Chapter 10: Growth Plan and Separation

I almost forgot to tell you that this fic will be updated 2 chapters every day. I almost made it 3, but thinking more about it, that would burden me with the amount of work.

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"Where will you go next?"

In a Glam Gas Land hotel suite, Hisoka sat on the floor building a house of cards while questioning Oboro.

They'd left the venue without farewells. Neither had ever intended to form deep bonds with the troupe members.

"That's none of your concern."

Oboro opened the window, letting in a gust that scattered Hisoka's careful construction.

"My, my..." 

Hisoka's expression turned predatory as he released his aura without restraint. Oboro tensed, turning to meet his gaze.

"Planning to attack me?"

"Morittonio was just an appetizer. You must know you're the one who truly interests me." Hisoka rose slowly, a playing card between his fingers and bloodlust radiating from his aura.

Snap!

Oboro released his own aura in response. His raw power exceeded Hisoka's, their competing pressures causing the surrounding glass to crack under the strain.

"You'll die," Oboro cracked his knuckles, finally removing his hands from his pockets.

"How will we know if we don't try? Besides... dying by your hand doesn't sound so bad." Hisoka's excitement was palpable, his aura fluctuating with anticipation.

Oboro remained silent, calculating his odds. His advantages lay in his comprehensive understanding of Nen and familiarity with Hisoka's abilities. His disadvantages... combat experience. Though Hisoka was equally inexperienced, his fight with Morittonio had demonstrated his demonic battle instinct.

In a real fight, Oboro would find no easy victory. Yet he was certain Hisoka couldn't defeat him either.

Seeing Hisoka approach ecstasy, Oboro frowned and suddenly pulled back his aura.

"Oh?"

Hisoka faltered mid-stance, but unwilling to let the moment pass, he launched a card at Oboro's face.

Oboro caught it effortlessly. "Your provocations mean nothing. You, as you are now, hold no interest for me."

Hisoka chuckled and stood down. He'd wanted an all out battle, but one sided aggression would spoil the thrill.

"Is that so..."

"Get to a hospital... and don't follow me."

The fight with Morittonio had left Hisoka with multiple fractures.

"Must we part ways..."

Hisoka's expression turned wistful, though whether genuine or theatrical remained unclear.

"We'll meet again anyway."

Hisoka's smile returned as he stretched and walked to the door. No goodbyes were necessary.

They both needed space to grow. Hisoka understood that when they next met, Oboro's obsessive training would have made him far stronger... and Hisoka couldn't afford to fall behind.

They understood each other well after their time together. Even through Oboro's concealment, Hisoka's instincts warned him of the danger the other youth represented.

"Call if you miss me."

At the last moment, Hisoka turned back with a gesture of farewell.

Examining the ace in his hand, Oboro found a string of numbers written on it, Hisoka's contact information.

"Testing me... how tasteless."

Oboro sighed. The confrontation had been mere theater; Hisoka had written his number beforehand, anticipating this outcome. He likely realized that a serious fight between two novice Nen users would be premature.

But Oboro had clearly been marked as future prey.

"If you're so eager to die... I can't stop you."

He tossed the card aside. The system and his knowledge of Nen gave him confidence in his growth potential, even if his talent couldn't match Hisoka's. More importantly, the Hunter world was vast, Hisoka wasn't the only peak to climb.

Still, no one welcomed the attention of a psychopathic genius.

As Oboro had come to know Hisoka better, his antipathy had somewhat softened. There was an oddly childlike quality to Hisoka's madness.

"Ten years until the main story begins... that's enough time."

With Hisoka gone, Oboro could finally relax. He lay back, contemplating his next move.

His circus earnings would sustain him for a while if spent carefully. This suite was Hisoka's parting extravagance.

Oboro planned to focus on fundamentals, mastering aura control and manipulation while continuing his physical training and martial arts. Others might rush to develop flashy Nen abilities, but he believed in building proper foundations. Like young Netero practicing 10,000 punches daily in pursuit of martial excellence, Oboro would compensate for his lesser talent with methodical preparation.

The next morning, he gathered basic supplies and headed into the wilderness, seeking a primeval mountain range perfect for intensive training.

Days blurred together as he followed the system's three-part training regime:

First, physical conditioning and martial arts to strengthen his body and increase his aura capacity.

Second, mastering the four principles of Nen: Ten (focus), Zetsu (suppress), Ren (enhance), and Hatsu (release). Each principle required perfect control before moving to advanced techniques.

Finally, his own addition, studying the aura of every living thing to deepen his understanding of life energy.

He punched cliff faces until his knuckles bled, meditated under crushing waterfalls, and fought wild beasts. He ate what he could hunt or gather, slept in caves, and observed everything from tigers to ants.

The smallest creatures had the weakest aura, but each living thing's energy had unique properties and fluctuations. This study opened new perspectives on Nen's possibilities.

Six months later, a transformed Oboro stood atop a mountain peak. His clothes had rotted away save for an animal skin wrap. His long hair fell wild around his shoulders, his body lean but carved from granite, skin darkened by exposure.

"The body can still develop... but I've reached a temporary limit. My aura capacity has tripled, at least." He flexed experimentally. "Mastered both martial arts forms... perfected the basic principles. Next comes advanced applications, developing Ten, Ren, Zetsu, and Hatsu further..."

With a slight smile, he leaped from the hundred-meter height.

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