This is an Actor: "Good morning, everyone."
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "Good morning, An Ran-san."
Curly-Haired Boy: "Good morning, my ass! Gin-san is still in the middle of the night here! Please don't make me stay up! I'm about to have a nervous breakdown, you bastards!"
Book Artist: "Then why don't you just log off?"
Curly-Haired Boy: "If I could, I would! But humans are naturally curious creatures! Gin-san feels like as soon as I close my eyes, you'll all start saying bad things behind my back!"
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "Do not worry; that would be impossible."
Book Artist: "Exactly. Do we even need to go behind your back to say bad things about you? Don't think so highly of yourself. Anyway, I'm getting out of school now. We'll talk later."
This is an Actor: "Is it already afternoon over there, Eriri? It is fascinating how we all have different perceptions of time despite being in the same group."
This disparity was not just reflected in the daily cycles, but also in the varying speeds at which time flowed in each member's world. Aizen had once performed a silent calculation: two days in the Naruto world was roughly equivalent to two hours in Eriri's world, half a day in the Gintama world, and a full day in the Condor Heroes world.
In other words, more than half a month had passed in the Naruto world since he had finished guiding Kushina. Yet, from Eriri's perspective, only a dozen hours had passed. Logically, such ratios should have caused total chaos in their communication, making it impossible to express a coherent concept of time.
However, the chat group provided an anchor point known as "Group Time." When members connected online, their perceptions were unified under this single standard. It was a miraculous phenomenon—the power of rules transcending dimensions.
Curly-Haired Boy: "What kind of 'fun' is this?! Gin-san is dying, truly dying! Go to sleep, everyone! Go to sleep! As long as you all log off, Gin-san won't have to stay awake online anymore!"
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "Do not panic. I am staying up late as well."
Curly-Haired Boy: "You're an internal energy practitioner, of course you aren't panicking! Gin-san is a completely ordinary human being! I don't know any internal techniques, nor do I know how to meditate to replenish my mental strength!"
This is an Actor: "Gintoki, do you have a misunderstanding of what 'ordinary' means? Being able to cleave a pure metal mechanical body with a wooden sword is not what human cognition defines as ordinary. That is a monster."
Book Artist: "And a perverted monster with silver curly hair, at that. But speaking of internal skills, hasn't Mo Chou-shijie obtained the Dugu Nine Swords yet?"
A few days ago, An Ran had taken the time to upload The Return of the Condor Heroes to the memory list, giving everyone a preliminary understanding of the martial arts world.
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "I am heading toward Xiangyang; I should arrive the day after tomorrow. Are you interested in the technique, Eriri?"
Book Artist: "Well, I want to experience what it feels like to be a martial arts master."
Compared to complex ninjutsu or Gintoki's brutal swordsmanship, Eriri felt that light, ethereal martial arts were more suitable for a delicate girl like her. Of course, her interest was also limited by her lack of points; otherwise, she would have taken everything available.
Curly-Haired Boy: "What's the point of studying that stuff in a modern society? Do you want to be a wandering knight? Be careful you don't get caught and sliced into pieces, Eri-Pamu-sensei."
Book Artist: "None of your business! Who knows if there are werewolves, terminators, or zombie viruses hiding in my seemingly peaceful world?"
Curly-Haired Boy: "Hey, have you been watching too many Hollywood movies?"
Book Artist: "If Aizen can appear in the Naruto world, I think anything is possible."
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "It is wise to be prepared for danger in times of peace. Eriri is right."
Book Artist: "Exactly! And I just saw a news report about a giant python over twenty meters long discovered in South America. That clearly isn't normal!"
Curly-Haired Boy: "Are you sure this isn't just a case of paranoia?"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "Hmm? A python over twenty meters long? Is that not normal?"
This is an Actor: "By the standards of the Naruto world, it is normal. However, Eriri's world lacks supernatural powers. The largest python species in South America is the anaconda, and the verified world record is roughly twelve meters. Twenty meters would shatter that record. Furthermore, given Earth's current oxygen levels and environment, such a behemoth is biologically unlikely to exist."
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "Is that so?"
Book Artist: "An Ran-san, you're so professional!"
This is an Actor: "Eriri, can you confirm the authenticity of this news?"
Book Artist: "I'm not sure; it was just a notification pushed to my phone."
This is an Actor: "Let us wait and see for now. Keep a record if similar news appears again."
While the news was likely just a sensationalist headline from a clickbait tabloid, Aizen remained cautious. It was always better to be wary.
Book Artist: "Okay."
Out of her deep trust in An Ran, Eriri didn't question him and simply did as she was told.
Curly-Haired Boy: "Don't make such a fuss. Human exploration of the world is still in its infancy; anything could happen. I'm more curious about whether Aizen has been causing trouble lately."
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "No. He is acting like an ordinary ninja teacher now. Aside from reading books every day, he simply teaches his students. He only takes Naruto for walks occasionally and helps improve his diet."
Curly-Haired Boy: "Cultivating a relationship? Is Aizen planning to win over the mother by starting with the son? He's definitely got some moves!"
This is an Actor: "..."
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "..."
[System Notification: It has been detected that this group has been established for 30 days. The Group Leader election will begin in 60 seconds.]