A faint sound drifted into Roy's ears...
As the azure sea of cognition receded and the colorful dream passage vanished, Roy awoke. In his groggy state, he detached from the Naruto world and returned to reality. Turning his head, he saw Netero sitting by his desk, teasing Xiao Jin with one hand. Having annoyed the bird, the old man was promptly pecked. Netero chuckled, resting one hand on the edge of the chair. He looked back and smiled at Roy. "This Nen Beast of yours is quite fascinating."
"It actually hurts when it pecks..."
Displeased, Xiao Jin pecked Netero again. The chubby crow opened its beak and spat out a tongue of flame, nearly singeing Netero's hair. Seeing Roy awake, it puffed up angrily and flapped its fleshy wings, which shimmered with a glazed golden light. With a flutter, it flew over to Roy, plopped its bottom right onto his head, and began to complain from its new nest.
"Caw!" *'That awful old man bullied me! I told him not to come in, but he forced his way in anyway!'*
Xiao Jin's complaints drifted into Roy's mind through their telepathic connection...
The young man gently patted its little head and sat up from the bed. His gaze bypassed Netero's shoulder, noting that the old man was just sitting there properly without rummaging through his things. Roy's expression softened, looking much better than when he had first woken up...
"Ho ho ho... I didn't mean to intrude,"
"I saw you were sleeping soundly and couldn't bear to disturb you..."
"But you disturbed me anyway." Roy slipped on his slippers and stretched lazily. As his joints loosened, they popped and cracked like roasting beans. His entire demeanor swept away the grogginess and lethargy, returning to a state of clarity and vigor...
Netero leaned against the chair and watched the boy. A faint, imperceptible gleam flashed in his aged eyes as they opened and closed. He looked Roy up and down and praised, "Your body has adapted quite quickly. It doesn't look like you've been rushed or forced to grow. It seems that the teacher in your dreams is quite formidable at instructing others!"
As the globally recognized "Strongest Human," Netero's judgment was undoubtedly sharp... but one cannot see the true face of the mountain without stepping into it. Did Roy have a teacher? He did. But in terms of "teaching by example," aside from Master Urokodaki in the Demon Slayer world, it seemed... only Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, whom he had met twice, could count as half a teacher.
The young man simply went to the bathroom to wash his face. Without looking back, he asked, "Spit it out, what is it?"
Netero was concise, slowly spitting out a few words, "I came to ask you on Zigg's behalf: do you know what [Nen] is?"
Roy's footsteps paused.
The old man's wide sleeves fluttered as he slowly pushed back his chair and stood up. Standing by the window, he looked out at the deep night and the high, bright moon. He spoke leisurely, "Child, you and I can be considered close confidants."
"Living to this age, I have seen too many exceptionally talented individuals, and I have asked them this very question. Now,"
"I want to hear your answer."
"Is it you who wants to know, or my grandfather?" Roy washed his face, grabbed a towel to dry off, and turned to cast a sidelong glance at Netero. In his mind, the figure of his grandfather Zigg, whom he suspected he had seen within the Demon Eye, involuntarily surfaced. He remembered hearing him slowly say... that it was extremely fortunate he hadn't lost himself...
Roy watched Netero calmly. As his gaze shifted, he faintly detected a trace of twilight lethargy emanating from the old man before him.
Even though Netero wasn't as old as his great-grandfather, and his body was currently robust—though no longer at its peak—he could still leap from a staggering height to shock the Hunter Exam candidates in the original story, proving his physical strength was extraordinarily formidable... "Poof." Two suns slowly ignited within Roy's pupils.
[Eye of Truth] activated.
Immediately after, a string of information surfaced in Roy's mind.
Aside from a faint sign of declining vitality, there was no "will to die"... Roy slowly withdrew his gaze and extinguished the "suns" in his eyes...
"Ho ho ho... As expected of the [Sun], those eyes of yours are dazzling enough..." Netero narrowed his eyes at Roy. Shrewd as he was, he noticed the piercing, scrutinizing gaze fade away... The old man's expression turned serious. "Your grandfather Zigg wants to know, and I want to know too."
After a moment of silence, Roy spoke, "[Thoughts Becoming Reality] is [Nen]."
"How so?"
"Doing whatever you want, following your heart's desires without overstepping the boundaries..."
"Whose boundaries?" Netero looked deeply at Roy. "Your great-grandfather walks the Path of Faith, and your grandfather Zigg also walks the Path of Faith. Have you ever wondered why your grandfather Zeno and your father Silva do not walk the [Path of Faith]?"
