Naruto's Dream Fulfillment Master! – Konoha's Sword God
In front of Ichiraku Ramen.
When Naruto rushed to the meeting spot, he was surprised to find that Sasuke and Sakura were already there.
Sasuke, as usual, stood leaning against the wall next to the ramen shop, hands in his pockets, eyes half-closed with his typical cool, indifferent expression. The faint dark circles under his eyes, though, suggested he hadn't slept well last night.
What caught Naruto off guard was that Sakura wasn't glued to Sasuke like usual—chatting nonstop like a piece of sticky gum.
Instead, she stood a few steps away from him, hands clasped behind her back, pacing back and forth restlessly. Her bright green eyes kept scanning both ends of the street as if... searching for someone.
Was... was she looking for me?
Naruto's heart skipped a beat.
He couldn't help but recall the incredibly vivid dream he had last night.
Sakura had confessed to him. She even called him "Young Master Naruto..."
No way... Was that dream real?!
Could it be that... Sakura actually...
A wave of uncontrollable joy surged through him, completely washing away the bitter sting from earlier when the villagers shunned him.
The gloomy look on his face was instantly replaced by the brightest smile ever.
Just then, Sakura, who was still anxiously looking around, finally spotted Naruto sprinting toward them.
Her body visibly stiffened. Then, in the blink of an eye, her bright green eyes were filled with flames of pure rage.
"Naru—TO—!!!"
Her furious roar was so terrifying that even a few passersby flinched in fright.
In a split second, Sakura vanished from her spot, reappearing like a flash of pink lightning right in front of Naruto.
"Eh? Sakura..."
Seeing Sakura charging toward him, Naruto's face lit up with what he thought was an adorably shy and flustered expression from her. His happiness reached a whole new peak.
Instinctively, he opened his arms wide, grinning from ear to ear, ready to receive what could only be a loving hug—or maybe... a kiss?
However—
What greeted him wasn't a hug.
It wasn't a kiss either.
It was—
"Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!"
A barrage of merciless pink fists, fueled by the fury of a girl scorned, rained down on Naruto's head like a violent storm.
"AAAGH! OW OW OW! IT HURTS!!"
Naruto was instantly pummeled into submission, seeing stars as several big, round bumps swelled on his head at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Clutching his throbbing head, he squatted down on the ground, teary-eyed, staring pitifully at the terrifying Sakura, who now radiated an ominous, murderous aura.
"S-Sakura... Wh-Why are you hitting me?!" he whimpered miserably.
"Why am I hitting you?!"
Sakura crossed her arms, towering over him as she gritted her teeth. "Naruto! You absolute, unbelievable idiot! Tell me—what kind of ridiculous dream were you having last night?!"
"D-Dream...?" Naruto blinked, momentarily stunned. His cheeks flushed pink, and he instinctively glanced at Sasuke—who was still leaning against the wall pretending not to care—before mumbling awkwardly, "Wh-What dream... I-I don't remember..."
Of course he remembered.
He remembered every single detail!
Sakura confessed to him in that dream—with her face completely red!
Wait... wait... don't tell me... she... she knows about it?!
No way! How could anyone possibly know what I dream about?!
Panic flooded Naruto's mind, and his gaze started darting all over the place.
"'Don't remember?!'" Sakura's anger skyrocketed at his guilty expression. She raised her fist again, clearly itching to give him another round of lumps.
Barely holding herself back, she growled, "Hmph! You'd better really not remember! Because if I ever catch you having... having those kinds of shameless, stupid dreams again—I'll pound you into the dirt!"
Wuwuwu... She really knows... She actually knows...
But... how?! This is terrifying!!
Naruto hugged his head, on the verge of tears.
Sakura shot him a cold glare before turning away with a huff, deciding he wasn't worth her time anymore.
Seeing that Sakura was ignoring him now, Naruto helplessly turned to Sasuke for help.
But when their eyes met, Naruto realized Sasuke was also giving him a strange look.
Sasuke was thinking about yesterday's test. Naruto had acted like a total idiot most of the time, but at the critical moment, he managed to come up with a solid plan and even pulled off a successful sneak attack.
This dead-last... Maybe he's not as hopeless as he looks.
Feeling Sasuke's scrutinizing gaze, Naruto grew even more nervous. He let out an awkward laugh and quickly tried to change the subject to break the suffocating tension.
