Just then, a familiar voice rang out.
"Ah Naruto?!"
Naruto flinched at the sudden call. He whipped around in surprise.
"Sakura? Kakashi-sensei?!" he blurted out, eyes wide.
In front of him, standing beside a row of empty seats, were none other than Sakura in her pink pajamas and Kakashi with his usual laid-back posture though both wore expressions of shock.
Clearly, they had been pulled into this strange dream just like him.
Sakura blinked rapidly, her expression frozen in disbelief. "Naruto? Why are you the one here this time?"
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed, a thoughtful look flashing across his face. He seemed to be piecing something together. "So this time… Naruto's the host of the dream?"
Naruto was still completely lost.
"Huh? Wait, what's going on? Why is this place so weird? It's not like the usual dreams I have "
Suddenly, a mechanical chime echoed in the air.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected in Uzumaki Naruto! Emotional value +200!]
"Huh?!"
Naruto looked around in confusion as the disembodied sound faded.
Kakashi's expression grew serious. "Wait. Something's not right."
He turned to the massive screen at the front of the theater still dark.
"The dreamscape is different. There's no active memory sequence playing. That means…"
Before he could finish his sentence, another ripple surged through the air.
A low hum began to resonate across the space.
The giant screen before them flickered.
A new dream was about to begin.
A name appeared on the glowing display.
[Dream Title: "Reunion Under the Moonlight"]
[Protagonist: Sasuke Uchiha]
As those words lit up the theater, the entire hall trembled faintly, as if a powerful emotional force had just been awakened.
Naruto's jaw dropped. "Wait, Sasuke? You mean his dream is starting now?!"
Sakura gasped. "Then that means… Sasuke fell asleep too?"
Kakashi nodded slowly, his tone low. "Looks like he couldn't hold out forever."
At that moment, the scene on the screen shifted and the image of a young Sasuke, standing alone beneath the night sky at the Uchiha compound, slowly came into view.
His eyes burned with determination, fatigue clinging to his features. He stood among the ruins, breathing heavily, his fists clenched.
And then… he spoke.
"I've trained so hard… just for this day."
"Since Naruto is here," Kakashi muttered, "then the dream's protagonist tonight might be…"
His voice trailed off as he sharply turned to look at the towering black screen.
Sakura instantly caught on and turned with him, her eyes wide with anticipation.
Sure enough, in the next moment, the blank screen flickered and then lit up with life!
A blurry scene slowly came into focus.
In the image, a boy with black hair lay silently on the ground. The surroundings were hazy, but one could faintly make out the Uchiha clan's deserted training ground in the backdrop.
Both Kakashi and Sakura gasped at once. "Sasuke?!"
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Hatake Kakashi! Emotional value +200!][Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Haruno Sakura! Emotional value +200!]
There was no mistake.
The one who had fallen asleep and triggered the dream tonight… was Uchiha Sasuke!
Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.
"No way! That guy actually passed out?"
Sakura looked stunned. "But… he was so determined not to fall asleep again…"
Kakashi stared at the screen with a solemn expression. "He must've pushed himself too far."
On the screen, the dream began to unfold showing Sasuke's subconscious desires, regrets, and emotions.
Tonight, it was no longer Naruto's turn.
The dream belonged to Sasuke Uchiha.
Naruto's expression froze, his whole face stiffening as if struck by lightning.
He muttered in disbelief, "You... you all saw it?"
Sakura crossed her arms and gave him a cold glare. "Of course we did. Every last embarrassing second of it."
Naruto's jaw dropped. His mind instantly flashed back to the engagement dream, to Hinata's shy smile, to his own cheerful response when Kushina asked if he liked Hinata.
His face turned crimson in an instant. "Ahhhhh! That wasn't me! That was Dream Me!"
Kakashi let out a dry cough. "Dream or not, it was still your subconscious playing out. It was... very informative."
Naruto's whole body tensed. He wanted to dig a hole in the theater floor and disappear.
