The year was 1987 in the Hunter Era, the birth year of Gon and Killua.
It was the year Ging launched Greed Island. It was the year the Phantom Troupe was truly forged, descending into darkness following the death of Sarasa. It was the year NGL gained its autonomy, allowing Gyro to completely abandon mechanical civilization and seal the territory as an isolationist agricultural nation—a silent prelude to the eventual hatching of the Chimera Ants.
More importantly, it was the year Roy had spent two years since awakening his Nen and the Gate of Cognition. In that time, he had passed the Hunter Exam, but he had also drawn the gaze of a god and been branded with a curse.
Drip... drop...
The curse on the back of his hand counted down silently. Nearly a year had passed, and eight months of Roy's lifespan had vanished without a trace. The boy turned and walked into the bathroom, his voice echoing back. "Book the tickets."
After a quick shower, he finished the breakfast Gotoh had prepared. As the young butler cleared the dishes to head out and book the tickets, Roy wiped his mouth slowly with a napkin and stopped him. "Call the doctor. The treatment plan for tuberculosis can be put on the agenda now. I want to have the medication as soon as possible."
Reverse Conjuration, much like the Conjuration affinity itself, required a sufficiently clear and deep understanding of the target object. Only through that could one use imagination as a medium for Nen to bring it into reality.
Unlike Shizuku's Blinky, Kurapika's chains, or Knov's hide-and-seek apartments, Roy relied on the Gate of Cognition to traverse multiple worlds. This constantly strengthened his self-awareness, allowing him to conjure a wider and more complex variety of objects than most. However, the mental strain it placed on him was significantly higher than what others experienced.
After Gotoh left, Roy attempted to conjure a carving knife and a block of wood to continue his practice with God Scripts. He wanted to brand one of his techniques, God Spear, onto a wooden blade. He found he could conjure the carving knife without issue, but the wood remained elusive. No matter how hard he wrung his brain, it wouldn't take shape.
Suddenly, a voice drifted in from the hallway, catching his frustration.
"Whether it's God Scripts or Nen abilities, nothing can be conjured out of thin air. If you don't have a deep enough understanding of what you want to create, imagination alone won't bridge the gap."
The door opened, and Ging walked in, adjusting the hood of his cloak. Seeing the boy staring blankly at the carving knife in front of the bright window, he pulled up a chair and sat down beside him.
Looking out at the dawn-colored sky and listening to the rising bustle of citizens heading to work, Ging extended a hand. Spheres of Nen light condensed at his fingertips, just as he would one day show Pariston. He stretched, thinned, and molded the aura until it transformed into a brand-new card. He flicked it toward Roy, who caught it between two fingers.
Ging leaned back lazily against the chair. "Paper Art. The source... I once met an origami artist during my travels."
"His name was Murdoch. He spent most of his life dedicated to the art of paper folding, not even realizing he had awakened Nen. When I met him, he was actually flying across a hundred-meter-wide river on a paper plane he had folded. He nearly crashed because he ran low on aura before reaching the bank. Thinking back... it was quite interesting."
"So you just stole his ability?" Roy glanced at him.
Screech—
Feichuo's Parrot poked its head out from Ging's shoulder and fluttered over to land on Roy's head. It rubbed affectionately against Xiao Jin, who annoyedly swatted it away with a wing.
"Taking inspiration isn't stealing," Ging said, ignoring Roy's disdainful look. "I'm just reminding you that Conjuration isn't limitless. Murdoch could conjure and manipulate paper so freely because he loved it and was obsessed with it. That's all."
'Love... both narrow and broad.'
'Is it because I don't love wood? Because I don't have a deep understanding of it? Is that why my imagination lacks the foundation to become reality?'
Roy frowned in silence.
Ging closed his eyes and basked in the sunlight, saying nothing more until a gust of wind blew a leaf onto the windowsill. He hummed softly. "You're young; there's no need to rush. Learning to conjure something can take days, a month, or even a year."
"Once you understand what you want to create well enough, the rest follows naturally."
The advice from a top-tier Conjurer was sound. Considering Ging would eventually become one of the world's five greatest Nen users, his ability to conjure various contracts to form unbreakable bonds with magical beasts was a testament to his expertise.
"Maybe you're right." After a long while, Roy pushed back his chair and stood up. He paced to the window, watching the red sun turn yellow as it climbed higher. "But you're wrong about one thing. I may be young, but I don't have that much time."
Roy looked at the wood. Trees grew through photosynthesis, fueled by the sun. Was wood really that difficult to conjure? Did it truly require months or years? No, there was nothing new under the sun. The sun nurtured all things, and naturally, wood was among them.
Roy's eyes flashed. If Yoriichi Tsugikuni could create Sun Breathing and derive Water, Wind, and Stone from it... and if the First Hokage Hashirama Senju could combine Water and Earth to create Wood Release...
'I stand on the shoulders of giants from two worlds.'
Roy narrowed his eyes. The carving knife dissolved into a stream of Nen, returning to his cognitive world. He opened his mental panel and looked at the Nature Transformation section.
[Water: Lv. 3 (1453/10000)]
[Earth: Lv. 2 (354/1000)]
One came from Water Breathing, and the other from the Swamp Space.
His aura surged. He drew a thread of Water and a thread of Earth. Mimicking Ging, he opened his palms to condense a ball of water and a ball of soil. Beneath the warmth of the morning sun, he pressed his hands together, forcing the two elements to merge.
Behind him, Ging, who had been lazily enjoying his sunbath, suddenly felt a ripple of aura. He instinctively sat upright, peering intently at Roy.
Water and Earth intertwined, permeating and fusing until they were inseparable. A burst of Nen light erupted, and as Roy slowly spread his hands, a piece of raw timber—about twenty centimeters in diameter—appeared between his palms.
