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362 HxH: The Strongest Assassin
🕑 Added 2025-03-15 06:02:02 +0000 UTC"Hey!"
A voice called out as a figure quickly caught up to Kaizen.
Kaizen turned his head to see Gon jogging toward him.
"Something wrong?" Kaizen asked.
"Are you taking the Hunter Exam too?" Gon asked, his expression bright with curiosity.
Kaizen nodded. "That's right."
"Then do you want to go together? The captain's grandfather gave me a tip—he said to head toward the giant tree. You weren't there earlier, so I guess he didn't give you that info."
Kaizen frowned slightly. "Why are you telling me this?"
He was genuinely curious. "We're all examinees, which makes us competitors. If I didn't get this information, I might've gone the wrong way. Wouldn't that be better for you?"
"Aren't you afraid I might take your spot as a Hunter?"
Gon shook his head.
"We were all on the same ship, and you passed the test just like us. That means this information was meant for you, too."
"Besides, if you're here for the exam, you're not afraid of competition, right?"
"And... my gut tells me you're a good person."
Kaizen paused for a moment.
"Good person?" He scoffed slightly. "I wouldn't call myself that."
He was a killer. Someone who simply wanted to grow stronger. But he understood that Gon's idea of a "good person" was different from the usual definition.
Gon's sense of morality was his own.
"Is this because I had contact with Ging Freecss?" Kaizen wondered. "In the original story, Kite met Ging, so when Gon saw Kite, he instinctively liked him—even without knowing Kite was Ging's disciple."
"I've met Ging, too. Even if it was just through my Nen Beast, Raiken."
Kaizen's eyes flickered with thought.
At that moment, Leorio and Kurapika caught up.
"Gon, who's this?" Leorio asked, eyeing Kaizen curiously.
"He's another examinee like us," Gon explained. "He also passed the test on the ship."
Leorio and Kurapika exchanged glances. Neither of them remembered seeing him.
"Gon, are you sure?" Leorio frowned. "There were only three of us who passed. The captain only called us to his cabin, didn't he? There wasn't a fourth person."
Kurapika's gaze sharpened slightly.
"No," Gon said firmly. "After the storm ended, he was fine—just like the rest of us. But the captain must not have noticed him. I did."
Gon turned to Kaizen again. "So, are you coming with us?"
Kaizen shrugged. "Sure."
Originally, he hadn't planned on interacting much with Gon and the others. His goal was simple: observe from the shadows. But since Gon had gone out of his way to invite him, he figured there was no reason to refuse.
With his current strength, there weren't many threats in the Hunter Exam worth worrying about.
There was no need to actively befriend them.
But there was also no need to avoid them.
"After all, the Zoldyck family has a good relationship with the Hunter Association. And Killua will be Gon's best friend in the future. As his cousin, I might as well build that connection early."
Gon smiled. "I'm Gon Freecss."
"Kurapika."
"Leorio."
Leorio narrowed his eyes. "Kaizen, are you sure you were on that ship? I don't remember seeing you at all. Where were you?"
Kaizen smirked. "On the upper bunk. Next to yours."
Leorio racked his brain. After a moment, realization dawned on his face.
"Oh! Now that you mention it... I think I did see someone up there. But I barely noticed you at all." His jaw dropped. "That's insane."
Kurapika studied Kaizen again. His sharp gaze flickered between him, Gon, and Leorio.
"For someone to be present but go completely unnoticed..." he thought. "That isn't normal. He must have some kind of special ability. He's definitely strong. A serious competitor."
Then, Kurapika turned his focus to Gon.
"Leorio and I didn't notice him. But Gon did."
"That means Gon has an extraordinary talent as well."
"Is this what the Hunter Exam is like?"
Kurapika felt a surge of anticipation.
What kind of people would they meet once the real exam began?
But what Kurapika didn't know was that among the examinees, the four of them were already at the top.
Three of them—Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika—would pass the exam in the original timeline.
And as for Kaizen?
His strength was among the highest in this exam.
Kaizen, Illumi, and Hisoka—three A-rank Nen users.
Who was the strongest among them? That would be revealed in battle.
Kaizen was confident in his abilities.
But he wasn't sure if Hisoka and Illumi had hidden tricks up their sleeves.
Hisoka, after all, had managed to survive a battle with Chrollo, who had been fully prepared to kill him. He had only escaped by using his ability to restart his heart.
Illumi, on the other hand, had never shown his true power in the original story.
"With the Zoldyck family's training, there's no way that's all he has."
Kaizen smirked slightly. "But I won't lose."
For experienced Nen users, fights weren't always about who had the higher probability of winning. Fear of the unknown could cause people to hold back. No one wanted to risk triggering some unpredictable ability—like a power boost under near-death conditions, or an overwhelming surge of post-mortem Nen.
Anything was possible with Nen.
Leorio suddenly groaned. "Gon, are you really sure about this tree thing? I don't trust that old man. He seemed way too sketchy. What if he was just messing with us? What if the bus was actually the right way?"
