Nara Shikaku, now that the skies had cleared and the rain had stopped, feeling capable again, was preparing to play word games with Hozuki Sengetsu. For the moment, that was beside the point.
Elsewhere, in the Mizukage Building of Kirigakure, inside the Mizukage's office.
Araki once again received a private summons from the Third Mizukage.
As he entered the Mizukage's office and looked at the aged Third Mizukage sitting behind his desk, Araki's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
Over the past half month, although he had been training six genin, his own cultivation had not fallen behind.
His nightly battles with Sasaki Kojiro had brought gains every time, and the improvement in his spiritual realm had been remarkably clear.
Though he was still some distance from the state of merging with nature and achieving Presence Concealment, his sensory abilities had undoubtedly improved significantly.
This perception was not like the Byakugan, which could directly see things. It was more akin to the aura sensing of Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
Of course, whether in range or precision, it was still far inferior to Mind's Eye of the Kagura. Moreover, his perception was not directed at chakra, but at something closer to the essence of life itself.
That was—life force!
Life force was not something limited solely to humans.
Flowers, birds, fish, insects, beasts, and fowl—so long as they were alive, they possessed life force.
Even an environment had its own life force.
The essence of Sasaki Kojiro's Presence Concealment lay in his spiritual cultivation reaching the realm of "Void Self," abandoning all distinctive traits and unique characteristics to achieve complete harmony and unity with the surrounding environment.
And if one wished to blend into an environment, one first had to understand it, perceive its characteristics, and adjust oneself accordingly.
This perception was