Yes, This Is Reality, Not a Dream...

Naruto sprang up from the bed, both hands instinctively covering his ears, as though the pain of them being yanked still lingered there.

He panted heavily, his blond hair a mess like a bird's nest, with a fine layer of cold sweat even beading across his forehead.

"It hurts, it hurts..."

Naruto blinked his azure eyes blankly and looked around.

What entered his sight was neither the Leaf Village streets bathed in the glow of sunset from his dream, nor the fleeting, blurry figure of the furious red-haired woman who had been tugging his ears.

But...

A tiny rented apartment piled with instant noodle cups and clutter.

A strange, mixed odor hung in the air.

Unwashed dirty clothes were piled in the corner, several worn ninja basics books lay scattered across the table, and the sky outside the window was only just beginning to brighten.

"Huh...?"

Naruto froze.

It took him several seconds before he finally realized what had happened.

"So... it was all just a dream..."

Somewhat disappointed, he lowered his hands from his ears and flopped back onto the bed. His excited emotions gradually settled.

Still...

That dream had felt so strange.

Naruto scratched his messy blond hair and tried hard to recall the scenes from it.

Unlike his usual vague dreams, which he would forget almost entirely upon waking, every detail of this dream was burned with unusual clarity into his mind.

As if he had experienced it himself.

He remembered being at the training ground, using the incredibly cool Multi-Shadow Clone Technique to beat that always-arrogant Sasuke black and blue.

He also remembered that Sasuke had actually admitted wholeheartedly that Naruto was stronger than him.

That Naruto was the strongest in Team 7!

Thinking of that, Naruto could not help letting out a goofy chuckle, his heart brimming with delight.

Then!

Then came something even more amazing!

Sakura had actually... actually confessed to him of her own accord!

And she had called him "Young Master Naruto"!

After that... he and Sakura had gone shopping together, and everyone in the village—even the passersby who usually looked at him strangely... everyone had greeted him with a smile!

They had warmly said hello to him!

Praised him! Cared about him!

Naruto closed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably into a satisfied, blissful grin.

Ah... it had been... amazing!

Though at the end of the dream, it seemed he had gotten his ears pulled and been scolded by a very fierce red-haired woman before suddenly waking up.

But overall, it had definitely been the happiest, happiest, happiest dream he had ever had!

Just as Naruto was still savoring the dream, grinning foolishly as he rolled around on the bed—

Ring, ring, ring!!!

The old frog alarm clock by his bed suddenly let out a piercing, ear-splitting shriek.

Naruto jumped in fright and scrambled out of bed to shut it off.

He glanced at the time on the clock.

Seven fifty-five?

"Oh no!!"

The smile vanished from Naruto's face in an instant.

"We were supposed to meet at eight! I'm going to be late!"

Today was no ordinary day.

It was the first day Team 7 officially began carrying out ninja missions.

It was an important step on his grand journey toward becoming Hokage.

Absolutely! Absolutely no way could he be late on the very first day!

"Aaaah! There's no time!"

Naruto let out a wail, immediately leaped out of bed, and rushed into the bathroom at the fastest speed of his life. He splashed his face carelessly, did not even have time to brush his teeth, grabbed the wrinkled orange tracksuit he had crumpled on the table and pulled it on, then snatched a nearly expired carton of milk from the fridge. With the carton clenched between his teeth, he dashed out the door like a gust of wind.

"I'm off!!"

He shouted indistinctly as he ran, even though there was no one else at home.

The streets of Leaf Village were gradually growing lively in the early morning.

Villagers who had gotten up early greeted one another, shops opened for business one after another, and the fragrance of breakfast drifted through the air.

Naruto sprinted through the streets, nimbly dodging pedestrians and obstacles while muttering without pause, "I'm going to be late, I'm going to be late!"

Just as he anxiously dashed around a street corner, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye.

"Huh?" Naruto instinctively slowed down.

Not far ahead, a young woman in a plain red kimono was walking toward him, holding the hand of a little boy who looked five or six years old.

Naruto's eyes instantly lit up.

It was her! It was her! That was her!

The auntie from yesterday's dream who had been especially warm and had even told her son to learn from him.

That was right! It was that mother and son!

He remembered clearly that, in yesterday's dream, this auntie had pulled him aside to chat for a long time, constantly praising him. Her son... seemed to be called... Koichi? Or Yuta?

He had never expected... to run into them in reality?

Could some of what happened in yesterday's dream have been real?

An indescribable surge of excitement and anticipation rose in Naruto's heart.

The anxiety on his face was instantly replaced by a brilliant smile.

As the mother and son drew closer, Naruto's heart filled with joy. He happily raised his right hand, preparing to greet them warmly, just like in the dream.

"Auntie! Good morn—"

However, his greeting came to an abrupt halt halfway through.

Because the moment he raised his hand, the red-clad woman, who had been smiling moments ago, saw him as well.

Almost the instant she clearly saw Naruto's face, the woman's smile vanished without a trace.

In its place was a complicated expression mixed with fear, disgust, and wariness.

It was as though she had seen the most ominous thing in the world.

"Ah!"

The woman let out a short cry and instinctively pulled her child tightly behind her to protect him. Then, as if fleeing from a plague, she abruptly turned around and hurried off in the other direction without looking back, almost in a panicked escape.

As she walked away, she sternly warned her child:

"Ryota, remember this. If you see that guy again, stay far, far away from him! Don't ever get near him! He'll bring bad luck! Do you hear me?!"

"..."

"..."

The wind seemed to come to a standstill at that moment.

The villagers' faint, barely perceptible gazes around him pricked Naruto's body like countless fine needles.

The smile on Naruto's face froze and shattered bit by bit, like a lake frozen over by ice and snow.

His right hand, raised high and ready to wave enthusiastically, stiffened in midair. Then, as if it had lost all strength, it slowly lowered inch by inch.

What had just happened?

Why...

Why was it like this?

In the dream... it had not been like this...

In the dream, she had been so warm to him, so kind...

Why... was reality... like this?

An icy, bone-chilling cold surged from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, instantly freezing the last trace of warmth that his beautiful dream had brought him.

An immense sense of loss and indescribable bitterness swallowed him like a tide.

He stood there, watching the woman flee in panic with her child, watching the villagers around him look at him with coldness, avoidance, or faint hostility...

It felt as though something had lodged in his throat. It was dry and bitter, and he could not say a single word.

After a long while.

He finally murmured softly, in a voice so quiet it was nearly inaudible, filled with endless bitterness and self-mockery:

"...That's right..."

"This is reality..."

"...Not a dream."

The morning sunlight broke through the clouds and fell upon the bustling streets of Leaf Village, yet it seemed unable to shine into the depths of the blond boy's eyes, which had dimmed in an instant.