Just as Sasuke, seated in the audience, was about to explode with rage, the dream on the screen shifted once more.
Uzumaki Naruto was now being stared at with shy admiration by Sakura Haruno, her eyes sparkling with dreamy pink bubbles.
Sakura's face was tinted with a bashful blush. With her hands clasped behind her back, she walked toward Naruto awkwardly, her voice syrupy sweet.
"N-Naruto-kun… Oh no! I mean, Naruto Young Master!"
Meanwhile…
Audience.
Sakura: "?????"
Inside her mind, Inner Sakura was stomping around furiously, her head bursting with pound signs.
On the screen…
Dream Sakura continued in that sugary voice that could probably squeeze juice from a stone.
"Naruto Young Master… you were so amazing just now! Sasuke-kun didn't stand a chance against you! You're not just Team 7's strongest… You're the greatest ninja in all of Konoha!"
Naruto lit up with joy, scratching his head bashfully. His eyes squinted in pride as he chuckled, "Well, you know… it was nothing. Sasuke was just a little careless."
"No! Don't be so modest!" Dream Sakura shook her head firmly, her gaze growing even more intense.
"In my heart, you've always been the most incredible ninja. Actually… for a long time now… I—I've really, really liked Naruto Young Master!"
As she spoke, she suddenly gathered her courage, stepped forward, took Naruto's hand, and looked up at him with glistening eyes. Then, with a bold burst of emotion, she confessed,
"I like Naruto Young Master the most! Let's go out!"
Naruto: "!!!!"
He froze in place like he'd been struck by lightning.
His mind went completely blank.
S-she likes me?
Sakura… she actually said she likes me the most?!
Is… is this real?!
I'm not dreaming, am I?!
A massive wave of excitement crashed over Naruto like a tsunami, leaving him breathless with shock and joy.
For a moment, he completely forgot to breathe.
Several seconds passed before he finally snapped back to reality, his cheeks flushed bright red from sheer ecstasy. Looking at the affectionate Sakura in front of him, he felt as if he were floating on clouds.
Happiness had struck too suddenly!
He struggled to maintain his cool, trying to act like a dignified young master. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he did his best to sound composed.
"Cough, cough… S-since Sakura-chan, you… you've said all that… well, seeing how sincere you are… I-I guess I can consider it… Wahahahaha!!"
But in the end, he couldn't hold back anymore. He threw his hands on his hips and burst into a thunderous, triumphant laugh that echoed to the skies.
Boom!!!
In the audience, the real Sakura Haruno's sanity collapsed instantly.
She shot up from her seat, her forehead veins bulging. Her emerald eyes were practically shooting flames.
It was like Inner Sakura had completely taken over. Her delicate-looking pink fists clenched so tightly they cracked, her knuckles turning pale from the pressure.
"Naruto!!!! You hopeless idiot dead last!!! How dare you dream something like this?! Ahhhhhhh!!! I'm going to kill you!!!"
Her voice exploded with killing intent!
If they weren't trapped in this strange place, she would've charged in and pounded Naruto into dust without hesitation.
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Sakura Haruno captured! Emotion Value +1000!!
Compared to Sakura's fury, Sasuke, seated beside her, looked absolutely repulsed. His expression twisted in visible disgust, like he had just witnessed something revolting. Without a word, he shifted his seat farther away from her, clearly disturbed.
Boring…
These two idiots…
Kakashi sighed and shook his head helplessly, raising a hand to his forehead.
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uzumaki Naruto captured! Emotion Value +400!
The dream on the screen continued playing.
Dream Sakura, whose confession had just been "reluctantly" accepted by Naruto, was now clinging to his arm like a delicate little bird, her voice sugary sweet as she cooed, "That's wonderful! Naruto Young Master, then… then let's go on a date right now. I want to go shopping!"
"Of course! No problem at all. Wherever Sakura-chan wants to go, I'll go with you!"
Dream Naruto was radiating the aura of a man who had everything. He waved grandly, agreeing like a true hero basking in glory.
Hand in hand, the two walked off sweetly from the training ground and arrived on the lively streets of Konoha Village.
And soon, Naruto noticed something truly bizarre.
Normally, whenever he walked through the village, he was met with glares of fear, disdain, wariness, or cold indifference from the townspeople.
As if he were a plague or a monster.
But today…
"Oh! Isn't that Naruto Young Master? You're looking good today!" a cheerful vegetable vendor aunt called out warmly, even handing him a large, ripe tomato with a big smile.
"Naruto Young Master, isn't it time for a new outfit? Come check out our shop! We'll give you twenty percent off!" the clothing shop owner chimed in with a wave.
