At the entrance of Ichiraku Ramen.
When Naruto rushed to the designated meeting point, he found that Sasuke and Sakura had already arrived.
Sasuke wore his usual aloof expression, hands tucked into his pockets as he leaned against the wall beside the ramen shop. His eyes were slightly closed, exuding his trademark indifference to the world around him—yet the faint dark circles under his eyes suggested he hadn't slept well the night before.
What surprised Naruto was that Sakura wasn't clinging to Sasuke like usual, chatting non-stop like chewing gum stuck to his side. Instead, she stood a few steps away, hands clasped behind her back, pacing anxiously. Her emerald eyes scanned both ends of the street repeatedly, clearly searching for someone.
Was she… looking for me?
Naruto's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
He couldn't help but recall the incredibly vivid dream from the night before—Sakura had confessed to him, called him "Naruto-sama" with a blush, and—
Could it be… Could that dream really have been real?
Sakura… she really—
A surge of joy exploded in Naruto's chest, wiping away all the bitterness and hurt he had just felt from the villagers' rejection. His face, once downcast, now shone with a wide, gleeful smile.
At that moment, Sakura finally spotted him rushing over.
Her body stiffened.
Then, in the blink of an eye, a fiery rage erupted in her emerald eyes like a volcano.
"Na! Ru! To!!!"
Her thunderous roar startled several early-morning villagers passing by.
Before Naruto could even blink, Sakura vanished from her spot and appeared right in front of him like a bolt of pink lightning.
"Eh? Sakura-chan…"
Naruto saw Sakura charging toward him. In his eyes, her face looked shy and adorable, full of affection. His heart soared to the peak of happiness.
He instinctively raised his hand, wearing the brightest smile imaginable, ready to receive—perhaps—a hug? Or even... a kiss?
However...
What greeted him was neither a kiss nor a hug, but—
"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"
A flurry of pink iron fists, burning with righteous fury, came crashing down on his head.
"Ow! Ouch! That hurts!"Naruto staggered back, eyes spinning, stars dancing before him. One bump after another rapidly swelled on his blond head like rising bread.
He squatted on the ground clutching his head, tears brimming in his eyes as he looked up at the seething Sakura.
"Sa-Sakura-chan… why… why are you hitting me?!" he whimpered.
"I hit you?!"Sakura stood tall, hands on her hips, glaring down at him like a thunder goddess. "Naruto! You super invincible idiot! Tell me—what kind of absurd dream did you have last night?!"
"Eh? Dream?"Naruto froze. His eyes widened briefly before he blushed furiously. His gaze flicked toward Sasuke, who was still leaning against the wall with his usual cold expression, unfazed and aloof.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about... I-I don't remember..." he mumbled weakly, voice barely audible.
Of course, he remembered.
He remembered every second vividly.
In the dream, Sakura had blushed as she confessed her love to him. She even called him "Naruto-sama."
Could it be… could she actually know what happened in my dream?!
No way, right?
How could anyone possibly know what someone else dreamed?
But despite the logic, a wave of guilt washed over Naruto. His eyes began to drift, avoiding Sakura's intense glare.
"Don't remember?!"Seeing Naruto's guilty look, Sakura's fury only deepened. She raised her hand and gave him a few more hard whacks on the head.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Suppressing the urge to pummel him into the ground, she crossed her arms and snapped, "Hmph! You better really not remember! If I ever catch you having that kind of... shameless, idiotic dream again—I'll punch you to death!"
Wuwuwu... She really knows! She actually knows!But… how? This is terrifying!
Naruto held his aching head, on the verge of tears, utterly flustered.
Sakura took one look at his dumbfounded face and decided it wasn't worth arguing anymore. She snorted coldly, turned her head away with a huff, and refused to look at him again.
Seeing Sakura ignore him, Naruto could only turn his pitiful gaze toward Sasuke, hoping for some backup.
But the moment their eyes met, he found Sasuke watching him too—with a strange, thoughtful look in his eyes.
Sasuke still remembered yesterday's bell test. Though Naruto acted like a fool most of the time, at the last moment, he had come up with a surprising strategy and even managed a sneak attack.
This so-called dead last… maybe he wasn't as simple as he looked.
Feeling Sasuke's quiet scrutiny, Naruto's guilt doubled. He gave two awkward laughs and quickly tried to shift the conversation.
"Uh… Sasuke, where's Kakashi-sensei? Don't tell me he's late again?"
Sasuke pulled back his gaze, answering coolly, "Kakashi-sensei is late again."
