Hey guys we're coming to the last hurdle of 2024 December! You have been amazing sticking with me and my stories and I'm so glad to be able to write for an amazing reader like you. I hope you'll continue to enjoy my works. I also wanted to thank you for all the kind messages of support and condolences. I've mentioned I recently lost a loved one and it's been hard. I'm afraid it's also affected my work and I've had to play catch up which is why I couldn't update Kunoichi amongst Heroes this time. However I will be updating through December. Thank you for understanding and I hope you enjoy these chapters.
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Saying farewell to Whale Island sooner than expected, Gon, Killua, and Sakura had to endure a long sail to Yorknew, but with no storms of any kind. This morning, in particular, was cloudless; even without looking outside her cabin, Sakura could feel the warm rays of sunlight and knew that she was in for another stormless day. There hadn't been any since she left Whale Island. Not since that night.
When all Sakura could hear was her rapid breathing and her heart pounding like waves against a rocky shore, she turned to the front of the book and attempted to gently open it but when it began to feel heavy, she had to resort to prying with more strength and force that should be allowed and would initially rip the book in two. However, her efforts produced no results. The book would not open.
She looked at the writing on the back again.
For the heart tied to all perceived
The blood path is lost
The gate is closed
To open another
Grant the heart
A new desire
A true desire
For the climax shall remain obscure.
She deciphered it slowly and hadn't slept that night, trying to come up with any different theory than what she had ended with but it was clear. She understood what 'blood path' and 'gate' were referring to. The rules of fate have changed now. As the book was now, she wasn't going to be able to return or at least that was the impression from the last line of the 'obscure climax'. It was now uncertain.
She wouldn't be able to follow the story of this world page by page any longer. Her guide to reaching the end, the future that was set would be up to her actions. But she didn't even know when this story was meant to end or what the ending would entail.
The future would now remain as obscure to her as it is to everyone else in this world. She didn't believe it was a coincidence the book had suddenly sealed itself from her when she had been overcome with those selfish desires and emotions to throw it away and perhaps delay the ending. But if the ending of this story remains obscure, it might mean she would have to stay in this world. Admittedly that was one of the first thoughts that crossed her mind after the analysis. She assumed the 'gate' that had been closed was the one reaching into her world. Sakura even thought that she may have somehow broken the lock of it.
And somehow it was a relief.
The tearing choice of returning or staying no longer appeared to stand before her as a whole. It felt that way to her at least.
What haunted her thoughts now was the part that gave the option of opening either another 'gate' or 'blood path'; she wasn't certain. She didn't know what 'true or new desire' meant exactly. But to theorize for herself alone, she had thought that perhaps it had to do with the fact she had lost the desire to go back to her world completely.
She had only ever spoken in terms of prolonging her stay, and never admittedly stating outright that she would want to remain here permanently.
Thinking so long and hard about it, she could've written her own story. But when the morning came, she went back to the house. Leaving her thoughts and worries on the edge of that cliff, thus the weight of guilt. It would have amazed her how simple she was to be able to do that, but it was already done.
They had a heartfelt send-off from Whale Island and resumed traveling together, with their leisure time taken up by each other's company, no one, not Gon, Killua, or Sakura, dwelled on what they left behind.
..
..
Stepping out onto the deck, Sakura spotted Gon and Killua standing on the post of the sails, overlooking the distance. She saw smudges of a growing greyness as they neared land, and leaped up to stand beside her friends for a better view.
The hawk perched on Killua's arm threw her off a little though. But it looked comfortable and it seemed that he was expecting this. In fact, it was very good news.
"My brother sent the URL,"
Sakura chuckled, "So regular way is by hawk?"
Gon looked out toward the land growing in the distance. Buildings that reached to the skies, a metropolis, York New. "Now we can get started!"
..
..
Their first destination after docking was a place where they would have access to computers. A net café. There were rows of booths set with computers lined so they had some form of privacy. They accessed the Hunter's website using Gon's license. The webpage appeared on the screen and Gon swiped his license in the slot beside the laptop and entered his license code.
"It's so convenient to have all this information available in one place," Sakura said in awe. The information libraries had nothing on these computers.
"It still amazes me you have no clue on how to use a computer," Killua commented
Sakura puffed her cheeks without comment. She was at least paying attention every time one of her friends used the technology and she was beginning to gain a general sense of what to do.
