(What on earth could make him lose his calmness?)

Kakashi cautiously sized up the man who had suddenly appeared, smiling brightly at Chitose and saying "Long time no see".

Very strong. This man is no ordinary strong. Just facing him directly, one can feel the surging and torrential power gushing out, as well as vitality.

Is this unfathomable person Chitose's acquaintance? However, completely different from his elated reaction is the boy's stunned response.

Kakashi felt uneasy and puzzled by Chitose's silence, and turned to look at his expression - he was perched on Chitose's shoulder, so this action was very easy to do. Then, he widened his lifeless eyes a little in surprise.

In that boy who he had an impression of as always being calm, even cold and unfeeling without any emotions, at this moment, hidden deep within those pitch-black pupils was actually profound trust and dependence. As he looked at the man's face, his pupils shook slightly, and his cool voice carried a trace of hardly detectable fragility as it sounded in the air.

".....Jin....."

The next second, the previously smiling face of the man suddenly restrained his smile, with astounding grief and sorrow settling deep within his dark green eyes. He took a step forward, both hands on Chitose's slender shoulders.

Chitose's whole body shook, suddenly calming down as he immediately realized he had lost composure because of being reunited with Jin.

After all, this was Jin!

From young till now, both mentor and friend and father figure, that Jin!

He gathered himself, looking at Jin whose appearance had almost not changed at all, and said, "It was my mother's memories, telling you right?"

Upon hearing Chitose mention his own mother, Kakashi keenly noticed the air freeze for an instant.

"That's right. It was Minako using her memories to inform me of your whereabouts in the ninja world," the pain in Jin's eyes grew stronger. Then the next second, he sighed as if looking at the boy who had regained his composure in just a few short seconds.

"She also told me, you would definitely come back to look for a way to traverse the world barrier. Chitose...." He hesitated to continue.

Chitose lowered his head slightly, his bangs shielding his eyes. He naturally understood what Jin wanted to say after seeing the heaviness and disapproval in his eyes. But he was no longer that carefree 10 year old child growing up safely under his mother's wings.

"I'm already not who I used to be." In the end, this was all he said.

He had things he must accomplish. He had already been tainted black. He could no longer go back.

"No." Jin refuted without any hesitation.

Kakashi immediately sensed Chitose tense up, then slowly relax.

Jin knitted his brows, gazing earnestly at Chitose. His eyes flickered with such sincerity that moved people, unconsciously making one want to trust him, believe him. Such was Jin's charisma. He looked at the boy - or rather, youth - he hadn't seen for four years, hands gripping his shoulders slightly tighter.

As one of Minako’s best friends, he had practically watched this child grow up. The Chitose from before could be fittingly called a little angel. Such an understanding, extremely intelligent yet kind and gentle child, one with such a warm smile and a heart so soft he treasured family and friends more than himself...

Just what kind of experiences made him become like now, so icy cold and lifeless?

However, no matter what, he would properly look after this child. This was Minako’s final request, and also his heartfelt wish.

Chitose loves Minako so much... Yet he personally witnessed her death, less than five months ago. Thinking this, Jin felt like a huge rock was pressing down on his chest, and he couldn't breathe.

Right now, as Jin looked at Chitose, although there was still in his eyes the grief over Minako’s death - he was right, even though the memories she gave him didn't include this part, from the circumstances then he could infer what her death was like - he revealed a reassuring smile.

From his understanding of Chitose, he could see the deeply buried unease within. The fear that he would distance himself from Chitose because of his changes.

"In my eyes, your essence has not changed one bit, Chitose."

What his eyes held was the usual sincerity and conviction, that kind of gaze looking at you as if to redeem your soul.

Slowly, the corners of Chitose's lips curved up.

***

Hanzo eyed the path ahead as if facing a formidable foe, nervous. Although Chitose still had no expression, he was also already prepared, ready to face whatever situations that would appear next.

The elevator slowly came to a stop. Now, they were already deep underground. The doors opened.

Clearly knowing the failure rate and cruelty of the Hunter Exam, Chitose showed no reaction at all to the densely packed crowd before him and the suffocating killing intent, not even blinking an eye. After receiving the tag with a number from the administrator holding a basket, Chitose was just about to pin it to his chest when a voice suddenly sounded beside his ear, "You guys are #293 and #294."

He paused, exchanging a look with Hanzo towards the middle aged man walking over to them. The man was short and fat, his features simple and honest. At first glance he didn't seem like a bad person, but relying on the discernment Chitose had honed in "that place", he could naturally tell with one look the ill-intentions of the visitor at first sight.

Some things will always leak out from one's eyes. Indifferently casting the overfamiliar man a cold glance, Chitose directly ignored his self-introduction and turned his head away, not even listening to what he said. However, right then, Jin's words from earlier suddenly echoed by his ear.

[No matter what, I don't wish for you to be fixated on the past and give up the future because of it, Chitose.]

His dark pupils seemed to grow deeper, but in the next moment, Naruto's, Sarada's, Sasuke's and Sakura's faces flashed across his mind. He blanked for a bit before hints of warmth neutralized the coldness and darkness within.