"Is it because they don't want to? Or because they don't know how?"
Roy frowned.
The young man discreetly glanced toward the location of the dim little room...
Separated by heavy walls, in that dim little room, Maha was rocking in his chair and listening to cartoons as usual. His withered fingers gently tapped the armrest, making soft "thump, thump..." sounds. He seemed completely oblivious, as if he had truly fallen asleep... A thin silk blanket covering him had slipped diagonally onto the floor...
"Whoosh." At this moment, a gentle evening breeze carrying a hint of chill rustled the curtains...
In the second-floor study, Silva was stretching his legs...
In the first-floor garden, Zeno was taking a walk...
A scene of peaceful, quiet years unfolded before his eyes.
Roy remained silent. He looked up at Netero again and heard him slowly exhale. "It's because they can't!"
"It's because their hearts aren't big enough, aren't broad enough to bear the weight of a stronger [Visualization]. Unlike,"
"You, Zigg, and your great-grandfather..."
"Life also has a weight it cannot bear... Some people can only fit a small family in their hearts, some can fit a city, and some even... can fit a country, or a world..."
"When these increasingly heavy responsibilities press down on your shoulders, do you still think 'Nen' is just doing whatever you want, and that you can carry it all by simply following your whims?"
Netero finished speaking quietly and fell silent... His hair and beard were completely white. Half of his face was bathed in the soft light, while the other half blended into the night.
He hadn't brought Beanman along, and ever since taking office as the Chairman of the Hunter Association, he had never wasted so much breath or spoken so many words to anyone—not even to Ging back in the day...
Silently gazing at the night sky, he seemed to be reminiscing. In the pitch-black darkness of Kukuroo Mountain, he faintly saw Zigg's face...
Finally, he said, "These... are the words your grandfather Zigg asked me to pass on..."
"You've seen the Demon Eye,"
"Before it completely lost consciousness, I dreamed of Zigg. He asked me to question you thoroughly, so... I came..."
*He hadn't even been born at that time!*
Roy was startled and abruptly looked at Netero... As ripples surged in his pupils, he saw the old man standing with his hands behind his back, looking up at the night sky. Netero said meaningfully, "Predicting the future isn't exactly a rare thing..."
Roy suddenly understood. He thought of Neon, of Ribery Garcia, and their Nen abilities, [Lovely Ghostwriter] and [Poker Divination].
For a moment, he fell into silence...
Two hazy beams of moonlight filtered through the window, shining on the two figures—one old and one young, one robust and one lean...
As Roy pondered, he gradually grasped something.
He paced over to the window, leaned against the frame, and admired the moonlight alongside Netero. He probed, "So, Grandpa wants me to be more cautious, to beware of... lacking the virtue to match my position?"
Netero looked over in surprise, the admiration in his eyes growing stronger. "I really want to meet your teacher. 'Lacking the virtue to match the position' is a well-used phrase."
This was also the first time Netero had heard it, but... just from the literal meaning of those words, it couldn't be more appropriate...
The old man stroked his grizzled beard and nodded. "Having a 'big heart' isn't about empty fantasies, and it certainly can't be about [Delusions]. When you can no longer control your [Visualization Object], then... you will be controlled by your [Visualization Object]. You will be reduced to a slave of Nen, which is to say—a [Disaster]!"
[Disaster]! Roy narrowed his eyes, suddenly recalling the infamous "Five Great Calamities" of the world—
The [Human-Keeping Beast Pap], which symbolized the "equivalent exchange of pleasure and life."
The [Weapon Brion], the mysterious sphere guarding the "enigmatic ancient ruins."
The [Hellbell], a monster capable of "infecting others with murderous intent," shaped like a two-tailed snake.
The [Gaseous Lifeform Ai], where "the curse of desire and blessings" coexisted.
The [Zobae Disease], which masqueraded as "hope" but actually "brought endless despair."
All of these... were enough to chill anyone's heart!
Hearing this, a flash of insight struck Roy... He suddenly understood... exactly what his grandfather Zigg had meant by those words in the Demon Eye...
*'So, he was rejoicing that I wasn't reverse-controlled by my [Nen Ability], turning into one of those monsters whose sanity was swallowed by [Nature], or rather... a [Disaster]!'*
The young man's expression fluctuated darkly as he figured out many things in an instant... Netero stood right beside him, tilting his head to look at him. After a long while, Netero gazed into the deep night and chuckled self-deprecatingly. "It seems you've understood."
