In the theater, Hinata's eyes misted.
That mix of sadness and stubborn determination hit her right in the chest.
Naruto-kun… has he always been this strong?
Even in his dreams, he's still working so hard.
Admiration and tenderness welled up in her even more.
Sakura, on the other hand, shrugged like it was nothing.
"See? Dream-Naruto has parents, so he's a bit calmer than usual."
Kakashi nodded absently, eyes on the screen.
On-screen, Kushina ruffled Naruto's hair with a grin.
"Alright, don't sulk. Eat before it gets cold. When you're done, go practice in the backyard. Your dad will check your results when he's back."
"Heh, yeah!"
Naruto brightened instantly. He demolished breakfast in seconds.
"I'll surprise him when he gets back!"
He dashed outside to the backyard training area, where wooden targets and posts sat neatly arranged.
Naruto pulled out a fresh rubber ball, steadied his breathing, and gathered chakra.
A pale blue swirl formed in his palm, humming low. He focused, controlling the flow—driving it into the ball.
But only two or three seconds later—
BOOM.
The ball exploded in his hands, fragments flying everywhere.
Naruto froze.
"That… worked?!"
In reality, he'd struggled all day without even cracking a line into the ball. Here, it had shattered with barely any effort.
He stared at the scraps of rubber in disbelief, heat still lingering in his palm.
Why was training in the dream so easy?
Was chakra… more obedient in the dream?
He muttered to himself, stunned.
"It feels like… using chakra here is so smooth… Is this my real strength?"
Kakashi's eye narrowed, thoughtful.
Naruto didn't know it, but in reality the Nine-Tails' seal interfered with his chakra control. In the dream, that interference wasn't there—so his potential came out cleanly, maybe even beyond normal.
"If that's true…" Kakashi's heart tightened.
Sakura looked over, shocked.
"Wait, he succeeded that easily? Kakashi-sensei—is the second stage really that simple?"
Kakashi shook his head grimly.
"It's not. The Fourth Hokage took three years to develop this jutsu."
Hinata, barely following the technical talk, didn't care about that part. She clasped her hands and whispered in awe:
"Naruto-kun is amazing…"
Her cheeks pinked, sweetness blooming in her chest.
Dream-Naruto-kun looked so confident under that morning light—so bright and heroic. Somehow… even more handsome than the Naruto she knew.
Hinata stared, completely absorbed.
"Naruto-kun… he looks so different…"
"Huh?" Sakura turned, baffled. "Different how? Isn't he still the dead-last loser?"
Hinata flailed, realizing she'd spoken out loud.
"N-no, I didn't mean that! I just… in the dream, Naruto-kun feels more confident. More… um, handsome and cheerful."
"Handsome? Naruto?" Sakura repeated, expression twisting. She tried to imagine reality-Naruto—always grinning stupidly, loud, messy—
Then she looked at the screen again.
Dream-Naruto was cleaner, sharper, standing taller, smiling with a kind of shining confidence.
She refused to admit it.
"Hmph."
Sakura looked away stubbornly.
…
On-screen, Naruto was still staring at his own progress when Kushina called from inside.
"Naruto—someone's at the door! Go see!"
"Coming!"
Naruto ran to the front, opened the door—
And his eyes nearly popped out.
Standing outside was the dignified, imposing head of the Hyuga clan: Hiashi Hyuga. Half a step behind him stood his eldest daughter, Hinata.
Hiashi wore a dark, formal kimono with a white clan-patterned outer robe. Long purple-black hair fell down his back, and his posture was straight as a spear. His pale eyes looked warm and gentle today, none of the usual chill.
Behind him, Hinata looked nervous. She held a rectangular gift box wrapped in fine cloth, peeking around her father to steal shy glances at Naruto.
"Good morning, Naruto," Hiashi said with a kind smile. "Sorry to come so early. We're not disturbing you, are we?"
Naruto snapped out of it, flustered.
He almost blurted out some nickname—then remembered Mom would scold him.
So he stammered politely instead.
"Uh… my dad isn't home right now… um, but my mom is!"
Trying to sound proper made him even more tangled. He scratched the back of his head.
"If you're here to see my dad… maybe come back later?"
-------
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 (180 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