Star-Burner, the Reapers commander who had been so arrogant not long ago, was now tightly bound with special Star-Celestial Sealing Chains and imprisoned in the Detention Chamber on the lowest level of the Dust-Hidden Star base. The chains restrained not only his body and chakra—the Otsutsuki's "dan" energy—but also severed all contact with the outside world, preventing him from destroying himself or sending messages.
Lin Ye, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Karin, and the two elders stood outside the Detention Chamber, watching through a one-way observation window. Inside was a figure with dark red skin and a vertical flame mark on his forehead, his aura now feeble, fear and disbelief still lingering in his eyes.
"He's tight-lipped, and there are extremely powerful restrictions deep in his soul. Reading his memories directly or using powerful genjutsu could trigger self-destruction," Sasuke said after scanning him carefully with his White Jōgan. His new eyes seemed to have gained greater insight into structures on the levels of energy and the soul.
"Let me try." Karin stepped forward, holding the Crystal Ball that had fused with the Eye of Prophecy. "Combining the Eye of Prophecy with the Uzumaki Clan's secret soul arts might let me bypass his surface defenses and reach fragments of deeper information, especially memories connected to specific 'marks' or intense emotions."
"Watch out for backlash," Lin Ye cautioned. He had yet to recover fully. Awakening the Reincarnation Jōgan and using Genesis Starsea had consumed far more than he had expected. Less than a tenth of his energy remained, and waves of weakness coursed through his soul.
"Mm." Karin nodded and closed her eyes in concentration, pouring chakra and star-celestial power into the Crystal Ball. A soft, mysterious glow radiated from it, enveloping Star-Burner inside the Detention Chamber.
Star-Burner shuddered, his face twisting with pain