But before he could scream in despair, the giant screen suddenly began to ripple again.
Kakashi immediately refocused. "Quiet now. Sasuke's dream is beginning."
Naruto covered his burning cheeks, muttering, "Please, don't let Sasuke get engaged in his dream too…"
Sakura elbowed him.
"Shut up. If it's Sasuke's dream, it'll be way more serious than yours."
And just like that, the screen brightened again this time showing a quiet Uchiha household bathed in warm light.
A soft female voice called from the kitchen, "Sasuke, come eat before it gets cold."
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly on screen.
And in the audience, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura all held their breath.
Because they knew this wasn't just a memory.
This was Sasuke's dream of a world where the Uchiha clan still lived.
Naruto was about to cry.
He hugged his knees and buried his face in them, his voice muffled, "I didn't know! I thought it was just a normal dream! Why didn't you guys tell me earlier?!"
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, trying to act casual. "Well, I figured it'd be more interesting if you found out naturally."
"Sensei!!" Naruto shot back up, pointing a trembling finger. "That's evil!"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. Honestly, you're lucky it was just us watching. What if it had been Ino or Kiba or ugh Konohamaru?!"
Naruto whimpered at the thought. "I'll never live this down…"
Just then, a soft buzz echoed in the dark theater.
The three of them turned to the screen, which now showed Sasuke standing frozen in the middle of a warm, sunlit dining room.
At the table sat a familiar figure.
Itachi.
But not the cold, deadly figure of reality.
This Itachi had a gentle smile, his eyes warm and peaceful. "Sasuke, sit down. Father's coming soon."
Sasuke stood motionless.
Not with his usual arrogance, but with trembling disbelief.
The camera panned slowly, revealing Fugaku entering the room with Mikoto beside him.
Both looked alive and well, just as they had been before the massacre.
A voice as soft as a breeze whispered:
"Welcome home, Sasuke."
Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were stunned.
Naruto stopped sobbing, sitting up straight.
Sakura's breath caught in her throat.
And Kakashi's single visible eye narrowed.
Because this dream… was nothing like Naruto's.
This was a world that Sasuke had longed for one he had lost. And now, it had returned in a painfully perfect illusion.
Naruto gulped. "Is this… what he dreams about?"
Kakashi's voice was low and steady.
"Yes. This is what Sasuke has trained so hard for all these years… just to take back this peace."
Sakura's eyes shimmered. "But if this dream continues… will he ever want to wake up?"
The question hung in the air.
And on the screen, Sasuke's lips parted for the first time.
"Niisan..."
He stepped forward.
And the dream deepened.
He stood up slowly, brushing the dust from his clothes, his eyes sweeping across the familiar scenery with disbelief.
"…The old training grounds?"
Sasuke hadn't seen this place since the massacre. After that night, the entire Uchiha compound had been left in ruins silent, lifeless. But now…
It was exactly as he remembered it as a child. The wooden targets weren't charred, the weapons weren't rusted, and the blue clan banners fluttered gently in the wind like nothing had ever happened.
Sasuke's fingers trembled slightly as he reached out to touch one of the weapon racks.
Real. Solid.
He clenched his fist. "Is this… a dream?"
But it didn't feel like an ordinary dream. It felt too vivid, too perfect. And more than anything… too peaceful.
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out behind him.
"Sasuke!"
He turned around sharply.
A tall figure approached him, smiling gently, with a towel draped over his shoulders.
It was his older brother Itachi.
But not the cold-eyed, emotionless traitor he had hunted for years. This Itachi looked warm, serene… the way Sasuke remembered him before everything fell apart.
"Itachi…"
Itachi walked up, placed a hand on his head, and ruffled his hair like he used to when they were kids.
"You're up late today. Father's already waiting."
Sasuke stood frozen, his lips parted.
"Father…?"
The camera slowly panned to the entrance of the training grounds, where Fugaku Uchiha stood with his arms crossed, watching silently.
