In the dim corridor, Sakura stared at Ranke, taken aback. "You're... Ika...rus? Then... were those Naelkui people lying to me?"
Ranke just pursed her lips. "The Naelkui weren't exactly saints themselves." She stopped before a heavy iron door, pulled it open, and gestured inside. "Come in. Your companions are in here."
Behind the door lay another gloomy corridor. Water seeped from the ceiling, forming puddles on the floor below. A musty smell hit Sakura as she followed Ranke inside, much less offensive than the earlier stench, but still unpleasant. The echoing thud of their footsteps bounced off the walls. Steel bars on the doors lining the corridor marked them clearly as cells, though most appeared empty.
As Sakura walked, taking everything in, a weak voice suddenly called out to her.
"Hey... you... are you a Konoha ninja...?"
The frail, hoarse voice spoke volumes about the speaker's poor condition. Sakura turned. In one of the cells sat an old man, his face sallow, his features withered like dry wood. It didn't take Sakura long to place him. "You're Kheshik, aren't you?"
"You really are from Konoha... Wonderful... Are you here to rescue me...?" Hope flared in Kheshik's weary eyes as he asked desperately.
Sakura offered a small, tight smile and shrugged. "No."
All this trouble, her teammates captured, because of that damned ferret... Sakura considered herself kind, but her kindness had limits, and it certainly didn't extend to covering for the carelessness of others when her friends were in danger. Though she'd technically fulfilled the Naelkui's mission request regarding the ferret, rescuing Kheshik hadn't been part of any formal contract. Her teammates came first. If she could guarantee their safety, she wouldn't mind rescuing the old man as well, but right now, maintaining distance felt wiser.
Kheshik had relaxed slightly at Sakura's initial smile, but her blunt refusal made his face fall, turning deathly pale. "I... You... I issued a formal request to your village, Konoha! I can pay you... That should be enough, right...?"
Ranke, noticing Sakura had stopped, walked back. "You know him?"
"Yes, we know each other," Sakura confirmed. "We had a prior employment relationship, but that's concluded now."
"Oh? Employment relationship?" Ranke rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Mercenaries, then?"
"You could put it that way," Sakura allowed. Shinobi were essentially mercenaries, albeit ones who operated on a level comparable to nations.
"I wouldn't have guessed," Ranke said, looking Sakura over with renewed curiosity. "You're so young to already be a mercenary."
"Let's go see my teammates," Sakura said, turning away from Kheshik's cell.
"Alright, follow me. They're just ahead," Ranke replied, dropping the subject and leading the way.
A short walk later, Sakura finally saw Karin and Neji in another cell. Seeing Karin still bound in hand and foot cuffs ignited a fresh wave of anger in Sakura.
"Can you release her, at least?" Sakura asked Ranke, forcing her voice to remain level.
"I'm afraid not," Ranke refused smoothly. "Not unless you can guarantee he won't attack us again." She nodded towards Neji.
"Sakura!" Karin rubbed her eyes, staring in disbelief at the figure standing outside the cell. "Did they capture you too?"
Neji also saw Sakura but remained silent, looking distinctly uncomfortable in his current, bound state.
"I promise, he won't attack you again," Sakura said, ignoring Karin for the moment and addressing Ranke directly. "Can you release them now?"
Ranke hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly. "Very well. But if any of you make a suspicious move, I will subdue you instantly." She seemed confident in her abilities. Even though the boy possessed strange powers, he had still been captured by her soldiers. Ranke felt certain she could end a fight with him in a single moment if needed.
Unlocking the cell, Ranke stepped inside. She produced a key and first unlocked Karin's shackles. Then, looking at Neji, still trussed up, she warned, "You'd best listen to your friend. If you try to resist again, don't blame me for being forceful."
"Hmph," Neji grunted, pointedly looking away. Ranke paid his attitude no mind and began unlocking his restraints.
A few moments later, freed from the layers of chains, Neji swayed as he tried to stand, losing his balance and stumbling to the ground. Karin immediately rushed to hug Sakura, but Sakura gently patted her, signaling for her to let go for a moment. She moved to Neji's side, the green glow of the Mystic Palm Technique already warming her hand as she performed a quick diagnostic.
He wasn't seriously injured, just extremely weak. Sakura took out two nutrient-rich soldier pills from her pouch and popped them into Neji's mouth.
Ranke watched Sakura's actions from the side, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. The green light emanating from Sakura's hand looked somewhat similar to Gelel energy, yet Ranke could sense it wasn't the same. However, its healing effect on the boy was reminiscent of certain Gelel applications. Fascinating.
After swallowing the two pills, Neji regained some strength. He looked away, embarrassed. "Sorry," he muttered.
Sakura was surprised by the apology but replied gently, "It's okay. No one could have predicted a situation like this."
"No," Neji said, his voice low. "I apologize for what I said before… about you not being qualified to be a Chunin. I was wrong. I'm sorry."
