Team 7's first mission outside the village—escorting the bridge builder Tazuna—should have been a simple C-rank formality. But Naruto, with his Eye of the Multiverse, already sensed the dark currents and knots of fate stirring around them. Tazuna's aura, though weary, was laced with threads of fear, and faint flows of chakra moved in ambush along the road. This isn't a normal mission, Naruto thought, his heart beating with a new kind of determination. He had to stay vigilant—not only for the team, but to protect his secret.
The first attack, carried out by the Demon Brothers, was a test. Naruto played the part of the impulsive fool, rushing in recklessly. But his heightened senses and latent strength allowed him to avoid the fatal blow with ease, making him seem clumsy rather than impossibly fast. He saw the chains vibrate with the energy of Destruction before they reached Sasuke, and with a subtle pulse of Space, he deflected them just enough for Sasuke to react. He watched Sakura freeze, fear distorting her chakra's aura, but beneath it flowed a hidden current of courage calling her to action. When Kakashi reappeared to free them, Naruto sensed both relief and a strange pride in Sakura's aura—admiration for Sasuke. But the Eye of the Multiverse also caught a subtle frustration within her—a desire to be useful, not just a burden.
As they traveled, the mood was tense. Kakashi confronted Tazuna, and Naruto listened quietly, his sharpened mind sifting lies from truth. Tazuna's aura was a patchwork of regret and fear for his family. Naruto stepped forward—not out of blind impulsiveness, but because he saw the fraying threads of Chaos twist around the team, threatening to unravel their unity.
"I'll never go back on my word! That's my ninja way!" he declared. His words rang true, bolstered by the weight of his power, and Sakura looked at him with something new in her eyes. Her aura, once unstable, settled into a soft green of resolve. Naruto felt a warmth ripple through the subtle bond between them.
Their arrival in the Land of Waves was marked by the confrontation with Zabuza Momochi. The thick mist Zabuza conjured was a powerful jutsu, but to Naruto's Eye of the Multiverse, it was merely a distortion of energy—a dance of shapes and illusions. He saw the spectral outlines of Zabuza and his clones, sensed the bite of the Kubikiribōchō long before it split the air. When Sasuke was injured and Kakashi trapped, Naruto knew he had to act.
He tapped into a fraction of Chaos, creating confusion that made his movements unpredictable, and used a touch of Space to move just slightly faster than possible. His determination, magnified by his power, became a raw force. "I'll never give up!" His assault was a maelstrom. He hurled the modified giant shuriken—a calculated distraction—and Zabuza's aura, once confident, flickered with irritation. Naruto even spotted the hesitation in the chakra of the so-called bounty hunter who appeared. He had played the fool, but he'd also put Zabuza on the back foot, forcing him to reveal a weakness.
As Kakashi finished the battle, Zabuza was "killed" by Haku. Sakura ran to Sasuke, her chakra radiating protectiveness. Naruto watched them, and with his Eye, he saw a golden thread—fragile but strong—connecting their souls. She really loves him, he thought, a strange pang in his chest—a feeling he didn't fully understand. But when she looked up at him, her bright green eyes shining, he saw genuine gratitude.
"Naruto… you were amazing," she said, her voice soft. Her aura, a gentle green tinged with pink, wrapped around him. He felt a warmth, a comfort.
"I just did what anyone would've done," he replied, a slight blush rising to his cheeks, even as cosmic power simmered beneath his skin.
It was the first time a girl had looked at him with something other than suspicion or irritation.
During the days of rest and training, Naruto kept up the act—clumsy and loud. But the Eye of the Multiverse allowed him to see beneath the surface. He saw Sakura training fiercely, her aura burning with pure will and bright intelligence. He saw her gaze linger on Sasuke—the golden thread still intact. But he also saw her looking at him—with growing curiosity, with a respect he hadn't expected.
One evening, as they sat around the fire, Sakura, exhausted, drifted off to sleep and her head gently came to rest on his shoulder. Her chakra aura, warm and soft, wrapped around him. Naruto froze, his heart beating to a strange new rhythm. He felt the softness of her hair against his cheek, the gentle steadiness of her breathing. He didn't move, not wanting to break the fragile moment.
The Eye of the Multiverse showed him the purity of her sleep, the vulnerability of her essence. It was a new feeling for Naruto—a protective tenderness that went beyond simple team camaraderie. The pink glow in her aura grew stronger, warmer.
Maybe… maybe she sees me a little differently now, he thought, a soft and fragile hope stirring within him.