Classes cannot be eliminated. Only the vested interests of the existing class can be eliminated and then replaced by a new group of people.
Judging from the social structure of the previous ninja world, although shinobi possessed powerful military force, their status was not actually high. They were just a group of high-level mercenaries.
Not to mention the daimyo, even many nobles were arrogant when facing shinobi.
Of course, old-line high-ranking clans like the Hyūga clan and the Nara clan were actually part of the nobility themselves. Tsunade could even be given the title of Tsunade-hime, which did not mean she was the princess of Konoha, but the princess of the Land of Fire.
The nobles discussed at this meeting were the landlords and small warlords.
After killing so many people along the way, Yami was not going to be merciful at this point. To avoid complications, he just wanted these people dead.
If they were all killed, some innocents might be implicated. But if every other one was spared, there would definitely be many who slipped through the net.
Hearing his words, Hyūga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, and the others broke into a cold sweat, and even Danzō felt numb.
He had thought himself radical enough, but compared to this grandson, he was still far too conservative.
"That… Fifth Hokage."
When Yami had dealt with the major countries earlier, Hashirama had sympathized, but he had not spoken up. It was punishment for defeat, and as long as there was no large-scale slaughter, he could accept it.
But now he could not stay silent. "Fifth Hokage, your mother is the daughter of the Senju branch family in the capital. The entire Senju clan is tied to the upper class there.
"Isn't it too heartless to act this way?"
"Heartless? Hashirama, I think he is absolutely right. Those pieces of trash in high positions should have been swept into the dustbin of history long ago."
Madara, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up for Yami. Though his missing eyes hid it, admiration flickered in them.
If Yami and he had been born in the same era, they would have either been close friends with shared ideals or mortal enemies.
What a pity. What a pity.
"I think what the First Hokage said makes sense."
Amid everyone's astonished gazes, Yami nodded and actually agreed with Hashirama.
But they immediately understood why in the next moment.
Yami turned to Tsunade and asked, "I remember the Senju family tree is with you. Move my mother's branch out and open a separate page so they're no longer relatives."
Pfft!
Tsunade couldn't help but laugh, but quickly suppressed it and nodded.
She had no fondness for nobles who exploited commoners, even if they were her relatives. However, to avoid harming innocent people, Tsunade suggested conducting investigations first and keeping the rare good ones.
After all, there were still many elites among the nobility who excelled in government affairs and business.
Of course, Yami would give Tsunade face and agreed to her proposal. He then passed the responsibility to his father-in-law, Yamanaka Inoichi, ordering him to directly use his clan's mental techniques to investigate.
Inoichi agreed bitterly.
There were five great countries and dozens of smaller ones. The total number of nobles across them was not small at all.
The meeting lasted an entire day, with decisions requiring Yami's approval being passed one after another.
Each decision represented a massive investment of manpower and resources, making someone as lazy as Kakashi turn pale.
He felt it might have been better to die during the Fourth Shinobi World War. Now he would be worked to death as a slave anyway.
Many of these projects concerned the development direction of the shinobi world in the coming years and could not be completed overnight.
"Shisui."
After all the topics were finished, Yami suddenly called out a name.
Uchiha Shisui, who had remained silent the entire meeting like a transparent person, looked up blankly, not knowing why Yami had called him.
Yami pointed at him and said to everyone, "Starting tomorrow, Izumi will hand her work over to Shisui. If you have questions in the future, go to him."
Everyone stared at Yami in shock, and Shisui immediately stood up.
"Yami-sama, I…"
"Don't refuse, don't be modest." Yami waved his hand to cut him off. "Don't you want to contribute to the village? You're the successor of the Will of Fire. You cannot refuse to burn yourself for the village."
Tobirama's eyelids twitched violently. Yami had learned all of Hiruzen's tricks and mastered them even better.
Sarutobi Hiruzen only gave empty promises without real benefit. But Yami gave both empty promises and chicken soup, and you had to swallow it even if you didn't want to.
Everyone understood what those words meant, especially in this high-level meeting.
This was Yami grooming Shisui as the next Hokage.
Never mind that the Uchiha clan was finally about to see one of their own become Hokage. Yami himself was still so young…
He could hold the position for another thirty or forty years. Why was he already choosing a successor right after unifying the world?
"Yami-sama."
Shisui smiled bitterly. "I have no complaints about serving Konoha, but… I don't need such a position. Just let me be Lady Izumi's subordinate."
"What nonsense are you saying?" Yami looked at him with disdain and slammed the table heavily.
"I've already laid the foundation, and you still want to drag my whole family to work for the village? Do you think we're donkeys?
"I've worked hard for so many years, it's time for me to enjoy life.
"This is an order, not a discussion. Meeting adjourned!"
(To be continued.)