"Haha, you mean that?" Sakura laughed lightly. "Don't worry about it, it's all in the past. Besides," she added with a grin, "I already beat you up once over it, remember? Consider us even."
"Ahem!" Ranke cleared her throat pointedly. "Perhaps we could continue this conversation in a more suitable environment?"
Sakura ignored the interruption for a moment, asking, "Where are we going? Where are we now?"
"To an island," Ranke replied, stepping out of the cell. "Follow me. Let's talk somewhere more comfortable."
Sakura helped Neji to his feet. "Alright then. Please lead the way." Ranke's attitude was remarkably amicable, considering Sakura had tried to kill her just moments ago. She showed no sign of holding a grudge. Either she had grander schemes in mind, or she was genuinely magnanimous. Sakura suspected the former.
The three Konoha ninja followed Ranke in silence. Sakura leaned closer to Karin and whispered, "How is it? Can you sense any chakra?"
Karin shook her head, whispering back, "No. There's no chakra anywhere on this ship. But I can sense a strange energy coming from that woman."
Sakura was surprised. "You can sense her energy?" Sakura's own sensing abilities weren't as refined as Karin's, but she could usually detect chakra. Yet Ranke's energy was undetectable to her unless Ranke actively used it.
Karin nodded. "Yeah. It's different from chakra. I can't really describe it."
"Okay," Sakura nodded. "How many others like her can you sense on this fortress?"
"Several," Karin replied after a moment's thought. "Some stronger, some weaker. Her energy seems concentrated in her left chest area. There are four more like her above us… and ten below us. But the ten below… their energy signatures are massive."
"Massive?" Sakura murmured thoughtfully, recalling the direction Karin indicated. One of those locations matched the room she suspected housed the fortress's power system. So, the Stone of Gelel really does power this place. It was good that Karin could sense this energy, at least.
"Here we are," Ranke announced, opening an old-fashioned lattice gate. "Please, come in. This is an elevator. Oh," she chuckled, "you probably don't know what an elevator is… It's a device that..."
"I know what an elevator is," Sakura interrupted, looking at the antiquated gated design.
"Hehe, it's alright if you don't. I won't laugh," Ranke replied with a condescending smile, her eyes seemingly regarding Sakura as some country bumpkin.
Karin and Neji certainly looked bewildered, but Sakura knew exactly what it was. She had initially assumed their technology would be highly advanced, merely hidden beneath an archaic exterior. But based on her observations so far, their mechanical engineering wasn't particularly sophisticated. Everything seemed heavily reliant on the Stone of Gelel.
Stepping into the elevator, the familiar feeling of weightlessness brought a wave of nostalgia over Sakura. Thirteen years… she'd lived in this world for thirteen years without even realizing it, gradually adapting, slowly becoming a part of it.
As the elevator began its ascent, Karin flinched, pressing closer to Sakura in fear. The recent events had clearly dredged up traumatic memories for her. When the fortress first set sail, Karin had feared she was being dragged back to that miserable life. Seeing Sakura here, calm and strong beside her, provided a much-needed anchor. She's gentle, yet so powerful.
Ding! The elevator chimed softly. Ranke opened the gate and stepped out first, turning back with a flourish. "Welcome to the Ikarus mobile fortress!"
They stepped into a brilliantly lit, opulent room, a stark contrast to the grim functionality Sakura had seen elsewhere. Thick carpets muffled their footsteps, ornate, gold-trimmed furniture evoked European aristocracy, and unfamiliar oil paintings adorned the walls. A full suit of polished plate armor stood beside a grand fireplace, and a crystal chandelier hung glittering from the high ceiling. Sakura felt as though she'd stepped into medieval Europe.
Seeing such a scene in this world felt incredibly… incongruous.
Karin and Neji simply stared, captivated by the unfamiliar, exotic style. Everything was unlike anything they had ever seen before. Karin unconsciously tightened her grip on Sakura's arm, the visual overload clearly affecting her.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'll have the chef prepare something for you," Ranke said, sinking gracefully onto a plush sofa and gesturing for them to sit. She seemed quite pleased by their stunned reactions.
Sakura pulled Karin down onto the sofa opposite Ranke, wasting no time on pleasantries. "What do you want to know about us?" she asked directly, cutting straight to the point.
"If only he," Ranke sighed, glancing pointedly at Neji, "had been as reasonable as you, perhaps this misunderstanding could have been avoided. Let's start with introductions. We never imagined beings like you existed on that continent. We always believed it to be barren land."
"You mentioned you have a master," Sakura reminded her.
"Indeed. My master is unaware of your presence for now. I need to understand you first, ensure you pose no threat, before I make the introduction," Ranke stated, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Sakura noted that although Ranke lounged casually on the sofa, her body remained subtly tense, poised for action. She wasn't as relaxed as she pretended to be; she was clearly still wary of Sakura.