Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master!

Chapter 386 Obito: Reality is a nightmare from which you cannot wake up

"Obito?"

Rin Nohara was completely stunned for a moment by Obito's sudden embrace.

The boy in her arms trembled violently.

Obito stripped away all pretense, abandoned all dignity, and forgot all propriety, bursting into tears.

She was completely different from the carefree, silly girl that Nohara Rin remembered.

After the brief moment of surprise subsided.

What welled up in Lin's heart was not shame or disgust, but only worry.

She neither pushed Obito away nor questioned him further.

Her medical ninja instincts and innate, all-encompassing kindness led her to choose a posture that best provides people with a sense of security.

He simply patted Obito's back gently with one hand, trying to soothe his out-of-control emotions.

"Obito?"

"What's wrong?"

"Did you have a nightmare?"

"Don't be afraid, it's all over now. Look, I'm here. I'm fine, I'm perfectly alright."

She coaxed him gently.

"Those terrifying scenes you dreamed about must all be illusions, just nightmares. Dreams are the opposite of reality, they're not real... Obito, don't be afraid, I'm right here."

A dream? An illusion?

Obito twitched uncontrollably.

For a moment, he was filled with mixed emotions.

What is a nightmare?

What is an illusion?

For him, the reality of Lin lying in a pool of blood was a nightmare he could never wake up from.

But this dream with Lin is a luxurious illusion.

[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Obito have been detected! Emotional value +700!]

However, Rin's simple words of comfort and the warm aura emanating from her were like a tranquilizer that had a special effect on Obito.

It soothed Obito's grief little by little.

Ever since learning about the parallel world Menma lived in during the chaotic instance, and vaguely deducing from Minato's words that Rin Nohara in that world had also suffered misfortune because of him, Obito's already fragile mental defenses suffered another devastating blow.

It seems that no matter which world he is in, no matter how the timeline changes, Obito Uchiha is always the jinx cursed by fate.

He's always the one who talks big but is powerless at the most crucial moment, always saying he'll protect his comrades, but can only watch helplessly as the most important person dies in front of him—a complete waste!

This feeling of being cursed by fate completely broke him down.

But precisely because of this, things will inevitably turn into their opposites when they reach an extreme.

The Lin standing vividly before him, still warm and with a heartbeat, had become more significant to him than ever before.

More important than his own life, more important than Konoha, more important than the entire ninja world, more important than everything!

"At least... at least in this world, Lin is still alive, she can still give me that unguarded smile, and she can still care about me wholeheartedly like this..."

Obito gritted his teeth.

"At all costs!"

"I will absolutely, positively protect Rin of this world!"

Just then.

A lazy, extremely irritating tone rang out.

"Yo, Obito..."

"Why are you crying like a baby in broad daylight?"

"Aren't you ashamed? You're the worst student."

That sound...?!

It's Kakashi!!!

Moreover, it was Kakashi, the idiot from his childhood!

"Who, who cried?! Which eye of yours saw me cry?!"

"What... I just had a lot of sand in the wind... Don't you even know common sense? You idiot Kakashi!"

[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Obito have been detected! Emotional value +500!]

Looking in the direction of the sound.

Not far away, beside a thick oak tree trunk, leaned a silver-haired boy lazily.

At this moment, the dead fish eye was drooping halfway, revealing without any attempt to conceal its concern for intellectually disabled children.

"Your eyes are swollen like two giant red light bulbs, and you call that sand in your eyes? Then this grain of sand must have been as big as the Hokage Rock, and it probably smashed right into your head!"

Kakashi crossed his arms and looked down at Obito, his eyes filled with even more mockery.

"you!!!"

Obito pointed a trembling finger at Kakashi, momentarily speechless, unable to utter a single hurtful retort for a long time.

"Alright, alright, Kakashi, stop making fun of Obito."

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again as usual, Lin also stood up.

She walked between the two of them, offering words of comfort that were both amusing and somewhat helpless.

"Obito just now... he probably had a really scary nightmare and got frightened."

"Kakashi, you too! As a comrade, can't you be a little more considerate and comfort him?"

Upon hearing this, Kakashi shrugged helplessly, adopting a lazy, "I can't do anything about it" attitude, and replied perfunctorily:

"Yes, yes, Lin is right."

Immediately afterwards, Kakashi suddenly stood up straight.

