HxH: Noah’s Heart

"Surprised, aren't you, Teacher Tsubone? This is my ability," Noah said with a triumphant smile, concealing his aura.

"Is it really your ability? It truly surprised me. Is it the power to send someone into Zetsu without their knowledge?" Tsubone also restrained her aura and slowly approached Noah.

"Something like that."

To Tsubone's speculation, Noah gave a vague answer.

Tsubone didn't pay it much mind. Nen abilities were not something easily revealed to others. She didn't delve into the specifics of Noah's ability, and Noah himself didn't fully understand it.

Although Tsubone thought this way, she didn't know that her ability was no longer a secret to Noah.

"Today's performance exceeded my expectations, but…" Tsubone's expression darkened slightly as she continued, "Noah, you must remember that in a real fight, you must never hold back. You shouldn't carry the mentality you had just now, or you'll be the one at a disadvantage."

Noah understood that Tsubone was referring to his act of concealing his aura just now. He put away his smile and said earnestly, "Teacher Tsubone, you can rest assured that I understand."

The reason he concealed his aura was that Tsubone was the one teaching him. He wouldn't be so naive with anyone else.

"That's good. Continue to strengthen your abilities. Your power is impressive, but there are probably some strict rules to it. So, you must not rely solely on your ability and neglect other aspects." Tsubone had been observing Noah's progress. After spending these days together, she found Noah to be quite likable. She was wholeheartedly teaching him, hoping that he would grow faster.

"Yes, I understand."

Noah was deeply grateful to Tsubone. Without her, his progress wouldn't have been so significant.

So he cherished every piece of advice she gave, and even if she didn't mention it, he would pay attention to it.

Ability was just a part of strength. He would never forget other important aspects while relying on his ability. That's what a powerful Nen user should do.

After a day of training, as night fell, Noah sat on his bed, reflecting on today's achievements, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

The ability of the Assassin's Note was indeed as powerful as he had imagined. If he had really intended to kill Tsubone earlier, it would not have been difficult at all.

With this ability, he could easily accomplish something like "challenging opponents of higher level."

"But I still need to experiment with it on others and see if it works against stronger opponents."

"And…"

Noah muttered to himself, recalling what Tsubone had said during the day.

"Your ability is good, but there are probably some strict rules."

"No wonder it's Tsubone. She immediately identified the core function of my ability and its limitations. I imagine other powerful Nen users could also figure it out after encountering this ability once," Noah thought to himself.

"Surprising them is when it's most effective… right?"

Just as Tsubone had guessed, the ability of the Assassin's Note was indeed powerful, but it had significant limitations and penalties for failure.

The rules of the Assassin's Note are as follows:

Rule One: You must utter the words "Commence the hunt" for the ability to take effect, and weak points will then appear on the target's body.

Rule Two: After uttering "Commence the hunt," you cannot add any further information about the target. The number of weak points on the target will be fixed, and touching a weak point will cause it to disappear.

Rule Three: Once the ability is activated, you can only choose to record target information or select "Commence the hunt." If you choose to record target information, you cannot use the ability for the next six hours. In other words, if Noah wants to act against someone, he must record that person's information six hours in advance; otherwise, this ability will be useless, and information cannot be recorded during battle.

Rule Four: The target information recorded in the note must be entirely accurate. If any information is found to be incorrect, even a single detail, Noah will immediately enter a state of Zetsu, which will last for three days.

The correctness depends on Noah's inner thoughts. If Noah deems it correct, then it is correct. If Noah believes it to be wrong or has doubts, then the information is considered incorrect.

In simple terms, if Noah records someone's Nen ability as Emission but later discovers, during combat or if the other person claims to be Enhancement, and if this casts any doubt in Noah's mind about his judgment, the information is deemed incorrect, and he will be forced into a Zetsu state. However, if Noah genuinely believes that the other person's claim is false and they are an Emitter, the ability will remain unaffected.

In essence, Noah must not only strengthen his physical abilities but also cultivate a strong inner self that can even deceive himself when necessary. Otherwise, if someone discovers the limitations of his ability, a small lie could easily shake him, with disastrous consequences.

These four rules are the self-imposed limitations that Noah has established for himself regarding this ability, and they are rules that he must strictly adhere to.

So, while this ability may appear quite powerful, its limitations are substantial.

The mere act of gathering information poses a significant challenge. After all, some battles are sudden, and there is no time to collect information about the opponent.

Moreover, the accuracy of the information must be guaranteed, a task that would give anyone a headache.

Fortunately, Noah has a unique advantage compared to others.

He is well-versed in the storyline and has retained information about various characters in the Hunter world, all stored in his brain through watching the anime.

For Noah, this ability provides substantial assistance, especially when facing characters like Gatoh, Tsubone, and Amane, who are part of the Zoldyck Family, be they butlers like Gatoh and Tsubone or formidable killers like Silva and Zeno.

All their information is securely stored in Noah's mind.

With the Assassin's Note, Noah can gain a significant advantage when dealing with these individuals, increasing his chances of success and avoiding being overpowered by these formidable adversaries.

Everything he does is aimed at freeing himself from the Zoldyck Family successfully.

Everything he does is for the sake of seizing control of his destiny in this world of Hunters, where strength reigns supreme, leveraging the small advantage of being a transmigrator.