Early morning.
"Whew… thank goodness Mom didn't just say yes."
Naruto sat up in bed, gasping slightly as he recalled what had happened in last night's dream. His heart was still pounding.
An engagement…?
He had just become a genin. The very thought of that word made his head hurt.
Luckily, in the dream, his mother had gently refused the proposal. If she hadn't, he honestly wouldn't know how to face Hinata right now.
But compared to that, something else weighed heavier on his mind.
Naruto swung his legs off the bed and grabbed the rubber ball he had prepared yesterday from a corner of the room. He held it in his hands, feeling its weight.
Closing his eyes, he focused on the sensation from the dream—how he had trained, how he had manipulated chakra—and began to slowly channel chakra into the ball.
At first glance, nothing seemed to happen. But inside, the ball was being relentlessly twisted and shredded by invisible waves of chakra.
Naruto fixed his eyes on it, sweat forming at his temples. His expression grew intense.
One minute… two…
Time passed silently in the room. His hands began to tremble. He felt his control slipping.
But he didn't give up. Gritting his teeth, he tried to recreate the successful technique from his dream.
In the dream, I did it easily!
"Just hold on a little longer—almost—"
"Pop!"
A sharp crack echoed through the room. Several jagged lines appeared on the rubber ball's surface before it exploded into pieces with a loud bang!
Did it work?
Naruto froze. He looked down at the scraps in his hands. Then his face lit up with uncontainable joy.
"Yes!! Phase two complete!!"
He threw a triumphant fist into the air, a surge of accomplishment flooding through him.
So it's real… even in the waking world, I can grow stronger using what I learned in the dream.
It had taken a lot more effort than in the dream. His chakra control was far rougher, the process more draining—but the result was the same.
Then again…
Naruto's excitement faded slightly as he realized something.
In the dream, I mastered this step in half a day… but here, it took me way longer. My chakra control feels clumsy in comparison.
He frowned.
Does that mean… the me in reality is weaker than the me in the dream?
The thought stung.
But after a brief silence, he shook it off and smiled again, his spirit rekindled.
"No biggie! I'll just train more in the dream!"
With his mood lifted again, Naruto stuffed the shredded rubber ball under the bed, quickly got dressed in his usual bright orange tracksuit, and headed out.
The moment he stepped outside, the crisp morning air hit his face, refreshing and cool.
He walked quickly through the streets of Konoha, then broke into a light jog, heading for the usual training grounds where Team 7 always met.
Along the way, villagers glanced at him in twos and threes. Their expressions shifted—suspicion, distaste, wariness…
As if he wasn't a living person, but a dangerous beast.
Naruto had seen those eyes since he was a kid.
He curled his lip. The dream world was way better.
There, people called him "Young Master Naruto" with warm smiles. They greeted him kindly.
He shook his head, refusing to look at the people whispering about him.
Instead, he quickened his pace, eager to see his teammates.
At the training ground.
Only one person stood there—a girl.
Her cherry-colored hair shimmered faintly in the morning light. Arms crossed, she stood waiting, seemingly lost in thought.
"Sakura!"
Naruto spotted her from afar.
That annoying Sasuke wasn't around—Naruto's face lit up. He ran toward her with a grin.
"Morning!"
Sakura turned at the sound of his voice. But when she saw who it was, her expression instantly soured.
She frowned and took several quick steps back, glaring at Naruto like he was a pest.
Her eyes burned with disgust, as if she couldn't stand the sight of him.
Naruto's cheerful smile froze. He stopped in his tracks.
"S-Sakura-chan…? What's wrong?"
He scratched his head, confused.
That reaction was way too weird. He hadn't done anything to make her mad… had he?
Sakura scoffed and looked away with a dramatic turn of her head.
"Hmph! Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I'm talking about, you womanizing jerk!"
"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Jerk? Wait—are you talking about me?"
"Who else?!" Sakura placed her hands on her hips, eyes wide and fierce. "I can't believe it. You act all innocent, but your dreams are filthy! Who knew you were such a playboy?"
Dreams?
Now Naruto was totally baffled.
How the heck would she know what he dreamt about?
That's not possible… right?
He felt totally wronged, but Sakura refused to explain further. She just kept staring at him like he was a pile of trash.
Naruto squirmed under her glare. Just as he was about to press her for answers, footsteps approached from behind.
Sakura's expression instantly shifted.
She dropped her glare and put on a radiant smile, waving past Naruto.
"Good morning, Sasuke!"
Naruto turned—and there he was. Uchiha Sasuke, walking toward them with his usual brooding face.
Except… there were two dark circles under his eyes.
Looked like someone didn't sleep well last night.
Sakura hurried over to him, eyes full of concern.
"Sasuke, are you okay? You didn't sleep well?"
Her voice dripped with worry.
Naruto felt his chest twist.
He stormed up beside them, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke's face and smirking.
"Oi, Sasuke. What happened to you? Lemme guess—you dreamed about me kicking your butt and couldn't sleep after that?"
Sasuke's brow twitched. He scoffed.
"Idiot."
As if I'd waste time on fake dreams. I resisted the temptation. I trained all night.
Not far away, hidden in the shadows near the training ground wall…
A petite figure peeked out from behind a wall.
Hinata clutched the corner tightly, her cheeks burning red, anxiety written all over her face.
No no no… this is so embarrassing!
She was spying on Naruto, her mind flashing with fragments from last night's dream—wild, intimate images that made her face turn crimson.
Even if it had been her "dream self" doing those things… it was still her.
Just thinking about it made her want to vanish into the ground.
She had come this morning hoping to catch Sakura alone—maybe ask her what the dream really meant.
But Naruto had shown up out of nowhere!
Now she didn't dare come out. All she could do was watch from behind the wall, nervously peeking out.
Then—
"Hinata-neesan, you're spying on Naruto again~"
"Eep!"
Hinata jumped with a start, spinning around to find a mischievous face grinning up at her.
Hanabi.
At some point, her little sister had snuck up behind her.
"Ha-Hanabi?!" Hinata stammered.
"I-I wasn't spying! Don't say weird things!"
Hanabi giggled. "You so were! Your face is all red~"
"I—!"
Hinata flailed, unable to find a comeback. She grabbed her troublesome little sister and bolted.
"D-Don't say stuff like that! Come on—we're going home!"
The two girls vanished down the path, one pulling the other in a flustered panic.
Back at the Hyūga estate, Hinata dove headfirst into her futon, hiding beneath the covers as her racing heart finally began to settle.
"Ugh… Hanabi can be so annoying sometimes…"
She peeked out, only her uneasy eyes visible.
Her mind wandered back to the training ground—Naruto standing beside Sakura.
The image made her chest ache.
A small, quiet sorrow stirred in her heart.
She smiled bitterly and pressed a hand to her hot cheeks.
That dream last night… She still couldn't believe it had happened.
She stared into the dark, thinking and rethinking—then suddenly remembered the Dream Theater.
If I can go back tonight… I need to ask Sakura and Kakashi-sensei some questions…