"Of course I have!" Hoshino said with a smile. "There's never been a perfect system in this world. What I can guarantee is that there won't be any problems in my generation-that's about fifty years!"
Fifty years...
"Hoshino, you're that confident?" Rasa said.
The advantages and disadvantages of this model were abundantly clear.
The advantage was that the Reform Society could integrate resources, optimize efficiency, rapidly improve the village's overall strength, and break the traditional shinobi clans' monopoly on resources.
It would hold most of the village's resources and power firmly in its hands.
The disadvantage was that, once power became excessively concentrated, the Reform Society might become a behemoth beyond anyone's ability to check.
Worse still, the higher-ups might use their power to suck the middle and lower ranks dry, squeezing them of their interests and causing a severe imbalance in resource distribution.
And those at the bottom would have no chance to resist.
Hoshino smiled faintly and said, "Lord Kazekage, I understand your concerns! But there's one thing you've got wrong. The core of the Reform Society is 'shared interests,' not a 'monopoly on power.'"
Rasa frowned slightly, evidently not entirely convinced by Hoshino's explanation.
He said in a deep voice, "Shared interests? It sounds wonderful, but once power is concentrated, who can guarantee the higher-ups won't become corrupt?"
This model was far more extreme than the Kage system.
Though the traditional shinobi clan factions and the council of elders each went their own way, their very existence provided a form of checks and balances.
The Reform Society's model, however, sought to completely break those checks and balances and concentrate all resources in the hands of a small group.
Whether such a change would be a blessing or a curse, he found it hard to judge for the moment.
Hoshino raised an eyebrow. "To be honest, I can't guarantee it! That's why I said before that I wanted to work with you!"
"Work together?" Rasa asked. "Explain yourself!"
Hoshino smiled. "The Reform Society's only true leaders are the four of us: me, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. Now I'm inviting you to join us, and we'll divide the power into five equal shares."
Hearing this, Rasa raised an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.
Five equal shares of power. That really was generous.
It was obvious that, once this model succeeded, the Reform Society's leadership would control at least seventy percent of the village's resources.
And as one of its five leaders, he might hold far more power and resources than he did now as Kazekage.
He had to admit, he was tempted.
After all, to put it bluntly, not even a dog would want his position as Kazekage.
He worked himself to the bone all day long, handling daily affairs and finding ways to make money, and he even had to make time to dig for ore.
Which other Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages had fallen to his level? He might as well join the Reform Society and take control of a fifth of the village's power.
After hesitating for a moment, Rasa said, "To be honest, I don't trust you!"
Though power would be divided equally on the surface, given the relationship between Hoshino, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara, the four could practically be considered one.
Even if he nominally held a fifth of the power, he might in fact be sidelined, unable to truly influence the Reform Society's operations.
Hoshino addressed Rasa's concerns with complete candor.
"Lord Kazekage, you're worrying too much. The Reform Society isn't involved in many fields yet, so we haven't divided them further."
"But I can explain it to you in detail."
"In the future, I'll divide the Reform Society's power into nine broad categories: resources, economy, public welfare, research, oversight, information, military force, ideology, and laws."
"Military force means the deployment of shinobi forces, ideology means education, laws are the rules the villagers must follow, and information covers intelligence gathering and guiding public opinion."
"These four absolutely cannot be placed under one person. The five of us will have to make decisions on them together."
"As for the rest, we'll each take one and keep one another in check, holding all the village's power in our hands."
With that, Hoshino looked at Rasa and waited for his response.
Rasa fell silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on Hoshino's face for a while before he finally spoke.
"Hoshino, your proposal has indeed tempted me. I can join you, but how do you intend to divide the remaining five areas of power?"
Hoshino smiled faintly, as though he had already expected Rasa to ask this question.
He crossed his hands and pondered for a moment before saying, "I'll take charge of the research department. After all, I have some experience developing puppetry techniques and new types of ninja tools."
"As for the oversight department... I'm inclined to give it to Gaara. He may be young, but his character has been tempered, and he's become much steadier. He's suited to overseeing the Reform Society's operations."
"As for the remaining three fields-resources, economy, and public welfare-you may choose whichever one you like."
Rasa raised an eyebrow slightly, quickly weighing the fields Hoshino had mentioned.
Resources meant control over Sunagakure's minerals, water sources, and land allocation, directly affecting the village's lifeline.
The economy meant control over finances and trade, with the ability to influence the village's prosperity and stability.
Public welfare meant responsibility for the villagers' healthcare, housing, and benefits, the key to winning their hearts.
A moment later, Rasa raised his head and said firmly, "I choose resources."
A flicker of surprise crossed Hoshino's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled. "Lord Kazekage, you truly have a discerning eye. Resources are the foundation of the village. Controlling them is the same as controlling Sunagakure's future."
Rasa sneered. "Hoshino, there's no need to flatter me. I chose resources because I know better than anyone how important Sunagakure's resources are."
"All these years, I've personally led mining teams to earn funds for the village. No one understands the allocation and use of resources better than I do."
Hoshino nodded and said sincerely, "That's true. No one can match your understanding of resources, Lord Kazekage. You couldn't be more suited to taking charge of the resources department."
Rasa did not respond to that. Instead, he continued, "Then how do you plan to divide the remaining economy and public welfare departments?"
"The economy department will go to Kankuro. He's good at overall planning and can bring more trade opportunities to the village," Hoshino said.
"The public welfare department will go to Temari. She's attentive and cares about the villagers' current circumstances, so she's suited to that field."
Rasa nodded, feeling that this division was reasonable enough. He then said, "Now that the responsibilities have been assigned, what do you plan to do next?"
Next...
Of course, I'll make a move against the village's clans, consolidate the resources in their hands, and strengthen the Reform Society.
"Just watch me from here on, but you'll need to prepare in advance for a civil war," Hoshino said with a smile.
Rasa nodded calmly and said, "I understand. Go ahead and do it."
He had already anticipated this step from the moment he decided to join the Reform Society.
But he was a little reluctant to simply hand over the Kazekage's power, so he decided to treat this as a test for Hoshino.
If Hoshino really did force those shinobi clans and the council of elders' faction into a corner and reach the final stage of harvesting the rewards,
then he might as well step down as Kazekage.