"Kakashi-sensei? You... what's wrong?"
Sakura's voice, filled with confusion and concern, came from beside him.
She and Sasuke were startled by Kakashi's sudden reaction.
In their eyes, the scene on the screen was quite ordinary, wasn't it?
It was just a gentle and virtuous-looking red-haired aunt cooking, and the house looked clean and cozy. There was nothing special about it, right?
Why was their sensei so agitated?
Kakashi didn't answer Sakura's question.
He continued to stare intently at the screen, muttering to himself, 'This isn't normal at all... not at all...'
Sasuke looked at Kakashi's rare display of losing his composure, then at the somewhat dazzlingly warm scene on the screen, and complex emotions flickered in his dark pupils.
He remained silent, but his slightly clenched fists showed the turmoil within him.
Those fragments of short, warm times spent with his parents... with that man... sealed deep in his memory, pricked his heart like needles.
A cold hatred constantly churned in his chest.
...
On the screen, Naruto in the dream seemed to have finally recovered a little from his initial dazed state.
This clean, bright living room...
The enticing aroma of food in the air...
And that red-haired aunt busy in the kitchen...
Everything felt unbelievably real.
Warm sunlight streamed through the window, falling on his face, feeling cozy.
He could even smell the meaty scent mixed with soy sauce and caramelized sugar, and his stomach uncooperatively rumbled.
'Where... is this? It smells so good... Wasn't I sleeping?'
Just as Naruto was in a daze, the red-haired aunt in the kitchen urged him again, "Naruto, what are you still standing there for? Go wash your hands! The food's going to get cold!"
Her voice was full of energy, carrying a commanding tone of domestic authority, yet it also miraculously contained a gentleness and doting affection Naruto had never experienced before.
"Mom..."
The word slipped uncontrollably from Naruto's mouth, as if by instinct.
He quickly covered his mouth, his eyes wide.
I, I just called her... Mom?!
Even he, as foolish as he was, reacted!
First, being treated warmly by the villagers on the street... now appearing in this cozy home... and this red-haired aunt who felt incredibly familiar...
"So... this... is my dream?!"
"And this red-haired aunt... could it be... could she be my mom... in my dream?!"
An indescribable mix of sorrow and ecstasy, like a cascading waterfall, instantly overwhelmed all his thoughts.
Mom!
He actually... in a dream... met his mom?!
Although he had no idea what his mom looked like, the feeling this red-haired aunt gave him... was his mom! Definitely his mom! That sense of kinship from the depths of his soul, a blood connection, could not be wrong!
Naruto felt a sudden sting in his nose, his eyes instantly welled up, and large, hot tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
How many years had it been?
Twelve years.
Countless times in his dreams, in his imagination, he had sketched out his parents' appearances, longing to have a warm home like other children, with a mom and dad...
And now...
This scene he had yearned for for twelve years... actually... appeared in his dream.
Although... it was just a dream...
But at this moment, Naruto was willing to give anything, just for this dream... to never end.
"W-wah! I understand! Mom!"
Naruto nodded with a heavy sniffle, vigorously wiping away his tears, a silly smile, brighter than the sun, blooming on his face.
He loudly responded and dashed towards the restroom.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uzumaki Naruto captured! Emotion points +1500!]
Watching Naruto's silly, excited demeanor, almost tripping over his own feet and unable to close his mouth, Sakura and Sasuke in the audience fell silent again.
Sakura couldn't help but whisper, "It's just eating... Is it necessary... to be like this?"
Although she had been startled by Kakashi's earlier loss of composure, she still couldn't understand Naruto's emotions at this moment.
In her opinion, being called to eat by your mom wasn't a very common thing?
However, no sooner had she spoken than Sasuke beside her suddenly spoke coldly, his tone filled with an anger and chill she had never heard before:
"What do you know!"
"Eh?!"
Sakura was startled by Sasuke's sudden rebuke and looked at him, feeling wronged, "Sa-Sasuke-kun... I..."
She didn't understand why Sasuke would suddenly get angry at her.
