Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile gradually faded, replaced by a trace of gravity.
He nodded slowly. "Yes. I think I've got a few clues."
Setting down the crystal ball in his hand, he straightened up and said, "These past few days, I've been searching through all kinds of ancient scrolls and texts in the village to investigate the strange incident you told me about. At last, I found a similar account..."
Kakashi listened with bated breath.
Hiruzen said gravely, "An ancient text records a legendary secret technique that allows its user to enter someone else's dreams. It can control the target's mind, steal information, or even take their life. But..."
His brows drew tightly together. "According to the text, the technique consumes a great deal of the target's chakra. Each time the target is made to dream, some of their life force is drained away."
Even Kakashi, the Copy Ninja of the Leaf Village, couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath. "There's a forbidden jutsu like that? So if Naruto keeps falling into those strange dreams, the chakra inside him will be drained over and over until his life force is exhausted?"
Hiruzen nodded slowly. "In theory, yes. But Kakashi, don't be too worried. What I mentioned was only an ancient legend from hundreds of years ago, and it's hard to know whether it's true. Besides, that forbidden jutsu has long been lost. We don't even know whether what's happening to Naruto now is the same thing."
He waved a hand, signaling Kakashi to stay calm. "That's why I wanted to ask you: has Naruto shown any unusual symptoms lately? For example, has he seemed physically weak, or has his chakra suddenly decreased?"
Kakashi thought it over, then answered solemnly, "No. As far as I can tell, Naruto is completely normal. He's moving around as usual, and his chakra is stable."
Hiruzen let out a quiet breath, his expression relaxing slightly. "That's good."
Kakashi nodded, feeling a little more at ease as well.
But the next moment, Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and asked meaningfully, "By the way, Kakashi, I noticed... Naruto seems to have been practicing the Rasengan lately."
"Th-that..." Kakashi's pupils contracted, and he was at a loss for words.
Hiruzen picked up the pipe beside his desk and took a gentle puff before slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke. His cloudy yet penetrating eyes remained fixed on Kakashi.
"Though it was a technique developed by the Fourth Hokage, isn't it a little too early for you to start teaching it to him?"
Kakashi couldn't tell whether the other man had noticed something and was warning him, or simply thought Naruto was too young to learn the Rasengan.
"Lord Hokage..." Kakashi opened his mouth, but couldn't think of how to explain.
He certainly hadn't taught Naruto the Rasengan, but Naruto had learned the technique all the same.
If he didn't report the truth soon, Hiruzen would only grow more suspicious.
With that thought, Kakashi steeled himself and said gravely, "Lord Hokage, this involves those strange dreams."
"Oh?" A glint flashed in Hiruzen's eyes. "What about them?"
Kakashi took a deep breath and said solemnly, "As for Naruto learning the Rasengan... I wasn't the one who taught him. It was—the Fourth Hokage."
At those words, Hiruzen's hand jerked, and he nearly dropped his pipe.
He stared in disbelief. "Who did you say? The Fourth Hokage? Minato...?"
"Yes." Kakashi nodded solemnly. "It was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—my teacher. He... taught Naruto the Rasengan in a dream."
The office fell silent for a brief moment.
Hiruzen stared blankly at the subordinate who had always been so steady and dependable, wondering if there was something wrong with his ears.
He frowned. "Kakashi, you haven't fallen under some kind of genjutsu and mistaken a dream for reality, have you? Minato... has been dead for many years."
Kakashi gave a bitter smile. "Lord Hokage, I'm perfectly clearheaded. That's exactly why I think this is serious and had to report it to you."
" Naruto didn't learn the Rasengan in reality, but in that strange dream. And the one who taught him was the Fourth Hokage."
Kakashi then explained everything that had happened over the past few days regarding the dreams, including how it wasn't Naruto who entered the dream last night, but Sasuke, while Naruto had become an observer.
Hiruzen listened in silence, the shock on his face growing more pronounced.
Elsewhere.
After Kakashi left, Naruto returned home alone, feeling gloomy.
The moment he opened the door, a strange smell hit him.
Several empty instant noodle packages lay on the dining table, and empty milk cartons were piled haphazardly in the corner. The bed was a mess, its blankets bunched up and tossed aside.
"Ugh..." Naruto couldn't help wrinkling his nose.
Only then did he realize he hadn't cleaned his room in ages.
At the same time, he couldn't help picturing the warm, tidy home from the dream the night before last.
The floor had been spotless, everything neatly arranged, and the sheets and blankets in the bedroom clean and smooth...
Thinking of that, then looking at the mess in his real home, Naruto pursed his lips. A sharp sense of contrast welled up inside him.
"Sigh, if only it could be like it was in the dream..." Naruto shook his head and laughed at himself.
But his smile vanished almost at once. He realized that instead of sitting around daydreaming, he could actually do something to change things.
"I'll start by tidying up my room!"
Naruto slapped his cheeks firmly to cheer himself on.
No sooner said than done.
Naruto rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
First, he gathered all the scattered trash from the floor and tossed it into the bin. Then he poured out the leftover broth from his instant noodles and washed the bowls and chopsticks.
Next, he grabbed a rag and wiped the dusty tabletop and windowsill, then carefully mopped the floor.
The boy bustled about in the small room.
"Phew—finally clean!"
Who knew how much time had passed? By the time Naruto put down the broom, the room had been completely transformed.
All the trash was gone, the stains had been scrubbed away, and the sour stench in the air had dissipated.
It still couldn't compare to the warm home from his dream, with both his parents there, but at least the little room looked much more pleasant now.
Naruto wiped the sweat from his forehead. Then, struck by an idea, he began moving the furniture around.
He pushed the small single bed over to the window with some effort, then moved the bedside lamp onto the low cabinet to the right of the bed.
He stepped back a few paces and narrowed his eyes, surveying the bedroom's layout.
Hmm, with that adjustment, the room was starting to look a little like the bedroom in the home from his dream.
After finishing up, Naruto lay back on the bed, resting his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the slightly worn ceiling. A smile crept across his face. "Heh, I've got to admit, it really does feel a lot more comfortable when everything's tidy."
Naruto thought that if his mom from the dream saw how clean he'd made his room, she would surely smile with satisfaction.
The thought made the corners of his mouth lift.
If only Mom were really here...
Before you continue