The Third Hokage, Master of All Ninjutsu

This time, the two little ones had wronged Kakashi again.

Usually, he either arrived right on time or simply showed up an hour or two late, then shamelessly made up all sorts of absurd excuses to brush it off.

But today was different.

Although Kakashi was still late today, it was not because of his usual dawdling.

In fact, he had gotten up earlier than ever.

Early that morning, he headed straight for the Hokage Building with full focus.

Outside the Hokage's office on the top floor, he raised his hand without hesitation and knocked on the door.

"Come in." An aged yet imposing voice came from within.

Kakashi pushed the door open and entered.

Morning light streamed through the windows, clearly revealing the statues of past Hokage atop Hokage Rock, as well as the thriving streets of Konoha Village in the distance.

Behind the desk sat an old man with an old-fashioned pipe between his lips, looking like a kindly grandfather next door.

He was none other than Konoha Village's current supreme leader, the Third Hokage renowned as the "Professor of Ninjutsu," master of all ninjutsu—Hiruzen Sarutobi.

At the sight of Kakashi, a trace of surprise flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

He set down the document in his hand, lifted his head, and looked through the curling smoke at one of his most capable subordinates. "Oh? Kakashi. What brings you here so early?"

Hiruzen was somewhat puzzled.

By all rights, Kakashi should have been leading Team 7 on their most basic commissioned mission today.

He should have been with those three young students right now, so why had he suddenly come here?

Kakashi did not exchange pleasantries. His expression was exceptionally grave, even unusually solemn.

He walked up to the desk and said seriously, "Lord Third Hokage, forgive the interruption. I've encountered some... bizarre and inexplicable circumstances that I believe must be reported to you immediately."

Seeing the unprecedented seriousness on Kakashi's face, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help but tense up.

He understood Kakashi's personality.

The boy usually appeared lazy and carefree, but in truth he was meticulous and observant. He would never lose his composure like this without reason.

Anything Kakashi described as "bizarre" was likely no trivial matter.

"Sit down and tell me slowly, Kakashi."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed to the chair in front of the desk, signaling for him to sit. At the same time, he set his pipe aside, his expression turning focused. "What exactly happened? Don't rush. Explain it clearly."

"Yes."

Kakashi sat down as instructed. After taking a moment to organize his thoughts, he reported every strange event from the past two nights to the Third Hokage in full.

"...That is what happened."

Kakashi's voice was low and solemn. "Starting late the night before last, whenever my two subordinates, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, and I fall asleep, our consciousnesses are forcibly pulled into a dim space resembling a screening room. In that space, we cannot move, nor can we use most ninjutsu. We can only watch, like spectators, the dream of Naruto Uzumaki playing on the enormous screen in front of us."

"Watching... Naruto's dream?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows suddenly furrowed, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Such a thing exists?"

"Yes." Kakashi nodded gravely. "And the dreams the three of us witnessed were completely identical. Afterward, Sasuke, Sakura, and I carefully compared our experiences and confirmed that these were not separate illusions, but a real experience shared by multiple people. But strangely, Naruto himself is completely unaware of it. When he wakes up, he only remembers having some... well, dreams that suit his personality."

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.

He took a deep pull from his pipe, his brow knitting even tighter as if he were trying to process this unbelievable information.

Forcibly dragging several people's consciousnesses into the same shared space... playing a specific person's dreams... while the person whose dream was being shown remained completely unaware...

This... was simply absurd!

But the person saying it was Kakashi.

Kakashi Hatake, who had been gifted since childhood, calm and rational, highly accomplished, and deeply trusted by him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew Kakashi well. He would never spout nonsense, much less joke about his students and missions.

That meant everything Kakashi had said was true.

"What exactly did the dream contain?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in a grave voice, his expression incomparably serious.

What worried him most was whether the mastermind had done something to Naruto through the dreams, or intended to probe the secret of the Nine-Tails.

At those words, Kakashi's body stiffened slightly.

Here it came—the most critical question.

Images from last night's dream surfaced uncontrollably in his mind.

Kushina's gentle smile, Minato-sensei's warm gaze, that cozy home that had seemed too good to be real...

And Naruto's unprecedented expression, so happy that tears ran down his face... as well as Sakura's innocent, childlike comment...

Kakashi swallowed, unable to calm the turmoil in his heart.

How should I put this? Should I tell the Third Hokage directly that we saw the Fourth Hokage and his wife alive in Naruto's dream? That we saw the home that had long been sealed away? That we saw Minato-sensei personally teaching Naruto the Rasengan?

After weighing it for a moment, Kakashi took a deep breath. He raised his head to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi's sharp gaze and, keeping his tone as calm as possible, omitted the most sensitive parts.

"The dream's content... was rather strange. Naruto fantasized about defeating Sasuke, becoming the strongest in Team 7, having Sakura confess to him, and being adored by the villagers... In short, they were just some... absurd yet amusing dreams fitting for a boy his age."

