As Kaminari stepped out of the wooden wearing the cer's Golden Cloth, the m sun rising from the side of Mount Fuji bathed him in its gentle light.

  The sunlight caught the golden threads of his robe, making his entire figure shine brilliantly, as if his body had naturally activated its "lighting fun." At this moment, Kaminari looked almost otherworldly, like the mythical "Son of Light."

  Edgeshot, who had turo g Kaminari, froze briefly at the sight before squinting slightly and enting with his usual calm tone, "You… are a bit too spicuous."

  To be fair, in his years as a professional Hero, this was the first time he'd ever seen such a dazzling bat uniform.

  "Uh… hehe," Kaminari ughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "It's not that bad, right? I mean, pared to Endeavor, who's literally on fire, I'm ly subtle—but I'm not worse either!"

  Edgeshot fell silent for a moment befiving a small nod. "Fair point."

  Without dwelling oter further, he turned back around aured forward. "Let's go. We'll catch fish aurn quickly. Once we've had breakfast, we o start m training."

  As he spoke, Edgeshot picked up speed. His calm walk turned into a brisk jog, then a full sprint, his agile movements quickly carrying him toward the wooden walls of the camp. With a seamless leap, he tapped the top of the wall with one hand and disappeared into the forest beyond.

  Crackle!

  "Got it!" Kaminari responded eically. A surge of goldericity ed around his body, and in the moment, he dashed after Edgeshot, vaulting the wall and following closely through the forest.

  ---

  As they raced along thick tree trunks, weaving through the lush greenery, Kaminari asked a question that had been on his mind si night.

  "Sensei, I ask what kind of training we'll be doing today?"

  Without breaking stride, Edgeshot responded, his voice steady even as he bounded forward. "We'll begin with the basics—meditation."

  "Meditation?" Kaminari echoed, slightly fused. "You mean like… what mages use to recover mana in fantasy stories?"

  Edgeshot's expression didn't shift, but he nodded slightly. "Something like that. After all, those fantasy stories draw inspiration from the real world."

  He tinued, "Meditation is a teique for achieving deep tration. Through this practice, you align your heart, mind, and body. It strengthens your mental focus and enhances your trol over your body from the i."

  Kaminari listened ily as Edgeshot expined further.

  "This teique isn't uo any one culture. It's present in nearly all martial arts disciplines. 'Kung Fu' in a, 'Yoga' in India, 'Muay Thai' in Thaind—each has its own version of meditative practices.

  "These practices may differ iion, but their essence is the same: cultivating your mind and spirit to achieve mastery over your body."

  Kaminari houghtfully. "I see. But…" He hesitated before asking with a wry smile, " this really create energy? Like magic or chakra?"

  "Absolutely not," Edgeshot said ftly, not even turning his head. "Skills are skills—they ever bee something like Quirks."

  Edgeshot gnced back briefly before eborating, "I 't offer you advi developing your Quirk. That's your journey. But what I teach you are the teiques of ninjutsu."

  Kaminari's eyes lit up with i.

  "You've already learhe breathing teique I showed you st night. That was a foundation, a simple entry point to meditation. It allows you to recover quickly and wake instantly at any sign of danger. I'll be expanding on that."

  He paused before adding pointedly, "Assuming, of course, you didn't just pretend to learn it."

  "Pretend? Of course not!" Kaminari protested with modignation. Then, uo resist, he grinned and asked, "Sensei, how long did it take you to master breathing teiques?"

  Edgeshot remained silent for a few moments, seemingly p the question as he moved effortlessly ahead.

  "…Three days and three nights," he finally admitted. "I struggled to evearted back then. So, yes, you do have talent."

  "Three days? Not bad!" Kaminari teased before pressing further. "What kind of ninjutsu are we talking about? Is it something cool like shadow es or substitution teiques?"

  Before Edgeshot could ahe forest ahead gave way to a clearing, revealing a small, tranquil ke.

  "We're here," Edgeshot said simply, nding gracefully on the ground.

  Kaminari followed suit, his curiosity briefly overtaken by awe as he took in the se.

  The ke's surface was a deep, rich blue, perfectly refleg the sky above. The stillness of the water gave it the appearance of a massive sapphire resting at the foot of Mount Fuji, whied majestically in the distance.

  Although they'd beehe previous evening, the atmosphere felt entirely different in the m light.

  "This pce is…" Kaminari murmured, his earlier excitement repced with a sense of peace.

  Edgeshot, however, wasted no time. He dashed toward the ke, his movements fluid as he skimmed the surface of the water. To Kaminari, it looked as if the Hero was walking on liquid gss, leaving only ripples in his wake.

  Though he had seen Edgeshot perform this "water floating" teique the day before, it still amazed him.

  "He's practically gliding," Kaminari muttered. "No matter how many times I see it, it's incredible."

  Edgeshot quickly returned, carrying a small makeshift box filled with water and a few fish. The "box" itself appeared to be folded from paper—likely formed by his own Quirk.

  "We're done here. Let's head back," Edgeshot said simply.

  ---

  As they made their way back to the camp, the peaceful rhythm of their journey was interrupted.

  "Is that… someone hanging from a tree?!" Kaminari excimed, spotting a man dangling from a thick branch up ahead. His movements were wild aic, like a fish filing out of water.

  Edgeshot's sharp eyes quickly assessed the situation. Without hesitation, he increased his speed and pulled out a shuriken.

  Whoosh!

  The shuriken sliced ly through the man's tie, cutting him free from the branch.

  Thud!

  The mao the ground in a heap, coughing violently as he struggled tain his breath. His face was red and sweaty, and it was clear that he had been moments away from suffog.

  But as soon as he recovered, he looked up at Kaminari and Edgeshot with unfiltered anger.

  "Why did you stop me?!" he yelled, his voice hoarse. "Do you have any idea how much ce it took for me to do this?!"

  Kaminari blinked in disbelief. "You're mad at us for saving you?!"

  The man didn't respond immediately. Instead, he picked up his briefcase discarded in his earlier struggle and hurled it toward them. It didn't get far, falling to the ground with a soft thud. Papers spilled out of the bag, fluttering like leaves before settling around him.

  "Why do you care where or how I die?!" the man shouted, his voice filled with bitterness. "It's my life, isn't it? I should get to decide how it ends!"

  Edgeshot, standing on a nearby branch, sighed quietly at the dispy.

  Kaminari, still perched nearby, muttered under his breath, "Isn't it more stra to stop someone from killing themselves right in front of you?"

  He shook his head and added in exasperation, "Seriously, though—if yoing to do this, why hike all the way out here to do it?"

  The ma them, his face torted with frustration. "Because this is the one decision in my life that's mine! I've spent my whole life following orders, doing what everyone else wanted. 't I at least decide how I go out?!"

  Junkdog