"So this is the ninja academy? This place is incredible."

I looked around in amazement.

"This island was created specifically for the Ninja Training Academy," Fujimura-sensei explained. "Its name is Onigashima―Demon Island. It's located somewhere in a straight line from Tokyo."

His explanation raised a question in my mind.

"Fujimura-sensei, I don't think there's any island called Onigashima in the place you described."

"To be precise, this island doesn't appear on any map, and it can't be seen by satellites or with the naked eye. It's a phantom island. The space containing this island and the surrounding sea exists separately from the rest of the world."

He paused.

"Even if a ship passes through the place where the island should be, it will never collide with it. This is a secret place, completely isolated from the outside world."

"That's amazing. Was creating a separate space also done using ninja technology?"

"That's right. If you train at the academy, you'll learn about it eventually."

He turned toward the door.

"For now, let's leave this room. Follow me."

Fujimura-sensei walked away from the rows of frog statues, opened the door, and headed toward a large wooden gate.

In front of the gate sat a huge man holding a long pole with a crescent-shaped blade attached to the end.

He had a thick, long black beard, a bear-like physique, and a large belly. He wore a haori decorated with dog patterns.

As soon as he saw us, he greeted us with a broad smile.

"Yo, Keizo! You're finally back. Is this boy the last new student?"

He looked at me cheerfully.

"This is Shinji Hazama. He'll be enrolling at the academy this year."

Fujimura-sensei gently pushed me forward.

"So you're Hazama-kun! My name is Daigo Inuyama. I'm a ninja who serves as one of Onigashima's gatekeepers."

He smiled warmly.

"My job is to make sure you kids can train safely to become ninjas by keeping bad ninjas away from this island."

"I heard that only ninjas can come here. Do bad ninjas really show up?"

"Oh, they do," Inuyama said with a nod. "Some ninjas misuse the skills they've learned to hurt others, and every now and then they come here to cause trouble."

He grinned confidently.

"But I don't let people like that get past me."

It seemed he had a great deal of confidence in his strength.

"Just like Daigo said, even if a criminal somehow reaches this island, he usually chases them away," Fujimura-sensei said with a smirk. "Though his one weakness is that he's not very bright."

"Hey now!" Inuyama protested. "Maybe I'm not the smartest guy around, but I'd never do something stupid like overlook a criminal."

Then he looked at me.

"You want to become a strong ninja like me someday, don't you?"

"I'd like to become a strong ninja like you..." I said, "but I don't think I want to be a gatekeeper."

For a moment, Inuyama stared at me.

Then he burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! I see! Being a gatekeeper is an honorable job too, you know."

He scratched his beard.

"Well, when you graduate safely from the academy, think about whether you'd like to become one. But before we open the gate, I need to inspect you."

As he spoke, he picked up the rod hanging at his waist and held it in front of Fujimura-sensei and me.

"What's that stick?"

"This rod is made from Ninja Stone. It reacts to ninjutsu."

He held it up proudly.

"For example, if someone uses a transformation technique to turn into an animal or another person and tries to sneak onto the island, this rod will glow red and alert us."

Then he lowered the rod.

"After the inspection, you'll need to show identification. Don't worry about yours, though ― your ID card is already waiting in your dorm room."

Fujimura-sensei then showed his own identification card.

"All right, you two are cleared to enter."

Inuyama stood up.

"I'm opening the gate, so step back."

We did as he said and moved away from the entrance.

Placing both hands on the enormous gate, he pushed.

The heavy doors slowly opened, revealing the world beyond.

"There you go. The gate's open."

He smiled.

"Train hard."

"Yes, sir! I will."

After answering him, I passed through the gate with Fujimura-sensei.

The moment we stepped outside, sunlight poured down on us.

The first thing I saw was a grove of cherry blossom trees.

A straight road stretched ahead, and at the end of it stood a massive building.

Cherry blossom petals drifted gently through the air.

"At the end of this road is the Iko Ninja Training Academy," Fujimura-sensei said.

"The academy itself is closed right now, so we can't enter normally, but since it's your first day, I'll give you a special tour."

He smiled.

"After we look around the academy, I'll show you the dormitory where you'll be living."

Then he started down the road.

"Let's go."

I hurried after him.

The academy still looked far away, and it seemed we'd be walking for a while, so I decided to ask a few questions.

"Fujimura-sensei, may I ask you something?"

"Of course. Ask me anything."

"How many ninjas are there at the academy right now?"

"If we include this year's new students, probably more than four hundred."

He sighed.

"Because of Japan's declining birthrate, the number of ninjas has been decreasing every year, and the number of students has been shrinking as well."

"I see. And how many years do you have to study before you graduate?"

"Six years. There are examinations too, of course."

He smiled.

"But if you train properly, you'll graduate just fine."

"I understand. Besides the academy, are there any other special places on this island?"

"If you mean places you've never experienced before," he said with a chuckle, "then everything on this island is special."

His expression became a little more serious.

"There are also places you're not allowed to go, but you'll learn about those later."

"What kind of jobs can you get after graduating?"

"There are all sorts of possibilities."

He began counting on his fingers.

"Gatekeeper, cleaner, academy attendant, member of the Ninja Church, combat ninja, court official, intelligence officer, or even an instructor like me."

He smiled.

"Some graduates even become journalists and make use of what they learned here."

Then he added,

"Of course, the jobs available to you depend on your grades and whether you pass certain examinations."

He looked ahead.

"And while we've been talking, we've finally reached the academy."

As I spoke with him, a massive wooden gate and an enormous white wall came into view.

Although the academy had seemed close in a straight line, the path here had been full of twists and turns, making it impossible to reach easily.

In front of the wall was a moat.

We crossed the bridge spanning it and arrived at the entrance to the Iko Ninja Training Academy.

As I looked up at the gate, I noticed a symbol painted on it.

Inside a black circle were numerous small black dots and three black kunai.

"What's that symbol?"

I pointed toward it.

"Ah, that."

Fujimura-sensei nodded.

"In the ninja world, there are two major schools: Iga and Koga."

"The Iko Ninja Training Academy was founded by those two schools."

He pointed at the emblem.

"The fifty-three black circles represent Koga, while the three kunai represent Iga."

He smiled.

"Together, they form this symbol."

"The black circles and the kunai each represent the number of famous ninjas from Koga and Iga."

"I see. I understand the symbol now."

I looked beyond the gate.

"And the academy is on the other side of this gate, right? It must be enormous."

"It is. A large campus is necessary for all the different kinds of training we conduct here."

He stepped toward the wall.

"All right, let's open the gate."

Fujimura-sensei pressed part of the wall beside the gate.

A section of the wall slid inward, revealing a square opening.

He reached inside and manipulated something.

A moment later, the opening closed again, and the great gate slowly began to open.