Hikaru smiled before slowly continuing.
"Since Minister Shikaku has already proposed this direction, I think we should develop and refine it further.
"We'll call it the Comprehensive Council System.
"The shinobi selected from the jonin, chunin, and genin ranks will be called councilors. Have someone determine the number of seats assigned to each rank based on their total population.
"But there is one point I need to make absolutely clear. The councilors must be elected by the shinobi of their respective ranks. After all, they will represent the interests of those shinobi.
"If any councilor performs poorly, their rank may hold an internal vote and replace them.
"In addition, each rank should hold its own meetings to organize and present the problems faced by its members.
"At the end of every year, Konoha will hold a village-wide Shinobi Assembly where those matters and possible solutions can be discussed together.
"And from now on, every jonin will be permitted to attend major meetings, regardless of whether they hold a council seat.
"That includes the year-end Shinobi Assembly. They will also have the right to submit proposals, though the exact procedures and limitations can be adjusted according to practical needs."
Hikaru had adapted the idea from a political structure familiar to him from his previous life, modifying it to suit both Konoha's circumstances and the nature of the shinobi world.
Of course, this was only a preliminary framework.
If he intended to expand the authority of jonin, countless details would need to be examined and revised.
The rights of chunin and genin would also require careful consideration.
Fortunately, all of that could be left to Nara Shikaku.
"Oh, right."
Before Shikaku could respond, Hikaru spoke again.
"Remember to include the civilians as well.
"They are Konoha's future pool of shinobi. You'll need to devise a system that gives them appropriate representation."
Shikaku's face nearly turned green.
His mouth opened slightly, but in the end, all he could manage was a bitter smile.
"I understand, Minister Hikaru. I'll handle it."
"Then I'll leave it to you. I trust your abilities, Minister Shikaku."
Hikaru stood as he spoke, picked up the letter on the table, and tucked it away.
"In that case, I should take my leave. Someone else is waiting for me.
"We can discuss foreign policy next time. We've already covered more than enough for one meeting."
Shikaku nodded painfully.
He already knew whom Hikaru intended to meet.
And Hikaru was right. They had discussed more than enough.
The contents of this conversation were nothing less than a political bombshell.
Turning these ideas into a detailed policy document would be an enormous and exhausting undertaking.
After that, Shikaku would also have to visit the various clans and speak with their leaders personally if he wanted the reforms to pass smoothly.
After distancing himself from the Third Hokage during the conflict involving Danzo and the war with Kumogakure—and with the Fourth Hokage no longer capable of continuing to govern Konoha—choosing Hikaru was the most natural decision Shikaku could make.
Since he had already recognized Hikaru as Konoha's future Hokage, he would have to commit himself fully.
"Still, Minister Hikaru's reforms are quite impressive.
"They can strengthen Konoha's unity while preserving the interests of the shinobi clans.
"It simply means that being born into a good family will no longer be enough to guarantee a comfortable future.
"Some people will finally have to start working for what they receive."
Reforming Konoha would require an enormous amount of effort.
Hikaru understood that perfectly.
However, while he cared about the reform, he was more interested in seeing how Shikaku would turn the concept into a practical system.
As a leader, Hikaru had always followed the same approach he used on the battlefield.
He concerned himself with broad strategy.
He had plenty of capable subordinates. Refusing to use them and instead exhausting himself over every minor detail would be the height of stupidity.
"I'll also need to establish a Secretariat inside the Hokage Tower, along with an Internal Affairs Department."
The Secretariat and Internal Affairs Office Hikaru had established within the ANBU had saved him considerable trouble.
Even after becoming Hokage, he intended to preserve both organizations.
Naturally, they could no longer remain mere offices.
They would need to be expanded into full departments.
The Hokage already had the Administrative Department to assist with political affairs, but that department needed to coordinate matters on a much broader scale.
The newly proposed Comprehensive Council System, for example, would require the Administrative Department's continued involvement and supervision.
In Hikaru's opinion, Konoha's administrative structure was a complete mess.
Fixing it would take a great deal of time.
"Fortunately, time is one thing I have plenty of."
There were still many years before the original story was supposed to begin.
