Hikaru did indeed have matters he needed to discuss properly with Nara Shikaku.
Strictly speaking, these were things he should only do after becoming Hokage.
However, after receiving the letter Minato Namikaze had sent through a toad, Hikaru knew he could move some things forward.
Minato's letter contained only one matter: he wanted to meet Hikaru and have a proper talk.
Naturally, Hikaru understood what that meant.
He knew he was about to obtain everything he wanted.
But before that, there was one more matter.
A major matter concerning Konoha's future.
Konoha's internal reforms.
Hikaru had to adjust things properly. Or rather, he had to find a way to redistribute power.
Any adjustment to the distribution of power would inevitably involve countless issues.
It would also inevitably touch the interests of many, many people.
So how to reform, how far to reform, and under what name to reform—all of that needed careful discussion.
It was not that Hikaru had never considered carrying out a complete institutional reform in Konoha.
But he remained rational.
Although he had been born and raised under the red flag in his previous life, he understood that every world had a system suited to that world.
Because of that, he had never thought of planting the red flag across the entire world.
It was not a question of whether he could do it.
If Hikaru truly wanted to, he absolutely could.
After all, his strength was guaranteed.
But even if he did it, what would be the point?
In the end, the very existence of shinobi had already cut off most of Hikaru's ideas.
Once individual strength reached a level that made others despair, those overwhelmingly powerful individuals were bound to stand at the peak of the world.
Even Hikaru's schemes and plots had only worked because they were built on a certain level of strength.
If ordinary people tried to scheme against shinobi, they might make shinobi suffer losses for a time.
But once shinobi became angry, it would no longer be a matter of suffering losses.
Most likely, an entire family would neatly gather in the Pure Land while their surviving friends gathered outside for the funeral feast.
Of course, such cases were still rare.
After all, shinobi generally followed rules.
In a certain sense, the establishment of shinobi villages was the establishment of rules.
Shinobi had to move within those rules.
To put it bluntly, that was a way of protecting the shinobi system itself.
If someone in the same village ignored the rules and acted recklessly, they would earn everyone's hatred.
Danzo, who had perished together with Hikaru's Wood Release and would probably never even be summoned by Impure World Reincarnation in the future, was a perfect example.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had allowed him to do as he pleased, had also received his lesson—both now and in the original story.
In a way, Hikaru had saved Hiruzen.
In the original story, Hiruzen died in a grand and heroic battle.
Now, he probably would not die.
Of course, if Hiruzen knew how he was supposed to die in the future, perhaps he would prefer that ending.
After all, to him, that kind of death would be excellent for both Konoha and himself.
With those two examples as warnings, Hikaru was willing to follow the rules even if he did not fear breaking them.
After all, without rules, nothing could stand.
And the direction he intended to change naturally still had to revolve around shinobi.
"I wonder if there is anything else Hikaru-sama wishes to emphasize?"
Nara Shikaku looked at Hikaru's expression and realized this discussion would likely be important.
Hikaru had already received the Fourth Hokage's letter.
Although Shikaku had not read it, he knew there was a high chance Minato wanted to meet Hikaru.
Given Konoha's current situation, and given how high Hikaru's support was, this was naturally something that needed attention.
And Shikaku did not believe that Minato, as Hokage, had not been paying any attention to Konoha.
If he was paying attention, then he would naturally know the current situation.
That meant the two of them had to meet and talk properly.
As for the final result, Shikaku did not think it would be bad.
Strictly speaking, the relationship between the two of them was not poor.
At least on the surface, their relationship was genuinely good.
Therefore, the most likely outcome was that Minato would help Hikaru to the end.
That would be good for both of them.
Because of that, what Hikaru wanted to discuss now was very likely the changes he intended to make to Konoha after becoming Hokage.
Nara Shikaku's mind was indeed exceptionally sharp.
He was very good at judging what might happen next from certain events and details.
Hikaru also heard the meaning in Shikaku's words.
It made him sigh inwardly once again.
Nara Shikaku's value was truly too high.
Fortunately, the Naruto world was a world that valued bloodlines.
Fortunately, Shikaku himself did not have much ambition.
Otherwise, he might have been the most qualified candidate for Hokage.
"There are indeed some things we need to discuss properly."
Hikaru smiled and nodded.
"Or rather, things I need to emphasize. I will also need your support and assistance, Shikaku."
At this point, Hikaru paused slightly.
He looked at Shikaku's serious expression, then gently tapped the table.
"The first aspect concerns some internal reforms in Konoha.
