c2: Elemental Power Chakra
"…Easier said than done, but I can't fly."
Looking at Paimon floating lightly ahead, Sasuke couldn't help but complain to himself.
For some reason, looking at this little creature gave him a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he were looking at Naruto Uzumaki back when they were still members of Team 7 under Kakashi Hatake.
Was it because both of them were loud, overly familiar, and had an annoying habit of speaking without thinking?
Following Paimon down a narrow path, he descended the hillside and reached the lake in front of the statue. The edge of the lake was about one or two hundred meters from the statue standing at the center. At this distance, the current Sasuke had no way to casually stroll across the water without first precisely concentrating Chakra on the soles of his feet, just as he had learned during the tree-climbing and water-walking training supervised by Kakashi during the Land of Waves mission.
Back then, Naruto had struggled to maintain balance, constantly falling into the river, while Sasuke had grasped the technique faster due to his superior Chakra control. But now, after exhausting himself in battle and finding his Chakra flow unstable, he could not confidently replicate that same level of control.
Fortunately, the lake water was clear enough. Sasuke activated his Sharingan briefly, the tomoe spinning as he scanned beneath the surface. He observed the aquatic life carefully and saw only small fish swimming in loose schools, with no massive summons or hostile Chakra signatures lurking below. Satisfied that there were no hidden threats like those Orochimaru might have planted, he dispelled the Sharingan to conserve energy.
He then swam across the cold water with steady strokes and reached the island in the middle of the lake, climbing onto the stone platform before the statue.
Only then did he see the full appearance of the statue.
The statue was built from a cylindrical stone pillar reinforced with a golden metallic base that resembled ancient sealing craftsmanship, almost like the ritual altars used by the Uzumaki clan. Rising from the pillar was a carved figure with wide wings, wearing a hooded robe that concealed most of its features. The figure raised a stone sphere high above its head with both arms, as though offering it to the heavens.
"Quick, put your hand here."
Paimon said, pointing to a metallic protrusion at the base of the statue.
In the center of the protrusion was a relatively large blue diamond-shaped block. Smaller diamond-shaped fragments were arranged diagonally above it, forming a pattern reminiscent of a fūinjutsu formula array. The structure emitted a faint but steady glow, giving off a mysterious and sacred atmosphere similar to the stone tablet in the Uchiha clan's secret meeting room.
Sasuke took a slow breath, instinctively recalling the countless traps and hidden mechanisms he had encountered while training under Orochimaru. His body tensed, prepared to withdraw at any moment, and then he pressed his left hand onto the diamond-shaped block.
The moment Sasuke made contact, the diamond-shaped core suddenly burst with a brilliant cyan-blue light. The surge of energy spread rapidly, illuminating the engraved lines around the base like Chakra pathways activating within a human body. Then the entire statue lit up in sequence.
The radiance climbed upward from the base, traveling through the stone pillar and into the winged figure, until it reached the sphere held in the statue's hands. From the surrounding air, particles of light began converging toward the center of that sphere, forming a concentrated mass of energy that resembled a miniature Rasengan, though far purer and more stable.
As the light intensified, a thin wisp of cyan-blue energy shot out from the sphere and lunged directly toward Uchiha Sasuke's chest.
So fast.
So fast that even with his battle-honed reflexes and the perception granted by the Sharingan, he had no time to form hand seals or evade.
The light struck him squarely.
Yet being hit by it caused no pain, no burning sensation like Amaterasu, nor the piercing force of Chidori. Instead, it felt like a gentle breeze brushing across his face, cool and weightless.
"Hmm? What's this?"
Shortly after the light dissipated, Uchiha Sasuke sensed a profound alteration within his Chakra network. He could clearly feel it moving through his tenketsu and coils, just as he had learned to perceive during his advanced training.
This change was something he could not fully describe in words. It was unlike awakening the Cursed Seal's second state, unlike drawing on the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, and unlike the transformation brought by the Sage of Six Paths' Chakra. It felt as though another completely different nature transformation had been layered onto his existing Chakra affinity.
No, it would be more accurate to say that the Chakra within his body had adapted, harmonizing with this unfamiliar energy and refining itself to produce a new variant of nature transformation.
The birth of this power not only expanded Sasuke's overall Chakra reserves making them feel denser and more refined but also enhanced his control to an astonishing degree, even surpassing the precision he once demonstrated during his early mastery of Chidori under Kakashi's instruction.
Moreover, knowledge accompanied the power.
Several methods of utilizing this energy surfaced in his consciousness, much like when he first comprehended Lightning Release after Kakashi explained the principles behind Chidori's shape transformation and nature manipulation.
As if guided by instinct, Sasuke extended his right hand. Without forming a single hand seal, he circulated the newly altered Chakra.
A thin crescent of compressed wind manifested in his palm, spinning faintly and emitting a sharp, cutting hum.
"Is this… Wind Release?" he muttered. "No. My natural affinity has always been Lightning Release. I've never formally trained in Wind Release techniques like Naruto did after meeting Asuma Sarutobi. And yet this was clearly generated by the new type of Chakra within my body…"
The wind blade flickered with stable form, far more controlled than a beginner's attempt at nature transformation.
