Hiruzen Sarutobi was actually quite satisfied with this change. If Konoha wanted to maintain long-term development, weakening the influence of the great clans was essential. Because of the Uchiha's own way of handling things, they were not particularly popular to begin with. On top of that, half their strength had been split off during the Battle of the Valley of the End, leaving them as little more than a clan comparable to the Hyuga. They would not be difficult to divide.
The Senju, on the other hand, were the true priority now.
But everything was moving in a positive direction. Hiruzen believed that in a few more years, not only the Senju but even the other great clans would see their power greatly diminished. The upper ranks of the council of elders would inevitably be filled by Konoha's lower- and middle-ranking ninja, who had fought their way up step by step.
Everyone would have an equal chance to rise, striving together for the dreams in their hearts. That was the future he vaguely envisioned.
He had drunk a little too much that night, and his thoughts were a tangled mess. Before he knew it, he had wandered to the village entrance.
Konoha's gates were shut tight, swallowed in darkness that devoured the scattered lights within the village. Though no figures could be seen, Hiruzen knew that Anbu and Ninja Department ninja stood guard in the surrounding area.
Even on a special day like this, they remained loyal to their duties, holding fast to their posts for the village's peace.
The stone monument before the village gates still stood tall, striking even in the darkness. Inscribed upon it was a motto personally carved by the God of Time and Space long ago, one the First had called the "Will of Fire,"