Chapter 2: The Sharingan
As Ronin ran, the memories of his predecessor became clearer, leading him to a grim realization: before his "resurrection," this body had possessed absolutely no knowledge of Nen.
This meant he had likely "awakened" his Nen as a direct result of a Nen attack.
Unfortunately, that same attack had sent the original owner straight to the afterlife.
Ronin assessed his internal state. He could tell that the energy flowing through him wasn't Post-Mortem Nen—that terrifying phenomenon where a user's aura becomes infinitely stronger after death. It was just standard aura.
But even if he did possess Post-Mortem Nen, facing Uvogin would still be a suicide mission.
The current date was April 1st, 1995. The main plot of Hunter x Hunter wouldn't begin for another four years. However, even at this point in the timeline, Uvogin was already a master Enhancer.
Uvogin had spent his entire life fighting. From the chaotic streets of Meteor City to his career as a thief, he lived for violence. The gap between them in experience, raw power, and killer instinct was an unbridgeable chasm.
Running was the only option.
But panic-sprinting blindly through a dense forest was a guaranteed way to get caught. Ronin knew he wouldn't get far like this.
He didn't know how much time his father could buy him, but he had to use those precious seconds to formulate a real escape plan.
Ronin's brain worked overdrive, but the more he analyzed the situation, the more despair crept in.
This really is a hellish starting point.
The sound of rushing water broke his concentration. Ronin skidded to a halt beside a small stream. Above him, thunder rumbled like a beast, followed by a jagged bolt of lightning that tore across the sky.
Using the momentary flash of illumination, Ronin looked down at the stream and finally saw his reflection.
Pale gold hair framed a handsome, albeit ghostly white, face. But it was his eyes that drew his attention. They were glowing with a sinister crimson hue.
That crimson color... it must be the Scarlet Eyes.
Yet, something felt wrong. In the lore, the Kurta Clan's eyes were described as "scarlet," a deep, rich red. These eyes looked... different.
Is it because I'm not angry enough? Is the color impure because I lack the emotional trigger?
Curious, Ronin leaned closer to the water just as another bolt of lightning snaked across the sky.
Boom!
In the strobe-light flash, Ronin saw his eyes clearly. They weren't the Scarlet Eyes of his memories. They were eyes that didn't belong in this world at all.
Floating within that crimson iris was a single, black comma-shaped mark.
A Tomoe.
Ronin was stunned. He had seen this pattern in countless manga chapters before. This was the Sharingan.
Although he only possessed a single Tomoe in each eye right now, there was no mistake. These weren't just the emotional triggers of the Kurta Clan; they were the legendary eyes of the Uchiha.
Is this my cheat ability?
Ronin accepted the reality instantly. The anomaly caused by his transmigration had mutated the Kurta bloodline limit. The Scarlet Eyes had evolved into the Sharingan.
That explained everything. It explained how he could track Uvogin's movements from over a hundred meters away in the dark. It explained how he could see the flow of aura—Ren—radiating from their bodies with such precision.
It was all thanks to the Sharingan's kinetic vision and perception.
It made sense. In Hunter x Hunter, Kurapika's Scarlet Eyes didn't grant him a visual prowess or "Dōjutsu" in the traditional sense.
For a normal Kurta, the Scarlet Eyes provided two things: access to a different Nen category upon activation, and a massive boost to physical strength and durability.
As Ronin processed this, he watched his reflection in the water shift. The crimson faded, and his eyes returned to a deep black.
Instantly, a wave of lethargy washed over him.
It wasn't enough to make him collapse, but he felt a distinct drain on his stamina. The side effect of using the eyes.
Ronin shook off the fatigue. He splashed across the stream and continued running, but his mind was now racing down a new track.
If I have the Sharingan... can I use Ninjutsu?
If he could, that would change everything. It would give him a way to survive, or at least a way to hide.
Meanwhile, back at the clearing, Uvogin had finished his fight.
In his massive hand, he gripped a severed head. He had already gouged out the eyes, placing them carefully into a jar of preservation fluid that Chrollo had given him before the mission.
He didn't discard the eyeless head. Instead, he tied it to his waist alongside the cloth-wrapped jar.
Uvogin glanced down at his chest. His bear-fur vest was shredded, and a large, dark bruise was forming on the skin beneath. He touched it, wincing slightly, before a cruel, savage grin spread across his face.
He wasn't going to let the kid—the other one with the Scarlet Eyes—escape.
"This fresh head..." Uvogin muttered, patting the grisly trophy at his waist. "It should be enough to provoke the kid. I want his eyes to shine the brightest, most beautiful red right before I snap his neck."
With that thought, Uvogin broke into a run, thundering in the direction Ronin had fled.
Ronin was a hardcore otaku in his past life. He had watched Hunter x Hunter and Naruto more times than he could count.
He had even been a cosplayer. The character "Itachi" was incredibly popular, after all.
But to stand out in a sea of cosplayers, you needed more than just a wig and contacts. You needed skills. Ronin had practiced the hand signs religiously to look cool in videos, especially since he had long, slender fingers that made the movements look professional.
He never imagined that one day, this useless party trick might actually save his life.
Ronin remembered the sequence for the Clone Jutsu clearly: Ram － Snake － Tiger.
While still running, he brought his hands together and wove the signs from memory.
He finished the sequence.
Nothing happened.
Ronin frowned, though he wasn't entirely surprised. If Ninjutsu were that easy, the Ninja Academy wouldn't need to exist.
But here lay the problem: with a monster chasing him, he didn't have time to sit down and meditate on his chakra. He needed a shortcut.
In the world of Hunter x Hunter, shortcuts came with a price. Conditions and Vows. He briefly considered setting a harsh Restriction on himself to force the technique to work, but he held back.
Since discovering the Sharingan, he had bet everything on the possibility of Ninjutsu.
Think, Ronin urged himself. What is the key to Ninjutsu?
Mold Chakra, weave signs, release technique.
He had the signs. But the Chakra...
Ronin looked down at his hands again. He could clearly see the energy shrouding them.
He knew this energy was Nen.
Then, a realization hit him like a physical blow. He recalled the sensation he felt when his eyes were active versus when they were dormant.
In my base form, I don't have Chakra. I have Nen.
Nen is Life Energy. Chakra is a mixture of Physical Energy and Spiritual Energy. They are similar, but fundamental different power systems.
But the eyes...
If these were truly Sharingan, they required Chakra to function. Which meant that when he entered the "Scarlet Eyes" state—or rather, the Sharingan State—his body must be producing Chakra.
He connected the dots to Kurapika's ability.
When Kurapika's eyes turned red, his Nen type changed from Conjurer to Specialist.
That's it.
Ronin reached his conclusion.
His Specialist ability wasn't "Emperor Time."
His Specialist ability was the conversion of Nen into Chakra.
When his eyes were black, he was a Hunter.
When his eyes turned red, he became a Ninja.
Only in his Specialist state could he weave signs and unleash Jutsu!