Inside the study, Danzō stared at Kizaru, unable to conceal the excitement in his single visible eye.
Leading Konoha to unite the shinobi world had always been his greatest ambition. Now that Kizaru had finally stated his intentions openly, that distant dream suddenly seemed within reach.
"If we truly intend to unite the shinobi world, then this war is the opportunity we've been waiting for," Danzō declared. "As long as we wipe out the forces of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure on the battlefield, we can immediately march into the Lands of Lightning, Earth, and Water."
"Chiyo and Sunagakure have already submitted to us. Once the other three villages are defeated, all four great nations capable of opposing the Land of Fire will be in our hands."
"Ooh... you've misunderstood one thing, Uncle," Kizaru corrected him in his usual unhurried drawl. "I'm not talking about uniting only the shinobi world. I mean the entire world."
Danzō considered his words for a moment before answering.
"Once the daimyō and nobles lose the protection of their shinobi villages, they will have no power to resist us. We can force them to submit first and deal with them gradually afterward."
Kizaru nodded. Danzō's plan was certainly feasible.
"With the power we possess now, unifying the world won't be difficult," Kizaru said. "The real question is which route we should take. Do we handle the easy part first and leave the difficult part for later, or endure the difficult part now so everything afterward becomes easier?"
"What is the difference?"
"If we choose the easier route first, we temporarily ignore how the conquered lands will be governed. We use overwhelming force to destroy or absorb every shinobi village."
"Once the military conquest is complete, we cooperate with the existing nobles and allow them to continue administering their territories on our behalf."
"That would let us unite the world in name very quickly. Afterward, we could gradually eliminate the nobles, replace their authority, and bring every country under our direct control."
This route would make full use of Kizaru's overwhelming strength. The initial conquest would progress at an astonishing speed, but once the fighting ended, resolving the internal conflicts left behind would become far more troublesome.
There was, of course, an even more ruthless version of that plan.
Kizaru could follow Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's example and impose absolute rule through sheer power. He could sweep across the world and kill anyone who refused to submit, whether they were shinobi, nobles, or ordinary citizens of the conquered nations.
Ruling tens of millions—or even hundreds of millions—of people was naturally difficult. Every class had its own interests, demands, and grievances.
However, if one hundred million people were too difficult to control, then a tyrant could simply reduce that number.
Kill ten million.
Kill twenty million.
Kill fifty million.
Eventually, the survivors would become too frightened to voice any opposition, at least openly.
The advantage was obvious. Kizaru could complete his conquest within an extremely short time, causing his Conquest Progress to rise rapidly.
The disadvantages were just as clear.
Such widespread slaughter could send human civilization into decline. The shinobi of Konoha might turn against him, and even his closest friends could become estranged from him.
It would also become far more difficult to earn the loyalty, recognition, and admiration needed to increase his Conquest Progress. His growth during the later stages would slow to a crawl.
Of course, time could eventually solve most of those problems.
Humans were not immortal. After several centuries, no one who had personally experienced the massacres would remain alive. Under Kizaru's continued rule and generations of carefully shaped history, the world would gradually forget its hatred.
In the eyes of later generations, Kizaru could be transformed from a ruthless demon into a righteous god.
To be honest, even Kizaru had been startled when that plan first entered his mind.
He had never expected such brutality to exist within him.
However, the values he had developed over two lifetimes, together with his remaining sense of reason, immediately rejected the idea. He buried it in the deepest corner of his heart and had no intention of ever acting upon it.
Kizaru had no desire to walk such a lonely path and turn himself into a villain feared by the entire world.
Whether he wanted to unite the world or become a god, his purpose had never been power for its own sake.
He only wanted to enjoy everything life had to offer—and continue enjoying it for as long as possible.
"Then what about taking the difficult route first?" Danzō asked.
Personally, he found the first method perfectly acceptable. Kizaru had already begun walking the path of senjutsu, greatly extending his lifespan. Even if they completed the military conquest first, he would have more than enough time afterward to eliminate the nobles and other opposing forces.
