HunterxHunter: I Became Stronger After Death

Someone was hiding in the shadows of the passengers.

It might sound unbelievable, but with the power of Nen, such a feat was possible.

Kanzai, with his sharp eye for detail, could detect Moro's disguised aura but was unable to perceive the person hiding in the shadows.

This wasn't an oversight—it was because this ability could evade detection from techniques like Gyo.

The Nen user hiding in the passengers' shadows was Rokuhara from the country of Ryuou.

According to his original plan, after acquiring the legendary blade Sinra, he was supposed to return home with his companions. However, his leader gave him a new task:

Find out the reason behind Sinra's Nen aura disappearance and how it happened.

Thus, he targeted Moro and finally found an ideal confined environment to act.

"Shadows Without Rest"

This was Rokuhara's secret art.

In truth, it was a Nen ability, but in Ryuou, unique abilities were referred to as secret arts or ninjutsu.

The ability allowed Rokuhara to freely move through the shadows of non-Nen users within a defined range. The limitation of this range was based more on volume than distance. Conveniently, the entire volume of the airship fell within his ability's effective range.

Beyond this shadow traversal, Rokuhara also had another, manipulation-type ability.

If he successfully "invaded" a target's shadow for a sufficient amount of time, he could seize control of the target in one of two ways:

Possession: Remain hidden in the target's shadow and invade their soul, effectively taking over their body. Shadow Extraction: Remove the target's shadow entirely, turning them into a humanoid puppet that obeyed his commands.

Currently, Rokuhara was hiding in a passenger's shadow, patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity to act.

The airship would take three days to reach the ancient kingdom of Kukan'yu. Though it would stop en route to refuel, passengers were forbidden from disembarking during the process. This meant Rokuhara had three whole days to complete his mission.

Time was on his side. He could take his time invading more passengers' shadows, gradually building an army of puppets. This was why he had waited for such a confined space to act—he could work without fear of Moro leaving prematurely.

Inside a sticky, pitch-black shadowy realm, Rokuhara's body stood still, his face expressionless as he patiently waited for the right moment.

In a VIP Cabin

Kanzai stood by the door, responding to Talia's question. "That kid is a Nen user. He's using some kind of disguise technique."

"What!?"

The muscular female bodyguard, Talia, furrowed her brows at the revelation.

She had suspected Moro might be unusual under Kanzai's influence but hadn't seen through his disguise herself.

Kanzai folded his arms and spoke casually:

"I didn't sense any hostility, but we can't let our guard down. Out of all the passengers, he's the only Nen user. It's better to be cautious."

"…"

Talia glanced at Kanzai, hesitating to speak.

Sitting on the sofa nearby was their employer, a silver-haired woman who had removed her mask, sunglasses, and hat. She gave Talia a lazy sideways glance.

"What's wrong?"

Kanzai raised a brow, puzzled by Talia's reaction.

Talia hesitated again before finally choosing not to correct Kanzai's misuse of a certain idiom. Instead, she shook her head and said, "It's nothing."

Kanzai frowned, finding her behavior odd.

This professional bodyguard and treasure hunter was notoriously sharp at identifying potential threats but was equally oblivious when it came to things like language or numbers.

Shrugging off Talia's reaction, Kanzai turned his attention to their employer—the silver-haired princess of the Kukan'yu royal family.

At first, Kanzai hadn't thought much of this escort mission. Protecting royalty wasn't unusual for him; he'd handled similar jobs before. The worst risk was typically a potential Nen user attack.

But this time was entirely different.

Had he known the job involved royal family power struggles, he'd never have taken it, not even if Chairman Netero himself assigned it. Kanzai hated political drama more than anything.

Still, a contract was a contract, and his professional ethics meant he'd see it through to the end, no matter how much it annoyed him.

Fortunately, their client—the silver-haired princess—wasn't the stereotypical arrogant noble. She understood her situation and cooperated well.

However, during moments of crisis, her calmness was almost robotic.

Dangerous attacks seemed trivial to her, as if they didn't matter at all.

Kanzai noticed this odd contradiction:

She viewed death on her journey as a natural consequence but held a firm belief that surviving to the end would prove her immense value.

This paradox made Kanzai view her as a uniquely intriguing individual.

Whether out of professional obligation or personal conviction, Kanzai wanted her to survive.

Knock Knock

A knock came at the door.

Talia immediately stepped in front of the princess. Kanzai approached the door and opened it a sliver.

Outside was a uniformed staff member with a meal cart. Smiling, the server said, "Good evening. Your meal is ready."

"Leave it there," Kanzai said curtly.

"Of course. If you need anything, feel free to use the room phone to contact us," the staff member replied, still smiling.

"Got it."

After the server left, Kanzai wheeled the cart into the room.

The silver-haired princess moved to the dining table, where Talia began inspecting each dish. She used her Nen ability to scan for any abnormalities, her mouth steaming with emitted aura as she tasted the food.

"Normal… normal…"

All seemed fine until Talia picked up a flute glass and detected a faint, colorless, and odorless poison on the rim.

"Something's wrong," she said, setting the glass down without changing her expression.

The princess's reaction remained calm, unfazed by the discovery.

Kanzai sighed as he looked at her. They had gone through great lengths to throw off potential threats before boarding the airship, yet it had been futile.

"Seriously… it never ends, does it?"

Kanzai muttered, running his hand through his spiky hair.

Meanwhile, Rokuhara remained hidden in the shadows, watching and waiting for his chance to strike.

For 20 advanced chapters: https://www.patreon.com/c/Ely225