Kakashi spoke in a low, steady voice.
"Calm down, Sasuke. I know this is hard… but remember, it was only a dream."
But his words barely registered.
Sasuke's eyes remained locked onto the screen, unwilling—unable—to look away for even a second.
Yes, he knew it was a dream.
But all the logic in the world couldn't suppress the emotions tearing through him.
On that screen, his mother was alive.
His brother stood smiling at the doorway, welcoming guests.
The image stabbed into his chest like a kunai—again and again—until he could hardly breathe.
And yet… he didn't want to look away.
Couldn't.
Kakashi, seeing that Sasuke had temporarily stabilized, said no more.
But his own heart was far from calm.
The sudden appearance of Uchiha Itachi in the dream, along with everything that had followed, made it clear—this dream wasn't just fantasy.
It might be a vision of another possible world.
If his hunch was right…
Kakashi's thoughts spun rapidly.
Pieces long scattered in his mind began aligning into a coherent picture.
In this dream world, Minato-sensei had stopped the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails attack before the chaos erupted.
And if that incident had been prevented—
There would have been no out-of-control Nine-Tails under the influence of the Sharingan.
No scapegoating of the Uchiha clan.
Minato-sensei had a good relationship with Uchiha Fugaku.
Kushina and Mikoto had been close friends.
With Minato as a bridge, tensions between the village and the Uchiha never would have spiraled beyond repair.
Minato was strong.
And with Hiruzen still around, even in a semi-retired state, the two of them together could've restrained the Uchiha's more militant factions—those hawks always itching for war.
That alone would've changed how certain figures in the Konoha leadership made decisions.
And so, in that version of events, the Uchiha clan would've remained peacefully within the village.
There would've been no massacre.
In that world… Itachi would never have to carry the burden of blood.
He wouldn't become a rogue ninja.
The Uchiha would still be flourishing.
And Itachi… would stand tall, earning honor for his clan in the open, not from the shadows.
The more Kakashi thought about it, the more something soft stirred deep inside his heart.
It was as if this dream… had made everyone's deepest wishes come true.
He looked back at the composed, dignified Uchiha Itachi on the screen.
Then at Sasuke beside him, eyes red and fixed, refusing to blink.
Kakashi let out a quiet sigh.
This dream of Naruto's…
It was almost too reasonable. Too real.
Had he not seen it for himself, Kakashi never would've believed a boy as young as Naruto could dream up such a complete, seamless alternate reality.
To be honest, when he'd first watched Naruto's dream the night before, he'd found it laughable.
Just childish nonsense conjured by an overactive imagination.
But now?
The richness of detail… the emotional logic…
There was nothing he could critique.
If not for the knowledge of reality, even Kakashi would've believed it was a real world—a parallel universe.
And if Minato hadn't died…
If Naruto had grown up with his parents, never ostracized for being the vessel of the Nine-Tails…
If he had been raised as the Hero's son, protected, nurtured…
Of course he would be top of the class at the Academy.
Kakashi lowered his head slightly. A bitter smile touched his lips.
—
From the shadows, Shiyu watched everything unfold, a quiet delight blooming in his heart.
Just one night in, and Sasuke was already shaken to the core.
He sneaked a glance at the Uchiha boy, still locked in stunned silence.
Just as expected.
Itachi hadn't even done much yet—and already the emotional impact was massive.
The dream continued playing.
At the gates of the Uchiha compound, Naruto and Kushina approached.
"Congratulations, Sasuke!"
Kushina waved cheerfully from a distance, her face beaming with joy.
Her arm was looped through Naruto's as they walked up to the two boys waiting by the door.
Dream Sasuke stood tall at the entrance, helping greet guests.
At the sight of Kushina and Naruto, his usually stiff expression melted into a rare smile.
"Auntie Kushina! Naruto—you came."
Beside him, Itachi also greeted them with a polite smile.
"It's been a while, Aunt Kushina."
His voice was gentle and refined, his eyes warm.
"Naruto, welcome."
"Come on, no need to be so formal!" Kushina chuckled, waving it off.
"It's a big day. Of course we wouldn't miss it!"
As she spoke, the two Uchiha brothers stepped forward to greet them.
Itachi bowed slightly, his tone kind.
"Mother is still inside with the guests. When she heard you were coming, she made sure to prepare your favorite—osmanthus rice cakes."
