The feedback from the Shadow Clones launched toward the distant stars served as a reminder: it had been three years since his last collision experiment in the Sea of Souls.
Tetsumaru decided to resume the tests. His target remained the same: the dim, silent orb of light suspected to be Kaguya Ootsutsuki.
Three years ago, the experiment failed because the Shadow Clone Orbs weren't powerful enough to transmit information to the soul within the light. This time, Tetsumaru poured the maximum amount of chakra into his runes, creating the most potent Shadow Clone Orbs he was currently capable of producing.
However, he quickly discovered that the propulsion provided by Wind Style was no longer sufficient. Because the velocity was too low, the Shadow Clone Orb didn't even shatter upon impact; it simply bounced off the target and drifted back into the Sea of Souls, eventually vanishing amidst the dense cluster of other souls.
The first collision was a failure.
Fortunately, that Shadow Clone remembered its mission. Knowing that entering "Wanderer Mode" meant facing an eternity of boredom, it dispelled itself automatically.
Tetsumaru tried again. He reduced the chakra input slightly and utilized a much more powerful Wind Style. The Shadow Clone struck with a roar, yet it still failed to return sufficient information. It felt as though the clone shattered too quickly upon impact, lacking the necessary "penetration."
The second collision: failure.
Tetsumaru began a series of adjustments—tweaking the chakra volume, using Earth Style to harden the clones, and employing A-rank Wind Style to increase the launch velocity.
Finally, on the 144th attempt, he achieved a valid feedback: "?"
Beyond mere confusion, the feedback carried a sense of dazed sluggishness, like someone struggling to wake from a deep slumber.
Tetsumaru recorded the data for the successful attempt. Because every test required his full effort, his chakra was nearly depleted. This was the first time he had ever run himself dry within the Sea of Souls.
He had once mistakenly believed that chakra consumption in the Sea of Souls was an illusion—that he could test and practice ninjutsu here infinitely. It turned out he simply hadn't mastered high-level enough jutsu three years ago to drain his reserves.
Utterly exhausted, Tetsumaru logged out and woke up. He felt terrible; the fatigue, drowsiness, and physical soreness were all classic symptoms of chakra exhaustion.
He spent the next day in misery. His body felt like lead, yet his mind was abnormally hyperactive. With a splitting headache to boot, rest was impossible. It wasn't until the following night that he dared to sleep again, though he didn't log into the Sea of Souls.
On the fourth night, fully prepared, he returned to the familiar Sea of Light. He sketched the chakra runes with fluid grace and unleashed the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, splitting off twenty-four powerful Shadow Clones at once.
According to his new plan, the clones worked in pairs. One was responsible for hardening itself with Earth Style and acting as the projectile; the other provided the propulsion with Wind Style.
Twelve pairs of clones struck the dim orb in half-second intervals. As they hit, each one projected a single thought: "Wake up, wake up."
As the 5.5-second barrage ended, Tetsumaru finally received a response from the orb. After a few initial bursts of sleep-deprived gibberish, a meaningful reply finally materialized: "Who are you?"
As the experiments continued over the following nights, Tetsumaru gradually refined his technique. He discovered that if each Shadow Clone carried only a single character or word and struck in sequence, he could transmit his intent much more clearly.
Eventually, he began receiving stable replies. As the target's consciousness sharpened, he even started a conversation.
"I am known as Doraemon," Tetsumaru projected. "Who are you?"
"This Goddess is Ootsutsuki Kaguya, the Rabbit Goddess."
Confirmed. It was Kaguya Ootsutsuki.
Am I going to die for this? Tetsumaru wondered briefly. Nah, what's there to be afraid of? Kaguya is still sealed. What can she possibly do to me?
"Why does the Goddess slumber?"
"This Goddess was sealed by wicked men and forced into sleep. Why do you smell of chakra?"
"I am a shinobi, one who has mastered chakra."
"No! All chakra belongs to This Goddess!"
The hysterical roar that followed was dripping with centuries of resentment.
By the time they had exchanged twenty-seven words—including the seventy-two clones used for testing and the twelve used for the launch—Tetsumaru was once again out of chakra and forced to log out.
Another three days of headaches followed.
Sixty. A maximum of sixty clones at once. No more, he vowed.
Having set a strict limit for his Sea of Souls activities, Tetsumaru logged back in. Over the next month, despite only speaking sixty words a night, the exchange allowed Kaguya to learn many things.
He told her about the legend of the Sage of Six Paths saving the world. He told her about the "shinobi"—a profession built around the use of chakra. He told her that powerful ninjas now ruled the world, and that the world had been renamed the "Shinobi World."
Tetsumaru kept the information general. He analyzed the risks and concluded that these broad concepts wouldn't cause any catastrophe. If Kaguya stayed sealed, the info was harmless. If she was released, Black Zetsu—that "Old Poison"—already knew everything anyway.
He remained extremely cautious with specific details. He never mentioned Konoha, his real name, his specific jutsu, or his sealing techniques. Facing a higher-dimensional being like Kaguya, he wasn't about to take any unnecessary risks.
Tetsumaru let out a long breath of relief. He had finally completed the Blood Pool and integrated it into the Broodmother's body. This would prevent enemies from destroying his Mantis production through targeted strikes on exposed facilities.
One major project down. What's next?
While mulling over his next plan, he laid out a soft bed and drifted off to sleep to log into the Sea of Souls.
His research was progressing smoothly, and the results were massive. The joy of success was exhilarating, but it couldn't entirely mask the loneliness of isolation. Humans are social animals; they have a fundamental need for communication.
This wasn't to say Tetsumaru was like some "prodigy" from another world, determined to put Kaguya on "maternity leave."
