'He *is* changing every day, isn't he?'
"It's been two years. Someone as smart as Sean must have figured out some of the ropes."
Sean, who had gone straight to sleep after washing up, was lying spread-eagled on the bed. Zeno, hands behind his back, poked his head out from behind the window and glanced at him, not feeling at all that his previous boasting was wrong.
But... "That's a nature characteristic. Not your useless meteor shower." Maha gave Zeno an annoyed look. If he weren't worried that fighting would wake Sean, Zeno's head would have surely received another slap.
Zeno, having been spared thanks to Sean this time, stroked his long beard and smiled obsequiously. "Grandpa, you're right. Nature characteristics involve the operating rules of the world. It's hard to imagine someone could set it as their Nen characteristic."
"Not to mention the subsequent, ridiculously difficult training dilemma... But has that brat Sean ever broken his word?"
Zeno asked Maha rhetorically. The old man's mouth twitched, and he said nothing.
"That's why I said, if Sean really mastered the 'Impure World Reincarnation' technique, or even materialized the Rinnegan and learned the 'Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Jutsu'... then he has truly crossed the boundary of life and death!"
"Saying he'll master the [Wind] characteristic tomorrow is no big deal."
'Such a bootlicker!' Maha lay back in his rocking chair and pulled out an H-manga, reading it by the moonlight. *Title: The River King and His Little Frog Male-Pet: The Untold Story.* 'Isn't that just like a certain bastard sticking his tongue out and licking like crazy?'
The old man sneered, not even lifting his head. "Does Sean's business need your input?"
"Go back and hug your little Killua. After all, silver hair is the true Zoldyck orthodoxy."
'So passive-aggressive!' Zeno's mouth twitched. He said, unconcerned, "Grandpa, did you forget? Sean is the eldest son of the Zoldyck family's main line. In some countries founded on etiquette, *he* is the 'orthodox' one in the strict sense."
"He's not." Maha pouted decisively. "The Zoldyck family can't hold him."
"I know this brat too well."
"Damn it, *Pot Shadow Ninja* is getting more and more ridiculous. Shinra Tensei, Chibaku Tensei... if this continues, this old man seriously suspects that by the end, he'll pull a big one and destroy the world with a single move."
"At that time, what Zoldyck? What Padokia Republic? Won't it all be gone with one punch from him?"
"So... family head my ass! He's more likely to become the Lord of the World!"
'*The River King and His Little Frog Male-Pet*? Heh, old man, I think *you're* the bigger bootlicker!'
Zeno said speechlessly, "You don't need me to remind you how much aura it takes to destroy a country, do you, Grandpa?"
'You can set up the cannon, but if you have no shells, it's useless.'
"However... that bastard Netero said the same thing." Maha snorted disdainfully. "This old man is telling you this right here, right now. If that day truly comes, don't blame me for not warning you."
Zeno: "..."
He went silent for a moment. A short while later, he suddenly saw Sean toss and turn. He was startled. He didn't even need Maha's kick; he slipped away faster than a meteor, disappearing in an instant.
"Not sleeping in the middle of the night... old man, what are you fiddling with?" Vaguely hearing the commotion, Sean opened his sleepy eyes in dissatisfaction.
Maha waved the H-manga in his hand and chuckled. "Mosquitoes. Grandpa was worried you'd get bitten, so I just chased them away."
'Psycho!' After the second-layer limit break, what mosquito could bite him? "If you want to 'spill your glue,' just say it. Don't bother my sleep!"
He kicked Maha away with a "Giant" kick. Sean rolled over and slept until morning.
"Oof, comfy." In the early morning, the sunlight was warm and exceptionally pleasant as it spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Without a certain old bastard bothering him, Sean slept incredibly well. He stretched lazily and rolled out of bed.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Gotoh pushed in the breakfast cart.
The young butler had taken Sean's words to heart. Through two years of continuous training, he had finally broken the first limit. While he made coffee for Sean, he recounted some of the major events happening around the world. Meteor City, naturally, was not left out.
The opera troupe led by Chrollo had now been officially named the Phantom Troupe. As Sean had expected, in less than two years, the Spiders had returned to their old ways and were back on their fated path of darkness. The trigger this time wasn't Sarasa, but a child who had joined the troupe later to voice Jiraiya.
"It's said that the child, named Casey, died horribly. His body was dismembered and stuffed into a black plastic bag."
"When Sarasa, Chrollo, Uvogin, and the others found him, there was a note nailed to his forehead. Your subordinate does not know the specific content. According to Sarasa, Chrollo was the only one present who could read. But... I don't know what happened."
"His state was very wrong that day. He knelt on the ground, didn't say a word, and just let Uvogin beat him senseless."
"Mph." Sean took a sip of the coffee Gotoh had made, a taunt on his lips. "It's not that he didn't want to say more, but that it was useless."
"That bastard Tserriednich behind Joyce Mattel, backed by the Kakin Empire, is not someone the little Spiders can provoke right now."
Even if they had already opened their aura nodes and become Nen users.
Gotoh pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, nodding in deep agreement. "Indeed. That group of children is very talented. Individuals like Uvogin, Phinks, and Feitan are growing at an astonishing rate and can already hold their own. I was almost discovered the last time I observed them from a distance."
"What's there to be afraid of? You're my man. Would they dare kidnap *you*?" Sean gave Gotoh an annoyed look.
Gotoh touched his nose and muttered guiltily, "Er... they wouldn't dare kidnap you, Young Master, but they're already planning to kidnap Mr. Ben An."
Sean: "..."
Gotoh looked at Sean cautiously, gave a dry cough, and added, "I heard Sarasa mention it. A lot of people are complaining that the Young Master updates too slowly, and they're starting to make noise. Several of them are shouting about capturing the Young Master, locking you in a small dark room, and forcing you to draw *Pot Shadow Ninja*."
"And if you don't finish ten chapters a day, they won't give you any food."
"Haha Is that so?" Sean burst out laughing. "Then let them come. I'm really looking forward to it—"
"When they see that *I* am Ben An, what kind of expressions will they make?"
"No doubt, the scene will be very interesting."
'Tsk. Interesting for *you*, Young Master. Those Spiders will probably be scared to death.' Gotoh's mouth twitched imperceptibly. He cleared the dishes and, while Sean changed into his training suit, pushed the cart out.
The wheels rumbled softly over the stone floor.
Pulling on the white training suit, Sean took a deep breath, took a step, and then sped off into the deep forest.
"A sunny, windy day! Old bastard, why not come out and bask in the sun!"
"Sage, redeem 'Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere' for me immediately!"