He wouldn't. The current him might be bearing heavy burdens, but he still has family and dreams.

Unlike Chitose who ignored the man, Hanzo was very excited to secretly chat with him instead. "Hey, lemme tell you a secret, I'm actually a ninja! I came to find the legendary Fantasy Scroll...." He couldn't hide the pride on his face, clearly very thrilled to be at a place with no ninjas.

Tomba barely maintained his smiling expression, not really listening to Hanzo's ramblings.

—That brat from earlier, with just one look was enough to make me feel like I'd be killed the next second... Although young his senses seem quite sharp... Better to target this idiot instead.

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Thinking thus, he took out a drink he had spiked with strong laxatives to offer Hanzo, but the previously excited and mysterious Hanzo suddenly restrained his expression, sharp eyes staring right at him. "A ninja's custom is to not consume food from others. Sorry."

Cold sweat rolled down Tomba's forehead. "Oh, oh... I, I understand."

—The newcomers this year, aren't simple!

While Tomba was chatting with them here, more people were still coming out from the entrance over there. After Tomba repeatedly approached several newcomers to chat and offer drinks, with every single person who drank it without exception soon turning pale and swiftly disappearing, Chitose raised an icy corner of his lips but did not take any action, merely leaning against the wall watching coolly from the sidelines.

If they lacked sufficient strength and judgement to be eliminated here, that was also a kind of blessing in disguise.

Hanzo stood by his side, feeling extremely pleased with himself for his earlier awesome rebuttal, arms crossed as he hummed a tune to psyche himself up. After some time, Chitose started feeling a little bored and wondered when the exam would start, but the appearance of the next batch of people entering through the entrance made him pause.

Gon was very pleased towards Tomba who had kindly introduced the various strong candidates and even provided drinks for them. So he unhesitatingly started drinking from the can, but the tongue trained from youth while living in the natural forests immediately protested and made him spit out that expired drink right away. Seeing Tomba's strange reaction of breaking out in cold sweat, he was just about to ask if the other party was feeling unwell when a somewhat icy yet very attractive and nice-sounding voice suddenly spoke up from the side. "He's just feeling guilty over his misdeeds."

Curious, he turned his head together with his companions Leorio and Kurapika to look towards the boy walking over to them. His curiosity towards a peer made him immediately forget about Tomba as he swiftly disappeared into the crowd.

The boy looked around the same age as himself, with similar height too, though he seemed a little taller than the other party. In other people's eyes, they might even deeply inhale - what a handsome boy! Gon looked at him, first revealing a brilliant and sincere smile. "Hello! I'm Gon, Gon Freecss! Just call me Gon!"

The boy across from him paid no attention to Tomba who had swiftly blended into the crowds. Instead, he said, "Uchiha Chitose. You can call me Chitose."

"Huh, what a strange naming custom!" Leorio suddenly spoke up from the side, and the fair-skinned blond boy beside him immediately reminded, "Hey, Leorio, that's too rude!" He smiled helplessly at Chitose, "Please don't mind, Leorio didn't mean anything else. I'm Kurapika."

Chitose nodded. "The naming customs in my hometown are a little different from this side." On the other side, Leorio also realized his words were inappropriate after the reminder. Scratching his head, he said, "Ah, sorry about that! I'm Leorio, please guide me!"

Chitose shook his head to indicate he did not mind. Then he looked at Gon again, just wanting to say something when the sharp, harsh sound of a bell suddenly rang out, drawing their attention towards the sound. The crowds on both sides parted to reveal a man with a strange hairstyle walking out.

—It was the examiner for the first phase. Just follow him to reach the second phase exam venue. And the process of heading to the next exam site was the content of this examiner's test.

This Examiner Satotz's test might seem easy, but in actuality, not only did it test their endurance, it also tested the examinees' mental state.

Chitose steadily kept up with Gon’s group. He didn't know where Hanzo had run off too, but they had only been traveling together so he did not care. Suddenly, Gon beside him spoke up. "Just now, what did Chitose want to say to me?"

Caught a little off guard, Chitose turned to face him, suddenly meeting his clear, wide eyes. Unable to refrain from voicing out, "Your eyes resemble Jin's a lot."

Gon was clearly stunned for a bit before immediately asking excitedly, "You know Jin?!"

Chitose nodded. "You're his son right. You really resemble him."

Gon excitedly asked in return, "Really?" After receiving an affirmative reply, he seemed extremely happy. "Actually, my purpose in taking the Hunter Exam is to find Jin."

He looked at Chitose, meeting his pair of deep, dark pupils. Smiling very sincerely and cheerfully, he said, "And also, I want to know what about the Hunter profession that makes Jin love it so much."

Chitose gazed at Gon’s smile. "I see."

"What about you Chitose? Why did you come to take the Hunter Exam?" Gon suddenly asked in return, his huge dark green eyes filled with curiosity and goodwill.