Kaguya was indeed beautiful, possessing a peerless appearance flawed only by her obsession with "pacifying" the world. But the thought of a "deep relationship" with a woman of unknown age and origin was a bit too "heavy" for Tetsumaru's tastes.
However, in the dead of night, after a day of grueling labor, chatting with a beautiful-looking woman was a fantastic way to alleviate his anxiety.
Without realizing it, he had fallen into the habit of daily chats with the Rabbit Goddess. For Kaguya, who hadn't spoken to anyone in thousands of years, these conversations were even more impactful.
Tetsumaru could clearly feel Kaguya changing from her initial mechanical, robotic state to someone more vibrant. In the beginning, she couldn't go three sentences without demanding the return of all chakra. Gradually, she learned to ask for intelligence on the shinobi world and even how to hide her insatiable possessiveness.
Tetsumaru started to feel a bit of "survivor's guilt." He felt like he might be digging a massive pit for the world's future saviors.
And yet, he couldn't stop his "urge to flirt with death." He continued his nightly chats, attempting to fish for information regarding the Ootsutsuki clan. In his past life's movies, scientists were often the villains who brought about the apocalypse; Tetsumaru now understood why. To satisfy a thirst for knowledge, risking the world felt like a fair trade in the heat of the moment.
But tonight, the moment he logged in, he realized something was wrong.
A new radiance loomed over Kaguya's orb. Looking closer, he saw that the radiance was composed of spectral chains, binding her soul tightly.
Tetsumaru swallowed a non-existent lump in his throat. Hagoromo Ootsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths. It had to be him.
The terror was instantaneous. How had he alerted the final boss? Activities in the Sea of Souls were supposed to have no impact on reality. How had Hagoromo sensed his mother's change?
No... there was an impact.
Over the past month, Kaguya's spirit had become active. That change must have synchronized with her physical state in the real world.
This realization brought a chilling conclusion: Hagoromo's surveillance of the Ninja World was incredibly sensitive. He wasn't limited to working through "Saviors"; he could intervene directly whenever he pleased.
Tetsumaru felt his skin crawl. He didn't even dare to test the strength of the chains; he logged out immediately.
For the foreseeable future, Hagoromo's eyes would be fixed on his mother. "Committing crimes in plain sight" was a death sentence. If that ghost lurking in the Pure Land discovered his existence, he was finished.
Hagoromo was the ultimate "Old Six"—a ruthless camper. No matter how kind or righteous he appeared, Tetsumaru only cared about one fact: everyone who ever opposed the Sage was gone. Even the immortal Rabbit Goddess had been tossed into solitary confinement for thousands of years.
The Sage had the power to reinforce the seal himself, yet he insisted on doing it through a "Savior," leaving just enough hope for Black Zetsu to keep trying. Then, at the very moment that "filial son" finally succeeded, Hagoromo would sweep in and seal them both again.
It was a special kind of cruelty: letting your enemy experience the peak of success after a thousand years of effort, only to destroy it with a casual wave of the hand.
Tetsumaru believed that if Black Zetsu ever realized this, he would die of despair.
A "local god" of this level was too dangerous. There was no hope of challenging him on this planet. Tetsumaru's plan was now set: mature his swarm, leave this cradle, and slip into the sea of stars to develop. Only when he returned with planet-killing combat power would he try to "wrestle" with the Sage.
Spooked by the Sage, Tetsumaru stayed away from the Sea of Souls. He turned his full attention to the long-neglected Dune Scorpion, officially launching the "Wind Giant Insect" project.
The difference between the Giant Scorpion and the Giant Ants was a matter of scale. A jump in size required a completely different biological architecture. The scorpion didn't just have an exoskeleton; it possessed an internal skeletal structure.
This internal skeleton was the only reason its organs weren't crushed under its own weight. However, bone alone wasn't enough. Like a whale out of water, the scorpion would suffer internal damage without the buoyancy of its natural environment—or something to replace it.
Tetsumaru discovered that the scorpion possessed four independent hydraulic systems, each controlled by a separate heart. By adjusting the pressure, the systems ensured the organs and muscles weren't crushed and balanced internal pressure to offset the gravitational forces of movement.
This was a lethal problem Tetsumaru hadn't considered. When the scorpion swung its thirty-meter tail, the tip reached speeds near the speed of sound, generating forces up to 30G. Without the hydraulic buffer, the muscles and venom sacs in the tail would be pulverized by the sheer acceleration.
Having mapped these critical systems, Tetsumaru began crafting his version of the giant insect.
For the first technical validation version, Tetsumaru chose to clone the scorpion's cells directly, then spliced in genes from other insects to modify its appearance and function.
This clone was inherently frail. Tetsumaru used a steel frame to help support its body, and it managed to survive for three days.
A creature of this tier was never going to be a one-shot success. It would require a cycle of failure, summary, and improvement. But success was inevitable as long as he persisted.
Tetsumaru formulated a second version. He built a massive water tank in the cavern, filled it with purified water enriched with minerals and nutrients, and turned the entire pool into a "Pupation Slurry."
In this artificial pupation pool, he cultivated a new giant insect. Because it grew in the water, buoyancy offset its weight. This second version actually grew larger than the original specimen.
Unfortunately, the limitations of cloned cells—longevity and constitution—remained a hurdle. The second version died after seven days.
Left with no other choice, Tetsumaru risked a more complex path: using somatic cells to induce egg cells. He would artificially create an insect egg from a single cell and hatch it from scratch, allowing for adjustments from the very beginning of its life cycle.
The next few months were spent in a daze of research, tackling the conversion of somatic cells into reproductive cells. He was so absorbed that he didn't even notice the calendar turn.
It was now Konoha Year 39.
And at the front lines, the situation had shifted drastically.