On-screen.
Inside the dream, Naruto stared at the man in front of him—same blond hair, same blue eyes. There was surprise on his face, but also a strange, almost instinctive familiarity.
Huh? Who's this guy…? He looks really familiar… like I've seen him somewhere before…
But Naruto was never much of a student. Textbooks were just props to him.
And the Hokage Rock? Expecting him to memorize stone faces and match them to real people? That was asking too much. He could barely remember his classmates without giving them nicknames.
So as he gazed at the living, breathing Minato now, all Naruto felt was a deep sense of comfort and recognition—but no conscious connection to the legendary hero.
He just watched blankly as Minato walked over, dried his hands, and sat between him and "Mom" with a warm smile.
—"Alright, time to eat."
Kushina picked up her chopsticks and enthusiastically placed a glistening piece of kakuni into Naruto's bowl.
—"Eat up, Naruto. Look how skinny you are. Today's a big day—you finally became a genin. You need to fill up."
Minato smiled gently and added a golden piece of karaage.
—"That's right. Being a ninja is tough—you need proper nutrition."
—"Mmm! Yeah!" Naruto looked down at the pile of food that was quickly turning into a small mountain, then looked up at the gentle smiles of his "Mom" and "Dad."
For a moment, he felt like he was in heaven.
He nodded hard, picked up his chopsticks, and dug in.
Even if this was just a dream...
The food Mom and Dad picked for me… it's so good...
This feeling—of being cared for, loved, eating together as a family—it was real.
He devoured the meal with an uncontainable joy, a fulfillment so deep it made his heart ache.
To him, this was the most delicious meal he had ever had.
Even better—by a hundred times—than Ichiraku Ramen.
His face was plastered with a goofy smile the whole time, as if he might melt from sheer happiness.
Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Uzumaki Naruto! +2000 emotion points!Ding! Deep-rooted dream detected: [Have Dinner with Otō-san and Okaa-san] — Fully realized within dream scenario!Congratulations, Host! Special reward triggered: One-time bonus of 10,000 emotion points!
"Holy sh—Ten thousand?!"
In the shadows, Shiyu nearly bit his own tongue as the system numbers shot up on the screen.
—"Jackpot! I really hit the jackpot this time!"
—"So this is the key… Touching on someone's deepest emotional longing—that's how you farm the big points. I seriously need to dig deeper into each client's psychological needs from now on. All those years studying psychology weren't for nothing after all."
Staring at his rapidly climbing total—nearly hitting twenty thousand—Shiyu felt like he'd just taken a huge leap toward his dream of redeeming powerful kekkei genkai and legendary ninjutsu.
—
Audience area.
Kakashi watched the heartwarming scene of the family eating together with an unreadable expression in his eyes.
If Minato-sensei and Kushina hadn't died that night twelve years ago…
Then maybe this would've been Naruto's normal life.
He would've grown up like any other child, surrounded by love. He'd complain, be mischievous, throw tantrums—but he'd be happy, with everything he deserved.
A sharp, indescribable sorrow and regret welled up in Kakashi's chest.
Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Hatake Kakashi! +500 emotion points!
—
Back in the dream.
The dinner wrapped up.
Naruto rubbed his now round belly and sat on the bench, beaming like an idiot, so happy he felt like he might pass out.
Minato stood and began cleaning the dishes with practiced ease. He looked back at Naruto with a smile.
—"Naruto, you're full now, right? But you can't just sit there—come on. You're a man now. Time to help wash the dishes."
—"Huh? Wash the dishes?" Naruto blinked in surprise.
Minato gave him a playful wink.
—"Of course! We can't let Mom do everything by herself, right? We have to share the chores."
—"Oh! Okay, okay!" Naruto quickly leapt up from the bench, enthusiastic. —"I'll help Mom with the dishes!"
And just like that, father and son stood side-by-side at the kitchen sink.
Minato scrubbed the pans while Naruto tackled the mountain of greasy plates.
Naruto, who had lived off instant noodles and Ichiraku his whole life, had barely ever cooked—let alone washed dishes. His hands fumbled clumsily, knocking things over, covering himself in bubbles.
But he wasn't annoyed in the slightest. He was loving every second.
Doing chores with Dad… feels so nice...
As he hummed a little tune and fought with a particularly stubborn greasy plate, Minato, still scrubbing a pot beside him, suddenly spoke in a mysterious tone:
—"Oh, by the way, Naruto."
—"Hmm? What is it, Dad?"
Minato paused and turned to him, eyes twinkling.
—"To celebrate you officially becoming a genin, I've decided to teach you an incredible jutsu."
—"Huh?! An awesome jutsu?" Naruto's eyes sparkled—but then he hesitated.
Wait… can you really learn jutsu inside a dream?
Minato only smiled mysteriously.
—"Once we're done with the dishes, meet me in the backyard."
He added proudly:
—"This jutsu took me three years to develop. It's extremely powerful—and the name is super cool, too."
Naruto grew even more curious, though the unease still lingered.
Learning a jutsu from Dad… inside a dream? Sounds… kinda sketchy...
—
Audience area.
"A self-created jutsu?" Sakura leaned forward, intrigued. —"Did the Fourth Hokage really invent some powerful jutsu?"
She glanced at Sasuke and Kakashi.
Sasuke shook his head. He didn't know.
Most of what was taught about the Fourth Hokage in history class focused on his speed—Kiiroi Senkō—and his sacrifice sealing the Kyūbi. There wasn't much detail on his personal techniques.
Sakura frowned, muttering:
—"In the end, this is probably just Naruto being a delusional idiot again. There's no way he's the Fourth's son, right? If he were, why would he grow up so miserable? The Fourth died a hero saving the village. Naruto… he's probably just dreaming he's a hero's kid."
Kakashi sighed quietly as he listened to her rather logical deduction.
The truth behind Naruto's parentage, and the reasons for the Sandaime Hokage's decisions back then… were too tangled and painful to explain.
Even Kakashi didn't know everything.
But at this point, he was starting to feel more and more certain—
This wasn't just a dream anymore.
Minato-sensei… showing that jutsu...
Kakashi's chest tightened sharply.
As Minato's former student—his most trusted disciple—how could he not recognize that jutsu?
Not only did he know it—he could use it himself.
Though… not nearly as well.
In fact, he had even developed his own version of it.
Could it be...?
Kakashi's brow furrowed deeply, his gaze locked on the screen.
—
On-screen.
The dream had shifted again—this time to the cozy home's backyard.
Learning jutsu inside a dream—was that even possible?
But... as long as "Dad" was with him, Naruto didn't care what they were doing.
He looked at the smiling man in front of him and nodded seriously.
Minato held out his right hand, palm facing up.
And then—HUMMMM.
Without a single hand sign, a glowing orb of spinning, pale blue chakra suddenly appeared in his palm.
The chakra sphere whirled at high speed, letting out a soft, vibrating hum. Even the air around it twisted visibly from the force it emitted.
—
Audience area.
The instant that glowing orb appeared—
Kakashi froze, as if struck by a genjutsu.
His pupils contracted in an instant.
—"It… it really is…!"
He could no longer stay seated.
He shot to his feet, eyes wide.
—"Rasengan!"
Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Hatake Kakashi! +1000 emotion points!
Yes. It was the Rasengan.
The very jutsu created by Namikaze Minato after three years of intense observation of the Bijūdama—an A-rank technique that combined perfect shape transformation with ultra-high chakra density, requiring no hand signs at all.
The ultimate hand-sign-less technique—Rasengan.
This wasn't coincidence.
And what truly made Kakashi's scalp tingle—
Was the way Minato moved.
His stance.His chakra flow.His control...