Training

Sarutobi Residence, bedroom

Hiruzen Sarutobi took off his outer robe and said to his wife, Biwako Sarutobi, who was making the bed, "Kumoi asked me to be his assistant."

Biwako kept working, her tone gentle. "It means he trusts you. What do you think of him?"

Hiruzen sat on the edge of the bed. "His ideas are ambitious, a little... different."

"But his gaze is honest. He truly wants what is best for the village. It is just that the burden suddenly feels much heavier."

"It is good that you can help."

Biwako turned back with a smile. "Get some sleep early. Do you not still have to handle the compensation payments tomorrow? That is the real, tangible good deed."

"Mm." Hiruzen lay down, thinking over tomorrow's arrangements, tired but at ease.

Nara Clan Leader's living room

Nara Clan Leader, Yamanaka Clan Leader, and Torifu Akimichi drank tea together.

"Torifu, how does it feel to have joined the Council of Elders?" Yamanaka Clan Leader asked with a smile.

Torifu scratched his head. "The chairs are rather hard. But the Hokage is serious about getting things done. The compensation and resettlement plans are very detailed."

Nara Clan Leader set down his teacup. "The Hokage has given us his trust, and he has given us positions. We of the Ino-Shika-Cho have always been firm supporters of the Hokage's faction."

"From here on, every family must put more effort into the places where we are needed during reconstruction. Show our true capabilities and offer our support. If we handle this beautifully, that will be the best response."

"No problem!" Torifu Akimichi thumped his chest.

"Then it is settled." The three raised their cups, using tea in place of wine. Their mutual understanding needed no words.

Supporting the Hokage meant supporting Konoha's future. For the Ino-Shika-Cho, that was a creed carved into their blood since the time of the First Hokage.

Konoha's night returned to calm amid the simple, practical thoughts of every side.

There were not so many schemes and calculations, only a little anticipation for a new beginning and preparations for tomorrow's work.

The new Hokage's first fire had already been lit. Next came the time for everyone to roll up their sleeves and build together.

Hokage Residence

What mattered was still strength. I had already mastered some of Teacher Tobirama's forbidden techniques, but it was still not enough.

By the standards of the post-ninja era, I was as weak as Tao Kan of the Six Paths. But the Six Paths still possessed the power to destroy heaven and earth.

If I did not reach the Six Paths, I would ultimately just be a stray dog by the roadside.

As Kumoi sighed, his consciousness seemed to plunge into deep water, switching over in an instant.

The image of the office faded, and he found himself standing in that familiar core Mindscape, where faint light flowed endlessly.

"Ha! I finally caught you after you finished all that fancy paperwork!"

Gaia's booming voice rang out first.

His red-and-white figure, brimming with explosive power, condensed before Nangō Kumoi almost instantly, his fists slamming together with a muffled impact that made the heart tremble.

"After sitting around all day, your bones must be rusted stiff. You cannot be a good Hokage just by approving documents!"

Ray's figure emerged elegantly at the side, golden arcs of electricity gliding quietly around him. His voice was clear, carrying an unquestionable rationality.

"Gaia is right. Kumoi, the ninjutsu knowledge and chakra foundation you inherited from Teacher Tobirama are an excellent starting point, but they are like unpolished jade."

"Politics has won you time and a stage. But what can truly protect that stage is your own strength. From now on, you must temper yourself according to a plan."

Nangō Kumoi's spirits rose. Facing the two mentors of utterly different styles, he bowed. "Then I ask both teachers for your guidance."

Gaia stepped forward, his fierce fighting intent pressing down like something tangible, though his gaze was as sharp as a dissecting blade.

"Then I will begin."

"First, forget all those conventional Taijutsu stances you have learned."

Gaia got straight to the point.

"Your body is now a work we have created together."

"The core of my fighting style lies in 'exerting force from the smallest point to decide victory within an inch,' and 'borrowing force against force, using softness to overcome hardness.'"

"Here, I will use projections of my energy to guide you, helping you understand anew how every muscle and every layer of fascia in your body should coordinate in motion."

"This is not about foolishly increasing your strength. It is about improving the efficiency of force transmission and the stability of your body's structure."

"For example." He assumed a peculiar opening stance. "How do you use the smallest movement to gather the strength of your entire body and erupt at a single point? This is crucial in confined spaces, such as when an ambush occurs in the Hokage Office, or when you need to protect someone behind you."

"Second, I will create virtual targets moving at high speed."

"Your task is not to look with your eyes, but to sense the flow of air with your skin, feel the ground's vibrations through your feet, to listen, to touch, and to predict the trajectory of attacks."

"An outstanding fighter has eyes across his entire body." This would be remarkably effective for guarding against assassinations and dealing with high-speed ninja.

"Finally, I will simulate attacks from every kind of Taijutsu school and weapon, including ninja tools."

"What you need to do is not meet them head-on, but analyze the path of their force and find the most effortless, clever point to break, disarm, or restrain them."

"Remember, your objective will often be to subdue or control, not simply to inflict damage—unless it is necessary."

This directly served the nonlethal suppression or protection duties he might need to carry out as Hokage.

"Politics has taught you compromise, but combat tolerates not the slightest falsehood or weakness!"

"Here, I want to see your bones harden and your reactions sharpen!" Gaia's training was filled with a violently practical philosophy.

Ray also began his instruction. Compared to Gaia's movement, Ray favored the profound mastery of stillness.

"Lightning is not merely a violent force of destruction. It is also the swiftest, most precise, and most penetrating form of energy."

At Ray's fingertips, a thread of electricity was as docile as silk, yet contained frightening potential.

"Your Lightning Release chakra must advance from release to command."

A floating array of fragile crystal leaves appeared in the space.

"Use your Lightning Release chakra not to shatter them, but to make the current like the finest needle, passing through the designated tiny holes in the leaves without damaging the leaves themselves in the slightest."

"Practice absolute control over the form and output of your chakra."

This was the foundation for performing precise surgery in the future, breaking intricate seals, or unleashing ultra-precise lightning strikes, such as destroying only an enemy's weapon without harming the person.

"Try changing the nature of your Lightning Release chakra."

"Make it more than paralysis and destruction. Could it become more conductive, allowing you to instantly construct a chakra signal network?"

"Or more adhesive, forming lightning shackles?"

"Or even imitate bioelectric frequencies to stimulate cellular activity, assisting medical treatment or drawing out potential?"

Ray guided him beyond what ninjutsu scrolls recorded and toward unexplored territory.

"Feel the essential differences and resonance between my Electrical Energy and your chakra."

"Try guiding your chakra to circulate and transform in a more efficient manner, one closer to its essence."

"This can greatly improve your chakra efficiency and recovery speed, while laying an unparalleled foundation for potentially integrating other nature transformations, or even natural energy, in the future." This was a fundamental improvement, one that concerned the upper limit of his growth.