The weapon replicated at an astonishing speed, forming a dark cloud of countless needles. With a mere thought from Ryu, the cloud of needles morphed into a swirling tornado. The cloned needles collided with everything within a few kilometers, blanketing the forest in black seals of the Flying Thunder God.
Ryu couldn't help but grin excitedly as he began to teleport from one seal to another. Bright yellow flashes illuminated the area in rapid succession, the flickering so intense it could potentially trigger an epileptic seizure in a bystander.
Ryu was in awe. He had underestimated the power of this Jutsu. Teleportation between the seals was effortless, requiring only a single thought. The realization both baffled and excited him.
His test run had exceeded his expectations, and Ryu was satisfied. The next step was to offer the weapon to Naruto, in case he wished to continue his father's legacy. But even if he chose not to, Ryu had a feeling Naruto wouldn't refuse such a formidable tool that could transform kilometers of land into a strategic playground.
As he contemplated the successful test, Ryu's thoughts turned to an experiment he'd been considering. During his studies of vacuums, he had been plagued by a question: Is a vacuum truly empty? While it is a space devoid of physical matter, could there be something else hidden within? Were atoms and molecules the smallest building blocks, or was there more to discover? Intrigued, Ryu decided to delve into the unknown.
Entrusting one of his Shinobi with the task of delivering the needle to Naruto, Ryu couldn't help but think of how he had integrated Minato and Kushina's abilities into his elite group of warriors. This had made them even more formidable, and Ryu felt a sense of pride in their growing power.
Retiring to his room, Ryu closed the door and began to focus on the upcoming experiment. He had a straightforward, yet effective plan to uncover the answers he sought, and he knew his unique abilities were perfect for the challenge.
Ryu's Mangekyo possessed two distinct abilities. The first allowed him to understand everything about what he looked at, while the second enabled him to see absolutely everything within a certain radius. Naturally, the effectiveness of these abilities depended on the amount of Chakra he expended. Fortunately, Ryu had already discovered a way to achieve virtually limitless Chakra.
All he needed was to channel an enormous amount of Chakra, allowing him to perceive his surroundings in such extraordinary detail that he could see beyond the level of atoms. If he found anything, he could then employ his other Mangekyo ability to learn about it.
"Well, let's get this show on the road..." Ryu muttered, a blend of nervousness and excitement in his voice. Taking a deep breath, he activated his Mangekyo ability.
Immediately, his surroundings became crystal clear, with Ryu able to discern every speck of dust in the room. He knew he needed to delve deeper, so he poured more Chakra into his efforts. The specks of dust appeared to grow in size, resembling mountains as his vision reached molecular levels. Eventually, he could discern the atoms composing those molecules.
As Ryu continued to push his limits, his eye began to bleed profusely, and his vision blurred. He transformed his Sharingan into a fresh one and replenished his dwindling Chakra supply. He increased his Chakra pool a thousandfold, filling it to capacity, and then altered his body to regenerate and collect Chakra at an incredible rate. With renewed determination, he resumed his exploration.
Ryu's perception delved even deeper, going beyond subatomic particles. As he forced his mind to process the overwhelming influx of information, it felt as though it was burning. He struggled to continuously adapt and function, eventually reaching a space so minuscule that it seemed to contain nothing at all— at least, nothing he could detect.
The entire process had taken about half an hour, and Ryu hoped to uncover new revelations within a matter of minutes. However, after another hour and a half of pouring Chakra into his Mangekyo, he hadn't discovered anything groundbreaking. He could see what composed subatomic particles that were trillions of times smaller than atoms, but the answers he sought remained elusive. Just as he was on the verge of losing hope, he noticed a peculiar crack.
Ryu couldn't identify what he was seeing. It appeared to be a small, semi-transparent lightning bolt, and as he continued to probe deeper, he noticed more and more of these minuscule cracks materializing around him. Whatever they were, they seemed to wobble as if something vibrant and colorful was violently vibrating against them, trying to enter Ryu's room but failing to do so.
Ryu couldn't understand what he was witnessing, but he gazed at the phenomenon with wonder-filled eyes. Resolved to learn more, he activated his second Mangekyo ability to gain insight into the cracks and the enigmatic energy they seemed to be obstructing.
An onslaught of information poured into his mind. Ryu hastily began to transform his brain, attempting to accommodate the vast knowledge he had just acquired, as a terrible scream escaped his lips.
---
Ryu had lost track of the time that had elapsed. His throat had turned dry an eternity ago, and he no longer had the energy to scream. All his efforts were concentrated on adapting himself to each new wave of information. At last, the torrent of knowledge ceased.
With an exhausted smile, Ryu took one final look at the mysterious fissures that seemed to bridge different realities before losing consciousness.