The webpage then opened to a bar setting, pixilated people were sitting around the tables, and a bartender was in the background. Killua told Gon to click on the bartender and he spoke in a mechanical voice.
"What kind of information would you like?"
Gon clicked another information bubble appeared that could be scrolled, it was a long list of topics and information they could look at.
"Select the game category," Killua instructed. Gon did that and they kept looking through another list until they got to 'G' where they found Greed Island. But the information wasn't free.
"Please deposit 20 million Jenny for information,"
Sakura coughed, "Really?"
"I guess they won't give out information for free. We don't have a choice,"
Gon nodded, "Yeah, and compared to the game's price what's another 20 million?"
"20 million." Sakura deadpanned.
He deposited the money quickly and the information was cleared and opened to them. They listened quietly.
"Okay, now listen carefully. Greed Island is a game created by Nen users.
There were multiple creators. They put Nen into all hundred copies of the game.
When you start the game, the Nen activates, pulling the player inside the game. Only Nen practitioners can play the game.
As long as the player stays alive within the game, it will continue to run, even if the console is unplugged. It will stop when the player dies.
One of the creators hired fifty Hunters to give it a shot, but none of them came back.
I hear that you can return if you find a save point."
Gon looked curious, "Is that true?"
"It's from the Hunter website. It's got to be accurate." Killua stated that he was a little skeptical. Imagine being pulled inside of a game. The price tag was at least starting to make more sense to him. This was how only true Hunters would be able to play it.
"At the Yorknew auction, seven copies of Greed Island will be up for sale. The lowest starting bid is 8.9 billion Jenny,"
Their jaws dropped after hearing the price.
"8.9 billion!?" Gon gasped
"That's 3 billion more than retail!" exclaimed Killua, grabbing the ends of his hair.
"It's insane!"
Then something made them go quiet again.
"Difficulty obtainment is rank G. The game is considered a legend but there are still plenty of copies. If you have enough money it's relatively easy to procure."
'Yeah, except we don't,' Sakura shook her head.
That was the last of the information left to be shared from the Hunter website. Gon was smiling, taking the information as a message from his father. If he was unable to get his hands on a game ranked G then he could forget about finding his father.
Sakura chided, "So what are we going to do about the money?"
Killua didn't answer, because he had none, but Gon asked. "Can we participate in the auction?"
Killua and Sakura looked at him, "They're starting at 8.9 billion! That's way out of our league!"
"I mean to sell not to buy,"
They quickly grasped Gon's approach. He wanted them to look for valuable items and auction those off for a profit in order to reach the amount they needed to buy the game.
"So we'll sell for a profit?" Sakura folded her arms, "Would we make it before the deadline?"
"Worth a shot," said Killua moving to the computers, "Come on, I'll help set you up on the sight so we can all get in on this. The more hands we have to work on this the better our chances of earning,"
Sakura moved one of the laptops over to Gon's station, sitting in the middle of the two so she could see everything.
"We'll increase our funds and then get a copy of Greed Island!" Killua held a confident grin.
And several hours later all smiles dropped.
..
..
..
There was one of two ways Sakura had been able to view the recent event, she was now a bit more informed about operating technology in this world and browsing the web but at the cost of nearly all the money she, Gon, and Killua had earned at Heaven's Arena. As it turned out, not just anyone could find and auction off goods as they had hoped. Resulting in a major loss.
The three sulked in front of a water fountain, basking in the last remnants of the sun for the day while contemplating their decisions.
"How much do we have left?" Gon asked lugubriously.
Killua was incisive answering, "Between the three of us we're at 16.26 million."
Miserably they heaved a simultaneous sigh. The dent in their account wasn't nearly as big as the one made to their confidence.
"I can't believe we were scammed like that," Sakura grumbled with shaking fists, "That bastard sold the vase for double profit!"
"That's what you get for trusting people," muttered Killua.
Gon was suddenly set off, glaring at Killua, "That's why I told you we should stick to the reputable websites!"
"It took eight hours just to make 1455 Jenny! How many centuries do you think it would take to earn 8 billion!?" countered Killua. "Besides Sakura is the one who said we should consider other methods,"
Sakura gaped at him, "I didn't mean we should try trading with untrustworthy characters and on shady websites! I realized we weren't making much profit so I thought there were other ways. I don't know how this technology works so it's not my fault!"
