Masks and Blessings

Land of Wind.

Due to the scarce rainfall, most of its people built their villages around desert oases.

The harsh environment of swirling sand and dust, meanwhile, became excellent nourishment for cultivating shinobi.

Sunagakure stood in this very land.

"Hah... hah! We finally made it here alive!"

Naruto stuck out his tongue like a pet dog trying to cool off in summer, his face full of despair.

They had run three days' worth of travel in a single day. Even with the Uzumaki name, he couldn't take it anymore!

Sasuke's eyes shifted slightly as he licked his dry, cracked lips, his thoughts running deep. "It's our first time in Sunagakure. Maybe we can use what we know to do the Fourth Kazekage a favor."

Sakura was already suffering from mild heatstroke, dizzy and disoriented, holding on purely by force of will.

Her consciousness had grown hazy, and she could no longer maintain her good wife and loving mother mask. She looked ready to collapse at any moment.

It wasn't that she was too weak. Wang Yan simply had no idea how to treat women gently.

He treated women like men and men like beasts, always keeping their travel pace at the absolute limit of what they could endure.

As for refusing to travel, acting cute, and throwing a tantrum?

Wang Yan was so cold-blooded that chill seemed to seep from his very bones. What he said went, and he would never give Sakura any chance to slack off.

Sakura was certain that if she showed even the slightest hint of delicacy, this ruthless Team Leader would leave her behind and make her crawl back to Konoha alone in disgrace. She wouldn't get a single Reward Point, either!

"Yeah... we're here."

The corners of Wang Yan's mouth curled up slightly. He saw through Sasuke and Sakura's little thoughts perfectly, but didn't expose them.

After this period of training, all three of their personalities had changed to varying degrees.

Naruto was striving to imitate the Fourth Hokage, hoping to become a little sun loved by everyone.

Sasuke had attempted to befriend others, trying to build a network of connections for himself.

Sakura, meanwhile, was working hard to learn from Hinata and become the good wife and loving mother Sasuke couldn't live without.

All three had put on a mask.

For now, their attempts had failed.

But Wang Yan didn't care. He had even been secretly fanning the flames, bestowing some low-cost Subconscious Reinforcement upon each member of Team Seven.

As long as they were willing to change themselves, it was good, regardless of where that change led their fates.

He welcomed any transformation.

Neither Sasuke, Naruto, nor meticulous-minded Sakura noticed the changes in their souls.

Wang Yan's Blessing: Spiritual Power growth rate permanently increased by fifty percent, while inner obsessions were strengthened.

"It's my first time giving someone a blessing. The results are still considered barely acceptable."

"Achieving this much without consuming any Resource Points, and doing it without anyone noticing, is already my current limit."

Wang Yan stroked his chin, in a fairly good mood.

He glanced at the dusty little ninja around him, then reached out and lightly tapped each of their foreheads.

Buzz...

The three children heard a ringing sound by their ears.

Grime and dust automatically separated from their bodies, while the water their bodies had lost was replenished in the blink of an eye!

The formerly filthy Team Seven immediately felt refreshed, looking clean and sharp.

"Teacher, what kind of ninjutsu was that? It's amazing!"

Naruto blinked with starry eyes, looking at Wang Yan in worship. He wanted to learn such a cool move too.

If he could learn it, he would definitely steal Sasuke's spotlight!

"Tch."

Sasuke snorted. "There wasn't any Chakra fluctuation at all. This wasn't ninjutsu—it should be called an ability! Maybe it was exchanged from the Main God... Your Excellency..."

Proud as Sasuke was, he still had to address the Main God as Your Excellency. He wasn't used to it yet, but he would adapt with time.

"Wrong."

Wang Yan raised a finger and shook it, then tapped his own temple. "It's merely a basic application of Basic Particle Control. You don't need to exchange for any ability to do this. You only need to use this properly."

As he spoke, Wang Yan felt somewhat indignant on behalf of Earthlings.

People in the Naruto World possessed a special energy like Chakra, yet didn't know how to dig into the treasure trove within themselves. Poor humans of Earth had imagination and ideas, but lacked the foundation needed to turn any of it into reality.

"This was an ability you created yourself?" Sasuke couldn't believe it.

So far, the abilities Wang Yan had vaguely displayed included Teleportation, Void Creation, flight, Mind Control, Memory Alteration, Pocket Dimension, and command over the Five Energies of water, fire, wind, lightning, and earth...

There was also the Instant Preparation ability that had restored them just now...

Wang Yan always seemed so calm and casual, as though no one was worth even half his true strength.

"To strengthen yourself to that extent, it would take at least hundreds of thousands of Reward Points, right? Maybe millions? Or perhaps several S-rank Destiny Gems on top of that..."

At that thought, Sasuke's mouth became dry again.

Endure, be patient, wait.

Sasuke believed that as long as he carried out the Main God's missions properly, worked hard to earn Reward Points, and exchanged them for powerful abilities, Bloodlines, and items, he would surpass Wang Yan someday.

"They say patient waiting brings good fortune, but all waiting can bring is secondhand scraps."

Wang Yan shook his head, looking at Sasuke with a faint smile. "The Main God's Exchange List offers more than countless choices. Even if you began browsing it without sleep or rest every day from now until the end of your life, you still couldn't read it all."

"Ability exchanges... whether Bloodlines, divine powers, Cultivation Manuals, or anything else, are merely a starting point. The only abilities truly suited to you are those you create yourself."

At those words, not only Sasuke, but Sakura and Naruto beside him also looked as though they had realized something.

Having said that much, Wang Yan had no intention of saying more.

This was only an experiment in guiding fate. Success would be welcome, and failure would cause no concern.

At that moment, several shinobi wearing Sunagakure headbands approached Team Seven.

Naruto quietly swallowed, Sakura hid behind Wang Yan, and Sasuke secretly tightened his grip on the kunai in his ninja tool pouch.

Konoha and Sunagakure were allies on the surface, but only an idiot would casually walk up and greet the other side.

In this place full of wind and sand, someone could slit your throat with a katana, and they wouldn't even need to deal with the body. Nature would take care of it.

Teacher Wang Yan was bold because of his skill, but they were fledglings who had only just taken flight. They didn't have that kind of courage.

Yet the Sunagakure shinobi's behavior left the three, who had been facing a great enemy, utterly dumbfounded.

"Welcome to Sunagakure!"

A beautiful, tall female shinobi carrying a Three-Star Fan warmly handed them four water skins. Her smile was like a spring breeze.

Beside her, a shinobi with a face full of face paint led the way while serving as their guide.

"Everyone, our Sunagakure ranks among the very best of the Five Great Shinobi Villages in both strength and financial resources."

He looked middle-aged, but his voice sounded very young.

"Because the daimyo proposed reducing military forces, we began focusing on training a small number of elite shinobi and following the Elite Route."

"Every one of our Sunagakure shinobi is elite among elites, far superior to those greenhouse flowers in Konoha. So there's no need to worry about any safety issues here!"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura gradually turned to stone, standing there like wooden chickens.

The three looked at one another, confirming that they were indeed wearing Konoha headbands.

Were these Sunagakure shinobi's eyes actually just decorations?

I recommend a movie here—"Predestination." It's quite a good mind-bending film~