"Yo. Morning, everyone."
Kakashi strolled over lazily.
The three genin were shocked.
The sun rising in the west?
Kakashi-sensei was actually early?!
In reality, Kakashi had left early because he was worried about Sasuke.
The moment he saw Sasuke standing there, he quietly sighed in relief.
"Sasuke, are you alright?"
He stepped closer, scanning Sasuke carefully.
Aside from looking exhausted, Sasuke seemed fine. Kakashi's hanging worry eased.
"I'm fine."
Sasuke looked away and answered tersely.
Kakashi nodded, then said to the three:
"Alright—since everyone's here, we'll start our mission."
…
For the entire morning, Team Seven dashed around the village.
Buying essentials for lonely elders, watching a merchant's pet…
Nothing but dull D-rank chores.
Naruto normally would've been shouting his head off by now, demanding something more challenging.
But today he was unusually quiet.
Because his mind was full of one thing:
How to finish the final stage of Rasengan training as fast as possible.
Sasuke was also absent-minded.
After forcing himself awake all night, his mind and body were at their limit.
Even so, he refused to show fatigue.
At noon, after several errands, Team Seven finally got a short break.
Kakashi, in a rare stroke of good taste, led them to Ichiraku Ramen.
"Yo, what brings all four of you in together?"
Teuchi grinned from behind the counter.
Naruto didn't cheer the way he usually did.
He plopped down, arms crossed, cheeks puffed in a sulk.
Kakashi and Sakura exchanged helpless smiles. They both knew he was still mad at Sasuke.
Sasuke didn't care at all. He sat right beside Naruto without asking and ordered a soy-sauce ramen.
"Boss! I want miso ramen with double chashu!" Naruto immediately shouted in competition.
Soon, the bowls arrived.
All four ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
Naruto tore through ten bowls, growing angrier the more he thought about Sasuke's attitude today.
Sasuke was acting like he'd swallowed a snake—cold, sarcastic, needling at everything.
Naruto slammed his chopsticks down.
"Sasuke, when I master that technique, I will beat you. Just wait."
Sasuke sneered.
"Idiot. If you keep getting addicted to that kind of thing, you'll never become stronger than me."
Sakura rubbed her forehead, exasperated.
"Here we go again…"
Kakashi sighed.
"Alright. Since you're full, let's go finish the missions."
From the kitchen, Shiyu watched their backs as they left, chuckling under his breath.
"Second Pillar… don't be so sure of yourself."
…
After that, Team Seven's day continued the same way—endless trivial tasks.
Only when the sun had nearly set did they finally wrap up.
"Whew—finally done!"
Naruto stretched, exhausted from a full day of busywork. He couldn't wait to go home and sleep.
Kakashi glanced at their sweat-soaked forms and nodded in satisfaction.
"Good work today. That's all. Dismissed!"
The moment he said it, Naruto bolted.
"Later, Kakashi-sensei! Bye, Sakura! Sasuke, get ready to lose to me!"
Watching his retreating back, Sakura laughed lightly.
"What got into him? Why's he suddenly so fired up?"
"Hmph."
Sasuke didn't answer. He stared after Naruto, expression unreadable.
Kakashi looked to Sasuke.
"Are you going back to the clan district tonight?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Of course."
"Maybe don't train tonight. Get some sleep—"
Kakashi tried cautiously.
He really feared Sasuke would collapse if he kept this up.
"No need!"
Sasuke cut him off, firm as iron.
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and strode away in another direction.
…
Night fell.
Uchiha clan ruins.
The deserted streets were swallowed by darkness.
Among the broken walls and shattered houses, starlight leaked through gaps in the roofing, scattering faint specks of glow.
Sasuke stood alone before the wreckage of his home, silent.
At his feet lay seven or eight empty cans—high-concentration stimulants he'd bought in the afternoon.
Even after downing them, drowsiness still rolled over him in waves. His eyelids were heavy as lead.
"Damn…"
He pinched his thigh hard to stay awake.
Then he looked up at the towering rock face in the courtyard.
It was covered with old scorch marks and cut lines—traces from his childhood training sessions with that man.
But now, everything had changed. Only he remained.
Just thinking of that name dragged up a surge of hatred in his chest.
He grit his teeth, then charged the rock wall, planting his feet and climbing rapidly, forcing his body to the brink like he wanted to carve out muscle from sheer madness.
"Hah… hah…"
He didn't know how long he went before his arms finally gave out.
He fell.
"Ghk!"
He crashed down hard, sweating cold from the pain.
His whole body felt shattered. His limbs trembled.
Sasuke forced himself up, tried to stand—
but the world suddenly spun black as bone-deep exhaustion surged like a tide.
"Damn… no…"
He shook his head, fighting to clear the fog in his mind.
But his body had already hit its limit. It refused to obey.
After a sleepless night, a grueling day, and another round of brutal training, Sasuke finally couldn't resist any longer.
His consciousness sank into sleep.
…
Meanwhile, at Naruto's home in Konoha, things looked very different.
After a shower, Naruto flopped onto his bed, refreshed and buzzing with excitement.
He stared at the ceiling, pumping himself up.
"Tonight, as long as I can learn the third stage in my dream, I'll completely master Rasengan! Then I'll make that bastard Sasuke eat his words!"
Imagining that triumphant moment made him laugh out loud.
He rolled over, hugged his pillow, and urged himself to fall asleep faster.
Before long, sleepiness crept in. His eyelids drooped.
He closed his eyes peacefully, letting his awareness blur…
He didn't know how much time passed before he heard someone calling him.
"Naruto?"
Who?
Mom?
Naruto groggily cracked his eyes open.
"Mom…?"
But what he saw wasn't the warm bedroom from his dreams.
Instead, it was a scene he'd never seen before.
The air was cold and still. Everything around him was dark, like he was inside some enormous indoor space.
Ahead of him, a massive screen or curtain loomed, blank and silent.
Behind him, rows of seats stretched into the darkness.
Where… am I?!
Naruto jolted completely awake, scrambling to his feet, scanning the area in alarm.
His heart shot into his throat.
Why was tonight's dream so different?
Shouldn't he be in his bedroom?
How did he end up in this creepy theater instead?
-------
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