Naruto instinctively activated Transparent World, observing the woman before him—this so-called Headmaster.
An Eighth-Tier powerhouse… Just how strong was that supposed to be?
Unlike shinobi from the Ninja World, this woman's physical constitution was incredibly robust, and the energy fluctuations within her body were powerful as well.
In the Shinobi system, drawing on chakra inflicted strain and damage on the body.
But this world's cultivation system was clearly superior: instead of harming the body, the dense internal energy enhanced it.
If ninja were high offense, low defense—relying on technique and tactics—then the warriors of this planet were high offense, high defense, focusing purely on numbers and scaling.
As for Naruto?
He was walking both paths at the same time.
The moment the Headmaster noticed Naruto probing her, fury flashed through her elegant eyes.
He had barged into her office uninvited, ignored her questions, and now dared to stare at her like that?
Ever since she'd become strong, no one had ever disrespected her like this!
"Seal!"
She shouted coldly. A frosty blue-white mist burst forth, surging toward Naruto.
Wherever the cold mist passed, the ground and chairs instantly froze into solid ice.
"Shinra Tensei."
With a flick of repelling force, Naruto instantly blew the frost back.
The Headmaster herself was caught in the blast, flung into the wall behind her, crashing with a deep impact that shattered cracks across the marble surface.
That was only a light test-version of Shinra Tensei.
If it had been a regular ninja—or even a Kage-level fighter—they'd have been instantly obliterated.
Yet the Headmaster merely looked furious as she stabilized herself, cold eyes locked on Naruto.
She'd never seen such an ability before.
A power that could push her back without a trace of visible energy?
"Who are you, exactly?"
Recognizing Naruto's strength, she refrained from attacking again—clearly trying to figure out what he was after.
Naruto crossed his arms casually and said:
"Go all out. Otherwise, you might not get another chance."
Such arrogant words made the Headmaster inhale sharply.
No matter who he was, she decided—this man needed to learn a lesson.
The next moment, her entire body glowed faint blue.
A suit of azure armor manifested around her, and in her hand appeared a crescent-shaped blue blade.
This transformation—almost like changing gear—made Naruto raise an eyebrow.
Once the transformation completed, her energy levels spiked massively.
"Die."
A single word.
With that, the armored Headmaster swung her blade, sending a brilliant slash toward Naruto.
It looked powerful.
But in Naruto's eyes… it was pitifully weak.
He simply lifted a hand and caught the blade between two fingers.
The powerful strike froze midair, trapped between the tips of his fingers like a leaf in a vice.
Crack.
Naruto flexed slightly, and the blade of energy shattered into a cascade of sparkling blue fragments.
"That was your strongest attack?" Naruto asked, tone tinged with disappointment.
That trace of disappointment alone shook the Headmaster.
True, that hadn't been her full power…
But to have her attack dismissed so easily—with two fingers—was humiliating.
She had witnessed peak Tier 9 experts before, and even then, she never felt this kind of pressure.
Out of options, she unleashed her ultimate move.
"Absolute Zero!"
She brought her hands together, forming a perfect circle.
A blinding white light expanded outward in a ring, swallowing Naruto whole.
In an instant, he vanished—replaced by a floating blue-white crystal of ice, suspended in midair.
It glowed with radiant frost.
The surrounding air froze solid, as though even molecules themselves had stopped moving.
The Headmaster exhaled a long puff of frost and finally relaxed.
No one had ever escaped from her Absolute Zero once it took hold.
In her mind, this battle was over.
She turned to call her aides to investigate Naruto's identity—
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The sound of shattering glass pierced the air.
Her eyes widened as she turned.
The crystal began to split.
Thin fissures snaked across the frozen shell.
BOOM.
With a loud crack, the ice exploded into glittering shards.
From the center, Naruto walked out unscathed.
He rubbed his hands together and rolled his shoulders, exhaling a white puff of air.
"Not gonna lie… that was kinda chilly."
To see her strongest technique amount to nothing more than "kinda chilly" left the Headmaster completely dumbfounded.
Now Naruto had seen enough.
This planet's latent energy potential far surpassed the Shinobi World.
But its inhabitants… weren't tapping into it fully yet.
If this woman was what they considered an "Eighth Tier powerhouse," then planting a Divine Tree here would be zero risk.
Still, to be thorough, Naruto continued testing her limits.
He attacked again—casually—but effectively shattered her entire power set.
Her energy armor shattered.
Her long white gown was tattered and torn.
Even her flawless face had been scraped up slightly.
This mysterious man had barged in, started a fight for no reason, left her battered and bruised—and hadn't even explained what he wanted.
At this point, her defiant glare had faded.
She stared at Naruto, eyes full of grievance and confusion, lips trembling slightly, unsure whether to scream or sob.