Since the founding of the Uzumaki Empire, the shinobi world had entered a period of peace so rare that most people believed true conflict was now all but impossible. With the world united under a single banner, what wars could even occur?
And if unrest were to appear, it would be far in the distant future.
Over the past two years, the environment of the world itself had also improved drastically. In the Wind Capital, tree-planting and anti-desertification projects had begun years earlier, and many people had become wealthy through the effort.
A year ago, when the First Hokage Hashirama Senju heard of the plan—right after losing money at a gambling house—he went to the Wind Capital personally. After releasing several Wood Release techniques across vast stretches of land, the region shed its identity as a desert entirely.
If not for the need to preserve a natural desert habitat for Shukaku, the world might not have a single desert left.
No one could have imagined the legendary God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, doing such work. And even if someone had imagined it, who would dare suggest it? Using Hashirama to restore the environment was like using a giant cannon to swat a fly.
But the results were undeniable.
Wood Release, overflowing with vitality, reshaped the ecosystem in ways ordinary methods never could.
Because of this, the names of the First Hokage and Tsunade once again echoed through the world—not as warriors, but as the Two Great Fat Sheep, famous for spending money, gambling, and solving problems with absurd force.
Tsunade, for her part, had completely pushed Konoha's administrative responsibilities onto Kakashi.
Now, Tsunade and the other former village leaders acted like city mayors—still powerful, but ultimately operating under Naruto's governance. As always, the Nara Clan, with Shikamaru and Shikaku at the helm, handled macro-level regulation for the entire world.
Truly, they were born administrators. They resolved countless issues for Naruto.
And now, Naruto was preparing to launch the Three-Year Plan.
Originally, it was meant to be a Five-Year Plan, but after extensive discussions, they settled on a two-year transitional period followed by a Three-Year Plan.
This plan would accelerate world development, strengthen global combat power, and prepare for future events beyond Earth.
Resources would be allocated in three main directions:
Scientific Research
Combat Power
Talent Development
Correspondingly, the primary institutions receiving resources were:
The Research Department
The Legions
The Shinobi Academy System
Research Department
Led by Orochimaru and the veteran research teams, this division was responsible for technological progress, chakra-tech integration, biology, medicine, and weapon development.
The Legions
These were commanded by the strongest shinobi alive—Kage-level and above—responsible for maintaining order and preparing for external threats.
The Shinobi Academy System
This was the area Naruto valued most.
Naruto believed that the generation raised under the new Academy system would far surpass all previous eras.
No longer would schools focus only on basic theory or on teaching the Three Basic Jutsu.
Education was becoming comprehensive, structured, and standardized.
Academies had been built in every major city, each staffed by trained instructors. The Chakra Refining Technique was made public so that every child could cultivate from the beginning.
The goal was simple:
discover geniuses as early as possible.
Students in all cities first underwent three years of foundational training before entering an Intermediate Academy.
The Three-Tier Academy System
Across the world, the Academy system now consisted of three levels:
Elementary Shinobi Academy
Intermediate Shinobi Academy
Advanced Shinobi Academy
Each level was a three-year curriculum.
Elementary Academy (ages 6–9)
Focused on moral education, worldview shaping, chakra cultivation, and basic shinobi knowledge. Students had little combat ability at this stage.
Intermediate Academy (ages 9–12)
Students began receiving combat training. Almost everyone proceeded to this level, but the classes were tiered based on talent and performance.
Completion of six years of education—Elementary + Intermediate—was mandatory for all children.
Advanced Academy (ages 12–15)
This was where the world's future elites were forged. Unlike the previous levels, Advanced Academy had actual entrance requirements.
With the world unified, Naruto could draw from a population pool far larger than any previous Kage. Old restrictions—only accepting clan children or the offspring of shinobi—were gone. Teaching was no longer monopolized by clans.
But resources were limited. Naruto would not waste them on individuals with no potential.
Entry into Advanced Academy required reaching Chūnin-level strength.