The second concerns Konoha's future development policy.
I think you understand, Shikaku. No matter which one we touch, there will be plenty of trouble.
But these are things that must be done."
Hearing this, Shikaku sighed inwardly.
He had guessed correctly.
And he had to admit that what Hikaru said was true.
Both matters were extremely troublesome.
Although Shikaku did not fully agree with Hikaru's statement that they "must be done," that did not stop him from trying to understand Hikaru's thoughts.
Only by knowing what Hikaru wanted to do could he find ways to reconcile certain conflicts.
He had already completely regarded Hikaru as Hokage.
He understood that a new Hokage would naturally make adjustments after taking office.
He could only hope that Hikaru would not go too far in some matters.
"That is true. Does Hikaru-sama have any more specific thoughts?"
After thinking for a moment, Shikaku asked carefully.
"Thank you for understanding. Then let's not waste words."
Hikaru smiled softly.
Then he tapped the table again and spoke in a calm voice.
"First, Shikaku, have you ever felt that there are problems with Konoha's current shinobi system?
For example, the relationship between clan shinobi and civilian shinobi.
After being stirred up by the Third Hokage, are you certain it is still fair?"
Hikaru's words made cold sweat break out on Shikaku's back.
He knew Hikaru was going to make a big move.
But he truly had not expected him to go this big.
...
Nara Shikaku had always been a clever man.
Because he was too clever, he could see many things others could not.
For example, many of Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions.
Shikaku had seen them all and had carefully considered the reasons behind them.
He also understood why Hiruzen had done those things.
Hiruzen's methods were both simple and difficult.
Shikaku had never believed Hiruzen was an unqualified Hokage.
Nor did he think there was anything wrong with what he had done.
Because the circumstances at the time had forced him to make that choice.
Only by choosing that path could Hiruzen become a true Hokage.
But Shikaku had not expected Hikaru to see through all of this as well.
And now, Hikaru intended to cut into it.
"You understand my intention, don't you, Shikaku?"
Seeing Shikaku fall silent, Hikaru smiled.
"I believe I do."
Shikaku smiled bitterly and nodded.
"Hikaru-sama intends to act on shinobi identity recognition."
Hearing Shikaku's words, Hikaru's smile widened fully.
As expected, Nara Shikaku had already seen through something.
Otherwise, he would not have reacted immediately after Hikaru said those words.
This discovery made Hikaru even happier.
For a manager, what could be more pleasing than having subordinates full of talent?
Of course, Hikaru could also see Shikaku's worries.
But such worries were normal.
As long as interests could be guaranteed, there was nothing to truly worry about.
"Correct. As expected of you, Shikaku."
Hikaru smiled.
"I never deny that the Third Hokage's methods were wrong.
After all, they were choices shaped by the era and environment.
But for the same reason, now that the era and environment have changed, is continuing that old method still suitable?"
"Perhaps not."
After a long silence, Shikaku finally nodded.
"For the present moment, changing clan-based labels back into a more concrete form of identity may indeed be well-timed."
Shikaku knew he probably had no way to reject this matter.
And he had no reason to reject it.
The timing Hikaru had chosen was, in a certain sense, truly excellent.
Especially now, after the war had ended and everyone's emotions were so high.
Moreover, Shikaku also believed Hikaru would protect their interests.
After all, Hikaru himself was one of them.
What Hikaru wanted to deal with was not complicated.
But it truly touched too many people's interests, especially those of clan shinobi like them.
To put it simply, Hikaru wanted to break the fixed concepts of "village" and "clan."
In the Naruto world, the topic of "village" and "clan" had always been widely discussed.
The most typical and most heavily harmed example was the Uchiha.
After all, Uchiha Itachi had always been thinking about "village" and "clan," and in the end, he slaughtered his entire clan.
In terms of tragedy, few could compare to them.
The so-called village and clan issue was, in simpler terms, a kind of fixed identity.
Or rather, a political identity label.
Take the Uchiha again.
In the current shinobi world, and even in the future of the original story, when people saw someone like Sasuke, their first reaction would not be:
"This boy is a Konoha shinobi."
Instead, it would be:
"This person is a member of the Uchiha Clan."
One placed Konoha shinobi identity first.
The other placed clan identity first.
That was an enormous difference.
This issue was common throughout the shinobi world.
In some cases, once someone displayed traits of a certain bloodline clan, others would immediately stop seeing them as a shinobi of a certain village and instead define them as a shinobi of that clan.
