[Naruto — Dream Fulfillment Master!][The Sword God of Konoha]
Just as Sasuke in the audience was about to explode with rage, the scene on the screen shifted once again.
Naruto Uzumaki was now being stared at shyly and affectionately by Sakura Haruno, whose eyes were practically overflowing with pink bubbles.
Sakura's face was flushed bright red with embarrassment. With her hands nervously tucked behind her back, she shuffled up to Naruto, her voice so sweet it could melt sugar.
"M-Mr. Naruto... Ah, no... I mean... Young Master Naruto!"
—Meanwhile, back in the audience—
Sakura: "...???"
Inner Sakura was already smashing the walls of her mind in a fit of absolute chaos.
—Back on the screen—
Dream Sakura continued with a voice so soft and saccharine it was practically dripping with sugar, "Young Master Naruto... You were amazing just now! Sasuke didn't stand a chance against you! You really are the strongest ninja in our Team 7—no, in all of Konoha!"
Naruto scratched his head sheepishly, his eyes narrowing with a mix of smugness and bashfulness. "Well, well... it's nothing really. Sasuke was just being careless."
"No! You don't need to be modest!" Dream Sakura shook her head firmly, her eyes burning even brighter with admiration. "In my heart, you've always been the greatest ninja! Actually... I... I've liked you... no—I've liked Young Master Naruto for a very, very long time!"
As she spoke, she boldly took a step forward, grabbed Naruto's hand, and looked up at him with eyes practically shimmering with affection.
"I love you the most, Young Master Naruto! Please... let's be together!"
Naruto: "!!!"
It felt like a lightning bolt had struck him right where he stood. His entire body froze.
His mind went completely blank.
L-Like me...?
Did... did Sakura just say... that she likes me the most?!
Is... is this real?!
Am I not dreaming...?
A tidal wave of shock and joy crashed over him, nearly drowning him.
For several long seconds, Naruto couldn't even breathe.
When he finally managed to process what was happening, his face flushed bright red from sheer happiness. Staring at Sakura's lovely face gazing up at him with such affection, Naruto felt like his soul was about to float away.
Happiness had come too suddenly!
Trying his best to hold onto his cool "Young Master" persona, he cleared his throat, pretending to stay calm. "Ahem... W-Well... since... since you've gone out of your way to say all that... I-I guess... I can consider it... Wahahaha!!"
In the end, he completely lost it, throwing his hands on his hips and bursting into wild, thunderous laughter.
BOOM!!
Back in the audience, the real Sakura felt her last thread of sanity snap.
She jumped to her feet, veins bulging on her forehead, her emerald eyes practically spitting fire.
Her dainty fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and even her usually soft hands looked ready to crush bones.
"NARUTOOOO!!! YOU ABSOLUTE, HOPELESS, DEAD-LAST IDIOT!! HOW DARE YOU HAVE A DREAM LIKE THIS?! AAAAAHHH!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!"
Her furious scream was laced with murderous intent.
If it weren't for the weird restrictions of this mysterious space, she would've rushed over and turned Naruto into a human punching bag on the spot.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Sakura Haruno. +1000 emotional points!]
Compared to Sakura's fury, Sasuke was simply looking at the screen with a disgusted expression, as if he'd accidentally seen something utterly filthy. He even shifted slightly away from Sakura, as if trying to avoid catching whatever brain disease these two idiots clearly had.
"How boring..."
"These two idiots..."
Kakashi just sighed helplessly and covered his forehead with his hand.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Naruto Uzumaki. +400 emotional points!]
—Back on the screen—
Now officially "accepted" by Naruto, Dream Sakura clung tightly to his arm, her voice sugary and full of affection. "This is wonderful! Young Master Naruto, let's go on a date! I want to go shopping!"
"Of course! Wherever Sakura-chan wants to go, I'll take you!" Naruto said, waving his hand like a big shot, feeling like the luckiest guy in the world.
The two walked away hand in hand, leaving the training grounds and heading toward Konoha's bustling main street.
Soon, Naruto realized... something felt very strange.
Usually when he walked through the village, people would stare at him with fear, disgust, or hostility—as if he were some plague or monster. Everyone avoided him like the plague.
