Red Shoal Island Beach
The old Sea Wolf across from Sakura regarded her with disdain, yet it didn't advance to attack again. Instead, it took several small, almost imperceptible steps backward.
"You mentioned the Tsugami Clan! What is that?" Sakura demanded. Though shocked by the information the creature had revealed, she remained vigilant, keenly aware they were still in a hostile situation. She hadn't missed its subtle retreat.
"Hmph. You think I would tell you?" the old wolf retorted, its muscles tensing as if ready to bolt at any second.
"The situation isn't exactly in your favor right now," Sakura pointed out coolly. "Do you really think I'll let any of you leave?"
Even as she spoke, Sakura was already moving. Her Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Strength of a Hundred Seal were still active; there was no time to waste on banter. Incapacitate it first, talk later.
Although the Sea Wolf could seemingly anticipate her attacks, its movements couldn't keep up with her enhanced speed—much like Sasuke's Sharingan when they were younger, prediction without the speed to react was useless.
Moving faster than the wolf could possibly evade, Sakura darted behind it, grabbed its tail, and slammed it violently against the sandy ground. Not satisfied with just one hit, she repeated the motion a dozen more times until the wolf stopped moving entirely, only then releasing its tail.
At this display, the whimpering from the surrounding Sea Wolves intensified. They scrambled backward, some even retreating into the shallow water, poised to flee at a moment's notice.
"Ready to talk now?" Sakura asked, looking down at the battered, barely conscious wolf lying on the ground.
"Cough... cough..." The wolf struggled weakly, managing to push itself up slightly. It looked at Sakura with undisguised fear. "Who... who are you? Why are you so strong... without Seijutsu?"
"Seijutsu?" Sakura caught the new term. "What's Seijutsu?"
"......" The old wolf glared hatefully at Sakura, remaining silent.
"Not talking?" Sakura raised her hand, and a Gale Style laser shot out, piercing cleanly through the wolf's leg, leaving a bleeding hole.
The wolf showed surprising resilience, merely letting out a low grunt instead of a pained scream.
"I admit, I'm curious about you," Sakura continued calmly. "But if you remain silent, my only option is to eliminate you. And them." She gestured towards the surrounding pack, now cowering submissively.
The old wolf seethed with impotent rage at Sakura's threat. It was helpless. Just as Sakura couldn't sense the mysterious power it wielded, the wolf couldn't perceive the existence of chakra. In its millennia of existence, its understanding was that only the Tsugami Clan, who also possessed Seijutsu, could possibly defeat it. Other species lacking Seijutsu were simply no match for those who wielded it.
Yet this person before it, radiating no trace of Seijutsu, had utterly overwhelmed it. The situation was dire...
"Very well. Since you refuse to speak..." Sakura began, preparing to deliver the final blow. But then, the wolf spoke.
"What do you wish to know?" Forced by the threat to its entire race—these wolves were the last remnants in the world—the old wolf reluctantly conceded.
"What are you creatures, and why did you come here, to Red Shoal Island?" Sakura asked first, focusing on mission-relevant questions.
"We are the Kaiyuki Clan. We came here... for that." The wolf gestured weakly with its snout towards the 'torii' structure standing in the pasture.
"Kaiyuki Clan? Do you have a name?" Sakura inquired.
"The Tsugami Clan called us Kaiyuki. We do not require names to distinguish ourselves," the old Kaiyuki answered, its voice frail.
"Alright then. I'll call you Kaiyuki."
"As you wish," it replied dismissively.
"Now," Sakura pointed directly at the structure again, her voice sharp and deliberate. "Tell me, what exactly is this thing?"
"I do not know," Kaiyuki stated flatly.
"You don't know?! Are you sure?" Sakura's hand twitched, and another Gale Style laser instantly punched a hole through Kaiyuki's other hind leg.
"Awooo..." Kaiyuki finally couldn't suppress a cry of pain. "I truly... do not know what that object is."
"Don't try to deceive me! If you don't know what it is, why would you target it?!" Sakura demanded fiercely.
