In his will, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, meticulously explained that when he learned of Orochimaru's plans, he had already prepared for the possibility of dying in battle, and thus made two arrangements in this will to prevent any issues for Konoha.
First, the position of Hokage would be succeeded by Jiraiya. If Jiraiya was unwilling to assume the role of Fifth Hokage, then he should bring back Tsunade to take over, while Akihara Kagura would continue to serve as Hokage Assistant and Root Leader.
Second, if an accident occurred during his battle with Orochimaru and he failed to kill him, Akihara Kagura was permitted to use the Reanimation Jutsu to resurrect some powerful ninja to prevent them from being used by Orochimaru. Kagura's learning talent was unparalleled, and his strength was the greatest, making him the most suitable candidate to master the Reanimation Jutsu. Hiruzen had already let Akihara Kagura learn the Reanimation Jutsu and entrusted some resurrection materials to him.
"The old monkey really understood you..."
Utatane Koharu sighed, handing the will to Jiraiya, and with another sigh, said, "It seems he anticipated you might not want to succeed as Hokage, so he informed us in the will that if you were unwilling, you should bring Tsunade back to succeed as the Fifth Hokage..."
"Old man..."
Jiraiya sighed inwardly.
This teacher indeed understood him deeply, even predicting such things, and foresaw the possibility of Orochimaru continuing to use the Reanimation Jutsu.
As for his disciple...
Sarutobi Hiruzen truly knew him well.
"Let's call Kagura over first."
Mitokado Homura glanced at them, proposing: "This matter should be communicated to him. According to Sarutobi's words, the responsibility of stopping Orochimaru still falls on his shoulders..."
"The old man shouldn't have let Kagura learn the Reanimation Jutsu..."
Jiraiya put away the will, speaking softly: "Kagura's strength is already formidable enough, and I worry he might become obsessed with such sinister jutsu, affecting his character..."
"Jiraiya."
Utatane Koharu posed an unexpected question: "If Kagura cannot use the Reanimation Jutsu to neutralize the resurrected who Orochimaru has awakened, should he, like the old monkey, use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to seal the deceased?"
"..."
After a moment of silence, Jiraiya suddenly laughed: "Hahaha, there's no need to worry about that, we won't need that little guy to do it, can't I just learn the Dead Demon Consuming Seal myself?"
"But..."
Utatane Koharu looked at Jiraiya, disapproving of his idea: "We clearly have solutions that don't require your sacrifice, especially since Sarutobi stated in the will that Kagura has already learned how to use the Reanimation Jutsu and even entrusted him with some materials for powerful ninja resurrections..."
"Kagura is my disciple."
Jiraiya shook his head, still disagreeing: "That kid is clearly capable of a better future, he shouldn't be exposed to these kinds of jutsu..."
"There is darkness within Kagura's heart."
Mitokado Homura did not approve of Jiraiya's opinion and continued seriously: "He is the Leader of Root, you should know what Root signifies..."
"We should inform Kagura of this matter."
Utatane Koharu was resolute: "If there is no way to deal with Orochimaru, perhaps Sarutobi's last words are the best solution, at the very least, precautions should be taken, let him reanimate some powerful ninja as soon as possible..."
At dawn.
When the Anbu notified Akihara Kagura to come to the Hokage Tower, the two Hokage Advisors were still arguing with Jiraiya over this matter, discussing whether Akihara Kagura should use the Reanimation Jutsu.
"Kagura, have you learned the Reanimation Jutsu?"
Seeing his disciple, Jiraiya's first question was this.
"Yes..."
Akihara Kagura nodded, looking at his teacher in surprise: "How did you know about this?"
"The Third Hokage even entrusted me with some resurrection materials for the past Hokage, saying he would find a way to seal the souls of the First and Second Hokage..."
"But Orochimaru might have a way to release the seal, so I should resurrect the past Hokage when necessary to prevent Orochimaru from resurrecting them first to attack Konoha..."
"The old man is really restless..."
"By the way, where is Danzo?"
Utatane Koharu inquired with concern.
"Lord Danzo..."
Akihara Kagura hesitated for a moment, then softly said: "Lord Danzo is still under my house arrest in the Root Base. Upon learning of the Third Hokage's death, he seems to be in deep despair, unwilling to see anyone, and handed over all his Double Bloodline Ninja to me..."
"Danzo..."
Mitokado Homura sighed deeply: "If it weren't for his collusion with Orochimaru... Alas, forget it, he and the old monkey grew up together, bickered all their lives, maybe he thought killing the old monkey would be satisfying, but in the end, all he found was pain."
"Alright."
Jiraiya, somewhat sullen, tossed the will aside, not wanting to discuss Shimura Danzo, and said solemnly: "Forget it, let's go attend the old man's funeral first!"
Though Sarutobi Hiruzen's body had already vanished, the Konoha ninjas must not be made aware of this to avoid causing further panic in the village.
Konoha Back Mountain.
The memorial service was rearranged before the Memorial Stele.
Many Konoha Ninja wore black clothes to bid farewell to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. A deep sorrow was etched on every face because, to them, Sarutobi Hiruzen was like a kind grandfather who had interacted with every child in the village.