Before long, Konoha's Four Flowers arrived at the sweets shop one after another.
The moment they saw each other, they realized one thing.
The Chat Group that had appeared in their minds really could let them communicate with one another over long distances.
Every message had been sent by a real person; no one else was impersonating them.
"I hope this isn't a trap!"
After introducing Tenten to everyone, Ino said, "This way, we can pass information around anytime, anywhere. This ability is even more convenient than our clan's secret techniques."
Tenten nodded in agreement. "We still don't know whether there's a range limit, but we can be sure it covers at least all of Konoha."
"The initial prompt said it could improve all our attributes in every way. I wonder if that's true." Hinata joined in, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Sakura said unhappily, "You're only focusing on the good parts. Something like this doesn't just appear out of nowhere without a purpose, right? And what's with calling it Mo Chen's Heroine Group? Joining the group supposedly means joining Mo Chen's Female Lead Group."
"I can't accept that alone. My loyalty to Sasuke-kun is unshakable. Who does Mo Chen think he is?"
As soon as Sakura finished speaking, her body suddenly convulsed violently. She let out a scream.
Ino and the others, along with the few customers in the shop, were startled by Sakura and turned to look.
A few arcs of electricity flickered across Sakura's body. She looked as if she'd been electrocuted.
But before anyone else could react, the arcs quickly vanished, and Sakura stopped convulsing.
"Hey, are you okay?" Ino stood up with some concern and lightly poked Sakura with a finger. Only after confirming she was all right did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Tenten gave the other customers an apologetic grin. "Sorry, sorry for disturbing you! We were just joking around!"
The others didn't seem to mind and turned their attention away.
"The prompt said group members can't do anything that harms the Group Leader," Hinata said softly. "Sakura just insulted him, so this must be the punishment for breaking the rules."
Tenten furrowed her brows. "Looks like joining the Chat Group has placed some restrictions on us. We need to take these rules seriously. Thankfully, the punishment just now wasn't too severe."
Sakura had only been shocked a few times, and she'd already recovered.
Even so, a fine sheen of sweat had appeared on her skin.
She'd already been wary of the Chat Group. Now she was even more unhappy with it.
She wanted to say that Mo Chen must have created this Chat Group to harm them.
Otherwise, why would Mo Chen be the Group Leader, with all the rules favoring him?
But the words were on the tip of her tongue when she remembered what had just happened. She swallowed them.
Instead, Sakura said, "Does the name Mo Chen sound familiar to anyone else?"
"Now that you mention it, I hadn't noticed, but I think I've heard it somewhere!" Ino tried to remember, but couldn't figure out where.
Tenten spread her hands. "This is the first time I've heard that name."
Hinata spoke timidly. "Um, Mo Chen is our classmate. I thought you knew."
"Huh?" The three of them froze.
Sakura and Ino were embarrassed. He really was their classmate.
Tenten was simply surprised that they hadn't remembered the name of one of their classmates.
Sakura grumbled, "He's like an invisible person in class. He doesn't stand out at all. No wonder we couldn't remember him."
Ino nodded in agreement. "Mo Chen really is too low-key. I don't think I've ever said a single word to him."
Tenten didn't dwell on it. She said thoughtfully, "Since he's the Group Leader, the Chat Group's appearance might have something to do with him. We should find a chance to sound him out."
Neither Ino nor Hinata objected. Since they'd joined the Chat Group, they needed to figure out what was going on.
Sakura, however, disagreed. "I don't care about any of that. The prompt said we can leave the group whenever we want, so I'm done playing along. I'm leaving!"
If she left the group, she could escape her nominal connection to Mo Chen and avoid all the trouble. She wouldn't have to worry about some kind of scheme, either.
"Hey, you were just electrocuted. Are you really willing to leave now?" Ino asked, her voice tinged with mockery.
Sakura froze. She really wasn't willing!
So she couldn't leave yet. If she did, all her related memories would be erased.
"I've decided! Tomorrow at school, I'll beat him up first, then leave the group!" Sakura immediately changed her mind.
Unlike Sakura, the others didn't pay much attention to that so-called Heroine Group.
It was just a label, not something real.
Ino loved seeking thrills, and this unfamiliar thing made her curious to explore.
Tenten wanted to know whether the so-called Future videos were real, while Hinata was more interested in gaining the benefits.
And so, each with her own thoughts, they stayed in the group.
Mo Chen, seated not far away, had heard every word of their conversation.
Having figured out what each of them was thinking, Mo Chen didn't linger. He left the sweets shop early.
He already had a rough plan for fabricating the future.
First, he needed to build up some starting resources.
Before long, Mo Chen used the system's abilities to fabricate a segment of the "future."
Once he finished writing it, the system automatically turned the "future" into a video.
Before Mo Chen could react, the Future video had been uploaded to the Chat Group.
"Damn, nobody told me this would happen!" Mo Chen was confused.
He'd thought that only he would know about the future he fabricated.
No wonder the system had warned him that the "future" could be changed. So he was the one spoiling it himself!
At this rate, that first segment of the "future" might really take an unexpected turn.
Damn system. What a pain!
Was he going to end up looking like a fool?
Mo Chen couldn't help worrying, but he couldn't take it back and make changes now.
The Four Flowers of Konoha had just parted ways after leaving the sweets shop when they each received a system notification. A Future video clip had been uploaded to the Chat Group.
[Tenten: There really are videos about the future? I'm looking forward to this!]
[Sakura Haruno: We don't know whether it's real or fake yet. I think it's more likely that someone's using these so-called Future videos to steer our thoughts in a direction that benefits the mastermind. Ahhhhh!!]
[Ino Yamanaka: ???]
[Hinata Hyuga: Sakura broke the rules again...]
[Tenten: Rule 3: The contents of Future videos are all real. There's no need to question them.]
[Sakura Haruno: Damn it! I'm so mad! Sob, that hurts...]
[Ino Yamanaka: Pfft, hahaha! I'm dying laughing.]
[Tenten: Sakura, honestly, we're not that important. I doubt anyone would go to so much trouble just to manipulate us.]
[Hinata Hyuga: Ahem, let's watch the video first. Huh?]
Future video—
[In the morning, Hinata left home and headed to the Ninja Academy.]
[As she passed a secluded corner, she saw several people surrounding Mo Chen and bullying him.]
[Enraged, Mo Chen's eyes turned blood-red, and he went berserk. In just a few moves, he drove the bullies away.]
[The others didn't know what was going on, but Hinata was stunned.]
[Two tomoe appeared in each of those blood-red eyes. It was clearly—Sharingan!!]
[The moment those red Sharingan eyes fixed on Hinata, she realized something was wrong and turned to run, but Mo Chen blocked her path.]
[At this point in time, the Sharingan was forbidden!]
[To make Hinata keep quiet, Mo Chen forcibly kissed her, using it to threaten her.]
[Hinata was timid and weak, stammering and acting dazed.]
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