The Uchiha Clan Celebration Banquet

Sakura looked at Sasuke beside her in surprise, unable to understand why he had suddenly reacted so intensely.

Sasuke, who had been calmly watching the screen just moments ago, now had constricted pupils and a drastically changed expression. Even his breathing had become rapid.

Sakura asked softly, worried, "Sasuke, what's wrong?"

[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Sakura Haruno! Emotion Points +500!]

Kakashi noticed Sasuke's unusual behavior and sighed faintly.

He stared intently at the screen, thinking to himself, Naruto's dream... contained far too much information.

"Calm down. This is only Naruto's dream."

However, Sasuke did not respond to Kakashi or acknowledge Sakura's concern. He merely stared fixedly at the screen, his fists clenching unconsciously.

Why... was Mother alive in Naruto's dream?!

What unsettled him even more was this.

The scene in the dream showed that his mother, Mikoto Uchiha, seemed to be extremely close with Naruto's mother—practically inseparable?!

How could that be...? Sasuke's chest rose and fell sharply, his breathing in disarray.

If I keep watching... will I really get to see Mother?

At that thought, Sasuke could no longer suppress his emotions. His body trembled slightly.

The anticipation and excitement in his chest mixed with fear and unease, surging over him like a tide and nearly drowning him.

His breathing grew ragged before the screen, and the reflected light in his black eyes trembled without end.

[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Sasuke Uchiha! Emotion Points +1000!]

[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Sasuke Uchiha! Emotion Points +500!]

In the shadows, Shigure looked at the sharply rising Emotion Points on the system panel and grinned from ear to ear.

He rubbed his hands excitedly.

"Just as expected of 'Second Pillar'... He usually doesn't make a move, but when he does, it's a massive haul of Emotion Points!"

On the screen, the dream continued—

Naruto Uzumaki was sitting beside his dining table, his face full of confusion and puzzlement.

He scratched the back of his head and muttered, "That's weird. Why would that annoying Sasuke invite me to his celebration banquet?"

After all, he had never heard of any Uchiha celebration banquet, and given Sasuke's usual attitude toward him, there was no way Sasuke would take the initiative to invite him to one.

Dream Naruto was utterly baffled, but he did not ask any further questions. Assuming it was his mother's arrangement, he obediently got up to wash up.

Before long, Naruto finished washing up and returned to the table feeling refreshed. He happily enjoyed a lavish breakfast with his parents.

"Mom's cooking is so good!" Naruto said with a blissful expression.

[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Naruto Uzumaki! Emotion Points +500!]

Seeing her son wolfing down his food, Kushina smiled gently.

Minato also curled his lips into a faint smile.

After breakfast, Minato Namikaze put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said apologetically to his wife and son, "Sorry, Kushina, Naruto. I still have some official business to handle, so I can't go with you. You two head over to the Uchiha Clan District first. I'll come as soon as I'm done with my work."

"Aww—"

Naruto could not help pouting in disappointment, dragging out the sound.

He had wanted to take advantage of dishwashing time to ask his father about the secret to training the "second stage," but before he could say anything, his father was already leaving.

The light in Naruto's eyes dimmed slightly. He could only nod. "All right. Then hurry over, Dad."

Minato apologetically patted Naruto's head, then rose and left.

After the door closed, Naruto pouted as he cleared the table. "Hmph, Dad really is something else. He's always got endless work to do."

Though he complained, Naruto still obediently gathered the bowls and chopsticks and ran off to wash the dishes alone.

[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Naruto Uzumaki! Emotion Points +100!]

Kushina smiled approvingly at the sight. She stepped forward to help dry the dishes and said warmly, "Naruto, stop grumbling. Your father is busy for the village too. It's fine if we arrive a little late."

"Mm..."

Naruto nodded gloomily and said nothing more.

He quickly finished washing the dishes and dried his hands.

By then, Kushina had already prepared everything they needed and called from the entrance, "Naruto, let's go! Don't keep Sasuke and the others waiting too long~"

Naruto answered and hurried over to put on his shoes.

Mother and son left the house and headed toward the Uchiha Clan District.

It was early morning, and sunlight spilled across the streets of Konoha Village.

Following beside Kushina, Naruto noticed that every villager they encountered along the way greeted them with warm, respectful smiles.

"Good morning, Lady Kushina!"

"Good morning, Young Master Naruto!"

Quite a few neighbors greeted them warmly.

The people who had always looked at him coldly in reality now felt as warm as a spring breeze.

