It turned out that even the Ninja Academy's entrance ceremony was just as painfully long and unbearably boring as ceremonies back in my previous life.
I stood quietly among the crowd of new students, my hands folded neatly in front of me while trying my best to maintain a serious expression. In reality, however, my attention had already drifted far away from the stage.
The person presiding over the ceremony continued speaking endlessly.
First came the speech introducing the Academy's educational philosophy.
Then every teacher stepped forward one after another to introduce themselves before delivering speeches of their own.
After that, another instructor took the stage to introduce the Academy's principal...
Who then proceeded to give yet another speech.
"..."
I silently stared into space.
So this was universal.
Whether it was elementary school, middle school, high school, university, or even a company annual meeting...
Leadership speeches never disappeared.
Not even in the Ninja World.
My expression gradually shifted from polite seriousness into the familiar dead-fish stare I had perfected over years of enduring pointless ceremonies.
If nobody was watching...
I would probably already be asleep.
Trying to distract myself, I casually shifted my gaze toward the guest seating area.
There sat the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in his familiar white Hokage robes, sitting perfectly upright.
His aged face carried a gentle smile, yet there was also undeniable dignity hidden beneath it.
He quietly watched every child present as though trying to remember each of their faces.
Ah...
Next should be the Hokage's speech.
Wonderful.
Another long one.
Resisting the urge to sigh, I let my eyes wander elsewhere.
If I had to suffer through this ceremony, I might as well enjoy one benefit.
Almost every important child of my generation was gathered here.
I rarely left home these days.
Besides Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji, I had barely met any of the future members of the Konoha Twelve.
Now was the perfect opportunity.
...
My eyes quickly found Sasuke.
As expected...
He stood perfectly straight with both hands behind his back, looking every bit like the pride of the Uchiha Clan.
He still carried the youthful arrogance of an elite student.
Looking at him now, it was difficult to imagine that this calm little boy would someday walk a path filled with blood, revenge, betrayal, and impossible choices.
Right now...
He was simply Uchiha Sasuke.
A talented child.
Nothing more.
Perhaps sensing someone watching him, Sasuke suddenly turned his head.
Our eyes met.
"..."
"..."
He narrowed his eyes.
The next second...
He shot me an unmistakable glare.
Ah.
Caught.
Without changing my expression in the slightest, I calmly shifted my gaze toward the nearby bulletin board, pretending I had been studying it all along.
Nothing happened.
Absolutely nothing happened.
Just as I convinced myself the crisis had passed...
A small, warm hand quietly slipped into mine.
I lowered my head.
Naruto was looking at me with puffed cheeks.
His bright blue eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Without making a sound, he exaggerated his lip movements.
"Who are you looking at, Big Sister?"
I blinked.
Then mouthed back just as dramatically.
"No one."
Naruto looked completely unconvinced.
He stared at me for another few seconds before reluctantly facing forward again.
Only after confirming he wasn't watching anymore did my wandering eyes resume their mission.
There were simply too many familiar faces here.
My attention drifted again.
This time...
Sakura.
She happened to glance in my direction at the exact same moment.
Our eyes met.
She froze.
Her emerald eyes widened slightly before panic flashed across her delicate face.
Color spread across her cheeks almost instantly.
Within moments, the blush had climbed all the way to her ears.
Cute.
Unable to resist teasing her, I gave her a playful wink.
Sakura immediately turned away so quickly that her pink hair almost whipped across her face.
The tips of her ears became even redder.
Mission accomplished.
Suppressing a smile, I continued observing everyone else.
Ino stood beside Choji.
Her blonde hair was still too short to wear in the high ponytail she would eventually become famous for, so she simply tied it into a neat little bun behind her head.
She leaned toward Choji, whispering something enthusiastically.
Choji nodded while pretending to listen.
Pretending.
Because his attention was actually somewhere else.
His chubby little hands kept sneaking snacks out of his pockets one after another.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
His mouth never stopped moving.
Was he already training for the Akimichi Clan's techniques?
It certainly looked like it.
On the opposite side...
Hinata stood quietly with her head lowered.
Her fingers repeatedly poked against each other in nervous habit.
Every few seconds...
She secretly looked toward Naruto.
One glance.
Half a second.
Immediately look away.
Then repeat.
If I counted correctly...
She had already peeked at least ten times.
Every single glance carried innocent admiration.
Every single retreat ended with her blushing furiously.
Young love really was obvious.
Further back...
Kiba looked bored beyond belief.
He held little Akamaru comfortably in his arms while absentmindedly tugging the puppy's floppy ears.
Akamaru seemed completely accustomed to it and lazily yawned.
Nearby stood Shino.
His high collar covered most of his face.
Dark sunglasses concealed his eyes entirely.
Looking at him...
I suddenly felt genuine envy.
No one could tell whether he was paying attention.
No one knew whether he was secretly sleeping.
No one could even judge his expression.
What incredible equipment.
Maybe...
For my next book signing...
I should wear sunglasses too.
I've always covered the upper half of my face.
Maybe next time I should switch to covering the lower half instead.
That would probably keep readers from suffering "aesthetic fatigue."
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
After another sweep through the crowd...
I finally spotted the older students.
Neji stood with his arms crossed.
