The moment Kakashi saw the image on the screen, he froze in his seat as if turned to stone!
Immediately, an indescribably complex emotion, like a volcanic eruption, instantly overwhelmed all his calm and pretense.
He abruptly stood up from his seat, his visible eye wide, staring intently at the screen.
"This... this is impossible!"
This time, what appeared on the screen was no longer the fleeting, blurry red-haired figure from last night.
Instead, it was a real, perfectly clear figure!
It was a beautiful woman with long, dazzling red hair like flames, wearing an apron, a gentle and vibrant smile on her face, busy in the kitchen preparing dinner!
Her profile was soft, with a hint of heroism in her brows, and her eyes were bright and warm, full of love for life.
It really was Uzumaki Kushina!
A living Uzumaki Kushina, as if she had never left!
Not only that.
Kakashi's gaze quickly swept over the background in the image.
The kitchen, full of a warm domestic atmosphere, and the layout of the living room, the furniture, the decorative paintings on the walls visible through the kitchen door...
This room... this decor style... this floor plan...
'It's here! It's definitely here! This is clearly... this is Minato-sensei and Uzumaki Kushina's home!'
He was certain he couldn't be mistaken.
Back then, as Minato-sensei's most trusted disciple, he had been to this place countless times to discuss missions with his sensei, and to... eat... with his sensei's wife...
Although the details in the image were slightly different from his memory, the overall structure and feeling were definitely the same place.
But...
This house...
To completely erase Naruto's connection with Minato, and to protect Naruto's safety, the Third Hokage had already ordered this place to be thoroughly sealed and disposed of shortly after the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's attack twelve years ago.
Even related records were classified as top secret!
Naruto... he couldn't possibly know about the existence of this house.
And even less its internal structure.
So what exactly was going on with everything in front of him?
If last night's fleeting glimpse could still be explained by coincidence or subconscious projection...
Then what about now?
This perfectly clear image, this precisely accurate scene, was definitely not a coincidence.
Nor was it something Naruto could imagine out of thin air.
"Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Kakashi Hatake captured! Emotion value +1000!"
"Kakashi-sensei? What's wrong?"
Sakura's concerned voice came from beside him.
She and Sasuke both looked strangely at Kakashi, who was agitated and somewhat out of sorts.
To them, the image on the screen was quite ordinary; it was just a gentle-looking red-haired aunt cooking, nothing special, right? Why was their sensei reacting so strongly?
...
'Tsk tsk tsk... As expected of the Sixth Hokage.'
In the shadows at the back of the screening room, Shigure looked at the soaring numbers on the system panel and grinned from ear to ear.
'I didn't expect that among Team 7, Kakashi, who usually seems the least motivated, is actually the hidden big earner of emotion points. A little stimulation, and they just shoot up.'
Shigure stroked his chin, a calculating glint in his eyes.
He looked at his system panel again.
"Dream Master System"
"Current Dream Master Level: 1 (7450/100000)"
"Dream Target Number: 1"
"Audience Count: 3"
"Dream Instance Limit: 1"
"Current Dream Instance: eternal flash — This time, on that destined night of death, the Yellow Flash thwarted the enemy's conspiracy."
...
According to the system's explanation, this instance was not a completely ethereal illusion, but rather a "parallel world fragment" simulated and constructed by the system using the real world as a blueprint.
In this fragment, some key historical nodes might change due to certain reasons, thereby deriving a future completely different from the main world.
"Only this kind of 'real' possibility can maximize the participants' genuine emotions and bring about strong emotional fluctuations... Kakashi's strong reaction is because what he sees is not just an image, but a 'past or future that could have existed.'"
However, he also noticed the system's limitations.
With his current Level 1 authority, he couldn't freely create instances, nor could he treat others' dreams as a blank canvas to draw on without restriction.
He could only choose to "fine-tune" based on a key life node of a certain "Dream Target."
What he could change was merely the direction of that one "key node."
This was also an important reason why Shigure chose Naruto as his first target.
Naruto had too many "regrets" and "possibilities."
His life trajectory, as long as the initial tragic node was changed, everything that followed would undergo earth-shattering changes.
This huge contrast and possibility were the best catalysts for emotion points.
"Hehehe... Kakashi-sensei, enjoy it. This is... another possibility of 'reality.'"
Shigure's gaze once again turned to the screen.
...
In the image, Naruto in the dream also seemed a bit confused.
He sat blankly on the soft sofa in the living room, looking around in a daze.
This was a... home?
A very clean, bright, and... warm-feeling home.
The air was filled with the enticing aroma of food, coming from the adjacent kitchen.
He turned his head and saw a dining table with a checkered tablecloth in the center of the living room, already laden with a rich, steaming meal.
There was his favorite miso ramen, golden fried egg rolls, green vegetable salad, and... a large plate of what looked like delicious braised pork belly.
And on the other side of the living room, in the connected open kitchen, a figure with dazzling red hair was busy.
Her movements looked skilled; she hummed an off-key tune while adding seasonings to a soup pot.
The sunlight in the dream was always so bright.
It streamed through the kitchen window, falling on her profile, outlining a soft and beautiful silhouette.
Naruto looked at that figure, his heart uncontrollably speeding up.
Who was this red-haired aunt...?
She felt... so familiar... so kind...
Just then, the red-haired woman seemed to notice his gaze. She turned her head and gave Naruto an extremely gentle smile.
She carried out the last large plate of fragrant fried chicken, placed the dish on the dining table, and then, to the still somewhat bewildered Naruto, called out in a vibrant and doting tone:
"Naruto! What are you sitting there for? Go wash your hands! Dinner's ready!"