After settling on the path they would take toward unifying the world, Kizaru moved on to discussing reforms to the village's administrative system with his uncle.
Danzo generally supported Kizaru's proposal to establish an Elder Council and several other administrative departments.
Back when Hiruzen Sarutobi was Hokage, Danzo and the other elders naturally preferred to keep the limits of their authority as vague as possible.
As long as their authority remained undefined, elders like Danzo had an excuse to involve themselves in nearly every aspect of the village's affairs.
Even if one of their activities was eventually exposed and discovered by Hiruzen, the most they could be accused of was failing to report it to the Hokage beforehand.
Things were different now.
The current Hokage was Danzo's nephew, so the authority of the elders naturally needed to be restricted.
Under Kizaru's proposal, the Elder Council's role would be clearly defined. Its members would possess the right to offer advice, but they would hold no executive authority.
This would help consolidate power in the Hokage's hands, so Danzo supported the proposal completely.
However, after considering the reforms from a practical standpoint, Danzo raised two questions.
First, if he joined the Elder Council, what would happen to Root and its members? He could hardly hand such an important organization over to an outsider.
Second, how did Kizaru intend to persuade the others to accept these changes?
Kizaru's answer to the first question was simple. Danzo could recommend a suitable member of the Shimura clan to succeed him as the commander of Root.
His answer to the second question was even simpler.
He would use his strength to force them to accept it.
Before his ambitions changed, Kizaru might have been willing to play political games with those old men. After all, sitting around a table and arguing with them was still another way to avoid doing any real work.
But things were different now.
Kizaru's new ambition might not reach as far as the sea of stars, but it still amounted to nothing less than building an empire and ruling the world.
Now that he had set his sights much farther ahead, he had no interest in wasting time trading empty words with a few stubborn old men who refused to understand the changing times.
If anyone insisted on opposing his reforms, the solution was simple.
They could either retire from office or be buried beneath the ground.
They could choose for themselves.
No one could accuse Kizaru of ignoring the rules. After all, the ninja world had always possessed one rule that stood above all others.
The strongest person had the final say.
The only reason Kizaru had not immediately launched a sweeping series of reforms was that the village was about to enter a war. There were still numerous important foreign affairs that required immediate attention.
Otherwise, Kizaru had no intention of indulging everyone indefinitely. He could have pushed an entire reform package through during his first month as Hokage.
Cultural promotion and infiltration, agricultural reform and expansion, the establishment of universal education, and the complete restructuring of the military system...
From his very first day in office, Kizaru already had more than a dozen different reform programs in mind.
By the time they finished discussing the changes to the village's administrative system, it was already late at night.
Kizaru did not remain at Danzo's residence. After saying goodbye to his uncle, he returned home and went to rest.
At exactly eight o'clock the following morning, Keiko woke him.
Kizaru got out of bed, washed, dressed in his suit, and leisurely ate breakfast. He then put on the Hokage's cloak, gathered several handwritten proposals, and left the house while Keiko saw him off.
By the time Kizaru arrived at his office inside the Hokage Building, it was already eight-forty.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo were already seated inside, waiting for him.
"Ooh~ Everyone's already here."
Kizaru greeted them with a smile before walking over to the reception area on the left side of the office and settling into the main seat.
Koharu and Homura sat on the sofa to his right, while Hiruzen and Danzo occupied the sofa on his left.
"Fourth Hokage, according to the village's regulations, the Hokage is required to arrive at the office and begin handling official affairs before eight-thirty every morning," Koharu reminded him after seeing that he was ten minutes late.
"I know," Kizaru replied with a nod.
His straightforward response surprised everyone except Danzo.
Was this truly the same Kizaru who was usually so lazy and rarely gave anyone a direct answer?
"I'll have the Administration Department revise that regulation later," Kizaru continued with a cheerful smile. "From now on, the Hokage only needs to arrive before nine o'clock~"
There it was.
Aside from Koharu, whose expression immediately stiffened, everyone felt that the familiar Kizaru had returned.
"That would go against the established regulations," Koharu objected.
"Rules are created by people, which means people can naturally change them." The smile on Kizaru's face gradually faded as he looked at her. "Surely the Hokage has the authority to amend a village regulation... doesn't he?"
Under the pressure of Kizaru's gaze and presence, Koharu's expression darkened, but she wisely closed her mouth.
"Of course it can be changed!" Hiruzen said with a smile, quickly easing the tense atmosphere. "You are the Hokage now. You have the final say regarding the village's regulations."
At the same time, Hiruzen felt somewhat dissatisfied with Koharu.
Why provoke Kizaru over something as insignificant as when he arrived at the office?
"First of all, I've already reviewed all the documents placed on my desk. I'll discuss my specific thoughts on them later."
As Kizaru began speaking, everyone put the minor disagreement behind them and focused their attention on him.
