Nara Shikaku knew there was no real way to refuse.
More importantly, he had no reason to.
Hikaru had chosen his timing almost perfectly. The war had just ended, and the entire village was still riding the wave of unity and pride that followed their victory.
Shikaku also believed Hikaru would protect the interests of the ninja clans.
After all, Hikaru himself came from one.
What Hikaru intended to do was not particularly complicated, but it would still cut into the interests of many people—especially the established clans.
To put it simply, he wanted to break down the rigid divide between village and clan.
The conflict between those two identities had always been a major issue in the shinobi world.
The Uchiha were the clearest—and most tragic—example.
Uchiha Itachi had spent years struggling between loyalty to his clan and loyalty to the village, only to end up slaughtering his entire family.
Few clans had ever suffered a fate that could compare.
At its core, the distinction between village and clan was a matter of identity. It was a political label that determined how others saw a person—and how that person saw themselves.
Take the Uchiha as an example.
Whenever people encountered someone like Sasuke, their first thought was rarely, He is a Konoha shinobi.
Instead, it was always, He is an Uchiha.
One identity placed the village first.
The other placed the clan first.
That difference was enormous.
The same thing happened throughout the shinobi world. The moment someone displayed the characteristics of a bloodline clan, others stopped viewing them as an ordinary shinobi from a particular village.
They became a shinobi of that clan.
Such rigid identities existed everywhere, and they were far from harmless.
Taken to its extreme, it meant that many clan shinobi lacked a true sense of belonging to their village.
And even that was not the worst possible outcome.
The Uchiha of the original timeline had already provided the world with a harsh lesson.
They had withdrawn so deeply into their clan identity that they became increasingly isolated from Konoha. When their most dangerous crisis arrived, there was no one left willing to stand beside them.
Their eventual fate was obvious.
Even without Itachi, if that situation had continued, their ending would never have been good.
"Minister Shikaku truly understands the situation."
Hikaru tapped his fingers lightly against the table, smiling as he continued.
"If this were any other time, I might have hesitated before touching the issue.
"But the war has just ended, and the village's unity is at its peak. Changes proposed now will be easier for everyone to accept.
"To stabilize Konoha, the Third Hokage gradually isolated the clans from one another. Aside from the Ino–Shika–Chō alliance, which clan was allowed to remain closely connected to the others?
"When the clans could not unite, they could only be dealt with one at a time. That made it much easier for the Third Hokage to keep all of you under control."
Hikaru stopped speaking.
Shikaku's expression remained calm.
Clearly, none of this surprised him.
He had already reached similar conclusions himself.
Still, he could not help marveling at Hikaru's insight.
How old was Hikaru?
Yet he had already seen through such a deeply rooted and complicated political problem.
Even Minato had struggled with the Uchiha issue during his time as Hokage.
Hikaru, however, had understood the heart of the problem long ago—and had already begun taking action.
Shikaku had not paid much attention to the early changes within the Uchiha Clan.
Now he realized Hikaru had probably decided how to handle them from the very beginning.
Shaking his head slightly, Shikaku began to think.
Hikaru wanted reform.
Since Shikaku had little room to oppose him, cooperation was the best choice.
But that cooperation had to account for the interests of the clans.
Only by balancing the village's two largest groups—clan shinobi and civilian-born shinobi—could this reform succeed.
And the clans' interests had to be protected.
That was not only for the sake of Hikaru's political position. It was also for the sake of Shikaku's own clan and every other shinobi family in Konoha.
After all, they were clan shinobi themselves.
Hikaru had no idea what Shikaku was thinking.
Had he known, he probably would have patted the man on the shoulder and praised him.
Hikaru was not a great man.
He had never considered himself one.
What he intended to carry out could politely be called a revolution from above.
Put more bluntly, he was reforming the system before someone else eventually decided to overthrow it—and him along with it.
His strength was overwhelming, but that did not mean he wanted to spend his life dealing with endless political problems.
The stronger Hikaru became, the more clearly he understood just how terrifying the vitality of true powerhouses could be.
There was no need to look far.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was still alive despite everything that had happened to her.
Who could say with certainty that the Sage of Six Paths was truly dead?
Hikaru had no desire to attract Hagoromo's hostility.
Although he suspected Hagoromo had already noticed him long ago, that did not mean Hikaru should recklessly cross every possible line.
Beyond those external considerations, Hikaru also had his mission to complete.
He had not checked its progress yet.
This rapid increase in influence might even have matured one of his seeds immediately, so he planned to wait until after his meeting with Minato before examining the system again.
Still, this victory should have brought him a major increase.
He had killed an enormous number of enemies and made his name known throughout the shinobi world.
Soon, his meeting with Minato would settle several more important matters, likely pushing his progress even further.
But Hikaru could not be certain that it would reach one hundred percent.
If it did not, then once he climbed to the very top, finding new ways to increase his influence would become far more difficult.
That was why he was planning ahead.
He needed to eliminate every possible obstacle before it became a problem.
Shikaku remained silent for a long time.
Then his eyes suddenly brightened.
He seemed to have found an approach.
"Minister Hikaru, what do you think about increasing the importance of official shinobi ranks?" Shikaku asked carefully.
Hikaru smiled and nodded.
"That is an excellent idea. The First Hokage created the shinobi ranking system. We should not allow its original purpose to fade away, should we?"
Those words immediately reassured Shikaku.
He now understood what Hikaru wanted and knew how to present it.
The familiar ranks of jonin, chunin, and genin had indeed originated with Hashirama Senju.
Whether Madara Uchiha had contributed to the idea was unclear. There were few surviving historical records detailed enough to confirm it.
Hikaru wanted to restore the true importance of those ranks.
After considering it carefully, Shikaku saw no reason it could not work.
