"Naruto… how do you plan to deal with Itachi?"
Inside the office, Shisui looked at Naruto—who was seated behind the desk—with a cautious expression as he asked the question.
Naruto smiled faintly, set aside the documents in his hand, and replied calmly,
"Aren't we already doing exactly what you suggested earlier?"
Shisui gave an awkward smile.
"I knew you'd understand what I meant."
Naruto shook his head.
"I understand that you want to protect him," he said evenly, "but isn't that unfair to the rest of the Uchiha clan? Even Sasuke—his own younger brother—isn't in a hurry. So why are you?"
Naruto picked up the teacup on the table, took a slow sip, then continued.
"I know you and Itachi once shared a deep bond. But without rules, there is no order. If someone makes a mistake, they must face the consequences and pay the price."
He paused briefly before adding,
"Don't worry—I won't kill him. That much has already been agreed upon. However, his eyes will be given to Sasuke. You know better than anyone how important the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan is for him. With Hashirama cells, there's even a chance he could awaken the Rinnegan in the future."
Although Naruto said this aloud, he knew the reality was far more complicated.
Awakening the Rinnegan could not be achieved through Hashirama cells alone. While Uchiha Madara succeeded, the true key lay in the fusion of Indra's and Ashura's chakra.
And Naruto and Sasuke both carried those chakras.
The so-called "reincarnation" of Indra and Ashura was not true reincarnation at all. Rather, it was a cycle deliberately guided by the Sage of Six Paths. Naruto could now clearly sense Ashura's chakra residing within him.
It lay dormant, quietly integrated into his existence.
This chakra was one of the reasons Naruto's Yang chakra was so powerful—beyond his Uzumaki lineage and the Nine-Tails. He had only discovered this recently, after his mental strength—or rather, his soul—had undergone another refinement.
If Naruto wished, he could even expel Ashura's chakra entirely.
But doing so would bring him no benefit.
Worse, it would almost certainly offend the Sage of Six Paths, who had been scheming from the Pure Land for countless years.
Naruto didn't fully understand the Sage's ultimate goal, but he sensed that—for the ninja world—it was likely beneficial. Perhaps it even had implications for threats beyond this world, such as the Ōtsutsuki.
What Naruto did understand was that Ashura's chakra influenced the host's soul. For someone like Naruto, who had transmigrated, that influence was negligible.
Sasuke, however, was different.
Even so, under Naruto's influence, Sasuke had already changed significantly. Indra's influence remained, but it was largely under control.
At worst, it manifested as arrogance or excessive competitiveness.
Minor issues—easily corrected with a proper beating.
Shisui sighed as he looked at Naruto.
"Then tell me… how do you plan to deal with Itachi in the long term? You're not just keeping him alive for the sake of Uchiha bloodline continuity, are you?"
His expression was filled with helplessness.
Naruto spread his hands indifferently.
"He made his choice back then. He should have been prepared to bear the consequences he faces today. At the time, Konoha was a true behemoth. If it had collapsed, countless innocent people would have been displaced."
He continued calmly,
"His so-called 'sacrificing the few for the many' may sound noble, but the logic behind it was deeply twisted. His resolve was terrifying—but also fundamentally flawed."
Naruto shook his head.
"To be honest, this just proves one thing: basic education must be strengthened—even for geniuses. When someone's ideology goes astray, no amount of talent can save them."
After a brief pause, Naruto concluded,
"I'll give him a new pair of eyes and seal most of his strength. As for whether he'll earn the chance to contribute to our cause in the future… that will depend entirely on his actions."
A trace of pain flashed across Shisui's face.
"It's my fault," he said softly. "I didn't notice Itachi's psychological issues back then."
He sighed deeply.
"If I'd realized sooner… maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way."
Naruto looked at him silently.
That gaze seemed to say: You were just as naïve back then.
Shisui felt his scalp prickle. He laughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject.
"Let's put that aside for now. There are other matters I need to report."
"As our strength continues to grow, civilians from several neighboring countries have begun relocating into our territory, insisting on joining us. At the same time, many people are impersonating residents under our jurisdiction. Their numbers are so large that verifying identities has become extremely difficult."
Naruto listened, then laughed lightly.
"Isn't that a good thing? It means more and more people acknowledge us."
Shisui smiled bitterly.
"It is a good thing—but it also exposes serious problems. We're struggling to distinguish genuine residents from opportunists. Some people constantly demand benefits, but the moment we enforce rules or issue orders, they immediately change their attitude."
"We simply don't have enough manpower to manage them all right now," Shisui said with a wry smile.
"The more grassroots the situation becomes, the harder it is to control. At this point, it feels like we're not just running an organization anymore—we're becoming an actual country."
"Hahaha," Naruto laughed lightly.
"Then all the more reason to strengthen basic education. The more knowledge people have, the more capable talents we'll naturally produce."
He leaned back slightly and continued calmly.
"I understand the difficulty of governance. Right now, we're dealing with civilians coming in from all kinds of countries. But you know as well as I do—this is a period of great revival for us. Let the people below work harder. Pressure creates growth."
Naruto tapped the desk lightly as his thoughts took shape.
"First, we implement a system. Conduct a proper census. At the same time, we modernize and technologize all the areas under our rule."
He looked at Shisui and smiled.
"Didn't you say many people are hard to manage? That their identities are difficult to verify? Then we'll simply give them identities."
Naruto's tone grew decisive.
"We'll create a special item that can verify identity. I'll call it an identity card. With it, we can clearly record where a person comes from, when they were born, and other essential information."
"Those who possess an identity card will be recognized as our people. On top of that, we'll add anti-counterfeiting measures and input everyone's data into a centralized system—including their chakra fluctuations."
After all, everyone in the ninja world possessed chakra.
Ordinary civilians simply lacked the ability to refine or actively use it.
The moment Naruto finished speaking, Shisui slapped his hands together, his face lighting up with excitement.
"How did I not think of this?" he exclaimed.
"This is brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
He shook his head in disbelief.
"So many of us have discussed this problem before, yet none of us ever thought it through as thoroughly as you did. An identity card—something that represents a person's status—would make investigations and administration incredibly simple!"
Shisui grew more animated as he spoke.
"Those without identity cards would naturally be suspicious. Once their information is registered into the system, management difficulties would drop sharply. Verification alone would become far more efficient."
In truth, information registration was not unfamiliar in the ninja world.
Within the major ninja villages, shinobi had long maintained detailed personal files. However, civilians were rarely managed so strictly—especially across multiple regions and nations.
What Naruto proposed, however, went far beyond traditional record-keeping.
It was a massive undertaking.
And if successfully implemented, it would fundamentally change how the ninja world was governed.
(End of Chapter)
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