Among the four flowers of Konoha, Sakura was the only one who had not yet received the buff effect, so she suddenly became more enthusiastic.
She simply kicked Ino out of the kitchen and bought the whole dinner by herself.
Although the taste was good, her attitude was wrong. Because of this, she could never gain the approval of the Fabrication System—or Itsuki.
This made Sakura so angry that she stormed off before even finishing her meal.
[Haruno Sakura: If I treat Itsuki nicely again, I'll be a pig!]
[Yamanaka Ino: That's pretty good, Sakura-pig!]
[Tenten: To be fair, you can't blame Itsuki for this.]
[Hyuga Hinata: I think if you want to gain the buff, you still have to be kind to Itsuki from the bottom of your heart. And Itsuki really is a good person!]
[Haruno Sakura: Yes, yes, he forcefully kissed you in the first future video. Since he's so nice, why don't you find a chance to make amends? Maybe you can even level up a level or two.]
[Hyuga Hinata: …]
[Yamanaka Ino: Sakura-pig, are you crazy? You bite everyone you see? This is your own problem. You just blamed Itsuki, and now you blame Hinata?]
[Haruno Sakura: Ino-pig, do you want to quarrel?]
[Yamanaka Ino: Am I afraid of you?]
[Tenten: Sakura, if you keep acting like this, don't blame us for not bringing you along! And don't forget the second rule of the group. You've crossed the line.]
[Haruno Sakura: I'm really climbing above your level. I don't need you to lead me. I'm drawing a clear line between us now. Whoever wants to stay in this crappy group can stay. I'm leaving now—Aaaaaaaahhhh——]
Just as Tenten said, Sakura had broken the group rules again.
Article 2 of the group rules: group members should live in harmony with each other.
Now, with Sakura's constant hostility, harmony had been destroyed.
Because her attitude was worse than before, this punishment was far more severe.
Before she could confirm her exit from the chat group, the punishment had already arrived.
Electric currents surged through her body, several times stronger than before, and were accompanied by heavenly fire. The combined power was enough to reduce her to ashes instantly.
But under the restraint of the Fabrication System, Sakura felt the pain vividly, while her body remained unharmed.
The shocks tore at her flesh and bones, as if thousands of ants were biting her, both painful and numb.
The fire burned without mercy, the unbearable heat eating away at her very will.
Her body floated in the air, lightning and flames flashing around her as she screamed hoarsely.
But the sound could not escape, trapped in a sealed space.
Sakura cried tears of regret. She wanted to stop but couldn't, wanted to faint but couldn't, wanted to endure but couldn't. For the first time in her life, she felt utterly helpless and terrified.
She longed to apologize, to ask her sisters for help—but she was too weak to even send a message.
The punishment lasted ten minutes. To Sakura, every second felt like an eternity.
When it ended, she collapsed on the ground. Her eyes rolled back, drool dripping from her mouth.
She looked like she had just been pulled out of a river, clothes soaked, hair plastered to her face. Sweat poured down her body—just one twist sent droplets splattering to the ground.
Though the punishment lasted ten minutes, it took her two hours to recover.
Strangely, during that entire time, not a single person passed by.
She wasn't in a dark alley—it wasn't even that late. Normally, people would've come by.
Terrified, Sakura decided she had to quit the chat group immediately.
But when she opened the interface, she froze.
[Yamanaka Ino: You deserve it. Punished again, huh? Your screams were miserable—this one must've been worse than before.]
[Tenten: Sakura, you really need to reflect this time. Consider it a lesson, okay?]
[Hyuga Hinata: Sakura really went too far this time.]
The three girls heard her howls and knew exactly what was happening.
Yet they ate and drank as if nothing was wrong.
Sakura gritted her teeth.
"If I leave the chat group, all my memories of it will be erased. Then all the pain I've suffered until now would be in vain."
"And they all gained buffs. The gap between me and them will only grow!"
"By then, I'll look like a clown!"
Her resentment grew. Not only had her so-called sisters ganged up against her, they even enjoyed themselves while she suffered.
"No! I won't quit so easily!"
"I'll find a way to get a more advanced buff, then record everything in the chat group, seal it in a scroll, and exit. That way, I'll still keep the benefits!"
"Humph! When that time comes, it'll be my turn to look down on them!"
Sakura thought her plan was flawless.
She would just have to be careful with her words and actions. Never again would she endure that punishment.
Wiping her tears, she stood up, dusted herself off, and continued home as if nothing had happened.
At Itsuki's house, after Sakura's outburst and sudden departure, Ino and the others seemed indifferent in the chat, but in reality they were worried.
They whispered to each other when Itsuki wasn't paying attention.
But ultimately, they agreed Sakura deserved punishment.
If she corrected herself afterward, they would forgive her.
If not, they would no longer see her as one of their own.
Of course, their whispers didn't escape Itsuki, who simply pretended not to notice.
After eating and drinking, the group grew more familiar with each other.
"Itsuki, it's said that your ability can defeat even a jonin easily, but you haven't mastered it yet. Do you want to go to the training ground to practice together?" Tenten asked.
After all, in the future video, it was her and Itsuki who fought.
Now that the videos had proven true, and with nothing to lose, why not?
Ino followed: "Let's go! My strength has improved a lot recently, and I want to test it in battle."
"M-me too!" Hinata blushed and nodded.
She had just received her buff and wanted to try it out.
Itsuki shrugged. "Since you've all said so, I'd be rude to refuse. But I'll say this now, Tenten—I don't actually know how to control that ability you mentioned!"
"That's why you need to practice!" Tenten didn't give him a chance to be modest. She grabbed his arm and pulled him along.
In the video, during their first spar, Itsuki had defeated her easily with just two ninjutsu.
But that was before she had her buff.
Now, Tenten wanted to see how things would turn out.