Kukuroo Mountain, the Zoldyck Estate.
When Killua arrived at the main gate carrying the dying Illumi on his back, the old man in charge of guarding the gate rushed to open it for Young Master Killua immediately.
And he promptly notified the head butler, Mr. Gotoh.
...
In that instant, news of Illumi's grievous injury spread like wildfire throughout the entire Zoldyck estate, causing an uproar.
Servants, butlers, and Zoldyck family members alike found it hard to believe.
After all, everyone had witnessed Illumi's strength. His mastery of assassination techniques and Nen abilities was considered perfection.
Coupled with his personality, even if he encountered an enemy far stronger than himself, he could usually find an opportunity to retreat unscathed.
So...
Who was it?
This was the question on everyone's mind at the Zoldyck estate.
As the head of the Zoldyck family, Silva, after witnessing Illumi's injuries with his own eyes, appeared even colder than usual, his killing intent palpable.
Silva had only one thought in his mind:
Find the culprit...
And kill him!
...
Now, a week had passed since Killua brought Illumi back.
Illumi had been placed in a special room for treatment. His aura had improved, and his consciousness was gradually stabilizing.
However, the wound on his chest remained horrific. A full recovery... would take at least six months.
His mother, Kikyo, wept uncontrollably by Illumi's bedside. Even Milluki, who usually idled about, was unusually angry.
But to learn the truth before Illumi woke up... they could only question Killua, who had brought him back.
At this moment, in Illumi's room, everyone silently looked at Killua, who stood in the center.
Kikyo walked up to Killua, wiped away her tears, then squatted down and placed her hands on his shoulders. With a sobbing voice, she asked:
"Killua, tell Mama... who exactly hurt your brother like this?"
"As long as you can describe that guy's features, Mama promises that tomorrow... no, today, I will tear his head off and bring it back to avenge your brother."
Hearing this, Killua was at a loss.
He didn't know how to explain it to everyone...
Objectively speaking, the whole thing started because Big Brother Illumi asked for it. He had ambushed Yuu with the intent to kill, leading to this outcome.
On the other hand... the person who did it was the older brother he had met by chance outside.
If he told them, then Yuu, as his father's illegitimate son, would most likely be secretly eliminated by his mother.
So, Killua insisted... that he hadn't seen the culprit's face clearly, and that only Big Brother Illumi had seen him.
He hoped to delay the inevitable conflict.
However, eight-year-old Killua overestimated his lying skills. Both Milluki and Kikyo could easily see the unnatural look on his face.
Clearly, he was hiding something difficult to say.
"Killua..."
Kikyo looked conflicted and wanted to say more.
But Milluki, who had long resented this younger brother born with everyone's high expectations, stormed forward furiously and slapped Killua across the face.
Slap!!
Seeing this, Kikyo agitatedly scolded Milluki.
But the latter said with a look of innocence:
"But, Mama... this brat refuses to tell the truth."
"Milluki, stop it for now..."
Just then, Silva, the head of the Zoldyck family, walked into the room.
"I need to ask him something..."
Hearing his father's voice, Killua turned to look at the towering figure.
In the blink of an eye, Silva was beside Killua, placing a hand on his shoulder. He said:
"Killua, come with me."
His father's voice was unusually cold, deep, and powerful, making it impossible to refuse.
...
Along the way.
Killua followed his father's footsteps like a kitten that had done something wrong.
He was distracted, head down, afraid to speak.
Obviously, he guessed that his father was looking for him... to ask about the culprit.
"Just as well... I can take this chance to confirm something with Dad," Killua thought.
...
Soon, Killua followed his father into a dimly lit room.
Silva walked straight to the sofa in the center of the room, turned around, sat down, and said:
"Killua, talk to me... How have you been these past two years outside?"
"Being alone outside is tough, right...?"
Killua hadn't expected his father to ask about this and looked surprised.
After all, in his memory, his father was always serious and imposing, never showing much tenderness.
He was the person Killua feared most, second only to his brother Illumi.
"It was okay..."
Killua lowered his head and thought for a moment:
"Although I wasn't used to it at first and met a lot of strong opponents, relying on the assassination techniques you taught me... I could handle most of them easily."
"You've worked hard," Silva said, his tone softening, his expression even showing a trace of gentleness.
"It was nothing..." Killua replied in a low voice.
For a while, the father and son talked a lot, mostly about trivial matters.
It felt more like Silva was trying to understand Killua's growth experiences.
Killua, however, didn't tire of it.
He actually disliked the stifling atmosphere of the family. Instead, he sometimes envied the ordinary people he saw outside... who had fathers or brothers to play with.
...
At some point.
Silva interrupted Killua's rambling narrative and said:
"Killua, do you know why I suddenly wanted to talk to you today?"
"I don't know." Killua shook his head.
Silva gradually returned to his usual seriousness and said:
"As the world's number one family of assassins, our family creed is not to harbor too much emotion, because it affects our mindset and strength as assassins."
"However..."
"Before we are assassins, we are family... Whether it's you or Illumi, you are both very important to me."
"Even though we don't show much emotion towards each other due to our upbringing."
"That doesn't mean we remain indifferent to the death of a family member."
"If it was during an assassination mission, and Illumi lost because he was less skilled, I wouldn't interfere... How he handles the aftermath is entirely up to him."
"But if it's an enemy outside of a commission..."
As Silva spoke, the aura around him grew colder.
"So, Illumi's incident made me decide to have a good talk with you..."
Silva looked at Killua and asked again with that irresistible voice:
"Killua, I ask you... who exactly is that guy?"
In that moment, Killua felt an aura from his father similar to Illumi's, and fear rose in his heart.
After a silence, Killua asked in a low voice:
"Father, is my white hair... unique to our Zoldyck family?"
Silva didn't hesitate and replied: "White hair is the proof of pure blood in our Zoldyck family.
"I can't say it's unique... but as far as I know, only the Zoldyck family has manifested the white hair gene generation after generation."
After speaking, Silva clearly realized something.
"You asking this must be related to the guy who injured Illumi... So, he has white hair too."
As he spoke, Silva observed Killua's reaction, becoming more certain of this point.
And Killua suddenly felt that no matter what thoughts he had, he couldn't hide them from his father, as if he were transparent.
Killua spoke up:
"Father, if... if he also has Zoldyck blood, how would you handle it?"
In Killua's view, since white hair was confirmed to be a unique Zoldyck gene.
Then, counting the opponent's strength, his knowledge of the Zoldyck family, and his attitude toward Killua.
Even if Yuu wasn't his father's illegitimate son, he definitely had ties to the Zoldyck family.
Silva considered this carefully, taking everything into account, and even thinking more comprehensively.
Although there were few past cases, the Zoldyck family did have some bloodlines left outside... but those people were mediocrities who had given up the life of an assassin and returned to normalcy.
So far, no white-haired child had appeared among them.
However, even if the other party did possess Zoldyck blood, Silva's answer remained blunt:
"I still intend to kill him."
...
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