His face remained expressionless.
His pale eyes never left the stage.
Beside him...
Rock Lee stood ramrod straight.
Both fists were tightly clenched.
His eyes burned with such passion that they practically radiated visible flames.
He looked as though he were attending the most important event in his entire life.
And next to him...
Tenten.
Her twin buns framed her face neatly.
She listened with complete concentration, taking every speech seriously.
Looking at all of them gathered together...
I couldn't help smiling.
They're all so adorable.
A quiet voice suddenly drifted upward.
"Your staring is way too obvious."
Shikamaru.
I glanced downward.
He hadn't even looked at me while speaking.
His eyes remained fixed lazily on the stage.
I whispered back.
"It's too boring."
"You think so too."
"..."
He stayed silent for a moment.
Then sighed.
"What a drag."
He paused before adding,
"...The ceremony."
I nodded enthusiastically.
Exactly.
Before either of us could continue...
"Ahem."
The deliberate cough instantly froze us.
Uncle Shikaku.
Both of us immediately straightened ourselves.
Conversation terminated.
At that moment...
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
The Third Hokage slowly rose from his seat.
Every adult present instinctively became serious.
The entire audience fell silent.
Even the restless children unconsciously stood straighter.
Kiba stopped playing with Akamaru.
Choji stopped eating.
Even whispers disappeared completely.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly walked onto the stage.
His old yet steady voice echoed across the Academy courtyard.
He spoke about the Will of Fire.
He spoke about how the leaves dance while protecting the Village.
He spoke about new buds inheriting the future.
He spoke about responsibility.
Hope.
Inheritance.
The future.
I had heard these words countless times.
Even if someone stuffed cotton into my ears...
I could probably recite the speech from memory.
Beside me...
Naruto listened with complete attention.
His blue eyes reflected the elderly Hokage standing beneath the sunlight.
There wasn't the slightest hint of boredom on his face.
Instead...
There was admiration.
Hope.
Determination.
As though every word spoken from that stage carried the answer he had been searching for.
I knew exactly what he was thinking.
One day...
He would become Hokage.
"I'll definitely become Hokage!"
It was something Naruto often declared.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Yet...
I had never encouraged him.
Nor had I discouraged him.
Because my feelings toward the title of Hokage were...
Complicated.
To be more accurate...
I felt no reverence toward the strongest leader of this Village.
Not because of personal hatred.
Not because I denied their strength.
But because I couldn't respect the position itself.
The First Hokage.
The Second Hokage.
The Third Hokage.
As for the Fourth...
No.
Cross Minato out.
His reign had been far too short to judge.
Generation after generation...
These people stood at the very top of Konoha.
They possessed overwhelming strength.
Unmatched prestige.
Immense authority.
But...
What had actually changed?
Nothing.
The Ninja World remained trapped inside the same endless cycle.
War.
Hatred.
Revenge.
Another war.
When I watched Naruto in my previous life...
This world was merely entertainment.
A fictional setting.
A stage where heroes fought villains.
I never questioned its foundation.
Because I never had to live inside it.
Now...
I did.
And living here made everything feel painfully real.
Ninjas called themselves tools.
Machines.
Those who failed missions were worthless.
Those who broke regulations were considered worse than trash.
Life itself held little value.
A Ninja's worth was judged only after death.
How they lived didn't matter.
Only what they accomplished before dying.
Endurance was glorified above everything else.
To me...
This system felt terrifying.
Imagine handing unimaginable destructive power to children barely old enough to finish elementary school.
Then asking them to solve political conflicts with violence.
That...
Was the Ninja World.
Reality was even crueler.
Uchiha Fugaku had taken four-year-old Itachi onto a battlefield.
Not because Itachi was ready.
Not because he should have seen war.
But because power and status allowed such decisions.
Status.
Power.
Those two words ruled everything.
The Daimyo possessed authority through wealth and politics.
They could begin wars over territory, interests, or ambition.
The Kage issued missions.
Village elders approved them.
Then...
Fresh Academy graduates.
Children.
Were sent to kill other children.
One child killed another.
Someone sought revenge.
Another family lost someone precious.
Hatred spread.
The cycle continued endlessly.
Adults made decisions.
Children paid the price.
Wars were political games played by a handful of rulers.
Yet the people bleeding on battlefields...
Were always young men and women who sincerely loved their homes.
And when everything finally ended...
Those sitting comfortably behind negotiation tables smiled.
They shook hands.
They praised peace.
As though rivers of blood had simply vanished.
Every time I thought about it...
A wave of nausea rose inside me.
Not because the Ninja World lacked heroes.
It had many.
But because even heroes were trapped inside a system they couldn't escape.
Perhaps they genuinely believed they were protecting peace.
Perhaps they had no better choice.
Even so...
The result remained unchanged.
Children continued dying.
Families continued breaking apart.
Hatred continued passing from one generation to the next.
Standing among the new Academy students...
Listening to speeches celebrating inherited ideals...
I quietly lowered my eyes.
The faith that filled everyone around me...
Wasn't mine.
This Village...
Wasn't the place where my beliefs belonged.
And no matter how long I lived here...
Deep inside...
I still knew one undeniable truth.
My heart did not belong to this world.
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