He relaxed slightly before speaking in a more serious tone.
"The First Hokage established the ranking system to reduce the divide between bloodline shinobi and ordinary shinobi by placing them within the same structure.
"Everyone was supposed to be a Konoha jonin, chunin, or genin—not merely a shinobi of their clan.
"The ranking system survived, but its deeper meaning was gradually lost.
"Restoring that original purpose is certainly something worth studying and implementing."
"Exactly."
Hikaru nodded with a smile.
"Political identity is useful in certain situations, but it also gives some people far too much room to exploit division.
"That method is no longer suitable for Konoha.
"The clans cannot remain half-separated from the village, nor should they be privately controlled by a handful of people.
"That benefits no one.
"Wasn't that the very reason the Fourth Hokage never truly gained control over the authority of his own position?
"I have no intention of allowing history to repeat itself.
"Clan labels will no longer define Konoha's shinobi. From now on, there will only be Konoha shinobi.
"I believe you understand what I mean, Minister Shikaku."
"Of course."
Shikaku nodded firmly before asking with greater care, "But if we proceed with this, we will need supporting policies. What arrangements do you have in mind?"
"Surely you understand why I demanded so many jutsu from Kumogakure?"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"We will increase both the rights and responsibilities of jonin.
"After all, every jonin is, in theory, a potential successor to the Hokage.
"As the head of the Jonin Council, you should understand that better than anyone.
"The benefits given to chunin and genin must also improve.
"They are all Konoha shinobi, and Konoha must be willing to stand behind them."
"I understand."
Shikaku's eyes flickered as he lowered his head and rapidly organized his thoughts.
"Then we should establish a public resource system and increase the benefits available to every shinobi rank.
"The Third Hokage has already secured a large subsidy from the daimyō. That funding should allow us to begin implementing these policies.
"However, Minister Hikaru, the number of jonin must be strictly controlled. The examination standards must also become considerably harsher.
"As for those who fail to meet the new requirements…"
"Demote them."
Hikaru gave the answer without hesitation.
Shikaku finally released the breath he had been holding.
In only a few sentences, Hikaru had granted jonin far greater authority.
Many details had yet to be decided, but Shikaku could already tell that those details would heavily favor them.
Funding, jutsu, political influence—jonin would receive far more of all three.
Based on everything Hikaru had said, the future status of a jonin might no longer be inferior to that of a clan head.
But greater authority required stricter limitations.
Both the number and quality of jonin would need to be carefully controlled. Even their obligations to the village would have to become part of the evaluation process.
In the future, jonin would likely become the position every shinobi envied and aspired to reach.
Shikaku also felt relieved for another reason.
Hikaru was leaving the clans a path forward.
Compared with civilian-born shinobi, clan shinobi were far fewer in number.
A clan relied on inherited bloodlines or secret techniques to preserve its legacy. Their population could never compare with the enormous number of ordinary families.
Not every descendant inherited a strong bloodline.
Not every child could master their clan's secret arts.
Civilian shinobi, however, possessed overwhelming numbers. Among such a vast population, exceptional talents would always emerge.
Yet even the most gifted civilian shinobi began at a disadvantage.
Clan shinobi had access to accumulated wealth, knowledge, instructors, medicines, and training resources from childhood.
Even if a child struggled with their bloodline or failed to master a secret technique, the clan could still invest in other areas and cultivate them into a capable jonin.
Once Shikaku understood that, a genuine smile appeared on his face.
He now fully supported the reform.
The clans might suffer some immediate losses, but those losses were manageable.
More importantly, a temporary loss did not mean a permanent one.
"I understand, Minister Hikaru."
Shikaku nodded firmly.
"Do you have any other requirements for the supporting policies?"
"Why not offer some ideas yourself?"
Hikaru spread his hands casually.
"I have great confidence in your judgment, Minister Shikaku."
"I see…"
Shikaku looked at him helplessly.
Hikaru had thrown the problem back into his hands, but Shikaku remained confident.
He had expected something like this and had already spent the last few moments considering what kind of system could support Hikaru's reforms.
One possibility had come to mind.
It was bold.
Perhaps even too progressive.
But it suited Hikaru's needs remarkably well.
The inspiration had come from Hikaru's own reforms within the ANBU, which had already demonstrated that a similar system could work.
"We could establish a formal council for discussion and coordination—a body designed to address disputes before they become larger conflicts.
"This organization would answer directly to the Hokage.
"It would not possess the authority to make final decisions. Instead, its members would discuss problems and propose possible solutions, with the Hokage making the ultimate judgment.
"As for its membership, representatives from each shinobi rank could participate.
"Naturally, the Hokage would determine how those representatives are selected.
"This is only a preliminary idea. I have not had enough time to examine the details, so the proposal is still incomplete.
"Do you believe such a system would be feasible?"
Shikaku's explanation was brief and covered only the basic framework.
Even so, it was an extraordinary proposal considering he had devised it on the spot.
He had not yet examined its finer details, but the core structure was already clear.
Hikaru stared at him in stunned silence.
What exactly had Shikaku just proposed?
Wasn't that essentially a cabinet or parliamentary council?
With a few minor adjustments to how its representatives were chosen, it could even become a political structure far more familiar to Hikaru.
For one brief moment, Hikaru seriously considered borrowing a trick from one of those powerful characters in American comics—opening Shikaku's skull just to see what was hidden inside.
Who knew?
Perhaps in another world, they really would find a strange stone buried in there.
Hikaru was genuinely speechless.
Fortunately, he had experienced more than enough extraordinary situations to control his reaction.
It did not take long for him to recover.
"Minister Shikaku," Hikaru said with a satisfied smile, "I am extremely pleased with your proposal."
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