The clearing was bathed in the golden hues of dusk, the light filtering through the canopy of ancient trees. Tomaru sat on the ground, his breathing labored, his right arm still faintly glowing with the remnants of his incomplete transformation. The air carried the faint scent of charred grass, a testament to the sheer energy that had radiated from him just moments ago.
He raised his trembling hand, staring at the intricate patterns of light that traced his skin. The power was undeniable—vast and unrelenting—but it felt as though he were holding only a fragment of a much larger whole.
The frustration in his chest was almost as palpable as the lingering ache from his overexertion. I've come this far… why does it feel so out of reach?
Hours earlier, his confidence had been soaring. He had started the day by exploring the abilities of the Tenseigan, and each one had felt like uncovering a hidden layer of himself.
The glowing blue orb he had formed in his palm—Localised Reincarnation Explosion—had been smooth and stable, pulsating with energy so refined it seemed to hum in harmony with the natural world. He had used it to obliterate a boulder, the explosion leaving behind a crater in its wake.
When he willed it, gravity bent to his command. Rocks and loose earth floated into the air as he lifted his arm, and with a flick of his wrist, they crashed back to the ground with a resounding impact. Flying had been effortless, his body weightless as he soared above the treetops, the ground a blur beneath him.
Each success had filled him with pride. The Tenseigan's abilities were no longer elusive—they were his. Yet, even as he reveled in his control, the thought of the Tenseigan Chakra Mode loomed large, a pinnacle of power that remained just beyond his reach.
Tomaru stepped to the center of the clearing, rolling his shoulders as he prepared himself for the ultimate test. The Tenseigan Chakra Mode was more than a technique; it was a transformation, a state of being.
The Tenseigan Chakra Mode was said to elevate its wielder to godlike strength, enveloping their body in a radiant aura that amplified every aspect of their abilities.
Tomaru closed his eyes, centering himself. His chakra swirled within him, a vast ocean of energy now fully synchronized with his body. Every pulse of power felt alive, like a second heartbeat, thrumming in harmony with his own.
He raised his right arm slowly, envisioning the transformation with perfect clarity.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, drawing on the vast ocean of chakra within him. The Tenseigan flared to life, its concentric rings glowing brighter. The energy surged, coursing through his body like liquid fire. Every nerve seemed alive, attuned to the raw power building within him.
The air around him shifted, rippling as his chakra began to manifest. A faint cyan glow enveloped him, flickering like the first sparks of a fire. His clothing rustled in an unseen wind, and his hair lifted slightly, defying gravity.
The energy had surged through him, raw and untamed, filling every fiber of his being. The cyan aura had flickered into existence, wrapping around his body like a second skin. For a brief moment, it felt like he was on the verge of breaking through.
This is it... he thought, his chest tightening with excitement.
Tomaru focused harder, willing the energy to stabilize and expand. The glow intensified, radiating outward—But just as the transformation seemed to stabilize, the energy wavered. The cyan glow flickered unevenly, pulling inward before condensing around his right arm.
When he opened his eyes, he saw the chakra armor had taken shape—but only partially. His right arm was encased in the shimmering cyan energy.
Tomaru had stared at the glowing limb, marveling at the strength coursing through it. Every movement felt sharper, faster, as though the air itself bent to his will. He had crushed a boulder effortlessly with a single strike, the power exhilarating. Yet, the rest of his body remained untouched, the transformation incomplete.
The strength in his arm alone was staggering. But it wasn't enough.
"This isn't the full transformation," he muttered. "It's only part of it."
Tomaru closed his eyes again, drawing on the reserves of his chakra. The Tenseigan flared once more as he willed the energy to spread across his body. The cyan flames around his arm intensified, licking upward toward his shoulder.
Spread, he urged, pouring more chakra into the effort.
The flickering flames reached his chest, but as they crept toward his left arm, they faltered. His breathing grew labored as the strain mounted. The energy became erratic, surging wildly as if resisting his control.
"Come on," he whispered through gritted teeth. "Just a little more..."
Suddenly, the chakra recoiled, snapping back to his arm like a rubber band. A sharp pain lanced through his chest, and he stumbled forward, gasping for air. The glow dimmed, and his knees buckled beneath him as he fell to the ground, sweat pouring down his face.
Tomaru sat back on his heels, his right arm still faintly glowing. The once-vast ocean of chakra within him now felt like a drained reservoir, leaving him lightheaded and weak.
He raised his hand, examining the shimmering armor that still covered his arm. The power was there, but it was fragmented, incomplete. No matter how much he pushed, the transformation refused to stabilize.
