Hi readers! A correction regarding the unique power system mentioned by the Kaiyuki on Red Island: In earlier chapters, this was translated as Shinjutsu. This was incorrect.
The term will now consistently be Seijutsu from this point forward.
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The atmosphere in the reception room grew palpably awkward. Chief Soga didn't reply immediately to Sakura's question, his gaze fixed intently on her.
The intensity of his stare made Sakura's scalp tingle. If Karin was right, this was clearly the chief's private secret. He hadn't shown them any hostility; on the contrary, he'd welcomed them with lavish food and hospitality. Sakura realized her own curiosity was driving her to pry.
"Of course, you don't have to answer," she backtracked quickly, feeling her confidence waver. "I was just asking... thinking it might somehow be relevant to breaking the curse."
Chief Soga's expression finally shifted, replaced by genuine confusion. "Power of Gelel? What is that?"
"It's the term for the energy used by an overseas civilization," Sakura explained, choosing her words carefully. "Perhaps it's called something different here... Have you ever sensed any kind of unusual... energy within your own body?"
Chief Soga slowly shook his head. "No. I'm not a ninja, nor have I ever trained in ninjutsu. How could I possibly have energy like that inside me?"
"No, no," Sakura shook her head, struggling to clarify. "I don't mean Chakra. It's a different kind of energy, it's..." She trailed off, unsure how to describe it further. It might be the same energy with a different name, but it wasn't the Chakra used by shinobi, and Chief Soga clearly wasn't trained.
"Ah, wait a second!" An idea struck her. She formed a familiar seal. "Ninja Art: Strength of a Hundred Technique!"
As the Gelel power flowed from her Yin Seal, Sakura's emotions were instantly suppressed. "It's this kind of energy," she stated, her voice perfectly calm and even. "Can you feel it now?"
"Feel what?" Chief Soga asked, looking at Sakura with bewildered eyes.
Sakura immediately realized her mistake. She still couldn't project the Gelel energy externally; it only affected her own body. Without concrete proof, Soga could easily maintain his denial.
In this emotionally detached state, however, Sakura felt her analytical abilities sharpen tenfold. Observing Soga's face, his confusion seemed genuine. She pondered for a moment, then another idea surfaced. "Karin," she instructed, "go to the changing room and bring me the square metal box from my ninja tool pouch."
The Gelel Stone Ranke had given her was stored in that box. Sakura hadn't paid it much mind, having already absorbed its accessible energy into her seal, and had simply tossed it into her pack.
"Okay," Karin nodded and quickly left the room.
Sakura watched Chief Soga, who now sat looking perfectly relaxed and composed. Something still felt off, but she couldn't pinpoint it. A moment later, Karin returned and handed her the metal box.
"Chief Soga, please watch closely," Sakura said, drawing his attention to the box in her hands while simultaneously scrutinizing his expression for any flicker of recognition, any subtle crack in his facade.
She slowly opened the lid. Nestled inside lay the stone, pulsing with a soft, gentle green light.
"What's this? A rather pretty stone," Chief Soga commented, his expression unchanging.
His mask was good, but in her hyper-analytical state, Sakura's perception was heightened. She clearly saw his pupils contract, just for an infinitesimal fraction of a second.
Bingo. Chief Soga definitely knew something. But if he refused to admit it, there was little Sakura could do. He wasn't an enemy, had shown no ill will, and she had no grounds or desire to interrogate him forcefully.
Closing the lid on the Gelel Stone, Sakura deactivated the Strength of a Hundred Technique. The Gelel energy receded back into her Yin Seal. Her heart immediately gave a few frantic thuds before settling back into its normal rhythm.
Definitely need to get back to the village and make some powerful tranquilizers to keep on hand, she thought grimly. Even that brief activation, with no significant emotional trigger during the detached period, caused a noticeable backlash afterward. If she used it for longer durations, or under more stressful conditions, the cumulative effect could genuinely risk sudden death from cardiac shock. The Gelel power forcibly suppressed emotions, keeping the mind unnaturally calm, but the stimuli weren't erased – merely accumulated. Once the Gelel energy receded, all those pent-up emotions hit at once... If the accumulated stress was too high, the resulting shock could be fatal. It was a chilling conclusion drawn from her own physical response.
Putting the metal box away, Sakura decided not to pursue the matter further. If Chief Soga was determined to keep his secrets, pressing him would be fruitless.
"My sincere apologies, Chief Soga," Sakura said politely. "I was merely exploring avenues related to breaking the curse. It seems my judgment was mistaken. Please forget I said anything."
