Satsuki realized that the time period she now occupied was still many years earlier than when Naruto had traveled back to meet the Fourth Hokage. In this era, the so-called Rōran was likely only just beginning to take shape—far from the later ruins spoken of in the future.
Using the Giant Tenseigan, Satsuki brought along Ranzuki, who had been in seclusion for the past two weeks, and crossed space to appear within a cluster of round buildings made from low, sand-colored clay and simple fabrics.
As Satsuki approached the settlement, three masked shinobi immediately stepped forward, fanning out to encircle her and Ranzuki.
The leader studied them for a moment, sensing they were no ordinary travelers. "Ladies, this is a dangerous place. Please, turn back."
"Dangerous? How dangerous?"
Ranzuki strolled closer to the shinobi. She wore an indigo haori patterned with flowers, a large character for "Wind" emblazoned on the back. With her beauty refined by Sage Arts and Tenseigan chakra, she naturally inspired goodwill.
The moment the three shinobi saw her eyes, they stiffened. The light in their eyes faded, their chakra flows turned chaotic—they had fallen under genjutsu.
"This is where our clan exiles criminals and deals with missing-nin."
No wonder, Satsuki thought, that the chakra she sensed within the settlement was so strange—filled with bloodlust and killing intent, yet weakened.
"Why choose this place to exile criminals?" she asked.
The three hesitated, until one finally answered, "We don't know. It's just been this way for decades."
Coincidence?
Seeing she could learn nothing more, Satsuki took Ranzuki's hand, and in an instant they vanished from before the shinobi.
When the two reappeared, they stood within the settlement's central building—the only tall tower here.
The structure was familiar: five light-filtering windows high overhead, and behind one particular wall lay the Ryūmyaku.
The Tenseigan easily pierced the illusion. Satsuki stepped to the wall, pressed her chakra into the emblem carved upon it, and pushed lightly.
A hidden door swung open, revealing the Ryūmyaku's chamber.
The air was thick with the overwhelming chakra of the Ryūmyaku. Satsuki walked slowly onto a platform suspended in midair—clearly ceremonial in design—surrounded by cloaked statues. In the center sat a raised device resembling a switch.
"So this is where the Fourth Hokage sealed the Ryūmyaku in the original story."
The Ryūmyaku, the earth's lifeblood, held chakra beyond compare—virtually limitless in total.
Gazing down with the Tenseigan, she saw torrents of chakra flowing in ancient channels deep below. Yet unlike in the original tale, the Ryūmyaku here had not been fully harnessed as Rōran's energy source.
"It seems this place was discovered long ago, but those who found it couldn't use it. A pity."
But for the Tenseigan, capable of controlling chakra itself, this was no obstacle.
She told Ranzuki to stand guard at the entrance, then raised her hand. Pale violet chakra flared from her palm, condensing into a purple sphere.
She cast it down into the leyline channel far below.
The purple sphere Satsuki had cast downward touched the massive Ryūmyaku chakra, immediately beginning to merge with it. Gradually, the once endless blue energy turned pale violet, and within minutes, deepened into a rich purple.
Through the Tenseigan, Satsuki sensed a link forming between herself and the Ryūmyaku. She began guiding the immense energy, slowly altering its natural flow upward toward the surface.
Minutes later, under her control, the Ryūmyaku's course changed. A massive column of nearly tangible violet light burst from the underground channel, enveloping the platform where she stood.
Without concealing the phenomenon, the column of chakra pierced the upper windows and shot skyward. In that instant, everyone in Rōran saw the massive purple beam.
The overwhelming chakra gave the exiled criminals and missing-nin here a sudden surge of hope for escape. They began flooding toward the source of the light.
When they reached the Ryūmyaku chamber, they were met by Ranzuki at the entrance, and by the sight of Satsuki within, her black hair flying as she bathed in the torrent of Ryūmyaku chakra.
"Back off, girl, or I won't mind killing you here," growled a towering, bald man. Snake tattoos coiled across his face, and he wore a tattered white cloak. His chakra was barely jonin-level, and he carried a rusted scimitar at his waist.
Ranzuki met the stranger's gaze with Satsuki's same cold indifference. Forming a hand seal, she unleashed a surge of green Tenseigan chakra. In an instant, she entered her personal Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
Though she lacked the bloodline and physique to awaken the Tenseigan herself, with the Giant Tenseigan's support her eyes transformed into radiant blue secondary Tenseigan.
In this mode, Ranzuki cast a single, disdainful glance at the group, then exhaled lightly in their direction.
A visible stream of air rushed forward, swelling into a tornado-like gale that swept away the weaker and infirm among them. Only a few with chakra equal to jonin-level clung desperately to the ground using chakra to anchor themselves.
"She used such a powerful Wind Release without even weaving signs? Who is this woman?"
"That chakra… impossible…"
Sensing the overwhelming power in her chakra, several of the would-be rebels instantly lost the will to fight and began looking for a way to flee. Her strength was far beyond their comprehension.
Of course, a few fools still attempted to resist, forming hand seals for jutsu. The golden-haired woman only smiled faintly, lifted her hand, and gave a gentle wave. Those "brave" ones were suddenly blasted backward by an invisible force, slamming into distant buildings.
Impossible!
Before the rest could comprehend what was happening, they found themselves lifted helplessly into the air.
Ranzuki had switched from repulsive force to gravitational pull, binding them aloft.
They tried to wail and beg, but the gravitational grip held them so tightly that apart from breathing, they could make no movements at all. Only muffled whimpers escaped their lips.
For Satsuki, these were valuable test subjects. Still communing with the Ryūmyaku, she ordered Ranzuki to keep those with some measure of strength alive for later use.