Kikyo had discovered a brand-new purpose in life!
Yes—ever since learning about livestreaming and what it represented, Uzumaki Kikyo's eyes had been practically glowing.
It was like something inside her DNA had been awakened. She was bursting with energy and motivation.
That mischievous, trouble-making streak of the Uzumaki clan was flaring up.
And without a doubt—this was very Uzumaki.
The Uzumaki were never ones to play by the rules. In a world where most clans conformed to the standard shinobi village structure, they had gone and established their own Hidden Eddy Village and the Land of Whirlpools. How could they possibly be the kind of people who just blended in?
Every member of the Uzumaki clan that appeared in the original story was either bold and loud, or quiet and intense—but all were unique. Even the reserved ones had a bit of that 'chūni' energy.
So, Kikyo's urge to stir things up for Uchiha Kei was just her heritage coming through.
Her goal? Become a media figure. No—become *the* top media figure in the shinobi world, the best under Kei-dono's command!
Faced with such fired-up resolve, Uchiha Kei didn't give her immediate approval. He instead told her to first enter the "Great Illusionary World," where he would open up an isolated space for her. In that space, he'd upload media training content and spawn several NPCs to teach her all she needed to know.
If she could learn it, stick with it, and prove herself, then he would support her fully—and help her become the shinobi world's very own Henry Luce.
So Kikyo dove into her studies with unrelenting enthusiasm.
And for the first time, Uchiha Kei activated a feature of the Level 4 Mental Network: Time Acceleration.
This function, unlocked with the latest upgrade, allowed for subjectively altered time flow. According to the description, it had been proven that human cognition can experience time differently—and when mastered, this could simulate time dilation.
The original *Naruto* story confirmed this with the Mangekyō Sharingan ability Tsukuyomi, which allowed the caster to control a victim's sense of time.
Although Kei didn't possess Tsukuyomi itself, he had copied Mangekyō-tier ocular power and combined it with the Level 4 Mental Network. The result: full control over subjective time.
After explaining this to Kikyo and asking if she wanted to try, she blinked in awe—then smiled sweetly and nodded.
At that moment, her gaze toward Kei-dono was brimming with admiration. He was just *that* amazing.
Then, she stepped into the mental microcosm he'd created. Inside was a full-blown Japanese-style school campus: classroom buildings, a gate, a sports field—everything pristine and quiet.
This was a new module added to the Level 4 Mental Network—a fully functional school environment, complete with students and teachers.
Sure, the NPCs weren't real. Even if they could converse and play games, they were still artificial. Kei had tried it himself. At first, it was fun, even like starring in a harem anime. But after a while, the uncanny valley set in. That's why he didn't spawn them immediately—he wanted Kikyo's opinion.
When he told her about the NPCs, she looked around the beautiful school grounds and asked softly, "Kei-dono, is this the kind of campus from that other world you mentioned?"
He paused, then nodded. "Yes, this is modeled after a school from an island nation in another world. Their schools aren't too different from this—some are better, some worse, but the basic structure is the same."
Kikyo mused, "So… kids my age there all go to school like this? That really does sound like a peaceful world."
She turned to him again. "Kei-dono, this is the kind of world you want the shinobi world to become, isn't it?"
Kei nodded—then shook his head. "Not quite. Ideally, it'd be more like another, better country. But the shinobi world can't be forced into that mold. This island nation's system fits our world more realistically."
In a world where power differences could be greater than those between humans and dogs, expecting fairness was laughable. Trying to copy a war-torn country that had rebuilt itself into a peaceful democracy? Impossible. Something closer to the rigid, stratified structure of that island nation? Much more plausible.
Kei didn't see himself as a savior. He didn't even like this broken world much. He was just trying things. If they worked, great. If not—oh well.
Kikyo didn't understand everything he said, but she grasped the core idea: studying in this campus made sense, and Kei hoped more schools like this would one day exist.
So she smiled beautifully. "Kei-dono, let's bring out the NPCs. If we want this kind of campus to spread across the world, we need to see what that would look like with real people."
"If we can experience a lively version now, we'll have a better idea of what we're aiming for."
Kei laughed and activated 'Reality Mode.'
