In the picture.
Naruto was imrsed in the joy of mastering his new technique.
At that mont, a clear female voice ca from the house: "Naruto!"
Kushina opened the back door and walked into the yard, calling out to her son, "Kakashi and Sasuke-kun are here to see you!"
"Teacher Kakashi and Sasuke and the others?" Naruto imdiately stopped what he was doing and ran over quickly.
Mother and son ca to the front gate together, and sure enough, they saw Kakashi leading Sasuke and Sakura, all waiting outside.
"Good morning, Naruto." Kakashi greeted with his usual relaxed smile, his visible eye half closed.
Sasuke stood off to the side with his arms folded, but still asked, "Naruto, what were you yelling about just now? Why were you so excited?"
He had heard Naruto shouting from the yard but couldn't see what he was doing. Curiosity got the better of him, though he tried to keep his cool.
"Hehe, it's a secret!" Naruto grinned mischievously, refusing to say more.
"Naruto, we're here for sothing serious today." Kakashi waved him over. "Go get changed. We're heading to register for the Chunin Exams."
Chunin Exams?
Naruto froze in surprise when he heard that.
Sakura urged from the side, "Naruto-kun, hurry up and pack up so we can go."
[Ding! Uzumaki Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value 400!]
A mont later.
Naruto changed into the new clothes his mother had prepared for him, a set of brand-new black training gear, then looked at himself up and down in the mirror.
Seeing the boy in the mirror dressed so sharply, Naruto's eyes lit up. He couldn't resist striking a few poses he thought looked really cool.
In the reflection, sotis he stood with one hand on his hip and a confident smile, sotis he crossed his arms and tried to look deep and mysterious. He turned this way and that for quite a while.
So cool!
Naruto's chest swelled with pride.
From outside the door, Kushina's voice floated in, barely holding back laughter. "You silly boy, stop showing off. Don't keep your teammates waiting too long."
Naruto's face turned bright red at being caught. He scratched the back of his head and let out two sheepish chuckles before reluctantly pushing the door open and stepping out.
…
The four of them walked down the broad streets of Konoha together, heading toward the registration site for the Chunin Exams.
Konoha was far livelier than usual today, and the streets were crowded.
Naruto glanced around and saw colorful flags and banners strung up on both sides of the road, with words like "Chunin Selection Exam: Welco to All Villages" painted across them.
The once familiar village was now full of foreign shinobi and rchants.
Genin from many villages walked in groups of three or five. So wore the forehead protectors of the Sand Village, others ca from Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure, and there were even shinobi from smaller villages scattered among the crowd.
Along the roadside, Konoha volunteers worked hard to maintain order. From ti to ti, two or three Uchiha from the Konoha Guard could be seen patrolling, their faces stern and serious.
Sasuke glanced at the various shinobi from other villages on the street, his handso brows furrowed in displeasure. "Tch, so many people from other villages ca all at once. The Security Division is stretched thin. Nii-san has been so busy with this that he hasn't had ti for ..."
Ever since foreign shinobi began arriving in Konoha one after another, the Uchiha clan's Security Force, responsible for maintaining order, had co under heavy pressure.
These days, Itachi had been working overti alongside his clansn to safeguard the village.
As the younger brother, Sasuke in the dream naturally felt sympathy for him, yet deep inside he couldn't help harboring a trace of frustration.
"With the Chunin Exams coming up and so many people around, the seniors in the Security Division really have it tough." Sakura spoke up, trying to comfort him. "Sasuke-kun's brother is working hard for the safety of the village and everyone else. Once this busy period is over, I'm sure he'll make ti to help guide your training."
As the four of them chatted and laughed, they unknowingly crossed several streets and gradually arrived near the registration hall for the Chunin Exams.
There were even more pedestrians here, and from all sides ca conversations tinged with unfamiliar accents.
Just then, sothing caught Naruto's eye from the corner of his vision.
It was a young shinobi, no older than his twenties.
What shocked Naruto even more was that a middle-aged man and woman walked on either side of him. The three of them strolled together, pausing at the market stalls, talking and laughing as if they were family.
"That's... Iruka-sensei?!"
Naruto almost thought his eyes were playing tricks. He rubbed them hard, then looked again. Sure enough, the young man with the scar across his nose was Teacher Iruka.
But at this mont, he was flanked by a middle-aged couple.
The man had a square face and features sowhat similar to Iruka's, while the woman's gentle smile radiated warmth and kindness.
The three of them walked side by side, their closeness unmistakable.
Naruto hadn't expected to see Iruka-sensei in his dream, and his excitent burst out at once. He waved energetically and shouted, "Iruka-sensei!"
[Ding! Uzumaki Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value 500!]
In the audience.
"Hey! That's Iruka-sensei!"
Sakura's eyes widened as she pointed at the screen.
[Ding! Haruno Sakura's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value 100!]
Kakashi stroked his chin in thought.
The last ti Hinata entered the audience, she had imdiately appeared inside the dream.
Now Iruka had co into the audience, and Iruka instantly appeared in the dream as well...
This wasn't sothing simple.
Iruka himself was completely stunned, his eyes brimming with tears of emotion.
Because on the massive glowing screen, he could see two people accompanying "himself," walking together through the streets of Konoha, chatting happily as if nothing in the world could disturb them.
The Iruka on the screen wore a relaxed, satisfied smile, his whole face glowing with happiness.
"That's... my parents?!"
Iruka's breath caught in his throat. He stared at the middle-aged couple on the screen with wide eyes, his body frozen in place, too overwheld to speak.
[Ding! Iruka Umino's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value 1000!]
After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice trembling. "Kakashi-senpai, what is going on? The people on the screen... are they really... my parents?!"
Kakashi imdiately gave a simple explanation.
"Naruto is currently experiencing a special dream," Kakashi said slowly, his tone solemn. "In this dream, the Nine-Tails' attack was stopped by the Fourth Hokage."
"W-what?!" Iruka was utterly stunned.
Kakashi nodded. "Because the Nine-Tails' attack never happened, many things in this dream are different. For example, your parents never died."
At those words, Iruka felt a buzzing in his head, his mind going blank.
He stared blankly at the version of himself on the screen, walking through Konoha with his parents at his side. His nose stung, and tears spilled uncontrollably down his face.
All these years, he had dread countless tis that his parents were still alive, only to wake to the reality of nothing but old, faded photographs.
And now, the scene he had long thought was an impossible luxury was appearing right in front of him.
Iruka pressed a hand tightly over his mouth, afraid of breaking down and sobbing.
His shoulders trembled as tears blurred his vision, and he choked out a whisper: "Dad... Mom..."
[Ding! Iruka Umino's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value 500!]
Watching him, Sakura's nose stung, and her own eyes turned red.
Sasuke looked at Iruka's uncontrollable tears, and deep inside his heartstrings were tugged. A flicker of sorrow flashed in his eyes.
The voices and smiles of his own parents surfaced in his mory. His fists clenched tightly at his sides. Though he forced his face to remain calm, waves of bitterness surged through his chest.
As soone who had also lost family, how could he not understand the intensity of Iruka's emotions in this mont?
[Ding! Uchiha Sasuke's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value 300!]
But after a mont, Sasuke slowly lifted his head again, a faint light of hope in his eyes.
At the very least... he now had the chance to step into that dream himself, and see his parents once more.
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