Undoubtedly, given Homura's leadership in battle during the First Great Ninja War, and his firm support for Hiruzen becoming Hokage, subsequently becoming a member of Konoha Council, even though he made a grave mistake this time, it's not enough for him to die.
As for the clan behind him, it will depend on Kazuki's attitude. It's clear that the Mitokado clan's future won't be good.
Hiruzen won't say much about this. Since Homura's clan gained considerable benefits by following him, some of them have become undeserving of their positions.
He can turn a blind eye normally, but for the future Hokage to ascend, some of what they've gained will need to be relinquished. Furthermore, Homura made a mistake. To put it harshly, he can even be considered Kazuki's political rival.
As for Danzo, it's not easy to move against him. Behind him stand countless hardliners of Konoha, and Danzo is a representative of these hardliners.
Of course, for Kazuki, none of this is an issue.
When it comes to hardliners, who could be more hardline than the Uchiha clan?
Hiruzen can imagine that once Kazuki becomes Hokage, he won't be as conciliatory as he and Hashirama were. Instead, he will forcefully suppress the entire Ninja World. Whether or not to wage war on the entire Ninja World at that time will depend on Kazuki's attitude.
Hiruzen won't hinder Kazuki in this regard. Every Hokage has their own approach. As a former Hokage, he shouldn't obstruct his successor. He only needs to step in to stop them when they make a huge mistake, and even then, such interventions shouldn't be too frequent, or the relationship between them could break down.
And Kazuki's strength is enough for him to do many things that Hiruzen considers reckless.
The key is to guide him well, not to let him think he can do whatever he wants just because he's strong enough. The Ninja World is very complex.
The things he previously advised Kazuki on were with this thought in mind. Hiruzen couldn't bear for anything to happen to Kazuki.
"Forget it, these matters should wait until the war is over, at least regarding Danzo. Unless you plan to take over for Danzo and resolve the war on the Iwagakure battlefield."
Hiruzen gazed at Kazuki and said in a deep voice, "Moreover, with just this evidence, you can't really do anything against Danzo. They can simply say it's to confuse the enemy. After all, this intelligence isn't really true intelligence, is it?"
Kazuki nodded slightly. Hiruzen was quite principled. Even Danzo didn't know that Kazuki had actually mastered Sage Mode, only believing that he had defeated Hanzo using his Mangekyo Sharingan.
After all, the Mangekyo Sharingan's techniques are incredibly diverse, and if a powerful one appeared, it could indeed allow him to overcome a stronger opponent. Danzo believed this to be the case.
Of course, Kazuki himself wasn't worried about being outmaneuvered. If intelligence leaked, it leaked. In the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are but fleeting clouds.
As long as he was strong enough, what did it matter if everyone knew his information?
"Therefore, with just this intelligence, you cannot act against Danzo. You must know that you are to become Hokage later. Some things require legitimacy. Once you become Hokage, you are no longer just yourself, but represent the village. Hokage is not just power, but also duty."
Hiruzen paused and then added, "Just like the relationship between the First Hokage and Madara, you should have heard about it."
"They fought countless times, and the First Hokage had many opportunities to kill Madara, but he never did. However, after becoming Hokage, when it was confirmed that Madara had left Konoha and would pose a threat to Konoha, even if he was reluctant to kill him, as Hokage, the First Hokage ultimately killed Madara."
"During the Second Hokage's tenure, he actually disliked the Uchiha clan quite a bit, as you know, the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan have a thousand-year blood feud. Yet, he ultimately tolerated the Uchiha clan's existence, granted them significant power, and even took Kagami as his student."
Towards the end, Hiruzen said with some hesitation, "Actually, my teacher's care for Kagami was even greater than for me. Even I was a bit envious back then."
"If it weren't for the Uchiha clan being such a huge uncertain factor holding things back, the Third Hokage might very well have been Kagami."
Kazuki shook his head slightly and said, "No, I believe you were the best choice. He didn't understand politics."
"At least you re-integrated Konoha after the Second Hokage's sacrifice. Although grandma Mito played a part in it, the fact that you achieved this is already quite remarkable."
"You balanced the relationships between the various clans and supported civilian ninjas. This is different from the First Hokage and Second Hokage, but you still accomplished it, didn't you?"
The difficulty Hiruzen faced in becoming Hokage was far greater than that of Tobirama and Hashirama.
Kazuki would not evaluate the current Hiruzen based on the Hiruzen of twenty or thirty years in the future. The current Hiruzen is worthy of being called a Ninja hero.
If he had died twenty years earlier, he would have been an exceptionally good Hokage.
At that time, the pressure Hiruzen faced was not ordinary. It was even incomparable to what Minato, Tsunade, or Kakashi would later experience.
"Haha, it was indeed quite difficult back then, and fortunately, I had the support of Kagami and Danzo. Without Mito-sama's help, Konoha might have fallen apart."
Hiruzen showed a nostalgic expression and said, "But I still have one request for you. if Danzo and his group don't do anything to harm you or Konoha, please try to spare his life in the future."
"After all, he has served Konoha with great merit, risking his life, and was once a good friend of your father. Even in political struggles, direct killing should be avoided."
"Understood." Kazuki nodded slightly.
Anyway, he didn't trust Danzo to behave, so he would eventually send him to his death.