Hunter Association HeadquartersIn the Chairman's office…
A rugged man, unshaven, scarf around his neck and dressed like he came straight from a desert expedition, chuckled lightly.
"Looks like I'm not needed after all."
Across from him, Netero set down his phone and shot him a sideways glance.
"Wasn't planning on letting you meddle anyway, Jin."
"Come on, don't be so cold, Chairman," Jin Freecss replied with a grin."I'm just looking out for you."
Tch.
Netero clicked his tongue, too lazy to argue.
If Jin really cared, he'd pull his weight as part of the Zodiac Twelve, actually help run the Association——not disappear every other day chasing some wild lead.
"Still, it's amazing," Jin muttered, eyes sparkling."The next generation's got real monsters in it."
"Don't stir things up," Netero warned with a sharp look."You want to sneak off to the Dark Continent, fine. But no loud moves.Until I'm dead, you form your team quietly."
Jin raised his hands with a sigh of surrender.
He had, admittedly, thought about recruiting Aoki Hiroshi.
But with Netero breathing down his neck, he'd shelve the idea—for now.
The next day
Aoki Hiroshi continued his routine.
Training, gourmet meals from top-tier Gourmet Hunters, and Cookie-chan's massages.
With repeated Gene Lock activations, even the backlash duration was shortening.
It used to take three hours to recover using only Zetsu—Now, he was back on his feet in two and a half.
Life had finally settled into a productive rhythm.
But in the shadows…
Some people were growing very, very anxious.
NGL Autonomous Region – Border Area
A man in a sharp suit lit a cigarette, phone pressed to his ear.
"I'm here.""...You sure about this?""Feels premature... Alright, you're the boss."
Pariston Hill ended the call and shook his head.
The V5 council had caught wind of Hiroshi training under Biscuit.
Panic set in.
They sent a kill team—thirty elite operatives, fully armed with guns and grenades, tasked with assassinating Aoki Hiroshi.
Pariston was ordered to oversee the operation in person.
"So what if he's a Nen prodigy?" Pariston muttered, exhaling smoke."He still needs time to grow."
"Even Jin took six months from awakening to developing a Hatsu.Hiroshi's stronger, has Biscuit's help... Let's be generous: one month."
With that in mind, Pariston couldn't take this seriously.
Sending a 30-man squad to kill a newly awakened Nen user?
Ridiculous. And risky.
Killing Hiroshi would piss off Netero badly. There would be consequences.
Still, the V5's compensation package had been too good to pass up.
"After this, I'm skipping to the Kakin Empire.The Association has little influence there."
He already had an exit strategy.
In Pariston's eyes, Hiroshi was as good as dead.
Even a Three-Star Hunter would struggle to survive such an ambush—Let alone a newbie.
"Tch. And now I have to keep Biscuit distracted too," he grumbled, headache incoming.
He slipped on his earpiece, revved his motorbike, and entered NGL territory.
Elsewhere—
A convoy of pickup trucks rumbled through a winding mountain path.
Thirty elite V5 agents.All headed toward Hiroshi's training grounds.
Deep in the Forest
Aoki Hiroshi sat calmly atop a boulder, releasing his aura.
Zzztt-zzztt!
Arcs of electricity snapped to life, dancing over his skin.
In the blink of an eye—
The aura surged, condensed, and reshaped into the form of a wolf made of lightning.
Szzzz—CRACK!
It was eerily lifelike, mouth open in a soundless but savage howl.
Lightning flickered across its body, its killing intent almost tangible.
"Go patrol."
At Hiroshi's command, the wolf leapt into action——dashing off as a streak of white-blue lightning.
No—It wasn't like lightning.
It was lightning.
To an outside observer, it was just a blur—light flashing between trees, gone in a breath.
"Manipulation + Transformation + Emission + Enhancement...""A fully autonomous Nen beast... That can be remotely controlled..."
"It's a flawless technique."
Biscuit, standing nearby, was visibly stunned.
She'd watched him build this technique day by day.
From a crude, formless shape—just a hint of a wolf—To something increasingly defined, animated, and finally, alive.
"You've accomplished in five days what takes most people fifty years," she muttered in awe.
"Honestly... I have nothing left to teach you," she sighed."I'm a Transformation-Type Nen user.I couldn't even master Emission or Enhancement the way you just did."
"And yet my 'student' has already outpaced me."
Hiroshi gave her a sideways glance, baffled.
Did you even teach me anything this week?Aside from Cookie-chan's massages, you've just been a spectator.
"Don't look at me like that!" Biscuit snapped, raising her chin."The Association contract clearly says you hired me to teach Nen, remember?"
Hiroshi surrendered with a sigh and turned back to his lightning wolf.
Time to resume training.
Crack. Pop.
Tiny explosions echoed faintly from within the beast.
Dark, inky streaks began appearing on its body——slowly spreading like dyed ink on wet fabric.
"Are you seriously trying to inject Enhancement into that thing now?" Biscuit asked, exasperated."What's next, Conjuration?Why not just add all five Nen types and call it God Beast Mode?"
Hiroshi ignored her.
He continued modifying the lightning patterns within the wolf——the black energy growing stronger, more violent.
But it was too slow.
Something was missing. He couldn't fully integrate the change in one go.
How did Raikage Darui create Black Lightning? Hiroshi pondered.
He remembered the technique—Raiden: Kuromazasa (Black Panther Spear).
Developed by the Third Raikage, mastered by the Fifth—Darui.A jutsu that produced brutal, dark lightning far more devastating than standard voltage.
Unfortunately, the original anime never explained how.
Tch… Guess I'll have to figure it out myself.