"It's not that your grandfather and father didn't want to, it's because compared to you, your grandfather Zigg, and that old man... their talent is too poor to shoulder such a heavy burden. Of course,"
"They also know their own limits..."
"Mmm..." Down on the first floor, in Maha's dim little room, the old man rolled over. The thin blanket completely slipped off him and crumpled onto the floor.
The old man muttered, sounding like he was grumbling or perhaps sleep-talking, "At least you know your own limits."
In his silence, Roy snapped back to reality and stared intently at Netero. He suddenly realized... where the twilight lethargy exuding from this "Strongest Human" originated... It was the dejection and despair of having reached his absolute peak, limited by his "innate heart," unable to see any path forward...
When people called him the strongest human, it meant... he had hit the ceiling. There was no longer any possibility of ascending and growing stronger!
"So, you want to die..." Roy didn't know how to feel. After a long pause, he spoke heavily.
Netero tilted his head and smiled at the boy, waving his hand with a laugh. "Ho ho ho... As expected, you saw right through me, kid. However..."
Netero's aged eyes suddenly shot out two divine gleams, his gaze burning brightly with fighting spirit. "Even if I die, I will die a glorious death!"
"No matter what, I have to bring a little shock to this boring world..."
Roy watched the fighting spirit naturally escaping from the top of Netero's head, manifesting as a magnificent red. He thought back to the original story, where Netero had a nuclear bomb planted in his heart and dragged the Chimera Ant King, Meruem, down to hell with him.
Before dying, he had fought a glorious, exhilarating battle against him, fighting until the sky turned dark... Melancholic, Roy realized that Netero had indeed accomplished his goal...
The young man, with his beautiful silver hair trailing with glazed golden light at the ends, withdrew his gaze. He leaned forward, resting on the windowsill, and gazed at the high, bright moon alongside the old man. He said leisurely, "Tell me in advance if there's anything I can do for you."
Netero's aged eyes drooped slightly, his weathered gaze filled entirely with gentleness.
He thought carefully for a long while before finally saying, "I don't have any other hobbies. Living to this age, if I were an ordinary person, I would have died long ago. If I had to say..."
Netero narrowed his eyes and smiled at Roy. "When I die, compile a copy of your Buddhist teachings and burn it for me. Let this old man broaden his horizons and see the world."
"Ah, humph." In the dim little room, Maha, who had rolled over to sleep on his side, suddenly dozed off. He groggily smacked his lips and said, "Burn a copy for this old man too..."
Roy's mouth twitched.
He turned his head to glance toward the dim little room, then looked back to hear Netero chuckling heartily.
*'These... wretched old men... every single one of them really knows how to trouble the youth.'* They should know he had a battle to fight tomorrow!
"No time!"
Roy snorted coldly. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he ignored Netero and headed out to forage for food, making a beeline for the butler's mansion... As for,
[Buddhist Teachings]...
It just so happened... he also had a move called [True Several Thousand Hands], waiting to be unlocked...
With his back to Netero, Roy opened his status panel and casually glanced at his [Wood Style]. Once tomorrow passed, it would be time to properly visit Sarutobi Hiruzen and thoroughly study those forbidden texts in the [Scroll of Seals] to replenish some experience points...
In the blink of an eye, the young man exited the ancient castle. With another glance, he merged into a streak of moonlight and floated down the mountain...
"Dong." At that moment, deep in the night,
The wooden grandfather clock resting in the corner struck the hour...
In less than a few breaths, Roy stepped out of the moonlight again, revealing himself as he appeared in Gotoh's bedroom.
"Thump, thump, thump..." A heartbeat echoed like muffled thunder.
As if sensing Roy's presence, Gotoh, who was lying peacefully within the blood cocoon, suddenly experienced an accelerated heartbeat...
The sound was so loud that it startled Tsubone, who had just coaxed Amane and Canary to sleep...
The old butler, her two pink pigtails swaying, hurried to the door of Gotoh's bedroom. Seeing it was Roy, she placed her right hand over her chest and hastily offered him a respectful bow. "Young Master, dinner has been prepared."
Tsubone had been about to deliver it, but she hadn't expected Roy's light movement to beat her to it...
The old butler bowed, lifting her eyes slightly to catch a glimpse of Roy from her peripheral vision. She saw...
The young man's beautiful hair, half-silver and half-gold, swaying in the wind.
As his lips parted, he reached out a hand and gently patted the blood cocoon. "Don't rush. As promised, tomorrow,"
"I'll set an example for you first!"