It could be said that the stereotypes caused by identity solidification were the same everywhere.
This was a very bad situation.
In more serious terms, it could be seen as insufficient identification with one's own shinobi village.
Of course, that was not even the most serious point.
The Uchiha Clan in the original story had already given everyone a lesson.
They had sunk too deeply into the idea of "clan," and as a result, they became increasingly separated from Konoha.
That was why, in their most critical moment, no one came to support them.
Their eventual fate was obvious.
Even without Itachi, if things had continued like that, the final result likely would not have been good.
"Shikaku, you truly understand reason."
Hikaru lightly tapped the table and smiled as he continued.
"Indeed. If it were another time, I might still consider whether to touch this matter.
But now, the war has just ended, and the village's cohesion is high enough.
If we propose such changes now, they may be easier to accept.
Back then, in order to stabilize the situation, the Third Hokage had no choice but to isolate Konoha's clans one by one.
Aside from the Ino-Shika-Cho, which clan was not treated this way?
Once shinobi clans could not unite, they could naturally be broken one by one.
Only then could the Third Hokage control all of you."
Hikaru stopped there.
Shikaku's expression remained calm.
Clearly, he was not surprised by anything Hikaru had said.
After all, he had already thought of it.
How could he still be shocked?
Still, he could not help sighing inwardly at Hikaru's sharpness.
How old was Hikaru?
Yet he could see through such a complicated problem so clearly.
Even Minato had once struggled with the Uchiha issue.
But Hikaru had seen through everything long ago and had already taken practical action.
At first, Shikaku had not paid too much attention to the changes in the Uchiha.
Now, however, it seemed Hikaru had long figured out how to deal with them.
Shikaku shook his head slightly and began thinking quickly.
Hikaru wanted change.
Under circumstances where Shikaku had few choices, cooperation was the best option.
His cooperation would naturally take clan factors into consideration.
Only by balancing the two important groups that made up the village—clan shinobi and civilian shinobi—and by protecting the interests of all shinobi clans could this matter be considered successful.
This was for the strength of the shinobi clans.
It was also for Hikaru's benefit.
And at the same time, it was for the interests of Shikaku's own clan.
After all, they themselves were members of a shinobi clan.
...
Hikaru did not know what Nara Shikaku was thinking.
If he did, he would probably pat Shikaku on the shoulder and praise him.
Hikaru was not great.
Nor had he ever thought of himself as a great person.
What he wanted to do sounded pleasant if described as "revolution from above."
To put it bluntly, however, he was simply preventing others from truly revolutionizing against him.
He was very strong, but he did not want to be entangled by such annoying matters.
Moreover, the stronger he became, the more Hikaru could sense just how terrifying the vitality of true powerhouses could be.
Leaving aside everything else, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was still perfectly alive.
Who could say for certain whether the Sage of Six Paths was truly dead?
Hikaru did not want to be watched by that Sage.
Although he felt that if he were going to be watched, he probably would have been watched long ago.
Still, Hikaru could not go too far, could he?
Besides these external objective factors, there was another reason.
Hikaru needed to complete his mission.
He did not know how much progress he had gained this time because he had not checked.
After all, rapidly increasing mission progress could directly mature seeds.
He wanted to wait until after meeting Minato before checking.
But this time, the progress should have risen a great deal.
After all, he had killed so many people and made his name resound throughout the shinobi world.
And soon, after meeting Minato, certain matters would also be settled.
That would absolutely raise his mission progress by another large margin.
But whether such progress could directly fill the bar was hard to say.
If it did not fill completely, then since he already stood so high, filling the remaining progress would require starting from another direction.
Hikaru was planning ahead.
He had to guard against any possible unfavorable factor.
After thinking for quite a while, Shikaku's eyes suddenly lit up.
He seemed to have roughly figured out what he should do.
"Hikaru-sama, what do you think about properly increasing the importance of shinobi rank?"
Shikaku asked tentatively.
Hearing his words, Hikaru smiled and nodded.
"That is a very good idea.
After all, the First Hokage defined the shinobi ranking system.
We cannot allow it to decline into meaninglessness, can we?"
Those words immediately reassured Shikaku.
He now knew what to say.
He had also guessed some of Hikaru's thoughts.
The familiar shinobi ranks—jōnin, chūnin, and genin—had indeed been created by Hashirama Senju.
Of course, whether Madara Uchiha had helped was unclear.
After all, there were not many historical records for people to verify.
Hikaru intended to restore the meaning of this shinobi rank system.
