It's Infuriating! I'll Definitely Beat Naruto Up Tomorrow!

The screen went completely dark.

The screening room returned to its previous dimness and dead silence.

Sasuke and Sakura were both somewhat baffled.

"So... that's it?" Sakura blinked, still not quite processing it.

That dream had been boring, sure, but wasn't the ending far too abrupt?

"Hmph, what a boring dream." Sasuke crossed his arms and snorted, though a trace of confusion lingered deep in his eyes.

Who was that woman who had suddenly appeared at the end?

Only Kakashi reacted differently!

The instant the screen went black, he shot up from his seat as if electrocuted, his body trembling slightly from overwhelming shock.

His dead-fish eye was wide open, filled with disbelief.

That voice just now?

And that flash of red hair... was that...

No! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Though the image had flashed past in an instant, that fiery red hair and that distinctive roar...

But how could this be possible?

Sensei and Lady Kushina had already... on the night Naruto was born, in order to protect the village and seal the Nine-Tails...

Naruto could never have met his mother! Much less known what she looked like or what she sounded like...

Then what exactly had that been in the dream?

Could it have been some incredibly advanced genjutsu that had read images buried deep in his memories?

No!

If it had read his memories, why hadn't Sasuke and Sakura reacted?

They didn't know Kushina at all!

Could it have been Naruto's own subconscious...

Vaguely constructing an image of his mother in his dream because of their blood connection?

That wasn't right either!

A subconscious construct couldn't possibly be so clear.

That voice, that hair color, those movements... they had all been too real!

Kakashi felt as though his mind had descended into chaos.

Countless questions and guesses crashed against his understanding like raging waves.

That strange dream, that mysterious space, and the person who should never have appeared at the end.

What exactly was hidden behind all of this?!

[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Hatake Kakashi detected! Emotion Points +2000!]

Hidden in the darkness, Shigure smiled in delight when he saw the number on the system panel soar.

I knew Kakashi wouldn't be able to hold it together the moment Kushina appeared.

This was precisely the finishing touch of Shigure's plan.

At Naruto's happiest and most fulfilled moment, he had abruptly used the image of his mother to interrupt the dream, creating a powerful contrast and emotional impact. It precisely struck Kakashi, who knew the truth, in his weak spot and triggered intense emotional fluctuations.

Just as Kakashi was still reeling from Kushina's appearance—

Buzz—

A soft yet blinding white light suddenly lit up the entire dim screening room.

The white light instantly swallowed everything.

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura only felt a powerful wave of dizziness strike them as their consciousness blurred once again...

The next second.

Konoha Village, the Hatake Clan.

"Gasp!"

Kakashi abruptly sat up in bed, gasping for air, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

He instinctively looked around.

It was his familiar room.

Outside the window, the night was still silent, moonlight spilling through the glass onto the floor.

He was back?

Kakashi shook his still-dazed head and tried to recall that unbelievable experience from just now.

That dim screening room... that enormous, eerie screen... Sasuke and Sakura in pajamas... Naruto's dream playing on the screen... the villagers' cheers... Young Master Naruto... and finally... Lady Kushina.

Everything was so clear, so real, as if it had happened only a second ago.

"Could it be... that everything just now... was really only my dream?" Kakashi frowned deeply, his heart filled with uncertainty and alarm.

But if it hadn't been a dream, then what had it been?

The ability to silently pull himself, Sasuke, and Sakura into a shared space, then play Naruto's dream for them.

It was simply miraculous, something he had never heard of before.

And most importantly... Lady Kushina!

Naruto... how had he known?

Kakashi felt as though his brain had turned into mush.

He had a faint feeling that this matter was far from simple.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha Clan District, Sasuke's room.

"...Hmph, what a boring dream." Sasuke sat up in bed, his face carrying both irritation at having his sleep interrupted and extreme disdain for the version of himself in the dream who had chickened out.

He quickly tossed the absurd dream to the back of his mind and lay back down.

Inside Sakura Haruno's home.

"Ahhh! Naruto, you big idiot!!!"

Sakura jolted awake and viciously punched the pillow beside her, sending stuffing flying everywhere.

The scene of Naruto "accepting" her confession in the dream was still vivid in her mind, leaving her embarrassed and furious.

"It's infuriating! I'll definitely beat Naruto up tomorrow!!"

Inside Ichiraku Ramen, in the tiny storage room beside the kitchen.

Shigure looked with satisfaction at the final settlement numbers on the system panel.

[Dream Fulfillment Target: Uzumaki Naruto]

[Viewers: Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi]

[Total Emotion Point Earnings: 6450 points!]

"Hehehe..." Shigure rubbed his hands excitedly.

"System! Open the shop!"

At his thought, a virtual interface resembling a game shop appeared before his eyes, visible only to him.

The interface was packed with countless items divided into categories: [Bloodline], [Ninjutsu], [Taijutsu], [Items], [Special Abilities]...

Shigure resisted the urge to immediately click into the [Bloodline] section to see how many points the Sharingan, Rinnegan, and Wood Release cost, forcing himself to calm down.

Don't rush!

What matters most right now is staying alive and building a foundation.

