UPDATED*
Note: Fixed all the incorrect terms and names, if you still find any mistakes, do let me know.
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"Chief! Chief!"
"Chief..."
Bang!
The door of the Kuruta chief's house was kicked open.
The panting Satsuki rushed in from outside, carrying Rocky.
At this moment, Rocky was looking around the house. In the middle of the room stood a stout, short, but muscular old man. He had sharp eyes, and his face bore several scars, suggesting he had been through many intense battles.
There was a powerful aura surrounding his body.
The moment Rocky was carried into the house, the old man's eyes immediately fixed on him.
He examined Rocky closely.
When he noticed the *zetsu* around Rocky, a hint of surprise appeared in his sharp gaze.
"Chief... Rocky this kid... this kid..."
Satsuki was so excited, he could barely get the words out.
It was no wonder.
A child who awakened their Nen ability at the age of eight—this kind of genius was extremely rare in the world.
The chief raised his hand, signaling for Satsuki to stop.
"I know!"
The old man with a thick Viking beard said, his eyes still focused on Rocky. He smiled kindly.
"Little Rocky! You're amazing! You can actually control your aura!"
At that moment, Rocky looked at the old man in front of him, who had a fierce appearance with his scarred face, yet wore a warm smile. It felt odd to Rocky, like something didn't quite fit.
Such a look was hard to feel comfortable around!
But Rocky still smiled back.
"Aura?"
"Ah! I understand it now, it seems quite simple to control!"
*Quite simple?*
Satsuki rolled his eyes helplessly. He had spent five years studying just to unlock his *aura nodes*, and then he learned to use Nen.
Now, this eight-year-old kid was casually claiming that it was "quite simple."
The world of geniuses... really knows how to make others feel inadequate!
The clan leader nodded and asked, "How did you learn it?"
"Chief, let me tell you..."
As if afraid someone else would take the credit, Satsuki eagerly began explaining how he had taken Rocky to see him repair the barrier.
---
After listening to the story, the clan leader stroked his beard and looked at Rocky with a puzzled expression.
It was impossible to awaken Nen just by observing it.
If the talent was truly that extraordinary, Nen should have awakened long ago, instead of awakening only after observing it. After all, members of the clan sometimes use Nen.
But why did it happen today?
Being stared at by the clan leader made Rocky a bit uneasy, unsure if the other person had noticed something. Did he realize that Rocky's eyes weren't like those of an ordinary child?
The clan leader did sense this. The child's eyes were clear and intelligent, but Rocky's eyes were deep and bright, which indicated that his Nen was likely not simple!
Such eyes weren't typical for an eight-year-old.
"Oh, by the way, clan leader," Satsuki spoke up, "Rocky can actually open the Scarlet Eyes!"
"And he opened them voluntarily! It was only for a moment, but I saw his eyes flicker and turn red. At his age, he can control his emotions freely!"
"Rocky is truly worthy of being my nephew, hahaha!"
When the clan leader heard that Rocky had opened the Scarlet Eyes, he nodded thoughtfully.
If it was the activation of the Scarlet Eyes that triggered the sudden awakening of Nen, then that seemed plausible.
"Okay! Satsuki, take your leave. Little Rocky, you stay here! Live with me. His parents passed away young, and you've been taking care of him all these years!"
"Now that he has awakened his Nen, he needs someone to teach him carefully. Let me guide him!"
Satsuki smiled and said, "I brought him here because I want you to teach him!"
"He's the first in the entire Kuruta tribe to awaken his Nen at such a young age!"
The clan leader nodded. It was true that Rocky had awakened Nen at this age without any external influences, making him the first person in Kuruta tribe's history to awaken Nen on his own.
It was a great opportunity for Rocky to stay with the tribe leader.
If anyone knew the current state of the Kuruta tribe, it was undoubtedly the tribe leader.
Although there were only a little over a hundred members in the Kuruta tribe, they weren't all gathered in one place but scattered throughout the forest.
If they all lived in one area, it would leave too many signs of habitation, making it easy to be discovered even with barrier-like protection.
Thus, Rocky couldn't investigate how old Kurapika was at this time.
But now, he had an opportunity.
Others might not know, but there was no reason why the tribe leader wouldn't. The chief knew every single member's name 100%.
"Little Rocky, you must behave and not cause trouble when you live here with the chief!"
"Also, now that you've learned to control your Nen, you need to learn from the chief and strengthen it slowly!"
"Don't you want to learn the barrier technique? As long as your Nen is strong enough, I can teach you!"
Satsuki was explaining to
---
After chatting with him about some trivial things, Satsuki was still in high spirits, but there was a hint of reluctance in his eyes as he seemed unwilling to leave Rocky.
It was as though he was worried that Rocky might be feeling shy and didn't want to stay behind on his own.
Eventually, Satsuki left.
The chief turned to Rocky, a warm, fatherly smile on his face.
"Little Rocky, are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"
"Once you're done eating, I'll show you the Water-divination to help you understand what kind of power your Qi has."
Water-divination !
Rocky's curiosity peaked.
What kind of Nen did he possess?
He hoped his Nen would be in the Specialist category or Transmuter category. If he wasn't lucky enough for either, then Enhancer would be a solid choice!
Specialists category abilities were fascinating! Transmuter were known for their unique way of using their nen energy and giving them multiple properties. Enhancers, on the other hand, were balanced, with very few drawbacks.
Rocky believed that other systems required a lot of work to compensate for their weaknesses—far more than the three he considered ideal.
"Let's go!" The chief said, grabbing Rocky's hand gently as he led him to a room further inside.
Suddenly, something crossed Rocky's mind, and his eyes sparkled with realization.
"Grandpa Chief, I wanted to ask, is there someone named Kurapika in the tribe?"
The chief paused for a moment before nodding. "Yes."
"Why do you ask about Kurapika?"
"Well," Rocky began, his voice casual but with a hint of excitement, "I met him in the forest once, and we played together for quite a while. I forgot to ask him where he lives, so I was thinking of looking for him next time."
The chief's expression softened, sensing the innocence in Rocky's words. "I see. I'll tell you where he lives later. But listen, now that you've awakened your Nen, you need to practice hard, understand?"
Nen, combined with Scarlet Eyes, was a dangerous combination.
If Rocky couldn't control his Scarlet Eyes and nen, then the chief couldn't allow him to roam freely. Losing control would have catastrophic consequences, especially for someone as gifted as Rocky. Many in the tribe would be at risk.
The chief's protective nature was clear. Rocky had to be properly trained—not just to prevent harm, but to make sure his abilities were honed.
Suddenly, a thought struck Rocky, and he felt a pang of concern.
"Okay, Grandpa Chief, but, uh, who's older—Kurapika or me?"
The chief chuckled lightly, his voice casual. "Kurapika's a few years older than you. He's twelve this year, while you're only eight, right? It's pretty obvious—he's taller than you, after all."
Rocky's grip tightened slightly, his heart racing. Twelve years old... wait a minute... that was the age when the Kurta Tribe was massacred...!