"The purpose of this morning's meeting is to discuss changes to the village's administrative system."
Compared to arriving ten minutes late, reforming the entire administrative system was an incomparably more important matter. It would directly affect everyone's future authority and position within the village.
"Before I explain everything in detail, I prepared four copies of my proposal. Take a look at them first."
Kizaru distributed the documents he had brought with him.
The four senior figures accepted their copies and carefully began reading.
Kizaru's proposal was not particularly detailed. It only provided a brief description of the departments he intended to establish, along with the authority and responsibilities assigned to each one.
It took them only a few minutes to finish reading the single-page document.
Once they were done, the four of them reacted differently.
Danzo remained expressionless, Hiruzen appeared perfectly calm, while Koharu and Homura both wore unpleasant expressions.
"Now that you've finished reading, let's hear your opinions."
Kizaru leaned against the back of the sofa, crossed his legs, and rested both hands on the armrests as he smiled at them.
"The position of village elder exists to assist the Kage with governing the village," Homura began. "It also exists to prevent the Kage from being influenced by personal emotions, acting entirely on their own judgment, and making a decision that could harm the village."
When their core interests were at stake, neither adviser could remain silent.
"If the authority of the elders is restricted in the manner described in your proposal, what power will they have to stop the Kage from making a disastrous decision when necessary?"
"Since becoming a shinobi, have I ever made a decision that harmed the village?" Kizaru asked calmly.
"You haven't done so yet, but that doesn't mean it can never happen," Homura replied. "Even if the Fourth Hokage never makes a single mistake throughout his entire life, can you guarantee that the next Hokage will be the same?"
"The next Hokage?"
Kizaru looked at him with mild amusement.
"There won't be another Hokage. As long as nothing unexpected happens, I can remain in this position for hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of years."
He paused before continuing in the same relaxed tone.
"I'll consider finding a replacement whenever I eventually grow tired of sitting here. By then, Elder Homura, you'll certainly be long gone. Your clan might not even exist anymore. So why are you worrying about it now?"
Stunned by Kizaru's answer, Homura opened his mouth but found himself unable to respond.
Kizaru was claiming that he could live for hundreds or even thousands of years. He had even brought up Homura's clan and what might happen to it in the distant future.
What kind of answer was Homura supposed to give to that?
"Fourth Hokage, there is a natural limit to a shinobi's lifespan," Koharu said, unable to conceal the curiosity and faint greed in her eyes. "Have you mastered some kind of life-extending secret technique?"
Apart from Kizaru himself, only Hiruzen and Danzo knew about the extent of his mastery over senjutsu. Until now, neither Koharu nor Homura had heard anything about it.
"A secret technique? Well, I suppose you could call it that~"
Kizaru made no attempt to hide it.
"I've completely mastered the senjutsu of Mount Myoboku. According to the Great Toad Sage, extending my life by several thousand years shouldn't be a problem."
Excitement and greed immediately appeared in the eyes of both advisers.
If Kizaru could extend his lifespan by thousands of years through senjutsu, perhaps they could do the same.
"Senjutsu training is extraordinarily difficult," Hiruzen warned after immediately realizing what his two old friends were thinking. "If you make even the slightest mistake, natural energy will overwhelm your body. You will be petrified and transformed into a stone toad statue."
He paused before adding, "Danzo and I both attempted the training, but neither of us succeeded."
Hearing that even Hiruzen—the most talented and powerful among the four of them—had failed to master senjutsu, disappointment flashed across the faces of Koharu and Homura.
"We can discuss senjutsu another time," Kizaru said, bringing the conversation to an end. "If you still want to try it, I can take you to Mount Myoboku."
He then returned to the subject of the meeting.
"Other than your concerns about a distant successor, do either of you have any further objections?"
Koharu and Homura did not respond immediately. Instead, they looked toward Hiruzen, hoping that Kizaru's teacher and the previous Hokage would speak on their behalf.
"I support Kizaru's proposal," Hiruzen declared.
Unfortunately, his answer was the exact opposite of what the two advisers had hoped to hear.
"Very good~ Anyone else?"
Kizaru was clearly pleased that his teacher supported the reforms.
"I support it as well," Danzo stated.
There was no need for Danzo to hesitate. He naturally supported his nephew.
With the two most influential and powerful people among the four openly supporting Kizaru, Koharu and Homura had no room left to oppose him.
They could only swallow their bitterness, grit their teeth, and reluctantly nod in agreement.
"Very good. Thank you all for your support."
A satisfied smile appeared on Kizaru's face.
Seeing the two advisers' sour expressions, as though they had just swallowed something foul, only made him feel even happier.
Neither Kizaru nor Hiruzen intended to tell them that the two had already reached an agreement before this meeting ever began.
Once the administrative reforms were implemented, the Sarutobi clan would receive a permanent secretary position within the newly established Secretariat.
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