"You can't just call innocents to ignorance!" Killua pointed at her accusingly, "You said we should give it a shot!"
"That's because you were already bidding!"
"So were you!"
"And I told you both not to but you wouldn't listen!" Gon shouted.
A crowd gathered listening to the bickering of the three teens. Instead of finding it disturbing to the peace it was more entertaining, like a free show in the streets. They bickered for a few more moments about who had made the better or worse decisions before Gon finally exclaimed.
"Alright then let's have a contest to see who can make more money!"
"You're on!" Sakura and Killua agreed.
"Whoever makes the most money by 9 am on August 30th is the winner. And the losers have to do one thing that the winner tells them."
They have gotten caught in the heat of their argument with their juvenile and now there was no backing out.
..
..
The competition didn't make much difference in their finances; other than a major loss from Killua but it had succeeded in making their two-week period go by exceedingly quick. Gon had done bidding online, keeping to the reputable sights, and hadn't made a lot. Killua had thought to take another risky method and went to gamble his money; for a while that had gone well until he ended up betting everything he made and lost it. Sakura had also tried her luck with bidding online but it was troubling and she gave up halfway. So the winner was Gon.
And the Yorknew auction was underway.
As the days went by, despite being in a city they could actually see the population grow. There were new stands, filling any empty spaces found in Yorknew. Which Sakura, Gon, and Killua were now exploring.
"It's only morning but there are so many people!" Gon exclaimed, his eyes darting around the bizarre. "Let's take a look!"
"I also want to see what they have," Sakura said, ruffling Killua's hair who had been pulling a face the entire morning by far. "Oh come on. I also lost but I'm not still pouting over it."
Swatting her hand, Killua groaned, "Damn, I could've made 12 times what I had if it wasn't for that stupid come around at the fourth corner!"
Gon gave him a straight expression, "That's what you get for gambling to earn money!"
"Shut up! You only made 15 thousand in 2 weeks! You could have earned more begging for change on the streets! I was at 200 million at one point!"
"Now you're broke," Sakura deadpan dragging Killua with them.
..
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..
They continued to stroll through the market place and Killua told them that this was meant to swindle those who had come for the Yorknew auction. Sakura hadn't told Gon and Killua that they weren't the only ones who had a deadline to meet. The Phantom Troupe would also be gathering somewhere in this city, but what good would that information do other than incite worry? They were yet to meet Kurapika and Leorio.
"Killua, did you hear from Kurapika or Leorio yet?" Sakura asked.
Pulling out his phone, Killua checked for any messages or missed calls with none to show, "Nope,"
"They promised to meet us here, so I'm sure they'll come," Gon said.
"Kurapika's working last time I checked so he's probably going to be busy with his job," Killua glared back at his friends, "You know the two of you should hurry and buy a phone already! It's standard Hunter gear,"
..
..
Already being in the marketplace, they quickly found a stand selling all types of cellphones but because Sakura and Gon hadn't owned one before; they had to rely on the seller's recommendations; forgetting Killua's warning of the purpose that the marketplace held.
The man held up a slim cell phone, "This one is the hottest current model! Super-thin and no bigger than a credit card. It also has GPS."
Sakura leaned towards the boy whispering, "What's GPS?"
A new voice interjected, "Don't bother. That feature doesn't work in many countries, and it isn't even waterproof. It's only good for making calls."
Gon, Killua, and Sakura had turned away from the front of the stand trying to stop their lips from pulling up in delight; Leorio stood hands in pockets smiling back at the trio.
"Leorio!"
"Yo!" He greeted walking over to the display of cellphones and picking up a bulky device that wouldn't have caught any of their eyes. It was big and brown, it also looked like an insect. "I would recommend this Beetle 07. It's a little heavy and pricy but it includes a translator for the two hundred languages used worldwide."
"Seriously? Sakura, Gon get this one and I'll get one too" said Killua.
Sakura shrugged, "Not like I know anything about this, so why not?"
"Okay!"
"Three please," Leorio said.
"Three will cost six hundred thousand."
Leorio gaped, "Six hundred-that's expensive pops!"
For the last five minutes, the three watched as their older friend haggled away with the seller for a better deal on their cell phones. Leorio had started such a scene that they must have looked like an attraction to people passing by because many stopped to peek into the store and see what was happening.
