"I killed Big Brother!"
With one "Snake's Bite," Sean's head was severed.
Killua looked at Illumi excitedly. "I did what you couldn't do!"
Illumi stood on a large tree, stating flatly, "Is that so?"
*Poof!*
The decapitated Sean suddenly turned into a log, which fell with a *clunk* onto Killua's little head.
"Owww!" Tears of pain shot out of the kid's eyes as he squatted down, clutching his head.
"The 'Substitution Jutsu.' Replacing the body with a log to confuse the opponent's mind. Sean is extremely cunning. I told you, before you engage him, you must first distinguish which one is his real body!" Not at all surprised that Killua had been fooled, Illumi said coolly, "That cat-like pair of eyes of his attached a thin layer of Nen and scanned the area."
He flicked his hand, and a Nen pin shot toward a large tree in the southwest corner. "Found you!"
*Pfft!* The Nen pin pierced the tree trunk and embedded itself in Sean's body. Then, with a light sound, another log fell to the ground.
Killua's head didn't seem to hurt as much anymore. Seeing this, he straightened up and snorted. "You're no different from me."
As he spoke, a "hand knife" chopped down on his little head. "The pot shouldn't call the kettle black. I seem to recall hearing someone shouting just now about how they 'killed me'?"
"Now, little Killua, can you explain that to your big brother?" Two years had passed, and Sean's physique had shot up like a rocket!
They were both 13 years old, but compared to Illumi, Sean was a full head taller and twice as broad. When he appeared in front of Killua, the white-haired brat had to tilt his head up, feeling as if a great mountain was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe, let alone "explain."
*Swoosh!*
Taking advantage of the moment Sean was "disciplining" Killua, Illumi flicked his hand again. Another Nen pin came, aimed straight at Sean's throat!
"If I didn't trick you like this, would you have come out?" The stone-faced little brother seized the opportunity. He arrived at the same time as the pin, throwing a punch at Sean's abdomen. He had played this high-low pincer attack beautifully.
"Not bad. You've broken your physical limit, and your training in the Four Major Principles has reached a decent level. It seems, my foolish little brother, that you haven't wasted your time these last two years." Tilting his head, he dodged the Nen pin, then counter-attacked, punching Illumi. Sean grinned.
He and Illumi became entangled in a fierce struggle.
Fast. Too fast. Killua, having received his brother's "love chop," rubbed his sore head and strained his eyes. Two lights, one green and one white, collided, separated, collided again, and separated again. The fight was so intense he couldn't make out their features at all. He could only tell them apart by their different training uniforms—
The green one was Illumi, and the white one was Big Brother—Sean!
"Want a chip?" *Crunch Crunch*
Just as Killua was fully focused on the battle, a bag of chips suddenly appeared in front of him. The white-haired brat found the voice a bit familiar. He turned his head and saw *another* Sean, crunching on chips, standing right beside him.
His eyes went wide. He was visibly stunned. "Two? Two... Big Brothers?"
"Does that mean... the one fighting Brother Illumi right now is... Big Brother's clone?"
"Bingo" Sean smiled and patted Killua's head, winking at him. "You're only half right. It's not two, it's a *group*."
As he finished speaking, right before Killua's nearly-dumbstruck eyes, a whole group of Seans walked out of the forest.
They glanced at the battlefield and spoke in unison, "Stop playing, Number 3. If you delay training and the main body finds out, you'll be in for it."
"Coming, coming." Number 3 laughed, then used a giant-sized kick to send Illumi flying. He clapped his hands, took the bag of chips from Number 2, grabbed a handful, and tossed them into his mouth. *Crunch Crunch* he chewed.
Then, joining Seans 2 through 20, he did a beautiful backflip into a handstand-walk, rushing into the depths of the forest like a whirlwind.
*Rumble* The giants charged. The earth trembled, and the trees shook, their leaves rustling.
Illumi climbed up from the ground in a sorry state. He expressionlessly plucked a leaf from his hair, his "dead fish" eyes filled with unwillingness and disappointment.
"Stop looking. Just focus on being yourself, Illumi." *Thud Thud* At this moment, the sound of steady footsteps approached. Silva, his white hair like a waterfall, had his hands in his pockets. It was unknown when he had arrived. He watched the shadow clones depart and spoke, "You've done very well these past two years. Breaking the first layer at 13, and becoming proficient in the Four Major Principles. Dad is proud of you."
"What's the use of that?" Illumi said flatly. "In the end, I can't even beat one of his clones."
"That's normal." Silva beckoned for Killua to come over. He stroked his white hair and narrowed his eyes. "That's no ordinary clone. It's a clone formed after he's *about* to break the second layer and has mastered the [Wind] characteristic!"
"You just broke the first layer. It's understandable that you're no match."
'About to break the second layer?' Illumi was startled. "Didn't you say, Dad, that it takes at least ten years of polishing to go from the first layer to the second, just to even touch the threshold?"
"That's only for geniuses." Silva's gaze pierced the dense forest, looking toward the distant castle. A faint arc appeared on his lips. "Freaks are not included in that category!"
"Yes... 'freak'! This 'Pain' is a goddamn BUG!" In Sean's room, after reading the freshly released *Pot Shadow Ninja*, Maha was so angry he didn't even lie back in his rocking chair. He grabbed Sean and started ranting. It was surprising to hear a new word like "BUG" come from the old man's mouth. He must have been getting "massages" a lot lately.
"Where did you go last night?"
"You came back reeking of perfume. Old man, it's not that I'm nagging you, but you should be careful... you might catch something."
Sean pushed Maha away in disgust. The old bastard was no longer satisfied with H-manga and lewd novels; he'd started to engage in "practical combat." According to an "unnamed source," a "certain 'Gramps' has appeared in Bato's Kabukicho, a big spender, very generous, and deeply loved by some 'Mamasans'..."
"So, I'm thinking, that couldn't be you, could it, Grandpa?"
"Nonsense! That's complete slander!" Maha's eyelid twitched. He guiltily avoided Sean's gaze. "Brat, don't change the subject!"
"This old man just wants to ask you... what's the deal with this 'Rinnegan' that suddenly appeared?"
"Never mind the Six Paths of Pain... 'Banshō Ten'in,' 'Chibaku Tensei,' and this 'Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Jutsu'... You can even resurrect people you just killed. Don't tell me you can materialize even these monstrous things?"
"I can't do *that*." Sean patted Maha's shoulder and grinned. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I'm not soft-hearted like Nagato, who resurrected everyone just because Naruto gave him a pep talk."
"At most, I'd resurrect them... and then kill them all over again."