The auditorium sat deep in darkness.
Aren stood hidden in the shadows, his eyes glinting with quiet surprise.
Naruto's performance in the dream had been… outstanding.
Compared to the real-world Naruto who had just barely scraped through graduation at the bottom of his class the Naruto on screen now looked more like he'd already returned from two years of training with Jiraiya.
He cast advanced jutsu with practiced ease.
He moved with calm, deliberate precision.
He defeated Sasuke cleanly, without relying on brute force or luck.
It was an impressive display.
Aren couldn't help but nod in admiration.
It seems the Nine-Tails really was more of a burden than a blessing in Naruto's early days.
Naruto never lacked chakra. His physical endurance was naturally high. But with the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, not only was a large amount of chakra constantly being diverted to maintain the seal, but the residual influence of the Nine-Tails' chakra interfered with his control over his own.
On top of that, no one ever taught him properly not in his early years.
Left to fend for himself, it had taken years before Naruto reached his true potential.
In this dream world, without those shackles… Naruto's strength was on full display.
Aren pulled open his system panel.
[Dreamer this cycle: Uchiha Sasuke]
[Current viewers: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi]
[Total emotional value gained: 28,900 points!]
[Current emotional point balance: 110,150 points!]
Aren's lips curled in satisfaction.
Thanks to Naruto's intense rollercoaster of emotion rage, pride, shock, awe business had been very good the last two days.
He tapped the system's level interface.
[Current Dreamweaver Level: Level 2 (164,650 / 200,000)]
At this rate, another two days at most and he'd hit the threshold for the next upgrade.
A system level-up always came with new options three unique choices, each potentially game-changing.
Just imagining it made him excited.
What kind of power would unlock next time?
Sasuke opened his eyes slowly.
He lay still in bed for a moment, his mind replaying flashes from the night before.
The dream hadn't faded.
It lingered vivid, sharp, and deeply unsettling.
He reached up and rubbed his forehead, which was still slightly sore.
His brows knit together in thought.
He muttered to himself.
The word had come from Naruto during that strange conversation in the dream, after the fight.
But now that he was awake, it echoed differently in his mind.
What had that dream really been?
A shared hallucination?
Or something else entirely?
At the end of the dream, Naruto's voice still lingered in Sasuke's ears:
"Why haven't you used any illusions yet? I've been on guard for a long time."
The words echoed, tugging at something in Sasuke's chest.
He knew the Sharingan was the Uchiha clan's bloodline limit. It granted incredible powers enhanced perception, the ability to copy techniques, and the rare ability to cast or see through genjutsu.
The night he first awakened his Sharingan was also the night his clan was slaughtered.
Since then, no one had taught him how to wield those powers properly. The only scrolls left behind were basic fire-style techniques nothing about genjutsu, nothing about truly unlocking the Sharingan's potential.
No wonder Naruto asked that in the dream.
Could it be… the version of himself in the dream did know how to use illusion?
Sasuke's heart stirred.
In the dream, the Uchiha clan still existed.
His father and brother were alive.
He grew up surrounded by kin received their teachings and inherited their strength.
Of course that version of himself would know genjutsu.
The more Sasuke thought about it, the more unsettled he felt. He slowly clenched his fists.
That dream... It wasn't like a normal dream at all.
It had depth. Detail. Emotion.
And Naruto he'd thought Sasuke was capable of genjutsu. He'd prepared for it.
Was it really all fake?
Or... some reflection of reality that could have been?
Sasuke shook his head and took a deep breath, pushing the thoughts away.
There was no point in chasing dreams.
Right now, in this world, he had no one to teach him genjutsu.
All he could do was move forward step by step.
In another part of the village, Naruto jolted upright in bed.
He blinked blearily at the ceiling for a few seconds, then the events of the dream crashed into him like a wave and his eyes lit up.
That confident, calm version of himself… The one who could use Wind Style, Shadow Clones, taijutsu, everything with perfect control
He jumped out of bed and planted his feet triumphantly.
