Boruto cautiously stepped into the depths of the dark passage. It was pitch black; he couldn't see his own hand in front of him. He had to feel his way along the walls like a blind man.
Since Hinata had removed his ninja tool pouch when she placed him on the bed after he had fainted, and he had gone directly to the Hyuga estate after waking up, he had no fire-starting tools on him.
As he moved forward, a thought struck him: why not use a Rasengan to light the way?
He acted immediately, forming a Rasengan in his hand. The chakra emitted a soft glow, like stars in the night sky dim, but enough to illuminate the path ahead. In the pitch-black tunnel, even this faint light was sufficient for him to see, allowing him to move faster without the need for extreme caution.
"I think I'm close to the exit," Boruto murmured as a faint light ahead outlined the shape of an opening.
Passing through, the glow of the Rasengan instantly faded, revealing a larger space beyond.
Boruto looked around. Normally, a cave like this would have torches or other light sources. After searching along the walls for a while, he finally found an unlit torch. Picking it up, he tried to ignite it by channeling his Lightning Release chakra to the tip.
"Hey, brat, what are you doing?" Momoshiki's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, startling Boruto.
"Can't you see I'm trying to make a fire?" Boruto replied, realizing no one else was around.
"Idiot, you don't know how to use fire release?"
"I don't have the Fire Release ability."
"You're one-fifth of the Ōtsutsuki clan and you're telling me you can't do Fire Release? Seriously?" Momoshiki mocked.
"Oh, right… I completely forgot!" Boruto exclaimed, feeling a mix of relief and frustration. He grabbed the torch, then immediately put it down again.
"I just remembered I've never learned Fire Release. How am I supposed to light this?" he muttered, annoyed.
"Fine, I'll handle it. You just clear your mind," Momoshiki said, exasperated.
Boruto followed the instructions. In the next moment, the seal from his hand traveled up to his forehead, and a horn, characteristic of the Ōtsutsuki clan, sprouted from his head.
"Tch, every time I possess you, you have to become Karma V2. It's such a hassle. You can't even leave the house looking like that," Momoshiki said as he touched the horn.
"Don't worry about that now. Just light the fire," Boruto instructed in the mental space.
"Fine, fine. Why rush?" Momoshiki muttered, extending his right hand toward the torch. In this Karma state, his Takamahara powers were no longer limited to one hand. He integrated absorption and amplification abilities into his right hand and felt confident. One hand could only absorb and the other release, which was less powerful than other Ōtsutsuki. By combining functions in one hand and freeing the other, the abilities were more practical.
"Fire," Momoshiki whispered, and a small flame erupted from his right palm. He placed it on the torch's tip, igniting it instantly.
"Alright, you really need to stop being so careless and try thinking faster, okay?" Momoshiki said, stepping out of the Karma state and returning to the mental space to continue studying ninjutsu.
"Uh…" Momoshiki suddenly withdrew from the Karma state, causing Boruto to be abruptly ejected from the spiritual space. Losing control of the body, Boruto had to regain dominance over his consciousness. Dazed, he returned to reality, fully aware and in control once again.