He looked at Obito with a serious expression, then deliberately made a gesture of slightly opening his arms, and asked mischievously:

"So, Obito, you crybaby, do you need some comforting right now?"

"Go to hell! Who needs your comfort, you white-haired idiot!"

"Get the hell away from me, you bastard Kakashi!"

Obito was practically going crazy, jumping up and down in a fit of rage and roaring.

He was now absolutely certain that the Kakashi in this world was even more annoying and deserving of a beating than the one in reality!

……

in the audience.

"strangeness……"

Naruto sat cross-legged on the chair, his hands behind his head, muttering in confusion:

"I said... why is Obito crying so hard?"

Sakura, who was sitting next to him, didn't join in the fun like Naruto did.

She keenly sensed something and analyzed, "It's possible that in reality, he has accumulated too much unbearable pain, trauma, or something else, which he usually suppresses relentlessly. Until in this dream, when he suddenly faced a safe environment, his psychological dam instantly collapsed. So the question is, what exactly did he experience in reality?"

"It's strange, really..." Karin, sitting on the other side, pushed up her red-rimmed glasses.

"Who exactly is this guy named Obito? He keeps appearing in this dream, and he's even Kakashi-sensei's teammate. Judging from the Konoha headband he's wearing, he must be a Konoha ninja too, right?"

Karin turned her head, her gaze fixed intently on Kakashi and the others, her face full of confusion:

"But I've been in Konoha for a while now, how come I've never seen him before? Someone with such distinctive features shouldn't be unknown."

This question, which was originally just a casual question from Karin based on logical deduction, stunned Kakashi, who had been silent all along.

[Ding! Kakashi Hatake's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +700!]

On the other side, Sasuke coldly crossed his arms over his chest.

He watched quietly as the young Kakashi and the Uchiha boy named Obito interacted in the screen, observing their seemingly disliked yet perfectly tacit and intimately familiar interactions.

Sasuke's brain was working at lightning speed.

Over the past few days, with the constant emergence of these details, that guess has become increasingly clear.

The relationship between this guy named Obito and Kakashi-sensei is definitely not ordinary.

Kakashi sensed Sasuke's unusual behavior, and his bitterness deepened.

He knew that Sasuke was intelligent and perceptive, and probably had already guessed what was going on.

But he didn't know how to begin explaining.

Meanwhile, in another part of the audience seating area.

Kisame revealed two rows of sharp, white teeth, his eyes filled with amusement that seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this is really interesting."

"I can't believe I saw that expression on that person's face."

……

on the screen.

Just as Obito was jumping up and down in anger, Rin gently and helplessly tried to smooth things over, while Kakashi continued to deliver sarcastic remarks with his deadpan gaze... The whole atmosphere seemed to return to the noisy, lively, and carefree daily life of their youth.

Suddenly, the sound of other people talking came from the forest path.

"Wow, we could hear all this chatter from far away! It's so lively! Everyone seems to be in a lot of energy today, that's great!"

A cheerful and bright female voice rang out first.

"Yes, judging from the noise, it seems we've arrived just in time."

Immediately following was a gentle and clear male voice.

The instant I heard those two voices!

Obito, who had just been fiercely confronting Kakashi, suddenly froze on the spot, his angry expression instantly solidifying.

Then, it was replaced by a complex expression.

Kakashi and Rin also heard the sound, and they stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the source of the sound on the path.

Kakashi immediately dropped his lazy, smug look, and a warmth and respect flashed in his dead fish eyes.

Lin, on the other hand, immediately beamed with a radiant smile, like a sunflower. She excitedly raised her hand, waved it vigorously, and shouted:

"Minato-sensei! Kushina-senpai! You've arrived!"

At the end of the sun-dappled path, two figures were walking side by side.

Minato wasn't wearing his ninja outfit today, but rather simple casual home clothes. Yet, his incredibly reassuring and powerful aura still emanated naturally.

The one intimately linking arms with Minato was Kushina, who had fiery red hair.

She was carrying a small picnic basket.

"Minato-sensei, Kushina-senpai." Kakashi's tone was much more serious than usual as he greeted them respectfully.

Good morning!

Kushina released Minato's arm and, like a lively young girl, hopped and skipped to the three of them.

Her bright, lively eyes curiously scanned the three of them.

Her gaze quickly settled on Obito's face, and then she immediately revealed a mischievous smile:

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Obito, could it be... he lost another match and got bullied by Kakashi?"