After careful thought, Shikaku felt it was not impossible.
With that in mind, Shikaku relaxed slightly.
Then he spoke with a more serious expression.
"Of course. The First Hokage established the shinobi rank system to break the division between bloodline shinobi and ordinary shinobi, placing them under the same rank structure.
Everyone is a Konoha jōnin, chūnin, or genin.
They are not merely clan shinobi.
Unfortunately, although this system has been preserved, its original meaning has been lost.
I believe restoring its essential meaning is indeed something worth deeply exploring and implementing."
"Exactly. Identity politics is worth exploring. Sometimes, it is indeed useful, but it also provides convenience to many people."
Hikaru smiled and nodded.
Since Shikaku had completely guessed his intention, Hikaru could speak freely.
"But it is no longer suitable now.
The shinobi of the major clans have either grown distant from Konoha or have been individually controlled by others.
I do not think that benefits anyone.
Wasn't the Fourth Hokage unable to fully seize Hokage authority precisely because of this?
I do not want that to repeat.
Identity politics no longer has much meaning.
From now on, there will only be 'Konoha shinobi.'
I think you understand, Shikaku."
"Of course."
Shikaku nodded firmly.
Then he asked carefully:
"In that case, we also need corresponding supporting policies. Hikaru-sama, what do you think?"
"Can't you see why I demanded so many ninjutsu from Kumo?"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow at Shikaku.
Then he spoke leisurely.
"We will increase the rights and obligations of jōnin.
After all, jōnin have always been candidates to succeed the Hokage.
As the commander of the Jōnin Corps, you should have the most say in this.
In addition, shinobi of every rank should receive improvements as well.
After all, they are all Konoha shinobi. Konoha should support them."
"I understand."
Shikaku nodded.
His eyes flickered slightly, and then he lowered his head and spoke quickly.
"In that case, we can establish a public resource system.
The welfare and treatment of shinobi at every rank must rise.
The Third Hokage has already secured a massive subsidy from the daimyō.
That will allow us to implement this series of measures properly.
However, Hikaru-sama, the number of jōnin must be strictly limited.
The jōnin assessment must also become more difficult.
Those who fail to meet the standard..."
"Directly demote them."
Hikaru gave the answer without hesitation.
That answer made Shikaku completely relax.
In just a few words, Hikaru had greatly increased the rights of jōnin.
Although many details had yet to be finalized, Shikaku knew those details would probably lean toward jōnin.
Whether in funding, ninjutsu, or political rights, they would receive more and greater benefits.
And according to everything Hikaru had said before, the status of future jōnin might not be lower than that of a shinobi clan head.
Once jōnin possessed such great rights, they naturally needed sufficient restrictions.
Both quantity and quality had to be carefully assessed.
Even the obligations they needed to fulfill had to be included in the assessment.
After all, future jōnin would likely become the most admired and desired existences in the village.
Besides that, Shikaku truly relaxed because he knew Hikaru had left a path for clan shinobi.
Indeed, compared with civilian shinobi, clan shinobi were far fewer in number.
Shinobi clans relied on bloodlines or secret techniques as their inheritance.
Compared to the massive population base of civilian shinobi, their numbers were far inferior.
Bloodlines would not always meet the standard.
Secret techniques would not always be learned well.
But civilian shinobi had such a massive base that outstanding shinobi would always emerge among them.
No matter how outstanding they were, however, they could not compare with clan shinobi at the starting point.
After all, clan shinobi controlled enormous resources.
From childhood, they could use those resources to train their clan's shinobi.
Even if a child had problems with bloodline talent or secret technique mastery at a certain stage, that would not stop the clan from developing him in other areas and turning him into a qualified jōnin.
After understanding this, Shikaku finally smiled.
Now he fully supported everything.
Although they would suffer some losses for the time being, that was not a major issue.
Besides, current losses did not necessarily mean future losses.
"I understand, Hikaru-sama."
Shikaku nodded firmly.
"Then regarding the supporting policies, is there anything else Hikaru-sama wishes to clarify?"
"Why don't you offer some opinions, Shikaku?"
Hikaru spread his hands casually.
"After all, I trust your judgment."
"I see..."
Seeing Hikaru toss the ball back to him, Shikaku felt somewhat helpless, but he was also very confident.
He had not failed to predict this.
In fact, within a very short period, he had already carefully considered what kind of system could match Hikaru's reform.
He had truly thought of a method.
It was just that this method was rather bold and rather forward-looking.
