This time, the two little ones misunderstood Kakashi again.
Usually, he would either arrive just on time or be an hour or two late, then shamelessly make up all sorts of ridiculous excuses to gloss over it.
But today was different.
Today, Kakashi, though still late, wasn't habitually dragging his feet.
In fact, he woke up earlier than usual.
Early in the morning, he headed straight for the Hokage Building with full energy.
At the entrance of the Hokage Office on the top floor, he unhesitatingly raised his hand and knocked on the door.
"Come in," an old and authoritative voice came from inside.
Kakashi pushed the door open and entered.
Morning light streamed through the window, filling the office, allowing a clear view of the statues of past Hokage on Hokage Rock and the bustling streets of Konoha Village in the distance.
Behind the desk sat an old man holding an old-fashioned pipe, looking like a kind old grandpa from next door.
It was none other than the current supreme ruler of Konoha Village, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, renowned as the "Professor of Ninjutsu" and master of all Ninjutsu.
Seeing Kakashi appear, a hint of surprise flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.
He put down the document in his hand, looked up through the swirling smoke at one of his most capable subordinates, and asked gently, "Oh? It's Kakashi. Coming so early, is something the matter?"
Hiruzen was a bit puzzled.
Logically, Kakashi should be taking Team 7 on a basic mission today.
He should be with his three young disciples right now, so why would he suddenly come here?
Kakashi didn't bother with pleasantries; his expression was unusually grim, even exceptionally solemn.
He walked to the desk and spoke gravely, "Sandaime-sama, I apologize for the intrusion. I have encountered some... strange and inexplicable circumstances that I need to report to you immediately."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Kakashi's unprecedentedly serious expression, and his heart couldn't help but tighten.
He understood Kakashi's personality.
Normally, this young man seemed lazy and carefree, but in reality, he was meticulous and observant, and would never be so out of character without reason.
Something that Kakashi would describe as "strange" was probably no small matter.
"Sit down and tell me slowly, Kakashi."
Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed to the chair in front of the desk, motioning for him to sit down, and at the same time, he put his pipe aside, his expression becoming focused, "What exactly happened? Don't rush, explain it clearly."
"Yes."
Kakashi sat down as instructed, thought for a moment, and organized his words, then reported everything that had happened over the past two nights, piece by piece, to the Third Hokage.
"...That's how it happened."
Kakashi's voice was low and solemn: "Since late the night before last, my two subordinates, Uchiha Sasuke and Sakura Haruno, and I, after falling asleep each night, have had our consciousness forcibly pulled into a dim space, like a screening room. In that space, we cannot move or use most Ninjutsu. We can only watch, like an audience, what is being shown on the large screen in front of us—Naruto's dream."
"Watching... Naruto's dream?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows suddenly furrowed upon hearing this, his eyes filled with disbelief, "Such a thing exists?"
"Yes," Kakashi nodded solemnly, "And the content of the dream that the three of us saw was exactly the same. Afterward, I carefully cross-referenced it with Sasuke and Sakura, proving that this was not individual hallucinations, but a real, shared experience. However, the strange thing is that Naruto himself is completely unaware of it. When he wakes up, he only remembers having some... uh, dreams that are quite fitting for his personality."
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.
He took a deep puff from his pipe, his brows furrowed even tighter, seemingly trying to digest this unbelievable information.
Forcibly pulling multiple people's consciousness into the same shared space... showing a specific person's dream... and the person whose dream is being shown is completely unaware...
This... it's like something out of a fantasy!
However, the person who said these words was Kakashi.
The Kakashi Hatake who had been gifted since childhood, calm, rational, highly accomplished, and deeply trusted by him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew Kakashi's character; he would never talk nonsense, much less joke about his disciples and missions.
Therefore, what Kakashi said must be true.
"The content of the dream... what exactly is it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in a condensed voice, his expression extremely serious.
His greatest concern was whether the mastermind behind this was doing something to Naruto through the dream, or attempting to uncover the Nine-Tailed's secrets?
Kakashi stiffened slightly at the question.
Here it came, the most crucial question.
Images from last night's dream involuntarily flashed through his mind.
Kushina-senpai's gentle smile, Minato-sensei's warm gaze, that home so warm it felt unreal...
And Naruto's expression, one he had never seen before, so happy it brought tears to his eyes... and Sakura's innocent, childish comment...
Kakashi's throat moved, his heart still turbulent.
'How should I say it? Should I directly tell Third Hokage-sama that we saw the Fourth Hokage and his wife alive and well in Naruto's dream? That we saw that long-sealed home? That we saw Minato-sensei personally teach Naruto the Rasengan?'
After a moment of deliberation, Kakashi took a deep breath, met Hiruzen Sarutobi's sharp gaze, and spoke as calmly as possible, omitting the most sensitive parts:
"The content of the dream... is quite bizarre. Naruto imagines himself defeating Sasuke, becoming the strongest in Team 7, being confessed to by Sakura, and being deeply loved by the villagers... In short, they are all... somewhat absurd and ridiculous beautiful dreams fitting for his age."