And then, something even more surprising.
A graceful woman in a red kimono, holding the hand of a timid five- or six-year-old boy, walked up to Naruto with admiration written all over her face.
"Naruto Young Master, good day," she said, bowing respectfully before turning to the little boy. "Ryota, look closely. This is Naruto Young Master. From today onward, you must take him as your role model, train hard, and become an incredible ninja just like him. Do you understand?"
The little boy nodded slowly, not fully understanding, but his eyes sparkled with admiration as he looked up at Naruto.
The woman turned to Naruto again, her tone filled with genuine concern. "Naruto Young Master, is your training going well lately? You must take care of yourself."
Naruto was completely stunned.
He stood frozen in place, flustered, his heart pounding like a drum.
What… what was happening?
The villagers… were smiling at him?
They were… concerned about him?
They were… praising him?
And they were calling him… Naruto Young Master?
This… this was—
Since he was a child, he had never known anything like this.
He had always been the outcast, ignored and rejected. People treated him like a monster.
Now, an indescribable sense of warmth and happiness washed over him, like a tide of sunlight melting into every corner of his heart.
His eyes began to blur with tears. He couldn't help it.
Was this real?
Was this really happening?
Or was it… just a dream that was far too beautiful?
Though a small part of him wondered why everyone was calling him "Young Master," that question quickly faded into the background.
Compared to the overwhelming joy he was feeling, it didn't matter at all.
"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Auntie, for asking! I'm doing great! Training's not hard at all!"
Naruto finally snapped out of his daze, wiping at his eyes with the back of his sleeve. A wide, goofy, but sincerely happy smile spread across his face.
He responded clumsily to every villager who greeted him, waving back, his heart full.
He kept walking, taking his time, cheerfully saying hello to everyone he passed, soaking in this long-awaited warmth and acceptance like it was the sun after a lifetime of rain.
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uzumaki Naruto captured! Emotion value +2000!
In the audience, Sakura and Sasuke didn't feel much at all while watching Naruto being admired by the villagers.
Sasuke, who had grown up basking in the praise of his clan and the attention of countless girls, was already used to this kind of treatment. He found it tiresome at best.
Sakura, after getting over her initial fury, found the scene even more dull.
"Honestly… isn't just walking around greeting people a bit boring?" she muttered, letting out a small yawn.
Only Kakashi, quietly observing Naruto's joyful face on the screen, remained thoughtful.
He sighed, a subtle sound that carried the weight of many memories. His lone, visible eye reflected a tangle of emotions.
There was relief, watching Naruto enjoy something he had long deserved.
There was sympathy, knowing how deeply this dream must be touching him.
There was helplessness, the kind that came from being unable to change the past.
And finally, there was sadness, for this fleeting moment of happiness Naruto could only find in a dream.
As one of the very few people who truly knew about Naruto's background, Kakashi understood better than anyone how distant this cheerful illusion was from reality.
This dream, full of warmth and laughter, only made the harshness of Naruto's real life stand out even more.
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Kakashi Hatake captured! Emotion value +500!
On the screen, Naruto continued to soak in the love and joy surrounding him.
In this moment, he felt like he owned the entire world.
He was the most popular person in the village, the one everyone looked up to and cared for.
The feeling was incredible. So incredible, he never wanted to wake up.
He ran around the streets, greeting villagers with bright eyes, his smile never fading.
Time slipped by quickly, carried on waves of happiness.
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uzumaki Naruto captured! Emotion value +100!
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uzumaki Naruto captured! Emotion value +100!
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uzumaki Naruto captured! Emotion value +100!
Ding! Emotional fluctuation from Uzumaki Naruto captured! Emotion value +100!
Behind the scenes, in the depths of the dark theater, hidden far from the audience's view, Aren was grinning from ear to ear.
He looked at the screen, then at the data pouring into his panel.
The Emotion Values were flowing in like a river after a storm.
This… was what satisfaction looked like.
Just as Naruto's joy reached its highest point, the sky in the dream began to slowly darken.
A sudden shift struck without warning.
Just as Naruto was cheerfully saying goodbye to the last kind villager and preparing to head home,a hand suddenly reached out from behind and yanked hard on his ear!
"Ow! Who—?! Ow ow ow!!"He winced, nearly hopping in pain.
Before he could turn around to see who dared pull Naruto Young Master's ear like that,a thunderous voice exploded right beside him—both scolding and oddly familiar in tone:
"Na—ru—to!! I told you to go get soy sauce! Where did you run off to?! It's already dark and you're still not back?!"
As the scolding rang out, the bright and warm scene in front of Naruto—
snapped to black, like a television losing signal in an instant.
The dream was over.