Shikamaru's gaze swept over the Martial Arts formation below. Having risen to a position of responsibility, he had matured considerably.
Though he still carried a hint of youthful casualness, his eyes held a profound sharpness.
Under Naruto's demanding leadership, Shikamaru's growth rate was no weaker than in the original timeline during the Fourth Great Ninja War—in fact, his overall capability was even stronger.
But Naruto did not rely on Shikamaru for sheer power. What he valued most was Shikamaru's mind.
A sudden flash of golden light appeared, and Naruto materialized in front of him.
Shikamaru's eyes brightened.
"Naruto, you're finally here. The demonstration can begin anytime."
Naruto nodded. This demonstration was not only to test the vital-energy-based combined technique developed by Orochi.
It was also meant to be a message—a message directed toward certain individuals within the Umbrella.
The status of "ninja" had been carved deeply into the hearts of many. Because of this, a large portion of Umbrella members chose to train as shinobi.
Becoming a shinobi required talent, yes. But the Umbrella recruited from the entire Ninja World. Without the borders and restrictions of villages and nations, the population base was vast. Many geniuses had indeed been discovered—but their time to mature was still too short.
Even then, compared to the clans and villages that hoarded their secret techniques, the Umbrella offered everything openly. Meanwhile, the six years spent in a traditional Ninja Academy were simply too wasteful.
Thus, Naruto established elementary, middle, and high schools, reforming the system entirely.
These students were the future reserve forces of the Umbrella. And Naruto absolutely refused to train them the way the Konoha Academy once did.
Back then, classes were lax, Chūnin taught most lessons, and half the curriculum was pointless ideology about the Third Hokage's "Will of Fire."
Naruto would tolerate none of that.
Here, students learned Umbrella ideology and a complete foundational system.
To cultivate competitiveness and uncover deeper talents, Naruto refined the school structure:
Elementary to university — three years each — a total of nine years.
Elementary School:
Foundational studies: theory, weapons, basic Ninjutsu, basic Martial Arts, scientific principles, medical theory, and early-stage specializations.
Every student received broad exposure, but only lightly.
Middle School:
Students chose their direction—because true mastery required specialization.
No one could be perfect in every field.
A student could major in one field and minor in another.
University Level:
Students regularly observed real warriors, participated in supervised missions, and began stepping into real combat environments.
True graduation occurred around age fifteen.
Naruto mandated that only students over fifteen could enter the battlefield—except for exceedingly rare, extraordinary talents. His goal in stabilizing the Ninja World was to give future children an environment free from endless war.
He refused to allow seven- or eight-year-olds to die on battlefields, even though such tragedies were commonplace in the world's history.
During the Warring States Period, every child of seven or eight from the clans had already stepped onto the battlefield.
But that was clan warfare—born from necessity and circumstance.
Now, Naruto's schools were different.
Not only Jōnin-level instructors taught classes—even Elite Jōnin participated. Naruto himself would occasionally lecture.
The curriculum spanned Ninjutsu, Martial Arts, strategy, research, and medical knowledge. True all-around development was the ideal path.
During their education, students participated in numerous evaluations. With exams came points, and points could be exchanged for nearly anything they needed within the system.
Written tests, practical tests, and combat exams ensured fairness.
Some students lacked combat talent but excelled elsewhere. Naruto built the system so that talent in any field could be recognized.
Fairness—impartiality—that was the Umbrella's foundational principle.
Regular ranking matches, medical duels, and ability assessments were held constantly. Students also learned three Ninjutsu—each from a different elemental attribute—but were forbidden from using them outside designated testing periods.
The reason was simple: elemental affinity varied drastically. Some could master Fire Release with half the effort while finding Earth Release twice as difficult.
Thus, all students studied different-element Ninjutsu to properly discover their affinities.
Martial Arts, however, were taught as broadly as possible. No talent should be lost due to lack of exposure.
Compared to the traditional Ninja Academy of the major villages, the school Naruto established was far more enriching.
How many resources a student could obtain depended entirely on their own merit and competition. There were even team-based assessments designed to cultivate cooperation and awareness of their fellow shinobi.
Naruto's current approach drew inspiration from the military academies of his previous life.
But it was also far more humane.
After all, not every talent was meant for combat, and the Umbrella needed personnel to fill countless positions beyond the battlefield.
Students were also allowed to skip grades, because geniuses were abundant in this world. Restricting them would only suppress their full potential.
Naruto had even seen one such prodigy: he enrolled at eight years old, spent one year each in elementary, middle, and university-level studies, and graduated at eleven. By that time, his strength was already approaching Jōnin level.
The academy had already been established for five years. Naruto had instructed Shisui to set it up very early on.
There were also students in their twenties, as the Ninja World was full of overlooked or underutilized individuals.
Those with lower talent studied in smaller branch bases, while the brightest were gathered in Snow Country, the Umbrella's core.
One student, however, particularly concerned Naruto. The eleven-year-old boy possessed an unusually strong life force—so strong that Naruto suspected he might carry the Senju bloodline.
The boy's surname was indeed Senju. Naruto had saved him years ago when he was nearly killed by bandits. At the time, Naruto saw nothing special about him and simply left him at the Umbrella Academy.
It was only after the boy's abilities blossomed that Naruto remembered him, and he immediately instructed Zabuza to guide him personally.
The rise of such talent delighted Naruto.
But cultivating geniuses was expensive.
If not for the Seven Colors Trading Company—now spread across the entire Ninja World—Snow Country alone would never have been able to support the rapidly growing Umbrella Organization.
Under Naruto's forward-thinking system, just three years of training produced students who could already surpass most graduates of Konoha's Ninja Academy.
"Most," because Konoha was famously a cradle of geniuses.
Some talents shone so brightly that no system could overshadow them.
Realizing this, Naruto couldn't help feeling emotional.
His experiences in this life were richer, longer, and far more vivid than in his previous life—to the point that he had almost forgotten he had ever lived elsewhere.
"Wait a little longer," Naruto said quietly. "Tsunade and the others will be coming as well."
Shikamaru blinked in surprise.
But the true shock came moments later.
"Your father will be coming this time too," Naruto added.
"What?! My father? And Lady Tsunade? Won't that cause—"
Shikamaru's expression tightened. The Hokage of Konoha and the leader of the Nara Clan arriving here was bound to draw attention from the other villages.
Seeing this, Naruto chuckled softly.
"I know what you're worried about. Not long ago, I advanced the Flying Thunder God technique to the next stage. I can now create stable spatial channels. I've already placed a channel inside Konoha. Their departure won't attract any attention."
...
TN:
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