The scent of charred stone lingered in the air. Kagami stood at the edge of the training field, arms crossed, as smoke curled upward from a recent spell. Earth cracked beneath his boots, and residual sparks from thunder magic crackled silently across the shattered ground.

  “Impressive,” Elias said, watching from the side with an unreadable expression. “Your fusion of thunder and earth—Granite Pulse Lance—is stable, and more than just fshy. But that’s not enough.”

  Kagami wiped sweat from his brow. “Not enough?”

  “Your next assignment,” Elias said, tossing him a mana crystal charged with fire and lightning, “is to forge a new fused spell—fire and thunder. Create something unique, born of your path alone.”

  Kagami caught the crystal, his brow furrowing. “You’re just giving me raw elements and no guidance?”

  “Correct.” Elias smirked. “If I spell it out, you’ll only walk my path. You’re already blending chakra and mana, something no one’s done before. You should be carving out something completely your own.”

  Kagami’s gaze lowered. The double path he walked—mana incantation and chakra arts—was exhirating but exhausting. Bancing both left his days full and his nights restless.

  “I want to bring Minna, Iren, and Leo into this,” Kagami said suddenly. “It’s been too long since we trained together. I want to rebuild their taijutsu and kenjutsu with them. And for Leo... I pn to teach him my fire chakra flow. Maybe he can mirror it with his fire magic.”

  Elias blinked in mild surprise. “You want to train them in combat arts from your world?”

  “They have potential,” Kagami said with a smile. “Besides, they’re my friends.”

  Elias tilted his head. “Taijutsu? Kenjutsu? What even are those?”

  Kagami’s smile grew sharper. “You want to find out?”

  The next moment, Kagami stepped into the training circle. “Let’s spar. But no magic. Just fists and movement.”

  Elias chuckled and removed his cloak. “You’re serious? Alright then. Let’s see what shinobi-style fighting feels like.”

  The match began with a flicker—Kagami vanishing from view. Body Flicker Technique. Elias barely registered the blur before a blow struck his ribs, then another swept at his feet. Kagami was already behind him, his movements fast and fluid.

  Kagami’s palm thrust forward with Gentle Fist-style strikes—chakra-infused yet unfocused due to his incomplete Sharingan. Still, they hit like hammers, making Elias’s magic nerves twitch unnaturally.

  Before Elias could recover, Kagami unched himself upward in a spiraling motion—Konoha Ryūjin. His foot cut through the air, becoming a vortex of pressure and wind. Elias was smmed back, stumbling.

  “Tch…” Elias braced himself, struggling to match the relentless taijutsu tempo.

  “I’m holding back,” Kagami said, dropping back into a stance. “You said no magic, right?”

  “So did you,” Elias replied, then winced.

  Without realizing it, a pulse of thunder magic had reacted instinctively, fring around his arm as he blocked.

  Kagami slowed, tilting his head. “Looks like someone cheated.”

  “I didn’t mean to. Reflex,” Elias muttered, breathing hard. “But if we’re being honest… I think you would’ve won.”

  They both ughed, and Kagami helped Elias to his feet.

  “You’re terrifying, you know that?” Elias said.

  “I get that a lot,” Kagami replied. “But I’m not done yet. I’ll train Leo, Minna, and Iren. They’ll learn taijutsu and kenjutsu basics from me, and Leo... I’ll help him synchronize fire chakra flow into his magic.”

  Elias looked at him curiously. “You’re already walking two impossible paths. Why do you keep taking more onto your shoulders?”

  Kagami smiled, gncing up at the horizon. “Because I’m not walking alone anymore.”

  ---