Truth-Seeking Orbs and the Moon Spirit
After testing Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode, Tōma didn't rush to refine it to perfection.
There was something else he needed to try first.
Something… potentially dangerous.
He glanced around Shikkotsu Forest. Aside from the Slug Sage, there was no one nearby. That was good enough.
So he began.
First came form creation through Yin–Yang Release. After a moment of thought, Tōma chose not to reinvent the wheel and shaped it the same way it appeared in the legends—a black sphere.
The small black orb floated silently in midair.
Tōma placed one hand against it.
In the next instant, he poured Yin–Yang chakra and all five elemental natures into it at once.
His expression changed immediately.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the sphere and hurled it skyward.
The black orb streaked into the heavens like a falling star.
Then—
BOOM!
The explosion swallowed the sky in blinding light.
The shockwave flattened Shikkotsu Forest below, snapping massive trees like twigs.
The Slug Sage jolted awake, stunned.
What… just happened?
Was Tōma actually about to dismantle its forest?
Tōma wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, relief written all over his face.
So that's how it is. Truth-Seeking Orbs really weren't something you could casually make.
He remembered the basic requirement clearly: Yin–Yang chakra combined with the five elemental natures.
He had all of those.
That was why he'd dared to try.
And the result spoke for itself.
This attempt had failed—spectacularly.
Did it really require a Kekkei Mōra-level framework to stabilize a Truth-Seeking Orb?
Tōma frowned, then glanced back at the explosion site.
That level of destructive force… even a fully formed Susanoo might not withstand it.
Which meant one thing.
This was still worth pursuing.
Even if he couldn't form a stable Truth-Seeking Orb, using the unstable version purely as an explosive weapon was terrifying enough. Very few jutsu could rival that power.
And if a stable form was possible…
Why not deliberately create an unstable one?
The destructive potential would be absurd.
Wind Style: Rasenshuriken wouldn't even qualify as competition.
For some reason, Tōma pictured Deidara witnessing that blast. If the man were still alive, he'd probably die of excitement on the spot—again.
The only reason Tōma dared to test this at all was because Yin–Yang Release allowed him to create the form outside his body.
If he'd tested that thing internally…
He rubbed his forehead again.
Yeah. He'd already be dead.
Even with Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode's recovery, that explosion would've been far too much.
"Tōma," the Slug Sage finally spoke, unable to stay silent any longer. "What exactly were you doing just now?"
Tōma explained his idea.
"Truth-Seeking Orbs…" the Slug Sage murmured. "A power beyond even advanced bloodline techniques."
It recalled the Sage of Six Paths—how nine black orbs had once orbited him endlessly, each holding immeasurable power.
As for Tōma's idea of using them as bombs…
Absurd. But also… disturbingly plausible.
The Slug Sage looked up at the sky, then down at the forest, now mostly flattened.
That explosion just now had surpassed nearly all known ninjutsu—even large-scale combination techniques.
So… should it stop him?
The Slug Sage stared at the ruined trees and fell silent.
After a long sigh, it gave up.
At this point, what difference did it make?
"Fine," it said tiredly. "Continue."
With permission granted, Tōma returned to his experiments.
And so the Slug Sage suffered.
What had once been peaceful sleep was replaced by endless thunderous detonations echoing through the sky.
Each explosion grew stronger than the last.
The Slug Sage even began to wonder—if Tōma threw one of those things at it directly, would it survive?
Probably not unscathed.
Days passed.
The Slug Sage yawned, eyes half-lidded.
It hadn't been awake this long in centuries. If it were human, it would've developed permanent dark circles by now.
Then something strange happened.
The explosions stopped.
The silence felt… wrong.
The Slug Sage looked down and saw Tōma standing still, brows furrowed. He looked exhausted, drained by days of nonstop experimentation involving seven chakra natures.
And yet—
There was something else.
A strange clarity.
An idea.
Through constant experimentation, Tōma's grasp of Yin–Yang Release had grown steadily deeper.
Now fully in Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode, he reached into his pouch and took out a small bead.
Inside it was a remnant of the Nine-Tails' power—extracted long ago from the boy named Sora.
Tōma drew a portion of that chakra into himself, carefully sensing the will and vitality within it.
"Yin Release," he murmured, "the power of imagination, creating form from nothing."
He poured his vast mental energy outward.
Far away, in the Hokage's office, his spiritual clone noticed Shikaku was gone and dispelled itself, returning all its power to Tōma.
In an instant, his Yin chakra surged.
Black symbols emerged from his body, writhing like living things before detaching and gathering in midair.
Guided by Tōma's imagination, they took shape.
A small rabbit.
Pitch black, with elegant golden markings.
Anyone familiar with Pokémon would recognize it immediately.
An Umbreon.
Next came Yang Release.
Tōma focused on the Nine-Tails' residual vitality, shaping his own life energy to match.
"Yang Release—the power of life, granting existence to form."
He placed his hand on the small creature.
His Sage Mode shifted to Ryūchi Cave's version, using its precise control over life force.
Extra limbs. Extra eyes. Life manipulation itself.
Infusing vitality was effortless.
Slowly, the rabbit's crimson eyes opened.
They were unfocused. Empty.
Tōma came back to himself, staring at the creature in silence.
The Nine-Tails' chakra had fully dispersed.
He scratched his head.
…What exactly did I just do?
Had he gone insane from exploding half-formed Truth-Seeking Orbs?
Was he really trying to recreate something like the Sage of Six Paths—creating life itself?
Judging by those vacant eyes, it had failed.
Then—
The emptiness faded.
The rabbit looked up at him, eyes suddenly warm, filled with unmistakable affection.
Before Tōma could react—
It vanished.