Seven pitch-black orbs floated behind Reizan, pulsing with a sinister and absolute aura. They hovered in a perfect arc like satellites of destruction, humming with silent violence.
The desert wind tugged at his white cloak, its red magma-like markings fluttering like living flame. His white-gold Golden Byakugan glowed faintly, scanning the horizon, and the two imposing horns that rose from his head gave him an air of terrifying divinity. Though young in appearance, Reizan radiated power so intense that the very sand beneath his feet trembled.
For the first time, Reizan felt it—his chakra pressure exploded. A surge of raw power coursed through his veins and soul, like a dam breaking open. Knowledge poured into his mind—instincts, techniques, tactics—truths about the Truth-Seeking Balls that had been sealed until now.
"So that's why it's already at the intermediate state…" he muttered. "The knowledge was always there—just locked until activation."
He remembered: the orbs could shift their forms, just as Obito and the Sage of Six Paths once did.
With a simple wave of his hand, one orb floated forward. Reizan extended his palm and tried to inject his chakra into it. It resisted at first, vibrating violently. But after a few attempts, the sphere twisted, transforming into a long, curved spike.
"This… looks like what Urashiki used when he mutated during the past arc," Reizan observed.
The weapon shifted again, now spiraling into a massive sword structure—resembling the legendary Sword of Nunoboko itself.
Reizan grinned. "Now this… this is something."
He stretched his arm, lifting the sword overhead. Far in the distance, a towering sand dune caught his eye. In one clean motion, he slashed.
FWOOOSH—
The sword elongated like a divine whip, slicing through the dune. A moment later, the entire formation began to disintegrate, reduced to ash and void. The chakra-nullifying effects of the Truth-Seeking Ball had activated fully, erasing matter from existence.
"So… the destructive effect applies to the environment too," he murmured, eyes glowing with awe. "Haa… this is incredible."
He swung the sword a few more times, adjusting to its weight and form. Each movement left behind gaping black scars across the desert and sent waves of chakra-laced heat rippling through the air.
Soon, the entire landscape was transformed—blackened sand, sword gouges, and burnt ash stretched for miles in every direction.
Reizan paused. His movements were creating strange effects—his forward thrusts and backsteps were producing air vibrations, some strong enough to pull invisible pressure toward the blade.
"Huh… is this a sword style forming?"
Intrigued, he began experimenting. The sword could extend, retract, and draw in air currents. Using these mechanics, Reizan refined his movements—slashing, spinning, pulling, and retracting in perfect rhythm.
Two hours later, sweat beading on his forehead, Reizan exhaled.
"Done… at least the basics are in place. Now I can use it fluidly in combat and polish it further as I go."
Not done yet, he lifted his hand again. Another orb responded, shooting toward a distant sand dune like a comet. It moved so fast that even his Golden Byakugan barely tracked it.
BOOOOOOM—!
A massive white flash engulfed the horizon. Shockwaves tore through the air, rippling out in multiple concentric waves. Even where Reizan floated in the sky, the pressure made the wind scream.
As the dust finally settled, he gazed down at a colossal crater—an abyss nearly five miles wide carved straight into the desert.
"…Wait. Truth-Seeking Balls were supposed to destroy mountains at best," Reizan said aloud, stunned. "Why was that blast so massive? And the speed—it was… absurd. Even my Byakugan couldn't track it clearly."
A chill passed over his skin as he looked at the black orb still hovering gently above the ruined desert.
"These aren't like the ones from the war. No… mine are something else."
Reizan slowly turned his head, eyes narrowing as he saw the five remaining Truth-Seeking Balls floating silently behind him—aside from the one that had transformed into the Sword of Nunoboko, still pulsing faintly in his grasp.
"That was just one ball…" he muttered, a chill creeping down his spine. "What would happen if I used all seven at once... in one place?"
The thought alone felt catastrophic. The sheer scale of destruction was unimaginable.
He glanced downward. Well… at least I can fly. They can't. A faint smirk touched his lips. They'd be wiped from existence before even realizing it.
Then, a new idea sparked.
Can I form armor with these?
Not a basic shell like Madara once used to float inside—a true black armor, reshaped entirely from the Truth-Seeking Balls, molded tightly around his body.
He focused his chakra, commanding the orbs inward. At first, they resisted, compressing only into a thin protective sphere.
"Tch… my chakra control isn't good enough," Reizan grunted. "It's doable, though. I just need more precision."
He spent the next thirty minutes channeling his energy, testing different ways to manipulate the chakra composition of the orbs.
And then—success.
"Haha… finally," he exhaled, proud and slightly breathless.
The Truth-Seeking Balls flowed over his body, shaping themselves like liquid darkness. His cloak, his shoes, even his torso were consumed by the black void. The armor wasn't just covering him—it was fused with him, moving like a second skin.
Only his horns and eyes, glowing with white-gold Byakugan light, remained visible—though even they shimmered behind a subtle translucent film of defensive chakra. The transformation made him look like some devilish celestial warrior, forged from destruction itself.
"This... is something else," Reizan whispered, flexing his fingers.
He tested regeneration next.
Forming another orb in his hand, he confirmed it: "So when one's destroyed, I can make another… Still capped at seven. But with training, I can push that limit."
Reizan descended slowly from the sky, the Sword of Nunoboko receding back into an orb that rejoined the others. Now holding two Truth-Seeking Balls, one in each hand, he stared down at the sand.
He smirked—and slammed both into the ground.
BOOOM!
A white glow erupted around him, light spilling out in expanding rings. Reizan was flung slightly upward by the force, but felt no pain—just raw pressure.
The explosion swept up the remaining four orbs, sending them scattering before being consumed by the blast. Yet the black armor around his body held firm. His vision dimmed momentarily, but the protective layer over his Byakugan shielded even his eyes.
Beneath him, the desert floor vanished. He watched silently as the ground disintegrated—not broken, not melted, but erased.
He floated still at the heart of it, calm within the annihilation.
Minutes passed. The glow faded.
Where once stood dunes now lay a massive sinkhole, abyssal and silent. It stretched for miles, just like before—only deeper.
Reizan hovered a few feet above the edge, arms folded.
He stared down at the crater and exhaled slowly.
"This armor… is a masterpiece," he said, grinning