"You need to return to Konoha to report in," Danzo said after a moment of contemplation.
This wasn't something he could easily manipulate.
At present, Hiruzen Sarutobi still held authority above him.
Blocking Hyuga Arin from returning would be tantamount to challenging Hiruzen's authority—and for now, their relationship was still relatively stable.
Moreover, Danzo was the likely candidate for the next Hokage. He had no intention of undermining the Hokage's authority at this stage.
Hyuga Arin's expression immediately fell.
He'd been counting on squeezing out a bit more profit in the Land of Rain.
And now he was being sent straight back.
His Nanika's Wish List Fragments still weren't complete. Even though the drop rate was low, it still hurt to leave.
Danzo saw Hyuga Arin's desire to stay in the war and pondered briefly before saying,
"This war in the Land of Rain is only a minor front. The real battlefields are Iwa, Suna, Kumo, and Kiri. This war won't end anytime soon—you'll have plenty of chances later."
Once you see Hanzo drive back the Three Great Nations, you might not say that.
According to the original timeline, Hanzo pushed back all three major villages—and even carried the war into their territories.
Only after that did the three villages shift the war's focus to the Land of Rain, turning it into the main battlefield.
Besides the three nations' forces, Kumogakure also joined in, which was ultimately why Hanzo's dominance lasted less than a year before collapsing.
Amegakure's foundation was simply too shallow to withstand the combined assault of four great villages.
As for Kirigakure, they were locked in fierce conflict with the Uchiha clan.
Only during the Third Shinobi World War—after Konoha had lost so many ninja in the Second—did Hiruzen have no choice but to pull the Uchiha off the Kirigakure front to deal with other villages.
There simply weren't enough people.
In the Second War, Konoha could still afford to keep children off the battlefield. Minato Namikaze and others only joined after graduating.
But in the Third War, even academy students had to graduate early to fill the ranks.
That alone showed how close Konoha had come to running out of manpower.
This war, however, could be said to be during Hiruzen's peak years.
Whether Hanzo could last until his original point of failure remained to be seen.
Given how aggressive Hanzo was acting now, Hyuga Arin estimated he'd hold out at most three to seven years.
There was nothing Hyuga Arin could do to influence the village's decision.
He could only accept it.
"Once you return to the village, someone will handle your induction," Danzo said flatly.
Hyuga Arin's arrangements would still need careful consideration.
With the Tongue Curse rendered useless against him, Hyuga Arin couldn't be allowed access to Root's deepest secrets.
They would have to find another way to use the tool called Hyuga Arin.
"Yes," Hyuga Arin replied.
…
After passing the induction approval, Hyuga Arin obediently returned to his tent.
Everything else would have to wait until he got back to Konoha.
For now, he couldn't participate in the coming battles.
Hanzo, you old bastard—consider yourself spared for the moment.
If he couldn't beat him yet, that didn't stop him from talking trash.
"So, with this time…"
Hyuga Arin took out the dungeon scroll.
It was time to head to the Hunter world.
…
Hyuga Arin stepped out from a shadowed alley, squinting slightly as sunlight poured down from the sky.
"It's been a long time since I've seen such a clear sky."
The Land of Rain was shrouded in dark clouds year-round, rain falling most of the time, rarely allowing sunlight through. The entire country felt perpetually gloomy.
It wasn't always like that—there were days when the sun came out.
Hyuga Arin just hadn't been lucky enough to see them.
"Where is this?" He looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
First, he checked the mission for this server.
[Server Mission: Annihilate the Phantom Troupe]
"This aligns with my goal, but isn't this asking a bit much?" Hyuga Arin rubbed his chin.
"Looks like I'll have to face the Phantom Troupe head-on this time."
Before that, he needed to figure out where he was—and what time it was.
Turning his head, he saw bustling streets and a steady flow of pedestrians.
Hyuga Arin used Transformation Jutsu to avoid standing out, blending into the crowd like a drop of water.
After some time, he emerged from the crowd with a thoughtful look.
"So this is Kent City—the Hunter Exam selection site."
And the time wasn't the start of the Yorknew arc.
It was one month after the Hunter Exam had ended.
"That gives me quite a bit of time."
His memories of Hunter x Hunter were a little hazy, but he clearly remembered that the Yorknew arc began around September.
It was only early February now—about seven months to work with.
"But…" Hyuga Arin pinched his chin. "I need money."
He didn't have a single coin from this world.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced into the darkness as several familiar figures stepped out of the shadows.
"Hey—you passed the Hunter Exam, didn't you?"
These were examinees he'd encountered during the exam, all of whom had been eliminated within the first three stages.
To gather information earlier, Hyuga Arin had used Transformation Jutsu out of habit—taking on the appearance of Muyu.
It wasn't strange that they recognized him.
What surprised him was how they knew he'd passed.
Hyuga Arin casually took out his Hunter License from his inventory. It spun between his fingers as a playful smile appeared on his face.
"You mean this?"
A Hunter License granted access to 90% of countries normally off-limits, 75% of restricted zones.
It could be used as collateral to secure massive loans.
It allowed free use of 95% of public facilities—and even unrestricted access to computers and networks.
Most importantly—
It bore no name, could not be reissued, and anyone holding it could use it.
Naturally, it attracted greed.
"Kid, hand over the Hunter License if you don't want to die," several failed examinees sneered.
"Do you have money?" Hyuga Arin asked instead.
"What does money have to do with you?" A few of them could no longer restrain themselves and rushed forward.
Hyuga Arin flicked his wrist. The Hunter License vanished.
He smiled at the men charging him.
"I hope you have money. Otherwise, you'll be leaving your lives here."
The Hunter License had another nickname.
A License to Kill.
Killing was not a crime.
…
"B-Big brother, this is all the money we have," a bruised and battered man said, holding out a thick wad of cash with both hands.
Out of the group, he was the only one still conscious.
Everyone else had rushed in together and been beaten down in just a few moves.
Only then did he realize—
They had provoked someone they absolutely couldn't afford to offend.
Hyuga Arin took the money and smiled at him.
The man's face lit up, thinking he'd been spared.
Hyuga Arin's finger tapped the man's Baihui point, knocking him unconscious.
A notification flashed before his eyes.
[EXP +358]
That was the combined experience from all of them.
"Completely worthless," Hyuga Arin muttered as he turned and left the alley.
They weren't worth killing—no good drops, either.
But the money was enough.
Enough to head to Heaven's Arena.
In the entire Hunter world, there was no better place to gain experience than Heaven's Arena.
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