Sasuke stood in the shadows on the street corner, looking a little hesitant.
Just when Sasuke was in a dilemma, Naruto, who was not far away, suddenly turned his head as if he had noticed something.
"Huh, so you're here, Sass."
Naruto stood on the small bridge at the entrance of the village with his hands on his hips, puffing out his cheeks with an unhappy look on his face.
Thinking about how, because of Sasuke, he had to be a spectator last night, and even the chance to reunite with his parents was taken away.
Seeing Sasuke approaching with a dark face, Naruto mocked him sarcastically: "Didn't you say it very nicely before? In the end, you are worse than me, crying in your dream."
Sasuke's face darkened when he heard this: "You idiot! Stop talking nonsense, what do you know!"
In his dream last night, Naruto saw his embarrassing situation clearly, which made the usually arrogant Sasuke suddenly angry and embarrassed.
Naruto felt even happier when he saw Sasuke getting angry because his sore spot was hit.
"I'm talking nonsense? Humph, Kakashi-sensei and Sakura saw it! And, you thief! That dream was originally mine!"
"Thief?" Sasuke snapped back indignantly. "I can't control something like that! And..." He gritted his teeth, recalling the dream where his parents were still alive, a complex emotion flashing through his heart, "That dream... wasn't yours."
Neither of them was willing to back down. They stared each other down, noses nearly touching as the tension between them grew.
Their faces inched closer and closer, as if they were about to butt heads.
At that moment, a sharp female voice suddenly rang out from the side.
"What are you two doing?!"
Sakura had arrived. When she saw the scene in front of her, she immediately stepped between them, blocking one with each hand and forcing them apart. "Cool it! What do you think you're doing, fighting this early in the morning?!"
"Sakura, don't stop me!" Naruto was shoved a couple of steps back by her, still glaring at Sasuke with frustration. "I've gotta teach this stubborn jerk a lesson today!"
"Who are you calling a jerk?" Sasuke growled, being held back on the other side.
"Alright, enough, both of you!" Sakura scolded, exasperated. She held each of them firmly by the shoulders, maintaining a one-arm distance between them.
She gave them both an unamused glare.
"Naruto, Sasuke calm down. We're teammates."
Naruto and Sasuke both turned their heads away, refusing to look at each other. Clearly, neither was willing to admit defeat.
Sakura glanced between the two, seeing the stubborn anger written all over their faces. She sighed inwardly, feeling helpless.
Why are these two always such a pain?
Just then, a lazy voice drifted over from behind them.
"You three sure are lively this early in the morning."
Naruto and Sasuke instinctively glanced at each other, then both scoffed and turned away again with a huff.
Sakura quietly let go of their shoulders and turned around. Standing a few steps away was none other than their laid-back teacher.
"Sensei Kakashi!" Sakura called out, as if seeing a lifeline. "You're finally here! If you hadn't come, they would've started fighting!"
Kakashi dropped his usual relaxed smile and raised his hands slightly toward the two tense boys. "Alright, alright, no need to get so worked up. What happened?"
"What else?" Naruto grumbled. "It's about that dream last night "
But just as he started to explain, he caught Sasuke's glare and instantly shut his mouth.
Sasuke clearly didn't want to bring up everything that happened in his dream. He gave a low grunt and turned his head away, silently warning Naruto not to say another word.
Kakashi, sharp as ever, immediately picked up on the mood.
Scratching the back of his head, he said lazily, "It was just a dream, no need to take it too seriously. Alright, stop brooding over it. We've got a mission to carry out today, so let's focus on that."
Naruto and Sasuke were still glaring at each other with lingering resentment, but since the teacher had spoken, they didn't dare keep arguing openly. Both of them just snorted and looked away.
Sakura finally let out a long sigh of relief. At least the storm had passed temporarily.
Kakashi, seeing that the tension had eased, was about to change the subject to lighten the mood when suddenly
A dark figure landed beside them without warning, so fast that they barely saw the movement.
The man wore a dark bodysuit, a gray-white vest, and a cat-faced mask. It was a member of Konoha's Anbu.
Kakashi's expression turned serious. He stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
The Anbu knelt on one knee and reported respectfully, "Senior Kakashi, the Hokage has summoned you."
Kakashi was briefly surprised, but quickly realized it must be related to the dream incidents.
His expression turned sharp, and he confirmed, "Right now?"
"Yes. Lord Hokage is waiting in the office." The Anbu didn't elaborate. With a flicker, his figure vanished without a trace.
Kakashi stood silently for a moment, then turned to his three students and said apologetically, "Sorry, looks like today's mission is cancelled. You should all head back and rest."
"Huh? We're disbanding already?" Naruto groaned, visibly disappointed. He had been hoping for a thrilling mission.
"Tch. Lame," Sasuke muttered with a cold snort, not bothering to argue.
Sakura also looked a little disappointed, but nodded in understanding given the circumstances.
"I'll update you once things are settled," Kakashi added, before disappearing in the same instant movement used by the Anbu.
He glanced at Naruto and Sasuke and gave them a final warning. "And you two enough with the petty arguments, alright?"
Unexpectedly, both boys turned away at the same time and muttered in unison, "Got it…"
Kakashi sighed and shook his head with a helpless smile. "These two brats…"
As Sasuke and Naruto walked off in opposite directions, Sakura hesitated for a moment. She glanced at Naruto, then at Sasuke's retreating back cold and distant as ever.
In the end, she made a decision and jogged after Sasuke.
Given everything that had happened, she was more worried about him than usual.
Kakashi stood alone for a moment, watching their backs fade into the distance. With a deep sigh, he murmured, "They really are a handful…"
At the entrance to the Hokage's office.
Kakashi took a moment to neaten his clothes and composed himself before knocking on the door.
"Come in," came an aged yet authoritative voice from inside the room.
Kakashi pushed the door open.
Inside, he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi seated behind his desk, his gaze lowered as he fiddled with the crystal ball in front of him.
His pipe rested nearby, greenish smoke curling into the air, leaving a faint scent of tobacco that lingered in the room.
Kakashi instantly recognized the crystal ball.
It was the medium used for the "Telescope Technique" a surveillance ninjutsu that allowed the Hokage to observe nearly every corner of Konoha from afar.
"Hokage-sama." Kakashi stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
Sarutobi lifted his head. Upon seeing Kakashi, the deep lines on his face softened into a warm smile.
"So it's you, Kakashi. Thank you for coming."
Kakashi's single visible eye grew more serious. He got straight to the point. "Is this about what we saw in the dream world, Lord Hokage?"