—
—
The next morning, as the sun rose over the Hidden Leaf—
Team 7 gathered at the training ground.
Naruto arrived humming, bouncing with energy.
The warmth of last night's dream still lingered in his heart, making him smile without realizing it.
"Morning—!"
He waved brightly at Sasuke and Sakura, already waiting.
But before he could finish—
Sasuke whirled around.
His dark eyes burned into Naruto's like black fire.
"Naruto…"
He stepped forward, grabbed Naruto by the collar, and slammed him against a tree.
"S-Sasuke?!"
Naruto yelped in shock.
"What the heck—?!"
"What the heck?!"
Sasuke's voice was low, seething.
"I should be the one asking you that. What the hell did you do?!"
"I—I didn't do anything!"
Naruto's hands shot up in surrender, his face a mess of confusion.
Seriously—what was going on?
Why was Sasuke this mad?
They hadn't even talked yesterday. Naruto had spent the whole day training.
So why—
"Enough, Sasuke!"
Kakashi appeared without a sound, gripping Sasuke's shoulder and forcibly pulling him back.
"Calm down. What do you think you're doing?"
Sasuke's chest heaved as he stood there, fists clenched.
He didn't strike again—but he shrugged off Kakashi's hand with a scowl and turned away.
Naruto, now released, noticed a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.
He rubbed his wrinkled shirt and muttered, "Jeez… what's up with him? It's like he's a totally different person today…"
Kakashi raised a hand to keep Naruto calm, then looked toward Sasuke.
The boy refused to meet either of their eyes, jaw tight, gaze distant.
Kakashi let out a long breath.
"Sasuke, I understand how you feel. But you should realize—most of what was in that dream… it's not something Naruto could've known."
He paused. Then spoke with careful precision.
"In other words, while Naruto was the main character in the dream… the one who created it may not have been Naruto himself."
Sasuke froze.
His head jerked up to look at Kakashi.
"You mean…"
Of course, now that he'd cooled off a bit, the signs were obvious.
The layout of the Uchiha compound.
The way his parents talked.
Their expressions. Their voices.
There was no way Naruto could have imagined those on his own.
And Naruto hadn't looked like someone who knew what was coming—he was clearly reacting in real-time.
Sasuke's rational mind knew Naruto was probably innocent.
But the pain—the heartbreak—of being handed a dream so real, only to wake up…
It had twisted him up inside.
So he lashed out. At the nearest target.
But now, with Kakashi's words pulling him back, the fire in his eyes began to dim.
His fists slowly loosened.
Naruto, meanwhile, looked completely lost.
"Wait, wait… dream? Main character? Not me?
What are you guys even talking about…?"
He scratched his head, frowning.
All he remembered was having a really good dream.
What was all this drama about seeing his dream?
That's not even possible… right?
Kakashi turned to him gently.
"Don't worry about it, Naruto. Just let it be for now."
He gave Naruto a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Sasuke was just… overwhelmed. Don't take it personally."
Naruto blinked. Still confused.
But seeing Kakashi so serious, he simply nodded slowly.
"…Okay…"
Honestly, he was in such a good mood lately that he didn't feel like digging into anything too complicated.
Kakashi glanced at the three of them, then made a quick decision.
"Today's mission is canceled. You're all getting a day off. Go rest."
"Huh? Seriously?"
Naruto's eyes went wide.
"Just like that?"
"Wait, why?"
Sakura looked up in surprise too.
Kakashi waved it off.
"Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura—take the day. Clear your heads."
"Tch."
Sasuke scoffed, turned on his heel, and disappeared into the trees, hands in his pockets.
His mind was still in chaos. He just wanted to be alone.
And now that Kakashi had confirmed Naruto wasn't behind it, there was no reason to stick around and torture himself further.
Better to walk away.
"Sasuke…"
Sakura took a step toward him, but hesitated.
She didn't chase him.
Just watched as he vanished into the leafy shadows.
Kakashi turned to her.
"Don't worry about him. He'll be fine. Just let him cool down."
"…Alright."
She hesitated, then nodded.
"Thanks, sensei."
The dream hadn't hit her as hard as Sasuke, but it had shaken her, too.
Maybe this break was a good thing.
Before long, she headed off as well.
And then it was just Naruto, standing there scratching his head.
"…Man, what's with everyone today?"
With no answers and too much energy, he eventually just shrugged—
—and ran off to train.