At the end of it though they were walking away from the store, carrying the bags with their new cellphones.
"Well, 110,580 Jenny apiece is a pretty good deal for a new model."
"Still talk about overkill. I've never seen anyone get applause for buying a cellphone," said Killua.
Sakura shrugged, "Well he did save us a lot. Thanks, Leorio."
"That's nothing. The real dealing only starts when the seller asks you to leave." Leorio then gave a hearty laugh.
"He's the last person you would find at an auction," Gon said softly to his companions.
"No kidding," they agreed.
Leorio chided, "So how have you guys been doing?"
"What do you mean?" Gon asked.
"You've been training and getting stronger right?"
Killua gave a small snort.
..
..
With a reunion, came the part of playing catch up. So Leorio guided his friends to a restaurant for some burgers and conversation. They were eager to relive their experience at Heaven's arena. Their encounter with Hisoka and their teacher Wing. Even when relaying the story to someone and without a hint of exaggeration that often came with retelling memories, it still stunned Leorio who was in awe of the progress the three had made.
"You actually gave the badge back to Hisoka? Not to mention you all managed to get to the 200th floor….." Leorio trailed, clenching his jaw. "Just how strong have you become?"
Sakura patted his back and said something that didn't make him feel better. "We're still on basics,"
"Did you learn Nen Leorio?" Gon asked.
With a prideful glint, Leorio leaned on the table, pushing up his glasses, "You bet."
"Awesome!"
Killua raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his drink "Seriously?"
"Why would I lie? It's the ability to build up a shroud of aura with one's life force…."
Leorio's confidence in his statement was merited with truth, however, those fully informed would have to feel a tremble of arrogance within themselves, taking pride in knowing a bit more. Though his friends just felt a bit sorry for ruining his moment. Especially Gon who explained.
"That's Ten, one of the four major principals for learning Nen,"
"Eh? There's more to it?"
"Figured as much,"
Sakura then cheered, "But I bet you've been working hard at your medical studies right Leorio?"
Leorio had kept his word, studying hard at medical school to become a doctor, and due to this he had very little time to devote to anything else and that included learning to use Nen.
Again he grinned, straightening to puff out his chest, "Of course I have! At this pace, I might even finish a year early."
"Great, then let's test you right now!"
"Huh?"
"Well, I said I would didn't I?"
Sakura was met with stony silence and then their table erupted with laughter from Gon and Killua. Their reunion was yet to be complete, but there was already a visible confidence growth in their number. A feeling that left them open-minded to the possibility of achieving any goal.
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..
The group's current lodging was in a high-class hotel and after lunch, they decided to return to discuss what move to make next. Further informing Leorio about their situation and how his and Kurapika's presence wasn't the only attraction that brought them here. Gon explained what happened on Whale Island with the tape and the ring and how they heard about Greed Island.
"Greed Island, what's that?"
Killua pulled the rabbit-ear lollipop from his mouth and answered, "A legendary game,"
"We're trying to get a copy at the auction,"
"But it happens to be extremely expensive and completely out of our current price range," Sakura said while tossing a candy wrapper at Killua, who was sitting on the window above the couch she was lounging on.
"But why a game?" There were other items up for bidding that were likely far more valuable. Leorio looked at Gon, sitting diagonally in a chair, his legs on either side.
"I think this game has a clue to finding my dad,"
"What do you mean?"
"It's a long story,"
"What about the cost, how much is the game?"
"The lowest starting bid," Killua took a moment to savor his candy, "8.9 billion,"
A little tea spilled from the cup in Leorio's hand, "Did you say 8.9 billion!? How much do you have?"
With an embarrassed smile, Gon answered, "We made some bad investments so about 10 million,"
"And by us," Sakura pointed up, causing Killua to growl at her.
"Hey!"
Leorio then chided, "Listen up. This event is held in Southern Piece, the world's finest auction house. You guys can't even cover the entry fee."
"But the acquisition level was ranked easy on the Hunter's website," Gon said. "Because you only need money to get a copy,"
Throwing his arms around the other couch, Leorio gave a short snort, "As I say, it always comes back to money!"
If Kurapika were here, he and Leorio would likely get into a scuffle over this topic as they had when they first met. But he wasn't, so instead, it was Killua who gave a response.