Kakashi paused, then added, "Although the dream content seems harmless, even a bit comical, the ability to forcibly pull others' consciousness into a shared dream space is inherently extremely strange and dangerous. Moreover, the target of the other party is clearly Naruto! I'm worried..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly, without interrupting.
He noticed that when Kakashi described the dream, there was a momentary flicker and hesitation in his eyes.
Given his understanding of Kakashi, there must be something he was holding back.
However, he did not expose him on the spot.
Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe again, took two light puffs, and under the swirling smoke, he narrowed his eyes, a glint of sharpness flashing in his keen gaze.
After a moment of contemplation, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "This phenomenon... even your Sharingan can't detect any clues?"
Kakashi shook his head, answering decisively, "That's right. From the moment I entered that space, I kept my Sharingan activated to observe. But neither the surrounding environment nor the images on the screen showed any trace of Chakra flow, nor any signs of Genjutsu. I tried to use the Body Flicker Technique and Substitution Jutsu, but both failed. It seems... that space itself has some special rules that seal our abilities."
He continued, "After completing the mission last night, I specifically went to the Anbu archives and checked all records related to Genjutsu, mental secret techniques, space-time barriers, and even forbidden Jutsu concerning dreams and souls... but I found nothing. No known Jutsu can explain the situation we encountered."
"So... I had no choice but to come and consult Hokage-sama, the 'Professor of Ninjutsu'."
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into deeper thought.
He held his pipe, his brows tightly furrowed, and deep contemplation flickered in his cloudy eyes.
The phenomenon Kakashi described indeed exceeded his understanding.
Forcibly pulling multiple consciousnesses into a shared dream space... playing a specific person's dream... even the Sharingan cannot see through it...
This kind of ability...
He exhausted all his lifelong knowledge, sifting through all records of Ninjutsu, forbidden Jutsu, and even ancient legends in his mind...
He had never heard of such a thing.
"Could it be... some unprecedented Bloodline Limit? Or perhaps... a mental secret technique even more bizarre than Genjutsu? Or... some lost power related to the Six Paths Sage's era?"
One by one, guesses flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, only to be rejected by him.
Even this "Professor of Ninjutsu" couldn't help but feel helpless at this moment.
After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly opened his mouth, saying gravely, "...It is indeed very bizarre. This old man has never heard of such a Jutsu in his life."
He took a deep puff of his pipe, exhaling a thick, heavy cloud of smoke, his gaze suddenly sharpening: "Then, what about Naruto? According to you, he himself seems completely unaware of this. Over the past two days, has he shown any abnormalities? Such as mental fatigue? Chakra disorder? Or... has the content of the dream affected his emotions and behavior?"
This was his most pressing concern.
Regardless of the mysterious entity's purpose, as long as Naruto himself was safe, there was still room for maneuver.
Kakashi immediately replied, "No. Naruto is completely normal!"
He thought for a moment, then added, "Except... probably because he had good dreams, his mood has been a bit more excited than usual these past two days, otherwise there's nothing abnormal. His Chakra is stable, and his mental state is also very good."
This point also puzzled Kakashi.
What exactly did that mysterious entity want to do?
"Is that so..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows relaxed slightly upon hearing this, and he let out a sigh of relief.
As long as Naruto was safe, it was fine.
He fell into deep thought again.
This matter revealed too much strangeness and unknown. Before understanding the other party's true nature and intentions, it was indeed unwise to act rashly.
A moment later, Hiruzen Sarutobi made up his mind, speaking firmly, "Kakashi, this matter is no small matter. Since no obvious malice has been detected for now, and the other party's target seems to be only Naruto... you must not make it public yet."
"You continue to lead Team 7 on daily missions, but you must closely observe Naruto's every move in secret, and whether that dream theater will appear again, or if any new changes occur. Remember, observe quietly and don't alert the enemy."
"As for the investigation..." A glint flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, "Leave it to me. I will use all my power to find out what is going on behind this."
"Yes! Sandaime-sama!" Kakashi immediately accepted the order.
Although he didn't get a clear answer from the Sandaime, having the Hokage personally involved in the investigation was much better than him guessing alone.
He stood up, preparing to leave.
However, just as he reached the door, his hand about to touch the doorknob—
"Wait, Kakashi."
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly called out to him.
Kakashi stopped at the sound and turned his head.
He saw Hiruzen Sarutobi had risen at some point and walked to the window, his back to him, gazing at the massive statue of the Fourth Hokage on Hokage Rock outside the window, his silhouette looking somewhat desolate and solemn.
Hiruzen slowly flicked the ash from his pipe, then turned around, narrowing his eyes, and sternly instructed:
"Kakashi, what I just said, 'do not make it public,' is not a suggestion, but an order! Remember, besides you and me, absolutely no third person must know about this! Especially... about those 'images' you saw in the dream that made you uneasy!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know what Kakashi was hiding, but he could feel that was the key to the problem.
"After you return, immediately issue a gag order to Uchiha Sasuke and Sakura Haruno, making them completely forget the experiences of these two nights! They are not allowed to mention it to anyone, not a single word must be leaked!"
"Konoha Village... seems peaceful now, but in reality, undercurrents are surging. Once certain individuals with ulterior motives learn of this, they might seize the opportunity to act in ways detrimental to Naruto and the Village!"