The sheer hardness of the fortress's metal hull was beyond anything Sakura had imagined. Then again, she reasoned, a mobile sea fortress this massive probably needed an incredibly thick shell to avoid being torn apart by ocean tides alone.
Clinging to the fortress's exterior wall, Sakura searched for a way in. After groping around for quite some time, she finally located a ventilation shaft. Using a kunai, she cut through the wire mesh covering the opening and slipped inside.
An overwhelming stench immediately assaulted her senses, so foul it almost made her gag and pass out. Holding her breath and fighting nausea, Sakura crawled deeper into the vent system. Finally, at a junction point, the nauseating odor began to fade.
Pressing herself against the duct wall, she peered down through a grate. The environment below looked identical to the smaller ship – the same identical soldiers patrolled endlessly, and countless pipes of unknown function covered the walls.
Here, within the main fortress, Sakura hesitated to immediately use the Transformation Jutsu to blend in. She couldn't believe there wasn't a single real, living person somewhere in this massive structure.
She moved cautiously through the vents, stopping frequently to observe. But the scenery remained stubbornly uniform – more soldier production facilities, more rooms filled with humming machinery she assumed powered the fortress. Yet, she found no sign of any normal human beings.
Just as monotony began to set in, Sakura heard movement below. She froze, narrowing her eyes and peering through the vent grate. Below was another large, circular room centered around a thick pillar – another soldier factory. But this one was different.
A long-haired woman clad in grey armor stood before a group of young men and women dressed in white robes, addressing them. Beside the group lay numerous empty glass containers.
"...your contribution... Ideal Nation... make efforts... hope... future..."
Sakura could only catch fragments of the speech, but the gist was clear. The woman was indoctrinating the youths. It reminded Sakura unsettlingly of extremist cults from her past life. It seemed rulers with that particular 'talent' existed in every world.
Scanning the room, Sakura noted it seemed to be a sealed space, much like the production room on the other ship, with the ventilation shaft being the only apparent entrance or exit besides the main door. She drew a kunai, channeling Lightning Release chakra into her hand and letting it flow over the blade. Arcs of electricity crackled along its surface.
Coating a weapon with lightning chakra to increase its sharpness was a basic skill Sakura knew but rarely used. Firstly, her chakra reserves, while vastly improved, hadn't always allowed for such expenditure. Secondly, kunai weren't central to her fighting style. Thus, while she could do it, the technique often felt superfluous for her.
However, since the encounter with Hanzo, Sakura's chakra capacity had inexplicably surged. She still couldn't match Naruto, but she likely had far more than Sasuke or Kakashi now. Even today, Sakura couldn't fathom why her reserves had suddenly increased so dramatically, but she wasn't about to complain about the boost.
Carefully, she lifted the vent cover. The lightning-infused kunai seemed to tremble slightly in her hand, almost eager to unleash its power.
Sakura fixed her gaze on the back of the grey-armored woman's neck, swallowing hard. She couldn't afford to leave witnesses; this had to be a one-hit kill. This wasn't the small escort ship; this was the enemy's main base. Even if these specific individuals weren't strong, the sheer number of clone soldiers could overwhelm her through attrition alone.
Activating a basic concealment technique to muffle her presence, Sakura hung upside down from the ceiling inside the vent shaft, watching the woman continue her relentless indoctrination.
Swoosh!
Like a silent blade, Sakura dropped, launching herself towards the woman at high speed. The tip of her kunai sliced through the air, electricity dancing around it. The wind roared past her ears due to her velocity.
In the blink of an eye, the crackling kunai was less than a millimeter from the woman's nape. So much for high hopes.
In the split second before impact, an invisible wave pulsed violently from the woman's body. The lightning on Sakura's kunai instantly vanished. Simultaneously, Sakura felt an immense, irresistible force pushing back against her strike. A moment later, the kunai was wrenched from her grasp, clattering uselessly away.
The woman spun around, a playful, almost predatory expression on her striking face. "Well now," she purred, "look what we have here. A little mouse."
Sakura's heart plummeted. She had no idea what had just happened. Her chakra flow had remained steady, yet the lightning nature transformation had simply dissipated. And the force that had stopped her blow… it had been utterly overwhelming, ripping the weapon from her hand in an instant.
