Silence reigned in the empty classroom. Morning light bathed the room in a golden glow, and only three presences remained, as if suspended outside of time: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha.
Naruto sat cross-legged near the back of the room, eyes closed. A gentle breeze played with his silver-blond hair. Around him, a strange aura pulsed—almost unreal, yet completely silent. Suddenly, an ethereal glow materialized, and a miniature dragon with iridescent scales appeared, curling up on his shoulder. Shiryū.
A few meters away, Sakura observed quietly, calm, without fear. A small, winged, luminous figure flitted around her, nearly invisible to the naked eye: Elyanë, the healing fairy bound to her heart.
No one knew such beings existed. Not the Third Hokage, not the elders, not even the clans. Only Sakura had been entrusted with the secret, after Naruto had revealed everything to her in a rare moment of trust.
Sasuke, meanwhile, stood frozen. His black pupils locked onto Shiryū, unable to look away. He had never seen a creature like this. It wasn't a Kuchiyose. It was nothing he'd ever been taught.
> What is that thing…? And why do I feel this ache… this longing…?
Creek.
The sliding door slowly opened. A man in a jōnin uniform with a casual air entered, holding a small pink book in one hand.
"Yo."
Hatake Kakashi took a few steps into the room… then stopped abruptly.
His eyes fell on Shiryū, then on Elyanë.
And finally, on Naruto—who opened his eyes.
His spiral gaze—the Shinkugan—shone with a calm yet absolute light.
> …Am I dreaming?
Kakashi couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.
--
The pressure was faint, but overwhelming for anyone able to sense beyond chakra. Something unknown—immeasurable—was at work here.
Kakashi swallowed hard.
"…Are those summons?"
Sakura gently shook her head.
"No, sensei."
Naruto stood. His voice was calm, yet it cut through the air.
"These are not summons as you know them. Nor are they beings of this world. They are spirits from the Dimension of the Infinite."
Kakashi frowned.
"Dimension… of the Infinite?"
Shiryū leapt from Naruto's shoulder and bowed briefly to Kakashi.
"I am Shiryū, Guardian of the First Arcs. And you stand before the Master of the Infinite."
Kakashi instinctively took a step back.
> This dragon just spoke. This isn't Genjutsu. Not an illusion. And this aura… it surpasses anything I've ever felt—even from Minato-sensei.
--
Sakura stepped forward, Elyanë fluttering beside her.
"Naruto explained it all to me. What you're seeing… no one else knows. Not even the Hokage."
Kakashi glanced between Sakura and Naruto.
"You've shown this to your classmates?"
Naruto shook his head.
"No. Sakura is the only one who knows. And I have no intention of revealing everything. Not yet."
--
Sasuke stepped forward slowly, unable to tear his gaze from Shiryū.
"It's… it's a dragon. You have a dragon."
Naruto turned his eyes toward him.
"Yes."
Sasuke clenched his fists.
"And me? I want…"
He trailed off.
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"You want what, Sasuke?"
The young Uchiha looked away briefly, then returned his gaze with new intensity.
"I want… a creature like that. A dragon."
Shiryū observed Sasuke for a long moment, then spoke to Naruto in an ancient tongue. Naruto replied mentally.
Then he smiled slightly.
"You'll have to earn the right to see their world first. And then, convince one of them. Dragons do not yield to hatred."
Sasuke didn't respond, but something had awakened in his eyes. A fire. A new form of ambition.
Kakashi stepped back slightly and regained his composure.
"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting… any of this."
Naruto looked at him silently.
"You may have crossed boundaries I couldn't even imagine. But that doesn't exempt you from the test I've prepared."
He pulled two small bells from his pouch.
"Tomorrow morning. Training Ground 7. Come hungry. And be ready."
A moment of silence.
Then Shiryū responded, eyes glowing.
"The Master of the Infinite fears no mortal trial."