Dawn was breaking, painting the sky in hazy light. After a quick bite to eat, Sakura set off, the ferret in tow.
The ferret had been Kheshik's constant companion for years, and the steward had assured Sakura it could lead her to the attackers. Trusting the old man's word, Sakura followed the small creature, heading steadily south through the Land of Wind.
While eating, Sakura had learned much more from the old steward. The Naelkui Empire's technology had been incredibly advanced; much of the tech now found scattered across the shinobi continent had actually originated from their ancestors, disseminated after they drifted ashore.
Radio, cameras, refrigerators, electric lights, display screens, surveillance systems, engines, various medical electrical devices, and general power technologies – all brought by the Naelkui refugees.
They were fugitives, and the shinobi continent was hardly peaceful, so they had survived by carefully selling off bits of their knowledge, living in the margins of the ninja world.
Sakura had often wondered why the technological level across the shinobi nations was so uneven. So, it turned out these advancements were foreign imports. The shinobi world's own research and development systems were incredibly weak, almost nonexistent. They simply used these technologies without any real drive to develop them further, leading to the current, strangely lopsided state of progress.
To think that beyond the known continent, across the sea, there existed such a technologically advanced civilization… and that the two had apparently never interacted. The revelation made Sakura eager, almost impatient, to see it for herself.
The forest morning slowly awoke, filled with the calls of birds mingling with the sound of Sakura's steady pace. The ferret's tiny claws dug tightly into the fabric on Sakura's shoulder. It was too slow on its own, so Sakura had resigned herself to carrying it, letting it guide her.
Gradually, the forest fell away behind them, replaced by the characteristic landscape of the Land of Wind – barren, rocky hills stretched out before her. After running for a long time, Sakura finally reached the southern coastline.
She no longer needed the ferret's guidance. Sakura's mouth fell open, her green eyes staring blankly ahead, her body frozen in place.
"Holy... shit... You've gotta be kidding me... This... This is...!" For once, Sakura swore aloud.
There, in the deep waters off the coast of the Land of Wind, floated a colossal structure that could barely be called a ship. Its sheer bulk blotted out the horizon, looming over the sea. Its metal hull glinted blindingly in the nascent sunlight.
The vessel – no, the fortress – was easily half the width of Konoha Village itself, and its height rivaled two Hokage Monuments stacked atop each other. Several thick, towering smokestacks rose from its upper deck, belching plumes of black smoke into the sky.
Even in her past life, on technologically advanced Earth, Sakura had never seen a ship this enormous. It was something out of science fiction, yet here it was, undeniably real.
"This… isn't just a ship… It's a goddamn mobile fortress!" Sakura was so stunned she could barely find the words.
Surrounding the central fortress were dozens of smaller, metal-hulled vessels. Smaller was relative, of course; these "small ships" were easily the size of aircraft carriers from her past life's world.
Squeak squeak squeak! The ferret chittered insistently on her shoulder.
"They're on those ships?" Sakura asked, her voice sounding distant and hollow even to her own ears.
Squeak squeak... Squeak squeak! The ferret continued its frantic noises, seemingly confirming her words.
Sakura crouched behind a rock, her mind racing as she stared at the fleet. Just how powerful was this Theocratic Nation to be capable of building something like this? The steward's knowledge was three hundred years out of date. In three centuries, had their technology truly advanced this far?
Aesthetically, compared to the ships from Earth she remembered, these still looked somewhat archaic, maybe reminiscent of the seventeenth century. But appearances could be deceiving. Sakura refused to believe that a civilization capable of constructing a mobile fortress this massive was still relying solely on steam power, giant smokestacks notwithstanding.
Sakura practically wanted to tear her hair out trying to figure out how to even approach such a behemoth. Even summoning Katsuyu wouldn't help; the slug queen likely wasn't bigger than that central fortress. A structure that size could probably mount hundreds of cannons. A single volley could blast her into oblivion.
She suddenly recalled being thrown by that shockwave the previous night. Maybe it had been fired from this fortress? It seemed infiltration was her only viable option.
Peeking cautiously from behind the rock again, she scanned the area. There were figures moving on the beach below. Squinting, she made out tall individuals clad in black armor, their heads enclosed in sealed helmets, carrying massive hammers.
They patrolled the sand relentlessly. Soldiers of the Theocratic Nation, presumably. Perhaps she could capture one for information? But as she watched, a sense of unease crept over her. Something was wrong. All the soldiers looked… identical. Though their faces were hidden, their builds, their heights – they were exactly the same.
Could they be… clones? Sakura's heart sank. If they were clones, getting useful intelligence might be impossible. Well, guess I'll just have to use the Transformation Jutsu and blend in.
Just then, she saw the soldiers on the beach turn collectively and head towards the smaller ships anchored in the shallower water. Ramps lowered from the sides of these vessels, revealing openings into the hulls.
"You should go back," Sakura told the ferret. "Find the Naelkui people."
Her mission objective – finding the ferret – was technically complete; she'd even gotten the caravan steward's signature on the mission scroll. The ferret had been 'borrowed' on the condition of rescuing Kheshik. If it got lost again now, well, that wasn't really her problem anymore.
The ferret tilted its head, looking at her and letting out two soft squeaks.
Ignoring whether it understood or not, Sakura formed the seals. "Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!"
