When Naruto reached the meeting spot, Sasuke and Sakura were already there.
Sasuke stood coolly with both hands in his pockets, acting like he didn't care about anything. But his slightly shadowed eyes suggested he hadn't slept well.
Sakura surprised Naruto.
She wasn't glued to Sasuke like usual, chattering nonstop.
Instead, she stood a few steps away, pacing in agitation. Her green eyes kept darting down both ends of the street like she was searching for someone.
Is she… looking for me?
Naruto's heart skipped.
He flashed back to last night's dream.
Sakura confessing to him, calling him "Naruto-sama."
Could the dream be real?
Did Sakura really…?
Joy bubbled up again, washing away the bitterness from earlier.
A bright grin spread across his face.
Right then Sakura noticed him.
Her body stiffened. Then her eyes ignited with fury.
"NARUTOOO!!!"
Her murderous roar made nearby pedestrians flinch.
She vanished from her spot like a pink lightning bolt and appeared right in front of Naruto.
"Eh? Sakura—"
Naruto saw her charging over, and in his delusional dream-drunk brain, her expression looked adorably shy.
His happiness hit the stratosphere.
He lifted his arms, smiling like a sunrise, ready for a hug or… maybe a kiss.
What he got was—
"THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!"
A storm of pink fists smashed down on his head.
"Ow! Ow ow ow! That hurts!!"
Naruto was instantly battered into confusion, stars spinning in his vision.
Huge lumps popped up on his skull at record speed.
Clutching his aching head, he crouched down with watery eyes, staring at Sakura, who radiated a terrifying aura.
"S-Sakura… why are you hitting me?!"
"Why am I hitting you?!" Sakura planted her hands on her hips, glaring down at him, teeth grinding. "Naruto, you ultra-mega-super idiot! Tell me—what kind of disgusting dream did you have last night?!"
"Eh? Dream?" Naruto froze, cheeks turning pink. He glanced nervously at Sasuke standing nearby. "W-what dream…? I… I don't remember…"
He remembered perfectly.
Sakura's confession.
Did she… know what he dreamed?
No way. How could anyone know someone else's dream?
But Naruto's heart wasn't convinced.
His eyes darted away guiltily.
"You don't remember?!" Sakura's anger spiked. She looked like she wanted to punch him again.
She fought the urge and snarled:
"Hmph. You'd better really not remember. If I ever catch you dreaming that kind of shameless garbage again, I'll smash you into the ground!"
W-w-w-she knows. She actually knows…
But how?! That's terrifying!
Naruto hugged his head, nearly in tears.
Sakura, seeing his idiot face, decided it wasn't worth more effort. She huffed and turned away.
Naruto looked to Sasuke for help.
But when their eyes met, Sasuke was watching him with a strange, evaluating look.
During the test yesterday, Naruto had been a moron… yet at the last moment he'd managed teamwork and even landed a successful sneak attack.
Maybe this dead-last wasn't as simple as he looked.
Under Sasuke's gaze, Naruto felt even more guilty.
He dry-laughed twice and hurriedly changed the subject:
"Uh… Sasuke, where's Kakashi-sensei? Is he late again?"
Sasuke withdrew his eyes and gave a flat "yeah."
"He's late again."
"What the heck?!" Naruto instantly found his favorite outlet and started shouting. "We've barely met a few times and he's late every time! What's the point of a meeting time at all? Kakashi-sensei is so unreliable!"
This time, though, Naruto was wrong.
Kakashi was already there.
He was hidden on a big tree at the nearby street corner, watching them.
He'd even activated his Sharingan, taking in every detail.
So Sakura and Sasuke's reactions confirmed it.
Last night was real.
Not a hallucination from him alone.
And Naruto's stunned, guilty confusion made it clear he didn't know his dream had been broadcast.
That ruled out any chance Naruto had done this himself.
Kakashi's frown deepened.
If it wasn't Naruto…
then what kind of being possessed such terrifying power?
To silently pull Team Seven—including him—into a shared dream space.
To precisely capture and play a specific person's dream…
This ability went far beyond anything within his knowledge of ninjutsu.
Unknown genjutsu?
A barrier surpassing space-time?
Or something even more absurd?
Kakashi's usually cool brain felt outmatched.
I need to report this to the Third Hokage…
But how?
"I watched Naruto's dream with two students and saw his dead mother"?
Would the Hokage think he was exhausted, losing it, or drowning in guilt?
Worse, the enemy's power was too strange. Reporting too soon could tip them off and bring bigger danger to the village.
Kakashi couldn't find a clean solution.
He lowered his headband over the Sharingan, forcing down his doubt.
For now… observe.
At least until he understood the enemy's goal.
Decision made, Kakashi vanished from hiding and appeared in front of the three like a shadow.
He raised a hand and greeted them lazily.
"Yo. Morning, everyone."
"Ah, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto immediately pointed at him, outraged. "You're late again! That's terrible!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Kakashi waved it off and tossed out a flimsy excuse about helping an old lady, then pressed his palms together in a half-hearted apology. "Sorry, sorry. I'll be careful next time."
His eye swept over them.
Naruto's swollen head, Sakura's still-puffed cheeks, Sasuke's detached face.
Kakashi sighed inwardly.
"All right. Save the complaints for later. Did you eat breakfast? We're starting proper missions today. An empty stomach will hurt your performance."
Before Naruto could answer, his stomach growled loudly.
He scratched his head, embarrassed. "Uh… I woke up late… just drank some milk…"
Sasuke's tone stayed cold. "No."
Sakura stuck out her tongue and patted her flat belly. "I'm watching my figure…"
Even though the real reason was she'd been too angry to eat.
Kakashi clapped his hands, helpless.
"Okay, since none of you ate…"
"Then to make up for being late, breakfast is on me. We're going to Ichiraku Ramen!"
"Wooah!!"
Naruto's eyes turned into stars.
Every sour feeling evaporated instantly.
"Amazing! Ichiraku Ramen! Kakashi-sensei, you're the best!"
-------
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