"My dream is to become Hokage!"
A young yet unwavering voice rang out.
Unlike the other kids who had shouted similar declarations—most doing it just to get attention, follow the crowd, or because of some childish fantasy—this one sounded different.
As people grow, childhood dreams tend to sink into the depths of the heart. Reality sets in. Pressure from life, the limits of one's own talent… These things can turn dreams into distant ideals.
Eventually, many stop chasing the dream themselves and instead place their hopes on someone else. Drawn in by their charisma, they entrust their dreams to that person—one who radiates hope—and offer up their loyalty.
Countless people may share the same dream, but in any era, only one person can reach the top. And right now, Namikaze Minato was proclaiming his belief, his determination to become Hokage.
Sitting beside him, Uchiha Kaien gave a light round of applause to show his support.
Becoming Hokage, huh? That sounds great. You be Hokage, Minato. I'll be your advisor. Saving the world is Uzumaki Naruto's job. I'll just coast to the end like Koharu and Homura.
No battlefield. No dangerous missions. Still get paid. Still get fed. Slacking off is mandatory.
Although some of the other kids thought Minato looked just a little less cool than themselves when he said he wanted to be Hokage, no one really challenged him on it.
They were all from the same village. They shared the same dream. That made them friends.
The girls in the class, on the other hand, started squealing.
"Minato-kun is so cool!"
"Does Minato-kun have a girlfriend?"
"Who's that sitting next to him?! Why does she get to sit there?!"
"Yeah! She even clapped first! Why is she moving so fast?!"
Originally just observing from the sidelines, Kaien suddenly felt very offended.
Even if those girls used "she" instead of "he," the fact remained: he was the first one who clapped for Minato.
Minato glanced over at Kaien's face, which was growing darker by the second, and started getting nervous. Kaien was muttering something under his breath about getting misgendered again and how the world might as well end. Panicked, Minato quickly tried to comfort him.
But before he could, Kaien stood up and introduced himself.
His lips parted, and his voice rang out clear and confident, laced with a hint of pride. His gaze swept across the classroom—not loud, but powerful enough to make the entire class fall silent.
"Uchiha Kaien. My dream is to survive. To keep living."
He sat back down without a care, ignoring the strange looks from his classmates.
That dream… was a little unusual. Even Yamakawa Taiga couldn't quite wrap his head around it.
To live on? So plain. But very Uchiha. Always standing apart from the crowd. Taiga didn't take it to heart—he figured as long as Kaien didn't stir up trouble in his class, everything would be fine.
The other students, even if they didn't get the dream, couldn't deny one thing: Kaien was cute as hell.
Jet-black hair and dark eyes, sharp Uchiha features, and that icy, detached aura—his looks absolutely blew every girl in class out of the water.
When Kaien had scanned the class with that indifferent gaze, some boys actually blushed and looked away. Clearly, Kaien was their type.
But no one dared approach. That red-and-white fan on his clothes told them everything they needed to know.
The Uchiha Clan.
One of Konoha's founding families.
Even the civilian kids knew the name. And with Kaien's cold demeanor, nobody dared to flirt.
...
[Affection from Nara Shikaku +1]
At least someone appreciated Kaien's dream.
"That's actually a pretty solid goal. Kind of lines up with mine. If I can lie down, I won't stand. Ideally, I'll evolve to the point where just breathing is enough to survive… Then I can lie down forever..."
Shikaku was genuinely impressed.
"Don't be so lazy, Shikaku. You gotta move around more! Right, Chōza?"
"I dunno, I think sitting down with some chips sounds perfect."
Akimichi Chōza scratched his head with a big goofy grin. As long as he had food, sitting or lying down made no difference.
Yamanaka Inoichi rubbed his temples.
How did I end up stuck with these two?
...
"He smells nice, huh, Kuromaru? Though… it's definitely a boy's scent. Still, he's so cute. The Uchiha Clan really does have all the pretty boys and girls, just like the rumors said!"
Inuzuka Tsume whispered to her ninken, cheeks marked with her clan's signature face paint.
"Woof!"
...
"Even that kind of dream gets so much attention? I said a bunch of stuff earlier, and nobody looked twice. In that case, I feel like I need to repeat mine..."
"Give it a rest," Tsume cut in. "At least I heard your dream, didn't I?"
She'd sniffed out the presence of the Aburame kid sitting nearby and decided to throw him a bone.
...
Minato, who sat closest to Kaien, had a thoughtful look on his face.
Kaien trains hard every day… and yet his dream is just to stay alive?
Curious, Minato asked, "Kaien, why is your dream just to survive?"
"Because I have a feeling… like my life is hanging by a thread, like a candle flickering in the wind. I don't know when it'll go out. So until I find a way to fix that, surviving is my only goal."
Kaien raised a finger to his lips, flashing a bright smile tinged with sorrow.
Minato instinctively wanted to say more.
"Kaien…"
"Minato," Kaien cut him off gently, "the road to our dreams is full of thorns. Yours and mine both. That's why I'll do my best to help you achieve yours."
He tilted his head slightly, black eyes gleaming with expectation.
"So… would you be willing to help me achieve mine too?"
"Of course!"
Kaien smiled, satisfied. That usual cold expression softened, replaced by a look full of hope.
"Then it's a promise. When you become Hokage, don't forget me, okay?" You better give me that Hokage Advisor gig!
Minato sat there stunned for a moment.
Two boys, confiding their dreams to each other, became true friends in that instant.
Outside the window, a breeze stirred, lifting a few leaves into the sky—carried off to parts unknown.
...
[Affection from Namikaze Minato +5]
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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