Her body sank smoothly beneath the earth's surface. She moved underground, approaching the group of soldiers.
Surfacing silently behind them, in a spot where no one was looking, Sakura whispered, "Transformation Jutsu!"
Poof!
With a soft sound, she took on the exact appearance of the black-armored soldiers.
Falling into step behind them, she slowly approached one of the "smaller" ships.
Awe. That was the only word for it. Even with memories of Earth, Sakura had never personally experienced being near something so colossal. It was utterly overwhelming.
The soldiers around her moved in silence, filing mechanically into the ship's interior. Sakura followed suit, mimicking their movements.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Only the heavy, rhythmic sound of armored boots echoed in the passage. Not a single word was exchanged between the soldiers. Once they were all inside, the ramp retracted, sealing the entrance. Sakura heard several sharp, piercing whistle blasts.
If she wasn't mistaken, that was the signal for departure. She had no idea where they were headed…
.....
.....
In a dim, narrow corridor, rows of prison cells lined both sides. Thick steel bars conveyed their unyielding strength to the occupants within. Water dripped steadily from the ceiling – drip, drip, drip – landing on the floor, adding an extra layer of bleakness to the oppressive atmosphere.
In one of these cells, a boy and a girl were held captive.
"Neji, what do we do?" Karin huddled in a corner, shackles binding her wrists and ankles.
"...Observe and wait," Neji replied after a long moment of contemplation.
Neji himself was in a sorry state. His entire body was wrapped in layers of heavy metal chains and restraints, leaving only his head free.
Watching the patrolling guards in the corridor, Neji vividly recalled the battle from the previous night. Those soldiers had no chakra. His Gentle Fist techniques had been completely ineffective against them. They also seemed to possess some kind of regenerative ability; wounds from his kunai healed disturbingly quickly. Worse, there were so many of them. Ultimately, Neji had been overwhelmed by their sheer numbers in a battle of attrition and captured alive.
Karin hadn't managed to escape either. However, compared to the trouble Neji had given them, their captors didn't seem to consider her much of a threat. They'd simply slapped some cuffs on her and tossed her aside.
Just as Neji was pondering escape routes, Karin's expression turned fearful. "I don't think... I don't think we're going back."
"What makes you say that?" Neji asked.
"I can feel it… this ship… it's moving," Karin choked out, hugging her knees, tears welling in her eyes. "They've… they've probably set sail…"
"Is that so?" For some reason Neji couldn't quite explain, a flicker of anticipation sparked within him. Seeing this ship for the first time had shaken him to the core. His limited understanding struggled to comprehend such a vessel, yet simultaneously, it filled him with a profound curiosity about the world beyond the shinobi nations.
What is the world outside like...? The question echoed relentlessly in Neji's mind.
.....
.....
After boarding the ship with the soldiers, Sakura had expected to be taken to a commanding officer, or at least someone in charge. Instead, to her surprise, some of the soldiers simply began patrolling the ship endlessly, walking back and forth along the corridors.
Another group went to operate complex machinery that Sakura couldn't understand, though she guessed it was related to the ship's propulsion system.
Although Sakura, disguised as a soldier, wandered around exploring, no one stopped her or questioned her. None of the other soldiers seemed to notice anything different about this particular 'imposter' among them. A chilling unease began to prickle at Sakura's skin.
The Uncanny Valley. The term from her past life surfaced in her thoughts. These clone soldiers… they were less like humans and more like robots wrapped in human skin. Apart from the biological material, their behavior, their lack of interaction, their identical nature… it was profoundly unsettling, just like encountering androids that were almost human, but not quite.
Suppressing her discomfort, Sakura forced herself to be patient, continuing her reconnaissance, hoping to find something useful.
After an unknown amount of time, she stopped before a heavy iron door. Through a small glass window set into it, she could see a large, circular room inside.
In the center of the room stood a pillar, partially covered in fragmented metal plating. The gap between the plating and the central pillar was crammed with a chaotic network of wires and instruments of unknown function.
Dozens of metal branches extended from the pillar, weaving through gaps in the outer plating. At the end of each branch was a round, glowing glass container.
Sakura could faintly make out that the containers seemed to be filled with some kind of fluid. Glancing around and seeing no other soldiers nearby, she was about to push the door open when—
WHIRRRRR!
A loud humming sound erupted from within the room. Sakura stared, unblinking. The light in one of the glass containers dimmed, revealing the transparent liquid inside – and its contents.
Connected to the end of that metal branch, inside the glass container, was a white sphere. Submerged in the liquid within the container was also… a person. A young man.
As the light faded completely, the young man inside began to dissolve at a visible rate. Skin, muscle, organs… finally, even the bones melted away into the liquid, turning it murky and opaque. Then, with a gurgling sound, the contaminated fluid was rapidly drained.
CLANK! RUMBLE!
The humming of the central pillar intensified. Numbers flickered rapidly across the strange instrument panels. From the base of the pillar, a thick metal tube extended outwards, emitting white steam from its opening. The tube shuddered violently.
THUMP!
With a muffled bang, the large tube ejected another white sphere. It landed on the floor and, with horrifying speed, began to reshape itself, morphing into a humanoid figure. Except for a pair of eyes, its face was utterly blank.
And its build… was identical to that of the soldiers patrolling the ship.