But today...
"Oh my! Isn't that Young Master Naruto? You're looking so energetic today!" a vegetable vendor greeted warmly, handing him a big, juicy tomato for free.
"Young Master Naruto! Your clothes look a bit worn. Come check out our shop! I'll give you a 20% discount!" the clothing shop owner chimed in with a grin.
It didn't stop there.
A gentle woman in a red kimono, holding the hand of a five- or six-year-old boy, walked up to Naruto with a look of deep respect and admiration.
"Young Master Naruto, good day to you." She bowed politely, then turned to the little boy. "Ryota, look closely. This is Young Master Naruto. You should grow up to be just like him—strong, admirable, and a great ninja!"
The boy nodded, eyes wide with pure admiration.
The woman then smiled warmly at Naruto. "Young Master Naruto, you've been training so hard lately. Please remember to take care of yourself."
Naruto stood frozen in place.
His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of his chest.
What... what is happening...?
The villagers... are smiling at me?
They're... showing me kindness?
They're even calling me... Young Master Naruto?!
This... this...
For as long as he could remember, he had never experienced anything like this.
All his life, he had been shunned, rejected, and treated like a monster.
A wave of overwhelming warmth and joy surged through him, completely drowning him in happiness.
His vision blurred as tears welled up uncontrollably.
For a moment, he couldn't even tell—was this real... or just a dream that was too perfect to be true?
Sure, he vaguely wondered why everyone was calling him "Young Master," but compared to the overwhelming joy of finally being accepted and cared for... that tiny question didn't matter at all.
"Y-Yeah! Thank you, Auntie! I feel great! Training's not tiring at all!" Naruto wiped his tears, his face blooming with the brightest, most genuine smile he had ever shown.
Clumsily but happily, he greeted everyone who approached him, soaking in all the warmth and affection he had always yearned for.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Naruto Uzumaki. +2000 emotional points!]
—Back in the audience—
Sakura and Sasuke didn't feel much about Naruto being adored like this.
Sasuke, having grown up surrounded by praise and fangirls, was completely numb to this sort of thing—and honestly, a bit annoyed by it.
Sakura, after recovering from her initial fury, just found the whole scene kind of boring.
"Ugh... seriously? Just walking around exchanging greetings? Isn't this getting old already?" she grumbled, even letting out a lazy yawn.
Only Kakashi... Kakashi quietly stared at the screen, watching Naruto smile like a complete fool, his own heart filled with complicated emotions.
A soft sigh escaped his lips. His single exposed eye shimmered with an indescribable mix of feelings.
Relief... sympathy... helplessness... and a deep, bitter ache.
As one of the few who knew Naruto's true past and the harsh reality of how he had been treated, Kakashi understood better than anyone just how cruel the contrast between this dream and reality really was.
This fake happiness... only served to highlight how brutal the real world had been to Naruto.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Kakashi Hatake. +500 emotional points!]
—Back in the dream—
Naruto was still drowning in overwhelming happiness, feeling like the most loved person in the entire village.
This feeling... was just too good. He never wanted to wake up.
As he continued to joyfully chat with every villager, time seemed to fly by.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Naruto Uzumaki. +100 emotional points!][Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Naruto Uzumaki. +100 emotional points!][Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Naruto Uzumaki. +100 emotional points!][Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Naruto Uzumaki. +100 emotional points!]
Emotional points flooded in like running water, making the hidden Shiyu grin from ear to ear.
But just as Naruto's happiness reached its peak and the sky began to darken...
Suddenly—chaos struck.
As Naruto was cheerfully saying goodbye to the last villager...
A hand shot out from behind him, grabbed his ear, and yanked it hard.
"OWW!! Hey—who the heck—ouch, ouch, ouch!" Naruto yelped, clutching his ear.
Before he could even turn around to see who it was, a loud, furious—but oddly caring—voice boomed in his ear like thunder:
"NARUUUUUTO!!! I told you to run a simple errand! Where the hell did you wander off to?! It's already dark! Get your butt home!!"
As that shout echoed, the scene before Naruto's eyes—
—suddenly flickered and went completely black, like a TV losing signal.
The dream... was over.