"Woo…"
Early in the morning, Hinata, who had just woken up, was so overcome with shyness that she instinctively hugged her pillow and rolled around on the bed like a wriggling white silkworm.
"How could I have such a shameless dream… actually fantasizing about Kage-san…"
Not only had he called her baby and praised her beautiful eyes, but he had also taken off her clothes and touched her chest.
She had even imagined him licking the sweat from her body…
Ahhh!
Why would I have such ridiculous thoughts—such a strange dream!
Hinata flung away the small pillow in her arms, climbing out of bed with an embarrassed and dejected look.
Barefoot—her skin as white as lotus roots—she padded to the full-length mirror as she did every morning.
She slipped off her vest-style pajamas and stared blankly at her smooth reflection in the glass. Slowly, her hands came to rest over the soft curves of cherry-red and snow-white skin.
In the dream, classmate Kage… seemed to like this?
Hinata, with her simple and innocent mind, replayed his dreamlike actions.
"Mm…"
The girl in the mirror let out a soft, involuntary sound.
"Big sister!"
The door banged open, and Hanabi—already awake despite the early hour—burst into the room.
She froze at the sight of her older sister standing in front of the mirror, hands cupped over her chest.
"H-Hanabi!?"
Hinata nearly screamed, scrambling to snatch the vest from the floor and turn around.
Thank goodness it was only her younger sister. If one of the servants had seen…
Hinata felt she might never be able to show her face outside again.
"Sis, are you feeling… aphrodisiac?"
Though not yet ten years old, the sharp-witted Hanabi seemed to know more than her age would suggest.
"No!"
Hinata dressed in a fluster, feeling guilty at her sister's knowing look.
Such a clever little sister…
"And don't talk like an adult!"
Lustful? It wasn't like that—she had only had a ridiculous dream.
But… in that dream, Kage-san had been strong enough to counter even her father's techniques.
"You're totally in love," Hanabi said, watching her sister's cheeks flush as she drifted off into thought.
That expression—soft, absentminded, impossibly cute—made Hanabi even more certain of her guess.
Whoever this lucky guy was, she didn't know…
But how could her sister be this adorable? I love her so much!
"That toad is definitely a liar!"
First thing in the morning—before Uchiha Kage even opened his mouth—Naruto blurted out his anger toward the toad from last night's dream.
It wasn't just that he hadn't learned any magic. That stinky toad had forced him to eat insects.
"Kage, you think that toad's a liar too, right?" Sasuke was still sulking over not having learned a single technique.
"First of all," Uchiha Kage said coolly, "lie or not, we've only got so much time. Even if magic exists, we can't learn it in time."
He let that sink in before adding, "Second, I suspect that toad's working with the enemy—deliberately stalling us."
"I see…" Sasuke finally gave up on the idea of learning sage arts for now.
"Also," Kage continued, "I found their origins—including that toad—in some old texts."
He produced a worn ancient book covered in archaic script.
Naruto and Sasuke couldn't read a word of it, so he could have told them anything. Still, most of what he said had truth to it.
"What, those people were real?" Sasuke perked up.
"Mm." Kage pretended to consult the book, then steered the conversation toward the legend of the Sage of Six Paths and his mother.
"According to the records, Kaguya was the mother of the Sage of Six Paths. The Sage himself was named Hagoromo, and his younger brother Hamura. A thousand years ago, the Sage clashed with his mother and—together with his brother—sealed her away…"
"It's really the Sage of Six Paths!?" Sasuke had heard the name—founder of the ninja world, origin of all shinobi.
"What kind of 'sage' teams up with his brother to fight his own mom? Total scumbag," Naruto muttered.
"If I dream of that place again, I'm giving that Six Paths geezer a beating!"
Ignoring Naruto's bluster, Sasuke found the whole thing more intriguing the more he thought about it. Had they actually traveled a thousand years into the past in their dreams?
"Maybe," Kage said half-seriously, "our Uchiha ancestors sent us back."
"The Uchiha ancestors!?" Sasuke straightened immediately. Yes—his ancestors must have been disgusted by Itachi's betrayal and had given him this chance.
…Though why Naruto was included, he didn't know.
"Got it. This is just between the three of us," Naruto said.
He'd wanted to argue with Sasuke, but the seriousness on his face made him relent. He wasn't stupid—no one would believe them even if he told.
"After school, we'll finalize tonight's plan. We can't waste the chance."
Time was short, and Kage still intended to absorb Naruto's and Sasuke's ninja fragments to further his own growth.
He wasn't about to have another useless night like the last one.
But speaking of last night…
"I never thought Hinata's sweat in that 'dream' would be sweet…"
Compared to Tsunade's soft, full-bodied allure, Hinata had a different kind of sweetness—like something glutinous, fragrant, and tender.
Arriving at the ninja academy, Kage took his usual seat, gazing out the window and letting his mind wander.
Until she arrived.
Huh? Hinata seemed jumpier than usual today.
Normally, it took him staring for a good five seconds to get a blush out of her. Today, the instant their eyes met—less than a second—she dropped her gaze like she'd been shocked.
What's going on?
Kage tilted his head, curious about the overreaction.
Even though the Hinata before him wasn't as mature as in last night's dream, she was still cute—small, delicate, and shy.
And with this much sensitivity… she'd probably cry for ages if someone hit her.
"K-Kage… Kage-san, I… I…"
Is there something on my face?
Before she could finish, a burst of energy came from the doorway.
"Shadoooow~~ Good morning!"
Ino Yamanaka darted in like she was running a hundred-meter dash, leapt onto Kage's back, and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"What did you say?"
Kage steadied the clinging blonde with one hand and turned back toward the white-eyed girl beside him.
"Nothing."
Hinata bit her lip, hands clenching on her knees as she watched them pressed together. Her cute cheeks puffed ever so slightly.
It felt like a pot of sour water was boiling in her chest, bubbling more and more.
But she quickly smothered that forbidden emotion.
I'm the one who shamelessly fantasized about Kage-san in my dream. It's not like he's really done anything to me…
In reality, he might even dislike her.
She had no right to feel jealous or angry.
But the more she told herself that, the stronger the bubbles in her heart grew.