And with the improved Chakra Refining Technique and better foundational education, modern Chūnin roughly equaled Elite Genin from the old era.
Anyone who could not reach this level simply would not be admitted.
With such a massive global population, the appearance rate of geniuses increased dramatically.
In fact, the Academy system had already begun during earlier years. Some students had been studying for two, three, or even four years under the new guidelines.
Most students had already completed two years of foundational study. By tomorrow, the majority advancing into the Intermediate Academy would begin receiving their first wave of resource allocations.
Upon entering the Advanced Academy, students would receive even greater support—though that support came with proportionally higher expectations.
Geniuses not only enjoyed superior training but also shouldered far more pressure and responsibility.
In the Advanced Academy, Chūnin-level ability was considered the bare minimum. Many students there had already reached Elite Chūnin, and some had even stepped into the realm of Jōnin.
The most extraordinary talents—those who defied all conventional standards—had already touched Kage-level power before graduation.
These current Advanced Academy students were the ones Naruto had personally nurtured in the early years. After graduating, they would become instructors for the next generation, forming the foundation of the new shinobi education system.
With the continual improvement of the Chakra Refining Technique and the systematic allocation of national resources, ascending to Kage-level had become far easier than in the old era.
And with the development of intelligent terminals, any student wishing to learn ninjutsu could simply access the database online—so long as they had enough academic credits.
Enter a key, consume the appropriate credits, and the ninjutsu scrolls and instructional videos would be unlocked. These videos were reusable and reliable, unlike the old days when learning depended entirely on a supervising teacher's availability.
This system alone was capable of producing countless powerful shinobi.
Naruto had adapted these academic rules from a certain "Devouring Great World" system he remembered from his previous life. To his surprise, they worked even better than expected here.
The total duration of mandatory education was nine years. Nine years—not six—because Naruto absolutely refused to let children barely twelve years old step onto any battlefield.
Although children in the shinobi world were precocious and developed faster than normal humans, twelve was still too young.
In truth, the people of this world possessed immense natural potential. Their bodies contained nearly three times the cellular density of people from Naruto's previous life.
A bit of training was enough to raise their physical capabilities to superhuman levels.
Just think of five-year-old Rock Lee, who could already run hundreds of laps around a training ground. In Naruto's previous world, such a child would have been considered inhuman.
The period between twelve and sixteen was the fastest stage of physical and chakra development for shinobi.
Thus, the Three-Year Plan—especially the restructuring of the Academy System—was essential, though not the only priority.
The Legions
The Legions were composed of battle-hardened shinobi who had survived countless life-and-death struggles. However, many had flawed foundational training, especially those who weren't raised within a traditional Hidden Village.
Naruto had ordered a massive reinforcement of resources for these units, helping them rebuild their foundations. They were still the backbone of the world's defense.
Yet, what Naruto most wished to cultivate were top-tier combat forces—those approaching the realm of the Six Paths.
But that level was not easily reached.
Currently, the only individuals touching that tier were:
Sasuke, whose Rinnegan brought him closest to that boundary.
The First Hokage, who had mastered all three Sage Modes after Naruto enabled the Three Great Sage Lands to enter cooperative resonance.
And one more:
The explosive anomaly known as Might Guy, now revered worldwide simply as Might Guy.
There was also Naruto's own father, Minato Namikaze, who had recently stepped into Super Kage level.
Neji had also brushed the edges of Super Kage.
Shisui continued progressing steadily.
Zabuza, having reached the peak of his own strength, remained solidly at Kage-level. Naruto had dispatched him to train in Sage Mode.
As for Orochimaru, much of his former sinister aura had faded… replaced by an almost frightening passion for scientific discovery.
Just as Naruto and Shikamaru were finalizing the details of the Three-Year Development Plan, the air in the room rippled.
Two black-robed figures stepped out of the shifting void—one tall, one short.
From beneath one of the hoods, a single exposed eye glinted with a ripple-patterned light.
A Rinnegan.