Paimon, witnessing the entire phenomenon, widened her eyes in astonishment before breaking into an excited smile.
"Ah! Did you feel the elements of this world?"
"Yeah," Sasuke replied calmly.
He dispersed the wind blade with a subtle motion, letting the Chakra dissolve back into his system, and gave a slow nod.
"It seems that as long as you touch the statue of the Anemo Archon, you can obtain the Elemental Power of Anemo."
"It's absolutely impossible for people in this world to obtain power as easily as you did…"
Sasuke deeply agreed with this.
Since childhood, as the second son of the Fugaku Uchiha, he had been taught the basics of Chakra control and Fire Release step by step. Under his father's strict supervision, he repeatedly practiced the hand seals for the Great Fireball Technique of the Uchiha clan. Even after memorizing every seal and understanding the theory behind nature transformation, he had still failed multiple times before finally producing a fireball large enough to meet the clan's standard. Compared to that arduous training, the effortless manifestation of a Wind Blade just now felt almost unreasonable.
"The source of this power… is it the power of a god?"
He muttered to himself.
"Truly bizarre."
"Hey!" The previously joyful Paimon suddenly widened her eyes, puffed up her cheeks, raised her eyebrows, and said to Sasuke:
"Using a word like 'bizarre' is so disrespectful to the gods!"
"Especially since we're still in the Anemo Archon's territory, standing in front of the statue of the Anemo Archon."
"When we get to Mondstadt City later and meet other people, you must never say things like that!"
Once Sasuke gave a slight nod, Paimon stopped huffing and continued:
"Go west from here, and you can reach the city-state of freedom, Mondstadt."
"Mondstadt is the city of wind, and it worships the Anemo Archon. Since you can obtain power from the statue, maybe you really can find clues there about why you came here."
"The elements of this world have responded to your prayer; I think that's a good omen."
Sasuke didn't respond.
If he had only been curious about the origin of this floating creature calling itself Paimon before, that curiosity had now turned into suspicion sharpened by years of shinobi instinct. Ever since surviving the massacre of the Uchiha clan carried out by Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke had learned never to trust information given too easily.
According to what she had said earlier, ordinary people in this world could not obtain elemental power simply by touching the statue. If that was true, then how did she know with such certainty that he would gain power the moment he placed his hand on it?
But in the end, he did not press her.
For someone who had already abandoned everything in pursuit of strength, as long as he could gain power and move one step closer to killing Itachi, what did it matter if he was being used by forces from another world?
Back when he chose to leave Konoha and seek power from Orochimaru, he had already stepped into darkness willingly. His path had never been one of light. If more darkness was required to achieve his revenge, then so be it.
He had long since closed his heart; his goal could only be reached through overwhelming power.
Paimon did not notice the faint coldness in Sasuke's eyes and instead clapped her hands midair, shouting excitedly:
"Alright! Then, destination: Mondstadt City! Let's go!"
Just as Paimon finished speaking, Sasuke suddenly felt his consciousness being pulled away from this world once more, as though his Chakra itself were being drawn through an invisible summoning technique.
"Ring-a-ling-a-ling…"
The sharp sound of an alarm clock pierced the silence.
Sasuke opened his eyes in his bedroom within the Uchiha district of Konohagakure and reached out to turn off the alarm.
Every time he was forcibly extracted from that strange world, his mind and body felt slightly misaligned, similar to the aftereffects of overusing the Sharingan an uncomfortable lag between thought and movement. Fortunately, this was not the first occurrence, and after circulating his Chakra once through his coils to stabilize himself, Sasuke quickly regained clarity.
He glanced at the clock.
4:20 AM.
Today at 5:00 AM, Team 7 was scheduled to assemble at Training Ground Three to participate in the so-called survival test conducted by their new jōnin instructor, Kakashi Hatake.
The instructions had been simple and cruel: those who failed would be sent back to the Ninja Academy and stripped of their newly obtained genin status.
For a survivor of the Uchiha clan, who bore the name of one of Konoha's most prestigious families, repeating graduation was absolutely unacceptable.
After washing up quickly, Sasuke carefully checked the ninja tools in his pouch: kunai, shuriken, wire, and smoke bombs. He adjusted his hitai-ate bearing the symbol of Konohagakure and stepped out of his house into the dim pre-dawn air.
As he moved along the quiet streets, he focused inward, examining the condition of his body.
Sure enough, the power he had obtained in that other world had synchronized perfectly with his Chakra system here. The unfamiliar wind-like energy flowed smoothly through his tenketsu, integrating seamlessly with his natural Lightning Release affinity. The technique resembling Wind Release that he had manifested before—without forming hand seals—remained fully accessible, as though it had always been part of his arsenal.
This was unlike borrowed power such as the Cursed Seal; it did not feel invasive or unstable. Instead, it felt refined, obedient, and completely under his control.
Gaining this new power filled Uchiha Sasuke with even greater confidence for today's survival test.
If Kakashi Hatake truly intended to evaluate their strength, then he would not hold back either.