The audience seats, shrouded in darkness.
Shiyu remained hidden in the shadows, a flicker of surprise flashing through his eyes.
Naruto's performance in the dream was simply too impressive.
Compared to the underachiever who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy in the original story, the Naruto on that screen looked more like the version who had returned after two years of training with Jiraiya.
He effortlessly unleashed high-level jutsu, calmly and smoothly defeated Sasuke—this level of strength was truly astonishing.
Shiyu couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration.
It seemed that the Nine-Tails had indeed been a burden to Naruto in the early stages of the original timeline.
Naruto never lacked chakra; his physical prowess was top-tier. But because the Nine-Tails was sealed within him, not only was his own chakra constantly being siphoned off to maintain the seal, the fox's leaking chakra also interfered with his control.
And with no one to teach him, he had wasted years of potential.
Without those restraints, his strength was like night and day.
Shiyu pulled up the system panel.
[Dream Fulfillment Target: Uchiha Sasuke]
[Viewers: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi]
[Total Emotional Value Gained: 28,900 points!]
[Current Emotional Value Balance: 110,150 points!]
Shiyu nodded in satisfaction.
The resentment-fueled emotions from Naruto over the past couple of days had brought in steady gains.
He tapped on the system level interface.
[Current Dream Fulfillment Level: Level 2 (164,650 / 200,000)]
Excellent. Just two more days, at most, and he would meet the requirements for leveling up.
What kind of upgrades would unlock then?
In any case, there would be three options to choose from. The anticipation was real...
—
The next morning.
Sasuke awoke from his slumber, fragments of the dream still echoing in his mind.
He rubbed his throbbing forehead, brows furrowed.
"Genjutsu?"
At the end of the dream, Naruto's words still lingered in his ears.
As a Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke had some understanding of the Sharingan.
The Sharingan possessed powerful abilities like observation, replication, and hypnosis. Its users had exceptional insight, capable of seeing through and casting genjutsu, and replicating taijutsu as well as non-Kekkei Genkai ninjutsu.
But the night he awakened his Sharingan had also been the night his entire clan was wiped out. Since then, no one had ever taught him genjutsu techniques. The only scrolls left at home contained basic Fire Release techniques.
No wonder Naruto in the dream had asked that question.
Could it be that the "him" in that dream was someone who could use genjutsu with the Sharingan?
Sasuke's heart stirred.
Of course—his dream-self had grown up within the Uchiha clan, which still existed in that world. With guidance from both his father and brother, why wouldn't he have learned genjutsu?
The more he thought about it, the more Sasuke realized just how unusual the dream was. His fists unconsciously clenched.
He recalled Naruto's line from the dream:
"Why didn't you use genjutsu? I was on guard for it the whole time."
Sasuke's expression turned complicated.
In that dream, even Naruto had assumed that he should know genjutsu...
Was that dream really just a dream?
His mind was a mess—he couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't.
Taking a deep breath, he forcibly pushed down the confusion in his heart. No use overthinking it now.
He had no way of learning genjutsu in his current situation anyway. Best to take things one step at a time.
—
Elsewhere, Naruto bounced out of bed.
Still half-asleep, he stared blankly at the ceiling for a few seconds—then suddenly remembered all the scenes from last night's dream. Instantly, he was wide awake.
"Woooahhh—!"
Naruto couldn't help but cry out. The dream had felt so unbelievable.
That calm, composed figure—unhurried and masterful in his use of various jutsu—was him?!
His excitement growing, Naruto leapt down from the bed and stood with his hands on his hips, laughing proudly up at the ceiling.
"Hahaha! I can't believe I was that strong in the dream! Sasuke didn't stand a chance against me! That's right—just as expected of me! Hahaha!"
His laughter echoed through the empty little apartment. Naruto was overjoyed, as if the one who had defeated Sasuke had truly been his current self.
When he was done laughing...
A flash of inspiration struck him, and he sprang back onto the bed, striking a cool pose just like the one he had used in the dream.
Quickly forming several hand seals, he waved his hand with a look of faux mastery.
With a whoosh, a single shuriken shot out.
He shouted in imitation of his dream-self:
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Of course, the impressive storm of cloned shuriken never materialized.
Only a lone shuriken struck the wall with a thud.
But Naruto didn't care in the slightest.
"Tch—man, I was so cool! Dream-me was just too damn cool!"
With a face full of admiration, he began mimicking more of the dream version of himself.
He took a deep breath and puffed out his cheeks.
Then, exhaling forcefully toward the front of the room—
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Unfortunately, Naruto didn't actually know any Wind Release techniques. The gust of air did little more than ruffle the curtains.
Still grinning, he struck the same spinning kick pose he had used to send Sasuke flying in the dream, adding his own sound effects like a child playing ninja, as if the wind had truly followed his movements.
He spent quite a while acting it all out in the cramped little room, completely absorbed in the fun.
Eventually, out of breath, Naruto flopped back onto his bed.
As the excitement faded, the room fell quiet again, and a trace of gloom crept into his expression.
He looked at his empty hands and murmured softly:
"…Too bad. I really don't know anything…"
He opened his right palm and tried to gather chakra.
A faint blue swirl of chakra slowly took shape, spinning weakly in his hand—but it never condensed into a proper sphere.
"Still just a half-baked Rasengan, huh…"
Naruto smiled bitterly and let the incomplete Rasengan disperse.
"My father's ultimate technique… I might never be able to complete it myself…"
—
After a quick cleanup, Naruto changed clothes and headed out, running toward the place where Team 7 was supposed to meet.
His mind still lingered on the dream, and his steps were lighter than usual. Before long, he arrived at the training field just outside the village.
On the open ground of the training field, Sakura was already waiting.
As soon as she saw Naruto, she actually waved at him.
"Morning, Naruto!"
Naruto ran over, beaming.
"Morning, Sakura! Has Kakashi-sensei arrived yet?"
He looked around, scanning the area.
Weird. Kakashi-sensei was usually late… but today he was even later?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Sasuke's figure appeared on the path in the distance.
Naruto turned to look—and suddenly, something clicked. A sly grin spread across his face.
He immediately walked up and blocked Sasuke's path, raising an eyebrow high.
"Yo, Sasuke!"
His eyes gleamed smugly as he looked him up and down.
"Who would've thought—"
Naruto deliberately drew out the words.
"Sasuke, you got beat by me in my dream, and even in your dream, you still lost to me! Hahaha—Sas'kay, you couldn't do it either! Too lame!"
The moment Naruto's exaggerated boasting left his mouth, Sasuke's face darkened on the spot.