"Kakashi-sensei? Wh-What's wrong?"
Sakura's voice carried a mix of confusion and concern as she looked at her teacher.
Both she and Sasuke were startled by Kakashi's sudden reaction.
From their perspective, the footage on screen was perfectly ordinary.
A gentle-looking red-haired woman was cooking in a cozy kitchen. The house was clean, bright, and inviting. What was so special about it?
Why was their teacher reacting so strongly?
But Kakashi didn't answer her.
He just kept staring at the screen, his eyes locked, whispering in his heart:
"This isn't normal... Not at all..."
Sasuke glanced at Kakashi's rare loss of composure, then turned to the warm, almost blindingly happy scene playing out on the screen. A flicker of complicated emotion passed through his dark eyes.
He didn't say a word, but his fists clenched slightly—betraying the unrest stirring within him.
Buried fragments of childhood, moments spent with his parents… and that man… pierced his chest like needles.
Cold hatred churned silently in his heart.
—
Back on the screen, Dream-Naruto finally seemed to snap out of his dazed confusion.
The clean, sunlit living room...
The irresistible aroma of home-cooked food wafting through the air...
And the red-haired woman bustling in the kitchen...
It all felt too real.
Sunlight poured through the windows, casting a golden warmth across his face.
He could smell it—the savory, slightly sweet scent of braised meat, soy sauce and sugar dancing in the air. His stomach growled instinctively.
"Where... is this? It smells amazing... Wasn't I just sleeping?"
Still bewildered, Naruto heard the red-haired woman call out again from the kitchen:
"Naruto, what are you standing there for? Go wash your hands! The food's getting cold!"
Her voice was vibrant and filled with the commanding authority of a mother, yet it held a kind of tenderness and affection Naruto had never felt before.
"Mom..."
The word slipped from his lips before he could stop it—pure instinct.
Eyes wide, he immediately clamped his hands over his mouth.
D-Did I just call her... mom?!
Even he couldn't miss it anymore.
Just a moment ago, he was being greeted warmly by villagers in the street… Now he was in this cozy house… and this red-haired woman felt so impossibly familiar.
"So... this place… is my dream?"
"And this woman... Could she really be... my mom?"
An overwhelming rush of emotion—bittersweet, joyous, heartbreaking—all surged through him like a tidal wave.
Mom...
He was seeing his mom… in a dream?!
Even though he had no idea what she looked like, the moment he saw this woman, he knew. Deep in his bones, in his blood—this was his mother. Without a doubt.
Naruto's nose stung, his eyes burned. Hot, fat tears spilled uncontrollably down his cheeks.
How many years had it been?
Twelve.
Twelve long years, imagining, dreaming, yearning—wondering what his parents looked like. Dreaming of a home. Of a family. Of having someone call him to dinner like any other kid.
And now…
Now, that dream was here. Finally. Right in front of him.
Even if it was just a dream…
In this moment, Naruto would give anything for it to never end.
"Mm—yeah! I'm coming, Mom!"
He wiped his tears roughly, voice thick with emotion—but his smile... his smile shone brighter than the sun.
He called out loudly and bolted toward the sink.
Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Uzumaki Naruto! Emotional Value +1500!
Seeing Naruto's goofy, excited expression—arms flailing, eyes gleaming with joy—Sakura and Sasuke fell silent again in the viewing room.
Sakura muttered under her breath, "It's just dinner... Why's he acting like that?"
She'd been startled by Kakashi's reaction too, but Naruto's emotional outburst still didn't make much sense to her.
After all, being called to eat by your mom… wasn't that just normal?
But then Sasuke's voice cut through the room—cold and sharp, filled with a fury she'd never heard from him before.
"You don't understand."
"Eh?!"
Sakura flinched. She turned to him, hurt. "S-Sasuke-kun, I didn't mean—"
She had no idea why Sasuke snapped at her.
What did she say wrong?
Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Uchiha Sasuke! Emotional Value +500!Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Haruno Sakura! Emotional Value +200!
Sasuke didn't look at her. His gaze stayed fixed on the screen, watching the blonde idiot crying just because someone told him it was time to eat.
But somewhere deep in those black pupils—was a glint of something. A faint echo of the light he'd seen in Naruto's eyes back at the ramen shop.
Perhaps, of everyone here, he was the one who understood Naruto the most in this moment.
Because he, too, had once had it.
And because he had it, he knew exactly how much it hurt to lose it.
Kakashi watched his two students, and let out a long, weary sigh.
Sakura had grown up in a peaceful home, both parents alive and well. She probably even found them annoying at times.
At her age, she was in the rebellious phase—craving freedom, pushing boundaries. It was no surprise she couldn't understand.
This so-called "ordinary" moment… was something she might never be able to fully comprehend.
Not for Naruto.
Not for Sasuke.
Not even for him.
This warm, homely dream—was it really only a dream?
He looked away.
—
Back in the dream, everything was still bathed in happiness.
Naruto, freshly washed, ran to the dinner table. The delicious spread made his mouth water uncontrollably.
Just as he reached for the chopsticks—
Click.
The front door opened gently.
A tall figure stepped inside, wearing the standard green Konoha flak vest. He had golden hair just like Naruto's—short and bright—and a soft, gentle smile on his face.
His blue eyes were clear and kind—just like a calm summer sky. And his smile… was the kind that could melt even the coldest snow.
"Am I late?"
His voice was warm, like a spring breeze.
From the kitchen, Kushina laughed in reply:
"Not at all. Perfect timing! Go wash your hands—we're just about to eat. I made your favorite—braised pork and karaage—to celebrate Naruto becoming a genin!"
The man nodded with a smile, his eyes landing on the wide-eyed blond boy at the table. His gaze was filled with pride and love.
"Congratulations, Naruto. You've officially become a ninja. Your father's proud of you."
—
In the viewing room.
If seeing Kushina earlier had left Kakashi shocked…
Then now—seeing this man walk through the door—
Kakashi felt as if a massive invisible hand had gripped his heart.
He couldn't even breathe.
"M-Minato-sensei?!"
Yes.
The one who shone like the sun itself. The legendary "Yellow Flash of the Leaf." The man who became Fourth Hokage while still in his youth—his most respected teacher—
Namikaze Minato.
He… was in the dream too?
And not just that—he was Naruto's father?!
Not just Kushina-senpai... even Minato-sensei…?
What… what is this dream?
Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Hatake Kakashi! Emotional Value +1000!
But this time, it wasn't just Kakashi.
Even Sakura and Sasuke's eyes went wide the moment they recognized the man's face.
"T-That's…" Sakura stammered.
"The Fourth Hokage?!" Sasuke muttered in disbelief.
As top students of the academy, they knew Konoha's history like the backs of their hands.
The stone faces on the Hokage Monument.
The portraits in textbooks.
The legends passed down through the village.
The man who had just walked into Naruto's "home" was unmistakable.
The one who singlehandedly ended the Third Great Ninja War and sacrificed himself to save the village—
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
"Why… why would the Fourth Hokage be Naruto's father?" Sakura whispered, eyes spinning.
Could it be... could it really be…?
An outrageous thought began to rise in her heart—one that felt impossible…
And yet explained everything.