"What the heck!"Naruto instantly exploded. It was the perfect excuse to vent his embarrassment. He jumped up and down, shouting, "This is like, what, the tenth time?! Every single time we meet, he's late! Why even bother setting a meeting time if he's just gonna ignore it?! Kakashi-sensei is totally unreliable!"
However, this time, Naruto had really misjudged Kakashi.
In truth… Kakashi had arrived a long time ago.
He was currently perched in the branches of a tall tree at the corner of the street, quietly observing the three of them from above.
He had even activated his Sharingan, carefully observing every interaction between the three of them just now.
Indeed, both Sakura's and Sasuke's reactions confirmed that last night's experience had been real—And not just his own hallucination.
Moreover, judging from Naruto's dazed yet guilty expression after being hit, it was clear he had no idea that his dream had been broadcast to others.
This completely ruled out the possibility that Naruto had consciously activated some unknown Ninjutsu.
After confirming this, Kakashi's frown deepened.
It wasn't Naruto's doing…
Then what kind of existence could possess such a terrifying ability?
To silently draw all of Team 7—himself included—into a shared dream space.
To accurately capture and display the dream of a specific individual for others to see…
This ability had already surpassed his current understanding of the known Ninjutsu system.
Was it some kind of unknown Genjutsu?
Or perhaps a unique barrier technique that transcended time and space?
Or… could it be an even more incomprehensible power?
Kakashi felt his usually calm and composed mind start to falter.
The strangeness of this incident had far exceeded anything he could have imagined.
'No… I must report this to the Third Hokage!'
'But… how should I even explain it?'
'Tell him I had a dream about Naruto's mother, and that two students were involved as well? What would the Third Hokage think? That I'm exhausted from too many missions? Mentally unstable from guilt about Naruto?'
'And the mastermind behind this… their ability is so bizarre. If I report this carelessly, will it alert the enemy? Or even invite greater danger to the village?'
Kakashi fell into deep thought, unable to come up with a suitable solution, and found himself caught in a dilemma.
He pulled down his forehead protector, covering his Sharingan, temporarily suppressing the surprise and unease in his heart.
Let's wait and see for now.
At the very least, he needed to figure out the other party's objective.
Having made up his mind, Kakashi no longer concealed himself.
He silently appeared before the three members of Team 7, his trademark lazy smile on his face, raising one hand in a casual greeting.
"Yo~ Good morning, everyone."
"Ah, Kakashi-sensei!" The moment Naruto saw him, he immediately forgot all the gloom from earlier. He pointed straight at him and complained loudly, "You're late again! You're really the worst!"
"Well, well…" Kakashi kept up his usual laid-back attitude, casually making up a half-hearted excuse like, "I met an old lady who needed help on the way."
Then, clasping his hands together with zero sincerity, he added, "Sorry, sorry, I'll pay attention next time."
His gaze swept across the three kids—Naruto with obvious lumps swelling on his head, Sakura still fuming with her lips pursed in irritation, and Sasuke, wearing an aloof expression like none of it mattered.
Kakashi couldn't help but sigh silently in his heart.
He cleared his throat and shifted the topic. "Alright, save the complaints for later. Did you all eat breakfast? Today's your first day on official missions. Going hungry will hurt your efficiency."
Before Naruto could even respond, his stomach answered for him with a loud rumble.
Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, he gave a sheepish grin and said, "Uh… I woke up late, so I only had some milk…"
Sasuke's complexion was still pale. It was obvious that absurd dream had disrupted his sleep. He answered coldly, "No."
Sakura, on the other hand, stuck out her tongue and patted her flat stomach. "I'm watching my figure…"
Though what she was really thinking was—she didn't have any appetite, all thanks to that idiot Naruto making her so mad.
Kakashi looked at the three kids in front of him, each caught up in their own little drama, and clapped his hands together with a helpless sigh.
"Alright, alright. Since none of you have eaten…" A lazy smile spread across his face, "Then, to make up for being late, breakfast today is on me—your so-called 'terrible' sensei! I'll treat you all to Ichiraku Ramen!"
"Wow!!!"
Naruto's eyes immediately sparkled like stars the moment he heard the words Ichiraku Ramen!
All his earlier bitterness and frustration vanished like smoke.
He was the first to jump up, both arms flung high in the air as he shouted, "Awesome! Ichiraku Ramen! Kakashi-sensei is the best!"
Though neither Sasuke nor Sakura had a particular craving for ramen, they also didn't see any reason to turn down a free breakfast from their teacher.
So, with Naruto cheering excitedly all the way, the four members of Team 7 lifted the cloth curtain bearing the character "Ichiraku" and stepped into the legendary ramen shop.