But no matter what, it fit Hikaru's current needs.
Of course, everything Shikaku had thought of was inspired by Hikaru.
After all, Hikaru's reforms within ANBU had genuinely made him see some feasibility.
"Actually, we can create a meeting system for discussion, consultation, and better conflict resolution.
The organization established through this system would be fully responsible to the Hokage.
It would not produce binding decisions. Instead, it would discuss methods for solving problems, and the final decision would be made by the Hokage.
As for the members of this organization, I think shinobi from every rank can participate.
Of course, how to select these shinobi would still be determined by the Hokage.
This is only my preliminary idea.
Because I have not had time to think through it in detail, it is still somewhat crude.
I wonder if Hikaru-sama thinks it is feasible?"
Shikaku's explanation was fairly simple.
He had only described a rough framework.
But even that was already impressive.
After all, he had come up with it on the spot and had not gone through careful deliberation.
Many details had not yet been deeply explored.
Even so, Nara Shikaku still startled Hikaru.
Hikaru stared at Shikaku in a daze.
What was this?
Wasn't this basically a cabinet-parliamentary system?
Of course, if they adjusted the representatives who participated in the meetings, it could even become a model Hikaru was more familiar with.
For a moment, Hikaru really wanted to imitate a powerful character from American comics and crack open Nara Shikaku's head to see what was inside.
Who knew?
If this were another world, perhaps he might dig out a stone.
Hikaru truly felt a little stunned.
Still, he was someone who had seen great storms.
It did not take long for him to recover.
"I am very satisfied with your proposal, Shikaku."
Hikaru smiled and spoke slowly.
"Since you have proposed this direction, I think it can be organized and adjusted in greater detail.
Let us call it the Comprehensive Council System.
The participating members from the jōnin, chūnin, and genin ranks will be called councilors.
Find someone to formulate the number of seats for the three shinobi ranks based on proportion.
However, there is one thing I must make clear.
These councilor seats should be elected by the shinobi of each rank themselves.
After all, they represent the rights of shinobi at each level.
If someone performs poorly, they can be replaced through internal voting.
In addition, each shinobi rank should hold its own internal meetings to summarize the problems faced by shinobi of that rank.
At the end of the year, we will hold a Konoha Shinobi Assembly to discuss solutions in one place.
Also, in the future, for all large-scale meetings, every jōnin may participate regardless of whether they are councilors.
This includes the year-end Konoha Assembly.
They may also attend and possess the right to make proposals.
As for how proposals are adopted or rejected, that will need to be adjusted according to the actual situation."
After thinking for a moment, Hikaru simply described a system based on a relatively effective model from his previous life, modified according to his current circumstances and the conditions of this world.
Of course, this was only a first draft.
After all, Hikaru wanted to raise the authority of jōnin.
Many details needed more precise revision.
Besides that, the rights of chūnin and genin also needed to be discussed properly.
But those matters would be left to Nara Shikaku.
"Oh, right."
Before Shikaku could say anything, Hikaru spoke again.
"Remember to include civilians as well.
After all, they are also reserves for future shinobi.
You also need to produce a plan for how they should be allocated."
Hearing this, Shikaku's face almost turned green.
He opened his mouth slightly.
In the end, it became a bitter smile.
He nodded helplessly and said with some difficulty:
"I understand, Hikaru-sama. I will handle these matters properly."
"Then I'll leave it to you. I believe in your ability."
As Hikaru spoke, he stood up.
He picked up the letter in his hand and put it away.
"In that case, I should take my leave as well.
Someone is waiting for me.
As for foreign policy, we can discuss it next time.
After all, we have already discussed enough today."
Shikaku nodded with some pain.
He knew who Hikaru was going to meet.
And Hikaru was right.
They had discussed enough today.
The contents of this conversation were a heavy bomb.
Turning everything they had discussed into concrete documents would be an enormous and troublesome task.
In addition, implementing the contents of those documents would probably require him to visit quite a few clans and talk with them properly.
Since he had already completely distanced himself from the Third Hokage during the Danzo incident and the war with Kumo, and since the Fourth Hokage could no longer continue governing Konoha, Shikaku choosing Hikaru was only natural.
Since he had already recognized this future new Hokage, he had to do everything in his power to support him.
"Still, Hikaru-sama's reform is quite good.
It can unite Konoha while protecting the rights of clan shinobi.
But from now on, people can no longer rely solely on being born well and holding a golden spoon from birth.
Some people will have to work hard in the future..."
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