While Aren was enjoying the warmth of the ran shop that felt like ho, along with the joy of his increasing strength, Naruto's situation was the complete opposite.
Team 7's first official mission day was not at all the exciting and challenging adventure Naruto had imagined.
What awaited them were a series of mundane D-rank missions:
Helping an old lady find her lost pet cat…Weeding a farr's overgrown field…Walking a neighbor's overly energetic dog…Painting the fences along Konoha's streets…...
By the ti the sun began to set, Naruto felt less like a Ninja and more like a neighborhood handyman.
And finally, when Kakashi casually announced the end of the day's missions, Naruto could no longer hold back and exploded.
"Kakashi-sensei, are these even Ninja missions? Catching cats, weeding, walking dogs, painting fences… This is too boring, believe it! I want to do more amazing missions, the kind… the kind that lets show off my skills, protect everyone, and beco a hero, believe it!"
Sasuke, unusually, voiced his agreent. He leaned against a nearby tree trunk, arms crossed, and said coldly, "Hmph, these low-level missions are no help to my training. They're just a waste of ti."
Though Sakura was also clearly exhausted, she still followed her usual pattern and echoed, "Exactly, exactly! Kakashi-sensei, when can we get higher-level missions?"
Faced with their combined complaints, Kakashi kept his usual laid-back deanor. He gave a light chuckle and replied, "Well, well… as new Genin, gaining experience is very important. These basic missions are also part of your Ninja training. Step by step, step by step."
He brushed them off with that explanation, then casually added, "Ah, right, I just rembered I have so personal matters to attend to. Tomorrow's eting ti and place remain the sa. Everyone, go ho and get so good rest. Dismissed!"
Before Naruto or the others could protest any further, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke using the Body Flicker Technique, leaving behind a frustrated and stunned Team 7.
"Hey! Kakashi-sensei!!"Naruto stomped his foot in frustration, glaring at the empty space where Kakashi had vanished.Sasuke and Sakura also looked helpless, unable to say anything.In the end, the three physically and ntally exhausted Genin could only mutter farewells and drag their weary bodies ho.
…
But Kakashi didn't go ho.
He hadn't even stopped for dinner.Instead, using the Body Flicker Technique, he went straight to a heavily guarded location deep within Konoha—the Anbu's classified archives.
This archive was buried underground and protected by two Anbu mbers standing silently at the entrance, each wearing an animal mask.
The mont Kakashi appeared, one of them stepped forward and greeted him in a low, respectful voice."Kakashi-senpai."
Kakashi gave a small nod. His usual laid-back expression was gone. In its place was a rare seriousness that made the air around him tense.
"I need to access the classified records," he said plainly.
The Anbu mber didn't hesitate. Seeing the gravity in Kakashi's face, he imdiately straightened his posture and opened the thick iron door that sealed the archive entrance.
"Yes, Senpai! Please proceed inside!"
Although Kakashi had officially left the Anbu and taken up the role of a Jonin squad leader, everyone knew he was still one of the Third Hokage's most trusted operatives, often tasked with secret missions behind the scenes.
Because of this, he retained full clearance to enter the Anbu archives at any ti.
Without saying another word, Kakashi stepped through the opened door and entered the dimly lit archive.
It was just as he rembered it—the air thick with the scent of aged scrolls, old parchnt, and faint traces of ink. Rows upon rows of tall, wooden shelves lined the space, packed with countless scrolls and docunts. Together, they recorded nearly every piece of confidential knowledge about Konoha: forbidden techniques, secret operations, and the village's hidden history shrouded in darkness.
Kakashi made his way to a section labeled "Genjutsu" without hesitation. His eyes sharpened.
He wasn't here to browse. He had co with a very clear objective.
To uncover the truth behind the strange dream he had last night.
It couldn't be just a dream.
He was convinced—it had all the hallmarks of sothing deeper. Sothing more precise. It felt like a highly sophisticated, rare Genjutsu that reached into the ntal plane.
Or perhaps... a forbidden Jutsu aid at manipulating the soul itself.
With that in mind, he began scanning through scroll after scroll, carefully looking for anything related to Genjutsu, ntal attacks, dream manipulation, mory reading, shared perception, and even techniques that targeted the soul directly.
However...
Ti passed slowly, and before long, night had completely fallen over the village.
Kakashi had already sifted through nearly all the scrolls he thought might hold a clue, but ca up with nothing.
In the entire Anbu archives, there was no record of any technique capable of quietly pulling multiple people's consciousnesses into the sa dream space—let alone one that could vividly reconstruct, and even alter, dreams with such precision that it included details the drear themselves had never seen before.
Just like what had happened last night.
"How is this possible… not even a single clue…"
Kakashi finally left the archives, his steps heavy with exhaustion, and made his way back to his apartnt under the cover of night.
When he arrived, he dropped onto his bed without even changing clothes and stared silently at the ceiling above.
His mind was a storm of unease.
Even with all the forbidden and classified knowledge stored within the Anbu's archives, he had found nothing that resembled what he had experienced. Nothing that explained how such a powerful illusion—or reality-warping dream—could have occurred.
If no such Jutsu existed in Konoha's records...
Then did that an the caster's abilities had already surpassed the realm of conventional shinobi?
What unsettled Kakashi the most was this:
Whoever had done this… had clearly chosen Naruto as their target.
But why?
Was it for the Nine-Tails?
Or... was there so other, even more terrifying purpose behind it?
Amidst his lingering exhaustion and the tangle of unanswered questions, Kakashi's eyelids gradually grew heavier, and his consciousness… began to drift once again…
…
That sa familiar sensation of weightlessness returned.
When Kakashi opened his eyes, he wasn't surprised in the slightest to find himself back in the dim, surreal projection hall.
"…Sigh."
He let out a faint sigh, almost inaudible in the stillness.
It had returned—just as he had expected.
This ti, however, he didn't panic like he had the night before. Nor did he rush to inspect the surroundings.
As the saying goes, the first ti is unfamiliar, the second ti is familiar. After experiencing it once already, he felt significantly calr.
Looking around, he quickly spotted Sasuke and Sakura seated nearby, both still in their pajamas. Their expressions mirrored his own—wary, resigned, and tinged with curiosity.
Clearly, they too had begun to accept this mysterious phenonon as sothing more than just a dream… more like a rule that couldn't be resisted.
Kakashi gave them a small nod, found an empty seat, and quietly sat down. He let his body relax and shifted his gaze to the massive, dark screen ahead.
If tonight followed the sa pattern as before, it wouldn't be long before the screen lit up again.
And sure enough… it would soon begin.
Sure enough.
Less than thirty seconds after Kakashi took his seat—
Shhh—
The massive screen flickered to life once again, its glow cutting through the dimness of the projection hall.
And just like the previous night, the scene that appeared centered around Naruto.
But this ti… sothing was different.
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