"All that means is that a real treasure can't be bought. If you can't obtain an item like this with ease, you can't be considered a pro hunter?"
It was almost admirable how easily Killua could turn a factor that would have weighed him down onto the opposite party. The statement could even be taken in a somewhat poetic light. Though it was just used to tease his friends and with success.
"I don't need you to tell me that,"
Leorio and Gon went to the computer resting on the side of the room, immediately going to the internet to begin searching for ways to increase their current funds. Different from their previous attempts because now they were four.
Killua and Sakura watched the two males who were starting to grow enthusiastic, voicing their searches which were simplistic and basically the first tabs that would appear on the page.
Killua whispered to the pinkette, "How much you want to bet he's an Enhancer too?"
An unattractive chortle escaped her, "I'll bet on Emitter,"
Gon and Leorio continued with their web searches, trying to find different methods to earn money specifically in Yorknew. It was still doubtful that they were going to find anything that would help them because of the different scams and cons that were set as traps for the gullible and naïve. And unfortunately, in this situation, that was them. But they refused to stop and eventually landed on a website explaining the different types of auctioning that were especially practiced.
With only one computer, they all had to cram around when they eventually found something.
"Swap, click on that Gon," said Leorio, the boy did as instructed and a robotic voice spoke with a female undertone.
"Swap. An auction technique. Slang for exchanges of goods. Also, see 'Bind'"
"What's bind?"
Gon searched for the answer and quickly received it.
"Bind. The seller names a condition besides money as their price. The winning bid will be the one that comes closest to fulfilling that condition."
While this harbored some confusion amongst them, Leorio was quick to settle on an idea fueled by this information. He understood that this had to do with auctioning of the conditional kind and it might be more to their advantage as well if they performed correctly.
"So that's it…there's another kind of auctioning,"
"Leorio, the smile on your face is making me nervous. If you have an idea can you please explain," Sakura said.
"Oh don't worry. I just figured out a way for us to make a ton of money."
After commenting on the potential of Leorio's auctioning skills, it was hard to join in the hysterical laughter of their older friend. Still, they listened to his plan with open minds.
"First we need to go shopping!"
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..
Sakura didn't consider herself a materialist; which was a common trait amongst ninjas who had to spend more time off on missions than in their own home and had little opportunity to divulge fully these types of habits revolving around objects of value. But that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the beauty of items. And a diamond with perfect cut, clear color, dusted with violet and shimmering in the light rays of the setting sun could certainly make her stop for a minute of admiration. Especially since they had just spent 3 million to buy it.
She was still skeptical as to what Leorio intended to do with this diamond but he assured them that this was going to be their investment. Hearing the word invest had her slightly anxious due to recent events and Leorio seemed like the avaricious type which only added to the pile of doubt ready to topple.
But then he fully explained his plan and how they were to act to ensure it succeeded. He placed tasks on everyone, this had Sakura running around the city of Yorknew with no sense of direction and only purpose that kept her walking through the streets. She was searching.
A large group of men chatting around a corner quickly caught her eye. Then she did as Leorio instructed. Slacking her shoulders so she no longer walked with power, she went up to the group.
"Hello, you guys look strong!" She pinched her voice to hide her initial tone. Despite her fragile appearance, her voice was perhaps one of her worst tells of her true nature. It wasn't frail or soft, and could even be identified as having a certain harshness that came out strong. Probably the reason it could lecture and scold so well.
"Eh, nice of you to notice little lady," The man who spoke, flexed his arm, clenching his muscles. Sakura kept her smile as she spoke.
"Well there's a conditional auction happening three blocks down," she pointed in the direction, "It's arm-wrestling and the winner gets a diamond worth 3 million!"
Now all ears were perked, even some people who were just passing by heard this and started heading in the direction she had pointed.
"Seriously?"
"No way!"
"Let's go!"
Sakura smirked at the backs of the men who were rushing down the road. She swiped back her hair from her face, her face a little hot with shame.
This all had to do with Leorio's idea of conditional auctioning.
"We're going to put this diamond up for auction and we're going to use arm-wrestling as the condition. They'll have to pay an entrance fee of ten thousand and try to beat Gon."
None of them could have done it. Literally, all four friends were already past the point of average strength. However, Leorio said that they needed to set this up right, to bait in as many 'bidders' as possible. That's why he chose Gon for the arm wrestling.
