"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A water dragon more than ten meters long roared forward. Tenten, Ino, and Hinata had no way to dodge. With a burst of screams, all three of them were swept away at the same time.
The four had met up at the training ground. At first, Tenten sparred with Itsuki while Ino and Hinata watched from the side.
But soon, the scenes from the future video were perfectly reproduced.
Tenten's attack was blocked by Itsuki's Earth Flow Wall. He countered immediately with Water Dragon Bullet, defeating her with ease.
At that moment, Tenten confirmed something: whether or not she had a buff effect, in front of Itsuki she was exactly the same—helpless.
Unwilling to admit defeat, she invited Ino and Hinata to join forces with her. The three of them attacked together.
Unfortunately, they only lasted two rounds before being blasted away again by Itsuki's water dragon.
Looking at the three soaking wet girls, Itsuki couldn't help but laugh inside.
Even though Ino and Hinata had enhancements, they were still only fresh graduates from the Ninja Academy. They had just become Genin and lacked real combat experience.
While the buff effect improved their attributes, it didn't translate into true battlefield skill.
Taking them along wasn't exactly dragging him down—but it wasn't much help either.
"Incredible, Itsuki. Is this really ninjutsu you only learned today?"
With Itsuki's help, Ino stood up from the water. She didn't care that half her body was exposed, her eyes full of admiration.
Itsuki's mastery of Earth and Water Style looked natural—impossible to believe it was brand new.
"I feel like even if I were twice as strong, I'd still be powerless against you. The gap is so wide, it's discouraging!" Tenten said as Itsuki helped her up.
The way her clothes clung to her body made her feel shy, but when she noticed Ino didn't care, she forced herself to endure it too.
Hinata, who was the last to be pulled up, wasn't nearly as bold. She immediately shrank behind Ino and Tenten, her face so red she looked like she was about to steam.
"I'm just a little more talented," Itsuki said with a smile. "If you keep working hard, I'm sure you'll catch up soon."
If they hadn't already seen the second half of the future video, the girls might have believed him.
Ino rolled her eyes. "I don't dare dream of catching up in strength. But when it comes to love, I'm pretty confident!"
She leaned closer, a teasing grin on her face. "So? Don't you think my figure is amazing? Any thoughts?"
Itsuki froze, a bit embarrassed. "Ino, why are you suddenly saying that…"
Tenten's mouth twitched. She quickly wedged herself between them, glaring at Ino.
"Hey! Knock it off. We're talking about training right now. Be serious."
Her eyes warned Ino: their relationship with Itsuki wasn't strong enough yet—reckless flirting could backfire.
Realizing she'd gone too far, Ino stuck out her tongue playfully. "I was just joking. Itsuki won't mind, right?"
Itsuki coughed twice and didn't answer. He kept up his innocent façade—neither pushing away nor advancing too quickly.
Seeing this, Tenten sighed and glared at Ino again. Then she said, "We're soaked. We should change our clothes. It's late, anyway. Let's head back."
They could've chatted longer, but the atmosphere had already been ruined.
Tenten dragged Ino and Hinata off, leaving Itsuki to go home alone.
Later that night—
[Ding! Group membership quota +1. Randomly selecting new member. Please wait…]
Itsuki had just finished showering and was lying on his bed when the system prompt appeared.
"A new member? Suddenly? Who could it be?" Excitement stirred in his chest.
He hoped it might be a mature kunoichi. That way, after receiving the buff effect, she could boost the group's level.
[Ding! Selection complete. New member is 'Uzumaki Karin.' Recruiting new member now.]
[Ding! Uzumaki Karin has joined the chat group!]
"I-It's Karin?" Itsuki blinked, slightly disappointed. Another little bud!
But then he remembered—around this time, Karin was in dire straits. His expression grew serious.
At the same time, the Konoha girls who had gone home also received the notification.
[Yamanaka Ino: Huh? A new member? I thought it was just us, but now more people can join?]
[Tenten: Uzumaki? Is she from our village?]
[Hyuga Hinata: I've never heard of that name before.]
[Yamanaka Ino: @Uzumaki Karin, newbie, introduce yourself!]
In Kusagakure Village—
On the edge of town, inside a broken wooden house, a red-haired girl curled up on the floor by her bed. Hugging her legs, she buried her head between her knees.
"Mom…" she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
Suddenly, her vision blurred, and strange images appeared before her.
Startled, she snatched off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. But the visions didn't vanish.
[Ding! Uzumaki Karin has successfully joined the Itsuki Harem Chat Group. Congratulations on becoming a member! Please follow the rules below—]
[1. Itsuki is the group leader. His interests come before all else. Group members must never act against him.]
[2. …]
"…What… is this?" Karin froze, her small body trembling.
Already timid and sensitive, this sudden intrusion terrified her. She closed her eyes and buried her head deeper, but the strange chat display remained.
She could see messages from strangers… and they were asking her to reply.
[Uzumaki Karin: I… I'm Karin…]
[Yamanaka Ino: We can see your name! I meant, who are you? Your identity.]
[Tenten: Don't be scared. We're not bad people. If you have problems, we'll help. For now, let me explain what this chat group is about…]
[Tenten: %￥#@!...&! @...!]
[Tenten: So, do you understand?]
[Yamanaka Ino: Basically, follow the rules. If you break them, you'll be punished. Someone already got shocked badly once—it was brutal. None of us want to go through that. So don't worry, Karin, we won't hurt you.]
[Hyuga Hinata: Yes. Only a few people can join. That means everyone here is a friend.]
[Uzumaki Karin: R-Really? Are you all from Konoha? I'm… I'm in Kusagakure…]
[Ding! Group members have reached 5. A new function has been unlocked!]