Whoosh...
A strong gust of wind swept across the desert, stirring up a cloud of yellow sand that made the sky flicker between light and dark.
Standing alone atop a sand dune, Hyuga Kagami cast a cold glance toward the eight approaching Sand Ninja in the distance. Calmly, he raised his hands and began to form a sequence of hand signs without haste.
Swish...
In an instant, a sky-blue aura of Tenseigan chakra enveloped his body.
The moment he entered the Tenseigan Chakra Mode, his entire aura shifted subtly. He now floated in midair like a deity descended from the heavens.
At this point, Hyuga Kagami's expression was cold and detached.
As he floated, he carefully monitored his chakra consumption while focusing his energy to manifest Truth-Seeking Orbs—a power he could only harness through Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
One orb...
Two orbs...
Three orbs...
As the third orb formed, a slight furrow creased Kagami's brow.
He noticed that even maintaining three orbs was already placing a strain on his body. If he continued creating more, the chakra drain would skyrocket.
"Why is this happening?" he wondered, his gaze sharpening with realization.
Truth-Seeking Orbs were created through the union of Yin, Yang, and the five elemental chakra natures. Theoretically, only those who had mastered all seven chakra transformations could create and control them.
Thus, very few in the ninja world could wield these orbs.
Excluding ancient legends like Kaguya Otsutsuki, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, and Hamura Otsutsuki, the only known users were those who became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki—Obito Uchiha and Madara Uchiha—and Naruto with his Six Paths Sage Mode, as well as Toneri Otsutsuki with his Tenseigan.
Upon closer inspection, only the ancient Otsutsuki figures truly wielded Truth-Seeking Orbs through their own power.
The others—Obito, Madara, Naruto, and Toneri—all required external boosts to complete their chakra natures before gaining this power.
In other words, they needed special conditions to access the ability.
With this revelation, Hyuga Kagami understood.
To wield the orbs more freely, he needed greater control over all seven chakra types. Without that mastery, he would be forced to rely on brute force through the Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
Unlike the prodigy Toneri Otsutsuki, Kagami's natural talent was modest. Hence, maintaining and creating Truth-Seeking Orbs took a heavier toll on him.
Now that he had a sense of the reason, he didn't stop.
This battle wasn't just about defeating the Sand Ninja. It was also an opportunity to test the limits of his strength—especially now that he was the Dragon Vein Jinchuriki.
So, he continued to forge more orbs.
Fourth orb...
Fifth orb...
Soon, two more orbs floated beside him, bringing the total to five.
"This is the limit, huh..."
He could feel his body nearing its breaking point. Any further and he'd risk being forced out of Tenseigan Chakra Mode altogether.
Still, he was pleased with the result.
Previously, his chakra capacity could only support a single orb. Being able to sustain five now was nothing short of an exponential improvement.
At that moment, the eight Sand Ninja finally arrived before him.
The formation appeared to be two four-man squads. From their chakra signatures, Kagami could tell that each squad was led by a jonin, while the others were chunin.
Seeing Kagami float mid-air, surrounded by five orbiting orbs, the Sand Ninja hesitated.
Flight was a rare ability in the ninja world, often signaling elite status. Anyone who could fly was someone to be feared.
One of the jonin stepped forward, tense and cautious: "Was it you who stole the Dragon Vein?"
Hyuga Kagami didn't respond. He simply floated slowly toward them.
Though the Sand Ninja had no idea what Tenseigan Chakra Mode or Truth-Seeking Orbs were, their instincts screamed danger.
Panic flared.
"Attack!" the leading jonin barked, his voice cracking from the tension.
Before the last syllable left his lips, he was already forming hand signs. "Fire Style: Flaming Tiger Explosion!"
In perfect sync, three chunin behind him cried, "Wind Style: Great Wind Pressure!"
Boom!
Fire and wind jutsu collided, creating a roaring firestorm.
Fanned by the wind, a blazing tiger formed from the flames, sprinting on air toward Kagami with ferocious speed.
Kagami simply lifted his right hand.
Instantly, one of the Truth-Seeking Orbs transformed into a thin, black hemispherical shield in front of him.
BOOM!
The flaming tiger slammed into the shield, erupting in a shower of sparks.
"We got him!"
"He's done for!"
"There's no way he survived that!"
The Sand Ninja cheered, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Their combined fire-wind jutsu—a collaboration between one jonin and three synchronized chunin—was devastating. Even Kage-level opponents would hesitate to take it head-on.
They couldn't imagine Kagami's thin black shield withstanding the full impact.
Whoosh...
A gust of wind cleared the smoke and dust, revealing Kagami unharmed.
The shield before him was intact, unchanged in shape or form. Their grand elemental combo might as well have been a fireworks show.
"How is that possible?!" exclaimed the jonin who cast the fire jutsu, stunned.
Though he suspected the orbs were special, he never expected his most powerful jutsu to be completely nullified.
The other jonin shouted, "Daibu! Those black orbs are dangerous!"
Daibu, the fire-style jonin, pushed down his shock and regained composure. "Jinosuke, this guy is no ordinary ninja. Let's attack together!"
Jinosuke nodded, then bit his finger and pressed it to the sand: "Summoning Technique!"
BOOM!
A deafening sound echoed as the ground began to tremble. From beneath the sand dunes, the form of a massive creature started to rise...