As she spoke, she playfully winked at Obito.

"No, no, that's not true!"

Provoked by Kushina's words, Obito suddenly raised his head and immediately retorted loudly.

His face flushed even redder instantly, and his shifty gaze darted around, never daring to look directly into Minato and Kushina's eyes.

When facing Rin and Kakashi, he could still manage to recapture a bit of his carefree youth through joking and banter.

but……

Facing the Minato couple, especially Kushina Uzumaki, he... he really couldn't do it.

Minato Namikaze smiled gently, his gaze sweeping over his three disciples.

She paused briefly on Obito, seemingly noticing his unusual emotions, but didn't point it out. She simply said, "Alright, Kushina, stop teasing him. It's great to see everyone looking so energetic at today's picnic."

Then, he looked at Obito.

"Obito, are your eyes alright?"

"I……"

Faced with Minato-sensei's unwavering concern.

Obito opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he couldn't make a sound at all.

In the end, he could only shake his head stiffly.

"Hahaha! It's good that you're alright!" Kushina's cheerful laughter dispelled all the gloom.

She walked a few steps to the grass under the shade of a tree and gently put down the basket in her hand.

"Come on, everyone! Don't just stand there like idiots, come and lend a hand!"

Kushina clapped her hands and enthusiastically announced, "I spent the whole morning preparing a super lavish and nutritious picnic feast for you all!"

As she spoke excitedly, she deftly lifted the pretty floral cloth covering the basket.

Sure enough, the basket, which wasn't small, was now crammed full of all sorts of carefully prepared food.

A fragrant aroma, a blend of the fresh scent of rice, the savory aroma of grilled meat, and the sweet aroma of fruit, quickly wafted through the air.

Inside are rice balls shaped like various small animals or flowers, with seaweed carefully used to decorate the eyes. In the center of each rice ball, there is a luxurious filling of sweet and sour pickled plums or crystal clear salmon roe.

Several transparent food storage containers next to it were filled with various brightly colored and juicy seasonal fruits.

On the other side are the well-sealed Konoha secret-recipe pickles and tamagoyaki with a rich egg aroma.

There was even a small pot of homemade juice neatly placed there.

"Wow! It looks delicious! Thank you, Kushina-senpai!" Rin immediately ran over happily and helped Kushina lay a clean, large checkered picnic blanket neatly on the grass.

As Kushina took the food out of the basket one by one with a smile, she let out a soft sigh.

"well……"

"These past few days, the situation outside the village has visibly become increasingly tense..."

"You've just been rotated off the front lines and finally had a few days of safe rest in the village. But I heard you'll soon be sent on new missions."

As Kushina spoke, her hands continued moving, but her eyes were filled with reluctance and worry as she glanced at Minato, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin standing to the side.

"I really don't know when we'll be able to get together like this again..."

Seeing this, Minato Namikaze understood the gravity of the situation, but his warm and gentle smile remained unchanged.

He stepped forward, naturally extended his hand, gently squeezed Kushina's hand, and comforted her:

"Don't worry, Kushina. We're just going to carry out some routine reconnaissance missions on the border. We won't go deep behind enemy lines, so there won't be any major dangers."

Looking into his wife's eyes, Minato smiled and made a vow: "I promise you, with me here, the four of us will return here unharmed, just as we did when we set out."

"When we come back after this mission is successfully completed, let's go eat at that newly opened meatball shop you've been talking about for so long, and have a good time, okay?"

Minato's words eased much of the worry between Kushina's brows.

A relieved smile returned to her face as she grasped Minato's hand and nodded gently.

However, these words struck Obito like a bolt from the blue.

"Task?!"

"We'll be leaving the village soon to go on a mission to the front lines?!"

Obito glanced at Rin quickly.

Her profile looked so fragile in the sunlight.

She was so fragile that it seemed a slightly stronger act of malice could destroy her completely.

Obito knew better than anyone else in the world what kind of undercurrents were surging beneath this seemingly flawless facade of peace.

Madara Uchiha!

That old ghost who caused the tragedy of his own world.

Even in this seemingly peaceful and warm world, there exist those who are eyeing us covetously.

As long as Rin remains within Konoha Village, she is probably relatively safe.

However, once she leaves the village to carry out a mission and is exposed to the wild, the risk of being targeted by the old ghost will increase exponentially.

Obito unconsciously tightened his grip on his hands.

