As Toji made his way toward the town after finishing the hunt, his focus wasn't on the road.
He walked between the trees with calm, steady steps. The cool air drifting through the forest slipped between the branches, carrying the scent of damp earth and old leaves. Over his shoulder, the boar he had hunted a short while ago swayed slightly with his movement, yet his body was barely affected by the weight.
His balance remained steady, his steps carefully measured, as if the ground itself were telling him where to place his feet. It wasn't a display just a habit. And perhaps… a kind of instinct that had begun settling into him more deeply than it should for a child.
But his mind wasn't here at all. He was searching for something, anything that might interest him. Even in his previous life, he had been naturally curious. Anything mysterious, any unclear detail… was enough to occupy his thoughts for hours. And when that curiosity is placed inside a fictional world… well, the result is someone rather troublesome.
Toji let out a faint sigh.
"Well… what should I do now?"
He had learned the local language during his earliest years. It was Japanese… almost. The pronunciation was nearly identical, but the writing system was completely different. He rolled the thought around in his mind as he stepped over the trunk of a long-fallen tree.
"Is it because of multiple civilizations?"
The idea seemed reasonable. In the original story, there were many places that had never been explored, cultures that had never been explained. The world had always been far larger than what appeared in the narrative. Which made sense. A world that contained professional Hunters, unknown continents, and things like the Dark Continent… would never be simple.
He lifted his gaze slightly toward the sky now peeking through the trees.
"Roughly speaking… this is the year 1984."
He paused for a second, as if checking an invisible calendar in his mind.
"That's three years before Gon is born."
A brief silence followed.
"And I'm seven years older than him."
He continued moving through the trees with an agility that would make anyone watching from afar slightly uncomfortable. The boar slung over his shoulder did nothing to disturb his balance, and even his footsteps were deliberately placed so they made almost no sound. The habit had become part of him—perhaps more than it should have.
"I have time."
Not much… but enough.
"When the original story begins… I'll be nineteen."
That meant roughly fifteen years from now. Fifteen years. A long time… theoretically. Fifteen years to build a foundation. Thirteen if we count until I fully open my Nen.
He fell silent for a moment.
"Enough time… assuming I don't die before then."
It wasn't a dramatic thought. Just a realistic one. This was Hunter × Hunter, after all. Death here wasn't a rare event, it was a natural part of the environment. Especially if you decided to step into the world of Hunters.
As Toji approached the town, his thoughts drifted back once again to the same idea that had been bothering him for some time. He thought slowly, trying to organize things without deceiving himself.
"When I really think about it…"
He sighed lightly.
"I don't actually have that much time."
His Nen talent… wasn't anything special. At least, not in the way he had hoped. If he followed the traditional path of training, step by step like everyone else he would most likely end up like dozens of side characters that appeared throughout the story. People who possessed Nen… but remained weak. With no real influence. No place in the story.
"…Just background movement."
His gaze lowered slightly as he stepped over a small rock in the path.
"It almost feels like my mind rejects Nen."
The thought lingered for a moment.
"Is it because I'm not originally from this world?"
A strange idea… but not entirely impossible. His mind, his soul, his very existence had come from another world. Perhaps something about him simply didn't align perfectly with the energy system here.
Then he shook the thought slightly in his mind.
"Or maybe…"
He paused.
"…I'm just not talented at Nen."
A simpler answer. A more irritating one. And probably the more likely one.
But even so, if he was honest with himself his body was something else entirely.
He lowered his gaze slightly to his hand as he walked. Only a few years had passed since he had learned how to walk, yet his body had already grown far stronger than it should for a child his age. Not compared to adults, of course. But for a four-year-old… it was unnatural.
His speed.
His balance.
His muscular strength.
All of it had developed at an almost uncomfortable pace.
"The real advantage…" he thought calmly, "…is that I'm a child."
Time flows differently when you're young. Days feel long. Years pile up before you even notice. Adults waste that time easily… without even realizing it.
But Toji had no intention of doing that.
He had already lived through childhood once. There was no need to repeat the experience.
"This time… I can use this stage instead of enjoying it."
Right now, as a child, he could shape himself however he wanted. Train his body. Adjust his habits. Build discipline early. Things people needed years to learn… he could simply plant into himself now.
