In the luxurious room crowning the mobile fortress, the master of Ikarus surveyed the endless ocean below. A man in white robes and a round hat sat serenely on a chair positioned in the center of the room, radiating an air of gentle authority.
Ranke knelt before him on one knee, awaiting his instructions.
"So, Chakra is the power they use," the man mused.
"Yes, Lord Klick," Ranke confirmed, her head bowed.
"A power derived from the fusion of spiritual and physical energy, cultivated through training," Klick murmured, an unreadable expression on his kindly face. "How does it compare to the Power of Gelel?"
"Somewhat inferior," Ranke reported. "The attack the girl used against me was easily nullified. However, Chakra does seem to share some properties with Gelel power – it can apparently be used for healing, though I'm uncertain about potential side effects."
"Hmm..." Klick considered Ranke. "Likely none. According to them, many people on that continent possess Chakra."
"Yes, Lord Klick," Ranke acknowledged, lifting her head. "Should we capture and interrogate them?"
"Unnecessary." Klick shook his head, his smile benign. "Ranke, don't resort to violence for everything. Violence rarely solves the underlying problem. There are many like them on that continent; they are not unique. Once we have secured the Naelkui legacy, perhaps they can serve as useful guides."
"Yes, I understand your wisdom, Lord Klick," Ranke replied, lowering her head again.
"Go, then. Take good care of them," Klick instructed with a gentle smile.
"Yes, my lord." Ranke rose and exited the room.
Just outside, she was immediately intercepted by a figure clad in white knight's armor.
"What do you want?" Ranke asked, raising an eyebrow at the man blocking her path.
"Where is that girl?" the knight demanded, his eyes fixed on Ranke.
"Oh? Seeking revenge?" Ranke chuckled lightly. "Not right now, I'm afraid. They are under Lord Klick's care. Are you planning to defy Lord Klick's orders, Temshi?"
"Hmph, stay out of it! Just tell me where she is!" Temshi retorted, his expression darkening.
"Heh. Perhaps after you manage to defeat me," Ranke taunted, flicking him a dismissive glance as she sidestepped past him. "That girl might not be my equal, but she's still stronger than you. Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough already?"
Ranke had guessed almost immediately upon seeing Sakura that she was the one Temshi had encountered. Ranke herself had fired the energy blast that saved Temshi that night; otherwise, he likely would have been captured. She hadn't counterattacked Sakura after nullifying her assassination attempt because she quickly realized it was based on a misunderstanding, and Sakura was clearly not weak. Unnecessary conflict was to be avoided.
...
"Chakra..."
Klick walked to the room's floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the boundless sea, murmuring to himself.
He held up his right hand, staring at the green stone embedded in the back of his glove. The stone pulsed with a captivating allure. As Klick gazed at its soft, verdant glow, the kindly expression on his face twisted into something grotesque.
"The Shinobi Continent! Hahaha! You shall be the next target! HAHAHA!" His sinister laughter echoed chillingly through the luxurious chamber...
...
...
Back in the opulent guest room, Sakura sat on the sofa, steadily drawing her chakra and storing it in her Yin Seal. Thanks to the explosive increase in her reserves, the process was several times more efficient than before. While their hosts hadn't shown outright hostility yet, Sakura knew she had to be prepared for battle.
"Sakura!" Karin called out.
"What is it?" Sakura asked without turning, fully focused on replenishing her seal.
"This door… I don't think it opens," Karin said hesitantly.
"What door?"
"The thing we came in on," Karin explained, tugging uselessly at the lattice gate of the elevator.
"Hmph. It would be strange if it did open," Neji scoffed, his Byakugan active. "That woman has clearly placed us under house arrest here."
"Don't worry about it. Let's just stay put for now," Sakura advised calmly. "Even if we could get out, we can't get back home without their help."
"Oh," Karin murmured, falling silent. Neji continued scanning their surroundings with his Byakugan. Sakura remained seated, outwardly composed. Panicking wouldn't achieve anything.
Just then, ding-dong. The gate of the other elevator – the one the food had arrived on – slid open. A blond young man stepped out: Temshi. His eyes swept the room, immediately locking onto Sakura.
"There you are!" Temshi strode forward purposefully, longsword already in hand.
Sakura recognized him instantly. Not the face, perhaps, but the sword and the suit of silver-white armor were unmistakable. This was the knight who had attacked her two nights ago.
Seeing him advance with weapon drawn, Sakura didn't waste time on words. She leaped up from the sofa, her hand flashing to her ninja pouch, producing a kunai.
