so it's reasonable that they could leave behind a similar seal.

After finally gaining Tobirama's trust with great difficulty, Fenglan felt completely relieved and took the opportunity to tell him about Konoha's current situation and the overall landscape of the ninja world.

"Hmph, it's all your fault for being soft-hearted back then, otherwise how could things have turned out like this?" Tobirama crossed his arms and snorted coldly. Right after Hashirama died, the First Shinobi World War broke out immediately, and he was the one who carried the burden of Konoha. He harbored some resentment in his heart.

"Ugh..." Hashirama muttered softly, his words consisting of nothing more than "let's all understand each other" and "true peace will surely come," but unfortunately, the air inside and outside the room was far from cheerful.

"The most pressing threat right now is Kumogakure. According to you, the Fourth Raikage is a reckless man, but his recklessness is based on solid reasoning. The Eight-Tails is a perfect Jinchuriki, and Kumogakure's military strength is better preserved than Konoha's because of the Third Raikage's sacrifice. Once war breaks out, they won't give us time to prepare."

Tobirama began to analyze: "Onoki of Iwagakure is watching and waiting. He won't be the first to make a move, but he won't miss the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Sunagakure is desperate for money and may turn against us at any time as long as there is profit to be made. Kirigakure is embroiled in internal strife and cannot afford to fight external battles for the time being, but the Village of Blood Mist cannot hold out for long."

[Impressive.] Feng Lan couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration. [I was able to draw these conclusions because I was familiar with the plot and had detailed information about the village, but he was able to analyze so much in such a short time after only hearing a brief description of the situation. No wonder he's Tobirama Senju.]

"Your approach to Amegakure is excellent," Tobirama said calmly. "It's not simply about violent oppression, but about winning them over and forming alliances. This is indeed the best option for Konoha right now."

This is what makes Tobirama so ruthless. If it were Hashirama, he would have thought that allying with Amegakure was a matter of course. But if Tobirama felt that turning against Amegakure would be more beneficial to the village, he would have truly destroyed Amegakure and seized the Rinnegan.

“I already have a strategy for how to proceed, but before that…” He looked at Feng Lan, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes, “I would like to hear your opinion.”

“My plan is simple.” Feng Lan didn’t mince words and said it without hesitation: “Stabilize Sunagakure, be wary of Iwagakure, and hold off Kumogakure.”

"Hmm?" Tobirama Senju raised an eyebrow. "Where's Kirigakure?"

"I don't think Kirigakure will have time to try and take a bite out of Konoha anytime soon."

Feng Lan smiled slightly. Even if he released Kisame Hoshigaki back, the worst-case scenario would be that Suigetsu Hozuki would be assassinated, Kisame would steal Samehada and run away, and the village would be in chaos. At that time, the Fourth Mizukage would be overwhelmed and would have little spare strength to participate in the war.

However, he didn't tell Tobirama about these things. He wanted to keep some pieces on his side and tell the guy all his cards because it was too dangerous.

"Are you sure?" Tobirama didn't press further, but asked a meaningful question.

“I’m very sure.” Feng Lan nodded.

"Then let's talk about the other three great nations." Tobirama stopped pursuing the matter. He had only heard Tsunade's description of Fenglan deliberately letting a Kirigakure ninja escape within the Land of Fire, and he had guessed at least 50% of the situation.

Hashirama, on the other hand, was full of curiosity, but too embarrassed to ask, and was practically bottling it up.

"It seems like we'll have to fight this battle in Kumogakure. As long as they don't gain much advantage, the Fourth Raikage won't be able to ignore the village's interests and act recklessly. He may be reckless, but he won't really suffer a loss. He can't bring himself to sacrifice himself to benefit Onoki."

“Three months.” Feng Lan held up three fingers. “As long as we can hold out against Yunyin on the main battlefield for three months without being at a disadvantage, they will naturally withdraw their troops. At that time, Onoki will have no chance to take advantage of the situation and will have no choice but to recuperate.”

"This line sounds a lot like mine," Tobirama frowned.

"Because you taught it to the teacher, the teacher taught it to me, and I taught it to this kid." Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"So you relied on Tsunade's experience, huh? Well, you've passed the test." Tobirama said noncommittally. "So, how do you intend to stabilize Sunagakure?"