Naruto was a little unaccustomed to it at first, but soon an indescribable joy and satisfaction welled up in his heart.

He straightened his back and smiled as he returned the greetings of every villager. His bright smile was like a warm golden sun.

[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Naruto Uzumaki! Emotion Points +400!]

The three people in the audience exchanged glances at this scene, their feelings becoming complicated as well.

On the screen, Kushina led Naruto through several turns before they soon arrived at a broad district.

The buildings lining both sides of the street were orderly and ancient, and even the air seemed to carry an atmosphere different from the rest of Konoha Village.

Crimson fan-shaped clan emblems could be seen everywhere, proving that this was the territory of the Uchiha clan.

Naruto followed his mother onto a stone-paved path. Quite a few formally dressed clan members passed by, all seemingly heading in the same direction.

He looked around curiously. This was his first time coming to the Uchiha Clan District for a gathering.

Strangely enough, Naruto felt that the surroundings were somewhat unfamiliar.

They differed somewhat from the area where he remembered the Uchiha clan being located.

Yet he could not say exactly what was different.

Maybe he had simply never visited the Uchiha Clan District before?

Naruto scratched his head and did not dwell on it, closely following Kushina as she strode ahead with practiced familiarity.

However, just as the two entered the Uchiha Clan District, Sasuke in the audience suddenly widened his eyes and shot to his feet. "No! This isn't right!"

He cried out, his voice trembling slightly with agitation.

Sakura jumped at his outburst and looked up at Sasuke blankly. "W-What's wrong?"

Sasuke's face had gone pale, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He pointed at the image of the Uchiha district on the screen, his voice rising sharply.

"This isn't our Uchiha compound! The buildings, the roads... none of it is right!"

"Everything about the Uchiha in Naruto's dream... is completely wrong!"

As that string of questions burst from his lips, Sasuke's chest heaved violently, his expression panicked and restless.

Then... what about my parents?

Could they be wrong too?

A flood of questions surfaced in his mind.

Sasuke could not understand why Naruto's dream depicted the Uchiha Clan District as a completely unfamiliar place.

If even the clan district was different, then could the parents in the dream be fake too?

That terrifying thought felt like a knife twisting in Sasuke's heart, making his emotions grow even more intense.

[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Sasuke Uchiha! Emotion Points +1000!]

Kakashi hurriedly stood, staring at Sasuke with knitted brows as he said gravely, "Calm down, Sasuke. What you're seeing... isn't wrong."

He turned back to the screen. The streets and shops reflected there might have seemed utterly unfamiliar to the younger Sasuke, but they made Kakashi's heart tremble.

Those were clearly scenes he remembered well.

Fragments of the past surfaced in Kakashi's mind.

Many years ago, he had accompanied his teacher here several times.

Obito's home was nearby...

Thinking of his deceased dear friend, Kakashi could not help feeling a trace of melancholy and bitterness in his heart.

[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Kakashi Hatake! Emotion Points +500!]

Kakashi explained in a low voice, "Sasuke, what you're seeing is the Uchiha clan's original compound."

"The original compound?" Sasuke froze, unable to react for a moment.

Beside him, Sakura looked blankly from Sasuke to Kakashi, completely bewildered. "What are you talking about? What original compound? I don't understand at all..."

Kakashi raised a hand to signal Sakura to stay calm, then slowly said, "The Uchiha clan originally lived in the central area of Konoha Village, right beside the Hokage Building. It was only later, because of... certain reasons, that they relocated as a whole to the edge of the village."

He paused slightly at the words "certain reasons," a trace of gloom flashing across his face, but he quickly continued, "So what appears in Naruto's dream is precisely the Uchiha clan's original location. Sasuke, it's perfectly normal that you don't recognize it. You were still very young back then and have little memory of this place."

"The original... location..." Sasuke muttered those words, gradually calming down a little amid his shock.

He tried hard to recall fragments of his childhood, but he truly could not remember living near the Hokage Building.

All he remembered was that, ever since he was old enough to remember, the Uchiha clan had lived in that remote part of the village, until... the tragedy that changed his life.

Sasuke's hand clenched involuntarily, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Seeing that Sasuke had calmed down somewhat, Kakashi did not say anything further.

He lowered his eyes as well and turned his gaze back to the scene on the screen, but inwardly, he could not help marveling.

Even the Uchiha Clan District's old location from before the relocation appeared in Naruto's dream... This kid had never been exposed to those hidden details. How could he depict it so realistically?