"Alright, alright! We finally have a holiday, let's not talk about these depressing topics!"

Kushina clapped her hands and placed the last few strings of tempting tricolor dumplings in the most conspicuous position.

She picked up the kettle again and filled the glasses in front of her with juice.

After doing all this, a bright smile returned to her face:

"The most important thing is that we can all get together and have fun on this rare day off!"

"Come on, everyone! Minato, Obito, Kakashi, Rin, don't be shy, eat up!"

After saying that, Kushina turned her gaze to Obito and teased, "Especially you, Obito! You must have used up a lot of energy and water just now, right? You have to eat more today to make up for all the tears and snot you shed!"

"Pfft..." Kakashi sneered from the side, showing no mercy.

Obito's face flushed red again.

[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Obito have been detected! Emotional value +300!]

"Then I won't stand on ceremony, I'll do as he says."

Kakashi completely ignored Obito's murderous glare and reached out to pick up a rice ball.

"Thank you, Kushina-senpai! You've worked so hard!"

Lin happily sat down on the grass, took the glass of juice from Kushina with both hands, and her clear eyes curved into two crescent moons.

Minato Namikaze sat cross-legged beside his wife, smiled, picked up a piece of tamagoyaki, and tasted it with refined and elegant movements.

The atmosphere was joyful and filled with laughter.

It seems that war, missions, and sacrifices are very, very far away from them.

However, amidst this warm and welcoming atmosphere, Obito felt like an out-of-place bystander.

Delicious food tastes bland and tasteless.

The cheerful laughter of my companions and teachers seemed to enter my ears through a pane of glass.

He forced a smile and went along with the conversation, but his mind was completely elsewhere.

……

Off-screen.

In the audience seats of the theater.

"A picnic...?"

Naruto sat in the chair, muttering to himself, his usually energetic eyes looking somewhat blank.

“That’s great…”

He wanted to, really wanted to.

Like the people on the screen, you can also have a picnic with your parents on a sunny day off, on a soft patch of grass.

Even if you do nothing at all.

Even if it's just sitting quietly together.

He can eat the rice balls his mother made by hand with gusto.

He could listen intently as his father, in a gentle voice, recounted the stories he encountered while on missions.

Even if Mom nags me a bit for being picky about food, Dad will pat me on the head and praise me for doing a good job.

This is what most ordinary people might see as just an ordinary, everyday scene that happens every weekend.

For Naruto, who grew up alone, it was an unattainable dream.

[Ding! Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +1000!]

Karin, sitting next to Naruto, is a sensory ninja and is most sensitive to changes in emotions.

She immediately sensed the low spirits emanating from Naruto.

Karin turned her head and looked at Naruto's forlorn profile.

She didn't say anything to disturb him.

She knew that at this moment, any words of comfort would seem too pale.

She simply reached out her hand silently and gently placed it on Naruto's knee.

She was trying to convey a silent comfort, companionship, and support to Naruto.

It's like telling him, "You're not alone."

At the same time, Karin's gaze passed over Naruto and landed on the light screen.

It landed on the red-haired woman.

Both being orphans of the Uzumaki clan, they also share the iconic red hair.

Seeing Kushina's happy smile, Karin's eyes flashed with complex emotions.

But soon, she took a deep breath, suppressed these emotions, and her eyes regained their calm.

Meanwhile, on Naruto's other side.

Sasuke maintained the posture of coldly crossing his arms in front of his chest.

His brows had been furrowed since earlier.

Sasuke's gaze didn't miss a single detail.

His gaze lingered on Obito for a very long time.

He was observing and analyzing.

"Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki treated Obito with utmost naturalness. It was the genuine care and affection that only elders show to juniors, and teachers to disciples; it was absolutely not feigned."

"Kakashi's interactions with Rin and Obito are incredibly familiar, clearly indicating they've gone through numerous life-or-death missions together."

"In this world, no matter how he disguises himself, Obito's relationships with the Fourth Hokage and his wife, Kakashi, and Rin are extremely close..."

Sasuke's doubts did not diminish in the slightest despite the peaceful scene before him; on the contrary, they deepened.

A huge logical paradox loomed over his mind.

"How could someone who has such deep feelings for his teachers and classmates, someone who cries like an idiot, possibly be the mysterious masked man? It just doesn't make sense!"

"Could it be... that all my previous deductions were wrong?"