In the audience.
Sakura looked at the bewildered Naruto on the screen and whispered softly, "Why is it that in our dreams, we don't seem to know Iruka-sensei? Isn't Iruka-sensei supposed to be our teacher?"
Hearing this, Kakashi glanced at Iruka beside him, his expression thoughtful. "It seems… he really isn't."
Iruka took a deep breath, forcing down the swell of emotions in his chest. He gently wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, then gave a strained, bitter smile. "If my parents were still alive, I'd probably be following them on missions at the front lines… I wouldn't have stayed in the village and become a teacher."
At his words, everyone fell silent. They exchanged looks, then let out quiet sighs.
On the screen.
Iruka and his parents exchanged a few more words with Kakashi and the others about the border situation, then said their goodbyes and left.
Before departing, Iruka gave Naruto a polite nod, then turned and hurried off with his parents.
Naruto stood there, frozen, watching Iruka and his family walk away without a word. His chest felt heavy with complicated emotions.
In the real world, Iruka-sensei had always understood him, always stayed by his side, watching him grow step by step.
It was no exaggeration to say that without Iruka-sensei, there might not be the Naruto Uzumaki standing here today.
[Ding! Uzumaki Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value +500!]
But then, a thought softened the weight in his heart.
In this dream, Iruka-sensei had his parents with him. That meant he must have grown up happily, never knowing the loneliness he carried in reality.
This Iruka-sensei must be living a life of warmth and contentment…
And wasn't that what the real Iruka-sensei had always wished for deep down?
Thinking this way, Naruto slowly began to calm himself.
He wiped the moisture forming at the corners of his eyes. His expression, once heavy with sadness, gradually brightened into a wide, genuine smile.
[Ding! Uzumaki Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value +500!]
"Naruto."
Kakashi noticed the shift in Naruto's expression and placed a hand on his shoulder, asking curiously, "When did you ever meet Iruka? By all accounts, Iruka's parents have always been stationed with the advance forces, and he's been on missions with them since graduating the Academy. You shouldn't have had any chance to meet him."
"Ah… this…" Naruto froze, completely at a loss for words.
He couldn't possibly tell Kakashi-sensei that the Iruka-sensei he knew only existed in the real world.
The image of Iruka turning and leaving just moments ago still lingered in his mind.
That familiar figure walking farther and farther away, until it finally disappeared into the crowd.
Naruto forced a grin at Kakashi and said, "Haha, it's nothing! We're not really that close, but… somehow, he just feels familiar, you know?"
Seeing Naruto suddenly shift back into his usual carefree smile, Sasuke couldn't help narrowing his eyes. He leaned slightly closer, following Naruto's gaze in the direction Iruka's family had gone.
"Hn. Really? I didn't sense any familiarity from him toward you at all."
Naruto chuckled awkwardly and didn't offer a rebuttal.
Kakashi stroked his chin and said, "But I've heard Iruka doesn't care much for the bloodshed on the front lines. He's planning to return to Konoha and take up a position as a jōnin."
Naruto's eyes flickered with thought at those words. As expected, no matter what world it was, Iruka-sensei would always be Iruka-sensei.
He was sighing softly when a thought suddenly struck him. His head snapped up, and he blurted out, "Wait wait a second! Kakashi-sensei, what did you just say?"
Naruto's eyes went wide in shock. "Jōnin?!"
[Ding! Uzumaki Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value +300!]
"Hasn't Iruka-sensei always been a chūnin?" Naruto exclaimed, disbelief flooding his voice.
Sakura and Sasuke both looked equally surprised at the revelation.
Sakura blinked, tilting her head curiously. "But he only looks like he's in his early twenties… is he really a jōnin at that age?"
Sasuke crossed his arms, his tone calm and analytical. "Maybe he's just a special jōnin."
"No, Iruka isn't a special jōnin," Kakashi said with a small smile, shaking his head. "He's a full jōnin. After all, both his parents are powerful jōnin. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen to serve in the advance unit."
"Eh !!"
Naruto's jaw dropped, his eyes wide as saucers. He let out an exaggerated shout of disbelief.
Iruka-sensei was actually a jōnin in this dream?!
[Ding! Uzumaki Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value +300!]
Just as Naruto stood there, too stunned to even speak, the world around him suddenly began to quiver.
The scene in front of his eyes rippled like water, blurring rapidly.
In the audience, the massive light screen flickered twice, then slowly grew transparent.
The dim Dream Theater itself faded away, as though its foundations had vanished.
As the dream dissolved, Aren hidden in the shadows allowed a small, satisfied smile to spread across his face.
[Dream Target: Uzumaki Naruto]
[Viewers: Uchiha Sasuke, Umino Iruka, Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi]
[Total Emotional Value Gained: 31,600 points!]
[Current Emotional Value Balance: 182,331 points!]
[Current Dream Level: Level 3 (236,831 / 300,000)]
Aren looked at the surging emotional value on the panel with deep satisfaction.
With four people acting as viewers, the rate of emotional growth had skyrocketed.
At this pace, it would only take about three more days for him to upgrade to the next level of authority.
The next morning.
Naruto woke from his deep sleep, opened his eyes, and stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, the scenes of last night's dream replaying in his mind.
For a moment after waking, he almost expected to hear his mother's voice calling him to get up, just like in the dream. But in the quiet little house, the only sound was the early morning birdsong drifting through the window.
The contrast made Naruto's chest tighten, and he couldn't help but sigh again.
After a long pause, he slowly sat up and whispered softly to himself.
Everyone in the dream is living such a good life…
When he compared reality with the dream, countless emotions rose in his heart.
In that world, he had been bathed in love since childhood, with his parents alive by his side. Even Iruka-sensei still had his family with him, his face glowing with a bright smile.
But in reality, both he and Iruka-sensei carried the same loneliness the pain of losing their loved ones.
That dreamlike life was far too different from the real one.
Even so… no matter how wide the gap was between dreams and reality, he would never give in!
Naruto clenched his fists tightly, making a silent vow in his heart.
One day, he would become a great Hokage like his father, protecting everyone in the village with his own hands.
Only then could people in the real world live happy and beautiful lives, just like in the dreams.
Shaking his head, Naruto forced away the distracting thoughts, jumped out of bed, and quickly got ready.
After a quick wash, he tugged on his casual clothes, wolfed down his breakfast in a few hurried bites, and then eagerly began packing his bag.
Kakashi-sensei had told them yesterday that today their team would be taking on a C-rank escort mission!
"Finally… finally, it's not another boring job of catching cats and dogs!"
Naruto pumped his fist in excitement, his face full of anticipation.
He had been waiting for this moment for so long. At last, he could show his strength in a real mission and prove to everyone just how powerful he was!
Before heading out, Naruto stretched out his right hand and tried to focus his chakra.
Light blue chakra quickly gathered in his palm, but the moment he tried to make it spin at high speed, it scattered and vanished with a soft puff.
Naruto blinked in surprise, then gritted his teeth and tried again, stubbornly forcing more chakra into his hand.
After several failed attempts, he took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and focused on recalling the sensation of forming the Rasengan in his dream.
He steadied his breathing, raised his right hand once more
This time, the azure chakra swirled steadily in his palm, condensing into a perfect, high-speed rotating sphere!
"Success!!"
Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the buzzing chakra sphere in his hand. Excitement surged through him until he almost burst out laughing.
In the dream… and now in reality…
He had finally mastered his father's secret technique!
Overflowing with pride and accomplishment, Naruto clenched his fist around the swirling Rasengan, then dashed off eagerly toward Konoha's gates.
...
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