"Phew..." Chief Soga let out a long breath, visibly relaxing. However, a conflicted look still lingered in his eyes. "It's no matter. If you need my cooperation for your research into the curse, I will certainly provide it," he offered. "It's getting late now. Perhaps you should both return to your rooms and rest."
"Yes, thank you for your hospitality." Sakura stored the metal box back in her pouch, stood up, and bowed slightly, ushering Karin out of the reception room.
....
After the two kunoichi had left, Chief Soga sat motionless for a long time, brow furrowed deep in thought. Eventually, he rose and walked towards a large landscape painting hanging on the wall. Lifting the painting, he felt along the wall behind it until, with a soft click, a section of the tatami mat floor beneath the painting slid downwards, revealing a long, descending staircase.
Chief Soga stepped slowly into the hidden passage, and the tatami slid silently back into place above him.
After descending for some time, he reached the end of the tunnel and pushed open a hidden door, stepping inside.
The room beyond was stark and unadorned – a simple, square chamber containing nothing but a single table in the center.
Walking to the table, Chief Soga looked upon the objects arranged there: fifteen wooden carvings. Twelve were clearly humanoid figures, while the remaining three were simple, uncarved cylinders.
Chief Soga bowed deeply, reverently, to the wooden figures, again and again. Then, he simply sat down before them in silent contemplation, utterly still.
....
"Sakura, he was lying to you," Karin whispered as they walked back towards their rooms.
"I know," Sakura nodded quietly.
"Then why did you just let it go...?" Karin asked, confused.
"What else could we do?" Sakura shrugged. "You saw him yourself. He means us no harm. In fact, we were the ones prying into his secrets."
"But..." Karin fell silent, unable to argue. She hadn't sensed any malice from Chief Soga either.
"Look, there are many strange things in this world," Sakura said gently. "We don't need to uncover every single secret. If we're being honest, prying into someone else's private affairs probably makes us the villains here."
"..." Karin walked silently beside Sakura, saying no more.
"Get some rest," Sakura said, stopping at her door and offering Karin a reassuring smile. "Let's just treat these next few days as a vacation. Don't overthink things. I'm here."
Seeing Sakura's warm smile, Karin felt much of her anxiety dissipate. "Okay. I'll go rest then." She opened her own door and slipped inside. Despite having found a warm 'home' in Konoha, her past traumas still made her wary in unfamiliar environments. Such wounds needed time to truly heal.
Sakura stretched luxuriously, feeling a sense of relief. Although still technically on Red Island, just being away from the oppressive atmosphere of the Ikarus fortress was relaxing. She slid under the covers of the futon laid out on the tatami floor.
Lying there, staring up at the ceiling, Sakura mentally reviewed the day's events. Chief Soga clearly knew something, possibly related to Gelel power, even if it went by a different name here. Could it be Seijutsu? She recalled the ancient sea wolf's words from her last visit, and how Shino's kikaichū bugs were the only thing that could sense the strange energy emanating from the 'Great Tree of God'. Different civilizations could easily have different names for the same phenomenon; even within one culture, things often had multiple names.
Could Seijutsu and the Power of Gelel be the same thing? But she still didn't truly understand what Seijutsu was. The sea wolf's explanation had been vague. All she knew was that it seemed to be a type of energy. Yet, Seijutsu didn't appear to have the devastating side effects of Gelel – at least, not based on the sea wolf's condition or Chief Soga's apparent health. But the positive effects – life-force enhancement – seemed similar. It was a confusing puzzle. And if the Great Tree truly contained Seijutsu/Gelel, why hadn't she been able to sense any Gelel energy from it...?
Great Tree of God... Power of Gelel... Seijutsu... Her thoughts spun in circles, a jumbled mess. The answer felt tantalizingly close, yet remained stubbornly out of reach.
Drifting in that hazy state between wakefulness and sleep, pondering these mysteries... suddenly, Sakura's heart hammered against her ribs. Danger! The instinctive physiological response flooded her system before conscious thought could form.
Against her own drowsy will, her body exploded into motion. Faster than thought, she threw off the covers, rolled sideways across the room, landing crouched with a kunai already gripped tightly in her hand, eyes locked onto the corner of the room, poised to strike.
That momentary disconnect... she registered dimly. My body moved before my mind even knew why... Almost as if something else reacted first...
But there was no time to analyze that now. Sakura held her kunai steady, glaring at the shadowed figure lurking in the corner of her room, her voice sharp and low.
"Who are you?!"
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