In front of Ichiraku Ramen.
When Naruto rushed to the agreed meeting place, he found Sasuke and Sakura already there.
Sasuke maintained his cool demeanor, his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall next to the ramen shop. His eyes were slightly closed, seemingly oblivious to everything around him. However, the slightly darkened eyelids suggested a poor night's sleep.
What surprised Naruto was that Sakura wasn't clinging to Sasuke like usual, chattering nonstop. Instead, she stood a few steps away, her hands clasped behind her back, pacing anxiously. Her emerald green eyes darted up and down the street, as if searching for someone.
"Is she looking for me?"
Naruto's heart skipped a beat! He subconsciously recalled the incredibly vivid dream of last night. Sakura had confessed her feelings to him, even calling him "Master Naruto"...
Could it be... Could that dream be real? Sakura... She really was...
An overwhelming surge of ecstasy washed over Naruto, dispelling the bitterness of the villagers' dislike. The disappointment on his face was instantly replaced by a dazzling smile.
At that moment, Sakura, who had been looking around, finally spotted Naruto running towards her. Her body visibly stiffened, and then, her beautiful emerald eyes instantly ignited with rage.
"Naruto---!!!!"
Her murderous roar frightened the early risers nearby. Sakura vanished almost instantly, dashing in front of Naruto like a flash of pink lightning.
"Eh? Sakura..."
Naruto saw Sakura rushing towards him, her face still wearing what he considered a shy and adorable expression, and his heart was filled with happiness reaching its peak. He instinctively raised his hand, his broadest smile plastered on his face, ready to receive Sakura-chan's hug, or... kiss?
However... what greeted him wasn't a kiss or a hug, but—
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of iron fists, brimming with a girl's fury, rained down on Naruto's head.
"Ouch! Ouch! It hurts, it hurts!"
Naruto was stunned for a moment, seeing stars and large, round bumps forming on his head at a visible speed. He crouched on the ground, clutching his aching head, his eyes filled with tears as he stared at Sakura, who exuded a terrifying and eerie aura, completely bewildered.
"Sakura...w-why did you hit me?!" he asked aggrievedly.
"Why?!" Sakura placed her hands on her hips, glaring down at him, her teeth gnashing. "Naruto! You're such a complete idiot! I'm asking you, what the hell did you dream about last night?!"
"Huh? A dream?" Naruto was stunned by this, his cheeks flushing slightly. He subconsciously glanced at Sasuke, who was still leaning against the wall, pretending to be cool, and his voice trailed off. "What dream... I, I don't remember..."
Of course he remembered. He remembered it clearly! In the dream, Sakura had confessed her love to him with a blushing face.
Could it be... could it be that she... knew what I dreamed about?! Impossible? How could someone else know what happened in a dream?
Naruto felt a wave of fear in his heart, his eyes wandering.
"You don't remember?!" Sakura, seeing his guilty look, was furious and raised her hand to hit him on the head a few more times. She suppressed the urge to strike and said viciously, "Hmph, you better not remember. If I catch you having that... that kind of shameless, foolish dream again, I'll beat you to death."
"Wuwuwu... She actually knew. She actually knew."
"But... why? This is horrible!"
Naruto clutched his head, wanting to cry but unable to. Seeing his idiocy, Sakura snorted coldly, turned her head away, and ignored him.
Seeing Sakura ignore him, Naruto looked to Sasuke for help. However, when his eyes met Sasuke's, he saw that Sasuke was also looking at him with a strange look.
Sasuke remembered yesterday's test. Although Naruto acted like an idiot, he was able to come up with a coordinated strategy at the last minute and even successfully launched a sneak attack. This last-place guy might not be as simple as he seemed.
Feeling Sasuke's scrutinizing gaze, Naruto felt even more guilty. He let out a dry laugh and quickly changed the subject, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.
"Um... Sasuke, where's Kakashi-sensei? Is he late again?"
Sasuke averted his gaze and gave a faint "hmm," his tone and expression calm.
"Kakashi-sensei is late again."
