A bit stuck on the writing, I've rewritten it several times and still not very satisfied, so I plan to rewrite it again, update tomorrow.
As for some people questioning the strength of Might Duy's Eight Inner Gates, I can only say I will do my best to balance it.
I have mentioned before, unlike in the original work where Might Duy is not valued by Konoha, the Hokage has secretly been training Might Duy and will provide him with the secret medicine from the Akimichi Clan for battle.
Otherwise, with the original achievement, defeating four and injuring three of the Seven-swords Ninja... don't even mention the fourth stage of Susanoo, it's challenging enough dealing with the third stage.
The first seven gates of the Eight Inner Gates are quite reasonable; although powerful, they are not to a ridiculous extent. And opening up to the Eighth Gate, just look at the original, although it's exhilarating, calm down and think, and you'll know how the Array of Eight Inner Gates collapses combat power. This is not Guy's fault; he's just a comic character.
The balance of combat power in Hokage is difficult, especially in the later stages when ninja powers expand excessively.
If the protagonist group is too weak, they get instantly killed and become background characters.
If the protagonist group is too strong, there's no need for any conspiracies; they can directly steamroll over, otherwise, the protagonist group will seem very foolish, pulling off all sorts of dumb moves.
This is also why many Hokage fanfiction works are criticized later on. I've read many Hokage fan works; early on, they're well-written, logical. Battles between ninjas don't just depend on the power of the Ninja Techniques, but also on cooperation with companions, intelligence gathering, and the advantages and disadvantages of one's own and the enemy's Ninja Techniques. This makes it very engaging to read.
But once it reaches later stages, it overly relies on powerful abilities like the Rinnegan and Tenseigan to keep up with Naruto and Sasuke's power, otherwise, they can only hang on the sidelines watching, with no qualification to participate. And as for throwing nukes... you throw one, I throw one, all you hear is boom boom boom...
No intelligence gathering, no sealing, infinite Chakra, opening Eight Gates, and Madara shouts that it's quite the thrill.
As for the protagonist group's abilities being moderate, I can clearly say this is simply impossible.
Because later on, Naruto and Sasuke's power, within just a few days, transformed from somewhat normal ninjas into monsters who casually toss out nukes. If the protagonist group's abilities are moderate, no matter how it's written later, it wouldn't be possible to suddenly surge in just a few days to the point of casually tossing nukes.
As for the protagonist ending everything before the Fourth Great Ninja War, it seems to provide a solution... but, the Six Paths Sage isn't dead yet.
The Six Paths Sage sees that the world isn't progressing according to his expectations, not a world connected by 'love'; would he really leave the protagonist a way out?
Because the inheritor of the Six Paths Sage's philosophy of 'love' is Asura, not the protagonist.
Looking at Indra's fate, you can see because his beliefs didn't align with the Six Paths Sage, in the confrontation with Asura, the Six Paths Sage chose to give Asura power, allowing Asura to be immune to Indra's Illusion Techniques (as mentioned in the manga), possessing the Sage Body, and later learning Immortal Technique, Wood Style... And Indra? A pair of Sage Eyes. Indra feels like a son picked up from the Six Paths Sage's trash can. (Now I finally understand why in the original, Sasuke didn't use Illusion Techniques on Naruto, because Naruto is only immune to his Illusion Techniques.)
Therefore, using love to change the world is the obsession and wish the Six Paths Sage has maintained for a thousand years, the main tone set for the Ninja Realm a thousand years ago, and it cannot be disrupted by anyone or easily swayed with a few words. Asura is the chosen child of destiny.
If the protagonist ends the conflict early, regardless of whether the capability is there, even if it is, they would suddenly face off against the Six Paths Sage while unprepared. This part of the intelligence is something Hakushi lacks, and he doesn't know the Six Paths Sage is still alive, nor does the Katsuyu Sage know.
So, power balancing is certainly necessary. Otherwise, it will collapse later. The battlefield in the Land of Wind will be the first point of balance.
As for how I balance the combat power here, I'm not at liberty to say much, as it involves many spoilers.