Kakashi paused, then added, "Although the content of the dreams appears harmless, even a little ridiculous, the ability to forcibly drag other people's consciousnesses into a shared dream space is itself extremely bizarre and dangerous. And the other party's target is clearly Naruto! I'm worried..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly without interrupting.

He noticed that when Kakashi described the dreams, there had been a brief flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

Given what he knew of Kakashi, there had to be something he was withholding.

However, he did not expose him on the spot.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe again and took two light puffs. Behind the drifting smoke, he narrowed his eyes, and a sharp glint flashed through them.

After pondering for a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "This phenomenon... even your Sharingan cannot detect anything unusual?"

Kakashi shook his head and answered firmly, "No. From the moment I entered that space, I kept my Sharingan activated and observed everything. But neither the surroundings nor the images on the screen showed the slightest trace of chakra flow, nor any sign of genjutsu. I tried using Substitution Jutsu and Body Flicker, but both failed. It seems... that space itself has some special rule that seals our abilities."

He continued, "After last night's mission ended, I specifically went to the ANBU archives and consulted every record concerning genjutsu, secret mental techniques, space-time barriers, even forbidden techniques related to dreams and souls... but found nothing. No known jutsu can explain what we encountered."

"So... I had no choice but to seek the counsel of the Hokage known as the 'Professor of Ninjutsu.'"

After hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi sank into even deeper thought.

With his pipe between his lips, his brows tightly furrowed, deep contemplation flickered in his clouded eyes.

The phenomenon Kakashi described truly exceeded his understanding.

Forcibly pulling multiple consciousnesses into a shared dream space... playing a specific person's dreams... even the Sharingan could not see through it...

Such an ability...

He exhausted everything he had learned in his lifetime, searching through every record in his mind concerning ninjutsu, forbidden techniques, and even ancient legends...

Yet he had never heard of it.

Could it be some unprecedented kekkei genkai? Or perhaps... a mental secret technique even stranger than genjutsu? Or... some lost power connected to the era of the Six Paths Sage?

One guess after another flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, only to be dismissed one by one.

Even this "Professor of Ninjutsu" could not help but feel at a loss.

After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke slowly and gravely. "...It is indeed extremely strange. Even I have never heard of such a jutsu."

He took a deep breath of smoke and exhaled a thick, heavy cloud. His gaze abruptly sharpened. "Then what about Naruto? According to you, he appears completely unaware of this. Over the past two days, has he displayed any abnormalities? For example, mental fatigue? Chaotic chakra? Or... has the dream content affected his emotions or behavior?"

This was what concerned him most.

No matter what the mysterious entity's purpose was, as long as Naruto himself was safe, there was still room to maneuver.

Kakashi immediately replied, "No. Naruto is completely normal!"

He thought for a moment, then added, "Aside from... perhaps being a little more excited than usual these past two days because he had good dreams, there is nothing unusual. His chakra is stable, and he is in good spirits."

That was also what puzzled Kakashi.

What exactly did that mysterious entity want?

"I see..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows relaxed slightly at those words, and he let out a breath of relief.

As long as Naruto was unharmed, that was enough.

He fell into thought once more.

This matter contained too much that was bizarre and unknown. Before they understood the other party's identity and intentions, it was indeed unwise to act rashly.

A moment later, Hiruzen Sarutobi made up his mind and said firmly, "Kakashi, this is no trivial matter. Since there is no obvious malice for now, and the other party's target appears to be Naruto alone... do not spread word of this yet."

"Continue leading Team 7 on their daily missions, but secretly observe Naruto's every action closely. Also watch whether that Dream Theater appears again, or whether any new changes occur. Remember: wait and observe. Do not alert the enemy."

"As for the investigation..." A glint flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. "Leave it to me. I will use every resource available to uncover what is truly going on behind this."

"Yes, Lord Third Hokage!" Kakashi immediately accepted the order.

Although he had not received a clear answer from the Third Hokage, having the Hokage personally intervene in the investigation was far better than blindly guessing on his own.

He stood and prepared to take his leave.

However, just as he reached the door and his hand was about to touch the handle—

"Wait, Kakashi."

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly called out to stop him.

Kakashi halted and turned around.

At some point, Hiruzen Sarutobi had risen and walked to the window. With his back to Kakashi, he stared at the massive statue of the Fourth Hokage on Hokage Rock outside. His silhouette seemed somewhat lonely and heavy.

Hiruzen slowly tapped the ash from his pipe before turning around. He narrowed his eyes and gave a stern warning.

"Kakashi, when I said 'do not spread word of this,' it was not a suggestion. It is an order! Remember, no third person must learn of this matter besides you and me! Especially... those 'images' you saw in the dream that made you uneasy!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know what Kakashi had concealed, but he could sense that it was the true crux of the matter.

"Once you return, immediately issue a gag order to Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Make them completely forget what they experienced over these past two nights! They are not to mention it to anyone. Not a single word may be leaked!"

"Konoha Village... may appear peaceful now, but undercurrents are stirring beneath the surface. If certain people with ulterior motives learn of this, they may exploit it and do something harmful to Naruto and the village!"