Clan Academy

If this were paired with this world's methods for tempering the body and systematic training, Natsu estimated that increasing physical strength thirtyfold would only be the beginning.

Fugaku's transformation was even more astonishing.

Natsu had just watched him casually throw a punch, shattering a hardwood log as thick as a man's embrace into splinters that filled the air. That sheer physical force had been unimaginable before.

Fugaku's physical strength could now contend with taijutsu specialists in the Ninja World, even Kage Level powerhouses of the Senju Clan.

While he still could not compare to monsters like Hashirama and Tobirama Senju, he was absolutely on par with Tsunade of the Senju Clan, who was famed for her monstrous strength.

Two days later, the results of the entire clan's strength assessment were delivered to Natsu.

The results were even more outrageous than he had expected.

The adult clansmen had collectively risen by an entire tier. Every adult had at least reached the threshold of an Elite Chunin.

The clan's twenty-three core Elite Jonin, most of whom had been stuck at bottlenecks for years, had all touched the threshold of Kage Level. They only needed one final push to enter that exceedingly rare realm in the Ninja World.

Even the ten underage holders of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan had steadily entered the Elite Jonin tier through this rules adaptation.

As for the remaining underage clansmen, even children who had studied ninjutsu for less than two years had basically reached the level of Elite Genin. Once they came of age, their baseline would be Elite Chunin.

At this level of strength, even without any systematic taijutsu or Haki training, they would be enough to rival most Marine lieutenant commanders in the West Blue.

Natsu rubbed his chin with his fingertips and looked beyond the camp. His gaze passed through the dense ancient forest and settled on the boundless sea.

Systematic training and instruction?

The moment the thought surfaced, Marine Branch 74—the branch he had heard about from Har—flashed through his mind.

"No."

Almost the instant the idea arose, he dismissed it outright.

At the end of the day, a branch was only a branch.

Marine Branch 74 in the West Blue had, at most, a colonel. Its strength ceiling was only around Chunin to Elite Chunin level in the Ninja World. They might not even have mastered the complete Marine Six Powers, so there was nothing worth coveting.

If he wanted the complete training methods for the Six Powers, a systematic method for Haki training, and even the most crucial intelligence about these seas, he would ultimately have to find a way into Marine Headquarters.

With a general direction in mind, Natsu withdrew his gaze and lightly tapped the roster with his fingertips. A glint of understanding flashed in his eyes.

There was no rush. The most urgent matter now was to let the entire clan fully absorb this surge in strength and firmly establish themselves on this island.

As for Marine Headquarters, there would always be a chance to go.

Natsu looked away from the roster and turned to Fugaku beside him. "Uncle, I think our clan's current system for training ninjas needs to change."

"Change the system?" Fugaku raised a brow, his forehead creasing slightly as confusion flashed in his eyes. "How do you want to change it?"

Uchiha Setsuna, beside them, also stopped what he was doing and looked up at Natsu, his face carrying a measure of doubt.

Natsu fell silent for several seconds before slowly voicing the idea he had considered for a long time. "Back in the Ninja World, wars of every scale never stopped. We had no choice but to send children under ten onto the battlefield with kunai in hand, struggling to survive through blood and fire.

"But things are different now. We have escaped Konoha's mess, gained territory of our own, and can settle down in peace. Naturally, we can no longer use the methods we were forced into before.

"I think the clan's focus should shift more toward nurturing the next generation."

He looked toward the eastern side of the camp, where the clan's children lived. Even now, the faint sound of kunai slicing through the air could be heard from the training grounds.

"There are over six hundred children in the clan who are not yet fourteen. Their bodies have not fully developed, and most of their potential has yet to be unearthed. It would be such a waste to raise them so haphazardly," Natsu continued,

"I plan to establish a Clan Academy. All children under fourteen will be divided into classes based on age and talent, then trained systematically.

"Tobirama Senju was the mortal enemy of our Uchiha Clan, and there is no denying that. But the Ninja Academy he established back then did have merits worth learning from.

"Rather than let these children grow wild like weeds, we should build them a proper framework and smooth the path ahead. Let them build a solid Uchiha foundation, and their future limits will only rise higher."

"No!"

Setsuna's brows instantly knotted together, and he immediately objected with urgency in his voice. "If we do this, the number of ninjas the clan can immediately deploy will be cut by more than half! We have only just arrived in this unfamiliar world, and unknown dangers surround us. How can we manage without enough people at hand?"

As the clan's Great Elder, he had always been a staunch hawk who prioritized combat reserves above all else. Naturally, he could not accept removing most of the children from the combat roster in one stroke.

Fugaku said nothing. He merely rubbed his chin with his fingertips, eyes lowered as he repeatedly weighed the pros and cons in his heart.

"Elder Setsuna, please do not rush."

Looking at Setsuna's tightly furrowed brows, Natsu softened his tone, though every word struck home. "The island where we have settled is not on any established route in the West Blue. It is a completely uninhabited island.

"As long as we do not expose ourselves, no one will ever turn their attention here.

"Even if someone foolish enough does come sniffing around, with me and Uncle here, along with the clan's more than twenty Elite Jonin, unless they are officers under one of the Four Emperors in the New World or high-ranking figures from Marine Headquarters personally arrive, no one in the Four Blues can take even the slightest advantage over us."

He paused. Seeing Setsuna's expression ease, he continued, "You crawled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the Ninja World too. Have you forgotten?

"How many children of our clan were pushed onto the battlefield with nothing but reckless courage because they never received systematic instruction, only to die without even leaving intact corpses behind?

"Rather than let them die on the battlefield in the future because their foundations are unstable, we should calm down now, allocate the resources, and build their foundations properly."

Natsu's words crashed into Setsuna's heart like a heavy stone, leaving him speechless for a moment. One by one, the young faces that had closed their eyes forever on Ninja World battlefields flickered through his mind.

He remained silent for a long while before speaking in a muffled voice, though his stance had not fully softened. "The reasoning is sound, but the clan's security line cannot be left empty. We must keep enough usable combat power in hand. That is the bottom line."