He had a winsome feature that didn't change as easily as Sakura and Killua's would when agitated. It could draw anyone into believing he was nothing more than a weak child.
Sakura was then used for advertising; for some reason, Leorio had insisted on her finding opponents who were strong in appearance. It's what gave way to the possibility that there was a second phase to this plan. Because doing the math, it wouldn't be possible to reach 8.9 billion before the auction with their entrance fee. Leorio was yet to disclose if there was a point to this seemingly blunt idea.
Having to play the innocent messenger made it easy to hide their intention as well. This seemed to be more of a scam than an actual auction. But it was effective.
Sakura returned to the street where the arm wrestling was taking place and Gon had already started. Leorio was acting as the commentator, while Killua held onto the diamond for display and protection in case someone decided to get smart.
Gon was pretending to struggle against his muscular opponent, matching his strength and then bringing the arm down, faking a heave. She went to stand with Killua.
"Quite a crowd you helped gather,"
"Thanks and all it cost was my dignity."
"Small price to pay for 8.9 billion."
"Now let's just hope we see some actual results from this,"
It was so hard not to smile every time Gon brought down someone's hand on the table. There was a comical effect when knowing how strong the boy really was.
The auction went on into the night, Gon had beaten over 150 people, but the crowd didn't die down. Gon was sweating bullets, adding to the act as that was a cold sweat at the thought of making money so easily. They weren't exactly on the high grounds for morals right now.
Sakura and Killua were just passing comments to pass the time.
"That last guy was definitely crying right?" Sakura asked, leaning in a whisper.
"Like a baby," They snickered. A lot of poor men were losing their pride with each match and they may have been enjoying the spectacle a little too much.
Leorio then called out to the crowd, "Okay next person please!"
Stepping into the spacious circle wasn't another over-muscular competitor but a petite woman, with big dark violet eyes behind thick glasses and short dark hair. She had a bland expression though as she handed Leorio the money, ignored his attempt at making conversation, and sat down in front of Gon.
'First female challenger,' and likely their only, was what Sakura thought. The onlookers started cheering and telling Gon to go easy but as they both clasped their right hands and Leorio gave the okay to begin, she was immediately struck with concern.
Gon was meant to pretend to strain, but while he was able to fool everyone else, his friends could easily see that he was faking. Now, however, the sweat on Gon's face seemed to go from cold to hot. His expression was hard, his teeth clenched as they continued to arm wrestle.
This match outlasted the others, Gon finally began to press the girl's arm down towards the table but it was slow, suspenseful, and too real. After some failed attempts, Gon finally managed to pin her hand down and let out a heavy sigh but kept his frown instead of softening his features right away as he did after every match.
The girl politely thanked Gon and then left without another word. Sakura watched as she vanished back into the crowd.
"That was full power wasn't it?" Killua asked.
"Yeah, I wonder who she is."
"World champion arm wrestler?" he guessed, though it was unlikely.
It wouldn't be too long before the three realized that the world around them would continue to move in ways that could make them miss a turn and send them crashing without realizing. Just as it did now.
..
..
..
"How's your arm feeling?" Sakura asked, pressing her fingers into Gon's arm again. He insisted that he didn't feel the least bit of discomfort after the arm wrestling, after all, training on Kukuroo Mountain was much harder in comparison.
Killua kicked Sakura on her back, leaning against the bed's headrest, "Quit worrying, he only struggled against that girl. Not like he broke his arm again,"
"I still can't believe how strong she must have been," Sakura murmured, then slamming her body back against Killua's "And don't kick me!"
"Hey!" Killua attempted to pry the girl off when Gon jumped, adding to the pile before they broke out laughing.
"Stop making so much noise, I can't concentrate!"
Leorio finished counting their winnings for that night and had just tossed the last stack on the coffee table next to the diamond ring. He would have waited until the next morning to do it, but with three energetic teens, that wasn't happening easily. Untangling themselves, they went up to him.
"So with a 3 million diamond, 7.4 million in leftover in cash, and the 2.75 million from arm wrestling. We need to turn this into at least 9 billion and I don't see how we can do that through legitimate channels,"
With a wry smile, Gon said he wouldn't call that arm wrestling a 'legitimate channel'. Although this was already foreseen.