"What the hell!" Naruto heard this and immediately found an outlet for his complaints, jumping up and down. "We've only met a few times, and he's always late. Do meeting times even have any meaning? Kakashi-sensei is so unreliable!"
However, Naruto had truly misunderstood Kakashi this time.
In reality, Kakashi had already arrived. He had been observing them from a tall tree on a nearby street corner. He even activated his Sharingan, taking in the entire interaction.
As expected, Sakura and Sasuke's reactions confirmed that last night's experience was real. It wasn't just a hallucination.
Furthermore, Naruto looked stunned and guilty, seemingly unaware that his dream was being broadcast live. This ruled out the possibility that he had actively performed some unknown secret technique.
After confirming this, Kakashi's frown deepened.
It wasn't Naruto's doing... then what kind of being possessed such terrifying power?
Silently pulling Team 7, including himself, into a shared dream space. Precisely capturing and broadcasting the dreams of specific individuals... this ability was beyond his understanding of the known ninjutsu system.
Was it some unknown genjutsu? Or some special barrier that transcended space-time ninjutsu? Or some even more incredible power?
Kakashi felt his usually calm mind was insufficient. The strangeness of this matter far exceeded his imagination.
"No... This must be reported to the Third Hokage! "
"But... what should I say?"
"Say I had a dream about Naruto's mother, and it involved two students? What would the Third Hokage think? Has he been too exhausted from recent missions? Has he lost his mind due to guilt over Naruto?"
"Furthermore, the mastermind's abilities are so strange. Would reporting this rashly alert the enemy? Or even put the village in greater danger?"
Kakashi pondered, unable to come up with a suitable solution, and was caught in a dilemma. He pulled down his forehead protector, shielding his Sharingan, temporarily suppressing his suspicion and unease.
Let's wait and see what happens. At the very least, we need to understand their intentions first.
Having made up his mind, Kakashi abandoned his concealment. He silently appeared before the three members of Team 7, his unchanging lazy smile plastered on his face. He raised his hand and greeted them:
"Yo~ Good morning, everyone."
"Ah, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto's annoyance slipped away as soon as he saw Kakashi, pointing at him and complaining loudly, "You're late again! That's terrible!"
"Hmm..." Kakashi remained perfunctory, making up a flimsy excuse like "I met an old lady who needed help on the way." Then, with his hands clasped together, he offered a halfhearted apology. "Sorry, sorry, I'll be more careful next time."
He glanced at the three brats, noticing the noticeable bumps on Naruto's head, Sakura's still irritated face, and Sasuke's nonchalant expression. He couldn't help but shake his head.
He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Okay, you guys can complain later. Have you had breakfast? We're officially starting our commission today, and going hungry will hamper our efficiency."
Before Naruto could even begin, his stomach growled in protest. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, chuckling, "Well... I woke up late, so I just had some milk..."
Sasuke's face remained somewhat pale, evidently affected by last night's outrageous dream. He replied coldly, "No."
Sakura stuck out her tongue and rubbed her flat stomach. "I'm trying to keep in shape..."
Though she was thinking that Naruto, that idiot, had irritated her to the point of losing her appetite.
Kakashi looked at the three brats, each in their own state, and clapped his hands in frustration.
"Okay, okay, since you haven't eaten yet..." He let out a lazy smile. "Well, to express my apologies for being late, I, your 'unreliable' teacher, will treat you to breakfast today! I'll take you to Ichiraku Ramen!"
"Wow!!!"
Naruto's eyes lit up instantly when he heard they were going to Ichiraku Ramen! All his little emotions were thrown out of his mind. He was the first to cheer, jumping up with his arms raised high. "Great! Ichiraku Ramen! Kakashi-sensei is the best!"
Sasuke and Sakura didn't have a particular fondness for ramen, but since their teacher was treating them, there was no reason to refuse.
And so, amid Naruto's excited cheers, the four members of Team 7 pulled back the curtain with the word "Ichiraku" printed on it and walked into the legendary ramen shop.