Behind him, Mikoto waved at them with a smile, her apron stained with flour as if she had just come from the kitchen.
"Come on, Sasuke," Itachi said with a smile. "We're training together today, remember?"
Sasuke's eyes shook violently. His heart pounded in his chest. The figures before him so warm, so whole could not possibly exist.
And yet, here they were.
Watching from the dream theater, Naruto and Sakura sat in stunned silence. Even Naruto couldn't find words this time.
Kakashi's lone eye dimmed, and he muttered under his breath, "So this… is what he dreams about."
A family that was never torn apart.
A home that never burned.
A brother who never left.
And a father who still looked at him with pride.
Inside the screen, Sasuke took a slow step forward.
"…I've trained so hard…"
He clenched his fist tighter.
"Just for this day."
Sasuke gritted his teeth and struck his own leg sharply, trying to jolt himself awake with pain.
But nothing changed.
The wind blew gently. The scent of warm grass and freshly oiled wood lingered. In the distance, he could even hear the faint clatter of practice weapons.
He wasn't waking up.
"Tch…" He clenched his fists, frustration brimming in his chest. "So I really fell asleep…"
Despite all his efforts to stay awake and resist the dream realm, he had still succumbed. His body had finally reached its limit.
Sasuke's gaze swept the area again. The perfect restoration of the Uchiha training grounds, the absence of any wear or damage it was like stepping into a preserved memory, or perhaps a cruel illusion.
No matter how real it looked… he knew it wasn't real.
"Damn it…" he muttered.
He turned and started walking toward the nearest exit, determined to escape the dream through willpower alone.
But as he approached the edge of the field, a familiar voice rang out behind him.
"Sasuke!"
He froze.
That voice
It was warm, low, and unmistakably familiar.
Slowly, almost unwillingly, Sasuke turned around.
Standing at the entrance of the field, dressed in a dark training robe, was Itachi Uchiha.
His older brother.
Alive.
Sasuke's expression twisted with complex emotions shock, confusion, hatred, longing.
Itachi smiled gently. "You're up late. Father is waiting."
Sasuke's breath caught in his throat.
Even though he knew it was a dream…
His legs refused to move.
His mind screamed to reject it.
But his heart ached.
"…No," he whispered.
But Itachi had already walked past him, ruffling his hair like he used to. "Come on."
Watching from the dream theater, Naruto's mouth fell open. Sakura gasped.
Kakashi's voice was quiet and heavy: "…So this is Sasuke's dream."
Not vengeance.
Not battle.
But home. A family that never broke.
Naruto clenched the armrest tightly, his eyes wide with emotion.
"…Sasuke…"
Sasuke trembled.
His legs weakened slightly, and his breathing grew erratic.
He slowly turned his head.
There standing right beside him was a tall man in a dark uniform with the Uchiha clan's fan symbol emblazoned proudly on the back.
His short hair was tidy. His eyes were calm and kind. His voice, so familiar, still echoed in Sasuke's ears.
"…Father…"
Uchiha Fugaku looked down at him with a rare, gentle expression. "You've been working hard on your training again, haven't you?"
Sasuke's eyes widened. His mind went blank for a moment.
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"…You don't have to push yourself so much," Fugaku said softly. "Come in and rest. Your mother made lunch."
The sound of that sentence so ordinary, so warmstabbed straight into Sasuke's chest.
His throat tightened. His breath hitched. For years, these were words he longed to hear again. To hear from a family that no longer existed.
Sasuke took a step back. His voice cracked.
"No… You're not real…!"
But Fugaku just gave him a puzzled look. "Sasuke?"
"I'm dreaming. This is fake! None of this should be here! You !"
But before he could finish, another voice called from the house nearby.
"Sasuke, your brother's back. Wash your hands and come eat!"
It was soft and gentle, yet firm the unmistakable voice of Uchiha Mikoto, his mother.
Sasuke froze again, tears stinging the corners of his eyes.
