"Hmph."
"Just keep watching. No one would be foolish enough to waste a hard-won opportunity for enlightenment."
That made sense. Enlightenment was different from an epiphany. One was contemplation of a future path, the other was the understanding of a single skill. The larger scope meant that enlightenment was much rarer!
Netero and Zigg exchanged a look, smiling slyly. The latter looked at Maha, who was sulking with his arms crossed, and shook his head with a laugh. "Don't worry, Father. You watched Sean grow up. With his cleverness, ten Zenos couldn't catch up to him even on horseback."
"He definitely won't miss this opportunity."
"It's an opportunity he created for himself. If he can't grasp it, it wouldn't make sense," Netero added, adjusting the surveillance glasses on his nose and chuckling. "Let's just watch. I have a feeling that hexagram is a bit odd. It doesn't look like a 'characteristic,' but more like an extension of a Nen ability."
When it came to sharp eyes, no one in the world could beat these three old codgers.
The scene changed—
Having clarified his Nen ability path and confirmed "Wind Release" as his primary "characteristic" to break through.
Sean stood in the night breeze, hands behind his back. He glanced at Tsubone. "Tsubone, I have a question and I'd like to hear your opinion."
"Does the Young Master want to hear my opinion, or someone else's?" Tsubone pushed up her glasses, selling out Zigg, Maha, and the others without hesitation.
Even if Tsubone's Nen ability had broken its limits, she couldn't help but feel a little unconfident about what kind of question a "BUG-like" Young Master would ask. She worried she wouldn't be able to answer, or that she might mislead Sean and cause an irreversible mistake.
"There's no need for those three old scoundrels to show up yet." Sean sneered, naturally knowing who Tsubone was referring to.
"Hey, brat, he's scolding you." In the back mountain hut, Maha glanced at Netero.
Netero: "..."
A few black lines appeared on his shiny forehead. He silently cursed the old bastard. 'If your ears are failing, you can cut them off and sell them.'
He raised an eyebrow. "If I heard correctly, the 'old scoundrels' that Sean kid mentioned were three."
"Isn't that just right?" Maha said, as if it were obvious. "You, Zigg, and that dog Zeno. Isn't that exactly three?"
'Dammit! I already left, and you still won't let me go?' A certain waiter inexplicably sneezed. The palm prints on his left and right cheeks were still warm.
"Let's hear what Sean has to say first." 'They clash the moment they meet. It's not easy being the peacemaker in the middle.'
Zigg shook his head and pricked up his ears.
Right on cue, Sean posed his question: "I want to know, how do you grasp the 'characteristic of the era'?"
The term was too abstract. When it came to concrete action, it was bound to be vague. Tsubone visibly relaxed. This question was indeed right up her alley.
The old butler organized her thoughts, then said gravely, "To be honest, Young Master, my understanding is that one must stand at the very forefront of the era, or even become the hidden hand pushing the era's development, to fully grasp the characteristic of the era."
"Be more specific."
"Technology is the number one productive force, Young Master." Tsubone looked at Sean deeply. "Aside from being a Zoldyck family butler, I am also a visiting professor at the Batoean Republic's Capital Institute of Technology, specializing in 'Mechanical Manufacturing.' I have published ten tier-one papers in the well-known journal 'ICS' and hold more than twenty patents..."
"Because of this, I can easily transform into the forms of motorcycles, cars, and airplanes based on their construction."
'?!?!' Sean was stunned. He never expected the old master's personal butler to be a top student!
"Maha, that old bastard, is truly wasting a precious talent. He bears a share of the sin for Batoea's lack of technological progress," Sean said, dumbfounded.
At this, Tsubone gave a dry cough and pretended not to hear. Through the surveillance glasses on her nose, she could faintly sense a certain old man's fury, as well as the merciless laughter of the other two.
"According to you, if I want to refine and purify my Nen ability, I must deeply understand my 'characteristic.' The deeper I go... the stronger I get. Is that the principle?" Sean was lost in thought.
Tsubone nodded. "That is the principle. But Young Master doesn't need to rush."
"You have plenty of time to find a 'characteristic' that suits you."
The old butler encouraged him, "I believe with your intelligence, it won't take more than a few years."
'A few years?' "But, I've already found a 'characteristic' that suits me." Sean glanced at Tsubone. "I just don't know how to develop it, which is why I asked you."
Tsubone: "..."
Her eyes widened. She stared blankly at Sean, not knowing how to respond.
"Is this something to be so surprised about?" Sean spread his hands and chuckled. "It's just settling on a 'characteristic.' Anyone with a brain can figure it out, right?"
'So... I'm not human?'
Tsubone's mouth opened, but she was speechless. 'Anyone? I feel like you're insulting me, Young Master.'
'Easy for you to say! It took me a whole decade to figure it out!'
After a long pause, Tsubone finally recovered, sighing with emotion. "I'm ashamed. Compared to the Young Master, I don't deserve to be called a top student."
"Uh... you're being modest." This time, it was Sean's turn to be surprised.
Tsubone smiled bitterly. "It's not that I'm being modest. It's just that finding a suitable characteristic is truly difficult. You should know, Young Master Gotoh, he has already stumbled on this path for eight or nine years and still hasn't found the way."
'No wonder... that old bastard said he was a waste.' He thought of the future, how Hisoka would insta-kill him in two or three moves.
Sean came to an understanding. Having gotten the answer he wanted, he leaned against the window frame. Facing the night breeze, he carefully pondered all the knowledge he had related to "wind."
'Wind has no constant form; water has no constant state. From a physics perspective, wind is the movement of air molecules.'
'From a geography perspective, wind is a natural phenomenon produced by differences in air pressure.'
'From a thermodynamics perspective, wind is the result of convection between hot and cold air.'
'But from the perspective of "Nen"? Or rather, from the perspective of "chakra," how should one view its nature transformation?'
He pondered for a long time without any leads. Finally, Sean had a flash of inspiration. He decided that rather than thinking aimlessly, it would be better to consult a "professional."
He immediately said silently to the "Sage" in his mind: "Arrange it. I want to meet Asuma Sarutobi."
As an elite Jonin of Konoha, who possessed both "Wind" and "Fire" chakra natures, Asuma was undoubtedly a renowned teacher for a preliminary glimpse into the path of "wind."
Sean remembered that in "Naruto," it was Asuma who taught Naruto about the nature transformation of "wind." Because of this, Naruto learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, and... later, integrated "wind" into his Rasengan, creating the even more advanced S-rank ninjutsu, "Wind Release: Rasenshuriken"!
[Affirmative.]
The "Sage" received the instruction and sent a prompt.
[Based on Host's current request, Host must expend 100 reader feedback points to redeem the C-rank ninjutsu—"Wind Release: Wind Dust Jutsu" as a medium to summon Asuma Sarutobi.]
[Deducting reader feedback points...]
[Redemption successful.]
A familiar white light entered the space between his brows. The consciousness space unfurled.
Sean's lip hooked up in a smile. "I wonder what kind of expression that poor guy, who was duped by his own old man, will make when he learns he won't live to see his own child?"
The youth sighed, closed his eyes, and stepped into the sea of his own consciousness.
At the same time, not far away, a sea of clouds churned, converging to form a human figure.