"All the challengers at the end were just desperate losers looking for revenge," stated Killua. "I bet the rumors will keep people away today,"
"I was actually wondering about that too," said Sakura. "Before they didn't know about Gon's strength, but I was thinking this was a one-trick kind of thing,"
Leorio smirked, "That's fine. That was my plan all along. And the more exaggerated the rumors, the better.
No one understood what Leorio was hinting at.
"The arm wrestling was just bait,"
Sakura narrowed her eyes, "For what?"
"To draw out the moles,"
Gon titled his head, "Moles? Why do we want moles?"
Leorio shook his head, sometimes his friends were too much. "Okay, I'll explain,"
..
..
..
The next morning, Leorio was ushering a crowd to gather around for the conditional auction once again. Sakura had to follow through with leading more people to it and things appeared to be operating as well as yesterday when some people would go up to the optimistic challengers and tell them about Gon defeating his opponents with little effort. But it was exaggerated and facts were twisted, saying he sent challengers to the hospital, breaking their hands, crushing their bones, and so on.
'This was what Leorio wanted,'
It was no different when she went back to Leorio, Gon, and Killua. Voices were swimming around in the air, and it seemed to form a barrier that no one wanted to step over.
"Saw this coming," Sakura sighed,
Leorio had elaborated on his plan to use the arm wrestling as bait but still one had to wonder how long it would take before someone took a bite.
Towering over the rest of the crowd, a man in a neat suit accompanied by a much shorter man but who stood with more authority came through to the front.
"I'll do it." He said handing the bill to Leorio, sitting himself down in front of Gon. His large arm stood higher than Gon's own and he asked. "How are we going to do this? Your arm doesn't reach!"
Leorio stepped up, "Gon let's switch,"
The shorter man intervened, "Hey. Don't mean to complain but it's not fair switching the deal at the last second,"
Digging in his coat pocket, Leorio threw several stacks of bills on the table, "Fine. Five million plus the ring. All yours if you beat me,"
There were no complaints from either and Leorio switched places with Gon. Unlike what he told Gon to do, the second they shouted 'go' Leorio ended the match in an instant, slamming his opponent's hand onto the table so hard it broke the table in half.
If they weren't already losing out with the arm wrestling, they definitely would now but that was fine.
"There goes business, guess I'll have to pack up."
The other man approached Leorio. "You're one tough guy, I like you,"
"The three behind me are even tougher," Leorio said with a proud smirk.
The man glanced at the three teens and then handed Leorio a card, "If you have time to kill…stop by here by 5 pm."
The card had a map written on it, and Leorio stated to the three, "We've hooked a fish and it's a big one,"
Gon then chided, "I thought they were moles?"
Killua and Sakura laughed while Leorio fumed.
"NEVER MIND!"
..
..
Later that afternoon, following the directions printed on the card Leorio, Sakura, Gon, and Killua were taken to a building, it was extremely crowded inside, but this wasn't their final destination. At the end of the large room, two men were standing in front of a velvet curtain. Leorio showed them the card and they allowed the four to go through to an elevator.
"This is it, an underground auction where the criminal underworld sells their black market goods,"
"And the arm wrestling was just a means of getting attention," said Killua.
"Everything up for auction is extremely rare which is why even the opening bids are so outrageous,"
Crossing her arms, Sakura leaned against the wall of the elevator, "Dare I even ask how you know so much about this?"
"Just gotta keep your eyes and ears open,"
At the end of the short hallway, they were instantly hit with bloodlust coming from a crowd that was seated around the parameters of the large room. In the center was an empty ring. When the digital clock behind struck five, a buzzer went off as well as the lights, leaving only one shining on the ring. A man stood holding a microphone, addressing the crowd.
"Welcome everyone, I'd like to get this conditional auctioning started! The name of the game is HIDE AND SEEK"
A few women wearing masks to cover their eyes started handing out papers to everyone present including the four friends. There were seven square printed images of people-one of which they already recognized. The backgrounds were all from the same setting, at night, somewhere dark with little lightning and likely away from the city judging from the earth and rock in the background. There were five males and two females-one of which they already recognized.
"Check out the pictures we've got handed out. Your targets are those seven guys and gals!"
"The girl with the glasses…." Trailed Leorio.
"Yeah, she arm wrestled me,"
There was a whisper amongst the crowd, but a similar context was spoken. "Do you think they're the ones responsible?"
