Days Feel Like Years

Sakura pinched Naruto.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow! Sakura-chan, what are you doing!"

Tears were practically streaming from Naruto's eyes.

In the virtual world of "Shadow Breaking the Firmament," he did not possess the formidable physique he had in reality; his backstory was merely that of a well-liked Powerful Second Generation.

Can pain even be simulated here...

Sakura ignored him and took a deep breath.

The fresh air, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees, entered her lungs, making her feel incredibly comfortable.

If Teacher Wang Yan hadn't helped her break through the shielding of her real-world memories, she might have truly believed this was a real world.

Sighed, Sakura forced a smile and said, "In the game's setting, Gaara and I were betrothed before birth. Recently, because I was taken in as a disciple by a Kage-level powerhouse, I feel my future is limitless, while Gaara has become a wastrel for some unknown reason, so I decided to go and call off the engagement."

"So, both Sakura and I are villains?"

Sasuke recalled the script he had received, looking lost in thought, his tone ethereal and tinged with resentment. "My current identity is the greatest genius in the history of Konoha, reaching the peak of Upper-Rank Ninja at age 12, just one step away from Kage-level."

"In fact, if we only consider combat power, and include some hidden trump cards, I can already fight a Kage-level powerhouse to a draw."

"Because I have fallen for Sakura, I find her former fiancé to be an eyesore. Every chance I get, I must strike at Gaara."

"However, I cannot truly kill him; I must show mercy each time to give him the chance to grow and take his revenge."

Sakura didn't notice Sasuke's grim expression. In reality, after hearing his backstory, she had already fallen into her own fantasies, her face flushed red and burning.

"What does Upper-Rank Ninja mean? Is it Jonin?"

Naruto's focus was rather strange. "Mine is Zero-Rank Ninja; what does that mean?"

"Idiot, can't you just recall it yourself! All that common knowledge is already in your head!"

Disturbed, Sasuke snorted coldly. "Friends, enemies, a former fiancée... these settings are quite interesting. Perhaps this is Teacher Wang Yan's test for us..."

Coming back to his senses, Sakura showed a look of confusion. "But what is Teacher's goal? Will our experiences in the game affect reality?"

Sasuke shook his head. "We all have some understanding of Teacher's personality. His ideas are whimsical and impossible to guess. Since that's the case, let's just ignore it. Playing our roles well is enough!"

Having reached a consensus, the three of them quickly took action.

Several days later in game time.

The Sunagakure clan welcomed a group of uninvited guests.

The unwelcome guests arrived, using their power to pressure others, and the wastrel protagonist was cruelly abandoned and his engagement called off.

Unfortunately, this protagonist, Gaara, had a cold personality and was not a hot-blooded youth; he couldn't say lines like, "Don't bully the young because they are poor today."

He only cast a vicious, cold glance at Sakura and her backer, Sasuke.

Staring fixedly at this pair of scoundrels, his eyes were filled with murderous intent as he spat out a threat: "You will definitely die by my hands."

"Heh..."

Sasuke let out a cold laugh, his disdain overflowing, and he wantonly poured out his venom: "A mere Lower-Rank Second Stage. Even your father is no match for me; who gave you the courage to spout such nonsense before me?"

The ferocity on Gaara's face faltered, and he quickly reined in his arrogance and killing intent.

Before he could send everyone who had humiliated him to go on a date with the Grim Reaper, he absolutely would not allow himself to be crushed to death without value!

Looking at Gaara with a mocking smile, Sasuke snorted softly: "Weak trash, I heard you were also a genius of the Sunagakure line back then? No matter, I will give you three years. Three years from now, if you cannot even take one of my moves, you can die."

Having finished his arrogance, Sasuke loosely held Sakura and walked away.

It must be said that Sasuke's ability to draw hatred was quite impressive.

Watching his departing back, intense hatred caused Gaara to bite his teeth so hard he filled his mouth with the taste of blood.

A familiar yet strange voice echoed in his ear.

"Child, do you wish to possess the power of revenge?"

"Who? Get out here!"

Gaara's pupils contracted instantly as he noted the source of the sound.

It was the necklace hanging around his neck.

"My name is Rasa. I was once a Kage-level powerhouse of the Sunagakure line. I was framed and died, and only by using the forbidden technique 'Necromancer's Coffin' was I barely able to escape with a remnant soul. For all these years, thanks to your Chakra, I have been able to recover to the point where I can communicate."

"So it was you who was stealing my Chakra!"

Gaara sneered incessantly. "If I destroy this necklace, will you die?"

"You child!"

The other party's defiance made Rasa's anger flash and vanish.

He felt he was very aggrieved, yet he didn't know where this emotion came from.

After all, Gaara and he were not related, and his behavior could indeed be called taking without asking.

"Sigh, I will find a way to compensate you as much as I can..."

In the real world, the sun set and the moon rose, night shrouding the land.

The three members of Team Seven opened their eyes abruptly and pulled off their game helmets.

One day in reality, one year in the game.

A whole year!

A full year had passed!

Naruto's emotions completely collapsed, and he began to cry and laugh at the same time: "Finally, we're back!"

That year had been even harder to endure than his entire childhood!

Being friends with that guy Gaara for a year could make anyone age ten years instantly!

Sakura simply lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling with vacant eyes.

Sasuke's expression was dark and pale, like someone who hadn't slept for over a week.

They finally understood why the virtual game required blocking real-world memories.

If they had truly believed they were nothing more than fake entities in a virtual world, it wouldn't have mattered if they stayed for a year or even a lifetime.

But they had broken through the memory barrier; they had so much to do in the real world, yet they had been forced to continue suffering through time in the game world.

Sasuke, in particular, had possessed ridiculously strong talent and power in the game. In just one short year, he had become capable of easily crushing Kage-level powerhouses.

That feeling was certainly exhilarating, but the moment he thought about how he was just a weakling Genin in reality, Sasuke felt his mentality explode.

He worried that he would never be able to achieve in his lifetime what he had so easily attained in the game.

This sense of contradiction brought Sasuke to the brink of collapse.

"Wuwu... Father, Mother..." Sakura's homesickness was palpable.

Having not seen them for an entire year, she missed her family terribly.

After all, she was only twelve years old this year.

However, according to Sakura's own subjective perception, she was already thirteen.

The year spent in "Shadow Breaking the Firmament" had made her much more mature.

The same situation occurred for Naruto and Sasuke as well.

After crying and laughing for a while, Naruto's emotions calmed down, though he began to drool uncontrollably, unable to wipe it away fast enough.

"Ramen! Ramen! Teuchi's ramen! Wuwu... I miss the ramen from Uncle and big sister Ayame so much!"

Wang Yan observed Gaara's timeline and discovered several more interesting future branches.

Resource Points continued to rise, and according to the calculations of the assistant program, once the modifications to Gaara and Rasa were successful, he would be able to harvest 30,000 Resource Points.

He clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the three Genin.

"Alright."

A gentle smile appeared on his face as he said softly: "You have all completed your missions well. Once two more 'years' pass and Gaara's strength in the game has improved, you will need to go in again."

"The scripts have already been sent to you. As for the final evaluation, that will depend on your own performance."

As the sky grew dark, the three Genin of Team Seven fell into a deep sleep.

At that moment, a weak call echoed in Wang Yan's ears.

"Ancestor... are you there?"

It was Hinata's voice.