By the time that era arrived, Hikaru might already have transformed Konoha into the undisputed model for the entire shinobi world.
After leaving the office, chakra stirred within his body.
A moment later, he appeared beside a newspaper stand elsewhere in Konoha.
A small toad stood before him, holding a kunai.
Hikaru showed no surprise.
The reason he had ended his meeting with Shikaku before discussing foreign policy was that he had sensed someone activating one of his Flying Thunder God markers.
The presence of the toads was not unusual either.
They regularly came to Konoha to purchase newspapers for Minato Namikaze.
Hikaru knew Kakashi needed a way to send information to his former teacher.
Rather than constantly dispatching classified reports, Hikaru had suggested that Kakashi simply send newspapers unless the information was particularly sensitive.
Kakashi had agreed.
The newspapers already contained most of the news Minato needed to know.
The decision had proven useful.
Minato had become rather fond of Konoha's newspapers.
To avoid interfering with Kakashi's work, he had even asked the toads of Mount Myoboku to visit Konoha regularly and purchase the latest editions themselves.
The small toad standing before Hikaru was one of those messengers.
Today, however, it had been given an additional task.
"You're Senju Hikaru?" the toad asked after Hikaru appeared.
There was little actual uncertainty in its voice.
It had almost certainly identified him already.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was both rare and extraordinarily difficult to master.
Hikaru's manner of arrival had made his identity obvious.
"I am."
Hikaru nodded.
"The Fourth Hokage wishes to meet with me. How am I supposed to reach him?"
"Follow me. I'll take you to Mount Myoboku."
The small toad spread its hands and grumbled.
"What a pain. Do they have any idea how much chakra it takes to bring an entire person to Mount Myoboku? Why did they have to make me do it?"
Hikaru shook his head with an amused smile.
Summoning beasts truly were interesting creatures.
Had his strength not increased so rapidly over the past few years, he might still have relied heavily on Tokagemaru's assistance.
Now, however, the younger lizards of Tokagemaru's clan had mostly become couriers, carrying intelligence and messages for Hikaru.
Sometimes Hikaru simply used the Flying Thunder God Technique to visit them himself.
Tokagemaru had little opportunity to participate in battle at present, but that did not mean things would remain that way forever.
The Summoning Technique possessed one peculiar characteristic.
Maintaining the summon required chakra from both the summoner and the summoned creature.
A summoned beast could also draw upon its summoner's chakra to prolong its ability to fight.
Hikaru's chakra reserves were monstrous.
If Tokagemaru learned to properly use the chakra supplied by Hikaru, his future potential would become far more difficult to estimate.
Following the small toad, Hikaru entered a secluded corner of the village.
Fortunately, it was still working hours, so the streets were relatively quiet.
Hikaru had also worn a mask, preventing anyone from recognizing him.
Thanks to the relentless coverage of the newspapers, there was hardly anyone in Konoha who did not know his face.
Sometimes he genuinely needed a mask merely to walk through the village.
Otherwise, enthusiastic residents might surround him before he could get anywhere.
His current fame was nothing like what it had once been.
After they entered the secluded area, the toad pressed its front feet together.
Hikaru immediately sensed a familiar type of chakra gathering around it.
"Senjutsu?"
He recognized the difference at once.
Natural energy had become one of his most frequently used sources of power. There was no chance he would mistake it.
The inhabitants of the Three Great Sage Regions truly were blessed by nature.
The power they used instinctively was something most humans could never learn, no matter how hard they tried.
The tiny number of people in the shinobi world capable of using Sage Mode proved that.
Of course, there were likely people with the talent but no opportunity to learn.
Even so, Hikaru believed naturally gifted candidates remained exceedingly rare.
The danger of petrification alone was enough to deter most people.
Not everyone could receive the careful instruction Naruto had enjoyed.
And not everyone possessed a system like Hikaru's, which allowed him to bypass learning conditions and even natural talent.
"This is Reverse Summoning," the small toad said after glancing at Hikaru. "Come on. I'll take you there."
Hikaru nodded and stepped into the summoning formation beside it.
A peculiar chakra swept across his entire body.
At once, Hikaru sensed the surrounding space begin to distort.
