"Mmm…"
Bright and early, a newly awakened Hinata—overwhelmed by shyness—clutched her pillow tightly in bed, rolling about like a little white silkworm.
"How can I have such a shameless dream? I actually fantasized about Kage-san…"
Not only did he call me "baby" and compliment my pretty eyes, but he also stripped off his clothes and playfully caressed my chest. I even imagined him licking the tiny beads of sweat on my skin…
Ah, why do I have such absurd thoughts, dreaming such a ridiculous dream!
Discarding her small pillow, Hinata, flushed with embarrassment, reluctantly got out of bed.
Barefoot, her tender, pale feet like lotus roots, she wandered to the full-length mirror. Removing her camisole-style pajamas, she gazed blankly at her smooth reflection before, almost unconsciously, resting her hand on her skin—a delightful blend of cherry-pink and snowy white. In her dream, it seemed Kage-san liked that very touch… was that really what he preferred? In her innocent mind, she replayed every little gesture from that dream.
"Mmm…"
The girl in the mirror let out a soft, instinctive hum.
"Big sis!"
With a sudden clatter, Hanabi—who had risen early as well—thrust open the door. In that moment, she caught sight of their older sister, massaging her own soft rolls of flesh in front of the mirror.
"Ha—Hanabi!?"
Nearly screaming, Hinata quickly snatched up her fallen camisole and turned away. Thank goodness she was the younger sister; if the household servants ever saw this, it would be a disaster… Hinata thought she might be too embarrassed to go out for a long while.
"Is sis in the mood for love?"
Though barely ten, the mischievous Hanabi seemed to grasp far more than she should.
"Not at all!" Hinata replied, her voice trembling as she dressed, feeling both guilty and bashful.
What a precocious little sister!
"Also, don't talk like an adult!" Hanabi chided.
What mood for love? It was just an absurd dream.
Yet in that dream, Kage-san was so impressive—he even managed to counter Father's techniques!
"See, sis, you really are in the mood," Hanabi insisted, her eyes widening as she noticed Hinata's flushed, startled expression. Some guy must be unbelievably lucky to make our sister show such an adorably coy look!
Ah, how can my sister be so cute? I just adore her!
----
"That toad is an absolute fraud!"
Even before Uchiha Kage could utter a word, Naruto leapt forward at dawn to denounce the toad from last night's dream. In that dream, not only had he failed to learn a single Sage Technique, but he'd also been forced to eat bugs because of that stinky toad.
"Kage, do you think that toad was a scam too?"
Sasuke, still seething over his failure with the Sage Techniques, grumbled, "First, whether it was a scam or not, with such little time—even if we knew Sage Techniques, we couldn't possibly master them."
Uchiha Kage quickly doused Sasuke's hopes before adding, "Second, that toad was most likely in league with our enemies, deliberately stalling our progress."
"I see…"
Only then did Sasuke reluctantly abandon any hope of learning those techniques.
"Besides, today I uncovered some information in ancient texts about those people—and even the origin of that toad."
Uchiha Kage produced an old, modest book filled with archaic script. Since Naruto and Sasuke couldn't read it anyway, he could afford to embellish a bit, though most of what he said turned out to be accurate.
"What? Did those people really exist?"
At that, a spark of hope flickered in Sasuke's eyes.
"Mm."
Feigning deep study, Uchiha Kage casually recounted the legend of the Sage of Six Paths and his mother. "According to the records, Kaguya was the name of the Sage's mother, and the Sage along with his brother were called Hagoromo and Hamura. It's said that a thousand years ago, a quarrel broke out between the Sage and his mother Kaguya, so that—together with his brother—he sealed her away…"
"Sage of Six Paths?!"
Sasuke had heard the legend; he knew the Sage was the great founder of the Ninja Creed, the progenitor of all ninjas.
"What kind of sage would team up with his brother against his own mother? What a villain!"
Clueless Naruto simply concluded that the Sage of Six Paths was no good at all.
"Tonight, if I dream of that place again, I'm definitely going to teach that Sage a lesson!"
"If it really is the Sage of Six Paths, then our experience…"
Ignoring Naruto's outburst, Sasuke's curiosity only deepened. Were they truly traversing a thousand years in their dreams?
"Mm, maybe one of our Uchiha ancestors sent us through time," Uchiha Kage half-joked.
"N-Naruto, you mustn't tell anyone about this, got it?"
Could our ancestors really be manifesting their displeasure?
Sasuke instantly perked up. Yes, it must be—the ancestors could hardly tolerate what that Itachi guy did, so they allowed us to… (well, except for Naruto, of course).
"Alright, alright—this stays between the three of us."
Naruto, who had planned to tease Sasuke, simply nodded when he saw the seriousness in his friend's eyes. He wasn't foolish; he wouldn't blab about something like this. Besides, even if he did, who would believe him?
"Anyway, after school we'll discuss our plan for tonight—we can't afford to waste another opportunity."
Time waits for no one, and Uchiha Kage was counting on drawing from Naruto's and Sasuke's ninja essence to further his own growth. Let's just hope we don't end up empty-handed again like last night… but last night…
----
"I can't believe it—Hinata's sweat in the dream was actually sweet…"
And compared to the soft, full-bodied Tsunade, Hinata possessed a uniquely tender, chewy charm.
Arriving at the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Kage, as usual, gazed out the window, lost in thought—until a girl known for her perpetual eye-rolling approached him.
Huh?
Why did Hinata seem even more sensitive today? Normally, it took a lingering five-second look to make her blush; today, not even a second was enough. Every time their eyes met, she'd freeze as if struck by lightning, quickly lowering her head to avoid the gaze.
What's going on?
Tilting his head, Uchiha Kage studied the overly reactive girl sitting next to him with curiosity. Though Hinata wasn't as mature as in her dream, her petite self was still irresistibly cute. And being so shy—if someone were to playfully punch her, she'd probably sob for ages!
"K-Kage, Kage-san, I… I…"
"Do I have something on my face?" Hinata began, but before she could finish, a sudden burst from a blonde girl interrupted her.
"Heyyy, good morning, Kage~~!"
With the speed of a hundred-meter dash, Yamanaka Ino—barely inside the classroom—leapt onto Uchiha Kage's back, wrapping her arms around him from behind.
"What did you just say?"
Exasperated, Uchiha Kage reached over to steady the clingy blonde before glancing at Hinata, whose wide eyes betrayed her mortification.
"Nothing."
Seeing the two of them huddled together so early in the morning, Hinata bit her lip and clutched her hands tightly on her lap.
Her cute face flushed as if a storm of emotions were bubbling inside her. But soon, she suppressed the surge—after all, it was only that she had shamelessly dreamed of Kage-san.
It wasn't as if he truly cared about her… in reality, Kage-san might even have always disliked her.
There was no real reason to feel jealous or angry. Yet the more she thought about it, the more those tiny bubbles of emotion kept growing.