Naruto: Starting from the time when the Six Paths of Pain was Kira Yoshikage

The airship hovered above the sea of ​​clouds and slowly headed towards the location of the third exam.

Inside the cabin was a Zen-inspired room. A low, light-colored wooden table with simple lines held a rough ceramic teacup, steam rising gently. The rough-textured cushions on either side quietly awaited those who wished to sit down. On the wall behind the main seat, a calligraphy piece caught the eye. The brushstrokes were vigorous and powerful, the ink tones perfectly balanced, depicting only a single, powerful character for "heart," seemingly silently conveying the room's owner's state of mind.

This is Netero's private reception room, reserved for a select few throughout the world. It's been several years since anyone other than Netero has entered, but today, a rare guest has arrived.

Chairman Netero sat facing Hua Shidoulang. He stared intently into Hua Shidoulang's eyes, seemingly trying to determine the truthfulness of his words, but quickly looked away.

Those eyes seemed to possess some kind of magic; staring at them for a long time gave one the illusion that their soul was being sucked in...?

This peculiar phenomenon piqued Netero's intense interest in Hua Shidoulang's Rinnegan, a man with countless legendary experiences.

Netero picked up the teapot in front of him, brewed two cups of tea, and pushed one of them towards Hua Shidoulang.

"Try it..." he said, taking a small sip, and a refreshing aroma of tea wafted out.

Hua Shidoulang also took a small sip, just like him, and the refreshing and sweet taste made his eyes light up slightly.

"Excellent tea!"

Although he didn't know what good tea was or understood tea, he could say with certainty that the tea in front of him was good tea. First, a slight bitterness spread on the tip of his tongue, which then turned into a long-lasting sweetness that slid down his throat and into his heart. He felt an indescribable comfort and ease throughout his body, as if his whole body and mind were being gently enveloped.

Putting everything else aside, the pursuit of food in the Hunter world seems to be a tiny bit higher than in other worlds, and the taste is also a tiny bit better. This can be seen from the deliciousness of the Spider Eagle egg, which was definitely the best boiled egg that Hua Shi Tou Lang had ever eaten in his life.

The simplest cooking method (boiling) has created the ultimate deliciousness.

After drinking a cup of tea, a faint aroma lingered on their lips and teeth, making even their breathing feel sweet and refreshing, and the two seemed less reserved.

"Shortly after I awakened my Nen ability... I noticed the abnormality in these eyes... It seems they awakened along with it."

Hua Shidoulang pointed to his eyes as he organized his thoughts.

Netero stroked his beard and chuckled, "Awakening? That's an interesting term."

He wasn't particularly surprised; amazing eyes weren't just a feature of the Naruto world, the Hunter x Hunter world also had its share of amazing eyes.

For example, the Scarlet Eyes of the Kurta clan is one such example. When the Kurta clan members are emotionally agitated, they activate the Scarlet Eyes, which allows the user to enter a state of "absolute time," enabling them to unleash the full power of six types of Nen abilities: Enhancement, Transmutation, Conjuration, Emission, Manipulation, and Specialization. At the same time, it also greatly increases the amount of Nen they can generate.

"I don't know if it's a curse or a blessing... In any case, I can see a glimpse of the future through these eyes... even if it's just a very tiny glimpse."

Chairman Netero asked, "So what did you see?"

Hua Shi Toro said very frankly, "Hunter Exam...as you can see...I know almost everything about this Hunter Exam."

Chairman Netero nodded and pressed further, "Anything else?"

At this point, Chairman Netero gave Hua Shidoulang a meaningful look: "You waited for me there specifically; there must have been more to tell me than just this, right?"

He was quite certain that Hua Shidoulang was waiting for him there.

Having lived for so many years, Netero still has this much confidence.

"Gang warfare...the ten most powerful...destroyed...a new reshuffle..."

"The world's largest and most famous live-action game world has been completed..."

"The person searching for their father didn't find their father, but instead found their father's disciple..."

At this point, Hua Shidoulang paused, his voice gradually becoming lower and more ethereal...

"And...disaster..."

"A disaster struck a certain country...and then...almost the entire population was wiped out..."

Netero nodded again. What Hua Shidou said didn't surprise him at all...it didn't even change his micro-expression much...

Gang fights happen every year... So "the most powerful ten" probably refers to the most powerful "Ten Old Men" organization. Their destruction isn't anything to be surprised about; at Netero's age, he's seen this kind of thing at least dozens of times.

The live-action game has been completed... It must be that continent that Jin and his friends created. He originally planned to play it, but he didn't expect to actually complete it.

The final disaster in that country that resulted in the near annihilation of its entire population was something Netero had seen far more of... Some of those countries he had even watched rise to power were now destroyed, but none of them were as shocking as the game's completion.

Netero didn't really believe Hua Shidoulang's words, even though his behavior really did seem like he was predicting the future.

"I also saw..."

Hua Shidou paused again, raised his head and looked directly at Netero, the one who had once stood at the pinnacle of human physical strength in this world in his youth, and slowly uttered three words.

"You're dead..."

His voice was soft, tinged with regret.

Even the most powerful human cannot escape the erosion of time. The current Netero might not even possess half of his former strength; though still formidable, he is no longer invincible. In truth, Hua Dou Shilang is eager to know who would be stronger between a Netero at his peak and the Chimera Ant King, who is said to stand at the pinnacle of biological physical strength.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world.

"Oh ho ho ho~~ Interesting, a very interesting way of saying it."

Chairman Netero showed no surprise, and his tone even carried a hint of something indescribable. He simply said, "Young man, everyone dies eventually, and I am no exception."

He has lived long enough, long enough that he looked like this when someone's grandfather was still a baby. Such a long life has made him take life and death very lightly.

Moreover, Hua Shidou's statement is like saying "everyone who drank the water is dead," which is pure nonsense.

However, Hua Shidoulang's next words caused this wise man, who had seen through life and death, to change his expression for the first time.

"Your death is next year..."

"You could say it was suicide..."

"Because the enemy is invincible... even your full-power Hundred Forms of Guanyin are useless against them..."

The three key pieces of information were like bombshells, each one more shocking than the last.

Especially the Hundred Styles of Guanyin mentioned in the last sentence, that is Master Netero's Nen, the strongest move and also the last trump card.

Unless faced with a formidable enemy, it will not be used as a last resort.