Just then, a familiar voice cried out: "Ah—Naruto?!" Naruto's body jolted. He immediately turned in the direction of the voice. And when he
Just then, a familiar voice cried out:
"Ah—Naruto?!"
Naruto's body jolted. He immediately turned in the direction of the voice.
And when he saw who it was, he froze in surprise.
"Sakura? And Kakashi-sensei? What are you two doing here?"
Not far ahead, standing beside a row of seats, Kakashi and Sakura were staring at him in utter shock.
Sakura was in her pajamas, clearly just like Naruto—dragged into this place from sleep.
"How is Naruto here…?" Sakura's emerald eyes widened in disbelief.
Kakashi, too, wore a look of unprecedented surprise, as if analyzing something deeply.
"If Naruto is the one who came this time, then…"
Naruto was even more confused.
"Where is this place? It's not like the usual dreams…"
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uzumaki Naruto detected! +200 emotion points!
"Wait!"
Kakashi quickly collected himself and suddenly realized something crucial.
"If Naruto showed up here… then the one dreaming tonight must be…"
He whipped his head toward the massive black screen overhead.
Sakura followed his gaze at once.
Sure enough, the moment they looked up—the screen, which had been blank just a second ago, suddenly lit up.
In the glowing image, a black-haired boy was lying on the ground. The surroundings were hazy, but it looked like some kind of training ground.
As soon as the scene appeared, Kakashi and Sakura gasped in unison.
"S–Sasuke?!"
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Hatake Kakashi detected! +200 emotion points!
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Haruno Sakura detected! +200 emotion points!
It really had changed!
The one inside the dream this time… was Uchiha Sasuke.
"W–What the hell's going on?!" Naruto stared at Sasuke's image on the screen, both shocked and confused. "Where is this place, exactly?"
Kakashi raised his hand quickly, trying to calm him down.
"Relax, Naruto. This time, it's not your dream—more precisely, it's Sasuke's dream."
He took a deep breath and began explaining quickly.
"These past few days, Sakura, Sasuke, and I have been coming to this strange space every night to watch your dreams. We still don't fully understand why this place exists. But just now, we fell asleep and arrived here again. We expected to see your dream, just like before, but instead—you're actually here in the viewing seats. So I'm guessing the dream has shifted focus. Tonight, it's Sasuke's dream."
"Ehh?! Nani?!"
Naruto was stunned, unable to process everything at once.
"You guys saw all my dreams these past few days?!"
Kakashi gave an awkward laugh and nodded.
"Yeah. We did."
"HAH?!"
Naruto froze.
So everything had been seen… by Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and Sasuke?!
No wonder they'd been acting weird around him the last few days. They already knew what he'd been dreaming!
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uzumaki Naruto detected! +200 emotion points!
Naruto's face instantly flushed a deep red, his shame and panic completely visible.
"T–That's so embarrassing! You guys saw all of them?!"
Images flashed through his mind in an instant—
Acting like a perfect son in front of his parents, showing off at the Academy… and then… him and Hinata…
No. No way. He didn't even dare to remember!
Naruto dropped into a crouch, hugging his head like he wanted to bury himself.
"Ahhhhhh—you guys were secretly watching my dreams?! That's so messed up!"
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uzumaki Naruto detected! +200 emotion points!
"Alright, alright, stop shouting like a banshee!" Sakura snapped, cheeks tinged with guilt. She did feel a little bad. Watching someone's dreams without permission really wasn't cool.
But then again… it wasn't like Naruto had ever noticed in all these days. Was it really their fault?
She crossed her arms and huffed.
"You're blaming us? You're the one too dumb to figure it out until now!"
"Ugh…"
Naruto was speechless. Even his ears turned red.
It really wasn't fair to blame them… but he still felt so humiliated!
Kakashi cleared his throat, stepping in to mediate.
"Alright, let's not get stuck on that. Naruto, since you're here now, let's all watch Sasuke's dream together."
The three of them held their breath and turned toward the massive glowing screen.
In the image, Sasuke—who had been lying on the ground with his eyes closed—slowly opened them.
Blinding sunlight poured across his face. Uchiha Sasuke squinted, slowly sitting up, dazed.
He looked around and found himself in the middle of a wide training ground.
The ground was smooth and even, with several wooden targets still intact around the area. In one corner, there was a rack full of neatly arranged weapons. The air carried the faint, earthy scent of grass and wood.
In the four corners of the field stood banners—each emblazoned with the Uchiha clan's fan crest.
"…This place…"
Sasuke was stunned. It looked like the Uchiha training grounds.
But unlike the real ones—long abandoned and ruined—this place was pristine. The facilities were intact, the field spotless. It looked new. Untouched by time.
A sudden sense of dread rose in Sasuke's chest.
He stood up at once, scanning the area warily.
This wasn't right.
He clearly remembered—he had been practicing climbing in the clan compound. Then…
"Damn it."
Sasuke cursed under his breath, realizing what had happened.
He must have fallen asleep from exhaustion.
And now, he was trapped in this strange place again—a dream.
But something was off.
This wasn't like the usual dreams. He wasn't in that dark theater watching Naruto's dreams. This time, he was inside the dream.
His face darkened.
"Wake up," he growled, biting down on his tongue—hard.
Pain surged through him, but he didn't wake up.
He was still here. Still trapped.
So this wasn't a normal dream. It was something deeper—something that could even simulate pain.
As his mind raced, a voice suddenly rang out behind him:
"It's nearly noon. I've got to go. There's a lot going on at the police force this afternoon."
The voice was apologetic, almost gentle.
Sasuke froze, as if struck by lightning.
That voice—so familiar. So distant.
"No… impossible…"
His pupils contracted. His head buzzed. He didn't dare turn around.
And then… a warm hand gently touched his shoulder.
Boom.
Something deep inside Sasuke snapped.
His fists clenched tight. Fingernails dug into his palms. His whole body trembled with rage.
Even after all these years—he would never forget this touch.
He would recognize it even if it came from ashes.
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uchiha Sasuke detected! +4000 emotion points!
Hatred surged like a volcano through his chest. His eyes turned bloodshot.
He spun around.
But just as he did—a finger flicked gently against his forehead.
"Sorry, Sasuke. Maybe next time."
Sasuke swatted the hand away violently and leapt back several meters.
"How dare you?! How dare you touch me like that again!"
He shouted, veins bulging in fury.
With a sharp snap, his Sharingan activated—his crimson eyes locking onto the man in front of him.
Tall. Calm. Long black hair swaying in the wind. That familiar, unforgettable face—
Uchiha Itachi.
"Die!!" Sasuke roared, hands flying into seals. He drew in a deep breath.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Boom!
A massive fireball surged forward, twisting the air around it with searing heat!
But even under sudden attack, Itachi didn't panic.
He merely shifted his stance slightly—and let the fireball sweep past him, slamming harmlessly into the field behind.
"Sasuke? Stop—!" Itachi frowned, surprised at the sudden hostility.
But Sasuke wasn't listening.
He immediately drew several kunai, flicking his wrist. A fan-shaped barrage of steel shot toward Itachi, gleaming in the sunlight.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With a blur of movement, Itachi dodged once more. The kunai whistled past, embedding themselves in the wooden post behind him.