"Maybe. You're talking about the attack on the auction?"
"Everything was taken,"
The man then called into the microphone, "To win the bid, you must capture a target and deliver it to us! For each target brought in, you'll receive....a sum of 2 Billion Jenny! There is no time limit and it doesn't matter if the target is dead or alive! Contact us once you've captured one! It'll cost 5 million to participate!"
"2 Billion is a lot!"
Leorio grinned, "And if we capture all of them, that's 14 billion!
No one argued against registering and paying the fee to participate, but even so, Sakura and Killua were visibly skeptical. Sakura was quick to take in the hints presented in realizing who these people were, but she needed confirmation.
..
..
As they left the building, there were already people making calls and sending the pictures out looking for information, greed sending them into a rush.
"They won't be able to catch their targets," Sakura, Gon, and Leorio looked at their friend, "After all, the Mafia's having trouble handling them."
"Yeah, I overheard that. About the auction being attacked last night and everything was stolen," Added Sakura.
Leorio looked at the images again, "So you think these guys are the ones responsible?"
"Exactly, this is nothing but a big bounty hunt. The Mafia's admitting they can't catch them alone," Said Killua "There was a ring set up in that room, it was probably going to be used for a betting scheme of some kind but then they switched plans.'
"Makes sense then. If they managed to steal from the Mafia and are still alive….." Leorio pondered.
Killua tapped the side of his head, "They must be nuts to steal from the Mafia. And we already know who would be crazy enough for that."
Leorio and Gon stopped walking; everything lined up perfectly.
"The Phantom Troupe." Concluded Gon. Kurapika had said that Hisoka mentioned the Spiders showing up in Yorknew. "That's right, what is Kurapika up to right now?"
"He's in the city, but he's working." Said Killua.
"What's he doing?" Sakura asked.
Leorio chided, "Last I heard, he was working as a bodyguard. Probably some VIP. He's looking for the scarlet eyes, so he would want a way into the black market and with the auction, it makes sense."
Gon pulled out his phone, "I'm going to give him a call,"
They waited for a while, as Gon dialed the number and listened to the ringing on the other end but there was no response. "He's not answering."
"He must still be busy," Sakura thought that it would probably be a better idea if they didn't tell Kurapika about these pictures. Someone out for revenge could easily be blinded by rage and they've already witnessed a sliver of that.
Gon stared at the screen, "What if he went to the auction and got caught up in what happened?
"He wouldn't have been caught up in the attack. If it's the Troupe, he'd be actively tracking them down." Leorio said confidently. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's caught one or two of them already!"
Sakura exhaled softly, "That's what I'm worried about. If he's out for revenge, he'll probably want to do it alone and that can be dangerous."
"On the other hand, this is all speculation. We're not even sure if Kurapika's come into contact with the Troupe," Killua pointed out.
Turning to the sky, dusky pink and orange, Sakura hoped that Killua was right.
Kurapika stood in the now vacant room of the hotel, he listened to his cell phone ringing without a hint of reaction. There weren't many contacts listed, only the ones relating to his work, his friends, and his informant. He already knew that it wasn't anyone from work since he had just spoken to them and had made preparations to protect their boss. He doubted it would be his informant either because that would be a deliberate take of bad timing and therefore there could only be four others who would call him.
His friends.
But he didn't answer. He couldn't right now. Not as he watched the giant of a man step through the doors. They had already encountered once the night before, and after capturing and torturing, Kurapika knew he had left a bad taste in his mouth. Still, that's what he wanted. The rage and when he escaped with wounded pride that needed to be restored, Kurapika knew what was coming and he was more than ready for it.
Ready to crush his first Spider.
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-Commission: Demon slayer x My hero academia
Kunoichi amongst Benders (Avatar x Naruto crossover) ( 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter (73, 74, 75)
-Kunoichi amongst Heroes WHAT IF SPIN OFF: Dorms and Exams
-Kunoichi amongst Pirates chapter ( 30, 31, 32)
-Crossroads of Fate chapter 22, 23, 24, 25
-Through the Looking Glass chapter 28, 29, 30, 31, 32
-(SEQUEL) Through the Spyglass chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6
-SPECIAL HALLOWEEN CHAPTER: Shinigami amongst Shinobi
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