Chapter 25 – Sasuke’s Absence: Is He Planning Not to Sleep at All?

Konoha Village – Inside Ichiraku Ramen.

Behind the kitchen counter, Shiyu silently summoned the system panel in his mind. A translucent, pale-blue interface flickered into view—visible only to him.

His eyes immediately locked onto a number in the corner.

That was his current emotional value tally—just a little over ten thousand points away from leveling up!

A spark of elation flashed in Shiyu's eyes. He quickly suppressed the excitement in his chest and glanced around to confirm that the only people present were himself and Teuchi-ossan.

He found an excuse and slipped into the back kitchen, turning all his focus to the system interface.

This would be the system's very first upgrade, and anticipation bubbled in his chest like it was ready to burst.

Would a system upgrade unlock even more powerful abilities?

It had to be more than just raising the target cap, right?

Maybe a brand-new dream mode… or even more game-breaking features were waiting to be discovered.

Calming the anticipation that was pounding in his veins, Shiyu willed open the system shop interface.

The virtual storefront was packed with dazzling selections.

Scrolls for various ninjutsu, kekkei genkai, body enhancements, special tools—almost everything imaginable. It was overwhelming.

He turned his attention to the "Body Enhancement" category. As expected, after redeeming the Basic Physical Enhancement, the option for Intermediate Physical Enhancement had now unlocked below it.

But when he tapped to view it—his breath caught.

Even just Intermediate Physical Enhancement Lv.1 required far more emotional value than he currently possessed. There was no way he could afford it now.

"Forget it… Next time."

Shiyu shrugged, shifting his attention away and continued browsing the shop for other options.

As for offensive ninjutsu, he wasn't planning to invest more emotional value there just yet.

After all, he still hadn't found the right opportunity to properly test any of the jutsu he had already exchanged.

Better to try them out first and decide later which one was worth upgrading.

After confirming there was nothing he urgently needed to redeem, Shiyu dismissed the system panel with a thought.

He glanced out at the sky growing dim outside the window and let a small, relaxed smile curve his lips.

At least for now, he had enough strength to barely protect himself.

For the time being, he could handle his work and daily life—there was no rush to push forward just yet.

"Phew…"

He stretched lazily.

"That's enough for today. Time to give it my all tonight—hopefully I can level up smoothly."

With that, Shiyu briskly walked out of the kitchen, slipping his usual bashful smile back on as he waited for customers to arrive.

——

Nightfall.

Naruto trudged back to his tiny apartment, his footsteps heavy.

The room was pitch-black when he arrived. He fumbled for the light switch, then lazily heated up some instant noodles for dinner and ate them alone in silence.

The events of the day lingered in his mind like a stubborn haze.

Kakashi-sensei—he always looked so laid-back, like he didn't care about anything. But in truth… he carried a lonely past.

So many thoughts tangled together, and for once, the usually boisterous Naruto fell quiet.

Scratching at his unruly blond hair, he muttered to himself, "So… Kakashi-sensei is alone too, huh…"

The image of Kakashi's momentary melancholy stabbed at his heart.

Suddenly, Naruto realized—maybe he was actually lucky.

At least in his dreams, his mom and dad were still by his side.

And in the real world, he had Iruka-sensei, the folks at Ichiraku, and his teammates from Team 7 who cared about him.

That thought eased the gloom in his chest, just a little.

He looked up at the navy-blue night sky outside his window, rubbed his face, and tried to pull himself together.

"Crap!"

Naruto smacked his forehead with a groan. "I totally forgot to ask Kakashi-sensei about the Rasengan!"

He had gone to see Kakashi this morning, originally planning to ask about how to master the second stage of the Rasengan. But the whole conversation had veered off-course at Kakashi's house, especially after they got distracted by the photos. In the end, he hadn't even gotten to the point.

Naruto sighed in frustration, then chuckled wryly to himself. "Guess I'll just ask Dad in my dream tonight. He's super strong in the dream world—he's gotta know the trick."

Shaking off the gloom, he tossed the empty noodle cup onto the table, dashed over to his bed, and flopped down onto the soft futon.

Lying flat on his back, Naruto stared at the ceiling, a renewed glimmer of hope flickering in his blue eyes.

He made a silent vow in his heart.

No matter what—it had to be tonight. He had to figure out how to train the Rasengan's second stage.

If all went well, he could continue practicing tomorrow. And maybe… just maybe… he'd finally pull it off and show it off to Sasuke and Sakura!

The thought made his heart pound with excitement. He rolled over in bed and tugged the blanket over himself, forcing his eyes shut.

"Dad… wait for me…" Naruto murmured with a soft smile. "You have to teach me tonight…"

Outside, the night deepened. The chirping of insects slowly faded to a whisper.

Inside the room, the golden-haired boy's breathing grew calm as he drifted into deep sleep.

——

In the dark void, rows of seats began to glow faintly, slowly taking shape.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open. Sure enough, she was back in that strange, dreamlike theater again.

After experiencing this several times, she no longer felt the panic and fear she once did. Her instincts simply made her look around for familiar faces.

"Phew, thank goodness…" Spotting Kakashi-sensei seated beside her, Sakura let out a quiet breath of relief and gave him a trusting smile.

Kakashi nodded back at her, his expression composed and calm.

The two of them had gotten used to meeting like this every night. They silently picked seats near the front and sat down, quietly waiting for the dream to begin.

But minutes passed… and the giant screen they had come to expect remained dark. The space around them stayed dim and silent.

"That's weird. Why hasn't it started yet?" Sakura murmured, confused.

Normally, the dream would begin soon after they arrived. Tonight felt… off.

Kakashi scanned the room, then frowned. "Wait a moment… Where's Sasuke?"

Only then did they both realize—

Sasuke was missing.

A hint of worry crossed Sakura's face. "I didn't see him much today either. You don't think… something's happened to him, right?"

She remembered how off Sasuke had seemed after last night's dream—he'd been acting strange, and today he was nowhere to be found. Her heart started to race with unease.

Kakashi offered a reassuring voice. "Don't worry. He probably just returned to his clan to train. He's not in danger."

After a moment of thought, he added, "Most likely… Sasuke didn't sleep tonight. That's why he didn't enter the dream realm."

Sakura's eyes widened. "He's not sleeping? But if he keeps that up, his body won't hold out…"

Kakashi didn't respond. He simply let out a quiet sigh, his gaze drifting toward the empty seats with a complex expression.

Sasuke… was avoiding sleep—probably to resist facing the dreams.

That kid's burdens ran deeper than they'd imagined.

And in the dark rear row of the theater, another figure sat hidden in the shadows, silently observing the empty seat.

His eyes flickered.

[Target Uchiha Sasuke is not asleep—unable to enter dreamscape.]

The cold, mechanical voice of the system confirmed Kakashi's suspicion.

"That damn second pillar… so he's resisting the dream by not sleeping at all?"

Hidden in the darkness, Shiyu frowned slightly.