Had she said something wrong?
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uchiha Sasuke captured! Emotion points +500!]
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Sakura Haruno captured! Emotion points +200!]
Sasuke no longer looked at Sakura, only turning his gaze back to the screen, watching the blonde idiot who was so excited he was in tears just because of a "time to eat" call. In the depths of his dark pupils, a gleam similar to what Naruto had shown at the ramen shop earlier that day seemed to flash.
Perhaps, among the three viewers present, only he could truly understand Naruto's feelings at this moment.
Because he too had once possessed it.
And precisely because he had possessed it, he understood the pain of loss even more.
Kakashi looked at his two disciples beside him and sighed deeply again.
Sakura had grown up with both parents present and a harmonious family, perhaps occasionally even finding her parents nagging.
At her current age, she was in a rebellious phase, yearning for independence and freedom, so she naturally couldn't understand this "most ordinary" family daily life, which for Naruto and Sasuke, she could never truly empathize with.
But this dazzlingly warm scene, wasn't it also his...
Forget it.
...
On the screen, the dream continued happily.
Naruto washed his hands and rushed to the dining table, looking at the table full of fragrant dishes, his mouth watering even more profusely.
Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks and dig in.
"Click."
The door was gently pushed open.
A tall, well-built figure with short, bright blonde hair like his own, wearing the classic Konoha green Ninja vest, walked in with a gentle smile on his face.
His eyes were the same clear blue as Naruto's, like a clear sky, pure and gentle, and a smile that seemed to melt ice and snow always played on his lips.
"Am I late returning?"
The man smiled and spoke, his voice as warm as a spring breeze.
Kushina, at the kitchen doorway, immediately responded with a smile, "Not late at all, you're just in time. Hurry and wash your hands, dinner's ready. Today, to celebrate our Naruto becoming a Genin, I specifically made his favorite braised pork belly and fried chicken!"
The man nodded with a smile, his gaze turning to the blonde little boy by the dining table who was already staring blankly, his eyes full of love and pride.
"Naruto, congratulations, you've finally become a true Ninja. Dad is proud of you."
...
In the audience.
If seeing Kushina earlier had shocked and disbelieved Kakashi.
Then at this moment, upon seeing the man who walked through the door.
Kakashi felt his heart gripped tightly by an invisible hand, even his breathing stopped!
"Mi... Minato... sensei?!"
That's right!
The man as dazzling as the sun, known as the "Yellow Flash of Konoha," who became the Fourth Hokage at a young age, and was also his, Kakashi's, most revered teacher—
Minato Namikaze!
He actually... also appeared in this dream?
And... as Naruto's father?!
Not only Kushina-senpai... but Minato-sensei too...
This... what exactly...?!
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Kakashi Hatake captured! Emotion points +1000!!]
And this time, it wasn't just Kakashi.
Even Sakura and Sasuke beside him, upon seeing the face of the man who walked in, instantly widened their eyes, showing expressions of disbelief.
"Th-that's..." Sakura's voice trembled.
"Fourth Hokage-sama?!" Sasuke also gasped.
As top students of the Konoha Ninja Academy, they were naturally very familiar with the Village's history, especially the images of past Hokage.
The statues on the Hokage Rock.
The portraits in textbooks.
The heroic legends circulating in the Village.
The blonde man who walked into Naruto's "home" was clearly that legendary hero who single-handedly ended the Third Ninja World War and ultimately sacrificed himself to protect the Village—
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze!
"W-why... is Naruto's dad in his dream... the Fourth Hokage-sama?!"
Sakura felt her brain completely overloaded. "Could it be... could Naruto be..."
An extremely absurd yet seemingly all-explaining thought rose uncontrollably in her mind.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Sakura Haruno captured! Emotion points +200!]
Kakashi remained silent, his face extremely grim.
He, of course, knew why.
But this secret... concerned Naruto's safety.
It was the highest classified secret concerning the stability of the entire Konoha.
It absolutely could not be known by these two children here!
But...
This dream...
What exactly does it want to do?!