While Aren was enjoying the warmth of the ramen shop that felt like home, along with the joy of his increasing strength, Naruto's situation was the complete opposite.
Team 7's first official mission day was not at all the exciting and challenging adventure Naruto had imagined.
What awaited them were a series of mundane D-rank missions:
Helping an old lady find her lost pet cat…Weeding a farmer's overgrown field…Walking a neighbor's overly energetic dog…Painting the fences along Konoha's streets…...
By the time the sun began to set, Naruto felt less like a Ninja and more like a neighborhood handyman.
And finally, when Kakashi casually announced the end of the day's missions, Naruto could no longer hold back and exploded.
"Kakashi-sensei, are these even Ninja missions? Catching cats, weeding, walking dogs, painting fences… This is too boring, believe it! I want to do more amazing missions, the kind… the kind that lets me show off my skills, protect everyone, and become a hero, believe it!"
Sasuke, unusually, voiced his agreement. He leaned against a nearby tree trunk, arms crossed, and said coldly, "Hmph, these low-level missions are no help to my training. They're just a waste of time."
Though Sakura was also clearly exhausted, she still followed her usual pattern and echoed, "Exactly, exactly! Kakashi-sensei, when can we get higher-level missions?"
Faced with their combined complaints, Kakashi kept his usual laid-back demeanor. He gave a light chuckle and replied, "Well, well… as new Genin, gaining experience is very important. These basic missions are also part of your Ninja training. Step by step, step by step."
He brushed them off with that explanation, then casually added, "Ah, right, I just remembered I have some personal matters to attend to. Tomorrow's meeting time and place remain the same. Everyone, go home and get some good rest. Dismissed!"
Before Naruto or the others could protest any further, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke using the Body Flicker Technique, leaving behind a frustrated and stunned Team 7.
"Hey! Kakashi-sensei!!"Naruto stomped his foot in frustration, glaring at the empty space where Kakashi had vanished.Sasuke and Sakura also looked helpless, unable to say anything.In the end, the three physically and mentally exhausted Genin could only mutter farewells and drag their weary bodies home.
…
But Kakashi didn't go home.
He hadn't even stopped for dinner.Instead, using the Body Flicker Technique, he went straight to a heavily guarded location deep within Konoha—the Anbu's classified archives.
This archive was buried underground and protected by two Anbu members standing silently at the entrance, each wearing an animal mask.
The moment Kakashi appeared, one of them stepped forward and greeted him in a low, respectful voice."Kakashi-senpai."
Kakashi gave a small nod. His usual laid-back expression was gone. In its place was a rare seriousness that made the air around him tense.
"I need to access the classified records," he said plainly.
The Anbu member didn't hesitate. Seeing the gravity in Kakashi's face, he immediately straightened his posture and opened the thick iron door that sealed the archive entrance.
"Yes, Senpai! Please proceed inside!"
Although Kakashi had officially left the Anbu and taken up the role of a Jonin squad leader, everyone knew he was still one of the Third Hokage's most trusted operatives, often tasked with secret missions behind the scenes.
Because of this, he retained full clearance to enter the Anbu archives at any time.
Without saying another word, Kakashi stepped through the opened door and entered the dimly lit archive.
It was just as he remembered it—the air thick with the scent of aged scrolls, old parchment, and faint traces of ink. Rows upon rows of tall, wooden shelves lined the space, packed with countless scrolls and documents. Together, they recorded nearly every piece of confidential knowledge about Konoha: forbidden techniques, secret operations, and the village's hidden history shrouded in darkness.
Kakashi made his way to a section labeled "Genjutsu" without hesitation. His eyes sharpened.
He wasn't here to browse. He had come with a very clear objective.
To uncover the truth behind the strange dream he had last night.
It couldn't be just a dream.
He was convinced—it had all the hallmarks of something deeper. Something more precise. It felt like a highly sophisticated, rare Genjutsu that reached into the mental plane.
Or perhaps... a forbidden Jutsu aimed at manipulating the soul itself.
With that in mind, he began scanning through scroll after scroll, carefully looking for anything related to Genjutsu, mental attacks, dream manipulation, memory reading, shared perception, and even techniques that targeted the soul directly.
However...
Time passed slowly, and before long, night had completely fallen over the village.
Kakashi had already sifted through nearly all the scrolls he thought might hold a clue, but came up with nothing.
In the entire Anbu archives, there was no record of any technique capable of quietly pulling multiple people's consciousnesses into the same dream space—let alone one that could vividly reconstruct, and even alter, dreams with such precision that it included details the dreamer themselves had never seen before.
Just like what had happened last night.
"How is this possible… not even a single clue…"
Kakashi finally left the archives, his steps heavy with exhaustion, and made his way back to his apartment under the cover of night.
When he arrived, he dropped onto his bed without even changing clothes and stared silently at the ceiling above.
His mind was a storm of unease.
Even with all the forbidden and classified knowledge stored within the Anbu's archives, he had found nothing that resembled what he had experienced. Nothing that explained how such a powerful illusion—or reality-warping dream—could have occurred.
If no such Jutsu existed in Konoha's records...
Then did that mean the caster's abilities had already surpassed the realm of conventional shinobi?
What unsettled Kakashi the most was this:
Whoever had done this… had clearly chosen Naruto as their target.
But why?
Was it for the Nine-Tails?
Or... was there some other, even more terrifying purpose behind it?
Amidst his lingering exhaustion and the tangle of unanswered questions, Kakashi's eyelids gradually grew heavier, and his consciousness… began to drift once again…
…
That same familiar sensation of weightlessness returned.
When Kakashi opened his eyes, he wasn't surprised in the slightest to find himself back in the dim, surreal projection hall.
"…Sigh."
He let out a faint sigh, almost inaudible in the stillness.
It had returned—just as he had expected.
This time, however, he didn't panic like he had the night before. Nor did he rush to inspect the surroundings.
As the saying goes, the first time is unfamiliar, the second time is familiar. After experiencing it once already, he felt significantly calmer.
Looking around, he quickly spotted Sasuke and Sakura seated nearby, both still in their pajamas. Their expressions mirrored his own—wary, resigned, and tinged with curiosity.
Clearly, they too had begun to accept this mysterious phenomenon as something more than just a dream… more like a rule that couldn't be resisted.
Kakashi gave them a small nod, found an empty seat, and quietly sat down. He let his body relax and shifted his gaze to the massive, dark screen ahead.
If tonight followed the same pattern as before, it wouldn't be long before the screen lit up again.
And sure enough… it would soon begin.
Sure enough.
Less than thirty seconds after Kakashi took his seat—
Shhh—
The massive screen flickered to life once again, its glow cutting through the dimness of the projection hall.
And just like the previous night, the scene that appeared centered around Naruto.
But this time… something was different.