Mid-January, Konoha Year 61 – Land of Wind
Seeing the green flames flicker to life on the knight's longsword, Sakura momentarily pushed aside the faint sense of déjà vu, her expression growing serious as she regarded him.
"Why are you attacking me?" she asked, making one last attempt to communicate.
The knight lowered his stance slightly, coiling like a tiger about to pounce. The longsword, glowing faintly green in his hand, pointed directly at Sakura.
Instantly, an immense pressure burst forth from him, and even the armor on his chest seemed to emit a subtle green light.
"Looks like talking is out," Sakura muttered, her hands blurring through seals. "Ninjutsu: Storm Release Clone!"
A swirling mass of blue chakra solidified beside her instantly. The Storm Release Clone's hands sharpened into wide blades as it shot towards the knight.
Positioned behind the clone, Sakura raised an arm, pointing a single finger at their opponent. A Storm Release Laser erupted from her fingertip – a beam of blue-white light lancing towards the knight at incredible speed.
The knight's eyes, hidden beneath his helmet, widened slightly in surprise as he saw the energy attack, but he didn't falter. He met the clone head-on, raising his longsword to strike.
The clone's bladed arms met the knight's sword. There was no clang of metal on metal; the impact was utterly silent.
Though he'd blocked the clone's physical strike, the laser following immediately behind slammed squarely into the knight's torso. With a sickening thwip, the Storm Release Laser pierced his abdominal armor, punching clean through him.
Pain twisted the knight's features, the surprise in his eyes intensifying.
Sakura's own surprise mirrored, if not exceeded, the knight's. Didn't he even try to dodge? He had simply taken the full force of her attack.
Or perhaps he was just that confident in his defenses?
Sakura had the Storm Release Clone take a few steps back. The knight finally buckled, bracing himself by driving his sword into the ground with his right hand. His left hand clamped over the bleeding wound in his stomach as he gasped for breath, eyes fixed on Sakura.
"What… power is this you wield?" the knight finally choked out, his first words.
So it really did take a show of force to get him talking, Sakura thought grimly. Looking at the knight's wretched state, she pressed, "Who are you? Why did you attack me?"
"Anyone who stands in the way of the Ideal Nation must die," the knight answered rigidly. "And you… you are obstacles."
"Ideal Nation?" Sakura was utterly bewildered. "Don't change the subject. Who are you? Where are you from?"
She was becoming increasingly certain: this man had likely never encountered a shinobi before. Judging by his armor and weapon, he didn't belong in this world. Could he be… from somewhere else entirely? Another transmigrator?
Sakura studied him with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. And the power he used – that green flame – it definitely wasn't chakra. What was it?
"Hmph. Ignorant fool!" A cold sneer touched the knight's lips. He yanked his sword from the ground, gritting his teeth against the pain from his still-bleeding wound, and charged at Sakura again, his steps unsteady.
He closed the distance, leaped high, sword raised above his head for a downward slash, roaring, "For the founding of the Ideal Nation—die!"
With a sigh that was part exasperation, part resignation, Sakura had the Storm Release Clone appear instantly before her, crossing its arms to easily block the descending sword.
Sakura herself stepped forward, her hand snapping out to clamp around the knight's throat, lifting him bodily off the ground.
"I'll ask one more time," she said, her voice low and dangerous, eyes narrowed with lethal intent. "Who are you? And why did you attack me?"
The knight choked, his face flushing a dark red as air became impossible. Yet, even under direct threat of death, he gasped, "Kill… kill me… For… for the Ideal Nation… my death… will be worthwhile…"
Seeing his absolute resolve to die, a surge of irritation washed over Sakura. Fine. Plan B it was. I'll just knock him out and take him back for proper interrogation later.
BOOM!
A heavy thud reverberated from directly behind her, immediately followed by an unstoppable shockwave.
The attack was utterly unexpected. Sakura had no time to mount a proper defense; she didn't even know what had hit her.
She coughed up a mouthful of blood, her grip on the knight failing. The force of the blast hurled her into the air. Scrambling for control, she managed to right herself after several mid-air tumbles, crashing hard onto the ground.
Landing in a half-kneel, Sakura wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. Her eyes fixed warily on the spot where she had been standing only moments before.
The knight was gone.
And behind her former position, a deep crater scarred the earth. Something had clearly exploded there with devastating force.
Her Storm Release Clone had been blasted away along with her. Sakura immediately directed it back towards the epicenter of the explosion to investigate.
But there wasn't a soul in sight. Aside from the newly formed crater, the area was empty.
Standing beside the pit, Sakura sniffed the air. There was no lingering scent of smoke or sulfur typical of Exploding Tags, nor the acrid smell of gunpowder. The air was clean, unnervingly devoid of any unusual odor.
What could have caused that explosion? she wondered frantically. Was it meant to rescue the knight? That seems likely. The energy the knight used… it felt strangely familiar, yet it wasn't chakra. Who was he?
Furthermore… he almost certainly wasn't from the Shinobi World. Was he a transmigrator, or someone from beyond their known lands? Involuntarily, her thoughts flashed back to the mission on Red Continent Island – another place existing outside the borders of the established nations. Could this knight hail from a similar, unknown region?
Her mind swam with unanswered questions, fueling a rising tide of frustration. The only person who might have answers had vanished.
Squeak-squeak.
A faint, sharp sound cut through the air. Sakura instantly snapped into a defensive stance, eyes darting towards the noise. A small, dark shape darted out from the undergrowth towards her. As it drew closer, she relaxed slightly, recognizing the ferret.
Oh… the ferret… Relief washed over her, quickly followed by a jolt of alarm. Wait, the ferret? Why is the ferret here? Where are Karin? Where's Neji?
The ferret scrambled up onto her shoulder, nuzzling affectionately against her neck.
But Sakura barely registered it, her gaze sweeping the dark, silent forest. "Karin! Neji! Are you there?!"
Silence answered her, broken only by the chirping of unseen insects. A heavy dread settled in her stomach.
"Shadow Clone Technique!" Two perfect copies of herself shimmered into existence beside her. Without a word, the three Sakuras began retracing their path, searching urgently.
Time stretched agonizingly. Beads of sweat dotted Sakura's forehead. There was no sign of Karin or Neji along the route they should have taken, trailing behind her as instructed. No tracks, no scuff marks, nothing. The absence was terrifyingly absolute. There was only one explanation…
Finally, she reached the clearing where they had separated earlier. Her breath hitched. The ground was churned up, littered with debris – clear signs of a violent struggle. They were in trouble.
"Damn it!"
With a choked cry of fury and fear, Sakura slammed her fist into the trunk of a nearby tree. The massive tree shuddered, leaves raining down. Because she hadn't reinforced her fist with chakra, the rough bark tore at her skin, drawing blood that welled up on her knuckles.
She had split up from them to keep them safe. The irony was a bitter twist in her gut. Overwhelming remorse warred with a burning rage that she could no longer contain. It had to be the knight's people! Who else could it be out here?
This wasn't the time for regret. She had to find Karin. Now. But there were no clues, no trail to follow, and tracking wasn't her specialty. What could she do?
Wait… the village! The thought struck her like lightning. The village where we were supposed to deliver the mission report! They must have attacked it! That's why I ran into the knight here!
Like a drowning person clutching at a straw, Sakura seized onto the idea. Her worry for Karin had reached a fever pitch, making calm analysis impossible, despite her desperate attempts to rein in her emotions. The village became her sole focus, eclipsing all other possibilities.
Her form flickered, vanishing from the spot. She shot towards the village at her maximum speed.