Masks and Blessings

Land of Wind.

Due to scarce rainfall, the nation's people mostly built their villages in oases scattered across the desert.

The harsh, sand-blasted environment, however, became the perfect crucible for training ninja.

Sunagakure stood here.

"Ha... ha! We finally made it alive!"

Naruto stuck out his tongue like a dog cooling off in summer, his face full of exhaustion.

Covering a three-day journey in a single day was brutal, even for someone with the Uzumaki bloodline!

Sasuke's eyes shifted slightly as he licked his cracked, dry lips, his thoughts running deep. "First time in Suna. Maybe I can use my foreknowledge to do the Fourth Kazekage a favor."

Sakura was already suffering from heatstroke, dizzy and disoriented, barely holding on by sheer willpower.

Her mind was foggy now, unable to keep up the mask of a good wife and loving mother, swaying on her feet.

It wasn't her fault for being weak—Wang Yan simply had no idea how to treat a lady with care.

He drove the men like beasts of burden and the woman like a man, always pushing their speed to the absolute limit they could endure.

As for slacking off or acting cute to get out of it?

Wang Yan's cold-blooded marrow practically radiated frost. When he said jump, you jumped. He gave Sakura zero room to cheat or slack.

Sakura was certain that if she showed even a hint of being delicate, this ruthless Team Leader would abandon her without a second thought, sending her slinking back to Konoha alone—and she wouldn't get a single Reward Point!

"Yeah... we're here."

The corners of Wang Yan's mouth lifted slightly. He saw right through Sasuke and Sakura's little schemes but didn't call them out.

After this period of training, all three had undergone varying degrees of change in personality.

Naruto was trying hard to emulate the Fourth Hokage, aiming to become a little sun everyone adored.

Sasuke attempted to get along with others, trying to build his own network of human connections.

Sakura was diligently studying Hinata, striving to become the kind of good wife and loving mother Sasuke couldn't do without.

All three had put on masks.

So far, their attempts had failed.

But Wang Yan didn't care. In fact, he was secretly fanning the flames, applying some cost-free Subconscious Reinforcement to each member of Team 7.

As long as they were willing to change themselves, that was good—no matter where that change might lead their fates.

He was happy to see any transformation.

None of them—Sasuke, Naruto, or the Meticulous Mind of Sakura—noticed the changes in their souls.

Wang Yan's Blessing: Spiritual Power growth speed permanently increased by 50%. Inner obsessions strengthened.

"First time blessing someone. The results are still considered passable."

"To pull this off without spending any Resource Points, unnoticed... that's the limit for now."

Wang Yan rubbed his chin, in a decent mood.

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

Hum...

The three felt a ringing in their ears.

Dirt and dust peeled away from their bodies automatically, and the moisture they'd lost was replenished in the blink of an eye!

The grimy Team 7 members were instantly refreshed, clean and sharp.

"Sensei, what kind of jutsu is that? So cool!"

Naruto's eyes sparkled as he gazed at Wang Yan with admiration, hoping to learn such a flashy trick.

If he could pull that off, he'd definitely outshine Sasuke!

"Tch."

Sasuke snorted coldly. "There's no Chakra fluctuation at all. That's not a jutsu—it should be called an ability. Probably exchanged from the Main God... Your Majesty."

Proud as Sasuke was, he had to address the Main God as "Your Majesty." It still felt awkward, but he was getting used to it.

"Wrong."

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

As he spoke, Wang Yan felt a bit indignant on behalf of Earth's people.

The people of the Naruto World had a special energy called Chakra, yet they didn't know how to tap into their own inner treasures. Poor Earthlings had the brains and the ideas, but lacked the foundation to make any of it real.

"A self-created ability?" Sasuke couldn't believe it.

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

Plus the "Instant Preparation" ability he'd just used to restore their condition...

It seemed Wang Yan was always that calm and effortless, as if no one was worth even a fraction of his true strength.

"To reach this level of strength, it would take at least hundreds of thousands of Reward Points, right? Maybe a million? Or maybe a few S-rank Destiny Gems on top of that..."

At this thought, Sasuke's mouth went dry again.

Endure. Be patient. Wait.

Sasuke believed that as long as he diligently carried out the tasks given by the Main God, worked hard to earn Reward Points, and exchanged them for powerful abilities, bloodlines, and tools, one day he would surpass Wang Yan.

"They say patience brings good fortune, but all waiting leads to is picking up what others have left behind."

Wang Yan shook his head, a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked at Sasuke. "The Main God's Exchange List has options beyond count—trillions upon trillions. Even if you started flipping through it right now, without sleep or rest, until the end of your life, you wouldn't see it all."

"Ability exchanges... whether bloodlines, divine powers, Cultivation Manuals, or anything else, are just a starting point. What truly suits you will always be the abilities you create yourself."

At these words, not only Sasuke but also Sakura and Naruto beside him wore expressions of dawning understanding.

Having said this much, Wang Yan didn't intend to elaborate further.

It was just an experiment to guide fate. Success would be gratifying; failure, no cause for worry.

Just then, several ninjas wearing Sunagakure forehead protectors approached Team 7.

Naruto quietly swallowed. Sakura hid behind Wang Yan. Sasuke subtly tightened his grip on the kunai in his tool pouch.

Konoha and Sunagakure were allies on the surface, but only a fool would casually walk up and greet them.

In this place of swirling sand and wind, they could slit your throat with a blade and leave your body—nature would take care of the rest.

Teacher Wang Yan had the skill to back his boldness, but they were just fledglings taking their first flight, lacking that courage.

Yet the Sunagakure ninjas' behavior left the three, who had been bracing for battle, utterly dumbfounded.

"Welcome to Sunagakure!"

A tall, beautiful female ninja carrying a Three-Star Fan enthusiastically handed over four water flasks, her smile warm and refreshing as a spring breeze.

Beside her, a ninja with a face full of Face Paint led the way while acting as a guide.

"Everyone, Sunagakure ranks at the very top among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, both in strength and wealth."

His appearance was that of a middle-aged man, but his voice sounded very young.

"Due to the daimyo's proposal for military downsizing, we've begun focusing on cultivating a small number of elite ninjas, following the Elite Route."

"Every one of our Sunagakure ninjas is the cream of the crop, far surpassing those hothouse flowers raised in Konoha. So, rest assured—there's no need to worry about any safety issues here!"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura slowly turned to stone, frozen in shock.

The three exchanged glances, confirming that they were indeed wearing Konoha forehead protectors.

Were these Sunagakure ninjas' eyes just for decoration?

Here's a movie recommendation—Predestination. A pretty good mind-bending film~