Hinata, sitting in the audience before the screen, watched with slightly moist eyes.
The mix of loneliness and self-encouragement in his expression made her heart ache.
Naruto-kun... had he always been this strong?
Even in a dream, he was still working so hard to improve himself.
Hinata's eyes shimmered, and her admiration and sympathy for Naruto deepened.
Sakura, on the other hand, spread her hands as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. "You saw it yourself. Naruto has his parents with him in the dream. So even his personality is a little more mature than usual."
Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, then turned his attention back to the screen.
In the scene, Kushina gently patted Naruto's head beside the dining table. "All right, don't look so glum. Hurry up and eat before it gets cold. After you're done, go practice the Rasengan in the backyard. Your dad will definitely check your progress when he gets back."
"Heh heh, right!"
At her words, Naruto's gloom vanished and his smile returned. He grabbed a rice ball and wolfed it down in a few bites.
"I'll do my best! I'll give Dad a huge surprise when he gets back!"
As he spoke, he swept through breakfast in no time. Then, under Kushina's amused gaze, he dashed out of the house and ran toward the backyard training ground.
There were wooden targets and practice posts in the backyard, clearly where the father and son usually trained.
Naruto pulled a brand-new rubber ball from his ninja pouch and steadied himself, holding it in his hand.
His eyes gleamed as he recalled his father's advice. Slowly, he began gathering chakra in both hands.
Pale blue chakra gathered in Naruto's palm and spun, emitting a low hum.
Naruto furrowed his brow, concentrating as he controlled the chakra's flow and repeatedly sent it surging against the ball in his hand.
But just two or three seconds later, Naruto suddenly felt the pressure in his palm ease—
With a muffled pop!
The rubber ball in his hand burst apart, sending fragments flying in every direction!
Naruto froze. Staring down in astonishment at the scraps of ball skin still in his hand, he blurted, "That's it... I did it?!"
He remembered that when he practiced the second stage of the Rasengan in real life, he'd struggled all day and could barely manage to make a crack in the ball.
But just now, with one casual attempt, he'd shredded the ball?!
Naruto opened his right hand in disbelief, feeling the lingering warmth of chakra in his palm.
A powerful sense of doubt flashed through his mind.
Why was training in the dream so easy?
Could it be... that chakra was more obedient in the dream than in reality?
Countless thoughts raced through the boy's mind.
Recalling how effortlessly everything had flowed during his practice, he couldn't help murmuring, "It feels like... using chakra in the dream comes so much more naturally... Could this be my true strength?"
In the audience, Kakashi's pupils contracted slightly as he watched, and a thoughtful look came over his face.
What Naruto didn't know was that in reality, the Nine-Tails was sealed inside him, constantly interfering with his chakra control.
But in the dream, he could use his full strength without any obstruction... and might even be stronger than before.
"If that's really the case..."
Kakashi was secretly taken aback, but for the moment, he couldn't be sure.
He decided to wait and see, and kept watching.
Sakura looked at Kakashi in surprise. "Naruto succeeded that easily? Kakashi-sensei, is the second stage of the Rasengan really that simple?"
Kakashi shook his head, his expression grave. "It isn't simple. In fact, it took the Fourth Hokage three years to develop this jutsu."
Hinata only understood part of what they were saying, but she wasn't too concerned about the technical details. Instead, she gazed at Naruto on the screen with sparkling eyes and couldn't help praising him softly. "Naruto-kun is amazing..."
Her cheeks turned pink, and a sweet feeling rose in her heart.
Naruto-kun in the dream was so strong and talented... Looking closely, he seemed more handsome and confident than the Naruto-kun in real life.
Hinata stared at the blond boy on the screen, full of youthful vigor in the morning light, and lost herself in the sight.
Naruto's figure was reflected in her clear, pale eyes, and even the corners of her eyes crinkled with a smile. "Naruto-kun... looks so different."
"Huh?" Sakura turned toward Hinata, looking both amused and baffled. "How is he different? He's still the same dead-last."
"Um..." Hinata's cheeks flushed scarlet as she realized she'd said her thoughts aloud. Flustered, she waved her hands. "N-no, that's not what I meant. I mean... Naruto-kun in the dream seems a little more handsome and cheerful."
"Huh? Naruto... handsome?" Sakura repeated the description with a strange expression. She could hardly imagine those two words appearing in the same sentence.
At the same time, the Naruto she knew in real life came to mind—
Always grinning like an idiot, careless, dressed in sloppy, unkempt clothes...
But when she looked more closely at Naruto on the screen,
there really was something different about him.
Dream Naruto was neat and clean, his hair was tidy, and he stood straight. He even seemed a little taller, his face bright with a confident smile, as though his whole body were glowing.
That dead-last who usually got on everyone's nerves somehow gave off a hint of youthful charisma.
"Hmph."
Sakura gave a quiet snort and turned away, refusing to look at him any longer. She wasn't about to admit that Naruto could be handsome.
[ Ding! Sakura Haruno's emotional fluctuation detected! Emotion points +100! ] [ Ding! Hinata Hyuga's emotional fluctuation detected! Emotion points +200! ]
On the screen, Naruto was still puzzling over his progress.
He stood thinking for a while, about to try again, when he suddenly heard his mother Kushina call from inside the house. "Naruto—someone's at the door. Go answer it!"
"Okay!"
Naruto called back loudly, hurriedly dusted off his hands, and quickly made his way out of the backyard toward the front door.
When he reached the entryway, the doorbell was still ringing steadily, as if the visitor outside had plenty of patience.
"Who's coming by so early in the morning?"
Naruto scratched his head, puzzled, but still reached for the doorknob and slowly opened the door.
The sight outside made Naruto's eyes widen.
Standing at the door was the dignified yet refined head of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi.
Half a step beside him stood his eldest daughter, Hinata Hyuga.
Hiashi wore a loose, well-tailored dark kimono, with a white haori bearing the clan crest over it. His dark purple hair fell behind him like a waterfall.
He stood straight as a pine, his hands clasped behind his back. The Forehead Protector above his brow framed his pale eyes, lending him an even more imposing air.
At that moment, the Hyuga clan head wore a warm smile. Gone was the cold severity he usually showed when admonishing his clan. His gaze rested gently on Naruto, who stood before him looking utterly startled.
Hinata, behind him, seemed somewhat ill at ease.
The young girl stood demurely half a step behind her father, looking around Naruto's doorway with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness.
She held a rectangular gift box carefully wrapped in silk cloth, peeking out from behind her father to steal a glance at Naruto inside the doorway.
"Good morning, Naruto." Hiashi gave a slight nod and greeted him warmly. "Sorry to trouble you. I brought my daughter along. I hope we haven't disturbed you."
Naruto came back to his senses, just about to blurt out that she was the strange girl from his class before graduation.
But then he remembered that if he said something like that, his mother would scold him.
He hurriedly waved his hands and said awkwardly, "Um... my dad isn't home right now... Uh, my mom is, though!"
Unlike usual, when he called people weird nicknames like 'old geezer,' Naruto suddenly wanted to speak properly and be a good kid in front of his mother. For a moment, he didn't know how to put his words together. Flustered, he stumbled over them.
Scratching the back of his head, he forced a smile. "If you're looking for my dad, you might have to come back a little later..."
Before you continue