In an instant, the quiet school came alive. The NPCs bustled about, each with a distinct personality, expression, and behavior. They looked nearly indistinguishable from real humans.
Kikyo gasped. It was almost terrifying. Knowing they weren't real, yet feeling like they *were*, made her skin crawl a little.
But Kikyo didn't flinch. She had lived through hell. Compared to her childhood in the Land of Grass, this was paradise.
She gave Kei a small nod, signaling she was ready to begin. Then she requested time acceleration.
And so Kei logged out, while Kikyo began her journey of knowledge in a world where ten days passed inside for every one day in reality.
This wasn't the max limit—it was just the max her brain could safely handle. Any faster would cause damage.
But even this was enough. In that world, she truly learned things that no shinobi academy could offer. After just three days outside, a month had passed for her inside—and she understood now: these schools didn't care if you were a shinobi or a civilian. Everyone got the same education. Everyone could shine.
If someone's talent was discovered and nurtured properly, they could still achieve greatness—maybe not through jutsu, but through value and contribution. If those were matched with proper rewards and status, society would celebrate them and attract others to follow.
Specialization. Professionalism. Scientific thinking. These didn't exist in the shinobi world—but they *could* change everything.
This kind of system might shake the entire world.
Not the shinobi, no—they'd just become more like elite soldiers.
The real disruption would hit the feudal lords and nobles. *They* represented the old world.
And that's when Kikyo finally understood why Kei-dono never had much respect for nobles.
He'd said things before, sure. But now, with real experience and systematic learning, she *got it*.
"…So, to Kei-dono, this world is just... backward?" she murmured.
With that thought, she felt a deeper connection to him than ever before.
And she was even more motivated to master her studies—to help him.
Meanwhile, Kei continued observing her progress, confirming that this time-altering feature was extremely valuable. With it, he could rapidly train new talents in a short span.
But it wasn't free.
The stress of hosting others inside the network—and maintaining accelerated time—took a toll. He couldn't do this for too many people at once. Not yet.
Still, if he upgraded the Mental Network further, or evolved his Sharingan along with his body, then one day this might become scalable.
By the way, Kikyo wasn't the only one who received this gift.
Orochimaru and Sasori—two research-obsessed maniacs—were also brought into their own accelerated mini-worlds. There, with the system's built-in university modules and ultra-specialized NPC teachers, they were diving into academia like it was candy.
Forget school ambiance—they just wanted elite instructors.
And they were producing results.
Enhanced energy pills. Whitening skincare. Anti-aging supplements. All kinds of new health products were being churned out and sold through the Konoha Game Association and official Konoha outlets.
A new hiring boom began. Konoha's prosperity surged.
Of course, the workload became overwhelming. There weren't enough hands.
So, a high-level meeting was held.
With Hiruzen Sarutobi fully retired and Tsunade in command—backed by Kei and Minato Namikaze, and even cheered on by the great Hashirama Senju within the network—Tsunade gritted her teeth and made a bold move.
She issued a massive recruitment order: no nationality or village restrictions. Anyone with talent could come work in Konoha.
A detailed list of needed roles was made public.
They even partnered with the Konoha Game Association to set up recruitment points in gaming centers across the shinobi world.
Pass the preliminary screening? You'd receive free resettlement aid—and be escorted by elite shinobi to Konoha.
The escort missions were registered as A-rank missions with S-rank pay and distributed across all major villages. In exchange, those villages shared the profits—and the responsibility.
If something happened on the way, it'd be their reputation on the line.
Poll: What should replace Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT)?
Hey everyone,
I've decided to put Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT) on hiatus for now. In the meantime, I thought it'd be fun to run a poll to see what you'd like me to work on next. Can't wait to see what you all pick!
Options:
A brand new fanfic (picked by me)
Continue a recommended fanfic (suggested by Readers and will be voted on Again)
Two chapters a day for Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World
Two chapters a day for My Game Studio is Full of Valkyries?!
Two chapters a day for Monster Hunter Grand Assembly
📅 Voting will be open on Patreon for one week!
Heres the link to the poll
https://www.patreon.com/posts/poll-on-what-to-137136810?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkpatreon.com/BestElysium