The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
He led Konoha to true prosperity.
He helped establish the village, supported Senju Hashirama, created the Anbu, organized the guard units, and used the momentum of his past life to lead a new generation.
His accomplishments were countless.
If Hashirama was the hero who founded Konoha, then Tobirama was the hero who solidified its position as the number one shinobi village.
Under his leadership, Konoha developed like a speeding missile.
And then came Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He lit the missile… only for it to explode in his own hands!
Utatane Koharu once described Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo like this.
But that was all nonsense.
She claimed Danzo was the darkness under the sun while Hiruzen was the sun itself — the light.
Their "partnership" supposedly brought prosperity to Konoha.
But now, Mito Uzumaki could see the truth clearly.
One had never learned true understanding; the other had learned far too much.
Together, they failed to win the Second Shinobi World War.
If not for Senju Yukika and his comrades, they wouldn't have even broken through the Rain Village's heavy defenses!
So why are you still pretending in front of me?
Mito gazed calmly at Hiruzen.
She had analyzed the Third Hokage thoroughly.
As she said, some things she had merely pretended not to notice.
Suppressing clans, centralizing power in the Hokage's hands—from Hiruzen's perspective, these actions were justified, even understandable to some extent by the clans.
But look at what he actually did:
He nurtured Danzo, who failed time after time, suppressed the Senju, and even stabbed them in the back.
To prevent the Uzumaki bloodline from being seized by other villages, he chose to stand by and do nothing.
And that was only the beginning.
Take Hatake Shuuma, for example.
Just because his name became renowned in the shinobi world, Hiruzen couldn't sit still and tried to undercut him.
Naruto, you can't be this incompetent!
Your stinginess reflects your weakness and insecurity.
Mito sighed deeply, stood up, and walked over to Hiruzen.
From her gaze, Hiruzen seemed to sense something ominous.
After a moment, he cautiously asked,
"I'm going to die, aren't I?"
Danzo hadn't returned to the village for a long time.
Clearly, something had gone wrong.
And everything Mito had done was to block certain information from reaching him.
Prepare for the worst.
She intended to secretly execute him—the Third Hokage!
Hiruzen had no counterargument.
It was all his fault for being careless, acting without confirming Mito's death.
He had been impatient.
He had often criticized Yukika for being young and unfocused.
But now, the tables had turned.
His ambition had been exposed too early, seen clearly by Mito.
"Die?"
"Not exactly," Mito said coldly.
A flash of disdain crossed her eyes.
Hiruzen's face briefly showed a glimmer of hope.
Survival!
There was still a chance!
But Mito's next words crushed him.
"You will lose everything."
"Power, status, reputation—and your family."
Closing her eyes, Mito maintained her calm expression.
She knew exactly what Hiruzen cared about.
Taking away everything, leaving him alive to be cursed and hated—that was far crueler than death!
"Give me a happy birthday gift! For Lady Tobirama's sake!"
Hiruzen collapsed to the ground, pleading.
"For Tobirama? You still dare mention him!"
"Let me warn you—don't act arrogant in front of Yukika. Otherwise, your fate will be worse than what I've just described."
Mito nearly laughed at his shamelessness.
For Tobirama…?
With Tobirama's personality, if he saw his clan reduced to this, he would kill on the spot!
"Lady Mito, believe me!"
"If Senju Yukika becomes Hokage, Konoha will fall!"
"The foundation you protected, and the village founded by the First Hokage, cannot be destroyed by him!"
Seeing that begging was useless, Hiruzen shifted to serious pleading.
"Go on," Mito said with a frown.
Predictably, he brought up the First Hokage and the village.
Mito was willing to listen.
Hiruzen relaxed slightly and continued.
"In my view, even though Yukika is your grandson and carries Senju blood, he has not inherited the Will of Fire!"
"On the front lines, he often attacked comrades, manipulated situations for fame."
"He is hot-tempered and ruthless. If he becomes Hokage, he will declare war on the other four villages, plunging Konoha into even deeper chaos."
"The result would be Konoha's decline, losing its position in the shinobi world!"
"Konoha can't withstand another blow like that."
"Yukika has not inherited the First Hokage's will of understanding, but instead admires Uchiha Madara's violent ideology."
"These are facts."
"It's hard to believe a Senju could turn out like this, but his existence signals destruction."
"Perhaps…"
Hiruzen hesitated, then said something shocking even to himself.
"Maybe… he's not really Senju blood!"
"His abilities don't match the Senju."
"It sounds terrible, but it's like… Tobirama's daughter-in-law had… an affair…"