"If we take the difficult route first, things will become much more troublesome," Kizaru explained. "Before anything else, we must bring all of Konoha under a single political vision. After that, we do the same throughout the Land of Fire."
"The daimyō and nobles within the Land of Fire must be eliminated first. In their place, we will establish a complete administrative system led by shinobi."
"Only after that foundation is secure will we turn our attention to the other nations."
"We'll rely on superior military strength to conquer them, using war to eliminate their daimyō, nobles, and any factions hostile to us. At the same time, we'll introduce our own system of government into every territory we take."
"In other words, we conquer them while transforming them. We advance steadily, one step at a time, until the momentum becomes unstoppable and the entire world is finally united."
"How long would that take?"
"If everything goes smoothly, three to five years," Kizaru answered. "If we encounter delays... perhaps five to ten."
Danzō nodded.
Even ten years was not long. Considering that they intended to reshape the entire world, it was actually an incredibly short amount of time.
"Which route do you prefer?" he asked.
"Well..." Kizaru paused before answering honestly. "I haven't decided yet."
"You haven't decided?" Danzō exclaimed.
"Both methods have their advantages. I'm wondering whether we can combine them and push both forward at the same time."
Perhaps it was the greed of the adult soul within his youthful body, but Kizaru saw no reason to choose one when there was a possibility of obtaining both.
"How would you combine them?" Danzō asked.
"In this war, we cripple the three great shinobi villages in a single blow," Kizaru replied. "However, we cannot allow all their hatred to settle on Konoha."
"The ideal outcome would be for the three villages to join us once the war ends, forming alliances similar to the one we already have with Sunagakure."
Danzō gave him a strange look.
Was Kizaru seriously expecting the very villages he intended to crush to stand beneath Konoha's banner afterward?
If the person before him had not been the Hokage—and the strongest shinobi in the world—Danzō would have dismissed the suggestion as utter nonsense.
"Ooh... you think it can't be done?" Kizaru asked with an amused smile, already knowing the answer.
"Impossible," Danzō replied decisively. "Absolutely impossible."
"What if, once the war is over, we reveal that the entire conflict was part of an enormous conspiracy?" Kizaru asked. "A conspiracy devised by an ambitious man who intended to manipulate the great nations and seize control of the shinobi world."
"You mean someone has been manipulating the villages from behind the scenes and deliberately driving them into war?" Danzō's eye narrowed. "That this entire conflict was planned from the beginning?"
As a veteran of countless political struggles, Danzō immediately understood the direction of Kizaru's plan.
"I can't say that I'm completely certain," Kizaru replied, "but I can more or less guess who is responsible."
A name immediately appeared in Danzō's mind.
"Uchiha Madara?"
Kizaru smiled and nodded, confirming Danzō's guess.
"Have you found any evidence?"
"Ooh... no," Kizaru admitted without the slightest hesitation. "It's only a guess."
Kizaru possessed no concrete evidence, but he was convinced that Uchiha Madara had orchestrated the war.
More importantly, whether his guess was correct no longer mattered.
Kizaru had already made his decision.
This war could only have been Uchiha Madara's doing.
No matter what the truth was, it had to become Uchiha Madara's doing.
Only then would the three great shinobi villages have someone else upon whom they could focus their anger after suffering devastating losses in the war.
At the same time, by using the threat posed by Uchiha Madara, Kizaru and Konoha could bring those villages beneath their leadership, turn them into subordinate allies, and gradually absorb their territories and power.
"I understand." A look of comprehension appeared on Danzō's face. "This entire war is Uchiha Madara's conspiracy."
"Then I'll leave the intelligence gathering to you, Uncle," Kizaru said.
He knew Danzō understood exactly what he meant.
"I will gather everything we need as quickly as possible," Danzō promised.
It was only a matter of creating evidence.
Danzō had more than enough experience in that particular field.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.