Past

The special training in the Mindscape had come to an end.

Though it had only been simulated tempering of their consciousness forms, Nangō Kumoi still felt mentally exhausted, yet filled with a sense of fulfillment.

Ray and Gaia's figures appeared slightly fainter than usual. Clearly, the guidance just now had drained quite a bit of their mental energy as well.

The three of them did not leave the tranquil space immediately. Instead, like old friends who understood one another without words, they "sat" beneath the illusory starry sky and enjoyed a moment of peace.

"Come to think of it..." Nangō Kumoi looked at the two dependable companions beside him, so different in style, as a question rose in his mind.

"With your level of strength, even if you were short on energy when you first arrived in this world, you shouldn't have been so easily... captured, right? What exactly happened in that laboratory?" he asked cautiously, afraid of touching upon painful memories.

Gaia crossed his arms and snorted, a trace of resentment and irritation flashing through his red eyes. "Don't mention it! We got caught in a ditch! A bunch of... people who didn't seem like normal humans." His voice was low, carrying suppressed fury.

"They had very pale skin, almost white, and their eyes... were strange. If Ray and I hadn't nearly run out of energy at the time, and if that damned place hadn't been so sinister..."

Ray was comparatively calm, but a grave recollection also passed through his golden eyes.

"They did not use this world's conventional chakra, at least not entirely.

"Their methods of sensing and manipulating energy were extremely... ancient and unusual. They carried a cold, plundering quality, as though they did not belong to this world.

"At the time, our strength had been exhausted, and we knew nothing about their methods. That was why we were trapped by their unique sealing technique."

Plunder... Not belonging to this world... Pale skin... Strange eyes...

Nangō Kumoi's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

These descriptions faintly overlapped with fragments from his hazy memories before his transmigration, as well as vague, forbidden records he had glimpsed in a handful of ancient scrolls and legends after arriving in this world.

They seemed to outline the shadow of something older and more terrifying than ninja history itself.

"Kumoi, we are not creatures of this world. Our homeland is a place within the vast galaxy, filled with light and energy.

"Together with our close friends Cassius, Blake, and Muse, Ray and I were known as the God of War Alliance. Our duty was to maintain balance and justice among the galaxies."

Ray's voice carried a trace of reminiscence.

"Once, we pursued the Dark God of War Alliance, who intended to destroy several galaxies. During the final confrontation, the energies of both sides collided violently, triggering a rare spacetime current.

"The scale of that current was beyond imagination. It swept all of us in... and when we awoke, we had already been scattered across this completely unfamiliar world."

Gaia took over, clenching his fists.

"The biggest problem was that this world's energy system was completely different from ours! We could not directly absorb and convert the 'natural energy' drifting through the air or the 'chakra' used by ninjas to replenish our cores!

"It was like throwing fish into a desert. Every bit of power we used was one bit less. While searching for our scattered companions and trying to understand this world, our strength kept declining."

"What did they want from you?" Kumoi suppressed his shock and continued asking.

"To study us, dissect us, and extract the source energy of our cores."

Ray's voice turned cold.

"They seemed extremely curious about the composition of our energy. They considered it a 'valuable specimen,' perhaps even a 'key' or a 'supplement.' We realized that we absolutely could not let them succeed."

Gaia continued in an unyielding tone.

"So there was nothing more to say! Ray and I would rather destroy everything than become nourishment for those monsters! At the final moment, we used everything we had left, trying to trigger the most complete energy annihilation..."

At the edge of self-destruction, they sensed Nangō Kumoi, who had just transmigrated and whose soul was fluctuating violently. Drawn in and sustained by the special soul waves he unconsciously emitted, they ultimately formed a symbiosis.

After hearing this recollection, which omitted specific names yet painted such a terrifying outline, Nangō Kumoi fell into deep thought.

Ray and Gaia clearly still feared that experience, and they knew very little about the origins of their enemies. They could only describe their traits.

Pale skin, strange eyes, ancient and plundering power, greed for unusual energy... It sounded...

Somewhat like the bosses of this world, and those "visitors" from beyond the heavens, didn't it?

He did not voice his speculation.

For one thing, it was too shocking. For another, he could not be certain himself.

But a seed of suspicion had quietly been planted.

If the beings Ray and Gaia had encountered truly were that kind of existence... then this world ran far deeper than he had imagined, and its dangers went far beyond the Ninja World war and internal conflicts before his eyes.

"It's all in the past now," he finally said, his tone firm.

"No matter what they are, you have me now. In this world, we'll grow stronger together.

"One day, if those people appear again, or if we find your companions and have to face something... we'll face it together!"

Gaia gave a heavy snort, but his gaze softened.

"That's right! Next time we run into them, I don't care what demons or monsters they are—we'll send them all flying!"

Ray looked at Kumoi, admiration showing in his golden eyes. This companion's sharpness and sense of responsibility remained as steadfast as ever.

"First, we must establish ourselves in the present, Kumoi.

"Your growth and Konoha's strength are our strongest foundations for now.

"As for the rest... when the time is right, it will naturally become clear."

The exchange within the Mindscape ended, but Nangō Kumoi's heart now held not only pain for his companions' past and a heavier sense of responsibility, but also a stern vigilance toward the deeper secrets of this world.

The road ahead, atop the blueprint for building a homeland, now seemed to be shrouded in an even grander and more mysterious shadow.