HxH: Noah’s Heart

The two of them quickly arrived at the iron gate. Just as they passed through the gate, Noah's steps came to a halt, and he turned his gaze to the side.

"What's wrong?" Ashu also stopped and asked.

"Nothing, you go back first," Noah shook his head and replied.

Following Noah's recent gaze, Ashu noticed a small pit not far away. He shrugged and said, "Alright," then turned and left.

Once Ashu had left, Noah shifted his focus back to the pit, sighing softly and muttering, "Young Master Ilumi."

"Have I been discovered?" A young boy's head popped up from the pit like a mole, and it was none other than the eldest son of the Zoldyck Family.

Seeing this scene, Noah's eyes couldn't help twitching.

Although he had known about Ilumi's peculiar habit of digging pits to rest even from the original work, it wasn't until he saw it with his own eyes that Noah realized the utter helplessness of the situation.

You already had this strange habit this young?

"Young Master Ilumi, what are you doing?" Even though he knew it was Ilumi's peculiar habit, Noah still had to put on a caring expression and ask.

Ilumi glanced at Noah with an expressionless face, then climbed out of the pit, patting the dust off his body. He spoke, "I'll show you something."

As he finished speaking, Ilumi's figure disappeared from where he stood.

If it were the Noah of the past, he would have been unable to pinpoint Ilumi's location at this moment. But the current Noah was different from before.

He could clearly see Ilumi approaching him with that piercing look and extending his palm, appearing as though he was about to launch an attack.

If it were someone else, Noah would have done only one thing at this moment: take a step forward and deliver a powerful punch to that annoying face.

However, he was facing Ilumi, the eldest son of the Zoldyck Family, and his own status was that of an apprentice butler of the Zoldyck Family. Not to mention retaliation, he wasn't even allowed to dodge.

What is this little devil up to now?

Sighing inwardly, Noah condensed his aura.

After all, Ilumi couldn't harm him, and Noah had to be cautious not to let Ilumi get injured due to excessive defense.

Just as Noah was thinking this, he suddenly noticed a change in Ilumi's body, a change that made him involuntarily widen his eyes.

Aura!

There was aura covering Ilumi's body!

Ilumi's palm stopped in front of Noah, and at this distance, Noah could clearly see the aura enveloping Ilumi's palm.

"I suppose you can see it," Ilumi said calmly as he slowly retracted his hand.

Noah saw it very clearly. When he saw the aura on Ilumi's body, he realized a problem: Ilumi had awakened Nen abilities.

Moreover, judging by the way he controlled his aura, he had already reached a certain level of proficiency.

Just like the manipulation he had used just now and his previous concealment, if the pit hadn't been so close to him, Noah might not have been able to detect him hiding underneath.

This little devil, when did he awaken Nen abilities? Could it be that the people from the Zoldyck Family taught him?

It's unlikely; he's too young, and the Zoldyck Family probably wouldn't encourage premature development. But if that's not the case, then there's only one possibility—did he awaken it through his own training?

Impossible, right? If it's true, how terrifying is this little devil's talent?

It's said that Killua is a rare genius in the Zoldyck Family, but from what Noah can see now, the eldest son of the Zoldyck Family is by no means inferior.

Noah didn't have time to ponder how Illumi had awakened his Nen abilities. At this moment, he suddenly realized something else.

Back then, he had confidently told Illumi that Nen abilities could only be awakened at a certain age. At that time, Illumi had even double-checked if he was lying.

Noah had managed to deceive him with a mix of truth and lies. However, he hadn't expected that, in such a short time, Illumi would actually awaken his Nen abilities. This was essentially telling him that he had lied in the first place.

Thinking about this, Noah's heart couldn't help but tighten, especially when he considered the possibility that Illumi had deliberately waited for his return.

Noah was uncertain about what Illumi would do next, but after considering all possible scenarios, he arrived at the worst-case scenario – Illumi, angered by his previous lies, might want to kill him.

With this thought in mind, Noah's heart gradually calmed down, and the aura around him began to flow subtly.

At this moment, Noah had made up his mind. If things turned out as he feared, he wouldn't just stand by.

The moment Illumi showed any intent to harm him, Noah would strike instantly, break his neck, and then escape swiftly.

To Noah, Illumi didn't pose much of a threat at this point.

He could easily kill him, but doing so would likely incur the wrath of the Zoldyck Family, and with Noah's current strength, he probably wouldn't survive against Silva or Zeno.

Although this was the worst possible outcome, it was a hundred times better than doing nothing and dying at the hands of Illumi.

With these thoughts, Noah extended his senses to the surrounding environment to check for the presence of others.

"This is Nen, right? You lied to me back then," Illumi suddenly spoke again while Noah was mentally planning his escape route.

His black-hole-like pupils stared silently at Noah, whether to observe Noah's expression after his lies were exposed or to wait for an explanation, Noah couldn't be sure.

Noah pursed his lips and remained silent.

Just when he thought Illumi might strike at any moment, he noticed that Illumi suddenly withdrew his aura and took a step back.

Consequently, the aura Noah had been brewing dissipated. Seeing Illumi's actions, Noah concluded that the former didn't intend to kill him.

As long as it didn't involve a life-threatening threat, Noah could endure it.

"Maybe it wasn't exactly a lie. After my father saw it, he had the same expression as you. My mastery of this power was unexpected to him as well, perhaps it's related to talent," Noah had a slight illusion that, as Illumi spoke further, he detected a hint of pride and boastfulness in his tone.

After all, he was just a kid. Being able to surprise his father was indeed something to be proud of. Especially since Killua and the others weren't even born yet, and Illumi was the only child of the Zoldyck Family.

Noah thought to himself.

"My father initially advised me not to get in touch with you. However, he has changed his mind now and said that I can seek some answers from you."

Upon hearing these words, Noah's heart skipped a beat.

"I've been waiting here just to tell you that when this month is over and you've dealt with those newcomers, come out with me."

"This time, I hope you won't try to fool me with those sweet words meant for children," Illumi said, and at this point, a clear and astonishing intent to kill emanated from him.

Watching Illumi disappear in the distance, Noah's mind oddly pictured images of Alluka and Kalluto.

Is this another form of unconventional character development?