Ging gasped. "Wood?"
"Yes, wood."
Roy turned slightly, holding the log up to the sunlight. It cast a distinct shadow. He smiled.
A rare spark of light flashed in Ging's eyes, which were usually filled with his own strong will. His back slumped again as he returned to his lazy posture, letting out a laugh of relief.
"Elena told me yesterday that she couldn't see through you at all. Every time she thinks she's seen all your tricks, you turn around and bring another surprise."
"Not a fright?"
"A bit of both."
"And you?" Roy asked, rubbing the wood in his hands. It was good wood, though a bit short and thick. It wasn't suitable for a dagger or a short sword, but it would work well as... a nail.
"Heh heh... Me?" The wind caught Ging's hood, revealing his unruly hair.
He slumped in the chair, fingers tracing the armrest as his gaze drifted toward the high sky. "You have your own path to walk, Roy, and I have mine. Neither of us needs to envy the other."
"Spoken with the confidence of someone who built their career on copying others."
"I told you, it's imitation! Inspiration!" Ging gave Roy an annoyed look and whistled for Feichuo's Parrot to return. "Now, could I trouble you, Lord Roy, to take your damn bug out of my heart?"
[En] retracted. The heart-parasite wriggled out of Ging's body, carrying a trace of information as it vanished into Roy's palm.
Before Roy could even read the data, Ging spoke. "Razor isn't willing to come with me. Help me convince him... Greed Island won't work without him."
'He really doesn't visit unless he needs something.' "Is this a request?" Roy glanced at him with a half-smile. Despite his young age, he seemed to have too many schemes.
Ging said bluntly, "Don't put it so harshly. At most, it's a trade."
"Once Greed Island is released, it will be completely open to you."
"Specifically, only to you."
"Deal!" Roy smiled and reached out his right hand.
Ninety-nine cards branded with various Nen abilities were essentially a massive treasure trove. In the Naruto world, that meant ninety-nine ninjutsu of varying grades and power. Roy had no reason to refuse.
As for Ging, without a top-tier Emitter like Razor to provide the aura output for the island, maintaining its operation—let alone releasing it—was a pipe dream. Unless, of course, Ging took Razor's place and stayed on the island himself.
"Fine... please stop that fake smile; it's practically falling off your face." Ging glared at Roy, shook his hand firmly, and vanished. He moved faster than the wind, leaving only a sentence echoing in the room.
"I'll be waiting for your news."
The door slammed shut, sealing Roy's smiling face inside.
"Heh..." Roy sat back down. He didn't mind. He opened his follower panel and looked at Razor's entry.
[Potential Follower: Razor... Loyalty: Close to Follower status... Willing to trust the host with his back...]
The corner of Roy's mouth curled. He opened his left hand, conjuring the carving knife again. He attempted to brand God Spear as a God Script into the piece of wood he had just created.
After several failures, a wooden nail engraved with the [GOD SPEAR] script appeared. He grabbed it.
Knock, knock, knock...
"Master Roy, I'm back."
The door opened as Gotoh returned. Suddenly, a streak of black light whistled past his cheek, piercing the air and thudding into the wall behind the butler.
Gotoh's instincts flared, and he reached for his gun, but he stopped when he realized it was Roy. He adjusted his glasses and swallowed hard. Roy gripped the head of the nail and whispered, "Return."
The God Spear Wooden Nail, which had extended nearly ten meters, instantly retracted. In the blink of an eye, it returned to its original form. Roy tucked it into his pocket.
The boy smiled. "Let's go." He patted Gotoh on the shoulder.
"Yes." The young butler regained his composure and quickly gathered the luggage.
The two walked down the hall to Razor's room. The door was slightly ajar. Roy could see the tall man in a simple tank top leaning against the window frame, silently practicing Water Breathing. Razor didn't turn around when he heard them.
"He went to see you?"
"Mhm." Roy stepped inside and got straight to the point. "I didn't refuse him."
A short silence followed.
Razor finished the final form—Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux—using his hand as a blade. he exhaled a breath of turbid air and turned to look at Roy. His narrow eyes locked onto the boy. "You know, I'm doing this because of my debt to you, not him. He didn't break me out of prison; if I wanted to leave, I could have at any time."
"I believe you."
"Then you..." Razor frowned, waiting for Roy to finish.
However, Roy offered no further explanation. He simply walked over to stand beside him at the window, watching the bright sun, the crowds of people, and the flowing traffic. "Razor, I'm not your master, and I have no right to demand anything of you."
Roy turned to look at him sincerely. "To be honest, coming from a family of assassins, I'm not that different from you."
"So, I've decided to leave it to you. Whether you want to do it or not is your business."
"Of course, if you agree, I'll teach you the remaining two forms of Water Breathing."
Razor's eyes shifted. Was the Tenth Form not the end of Water Breathing?
His massive frame stood a head taller than Roy. He squinted at the boy. "You're threatening me."
"No." Roy drew upon his Nen, condensing the data for [ELEVENTH FORM: DEAD CALM] and [TWELFTH FORM: PHANTOM SWORD - WATER MIRROR MIRAGE]. He pressed his fingers against Razor's forehead, delivering the stream of information. He then turned to leave without a backward glance. "I would have given them to you even if you didn't agree."
Razor stood alone by the window, speechless. He waited until Roy and Gotoh had vanished from the building and reappeared on the street below. They got into a taxi, and the engine roared as they drove away.
Razor's brow finally smoothed, and a warm smile appeared on his lips. "You... you really are someone hard to refuse, aren't you?"
"I haven't even said goodbye yet."
But they had already said it. A long sigh carried on the wind and drifted away. For a moment, Razor felt a strange sense of melancholy.