Feng Lan had never used his Smiling Tiger form in front of Tobirama because he knew it was useless, but now he turned his head with a smile: "The Sand Village's trump card is right in front of us."

The Third Kazekage, who appeared to be doing nothing but had actually been eavesdropping the whole time, suddenly shuddered: "You, what do you want to do?"

Although he was the strongest Kazekage, he had no standing whatsoever in front of the First and Second Hokage.

"Third Kazekage, do you know?" Feng Lan didn't rush to make a request, but said calmly, "The cause of the Third Shinobi World War was your sudden disappearance."

Chapter 83 Lord Kazekage, you didn't want this either...

"What do you mean by that?!"

Upon hearing Feng Lan's words, the Third Kazekage's brows furrowed sharply.

“Originally, the five great nations were wary of each other and none of them wanted to be the first to start a war, but one day… you suddenly disappeared.” Feng Lan shrugged. “You were recognized as the strongest Kazekage. No one in Sunagakure thought you could be killed by anyone, so they spent a lot of manpower, resources and energy searching everywhere, which led to a lack of defense. Therefore, it was Kumogakure, who loved to cause trouble, that launched the first war against Sunagakure. In the end, the flames of war spread to the entire ninja world, which led to the Third Shinobi World War.”

"So, the result is that Orochimaru killed the Third Kazekage, which led to the Third Shinobi World War?" Hashirama and Tobirama both glared at Orochimaru, who was sprawled on the ground.

"That shouldn't be it." Relying on her knowledge of the plot, Feng Lan insisted on acting as Jiraiya, the informant. "Personally, I think Orochimaru only collected some of the remains of the Third Kazekage afterward to activate the Impure World Reincarnation. For a Kage-level... especially such a powerful Kage-level expert, to be assassinated silently, it could only be someone from within the village, and that person must be in a high position."

"Hmm, it seems so." As a sensory ninja, Tobirama could clearly perceive the Third Kazekage's change in expression; the other's reaction was obviously correct as Fenglan had predicted.

Although he didn't know that Feng Lan was familiar with the plot, he guessed Feng Lan's intention and deliberately cooperated with him: "Did Sunagakure find the culprit in the end?"

“Not until now, because they still think the Third Kazekage has just disappeared.” Feng Lan shrugged. “To be honest, if I hadn’t seen the Third Kazekage’s Edo Tensei form, even I wouldn’t have been able to guess the truth.”

"Oh?" This is the advantage of having a smart partner. Tobirama's act was flawless. If it were Hashirama, his expression would definitely be affected and a bit exaggerated. "What truth? Tell me about it."

The two appeared to be talking to themselves, but in reality, every word they said was meant for the Third Kazekage.

"The reason is actually quite simple. As the village's strongest fighter, Shadow is very difficult to kill even if he is ambushed by his subordinates, especially if he dies silently without anyone noticing."

Feng Lan smiled and said, "Aside from powerful sealing techniques, the only other option in this situation is the poison that Sunagakure is best at."

“Toxins…” Tobirama chimed in at the opportune moment, “That’s certainly very possible.”

"Speaking of poisons, we must mention the puppet army unique to Sunagakure. Those puppets are poisoned from head to toe. Even a slight scratch is enough to draw blood and kill. I think the Third Kazekage was caught off guard by the poison and was assassinated without a sound."

This part isn't mentioned in the original work; it's just a possibility that Naruto fans came up with after discussion. However, Fenglan, using his sensory abilities to observe the Third Kazekage's expression, knows that the fans are probably right. (This plot isn't in the original work; it's my own creation.)

Next, Feng Lan began his blatant lies and deception. However, every word he uttered was a mix of truth and falsehood, making it difficult to distinguish between them, and something the Third Kazekage could never verify.

"During the Third Shinobi World War, when Konoha was cleaning up the battlefield, they discovered an interesting phenomenon: many of the puppets from Sunagakure bore a special red scorpion mark. After gathering a lot of intelligence, they finally confirmed that these puppets were all made by one person—the genius puppeteer of Sunagakure, Sasori of the Red Sand."