And there was no need to rush yet.
In fact, he already had an idea.
Several ideas, actually.
But the timing… was still far too early.
"Not now."
For the moment, it was better to focus on the basics. The fundamentals of Nen. And control over his body. Several years of quiet training would be enough to build a solid foundation.
There was no point jumping straight into Hatsu without real control. Many users in this world had made that mistake. Impressive power… terrible control.
Then a quick death.
"Foundation first."
"Only after that will I think about Hatsu."
His Nen type mattered… but not that much. As long as it was one of the six categories, he could work with it. He had plenty of ideas suited to his style—simple abilities, efficient ones, deadly when necessary. Abilities that didn't rely on enormous quantities of aura. Things that didn't require innate genius… but improved with training and experience.
The only problem—
Most of those ideas required a Specialist.
Toji sighed lightly.
"Great."
"Excellent plans…"
"…dependent on the rarest category in the system."
Among all those ideas, there was only one that could work with the other five categories. Just one. Which meant if he wasn't a Specialist, then that was his only option.
He fell silent for a moment.
"I really hope I'm a Specialist."
Not because he wanted some broken ability, but because his ideas fit that type far better. Clean abilities. Practical ones. Abilities that enhanced talent rather than relying on it entirely. Without ridiculous conditions or excessive sacrifices.
But if that wasn't the case… things might become slightly ironic.
"Because then…"
"…I might have to walk Toji Fushiguro's path completely."
One of his eyebrows lifted slightly.
The irony was obvious.
When he first discovered that his name in this world was Toji Fushiguro the same name as the character from "Jujutsu Kaisen" he had assumed it was just a funny coincidence. A strange name… but whatever. Coincidences happen.
But now?
After learning the Nen system… and after starting to doubt his own talent within it… it no longer felt like a coincidence.
"Almost like the universe is trying to give me a hint."
"Hahahahaha."
He began laughing at the direction his thoughts had taken.
Naive.
Still a weak Nen user who compensates with an abnormal body.
Honestly?
The idea wasn't comfortable.
But it also… wasn't terrible.
At least, that path had worked for the original Toji.
A short silence followed before he shook the thought away.
"No need to decide now."
He still had fifteen years.
Plenty of time.
"Enough time to overthink this far more than necessary."
And he knew himself well. If there was one thing he truly excelled at… it was overthinking.
As he drew closer to the town, his mind continued reviewing those ideas. The more he reconsidered them, the more it seemed like they could actually work. Not immediately… but eventually.
He only needed to be absolutely certain about the details and adapt them precisely to the Nen system.
And that would take a long time.
Fortunately… time was the only thing he currently had.
Before he could continue the chain of thoughts, the trees gradually began to thin, and the outline of the dirt road leading to town appeared. A few steps later, the wooden sign at the entrance came into view.
Old wood, slightly worn by time—but the words were still clear.
Fox Town.
Toji paused briefly as he passed it.
The island's name came from an old reserve that once housed a rare species of fox known as the Corrosive Fox. A strange creature. It possessed saliva with mildly acidic properties, an unusual biological trait that made it different from other foxes.
And naturally, anything unusual becomes desirable.
That saliva had attracted the interest of many researchers. At first, it had simply been scientific study. Small samples. Observations. Research papers.
Then interest grew.
And over time, that "scientific interest" slowly became something else entirely.
Hunting increased. Attempts to harvest the saliva multiplied.
And after only a few years, the species couldn't withstand it.
It simply disappeared.
Extinct.
Toji stood for a moment looking at the sign, then thought quietly,
"Wonderful."
Then added inwardly with a dry tone,
"You have a unique trait… so the world decides you're a natural resource. Not a living creature. Just raw material walking on four legs."
That was usually how things went.
In the end, nothing remained of that species except the name. An entire island named after a creature… that no longer existed.
Toji exhaled softly.
"At least they got the honor of having the island named after them after going extinct."
A brief silence followed.
"Truly a beautiful tribute."
"We kill you first… then turn your name into an eponym."
Finally, he continued walking toward the town.
And in his mind, one very simple idea settled firmly:
In this world…
If you possess something rare—
Either you are strong enough to protect it,
Or it becomes… the reason for your end.