The passage of time in the Realm of Time was deceptive. What felt like an eternity of training had only been a few years in their timeline. Sasuke and Sakura, now older, wiser, and far more powerful, stood side by side as they continued honing their bodies and perfecting their signature techniques. Over the past year, they had pushed themselves to limits they never thought possible, mastering not only the manipulation of time and void energies but also forging their physical resilience to the point where blades, jutsu, and even the most destructive techniques could barely harm them.
Their bodies had become as unyielding as their wills.
Sakura, with her chakra-infused fists, had taken her physical prowess to terrifying new heights. Each punch she threw now rippled with destructive force, the energy of time amplifying her strikes in ways that distorted the very fabric of reality. Her skin, strengthened through intense training, had become almost impervious to most physical attacks. She was no longer the girl who relied on raw power alone—she was a juggernaut, a force of nature capable of withstanding the most brutal assaults without flinching.
Sasuke, on the other hand, had refined his control over the void and time. His body, now infused with the knowledge of bending space and manipulating moments, was nearly untouchable. His Sharingan had evolved beyond its original power, allowing him to foresee attacks and manipulate the flow of energy around him. He had become a living weapon, capable of slicing through dimensions with his Void Chidori, and even his presence in battle seemed to warp reality. His blade could cut through jutsu as if they were mere illusions, and his body had become so attuned to the energies of the realm that most attacks passed through him like smoke.
Ryusei observed their progress from a distance, watching with a quiet satisfaction as his students surpassed even his expectations. They had grown stronger than he could have imagined. The once raw, untamed power they wielded had been tempered into something far more refined. They were no longer simply two individuals fighting together—they had become a singular force, their movements in battle synchronized with an eerie precision.
It was in one of their training sessions, deep in the expanse of the Realm of Time, that Ryusei saw the full extent of their potential.
Sasuke and Sakura faced off against a field of shadowy figures—manifestations of enemies they would one day face. These figures were powerful, resembling Kage-level shinobi, each one possessing deadly techniques that could lay waste to entire armies. But against Sasuke and Sakura, they stood no chance.
In perfect unison, the duo moved like a storm of energy. Sasuke would vanish into the void, his blade cutting through space, while Sakura would appear at the heart of the battlefield, her fists sending shockwaves through the ground as she tore through their enemies with devastating precision. They had developed a devastating combo—Void Severance and Time Quake.
Sasuke would sever the space around their enemies, leaving them disoriented and vulnerable, trapped in moments they couldn't escape. Then, as their enemies flailed, Sakura would step in, her fists radiating with temporal energy, delivering earth-shattering blows that not only crushed their bodies but also corrupted the energy around them, making their jutsu unravel in real-time.
The battlefield became a twisted landscape of destruction—voids opening in space where Sasuke struck, and the very ground shattering under Sakura's onslaught. Enemies didn't just die; they were torn apart, disintegrated by the combined corruption of time and void energy. It was a delightful massacre of jutsu and energy, an overwhelming assault that left nothing but chaos in its wake.
Ryusei crossed his arms, a small smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "They're ready," he murmured to himself. "They've reached the point where even dozens of Kage-level shinobi wouldn't be able to hold them back."
He had tested them repeatedly over the past year, throwing more and more powerful enemies their way, but nothing had been able to stop the destructive force of their combined power. They fought with a precision that was terrifying to behold, each of their attacks perfectly complementing the other's. When Sasuke cut through space, Sakura was there to finish the job with brutal efficiency. And when Sakura's strikes left the battlefield in ruins, Sasuke manipulated the void to close off their enemies' escape routes.
Together, they were unstoppable.
As the last of the shadowy figures crumbled into dust, the air around them hummed with residual energy. Sasuke and Sakura stood amidst the ruins of their battlefield, their breath heavy but controlled. Their eyes met for a moment, a silent understanding passing between them. They had come so far. And they had done it together.
Ryusei stepped forward, his presence commanding but calm. "You've surpassed even my expectations," he said, his voice low but filled with pride. "You've become a force to be reckoned with. But remember, this is only the beginning. The true battle is still ahead of us."
Sasuke nodded, his expression serious but confident. "We're ready."
Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow, her eyes gleaming with determination. "Whatever comes next, we'll face it together."
Ryusei smiled, knowing that they had fully embraced their roles as warriors of time and void. "Good," he said, his voice softening. "But before we move forward, it's time to rest and prepare. You've pushed your bodies and minds to the limit. Now, you need to let them recover. We'll meditate until it's time to regroup with Naruto and Anon."
Sasuke and Sakura both nodded, and without another word, they followed Ryusei to a quiet part of the realm—a place where time itself seemed to slow, allowing for deep meditation and recovery.
They sat in silence, their minds clearing as they entered a meditative state. The energy of the realm flowed around them, soothing their bodies and strengthening their resolve. They had come so far, but they knew the true challenge was still ahead.
As they meditated, Ryusei kept watch over them, his thoughts drifting to the war that loomed on the horizon. They had trained hard, but there was no telling what kind of enemies awaited them. The void and time energies they had mastered would be their greatest weapons, but even those powers had limits.
Soon, it would be time to regroup with Naruto and Anon, to combine their strengths for the battles ahead.
But for now, they would rest, gather their strength, and wait for the next phase of their journey to begin.