Chapter 842
Leorio's pupils tightened slightly. He hadn't expected Gon and Killua to have come this far already.
The result was a bit beyond what he had imagined.
Back during the Hunter Exam, Leorio had been well aware that he was probably the weakest of the group. Still, at the time, the gap between him and Kurapika or Gon wasn't too wide. Endurance had never been his strength, but when it came to raw physical power, Leorio had actually been stronger than both of them. This could be seen clearly during their test at the Zoldyck estate's Testing Gate—back then, only Killua had stood out as being clearly ahead of the rest.
But by the time they reached Yorknew, Kurapika's strength had undergone a massive change. Through the use of his Nen restrictions and vows, he had gained the power to suppress members of the Phantom Troupe. Even without those restrictions, Kurapika was no weak Nen user. The presence of the Scarlet Eyes granted him a unique innate talent.
Leorio, by contrast, had remained the weakest among the four. He had only managed to learn Ten and couldn't even be compared to Kurapika. Gon and Killua had both far surpassed him by then.
Still, Leorio had once believed that his lack of strength came from not yet mastering the fundamentals of Nen. He thought that once he completed his training, his strength would rise dramatically—just like Kurapika's had.
During his Nen training, Leorio had asked his teacher many questions. He learned that aura was a combination of spiritual and physical energy. Given his age and physical maturity, he believed that once he fully grasped Nen, he would experience a qualitative leap.
What he hadn't anticipated, however, was just how fast Gon and Killua would grow.
He could still recall the strength of the Phantom Troupe members. The shadow of that power had stayed with him.
"Kurapika, have you discovered something new about what happened back then?" he asked.
Ron, standing nearby, added, "You've changed since Yorknew. It's obvious—you're in a much better state now."
Kurapika gave a small nod. "I've completed part of my revenge. I've killed the elders of Meteor City. The Phantom Troupe created the opportunity for me—this was a form of cooperation between us."
Kurapika had taken down the elders, fulfilling a major part of his vengeance. And with them gone, the Phantom Troupe found it even easier to control Meteor City. Those elders had still clung to some lingering influence. Because of appearances, the Troupe couldn't take direct action against them. But Kurapika had no such restrictions.
"As for the other two factions—on Kakin's side, I've uncovered some leads. But regarding Minpo, I have nothing yet."
"There's no need to investigate Minpo anymore," Ron said.
"No need?" Kurapika paused.
"I left Minpo not long ago," Ron explained. "That country is in a unique state. The people who once persecuted the Kurta Clan are almost certainly gone."
Kurapika's gaze shifted, his eyes dimming slightly.
"I see. Thank you for telling me that, Ron."
Ron wasn't the only one observing others. Around him, many people were watching as well—members of the Zodiacs and several others who had heard of his name.
Names of the current Hunter Chairman candidates were appearing on the massive display screen. There were many eligible for votes, but only a few stood out as true contenders: Pariston, Yorkshire, and Ging Freecss. The rest trailed behind by a wide margin.
Regardless of what Pariston's true nature might be, his public image was excellent—and his abilities were undeniable. Ging Freecss had only joined the election because of Pariston. He had no real interest in becoming chairman and was only here to make sure Pariston didn't win. In truth, however, Pariston didn't care about the position as well.
The only person who had seriously wanted the position from the beginning—who genuinely wanted to do well in that role—was Yorkshire. And in the end, it was Yorkshire who actually became the Chairman. Pariston, despite winning, had stepped down immediately afterward.
From Ron's perspective, the whole election seemed like a joke. That had always been apparent, even in the original storyline.
Back then, Leorio had gone on stage and shouted at Ging for neglecting Gon. The speech had nothing to do with the Chairman election, and yet it still earned him a large number of votes. Many in the Association knew who Ging was, but very few were familiar with Gon.
Did they actually care about what happened between Ging and Gon? Of course not. At most, they viewed it as gossip.
How could Leorio's speech have possibly earned that many votes?
But in this world, Gon had never been seriously injured, so many things had changed. Killua had never given commands to Alluka, and Leorio had never given that speech.
"Sensei."
A figure stepped forward and took the seat in front of Ron—it was Hanzo.
"Hanzo, it's been a long time. You don't need to call me your teacher. I was simply commissioned by the Hunter Association to guide you for a bit. I didn't teach you much. If it wasn't me, someone else would've done it."
"You can't say that," Hanzo replied, shaking his head. "No one else could've taught me as well as you did. In our ninja tradition, this kind of encounter is fate."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "If that's how you see it, then so be it."
At that moment, Pariston had already taken the stage. Ron's gaze turned toward him.
Ging Freecss was an S-rank Nen user, but Pariston wasn't simple either. He had already set foot on the path. Compared to Oster of the United States of Sahelta, Pariston had gone even further—he could rival the Floor Masters of Heaven's Arena. And he was far younger than any of them. That alone proved his talent.
Still, Ron's attention was drawn more to someone else—Botobai, the Zodiac Dragon.
Among the Twelve Zodiacs, the Dragon was a particularly unique figure. Botobai's reputation placed him closest to Netero in both strength and standing. That comparison came from two aspects: his accomplishments and his power.
Ron was deeply curious. Had Botobai reached S-rank? And if so, where exactly did he stand within it?