Sword of God -- A Naruto Fanfiction

| 22 | Rebirth

Hiruzen looks up from his training, his staff dispelling in a puff of smoke. "Naruto!" He happily greets.

"Hokage-Jiji!" He responds to the greeting with equal exuberance.

"Sometimes, I wish that we could go back to just Jiji," he sighs, one full of nostalgia.

Picking up on the hint, Naruto responds. "'Kay, Jiji!"

Hiruzen smiles, rejoicing at the return of the affectionate nickname.

"So, what do you need, Naruto?" He gives the boy a trademark grandfatherly smile that sends an outburst of happiness coursing through Naruto.

"You need to take control over the village," Naruto takes, taking on a more business-like tone.

Hiruzen gives him a searching gaze, before asking for clarification, his tone serious as he realises that this is not a social call. "What do you mean?"

Naruto ponders on how to put it before responding. "I've heard rumours that the Administrative Council will perform another power play, and you need to step up to the challenge."

"And what do you suggest I do?" Hiruzen responds, asking for ideas.

"You already know," Naruto answers serenely, only serving to perplex Hiruzen even more.

It must have shown on his face, as Naruto continues with a hint: "The Preliminaries?"

The Sandaime's eyes widen. "Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka. But bringing them and other fangirls into remedial training would put me at a different page with the council and the people."

"We aren't on the same page. I'm talking about a curriculum reform in the academy," Naruto states.

Hiruzen whips out a notepad from the insides of his Hokage robe that he had neglected to take off during training. "I'm listening."

Seeing this, Naruto begins to list off a few ideas. "Instead of focusing a year's worth of work around a single theme, such as academic skills, intelligence, etcetera, we give them a timetable."

"Go on," Hiruzen mutters, jotting it down with an airy gesture of the hand.

"I haven't wrinkled out all of the flaws, but... I think that academic skills should take a backseat. If a school day is, say, eight hours, then academic skills will be for three hours until the second year ends. By then, they should have a firm understanding. It will be an accelerated program."

Hiruzen raises an eyebrow at this but doesn't raise any inquiries.

Seeing this as a cue to continue, Naruto proceeds. "Let's say that academic skills take place first thing in the morning. From there, they will have physical training, which entails the honing of the body's strength, speed, agility and stamina through a range of physical exercises and coaches. Next, they begin taijutsu training where they are given three basic styles to choose to develop in, academy style included."

"What about weapons-handling?" Hiruzen inquires, asking to see how this skill regarded as one of the key factors to make a shinobi would play in this new overhaul.

"Only in close-quarters combat. Throwing them is useless. Have you ever seen a kunai hit someone?" Naruto incredulously asks.

"Well, no," Hiruzen responds, full-heartedly agreeing to Naruto's argument.

"Good. Anyways, they begin ninjutsu training in year two onwards, leaving year one to have extended classes as the teacher sees fit. In their first year of ninjutsu training, they cover basic theory as well as how it can be applied. They then begin learning the Body Flicker, Transformation and Substitution techniques. This should be completed by the end of the year. From year three, their ninjutsu should expand to nature transformations and D-rank jutsu of their elements, and in year four this extends to some C-ranks."