"Your name is Uzumaki Naruto, right?"
A clear and crisp voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Naruto froze for a moment. He hummed in response, feeling slightly surprised. This voice did not belong to the thin boy who had registered him earlier.
He turned around.
The person standing there now was a girl.
She looked somewhat similar to Tenten from Konoha—sharp eyes, neat posture, and an energetic temperament. However, unlike humans on Earth, she had a pair of short horns growing from her head, which slightly affected her appearance.
"I am," Naruto replied honestly.
The girl stared at him for a few seconds, as if observing something carefully. Then she waved her hand casually.
"Come with me."
Naruto wanted to ask her name so that he could address her properly, but before he could open his mouth, she had already turned around and walked away without even looking back.
Left with no choice, Naruto followed her.
They passed through the large hall in front. Behind it was another square, smaller than the one outside but still spacious.
After crossing the square, they climbed a mountain path for nearly ten minutes. Soon, they arrived at another platform.
What appeared before Naruto once again made him dumbfounded.
A tall mountain gate.
A wide square.
Long stone steps.
A magnificent palace.
It was exactly the same layout as before.
Naruto's mind instantly filled with question marks.
"Is this some kind of infinite nesting dolls…?" he muttered to himself.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
The girl suddenly turned back and frowned.
Naruto realized that he had stopped walking and was standing far behind.
"Oh! I'm coming!"
He hurried forward.
Following her, Naruto crossed the square, climbed the stairs, and stopped in front of the palace gate.
The girl bowed respectfully.
"Master, I have brought Naruto here."
Naruto stood behind her nervously. Without realizing it, his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword.
Based on his understanding, anyone qualified to teach here would, in the ninja world, be comparable to legendary figures like Fukasaku Sage or even Hagoromo's level of existence.
Definitely not someone to underestimate.
"Mm. Come in."
A calm voice came from inside the palace.
The girl nodded and stepped forward.
The heavy doors opened automatically.
The moment they opened, Naruto subconsciously raised his head.
Then, he saw the scene inside.
At the center of the great hall, on a high platform, sat a man cross-legged, looking down calmly.
On both sides of the steps leading up to the platform, many people were seated.
The number alone made Naruto feel pressure.
Feeling countless gazes fall upon him, Naruto quickly lowered his head and focused on the floor as he walked inside.
As soon as he entered, the doors closed behind him.
He glanced back and noticed that several guards were standing there, responsible for opening and closing them.
No wonder.
For a moment, Naruto had thought dark matter was being used to create automatic doors.
"What are you laughing at?"
A voice came from above.
Naruto was startled.
He realized that he had unconsciously smiled earlier.
At once, the people on both sides looked at him with displeasure. Even the girl who had brought him in frowned slightly.
In such a solemn place, he had laughed before even greeting anyone.
That was extremely disrespectful.
Naruto immediately copied Ichiro Tsuchigen's manner of bowing.
"Please forgive me. I just remembered something funny from my hometown."
"Oh?" the voice asked curiously. "What kind of interesting thing?"
Naruto answered honestly.
"Just some small memories. Seeing this place reminded me of them, so I laughed without realizing it."
"Hahaha! That's good!"
The voice laughed.
"It's good to have things that make you happy. Everyone, take a look!"
Encouraged by this, Naruto gathered his courage, straightened his back, and looked up.
Only then did he see the people clearly.
On the main seat sat a middle-aged man.
He did not look old. His face was calm, his eyes deep, and his aura steady like a mountain.
Below him, at slightly lower positions, sat five people—men and women alike.
Further down were groups of students standing together.
Most of them looked young.
Clearly, they were academy disciples.
At this moment, they were all observing Naruto.
"Well, not bad. To pass the farm trials in such a short time, he does have ability."
"Hmph, who among those who enter here hasn't passed the farm assessment?"
"But he was chosen by the clan leader."
"I doubt the clan leader's judgment."
"Lao Wu, are you crazy?"
On the platform, the middle-aged man frowned slightly.
"I asked about him. I didn't ask you to argue."
The hall immediately fell silent.
Naruto understood.
This man must be the dean.
He stepped forward and said respectfully,
"You are Ichiro's master… the Dean."
The middle-aged man smiled.
"How did you know?"
Naruto replied honestly.
"Only the academy dean could host such a scene."
"And Ichiro once said that if I wanted to reach my goal, I had to take his master as my target."
"He said that except for his grandfather, you have the strongest control over dark matter on this planet."
After this straightforward flattery, the dean laughed heartily.
"Well said!"
"Looks like my years of teaching Ichiro were not wasted."
Naruto smiled awkwardly.
It seemed that people here really liked direct praise.
The dean looked at Naruto with interest.
"Then tell me. What is your goal? Why did you come to the academy?"
Naruto fell silent.
This was usually a question asked later.
But now, it was thrown at him directly.
After a few seconds, he raised his head.
"My goal…"
"Is universal peace."
For a moment, the entire hall was silent.
Then—
Someone laughed.
Then another.
Soon, laughter spread throughout the hall.
Naruto did not get angry.
Instead, he laughed along with them.
He laughed freely.
He understood.
Such a dream sounded ridiculous.
After everything he had experienced, Naruto no longer expected others to understand him.
Being laughed at was nothing.
The dean, however, did not laugh.
He stared at Naruto seriously.
"That is an ambitious and extremely difficult goal."
As soon as he spoke, the laughter stopped.
Naruto also stopped smiling.
He took a deep breath.
"I have no choice," he said quietly.
"I must keep my word."
One sentence.
Firm.
And filled with helpless determination.