Owl woke up to find himself tied to a chair in a hotel room. In front of him stood a pink-haired girl who was scanning him with a look as if she were appraising merchandise. It felt as though she might harvest his kidneys at any moment, sending a chill down Owl's spine.
"He's awake," Neon shouted toward the door.
Luo Ning and Kurapika pushed the door open and walked in simultaneously. Luo Ning held a sandwich in his hand, while Kurapika's chains still floated beside him. Until Owl's ability was returned or transferred to someone else, the Steal Chain on his index finger could not be retracted.
The two had been outside the room earlier discussing how to handle Owl. Owl's ability was excellent, but Kurapika's current state didn't allow him to hold onto it long-term. To utilize Owl's power, they either needed to make him work for them willingly or force his cooperation.
Luo Ning had proposed another method of using Owl, but Kurapika found it far too cruel. It made them seem like villains, so he didn't want Luo Ning to use that method unless absolutely necessary. Owl didn't know what Kurapika was thinking, but he read a sense of pity in the young man's eyes.
Luo Ning's perspective was simple: he didn't trust Owl. Since he hadn't mastered the Rinnegan and couldn't turn Owl into a Path of Pain, the next best thing he could think of was to emulate Sasori of the Red Sand and use puppet techniques to control him.
After the fusion of his fifth pair of Sharingan, Luo Ning could be described as an otherworldly version of the Professor of Ninjutsu. S-rank was already the highest difficulty level for ninjutsu, and since Luo Ning could perform S-rank techniques, he had essentially mastered the vast majority of ninjutsu. Aside from bloodline limits other than the Sharingan, summoning techniques, or jutsu requiring specific physical modifications or external items, he could perform almost everything else. Even for techniques requiring specific items, he could meet the requirements through preparation.
Unfortunately, this did not include the creation of Human Puppets. Creating Human Puppets was a unique talent belonging solely to Sasori; in the entire ninja world, Sasori was the only one who could turn a human into a puppet. Thus, Luo Ning had to settle for the next best thing: a technique Sasori used during the Fourth Shinobi World War when he lacked puppets—Manipulating Attack: Controlling a Human Body. With this, he wouldn't need Owl's consent; he could simply use puppet strings to turn Owl into a literal marionette in his hands.
This level of control reminded him of Neferpitou. If Neferpitou were to do it, she could probably turn Owl into a puppet while preserving a portion of his Nen, making him even easier to use.
Luo Ning had also thought of a way to transport and use Owl. He could use Owl's own ability to wrap Owl himself inside the Fun Fun Cloth. He could keep him there, leaving enough food inside like a pet to ensure he didn't die, and then unfold the cloth to release him whenever he was needed. To Luo Ning, the plan was perfect.
However, just as Kurapika thought, this method didn't exactly scream 'hero.' It was also a bit too dehumanizing. But did Owl really need to be treated like a person? Luo Ning had no love for the mafia. If Kurapika's method failed, Owl would ultimately become his 'puppet toy.'
He could even test several ninjutsu on Owl that he had been curious about, such as sealing techniques or various curse marks. For instance, the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, the Caged Bird, or even the Curse Marks researched by Orochimaru. Luo Ning had some doubts about whether Orochimaru's Curse Marks would work, though, because...
In just a few moments, a flood of ideas had already passed through Luo Ning's mind. Meanwhile, Kurapika began his questioning.
"Do you know where the Ten Community Leaders are?" Kurapika asked directly. At the same time, the chain on his ring finger dangled downward.
Owl had a guess as to what Kurapika was doing, but he still held onto a shred of hope and said, "I don't know."
His answer was met with a heavy punch from Kurapika straight to his abdomen.
"Whoa," Neon muttered, a bit surprised. She hadn't expected the usually refined and scholarly Kurapika to show such a ruthless side during an interrogation.
"You'd better tell the truth and cooperate with me. Otherwise, what awaits you might be a fate worse than death," Kurapika warned kindly.
Behind him, Luo Ning gave a low cough. It was a reminder to Kurapika.
Owl merely smiled. "Is that all you've got?"
An arrogant fellow. Luo Ning's lips curled slightly. He knew that in the original story, Owl had also been interrogated—but not by someone as gentle as Kurapika. He had been interrogated by Feitan. Under Feitan's torture, Owl had likely spilled everything he knew and even things he didn't. As for whether he died... well, after the Yorknew City incident, Chrollo never used Owl's ability again, so Owl's survival was in a sort of Schrodinger's state. But judging by the results of Feitan's interrogation, the guy wasn't nearly as tough as he acted.
Luo Ning didn't plan to tip Kurapika off. He watched quietly as Kurapika struggled. If they really couldn't get anything out of him, then he would step in.
Mind Reading Jutsu. It was an ability to read a target's thoughts without any equipment. In the world of shinobi, Inoichi Yamanaka had used it to successfully extract vital information from a Rain Ninja, and Aoba Yamashiro had attempted it as well, though he failed against Kisame Hoshigaki. Regardless, the ability to directly read memories was incredibly powerful. It was the exact same type of memory-reading ability held by Pakunoda of the Phantom Troupe.
The interrogation lasted over an hour, but the information Kurapika managed to extract was extremely limited. Finally, Luo Ning stepped forward. After finishing a series of hand signs, he placed one hand on Owl's forehead and the other against his own.
In the next second, his vision shifted. He began to flip through Owl's memories from a god-like perspective. He saw the gathering of the Shadow Beasts and spotted several members he hadn't seen before. He rewound further to see Owl meeting a man with a scarred face in a hotel. The man's name was Raymond—one of the Ten Community Leaders who had summoned the Shadow Beasts. He was also Owl's direct superior.
The memories continued to rewind, and the name of the hotel appeared in Luo Ning's field of vision. The floors, the rooms, and even the number of mafia members guarding the way surfaced in Owl's memories, all laid bare before Luo Ning's eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, there was a light sweat on Luo Ning's forehead, though the chakra consumption was less than he had anticipated.
"Let's go. Adan Hotel, Room 1801," Luo Ning said. As he spoke, chakra transformed into threads and pierced into Owl's body.
In that moment, terror finally filled Owl's eyes.
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