"Uhh... Sasuke, where's Kakashi-sensei? Is he late again?"
Sasuke averted his eyes, replying with his usual cold tone, "Yeah. Late again."
"Unbelievable!"
Naruto immediately found a new target for his frustration. He jumped up, shouting, "We've barely even met the guy, and every single time he's late! What's the point of setting a meeting time if he never shows up on time?! Kakashi-sensei is the worst!"
...Except this time, Naruto was actually wrong.
Kakashi wasn't late at all.
He had been watching them the entire time—perched on a tree at the corner of the street, observing quietly.
In fact, he had even activated his Sharingan, recording everything that just happened.
As expected...
Sakura and Sasuke's reactions confirm that what happened last night was real...
It wasn't just my imagination.
And judging by Naruto's clueless, guilty face after getting beaten up... he has no idea his dream was broadcast to everyone.
That alone ruled out the possibility of Naruto consciously using some kind of secret jutsu.
Kakashi's brows furrowed even deeper.
If it wasn't Naruto... then what kind of terrifying power could do this?
Silently dragging all of Team 7—including me—into a shared dream space...
Accurately capturing and projecting someone's private dreams...
This kind of ability goes way beyond anything I understand about the existing ninja arts.
Is it some kind of unknown genjutsu?
Or a space-time barrier jutsu unlike anything we've seen?
Or... something even more incomprehensible?
For the first time in a long while, Kakashi felt like his usually calm, rational mind just wasn't enough to process this.
No... This has to be reported to the Third Hokage.
But... how do I even explain this?
"So... I had a dream about Naruto's mother, and somehow dragged two of my students into it?"
What would the Third think? That I've been working too hard? That my guilt over Minato's kid finally broke my brain?
Besides, if this was caused by some mysterious enemy, reporting it recklessly might alert them... and put the entire village at risk.
Kakashi mulled it over but couldn't come up with a perfect solution. He felt completely torn.
With a sigh, he pulled his headband down to cover the Sharingan, temporarily suppressing the unease swirling in his chest.
I'll wait and observe for now.
At the very least, I need to figure out what their goal is.
Decision made, Kakashi dropped his stealth and walked casually toward the trio with his signature lazy smile, raising a hand in greeting.
"Yo~! Morning, everyone."
"Ah, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto immediately forgot his troubles and pointed at him, yelling, "You're late again! You're the worst teacher ever!"
"Ma, ma..." Kakashi waved it off with his usual lazy attitude, tossing out the same lame excuse about helping an old lady cross the street or whatever nonsense he could think of.
Then he clapped his hands together in a half-hearted apology. "Sorry, sorry. I'll try to do better next time."
His eyes scanned the three kids—Naruto with the massive lumps on his head, Sakura still puffed up with anger, and Sasuke looking as cold and indifferent as always. He shook his head with a sigh.
Clearing his throat, Kakashi switched topics. "Anyway, complaints later. Have you guys eaten yet? Today's the start of your official mission work. Working on an empty stomach is bad for performance."
Before anyone could answer—
"Grrrrrrr..." Naruto's stomach growled loudly, betraying him.
Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, he chuckled, "Uh... I overslept... just had some milk..."
Sasuke, looking a little worse for wear thanks to last night's bizarre dream, responded with his usual icy tone. "No."
Sakura rubbed her flat belly and stuck her tongue out. "I'm... watching my figure..."
(Not that she'd admit she was still too pissed at Naruto to have an appetite.)
Kakashi sighed, looking at these three kids who were clearly in no shape to work.
"Well, well... Since none of you have eaten..." His lazy smile turned into something softer. "I suppose, as an apology for being such a 'terrible' teacher, breakfast's on me today. Let's go—Ichiraku Ramen!"
"YEEEEEES!!!"
Naruto's eyes turned into sparkling stars. All his frustration and worries vanished in an instant.
Throwing his arms into the air, he cheered, "Awesome! Ichiraku Ramen! Kakashi-sensei, you're the best!!"
Sasuke and Sakura weren't particularly excited about ramen, but hey—if the teacher was paying, they weren't about to refuse.
And so, with Naruto bouncing around in excitement, Team 7 pulled back the curtain with the "Ichiraku" logo and stepped into the legendary ramen shop.