The nocturnal forest of the Land of Waves was a different place from Konoha's. The air was heavier, thick with the salty smell of the nearby sea and the damp decay of the undergrowth. Every snap of a twig, every distant hoot of an owl, seemed to carry a warning.

"Hey, are you sure Sasuke didn't see us leave, Naruto?" Sakura whispered, pushing a low-hanging branch aside with more care than necessary. Her voice was a thread of tension in the night's stillness.

"Of course, I'm sure!" Naruto shot back in a whisper that somehow managed to sound loud, right before stumbling over a root and catching his balance with a muffled grunt. "I'm a master of stealth, believe it! He didn't notice a thing!"

Hinata, gliding beside him without making the slightest sound, offered a small smile that glinted in the moonlight.

"Sasuke-san was watching us from the porch, Naruto-kun."

Naruto froze mid-stride, turning with an expression of betrayed offense.

"Huh? Seriously? That teme! Always spying! He's probably just jealous 'cause we didn't invite him to our super cool, secret meeting!"

"I doubt that's why," Sakura retorted, rolling her eyes, though her own gaze instinctively flickered back toward the house. "He probably thinks you're up to some idiot scheme. And, to be fair, he'd usually be right."

"Hey! My plan worked!" Naruto defended himself, offended. "Kakashi-sensei is free!"

"Your plan also left you with a hole in your shoulder," Sakura reminded him, her tone softening with a pang of guilt she couldn't hide.

Naruto shrugged, a motion that drew a wince of pain from him.

"Minor details. Look, this is it!"

They stopped at the edge of a small clearing. It was a nearly perfect circle of short grass, bathed in the light of an almost-full moon filtering through a gap in the canopy. The silver light painted the ground in black and white, creating a scene that was both serene and charged with an expectant aura.

"This place is perfect!" Naruto exclaimed, instantly lowering his voice and adopting a conspiratorial air. "Super secret! Alright, let's get started. We don't have all night, and Zabuza isn't taking a vacation."

The atmosphere shifted. The usual playful dynamic dissolved, replaced by a quiet focus. There was no longer any trace of the awkwardness or embarrassment of their first rituals. This was different. This was a necessity, a vital step that all three of them understood perfectly.

Naruto sat in the center of the clearing, took out his worn notebook and a pencil, and placed them on the grass as if they were surgical tools.

"Hinata, you're first. Time to collect the reward for kicking those Mist ninjas' asses."

Hinata nodded, her face serene under the moonlight. She approached without hesitation and turned around, offering her back. With a practical, unfaltering motion, she lifted her jacket and mesh shirt. The gesture now held more tactical readiness than modesty.

Sakura stood a few meters away, acting as a lookout. She watched the procedure with a mixture of fascination and grudging respect. She saw Naruto bite his thumb and extend the digit. She saw the exact moment of contact, and though she perceived nothing visually, she felt a strange stillness in the air.

Naruto's mind, however, was an explosion of light and data.

The instant his finger touched Hinata's skin, the blue window appeared in his vision, brighter and more detailed than ever.

[FALNA SYSTEM ACTIVATED] [DETECTING ACCUMULATED HIGH-RANK EXCELIA...] [ACHIEVEMENT "DEMON SLAYERS" CONFIRMED. APPLYING REWARDS.] [WARNING: REQUIREMENTS FOR LEVEL UP HAVE BEEN MET.] [INITIATING STATUS UPDATE...]

HINATA HYUGALevel: 1 - 2

BASIC ABILITIES (INVISIBLE BASE LEVEL 1): STRENGTH: G-205 ENDURANCE: G-230 DEXTERITY: F-378 AGILITY: F-395 MAGIC: F-310

BASIC ABILITIES (LEVEL 2): STRENGTH: I-0 ENDURANCE: I-0 DEXTERITY: I-0 AGILITY: I-0 MAGIC: I-0

DEVELOPMENT ABILITIES:Slot Unlocked

MAGIC:Slot Unlocked

SKILLS: [Lioness Heart]: Active Burst Skill. Activates with the will to protect an ally. Temporarily provides an exceptional boost to all abilities. The effect is amplified in proportion to the importance of the target being protected. [Dance of the Trembling Willow]: (NEW) Active Burst Skill. Upon activation, Hinata enters a state of maximum concentration where her Fluid Step accelerates to nearly imperceptible levels. It allows her to unleash a flurry of up to thirty-two Gentle Fist strikes in a matter of seconds. Designed as a lightning-fast offensive to incapacitate an opponent before they can react.

