By the time he left the Senju Ancestral Home, the sun had already sunk more than halfway below the horizon, leaving only a dark-red remnant of sunset at the edge of the sky.
After returning alone to the dedicated training ground behind the Hokage Residence, Nangō Kumoi—
—found himself in a broad area protected by multiple layers of powerful barriers, its ground paved with special materials capable of withstanding intense energy impacts.
He did not light the lamps, allowing the deepening twilight to engulf the surroundings.
Only the chakra and electric arcs faintly circulating around him traced a flickering outline in the darkness.
His goal was clear: to attempt a deeper level of "one mind, one body" with Ray and Gaia.
Over the past few years of training, he had successfully learned the rudiments of Ray's "Extreme Lightning Chidori" and the basic force-generating method behind Gaia's "Earth-Shattering."
He had also combined their energy traits with ninjutsu to create unique techniques such as "Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear" and "Earth Release: Earthquake Wave."
But that had been more borrowing and imitation than anything else.
True "one mind, one body" meant a high degree of synchronization and fusion between energy, consciousness, and battle instincts, unleashing power far beyond a simple combination.
It was also a crucial trump card against future threats that might transcend the Ninja World's common sense, such as the Otsutsuki or fully developed Tailed Beasts.
Yet tonight's attempt still did not go smoothly.
When he tried to integrate Ray's pure lightning energy into his chakra pathways with greater precision, waves of scorching pain and numbness ran through his chakra circuits. The energy flow kept breaking apart, utterly unstable.
After forcibly stabilizing it, he changed approaches and simulated the core exertion of Gaia's Earth-Shattering, which drew upon the pulse of