Chitose paused for a bit, while Kakashi who had been resting on his shoulder with eyes closed the entire time opened an eye — this was also the question he had been wondering about.

Although he had thought Chitose wouldn't reply, unexpectedly, looking at Gon he calmly answered after a short moment. "I want to utilize becoming a Hunter to develop my own abilities. Even if I can't succeed myself, I can still make use of a formal Hunter's privileges to search for what I want."

"Oh..." Gon gazed earnestly at the resolution in Chitose's eyes. Then he grinned without probing further, only saying instead, "I think you'll definitely be fine, Chitose! Do your best!"

Chitose looked at that smile, remaining silent for a while before replying, "Thank you."

Just as the two of them were speaking, a white-haired boy swiftly skated past them on a skateboard. The already sweating Leorio instantly reacted agitatedly, yelling loudly, "Ah! That's cheating! Isn't using that against the rules?!"

The boy who had his attention caught turned back doubtfully, large blue cat-like eyes filled with innocence. "Huh? Is that so?"

"Do you even need to ask?!" Leorio roared furiously.

"No, the examiner only said for us to follow him." Gon frowned slightly as he spoke from the side. Leorio immediately whipped his head back. " Gon! Whose side are you on?!"

The white-haired boy did not bother with Leorio anymore, instead looking at Gon and the boy beside him. Suddenly opening his mouth, he asked, "Hey, how old are you this year?"

Puzzled, Gon confirmed the question was directed at himself before replying, "Almost 12."

The boy muttered thoughtfully to himself, "Same age as me..." Then he looked at Chitose. "What about you?"

Curious, Gon also looked at Chitose.

Chitose's face was expressionless. "11."

"Huh? Chitose, you're younger than me?!" This was Gon’s shocked cry, but he soon furrowed his brows doubtfully and asked, "But isn't 12 the minimum age to participate in the Hunter Exam?"

The black-haired boy calmly answered, "My circumstances are special, don't worry about it."

Gon tilted his head curiously, then blinked and put aside that line of thought.

The white-haired boy pondered for a bit before coolly jumping down from his skateboard and tucking it under his arm. "Fine, then I'll go by foot too."

Seeing his actions, Gon made no attempt to hide his smile. "That's so cool!"

The previously tense boy eased up upon receiving such praise. He regarded Gon and Chitose on his right. "I'm called Killua."

Gon smiled back. "I'm Gon."

Killua nodded before shifting to the still expressionless Chitose. "You're called Chitose right? I heard Gon call you just now."

Chitose nodded. "Please guide me."

Killua suddenly looked even further away at Leorio who had called him out for cheating yet was now drenched in sweat. "Hey old man, what's your name?"

But unexpectedly, Leorio roared angrily instead, "Who're you calling old man?! I'm a teenager like you guys, alright?!"

Silence permeated the air for one second.

"Hah?!!"

"Ah! I can understand Killua but even you, Gon?! And I saw you widen your eyes in shock too, Chitose! Hey!!!"

The noisy group ran seriously for a while after joking around. A few hours passed and some people had already dropped out. Suddenly, endless flights of stairs appeared up ahead just as the examiner picked up speed.

Leorio was already struggling to keep up, purely relying on willpower and also sweating profusely. Kurapika accompanied him. As for Chitose, Gon and Killua, the three of them easily kept pace without any fatigue or finding it tiring at all. Unknowingly, they had dashed right up to the front, behind the examiner.

Gon and Killua suddenly started discussing their purpose for taking the Hunter Exam. Chitose did not join the conversation, merely quietly running beside them. He took a look at the two beside him whose breathing remained stable and even. For Gon, he thought that was only natural. As for Killua, although he had concealed it very well, how could he possibly miss the killing intent and bloody aura around the other party?

The two boys, one good-natured, honest and sincere to the point one did not know how to deal with him; the other, a true murderer with countless lives ended by his hands which were still covered in fresh blood.

How interesting.

Chitose calmly thought to himself. If only they knew in other people's minds, he was also an equally interesting character.

While conversing with Gon, Killua also subtly paid attention to the icy boy on his left.

This fellow resembles my oldest brother a lot with that expressionless face. But my brother truly does not comprehend emotions or facial expressions, only knowing how to kill and earn money. But this guy seems more like... excessively composed and rational.

He couldn't help feeling curious. Exactly what could make this guy lose his calm?

Moreover, despite being a year younger, he could ascertain that this boy was definitely not weak. Just based on the temperament and eyes, Killua was certain of this point.

And he vaguely sensed Chitose had seen through the awkwardness and tension he initially displayed when first striking up a conversation with them. Under his pitch-black eyes, it seemed that nothing could escape.

Chitose, who had never interacted with anyone other than family members of the same age, couldn't help but feel a bit nervous when he first talked to Gon and the others. He thought he had concealed it well, but Chitose had already seen through it. Furthermore, his discreet observations, he realized, might also be within Chitose’s grasp.

As they continued running, Chitose suddenly heard a familiar voice from his shoulder.

"Do you want to develop the ability to traverse world barriers by becoming a Hunter?"