Chapter 229: Minato Namikaze Wants to Reform the Shinobi World - Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World - NovelsTime

Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World

Chapter 229: Minato Namikaze Wants to Reform the Shinobi World

Author: BestElysium
updatedAt: 2025-08-21

After learning everything about Nawaki, the three kids were dumbfounded, completely shocked.

After all, this was resurrection from the dead. Even though his soul could only exist within a genjutsu world and couldn't return to reality, it was still revival. To these three, who had never even heard of Edo Tensei, it felt like straight-up magic—what astonished them was the resurrection itself, not the fact that Naruko was actually a boy.

In fact, the revelation that "Naruko-senpai" was a boy didn't faze them at all. They were shinobi. They knew the Transformation Jutsu. They'd all turned into other people before to complete missions. Besides, Minato-sama had said Nawaki's identity was S-rank confidential and couldn't be leaked. So what if Nawaki used the Naruko alias in-game?

In fact, the three had already made up their minds—they would protect "Naruko's" identity at all costs. They wouldn't let down the trust the adults placed in them. An S-rank secret—they would guard it with their lives.

They didn't even wait for Minato-sama to bring it up. Kakashi volunteered to have a sealing jutsu placed in their minds to prevent Nawaki's identity from being exposed.

At first, Obito wasn't happy about it. But Kakashi argued that this wasn't a secret genin or chunin like them could realistically keep. If they were captured by an enemy who could probe memories, or subjected to hypnosis using a dōjutsu like the Sharingan, the secret could slip.

And if that happened, it would endanger not just them, but Nawaki, and the people who trusted them.

The best way to prevent that was a memory-sealing jutsu. Obito finally agreed. Rin, as always, followed her teammates' lead and agreed from the start.

Minato was silent for a moment, then smiled. "I'm proud of you three. Truly, I'm honored to be your sensei."

With that, the sealing jutsu was placed.

Afterward, the trio left, looking for a quiet place to secretly discuss "Naruko-senpai."

Of course, they would only call him "Naruko." The name Nawaki was now forbidden.

Once the three had left, the smile on Minato's face faded. A shadow crossed his expression.

After a moment of hesitation, Minato opened his mental network and messaged Uchiha Kei.

"Kei, I need to talk to you."

Ten minutes later, in the grand mental landscape, by a shore bathed in a beautified sunset filter, Minato and Uchiha Kei sat on a boulder. Minato spoke.

After listening, Kei scratched his head. "So, you're saying that the fact those three willingly let you seal their memories actually makes you uncomfortable?"

Minato nodded. With Kei, his closest friend and spiritual guide, he spoke openly. "Yes. The moment Kakashi volunteered the sealing jutsu, and Obito and Rin agreed... something just didn't sit right with me."

"I should've felt proud of their resolve, but instead... Kei, it just made my chest ache."

"They're still just kids. It shouldn't be like this..."

"Maybe I'm not thinking like a shinobi should. Maybe I'm just being soft. But I can't help feeling it's all wrong."

Kei looked at Minato and saw the worry, sorrow, and confusion in his furrowed brow.

And he smiled.

Because Minato was starting to awaken—thinking not because Kei guided him, but on his own.

Of course, this was only natural. Minato was always learning.

Even though the books Kei gave him didn't cover topics like "child labor" or "child soldiers," Minato's evolving thoughts, shaped by influences from beyond the shinobi world—civilized, future-oriented ideas—had led him to see just how warped the ninja system truly was.

But with that realization came confusion. When you realize you no longer fit into the inherited structure of a thousand-year-old system, it's natural to question yourself.

Usually, the first thought is: "If everyone accepts this, and I'm the only one who sees a problem... maybe I'm the problem."

But Minato had been shaped by Kei's influence. He wanted to change things.

So now, his mindset was: "It's not me that's wrong—it's the world."

It sounded like the kind of thing an angsty teenager might say. But coming from Minato now, it was apt. It fit him perfectly.

Kei didn't give him a direct answer. Instead, he said, "Minato, you know that my Summoning Jutsu brings creatures from another world, totally different from ours."

Minato nodded. "Yes. The knowledge in that massive library alone proves that world is unlike anything in the shinobi world. It must be a truly advanced civilization."

Kei nodded. "You're not wrong. But do you know how that world treats its children?"

Minato paused. "Not exactly. But from what little I've seen, I'd guess they put a lot of value on education?"

Kei nodded again. "Yes, they do. But do you know just how much?"

Minato didn't respond. Kei continued.

"From the age of four, children begin preschool. At six, they enter elementary school, which lasts six years. Then come three years of middle school, then three years of high school, and finally four years of college."

"That's the basic educational path in the most civilized nation of that world. And by their standards, anyone under college age is still considered a child."

"What's more, all education up to high school is compulsory. The government funds most of it. The kids barely pay anything."

"No one—not even their parents—has the right to deny a child education. It's mandatory. Anyone who tries to prevent a kid from attending school gets punished by law."

Minato's eyes widened. "Seriously? Every child has to go to school? That kind of system really exists? How does that nation afford it? And wouldn't the elites—the clans with power and knowledge—oppose letting everyone learn?"

Kei smiled and gazed toward the sunset. With a swipe of his hand, the sunset transformed into a rising sun.

"They faced countless challenges. Many obstacles. There were forces from the old era trying to keep the country stagnant. But some people—people like the morning sun—fought to nurture and push forward a land that had once had nothing left but its people. And eventually, they achieved something that had never been seen before."

"Minato... I can't be one of those people. I'm too selfish. But I admire them. I respect them. And I hope someone out there will try to reach for that same dream."

He looked at Minato, who was visibly shaken.

Then he clapped Minato on the shoulder. "So, Minato. Give it your all. Even if you can't build that kind of nation, try to guide the Hidden Leaf, the Land of Fire, and the whole shinobi world in that direction."

"A thousand years have passed. Isn't it time for a change?"

With that, he patted Minato once more and walked away, leaving him alone to face the rising sun.

Minato smiled bitterly. "Kei... you really dropped a bomb on me. I only wanted to reform the Hidden Leaf and the Land of Fire a bit—make things better. And I already thought that was radical."

"But now, you've told me that what I'm trying to do isn't even close to enough. That someone has already achieved greater things. And you expect me to aim that high? You sure think highly of me..."

There was helplessness in his voice. Frustration too. But inside... a fire had been lit.

Kei had spoken of children's education, but what he'd truly conveyed was the possibility of a new system. Education was only the first step.

Only by pursuing the kind of ideal Kei described could they hope to change a world where children were still sent into battle, forced to bear the burdens meant for adults.

Minato, now serving as the acting aide to the Hokage and privy to many secrets, knew this would be a thorny road—one full of resistance. If he truly tried to push this agenda, many of the people who currently supported him might become obstacles... or even enemies.

It would be hard. Terrifyingly hard.

But...

As the image of Kakashi and the others voluntarily accepting mind seals replayed in his mind, the fire in Minato's eyes burned brighter.

He didn't think he could accomplish the kind of miracle Kei described.

But if there was even a sliver of hope to change this twisted world... Minato would chase it.

Even if he couldn't become the sun of the shinobi world... being a small ray of sunlight would be enough.

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