Naruto was half-squatting, panting, his arms so sore they felt dead.
He'd practiced for hours, and the rubber ball still wouldn't burst.
"Damn it!" He bit down hard, face full of frustration. "It didn't feel this hard in the dream!"
He sucked in a breath and set the ball in his left palm again, pressing his right hand over it.
The fresh chakra he'd only just started to awaken through this training gathered in his palm. Naruto tried to recall the dream's key points, forcing the chakra to spin like a vortex.
One second… two seconds…
A faint disturbance began to stir in his palm. The ball dented slightly, wobbling in response.
But quickly the chakra lost control and scattered.
The ball bounced back to normal with a pop, completely intact.
Naruto slumped down on the ground, arms too numb to lift.
He panted and stared at the ball, muttering, "What is this… controlling chakra in real life is way harder than in a dream!"
He remembered how easily he'd finished the first stage in the dream. But now, trying to practice the second stage in reality, he'd made almost no progress.
Nearby, Sakura and Sasuke had long since stopped what they were doing, watching Naruto struggle.
Sakura snickered. "Pff… Naruto, stop wasting your effort."
Naruto flushed and shouted back stubbornly, "This is a super-awesome ultimate move! Once I learn it, Sakura-chan will see how amazing I am!"
Sakura scoffed. "Yeah right. Some 'ultimate move' you learned in a dream? Wake up, Naruto. A dream is a dream—don't take it seriously."
Naruto panicked, face red. "In the dream… the person who taught me, he was—he was…"
He cut himself off midway and changed course. "Anyway, I'm definitely gonna learn it!"
Just as he finished speaking, a lazy voice drifted over from the distance:
"Yo~~ everyone. Sorry, sorry to keep you waiting."
They all looked up.
Kakashi strolled over under the midday sun with hands in his pockets, casual as ever.
His forehead protector was slanted over his left eye, his mask covering half his face, the visible right eye smiling like a crescent moon.
"Sorry, sorry. I ran into a little trouble on the way."
"Kakashi-sensei!!" Sakura snapped immediately, temper flaring.
"Do you even know what time it is?!"
She pointed at the blazing sun. "Being late is one thing, but this time you're late until noon! Are you kidding me—"
"Yeah yeah!" Naruto jumped in too. "We waited till we were starving!"
Kakashi scratched the back of his head and laughed it off. "Ahaha, my bad, my bad. Couldn't be helped… On the way here, I got lost on the road of life, so I was delayed for a while."
Naruto and Sakura both froze. "Huh??"
Lost on the road of life?
What kind of garbage excuse was that?!
They stared at each other, so stunned they forgot to keep yelling.
Sasuke just clicked his tongue and looked away. "More nonsense."
Seeing three faces screaming we don't believe you, Kakashi coughed dryly and waved. "Anyway, lunch is on me today. Eat whatever you want."
"Really?" Naruto's eyes went wide.
All of his anger vanished in a second. He threw his hands up, cheering. "Yes! I want Ichiraku ramen! Tons of chashu ramen!"
He bolted toward the village like Kakashi might take it back if he hesitated. "Let's go, let's go! I'm ordering a bunch!"
Sakura had been ready to roast Kakashi some more, but Naruto was already gone.
She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "That idiot… honestly…"
Kakashi watched Naruto disappear toward the trees, smiling as if he didn't mind the complaints.
But once Naruto's figure vanished around the bend, the smile faded from Kakashi's eye.
He turned slowly to face the two who remained.
The lazy air was gone. In its place was a gravity they'd never seen from him before.
"Sasuke. Sakura."
Kakashi's voice dropped low, his visible eye locking onto them.
"I need to ask you something—did either of you tell anyone about last night's dream?"
Sasuke and Sakura both froze.
Kakashi's sudden seriousness caught them off guard.
They exchanged a glance, seeing surprise—and a trace of unease—in each other's eyes.
"No," Sasuke answered first, certain. "I live alone. There's no one to tell."
Sakura nodded fast. "Me neither! My parents are civilians, and… even if I wanted to talk about it I wouldn't know how. Plus you told us not to spread it, Kakashi-sensei. How could I dare say anything?"
Hearing their confirmation, Kakashi visibly relaxed.
"Good." His voice sank even lower. "Remember—keep it that way. You must not mention this to anyone, especially the details of what happened in the dream."
Sakura nodded, even though she still didn't get why a dream had to be treated like an S-rank secret.
Sasuke didn't speak, but his face had already tightened with seriousness.
Kakashi looked at them both, then said quietly, "I can't tell you much. Just know this: that wasn't a normal dream. So no talking about it. Understood?"
"Yes!" They answered together, still confused, still burning with curiosity, but obedient all the same.
They'd never heard Kakashi speak like this before. The seriousness clearly went beyond their imagination.
"Good."
Kakashi's eye curved back into his usual smile.
He ruffled both their heads and returned to his familiar lazy tone. "Let's go before Naruto orders every last slice of chashu in the shop."
With that, he turned and strolled after Naruto's path.
Sakura chuckled and hurried after him.
Sasuke lagged half a step behind.
After a few paces, he couldn't help glancing back at the empty training ground, Kakashi's words echoing in his head.
If the dream were totally false, there wouldn't be a problem saying it out loud…
If Kakashi-sensei wants to seal our mouths, then that means…
It meant that those ridiculous scenes in the dream likely weren't Naruto's personal fantasy at all.
There was something real hidden inside.
Sasuke's fist tightened inside his pocket.
"Sasuke? What are you spacing out for? Come on!" Sakura called from ahead.
Sasuke looked up. Sakura was waving at him in the distance, while Kakashi and Naruto were already out of sight.
"Coming."
He shoved the questions down for now and quickened his pace to catch up.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (168 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (180 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (110 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (170 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (68 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (110 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (60 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (100 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (50 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (50 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it