Ronin could feel it clearly—the pair of eyes had an overwhelming pull on him.
It was as if some deep instinct was urging him to move closer, to claim those eyes as his own.
This development caught Ronin off guard, but at the same time, a bold idea formed in his mind.
Maybe those eyes were the key to the evolution of his Sharingan.
It was a gut feeling.
And it came from recalling how, in Naruto, the Mangekyō Sharingan could evolve into the Eternal Mangekyō through a very specific method.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced Ronin became:
as long as he could obtain that pair of Scarlet Eyes, his Sharingan would definitely evolve.
He would become stronger.
Maybe not straight into an Eternal Mangekyō—but reaching a two-tomoe or even three-tomoe stage was absolutely possible.
And this was likely where the difference lay between the Sharingan he possessed in the Hunter × Hunter world and the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan back in the ninja world.
This kind of fusion-based evolution actually reminded him more of how the Byakugan evolved into the Tenseigan.
But the real problem was—
how was he supposed to take those eyes from Uvogin?
The first time he attacked Uvogin, he had already revealed all of his trump cards.
The Mind Severing Technique was the strongest jutsu he currently possessed. As for the Shadow Clone and Substitution Techniques, those were purely his escape tools.
The problem was that the former couldn't break through Uvogin's defenses at all.
And after Uvogin had already seen the latter once, Ronin seriously doubted whether they'd fool him a second time.
What worried Ronin the most, though, was Uvogin's instinct.
Uvogin was a pure Enhancer. Fighters like that—those who pushed combat ability to its absolute limit—often possessed beast-like intuition.
Still, Ronin had one ability he hadn't fully unleashed yet.
If he could trigger it properly… there was a real chance he could succeed.
But the risk was enormous.
So what should he do?
Run away now—or gamble everything for a shot at fortune?
Ronin hesitated.
As for the head of the previous body's father dangling from Uvogin's hand, Ronin felt no particular emotion.
After all, that man wasn't really his father. At most, he was a stranger with extremely high affinity toward him.
If there were a chance, Ronin wouldn't mind giving him a proper burial.
But right now, Uvogin was clearly using that head as bait.
The moment Ronin dared to make a move for it, he was certain he'd meet a brutal end.
The forest echoed with nothing but Uvogin's filthy taunts and the constant patter of rain.
Ronin was already soaked to the bone, and maintaining the Sharingan for such a long time was making fatigue creep in.
From the moment he used the Mind Severing Technique, to Uvogin's arrival, to now—hiding in the trees—eight full minutes had passed.
Ronin was absolutely certain of this.
He had always been very conscious of time.
And he was running out of it.
When Uvogin casually tossed the head to the ground and stepped on it like a soccer ball, Ronin finally revealed himself again.
In the darkness, Uvogin saw those two crimson lights.
That was the task Shalnark had given him before leaving.
And before they parted, Uvogin had caught the doubt in Feitan's eyes.
That guy was convinced Uvogin wouldn't get the Scarlet Eyes at their most beautiful shade.
Uvogin curled his lips into a disdainful grin.
"So what if rage makes the Scarlet Eyes turn the brightest red?"
"That's easy."
He suddenly stomped down.
The eyeless head beneath his foot instantly exploded into a mess of flesh and blood.
And at that exact moment—
Uvogin saw the boy in front of him move.
Without any warning, a sharp blade pierced straight through his chest and abdomen.
Uvogin lowered his head in disbelief.
What he saw were Ronin's hatred-filled crimson eyes.
But those eyes weren't quite the same as the Scarlet Eyes he'd collected.
Because within them…
there was a tomoe.
The sense of wrongness flooded Uvogin's mind almost immediately.
He knew very clearly—
with Ronin's level of strength, there was no way he could pierce his body.
Not even if the blade was conjured with Nen.
The gap between them was like fireflies compared to the full moon.
Uvogin had confirmed that earlier, when he tanked Ronin's full-power whip kick without issue.
And the moment that realization settled in, everything changed again.
The dagger that hadn't caused even the slightest pain vanished.
So did Ronin—who had looked like a vengeful demon just moments ago.
Everything faded away like a fleeting illusion.
But as Uvogin snapped out of that dreamlike state, he felt his Nen fluctuate violently—especially around his head.
At the same time, he noticed that the mist that had been forming earlier had now thickened to the point where visibility dropped to less than half a meter.
This fog was abnormal.
It had to be Nen-related.
Combining this with how Ronin had previously burrowed underground, Uvogin began to understand something.
Ronin's ability couldn't be neatly classified into any of the five standard Nen categories.
That meant only one thing—
He was a Specialist.
And judging from its nature, his ability leaned toward Transformation.
As expected of a Kurta.
For someone who had only just awakened their ability, this was already a terrifyingly troublesome power.
If left to grow…
he might actually become a threat someday.
Uvogin's aura exploded outward.
Unfortunately for Ronin, the one he faced was Uvogin.
No matter what tricks the boy pulled today, there was no chance he'd be allowed to escape.
It was just fog.
Uvogin was confident that a single burst of Big Bang Impact would blow it away.
But before he could even throw the punch—
He felt a sudden emptiness at his waist.
The glass bottle containing the Scarlet Eyes was gone!
The bastard hiding in the fog hadn't escaped during the confusion?
Uvogin's eyes flashed with savage fury.
The punch meant for the front instantly changed direction, smashing sideways instead.
Boom!
Even though it didn't hit anything solid, the shockwave and wind pressure from the punch completely blew away the fog beside him.
And within that dispersing mist—
A battered figure was stumbling away, clutching a glass bottle.
Found you, you damn rat!
Uvogin kicked off the ground, his body lunging after Ronin.
In an instant, he reached the spot where Ronin had just fled from.
Then—another blur.
Uvogin was already right behind him.
Twisting his body, he swung a fist packed with violent Nen.
The punch passed straight through Ronin's body.
The running figure instantly collapsed into a puff of white smoke.
"Damn it!"
Rage surged through Uvogin.
He was clearly far stronger than his opponent—yet this feeling of having nowhere to unleash that power made his blood boil.
He was red-hot with fury.
The punch didn't stop after dispersing Ronin's body.
Instead, it slammed into the ground with even greater force.
Boom!
The earth shattered, nearby trees collapsing in the aftermath.
But Ronin—
Ronin was nowhere to be seen.
---