"Because... that object contains Seijutsu! We came here to absorb the Seijutsu!" Kaiyuki blurted out in a rush, its body trembling as it instinctively tried to shuffle backward despite its injuries.
"Hm?" Hearing the term 'Seijutsu' repeatedly, Sakura pressed further. "What is Seijutsu?"
"Seijutsu... is just Seijutsu," Kaiyuki said haltingly. Seeing the dangerous look on Sakura's face, it quickly added, "Seijutsu is merely the name the Tsugami Clan gave it. To me, it is simply... an energy that can be utilized. My attacks earlier were Seijutsu. Evading your attacks was also Seijutsu."
Sakura studied Kaiyuki, sensing it was likely telling the truth—or at least, the extent of its own limited understanding. It genuinely didn't seem to know more. So, all questions lead back to the Tsugami Clan...
"The Tsugami Clan... what kind of race are they?" Sakura asked.
"The Tsugami Clan are the ape-like race capable of utilizing Seijutsu. That is what they are called," Kaiyuki replied.
"'Ape-like race'? You mean creatures that look like me?" Sakura asked, pointing to herself.
"Yes."
Ugh... Sakura thought. So, we're back to Seijutsu again. It sounds like mastering Seijutsu is what defines someone as 'Tsugami,' but Kaiyuki can't explain what Seijutsu actually is. Seems its knowledge is limited.
"Where are the Tsugami Clan now?" Sakura asked, thinking, If they're only as strong as this Kaiyuki, maybe they aren't so formidable after all.
"The Tsugami Clan... is extinct," Kaiyuki stated.
"Extinct? Meaning no one uses Seijutsu anymore?" Sakura frowned. "But you use it, don't you? Aren't you Tsugami, then?"
"You could understand it that way," Kaiyuki conceded. "But only the ape-like race uses that specific term."
"Alright. Last question," Sakura said, a flicker of academic curiosity sparking within her. Maybe Seijutsu was a power system entirely separate from chakra? Even if it didn't seem overwhelmingly powerful, understanding it could be useful. "How does one train Seijutsu?"
"I do not know."
The answer surprised Sakura. "You don't know? You might want to think carefully before answering," she said, glancing meaningfully at the cowering wolves nearby.
"I am not deceiving you," Kaiyuki insisted, making a surprisingly human-like shrugging gesture with its forelegs. "Even among the Tsugami, not many could wield Seijutsu. There is no method for training it. Whether one learns it depends entirely on chance... and inheritance."
"Inheritance?" Sakura mused. Sounds a bit like a Kekkei Genkai.
"Descendants of Tsugami are still called Tsugami, even if they never manifest Seijutsu," Kaiyuki explained. "They are not born with the ability, but they merely have a higher probability of acquiring it compared to other ape-like beings."
"I see..." Sakura murmured thoughtfully. That explained the distinction. She looked at Kaiyuki, who was now weakly licking its bleeding wounds, and hesitated for a moment, considering how to proceed.
"Where did you come from?" Sakura asked suddenly, a new thought occurring to her.
"From across this sea. A place very far from here," Kaiyuki replied, pausing its licking.
"Oh? How far?" Sakura asked, slowly stepping closer to the downed creature.
"......" Kaiyuki seemed unable to process the question; it had no concept of measurable distance. "Just... very far. Very, very far. There are many small islands there."
"Is that so?" Sakura's voice turned cold. "Okay, then you can die!!"
Faster than lightning, before Kaiyuki could even react, Sakura lunged forward, seizing its neck in an iron grip and lifting it off the ground.
"Wh-why...?" Kaiyuki choked out, struggling feebly. "I... told you... everything you wanted to know..."
"Eliminating you and your kind is my mission objective," Sakura stated flatly, her eyes devoid of emotion. "You were going to die regardless. Once you're dead, I can slowly extract whatever other intel might be useful from your head." A brilliant flash of Gale Style laser erupted from her fingertip, piercing straight through Kaiyuki's heart.
The old wolf convulsed briefly, then went still. Seeing their leader killed so decisively, the remaining Kaiyuki wolves scattered in pure terror, diving into the ocean and vanishing beneath the waves.