With hands on his hips, he laughed toward the ceiling.
"I can't believe it! I was so amazing in that dream! Sasuke didn't stand a chance! That's the future Hokage for you! Believe it!"
The proud laughter echoed through his tiny, empty apartment.
Naruto grinned from ear to ear, chest puffed out in pride.
Then, as if struck by inspiration, he suddenly leapt back onto his bed, landing in a "cool" crouch.
He quickly formed a few hand signs, imitating the stylish poses he remembered from the dream.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu !"
He dramatically pointed forward, even though no clones appeared.
He paused, blinking at his empty bedroom.
"Oh... right. I didn't actually learn that part yet…"
Still, the energy didn't fade from his face.
Naruto raised a fist with fiery determination.
"Just wait, dream me! I'm gonna catch up for real! Someday, I'll be even cooler than you!"
He struck another over-the-top pose, full of vigor.
At that moment, outside the window, the morning sun peeked over the rooftops of Konoha.
A single shuriken spun through the air and struck the wall with a dull thud.
Standing dramatically in the center of his cramped apartment, Naruto pointed at it with confidence and declared loudly, "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
...Of course, the spectacular barrage of shadow-shuriken from his dream didn't materialize.
All that greeted him was the one lonely shuriken embedded in the wall.
But Naruto didn't care.
"Haha! Man, that was awesome!" he beamed. "The me in that dream was seriously cool!"
Buzzing with excitement, he launched into recreating every move he could remember.
He took a deep breath, puffed out his cheeks, and exhaled with gusto.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A faint breeze stirred.
The curtain at the window fluttered slightly… and that was it.
Still unfazed, Naruto somersaulted into a spinning kick, copying the mid-air strike from the dream. He even made his own sound effects fwshhh! as if he'd really summoned a whirlwind beneath his feet.
He twirled and tumbled, leaping from the bed, throwing punches at the air, and mimicking dramatic poses like he was already the village's strongest ninja.
He had no idea how much time passed like that.
Eventually, out of breath, he collapsed back onto his mattress.
The room fell quiet again.
Naruto stared at the ceiling, his smile slowly fading. His gaze drifted to his open palm.
"…But I really don't know any of those jutsu," he whispered to himself.
Blue chakra flickered to life in his palm, forming a swirling vortex but it remained unstable, flickering and sputtering, refusing to take shape.
"…Still just a half-baked Rasengan."
His voice was soft, almost bitter.
"The secret technique Dad taught me… maybe I'll never be able to master it…"
He let the incomplete chakra vanish and sat up, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish sigh.
A little while later, Naruto finished changing and left the apartment, jogging toward the training grounds where Team 7 usually met.
Despite the creeping doubts in his heart, the dream's lingering energy made his steps feel lighter than usual.
When he arrived, Sakura was already waiting in the clearing.
She spotted him and waved. "Naruto! Good morning!"
"Morning, Sakura!" Naruto grinned back. "Is Kakashi-sensei here yet?"
He looked around the field.
No sign of their teacher. Typical.
Kakashi-sensei being late was nothing new but today he seemed even later than usual.
Just as Naruto tilted his head in confusion, he heard footsteps behind him.
Sasuke emerged from a narrow forest path, hands in his pockets, expression calm as always.
The moment Naruto saw him, a wicked grin spread across his face.
He darted forward and intercepted Sasuke mid-step, puffing up like a rooster.
Sasuke glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "…What."
Naruto wagged a finger at him smugly. "I didn't expect that, you know…"
He dragged the sentence out dramatically.
"That even in your dream, you got beaten by me!" Naruto beamed. "Totally crushed! Hahaha!"
He smacked his knee and laughed. "Man, Sasuke, you were so lame! You got kicked into a tree! You even dropped your kunai! Pfft !"
Sasuke's expression darkened like a thundercloud.