He stood there, caught between denial and the overwhelming longing to believe to run into that house, to eat that lunch, to hear his mother nag him and his brother joke about vegetables.
To live the life that was stolen from him.
Inside the Dream Theater, Naruto bit his lip.
Sakura lowered her head.
Even Kakashi silently clenched his fist.
None of them spoke.
Because this wasn't just a dream.
This was Sasuke's heart laid bare.
In that moment, the entire dream trembled under the weight of Sasuke's fury.
The illusion of peace shattered like glass.
The warm sunlight dimmed. The gentle breeze stopped. The scent of grass disappeared.
Only rage remained.
Sasuke's eyes burned red, his Sharingan whirling violently, reflecting the face of the one he hated most.
"You!!" he screamed, his voice raw, trembling with years of pain and betrayal.
The Itachi in front of him tilted his head slightly, expression unreadable. His voice was soft, calm, even regretful.
"Sasuke... this world is what you always wanted. A family, peace... me by your side."
"I don't want this!!" Sasuke roared.
He pointed a trembling finger at him. "You killed them all! Mother! Father! Our entire clan! You call this peace?! You dare show me this dream like I'd be fooled by it?!"
His chakra surged violently, warping the dreamscape itself.
The illusionary training ground cracked beneath his feet.
The distant warmth of home turned cold and colorless.
On the Dream Theater stage, Naruto and Sakura stood frozen, watching Sasuke bare his soul.
Even Kakashi's eye was wide behind the mask, his fingers gripping the seat tightly.
"No one else… will decide what I should feel," Sasuke said lowly, venom in his voice. "Not the village. Not you. Not this dream!"
With a burst of rage-fueled chakra, Sasuke rushed forward, straight at the image of Itachi.
"I've trained so hard… for this very moment!"
Sasuke's fist crashed forward
Straight through his brother's illusion.
The dream flickered.
Itachi's image blurred, his expression finally cracking into a faint, sorrowful smile.
And then
He vanished.
The world around Sasuke began to collapse into darkness again.
But Sasuke stood there, panting heavily, his Sharingan still spinning.
"Even in a dream…" he growled.
"…I'll never forgive you."
Sasuke's face twisted in frustration. "Why... why won't you fight back?!" he shouted, his voice cracking with pain.
Itachi remained calm, his eyes focused yet distant. "Because this is your dream," he said softly. "I won't hurt you here."
His words only poured oil on the fire.
"Liar!" Sasuke roared. "You always hurt me! You destroyed everything! You made me live in this nightmare!"
Without hesitating, Sasuke charged again, his chakra flaring wildly. He leapt into the air, forming hand seals in midair.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
Small fireballs burst from his mouth like a barrage, aiming directly at Itachi.
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly, and with a blur of motion, his figure disappeared, reappearing silently several meters away, untouched.
"Sasuke," he said again, his tone low and mournful. "You're still not ready."
The words hit Sasuke like a slap.
His hands trembled, and his eyes spun wildly with rage. "Shut up! I've worked harder than anyone! Just to kill you!"
He charged again, this time drawing a kunai and going in for close combat. Blow after blow, slash after slash relentless and desperate.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even graze Itachi.
Every strike was dodged, deflected, or redirected with the smallest of movements.
From the Dream Theater seats, Naruto stood up, fists clenched. "Sasuke…"
Sakura was holding her breath, tears threatening to well up. "He's…"
Kakashi's gaze never left the screen. "He's drowning in it."
Back in the dream, Sasuke's movements finally slowed, his body shaking from exhaustion.
Still, he forced out one last attack, chakra surging wildly into his fist. "This is the end!"
He lunged
But Itachi appeared behind him in a flash and gently tapped his forehead with two fingers.
"Maybe next time, little brother."
The world turned to black.
Sasuke fell to his knees in silence, gasping.
"…Damn it… Why can't I reach you… even here…"
[Ding! Uchiha Sasuke's emotional fluctuations were captured! Emotional value +5000!]
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