The grand, mysterious Barrier above Konoha had left Naruto awestruck, but his restless curiosity soon stirred again.
Who made such an incredible Barrier? Was it Grandpa Third? Naruto wondered, his gaze drifting toward the Hokage Building below.
Is Grandpa Third in there now? What does he do at night? Questions kept bubbling up in Naruto's mind.
Remembering that no one could detect him in his current ghostly state, Naruto found a bold idea taking root.
I'll just take a look! One peek at what Grandpa Third is doing, then I'll come right back! He can't see me anyway!
Naruto acted at once, guiding his weightless Soul Body toward the Hokage Building as silently as a drifting feather.
Carefully avoiding the dangerous-looking areas around the core Runes, Naruto searched for a "gap" he could slip through.
I'm a soul right now. Maybe these Barriers can't stop me?
He picked out the huge window of the Hokage's Office and edged toward it, trying to pass through.
But the instant the tips of his soul's fingers touched the Barrier—
BZZZ!!!
A piercing hum of energy rang out!
"Oh no!" Naruto recoiled in shock, flying backward.
He had never imagined the Barrier would be sensitive enough to detect even an invisible soul!
Inside the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still awake.
He sat behind a desk piled with documents, reviewing paperwork by the dim lamplight as smoke rose slowly from his Pipe.
The instant the Barrier was triggered, the hand holding his pen froze!
He looked up sharply, his aged but keen eyes snapping toward the window, his expression suddenly alert.
His powerful senses spread outward, probing every inch of space inside and outside the office.
Yet to both his senses and his eyes, the window was intact, the rest of the Barrier was functioning normally, and he was alone in the office.
There was no trace of an intruder, no lingering Chakra, not even the faintest breeze.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply, his expression puzzled and grave.
He trusted his senses completely. Something had definitely touched the Barrier's outermost warning mechanism.
He rose and went to the window, inspecting it and the surrounding Barrier Runes, but found nothing.
"Was I imagining it?" he murmured. He immediately dismissed the thought. Years as a ninja had taught him to trust his senses.
He returned to his desk and made a discreet hand signal.
Almost the next second, an animal-masked ANBU Ninja appeared in the center of the office, kneeling on one knee without a sound.
"Lord Hokage?"
"The Barrier fluctuated just now, near the window."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was low and stern. "Send more people to search the area around the Hokage Building. Leave no clue unchecked, and raise the alert level!"
"Yes!" The ANBU Ninja vanished as soon as he answered, asking no questions.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down again and took a deep pull on his Pipe, but his sharp gaze kept sweeping the silent night sky outside the window. Doubt gnawed at him.
What was that? It triggered the Barrier, then vanished without a trace. Could it have been a soul?!
But no one's practiced the Spirit Transformation Technique since Dan Katō died! Could Danzo be trying something new again?
High above the window, Naruto was too frightened to move. He clamped a hand over his "mouth" and watched several ANBU figures dart into view around the Hokage Building below, conducting a thorough search.
He had only touched the Barrier lightly. He never thought it would cause this much trouble!
"I'm done for, I'm done for. They almost found me." Still shaken, he dared not linger another second.
While the ANBU focused on the area below, he raced toward home as fast as he could without looking back.
The next day, a distracted Naruto botched the mission again. This time, Teacher Kakashi even had to pay compensation and apologize in person, leaving Naruto deeply ashamed.
But by evening, his restless curiosity was stirring again.
If I can't go to the Hokage Building, I can at least check on someone else, right?
Haruno Sakura was the first person who came to mind.
What's Sakura doing now? She's probably asleep. I bet she looks adorable. Lying in bed with the Sheep Talisman in his hand, Naruto smiled in anticipation, then entered Soul Departure.
The familiar weightless feeling came over him. Naruto's soul passed through the roof and headed straight for the Haruno Household.
Naruto soon found Sakura's room. As he had before, he went straight through the wall.
There was no powerful defensive Barrier around Sakura's room, so he drifted in easily.
The room was dark, lit only by a faint sliver of moonlight slipping through a gap in the curtains.
Sakura was indeed asleep, her pink hair spread across the pillow. She breathed evenly and looked fast asleep.
Then Naruto noticed something unusual.
A small, soft white glow floated just above Sakura's forehead, like a wisp of cotton candy.
It shimmered faintly, giving off a peaceful, dreamlike feeling.
"Huh? What's that?" Naruto moved closer, curious.
Unable to resist, Naruto cautiously reached his soul toward the soft white light.
In an instant, the scene before his eyes changed!
He was no longer in Sakura's dim bedroom. He stood on a sunny riverbank covered in flowers!
The place was as beautiful as a fairy tale, and a sweet floral scent even hung in the air.
Is this Sakura's dream? Naruto looked around in amazement, fascinated by it all.
Then he saw something that made his heart stop.
Under the most beautiful cherry blossom tree nearby stood Haruno Sakura. And the person with an arm lovingly wrapped around her waist was Sasuke Uchiha!
Sasuke wore a stylish outfit and even had a gentle smile Naruto would never see in real life as he looked down at Haruno Sakura in his arms.
Haruno Sakura gazed up at him, her cheeks flushed with happiness and her eyes full of adoration.
"Sasuke-kun, as long as I can stay with you like this forever, I'll be the happiest person in the world," Haruno Sakura said in a sickly sweet voice.
"Yeah, Sakura. Me too," the Sasuke in her dream replied tenderly, brushing a finger through her hair.
The sight struck Naruto like ten thousand Kunai, shredding his heart in an instant!
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