"But ironically, this genius puppeteer didn't appear on the front lines. It's possible that Sunagakure was unwilling to directly commit such a talent to the war for fear of his demise, but now..."

Feng Lan glanced at the Third Kazekage with ill intent: "I suddenly have a bold guess."

"That's quite audacious," Tobirama sneered. "A genius puppeteer poisoned his own village's Kazekage, abducted his body, and became a rogue ninja, all without a single person in the entire village knowing, which even sparked the Fourth Shinobi World War..."

What are you talking about?

Hashirama scratched his head, realizing that Tobirama and Furan's charade had probably just sounded like "shush shush shush shush" to him.

The two did not answer, but instead exchanged meaningful glances with the Third Kazekage.

The Third Kazekage's reaction was quite amusing. Every time Feng Lan guessed a bit of the truth, his cheek would twitch, until in the end he was practically indistinguishable from Nicholas Zhao Si, the Asian dance king.

In reality, as the Kazekage, Sasori's cunning, even if not as extreme as Tobirama's, was certainly considerable. However, Sasori was destined to be the Third Kazekage's greatest disgrace. Judging from the fact that he could poison him so silently, Sasori must have been highly valued by the Third Kazekage, perhaps even groomed to become the Fourth Kazekage. Who knew that the genius puppeteer, to whom he poured countless efforts and energy, seeing him as the village's future hope, would murder him and turn him into a human puppet!

Anyone would be unable to hold back in this situation, so in the anime's original storyline, the Third Kazekage's hatred for Sasori after being resurrected by Orochimaru was almost overflowing from the screen.

"You...you all guessed right." In the end, the Third Kazekage sighed, "The one who killed me was Sasori of the Red Sand."

"Hmm↓↑" Feng Lan let out a long, annoying snort, "Just as I thought."

"So what do you want now?"

The Third Kazekage was, after all, a man who had instigated the Second Shinobi World War. Although he was filled with grief and indignation, he still managed to control his emotions. After all, Feng Lan had mentioned that Sunagakure was still searching for him, which meant that even though Sunagakure's defenses were weak and they were attacked by Kumogakure and dragged into the Third Shinobi World War, Sunagakure had still managed to survive.

As long as the village exists, there is still hope.

“It’s very simple. I’d like to discuss a win-win deal with you.” Feng Lan maintained a smiling expression throughout the entire process, proving that he was very relaxed when facing the Third Kazekage, without any of the pressure he felt when facing Tobirama.

In short, it's all about control.

"Forgive my bluntness, but Sunagakure was already very poor, and it was severely weakened in the Third Shinobi World War, barely managing to survive. If it continues to waste time and effort on the matter of searching for the missing Third Kazekage, it will probably collapse sooner or later."

Upon hearing Feng Lan's words, the Third Kazekage's eyelids twitched. Sunagakure's biggest problem was its poverty! Even if Rasa could extract gold from the desert, the scarcity of resources couldn't be compensated for by money alone! If they were to waste time searching for a dead man they could never find, the gap between them and the other four great nations would only widen. Eventually, Konoha wouldn't even need to exert any effort; it would collapse on its own.

This is not an exaggeration. In fact, at the beginning of Naruto, Sunagakure was already at the point of collapse. Why would the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, an ally of Konoha, choose to cooperate with Orochimaru to destroy Konoha?

It was because at that time, most people in the Land of Wind did not seek help from Sunagakure, but instead turned to the powerful Konoha. Without any changes, Sunagakure would have been slowly and gradually destroyed.

Although it seems a bit clownish that Rasa was killed by Orochimaru before even appearing in the story, it was precisely because of his choice that the Third Hokage was killed, Tsunade succeeded him as the Fifth Hokage, and together with Gaara, who was also the Fifth Kazekage, they opened up a new future for the village.

Without that decisive action, Sunagakure might have truly perished.

Seeing that the other party was on the same page as him, Feng Lan became even more aggressive: "So your best choice now is to cooperate with me. Once I get what I want, I will tell Sunagakure the truth and let them put their manpower and resources to where they are needed."

"Madam, cough cough, I meant the Third Kazekage, you don't want to..."