Reacting instantly to Sakura's movement, Neji and Karin also drew kunai, flanking her. The three shinobi formed a loose triangle, facing the advancing knight.
Temshi halted, seeing their defensive posture. A cold smirk touched his lips. "I originally intended to resolve our previous misunderstanding with you. But since you insist on attacking me, even Lord Klick cannot blame me for what happens next!"
Sakura nearly gagged at his hypocritical words. Resolve a misunderstanding while brandishing a sword? His stance made it perfectly clear he was looking for trouble.
"If you truly seek reconciliation, then lower your weapon!" Neji demanded, settling into the Gentle Fist's opening stance, his Byakugan fixed on Temshi. Neji remembered him; this knight had interrogated him after his capture. Seeing him target Sakura directly confirmed Neji's suspicion that they had fought previously.
Green flames erupted along the blade of Temshi's sword. "Such arrogance, even here in the Ikarus fortress!" he declared, pointing the flaming sword at Sakura. "Allow me to teach you some manners on Lord Klick's behalf!" Temshi didn't believe Sakura was stronger. He attributed his previous defeat solely to carelessness – underestimating her and failing to dodge her attack. Seeing Neji captured later by mere soldiers had only reinforced his belief that his loss was a fluke born of his own lapse in judgment.
The green fire flared, splitting into three streams that shot towards the three shinobi. Seeing the flame-like energy rushing towards them, Sakura knew better than to be careless.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A swirling wall of water instantly erupted around Sakura, shielding both her and Karin. However, to Sakura's surprise, the green flames passed straight through the water wall, completely unimpeded.
Instinctively, Sakura grabbed Karin and leaped sideways. Neji could handle himself, but Karin's combat skills were limited.
Without Sakura's chakra maintaining it, the water wall collapsed. The two streams of green fire aimed at Sakura and Karin slammed into the floor instead. BOOM! BOOM! Two large craters blasted open in the opulent carpeting and the metal beneath.
Neji, seeing the Water Release fail, immediately activated his Rotation. The third stream of green fire was violently deflected upwards, smashing into the ceiling and blasting another hole, showering debris down onto the floor.
Sakura stared, momentarily stunned by the effect. That green energy looked like fire, but it clearly wasn't. It had no heat, and water couldn't stop it; instead, it seemed purely concussive.
"Is that all you've got?" Temshi sneered, looking immensely satisfied at their disarray.
In another room, Ranke watched the scene unfold on a large screen. Knowing Temshi's personality, she had anticipated he would seek them out. Giving him a little nudge had been easy. This provided a perfect opportunity to gauge their abilities and learn more about this 'Chakra'. She noted Sakura's ability to conjure water from nothing with interest – similar in principle to how Gelel power could manipulate existing water, though Gelel couldn't create it.
Though caught off guard, Sakura had already learned something valuable about the Gelel energy. She was about to move forward to re-engage when Karin grabbed her arm.
"What is it, Karin?" Sakura asked, keeping her eyes locked on Temshi.
"His energy source… it's in his right chest!" Karin reported urgently. "I can feel it. The flames on his sword, they're drawing power from there. I think… I think that energy source is the Stone of Gelel!"
"Meaning, if we destroy that stone, he loses his power, right?" Sakura's eyes narrowed, focusing on Temshi's right pectoral.
"Yes! Assuming Ranke wasn't lying about the stone," Karin added nervously.
"Worth a shot," Sakura declared, eagerness replacing her caution.
"Heh, Ranke really talks big," Temshi gloated, looking down on them condescendingly. "Calling this level of power stronger than mine? Pathetic..."
Sakura ignored his trash talk. Activating her Lightning Release Chakra Mode, her body erupted in crackling blue sparks. She shot forward like an arrow, leaving multiple afterimages in her wake.
Temshi's pupils contracted. His heart hammered against his ribs. The smug disdain vanished, instantly frozen on his face. He had never seen speed like this. Even Ranke, who was far stronger than him, couldn't move this fast.
Equally stunned was Ranke, watching the monitor. Sakura became a literal blur on the screen, crossing the distance to Temshi in the time it took Ranke to blink.
"This... this is the power of Chakra...?" Ranke breathed, sinking back into her chair, momentarily stunned. Due to the side effects of the Gelel Stone, the people of Ikarus used its energy but couldn't use it to enhance their physical capabilities. Sakura's speed shattered Ranke's understanding of the limits of human velocity. Sakura hadn't used this technique during her assassination attempt because the activation was too noticeable; consequently, Ranke had underestimated her true capabilities.