I started from zero. I need to get Chakra and basic abilities first.

Not to mention whether he could afford them, even if he exchanged for the Rinnegan, he would probably be drained into a dried corpse the moment he equipped it.

He took a deep breath and opened the [Ninjutsu]—[Basic] category, as well as the [Special Abilities]—[Constitution] category.

[Chakra Refinement Technique: Guides spiritual energy and physical energy to combine, refining the most basic Chakra. Price: 500 Emotion Points.]

[Chakra Refinement Technique (Advanced Gift Pack): Includes the Chakra Refinement Technique, randomly grants affinity for one Chakra nature, and further improves Chakra refinement efficiency and quality. Price: 1500 Emotion Points.]

[Chakra Refinement Technique (High-Level Gift Pack): Includes the Chakra Refinement Technique, randomly grants affinity for three Chakra natures, greatly improves Chakra refinement efficiency and quality, and optimizes Chakra nature affinities. Price: 3000 Emotion Points.]

...

[Chakra Refinement Technique (Ultimate Luxury Pack): Includes the Chakra Refinement Technique, randomly grants affinity for all Chakra natures, tremendously improves Chakra refinement efficiency and quality, and deeply optimizes Chakra nature affinities. Price: 300000 Emotion Points.]

"The Ultimate Luxury Pack really is ultimate. Too bad I can't afford it."

"Damn... even the high-level one costs 3000 points? That's kind of expensive... but the effect must be great. Forget it, a shaky foundation topples everything! Buy it!"

[Basic Physical Enhancement (Lv1): Increases overall physical strength, speed, and endurance by 5 points. Price: 1000 Emotion Points.]

[Basic Physical Enhancement (Lv2): Increases overall physical strength, speed, and endurance by 15 points. Price: 2500 Emotion Points.]

[Basic Physical Enhancement (Lv3): Increases overall physical strength, speed, and endurance by 30 points. Price: 5000 Emotion Points.]

...

"Physical fitness is important too! Let's get Lv1 first!"

[Body Flicker (Lv1): A basic technique for high-speed movement. Price: 800 Emotion Points.]

[Three-Body Technique (Lv1): Includes Substitution Jutsu, Clone Technique, and Transformation Technique. Price: 1000 Emotion Points.]

"Oh? There's even a bundle discount? Nice, nice! Although the Clone Technique and Transformation Technique aren't very useful right now, they're still basics. It can't hurt to learn them! Buy!"

[Purchase of "Chakra Refinement Technique (High-Level Gift Pack)" successful! 3000 Emotion Points consumed! Open immediately?]

"Open it!"

[Chakra Refinement Technique (High-Level Gift Pack) opened. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained Chakra natures: Water, Lightning, Yang.]

[Purchase of "Basic Physical Enhancement (Lv1)" successful! 1000 Emotion Points consumed!]

[Purchase of "Three-Body Technique (Lv1)" successful! 1000 Emotion Points consumed!]

[Purchase of "Body Flicker (Lv1)" successful! 800 Emotion Points consumed!]

[Remaining Emotion Points: 650.]

In an instant, an enormous torrent of information flooded into Shigure's mind.

Knowledge and experience of how to combine spiritual and physical energy, and how to efficiently refine Chakra, were instantly absorbed and mastered as though enlightenment had been poured directly into him.

At the same time, the hand seals, Chakra circulation routes, casting techniques, and countless practice experiences for the Substitution Jutsu, Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and Body Flicker were all engraved into his instincts.

Immediately afterward, a warm and powerful energy flowed through his entire body.

He could clearly feel his muscles becoming firmer and stronger, his neural reactions becoming faster, and every limb and bone filling with unprecedented vitality.

His previously somewhat frail body instantly became much stronger.

"Whew..." Shigure slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Feeling the enormous changes in both his body and knowledge, excitement gleamed in his eyes.

He spread open his palm, focused his mind, and tried to activate the Chakra Refinement Technique he had just mastered.

A faint blue energy, like a newborn stream, slowly flowed through his meridians and eventually gathered in his palm.

The amount was still tiny, but this was genuinely Chakra that belonged to him.

"It worked! I can finally refine Chakra!"

Suppressing his excitement, Shigure continued browsing the shop.

[Mangekyō Sharingan: The ultimate ocular jutsu of the Uchiha clan and the evolved form of the ordinary Sharingan. Possesses extraordinarily powerful strength, but comes with a heavy price. Price: 1000000 Emotion Points.]

[Rinnegan: One of the most powerful ocular jutsu, known as the "Eye That Controls Life and Death" or the "Eye of God." It symbolizes the power of the Sage of Six Paths and possesses the ability to create and destroy worlds. Price: 2000000 Emotion Points.]

[Ōtsutsuki Bloodline: The bloodline power of the "Clan of Gods." It grants near-eternal life and immense power, and is the origin of Chakra. Price: 5000000 Emotion Points.]

...

He couldn't afford them.

With only 650 Emotion Points left, there was no way he could buy any of them.

But now that he had Chakra and basic physical fitness, he finally had the foundation to protect himself.

As long as he kept farming Emotion Points like crazy, the future was bound to be bright.