He was deeply familiar with spatial movement, but this technique was still noticeably different from the Flying Thunder God, even if their underlying principles were similar.
In the blink of an eye, Hikaru found himself standing in the middle of a forest.
A blond man was sitting not far away.
"Hikaru, it's been a long time."
The man smiled when he saw him.
Hikaru returned the smile and nodded.
"It certainly has, Lord Fourth."
Hikaru and Minato spoke for a long time.
It was not until dusk that Hikaru finally ended the meeting, a satisfied smile on his face.
He had obtained what he wanted.
It was only a promise, but that promise was more than enough.
"If you can set the election of Konoha's next Hokage in motion, I will support the proposal.
"After all, I am no longer capable of continuing to lead the village."
Those were Minato's exact words.
They validated everything Hikaru had done.
Hikaru did not completely understand how Minato's thoughts had changed over the years.
However, after learning what had truly happened during the Nine-Tails' attack—and understanding the choices he himself had made that night—Minato had clearly changed a great deal.
Regardless, whether compared with the original timeline or the present one, his altered mindset made little difference.
In the original story, Minato had long since died.
In this world, Hikaru had already changed everything.
There was no returning to the original path.
Some events might still follow the broad direction of the original timeline, but Hikaru believed the chances were growing increasingly small.
The Chunin Exams invasion, for example—the event that had originally drawn Hikaru completely into the story—would probably never happen.
With Hikaru's current strength and his performance during the war against Kumogakure, he could not imagine Sunagakure being foolish enough to attack Konoha.
There had also been another major factor behind Sunagakure's original decision to invade.
Orochimaru.
Hikaru had no idea how Orochimaru originally persuaded Rasa to cooperate. The original story had never explained the negotiations.
However, Rasa had ultimately agreed and mobilized his forces.
As for why Konoha had detected Orochimaru's presence and allowed Sunagakure to bring its jinchuriki into the village without immediately acting, the reasons were not difficult to imagine.
Deterrence—and the training of a new generation.
In the original timeline, Konoha's prestige had suffered tremendously after the incident involving Kumogakure and the Hyuga Clan.
That loss of authority would have been devastating to the village's future.
Konoha needed someone to serve as a stepping stone so it could restore its reputation across the shinobi world.
The invasion by Orochimaru and Sunagakure had, in some respects, offered exactly that opportunity.
Sunagakure and Konoha were officially allies, but that alliance had only been formed because Sunagakure had lost the previous war and been forced to sign an agreement.
Naturally, Sunagakure did not truly wish to remain bound by it.
Konoha, meanwhile, had reason to punish an unreliable ally that appeared ready to betray them.
Under those circumstances, renewed conflict was almost inevitable.
There was also the matter of Konoha's younger generation.
The village had enjoyed peace for years.
Its young shinobi had never experienced war. They could not fully understand the value of peace, nor had they yet been tempered into true weapons of the village.
Shinobi were ultimately weapons.
A dull weapon lost its purpose.
Even if Konoha had no intention of launching an offensive war, it still needed to ensure its weapons remained sharp.
Using such a conflict to harden the younger generation had therefore carried a certain strategic value.
Of course, Hikaru had also recently considered a less flattering possibility.
Perhaps the Third Hokage had simply been helpless.
First, Hiruzen had no way of knowing whether the Fourth Kazekage attending the Chunin Exams was truly Rasa.
Even if he discovered the truth, he did not possess Rasa's corpse and therefore lacked proof.
Without evidence, he could not expose Orochimaru's disguise, and Sunagakure would never have accepted Konoha's accusations.
Second, one month was not enough time for Hiruzen to make extensive preparations.
Orochimaru understood Konoha too well.
Any large movement could have alerted him.
Until Hiruzen understood Orochimaru's true objective, he had to deal cautiously with someone that dangerous.
Beyond that, Konoha's internal position had become extremely awkward.
Danzo's actions, combined with Hiruzen's tacit acceptance of the Uchiha Clan's destruction, had left the Third Hokage politically isolated.
By that point, Hiruzen may have had almost no cards left to play.
He might have been incapable of doing anything except watch the invasion unfold.
Of course, that was only a theory Hikaru had recently considered.
Whether it reflected the truth was another matter entirely.
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