Oblivious to the shockwaves her speed caused, Sakura reached Temshi before he could react, his guard wide open. She aimed directly at his right chest and slammed her fist forward.
Temshi, still reeling from her speed, saw her target his right pectoral. A flash of triumphant malice crossed his face. The idiot! Attacking the Stone of Gelel directly? She's signing her death warrant!
A strange expression flickered across Sakura's face. Temshi wasn't sent flying. Her fist seemed almost stuck to his armor, magnetic. And from the point of contact, she felt an energy – cold, alien – flowing into her own body.
Not Chakra. She couldn't describe it, only that it felt chilling.
Temshi's triumphant look froze again, replaced by utter disbelief. The Stone of Gelel… it hadn't counterattacked! Impossible! Lord Klick's device couldn't malfunction! How could this be? Wait... this feeling...
The two remained locked in that bizarre tableau: Temshi standing stock-still, Sakura's fist pressed against his chest plate.
After a moment, Sakura felt… wrong. A strange apathy washed over her. Her surroundings seemed dull, uninteresting. Looking at the boy before her, the one who had angered her just moments ago, she felt… nothing. Indifference.
"Sakura!" Karin cried out frantically, seeing her friend standing motionless.
Who's shouting? Sakura? Who's Sakura? Sakura turned her head vaguely towards the sound. A red-haired girl was yelling at her. Who is she?
Turning back to the blond boy, Sakura felt a sliver of confusion. What am I doing?
"Sakura!" Neji struck, slamming his palm into Temshi's side. Caught completely off guard in his shock, Temshi offered no defense. Neji followed up with a swift chop to the back of his neck, and the knight crumpled, unconscious.
Sakura slowly retracted her fist, standing blankly. She looked at the white-eyed boy who had suddenly appeared beside her. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice flat.
Neji, having just subdued Temshi, froze at her question, his expression hardening. "What did you say?"
"Who are you?" Sakura repeated, her gaze empty.
"I'm Neji! Don't you remember? What's wrong with you?" Neji stared at her, disbelief warring with dawning horror.
"Neji?" Sakura frowned, a flicker of something vaguely familiar touching the name.
"Sakura!" Karin rushed to her side, her face etched with panic.
"Nn!" Seeing the red-haired girl again, Sakura's frown deepened. A wave of discomfort, almost pain, washed over her, but she pressed her lips together and said nothing.
"Neji, what happened to Sakura?" Karin pleaded, turning to him.
"I don't know," Neji replied grimly, his face pale. "It seems like… she's lost her memory!"
"Amnesia?" Karin stared blankly for a second, then gasped. "Could it be the Gelel power? Just now, I sensed the energy from his chest… it seemed to flow into Sakura's body!"
"What?!" Neji exclaimed, truly alarmed now. Both he and Karin knew about the horrifying side effects Ranke had described.
Karin's face turned ashen as the implications hit her fully. "What do we do… Neji… you have a way… right…? Please…" Her voice choked, and tears began streaming down her face.
Sakura watched them both with confused eyes. Seeing Karin cry sparked an unfamiliar ache in her own chest. Hesitantly, she asked, "Why are you crying?"
"Don't be like this… please… I'm begging you… Sakura… don't you remember me…? It's Karin… you rescued me during the Chunin Exams… that day, you…" Karin sobbed, recounting fragmented memories of their first meeting.
Sakura listened quietly. As Karin spoke, the fog in Sakura's eyes began to clear. She looked at Karin, then at Neji, then down at the unconscious Temshi on the floor. The memories flooded back, a strange and jarring sensation.
"I remember now, Karin," Sakura stated, her voice devoid of any emotion.
"Huh? Y-You remember?" Karin stopped crying mid-sob, staring at Sakura.
Sakura nodded numbly. The memories were back, but the emotions associated with them felt… gone. Stripped away. This cold, detached feeling was maddening, yet she couldn't muster any appropriate emotional response.
She had experienced this twice before. Now, Sakura finally understood the gravity of it. She sank to the floor, crossing her legs, ignoring the worried stares of her teammates. She needed to analyze this.
That energy I absorbed from Temshi… it must be the Power of Gelel. According to Ranke, it caused memory loss, emotional detachment, and eventually, physical disintegration. Disintegration, I don't know about yet, she thought grimly, but the amnesia definitely happened. Karin's words had somehow triggered the memories' return, but the emotional void remained, a direct result of the Gelel contamination.
Her previous two episodes had manifested the same symptoms, though less severely. But how? Where could she possibly have encountered the Power of Gelel back then?
What exactly IS the Power of Gelel…?