Sakura pinched Naruto.
"Ow! That hurts, hurts, hurts! Sakura-chan, what are you doing?!"
Naruto's tears were practically about to spill.
In the virtual world of "Shadow Breaking the Firmament," he did not possess his formidable physique from reality. His backstory merely made him a well-liked powerful second-generation heir.
"Pain can be simulated too..."
Sakura ignored him and simply took a deep breath.
Fresh air carrying the fragrance of grass and trees filled her lungs, making her feel exceptionally comfortable.
If Wang Yan had not helped her break through the block on her real-world memories, she might truly have believed this was a real world.
Sighing, Sakura forced a smile. "In the game's backstory, Gaara and I were betrothed before birth. Recently, because I was taken in as the disciple of a Kage-level expert, I felt that my future was limitless. Meanwhile, Gaara somehow became useless, so I decided to break off the engagement."
"So Sakura and I are the villains?"
Sasuke recalled the script he had received. He looked as though he were pondering it, his ethereal tone carrying a faint trace of resentment. "My current identity is the strongest genius in Konoha's history. I reached the peak of Upper-Rank Ninja at the age of twelve, only one step away from Kage-level."
"Even just in terms of combat power, with some hidden trump cards included, I can already fight a Kage-level expert to a draw."
"Because I fell for Sakura, I find her former fiancé extremely unpleasant to look at. Whenever I get the chance, I strike at Gaara."
"However, I can't truly kill him. I have to show mercy every time and give him opportunities to grow and take revenge."
Sakura did not notice Sasuke's miserable expression. In truth, after hearing his backstory, she had already sunk into her own fantasies, her face flushed hot red.
"What does Upper-Rank Ninja mean? Is it Jonin?"
Naruto's focus was rather strange. "Mine says Zero-Rank Ninja. What does that mean?"
"Idiot, can't you recall it yourself? All that common knowledge is already in your head!"
His train of thought interrupted, Sasuke snorted coldly. "Friends, enemies, former fiancées... these settings are quite interesting. Perhaps this is Teacher Wang Yan's test for us..."
Coming back to her senses, Sakura's face showed confusion. "But what is Teacher's purpose? Will what we experience in the game affect reality too?"
Sasuke shook his head. "Everyone has gotten some sense of Teacher's personality. His thoughts are wildly imaginative and impossible to predict. Since that's the case, we might as well stop worrying about it. Playing our roles well is enough!"
Having reached a consensus, the three quickly began to act.
Several days later, in-game.
The Sunagakure clan received a group of uninvited guests.
Vile guests came to the door, using their power to oppress others. The useless protagonist suffered the humiliation of having his engagement broken off.
Unfortunately, this time, the protagonist Gaara was cold and ruthless rather than a hot-blooded youth. He could not say something like, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Don't bully the poor young man."
He merely cast Sakura and her backer, Sasuke, a vicious glance.
Staring fixedly at the adulterous pair, his eyes brimmed with killing intent as he delivered his threat. "You will both die by my hand."
"Heh..."
Sasuke sneered, his contempt obvious as he venomously mocked him. "You only have the strength of Lower-Rank Second Stage. Even your father is no match for me. Who gave you the courage to spout such nonsense before me?"
The viciousness on Gaara's face froze, and he swiftly restrained his arrogance and killing intent.
Before sending everyone who had humiliated him to meet the grim reaper, he had no desire to be crushed to death without gaining anything in return!
Looking at Gaara with an ambiguous smile, Sasuke gave a soft snort. "Weak trash, I heard you were once a genius of the Sunagakure lineage? No matter. I'll give you three years. Three years from now, if you can't even withstand one move from me, you can die."
Having finished acting arrogantly, Sasuke loosely put an arm around Sakura and strode away.
It had to be said that Sasuke was quite skilled at drawing hatred.
Watching his departing back, the intense hatred made Gaara bite through his steel-like teeth, filling his mouth with the taste of blood.
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice sounded by his ear.
"Child, do you want the power to take revenge?"
"Who is it? Get out here!"
Gaara's pupils contracted instantly as he noticed the source of the voice.
The necklace hanging around his neck.
"My name is Rasa. I was once a Kage-level expert of the Sunagakure lineage. I was framed and died, barely escaping with a remnant soul by using the forbidden technique, 'Necromancer's Coffin.' Over these years, it was thanks to your Chakra that I recovered enough to communicate with others."
"So you're the one who stole my Chakra!"
Gaara sneered repeatedly. "If I destroy this necklace, will you die?"
"You child!"
Gaara's defiance made Rasa's anger flash briefly.
He felt deeply wronged, yet did not know where that feeling came from.
After all, Gaara had no relation to him. What he had done could indeed be considered taking without permission.
"Ah, I'll find a way to compensate you as much as possible..."
In the real world, the sun set and the moon rose, while the night sky shrouded the earth.
The three members of Team Seven abruptly opened their eyes and removed their game helmets.
One day in reality equaled one year in the game.
A whole year!
An entire year had passed!
Naruto's emotions completely collapsed. He cried and laughed at the same time. "I'm finally back!"
This year had been even harder to endure than his entire childhood!
Being friends with someone like Gaara for a year could make a person age ten years on the spot!
Sakura directly lay on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Sasuke's face was gloomy and pale, like someone who had not slept for more than ten days.
They finally understood why virtual games blocked real-world memories.
If they had truly believed themselves to be fabricated lives in the virtual world, then forget one year—even living there for a lifetime would not have mattered.
But they had broken through the memory barrier. They clearly still had many things to do outside, yet they had no choice but to continue painfully enduring time in the game world.
Sasuke in particular had absurdly powerful strength and talent in the game. In just one year, he had become capable of effortlessly crushing Kage-level experts.
The feeling was indeed exhilarating, but whenever he thought about how his real self was merely a weak Genin, Sasuke's mentality exploded.
He worried that he might never achieve in reality what he had so easily attained in the game.
That sense of contradiction nearly drove Sasuke to collapse.
"Sob... Dad, Mom..." Sakura's homesickness had practically taken tangible form.
She had not seen them for an entire year. She missed her family far too much.
After all, she was only twelve this year.
However, according to Sakura's subjective sense of time, she was already thirteen.
One year in "Shadow Breaking the Firmament" had made her far more mature.
The same had happened to Naruto and Sasuke.
After crying and laughing for a while, Naruto's emotions calmed down, but then he began drooling profusely, so much that he could not wipe it all away.
"Ramen! Ramen! Teuchi's ramen! Wuwu... I miss Uncle Teuchi and Sister Ayame's ramen so much!"
Wang Yan checked Gaara's timeline and discovered several more interesting branches of the future.
His Resource Points continued to rise. According to the Assistant Program's calculations, once Gaara and Rasa's transformation succeeded, he would receive thirty thousand Resource Points.
He then clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the three Genin.
"Alright."
A gentle smile showed on his face as he said warmly, "All of your tasks were completed well. In another 'two years,' after Gaara's strength rises in the game, you'll need to go in once more."
"The script has already been sent to you. Your final evaluation will still depend on your own performance."
As the sky gradually darkened, the three Genin of Team Seven fell soundly asleep.
At that moment, a timid call sounded by Wang Yan's ear.
"Ancestor... are you there?"
It was Hinata's voice.
There will be another chapter before 1:00.
Before you continue