"Who are you?" Sakura demanded, drawing six shuriken from her pouch and adopting a wary stance.
"Heh heh~~" The woman laughed aloud at Sakura's question. "That's a rather strange question, isn't it? Shouldn't you be telling me who you are? I don't recall anyone like you being stationed on this fortress."
"Although," the woman added, licking her lips and narrowing her eyes at Sakura, "the power you use is very similar to the ones we captured."
"The ones you captured?" Sakura's breath hitched. "Are they a boy with white eyes and a girl with red hair?!" she asked urgently.
The woman looked Sakura up and down assessingly. "It seems I was right. You are indeed their comrade."
"Where are they now?" Sakura pressed.
"Where are they?" The woman arched an eyebrow. "Due to their uncooperative attitude, they're currently locked up. Would you like to see them?"
"Cut the crap and release them!" Sakura snapped, glaring fiercely at the woman.
"Alright, alright," the woman said placatingly. "Then come with me. My master wishes to learn more about you people anyway. We were originally planning to return to that continent after concluding our business here, but you seem different from the boy, at least. Capable of communication."
Watching the woman turn and casually walk towards the door, Sakura hesitated. This could easily be a trap. Her knowledge of these people was limited to the horrifying things she'd witnessed, none of which inspired trust.
The woman pulled the heavy iron door open and glanced back when she saw Sakura hadn't moved. "What's wrong?" she chuckled lightly. "Afraid I'll harm you? Relax. I won't hold your little assassination attempt against you. I'm far more magnanimous than you think!"
"Besides," the woman added mockingly, "this is our territory. Did you really think we'd need elaborate schemes to capture you if we truly wanted to?"
As if I'm completely helpless, Sakura thought, returning the woman's gaze coolly. Still, she wasn't wrong. The fortress swarmed with those soldiers. Even if they were just cannon fodder, they could wear her down eventually.
With a soft snort, Sakura gestured towards the group of youths still standing passively in the room. "What will happen to them? Will they be turned into those mindless monsters outside?"
"Oh?" The woman glanced back at Sakura with mild surprise, then nodded. "So, you've learned quite a bit, haven't you? Yes, that's correct. They will become warriors."
"You disregard human life so casually! How can you expect me to trust anything you say?" Sakura retorted, unable to keep the indignation from her voice.
The woman paused, momentarily taken aback by Sakura's righteous anger, before her smile returned, smooth and condescending. "Little sister, don't always believe what you see. We are merely giving them their best possible destiny." She turned again and stepped out of the room. "Are you coming to see your comrades or not?"
Sakura stared at the woman's retreating back, her indifferent posture infuriating. Gritting her teeth, Sakura made her decision and followed.
"Hehe, I wasn't lying, you know," the woman said with a sly smile as Sakura fell into step behind her. "My name is Ranke. What's yours?"
"Haruno Sakura. Just call me Sakura." She felt like she was being toyed with, and by another woman, no less.
Sakura walked silently behind Ranke, moving through the fortress corridors.
"We didn't actually intend to capture your friends, you know," Ranke commented offhandedly with a slight pout.
"But you did," Sakura replied coldly.
"Your companions demonstrated powers unknown to us. You have too. That's why my master is so interested in you," Ranke shrugged, showing no remorse. "Care to tell me what kind of power you use?"
"Why don't you tell me what power you use?" Sakura countered.
"The Power of Gelel," Ranke answered readily enough.
That wasn't the answer Sakura wanted. "I know that much. I want to know what the Stone of Gelel does, specifically."
"You know of the Stone of Gelel?" Ranke didn't look surprised, seemingly unconcerned that Sakura possessed this knowledge. "You certainly seem well-informed."
"I also know you're from the Theocratic Nation," Sakura pressed, testing her. "The ones who destroyed the Naelkui Empire!"
"Theocratic Nation?" Ranke's expression finally shifted. She turned her head, looking at Sakura with genuine surprise. "Who told you that?"
"I found the remaining survivors of Naelkui," Sakura stated, puzzled by Ranke's reaction. Normally, she'd expect denial or confirmation, not this wide-eyed astonishment...
"Heh," Ranke chuckled, but there was no humor in it now. The smile vanished, replaced by a cold fury burning in her eyes. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, little sister. We are Ikarus. The Theocratic Nation no longer exists."