"Whoa!" Naruto muttered, his blue eyes wide as his pencil flew across the page. "Hinata... you leveled up! And your stats... they reset! But, oh, I get it! They're saved as an 'invisible base'! That means you still have all your old strength, but now you can build more on top of it!"

He pulled his finger away, the connection fading.

"And you got a new skill called 'Dance of the Trembling Willow.' It says you can land thirty-two hits in the blink of an eye! That's awesome, believe it!"

Hinata adjusted her clothes and turned around, an expression of wonder on her face. She raised a hand and moved it, feeling a lightness, an absence of resistance that was almost dizzying. Power hummed in her veins, more potent than ever.

"Alright, your turn, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, gesturing to her.

Sakura stepped forward, her heart pounding. She repeated the process, turning her back and lifting her qipao. She felt the chill of the air and then the point of warmth from Naruto's finger. The blue window exploded in his vision again.

[INITIATING STATUS UPDATE FOR SAKURA HARUNO...] [ACHIEVEMENT "DEMON SLAYERS" CONFIRMED. APPLYING REWARDS.] [WARNING: REQUIREMENTS FOR LEVEL UP HAVE BEEN MET.]

SAKURA HARUNOLevel: 1 - 2

BASIC ABILITIES (INVISIBLE BASE LEVEL 1): STRENGTH: E-498 ENDURANCE: G-215 DEXTERITY: F-360 AGILITY: G-245 MAGIC: E-455

BASIC ABILITIES (LEVEL 2):

STRENGTH: I-0 ENDURANCE: I-0 DEXTERITY: I-0 AGILITY: I-0 MAGIC: I-0

DEVELOPMENT ABILITIES:Slot Unlocked

MAGIC: [Chakra Threads]: Allows the user to materialize their chakra into fine, tangible threads. The strength and length of the threads depend directly on the Magic statistic.

SKILLS: [Analytical Eye]: Active Focus Skill. Allows the user to perceive logical fallacies and inconsistencies in the flow of chakra. Can reveal an enemy's defensive weak point or the nature of a genjutsu. [Chakra Enhancement: Impact]: (NEW) Active Focus Skill. Allows the channeling of chakra and perfect control into a single point (fists or feet) at the moment of impact, converting the Magic statistic into explosive and devastating physical force.

Naruto gasped.

"Sakura-chan... you leveled up too. Your base Strength from Level 1... is E-498. That's... that's monstrous. And you got a new skill, 'Chakra Enhancement: Impact.' It says you can use all that Magic of yours to hit things! It's not muscle! It's... it's like you're throwing a jutsu with your fist!"

He removed his finger. Sakura turned slowly, her eyes wide.

"Strength... me?" The idea was so foreign, so contrary to everything she had ever been, that it felt like a joke.

"It's your wish, Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed, suddenly understanding. "Your wish to not be a burden, to be strong enough to protect everyone... the system made it real!"

Just then, Naruto's own interface flickered, applying his reward. He felt a surge of heat and energy course through him, the pain in his injured shoulder dulling to a low thrum. He quickly jotted down his own data.

[INITIATING STATUS UPDATE FOR NARUTO UZUMAKI...] [ACHIEVEMENT "DEMON SLAYERS" CONFIRMED. APPLYING REWARDS.]

