Elemental Chakra
> "...Easier said than done, but I can't fly."
Watching Paimon float effortlessly ahead, Sasuke muttered to himself.
For some reason, seeing this tiny, talkative creature gave him a strange sense of déjà vu — she reminded him of Naruto.
Perhaps it was because both were loud, overly familiar, and impossible to ignore.
Following Paimon down a winding path, they reached a serene lake before a towering statue. The distance from the lake's edge to the statue at its center stretched about a hundred meters — a distance Sasuke couldn't yet cross by channeling chakra to his feet.
Fortunately, the water was clear. He saw only small fish gliding beneath the surface — nothing threatening. Without hesitation, he swam to the island at the statue's base.
Only then did he take in its full appearance. The statue rose from a golden pedestal supporting a stone pillar, and atop it stood a winged figure in a hooded robe, arms raised toward the heavens as it held a stone sphere.
> "Quick! Put your hand here,"
Paimon said, pointing to a metallic protrusion at the statue's base.
In its center glowed a large blue rhombus, surrounded by smaller ones, radiating a sacred, mysterious energy.
Sasuke took a steadying breath and, prepared to react at any moment, pressed his left hand against it.
The instant he did, the rhombus flared with a bluish-green light. The glow raced upward through the statue until the sphere in the figure's hands blazed with light. Then, a concentrated beam of energy shot from the orb straight into Sasuke's chest.
Too fast to dodge.
Yet there was no pain — only a soft sensation, like a breeze brushing his skin.
> "What… is this?"
As the light faded, Sasuke sensed his chakra shifting — evolving.
It wasn't merely enhanced; it was transformed.
A new, foreign energy mingled with his chakra, expanding it, refining it, reshaping it into something purer.
He raised a hand, and almost by instinct, a blade of wind formed in his palm.
> "This is… Wind Release?" he murmured. "But I've never studied wind-style jutsu…"
Paimon's eyes widened.
> "Ah! You sensed the elements of this world!"
> "Yes," Sasuke replied quietly. "I can feel them."
> "Then it looks like you've attuned to the power of Anemo — the element of wind — just by touching the statue!" Paimon said in awe. "That's not something normal people can do!"
Sasuke silently agreed.
Even mastering Fire Release had taken years of training with his father and that man. Yet this new power had come to him effortlessly.
> "The source of this energy… could it be the power of the gods?" he muttered. "How strange…"
> "Hey!" Paimon puffed up indignantly. "That's a rude way to talk about the gods! Especially here — this is the land of the Anemo Archon, Barbatos! You shouldn't say things like that when we reach Mondstadt!"
Sasuke gave a slight nod, and Paimon relaxed again.
> "Anyway," she continued, "if you go west from here, you'll reach Mondstadt — the City of Freedom, dedicated to the Anemo God. Maybe you'll find some clues there about why you ended up in this world."
> "The elements have answered your call," Paimon added brightly. "That has to be a good sign!"
Sasuke didn't respond. His thoughts had already turned elsewhere.
If the people of this world couldn't gain power this way, then how did Paimon know to direct him to the statue?
Still, he didn't care.
Whether in his own world or this one, power was all that mattered.
If this new strength could help him achieve his revenge — even if it meant being used — so be it.
> Darkness is the only path left to me.
Paimon, unaware of the change in his expression, cheered excitedly,
> "Alright! Next stop — Mondstadt!"
But before they could move, Sasuke's vision began to blur. The world dissolved around him.
---
A shrill sound pierced the air.
> Riiiing... riiiing... riiiing...
It was his alarm clock.
Sasuke groaned softly and turned it off.
Each time he woke from that strange world, his mind and body felt slightly out of sync — as if part of him hadn't fully returned. He rubbed his temples and checked the time: 4:20 a.m.
They were to assemble at the training ground at five to meet their new jōnin instructor — Hatake Kakashi.
If he failed the test, he'd be sent back to the Academy.
Unacceptable.
After washing up, Sasuke checked his ninja tools with practiced precision and left the house. As he walked through the quiet streets of Konoha, he flexed his chakra experimentally.
The elemental energy from that other world — the wind — was still there, resonating with his chakra. He could shape it freely, without seals or strain.
A faint smirk crossed his lips.
> This power... it's real. And today, I'll prove it.