"Why can't I do it?" he muttered, his voice barely audible.
His mind raced with possible explanations:
The faint glow around his arm flickered and then disappeared entirely. Tomaru collapsed back onto the grass, staring up at the sky. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths as the cool wind brushed over his sweat-drenched skin.
---
The wind carried a quiet chill as Tomaru sat cross-legged on a rocky outcrop overlooking the forest. The fading light bathed the horizon in shades of amber and violet, but his focus lay elsewhere.
His right hand rested loosely on his knee, fingers twitching faintly as he replayed the events of his failed attempt to activate the Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
He had touched the edge of something extraordinary—a fragment of its immense power—but no matter how much he pushed, it refused to fully manifest. The radiant cyan chakra had enveloped only his right arm, leaving the rest of his body untouched. The Truth-Seeking Orbs, tools of both destruction and creation spoken of in legends, had remained out of reach.
Tomaru's jaw tightened. He flexed his fingers, the cool air biting against his skin. The question circled endlessly in his mind: Why can I use some of the Tenseigan's powers but not this?
He pressed his palm against his forehead, staring into the distance as fragments of information began to align.
The Tenseigan—his Tenseigan—was no ordinary dojutsu. It was a creation of divine origin, a power wielded by the Otsutsuki clan, beings who had transcended the limits of ordinary mortality. Their physiology was said to be uniquely attuned to chakra, granting them abilities no human could hope to replicate.
"The Otsutsuki," Tomaru murmured. His voice was almost lost to the rustling leaves around him.
He thought of the stories—of Toneri Otsutsuki, who had once wielded this same power to threaten the Earth itself. Toneri had commanded the Tenseigan Chakra Mode with ease, his celestial chakra flowing through him like a second skin.
Why can't I?
Tomaru's gaze shifted to the faint glow of his Tenseigan reflected in a shallow pool nearby. Its concentric rings gleamed faintly in the twilight, a symbol of the immense potential locked within him.
"Am I missing something?"
A thought came to him, sharp and chilling. Could it be that the Tenseigan's full power required more than the eye itself? Perhaps it was intrinsically tied to the Otsutsuki body.
The comparison struck him like lightning. Obito Uchiha wielded the Mangekyo Sharingan but couldn't summon Susanoo with only one eye. Could he, a human with only one Tenseigan, be facing the same limitation?
Tomaru exhaled, his breath visible in the cool air. His gaze turned inward, focusing on the vast reservoir of energy within him. Chakra—the lifeblood of all shinobi—was both his greatest strength and his most glaring weakness.
He had felt it during his failed attempt. The moment the cyan flames of the Tenseigan Chakra Mode began to take shape, his reserves had drained at an alarming rate. His vision had blurred, his body trembling under the strain.
Even now, with synchronization enhancing his vitality, his chakra felt insufficient. It was vast by shinobi standards, far surpassing most, but it was nothing compared to what this transformation demanded.
"This mode…" he whispered, his voice trailing off. He could feel it. The Tenseigan Chakra Mode wasn't just about strength—it was about overwhelming, near-infinite chakra. The kind of energy wielded by those who could challenge bijuu on equal footing.
His thoughts turned to the Truth-Seeking Orbs, the ultimate expression of the Tenseigan Chakra Mode. These orbs were said to embody the mastery of chakra itself, formed from the combination of all seven chakra natures: fire, water, earth, lightning, wind, and the duality of yin and yang.
Tomaru's memory flashed back, the chakra affinity test had shown his elemental nature to be water and earth—strong, but incomplete.
"Of course," he muttered, his eyes narrowing. "I only have two elements. How could I hope to create the Truth-Seeking Orbs with just that?"
The logic was undeniable. The Truth-Seeking Orbs required perfect balance, a union of all nature types. Without mastery over the missing elements—fire, wind, lightning, and yin-yang release—this ultimate power would remain forever out of reach.
---
The night was silent, the forest shrouded in a pale glow as the moon rose high above the treetops. Tomaru stood at the center of a clearing, his breaths steady but deliberate. The faint hum of chakra coursing through his body resonated with the calm stillness of his surroundings.
He raised his right hand, clenching it into a fist as the memory of cyan flames flickered at the edges of his mind. He had succeeded once—briefly. The Tenseigan Chakra Mode had manifested, but only partially, enveloping his arm in radiant energy.
Why only my arm?
The answer, he felt, lay not in his willpower or control, but in the nature of the power itself. He had touched its edge, and now he needed to understand why it refused to fully materialize.