NARUTO UZUMAKILevel: 2

BASIC ABILITIES (INVISIBLE BASE LEVEL 1): STRENGTH: G-250 ENDURANCE: G-270 DEXTERITY: H-190 AGILITY: G-210 MAGIC: H-135

BASIC ABILITIES (LEVEL 2): STRENGTH: I-0 ENDURANCE: I-0 DEXTERITY: I-0 AGILITY: I-0 MAGIC: I-0

DEVELOPMENT ABILITIES: [Precursor's Guidance]: Passive Skill. Allows the user to grow alongside their "Familia." [Hero's Will]: (NEW) Passive Skill. Naruto's determination inspires his "believers." As long as he fights, they receive a bonus to their stats. The effect is amplified if he is gravely injured.

SKILLS: [Feral Instinct]: (NEW) Passive Skill. Heightens combat reflexes and instincts in life-or-death situations. Allows for subconscious reaction to threats.

He jumped to his feet.

"I leveled up too! And look, I got a new development ability, 'Hero's Will'! It means as long as I'm fighting, you guys get stronger! We're the best team in the world, believe it!"

He paused, looking at his notebook with a new understanding.

"Girls, the system showed me the rules. To level up, it's not enough to just train. I mean, you can level up that way, but it's way faster when you fight strong enemies. Normal training just raises your points, from I to S. To really level up, you have to do something amazing, like beating a super-strong opponent! That's what gives us special 'excelia.' And on top of that, we need to have at least one ability at rank D, you know, with five hundred points. We skipped that rule because what we did was so crazy, but for Level 3, we'll have to work for real!"

Silence fell over the clearing. The three of them looked at each other, overwhelmed by the magnitude of what had just happened.

"We have to test it," Naruto finally said, breaking the spell. "Words are one thing, but feeling it is another." He looked at Hinata. "Try it. A kata. Show us that dance of yours."

Hinata closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, her gaze was like steel. And then, she moved.

Her hands became white blurs under the moon, leaving silver trails in the night air. They moved so fast the human eye couldn't follow the individual strikes; one could only perceive a whirlwind of precise attacks, a flow of energy that seemed capable of dismantling an army. When she stopped, the air around her still seemed to vibrate.

Sakura's jaw dropped.

"Hinata... that was... unreal."

"Your turn," Naruto said, turning to Sakura with an expectant grin.

Sakura shook her head, taking a step back.

"No, Naruto. I... I can't. What if I mess up? What if it's too much?" Her voice trembled.

"You won't mess up," he said, and his confidence in her was so solid it felt like something you could touch. "Trust your control. You're the best at it. Just... focus. Think about protecting someone. Think about never feeling helpless again." He pointed to a thick, gnarled tree at the edge of the clearing, a giant with a trunk as wide as a man. "Try it on that."

Sakura looked at the tree. It seemed so solid, so ancient. And she... she felt the same as always. But then, the image of Naruto, blood staining his orange jacket, flashed in her mind. Guilt and rage mixed with her fear. Never again.

She walked toward the tree. She placed a hand on the rough bark. She closed her eyes. She felt the river of chakra within her. She guided it, not with the delicacy she used for her threads, but with a forceful intent, directing all of it to her right fist.

She opened her eyes. The world seemed to slow down. And she punched.

CRACK-BOOM!

The sound was deafening. The tree's bark didn't split; it exploded outward in a cloud of splinters. An entire section of the trunk disintegrated, vaporized by the force of the impact. The rest of the tree shuddered to its roots, its canopy tilting with an agonized groan.

Where solid wood had been, there was now a black, smoking crater.

Sakura pulled her fist back and stared at it, trembling. It was perfectly unharmed.

The power. The strength. It was real.

A choked laugh escaped her throat, a sound that was half a sob. Tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"I... I did it..."

She turned and, without thinking, ran to Naruto. She hugged him with a strength she didn't measure.

"Naruto!"

He let out a strangled yelp as his feet left the ground. For an instant, she held him in the air, light as a feather.

"Whoa, Sakura-chan! Careful, you almost sent me to the moon, believe it!" he exclaimed, a mix of surprise and amusement in his voice.

She realized what she was doing and immediately set him down, her face flushing a deep red. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize! It's just...!"

"That was amazing!" Hinata interjected, her eyes shining with joy for her friend.