As he ran, the memories of his predecessor became sharper. Ronin realized that before his "resurrection," this body had not mastered Nen.
That meant he had likely been awakened to Nen by a malicious Nen attack.
Usually, that kind of rude awakening killed people. In this case, it had killed the original owner, sending him straight to the afterlife to make room for Ronin.
Ronin could tell that the energy he possessed wasn't "Post-Mortem Nen"—the terrifying power that lingers after death. It felt different.
Even if he did have Post-Mortem Nen, facing Uvogin was still a death sentence.
The current date was April 1, 1995. The main plot of Hunter x Hunter wouldn't begin for nearly four years. But at this point in the timeline, Uvogin was already a master of Nen.
Uvogin had spent his childhood fighting and his adulthood robbing and killing. The gap in experience, strength, and mindset was insurmountable.
Running was the only option.
But panic-running through a forest would just lead to a dead end. Ronin knew he wouldn't escape if he just kept sprinting blindly.
He didn't know how much time his father could buy him. He had to find a way to break the tracking within that window.
The more he thought, the more despair crept in. This was truly a hellish start.
The sound of rushing water reached his ears. Ronin stopped by a small stream. Thunder rumbled in the sky, and a dragon-like bolt of lightning tore through the darkness.
Leaning over the water, Ronin used the brief flash of lightning to look at his reflection.
Beneath messy, pale blonde hair was a handsome, pale face. And in his eyes... a crimson glow.
That red... that should be the Scarlet Eyes.
But something felt off. In the lore, the Scarlet Eyes were described as a deep, beautiful crimson. His eyes looked different.
Is it because I'm not angry enough? Is the color not saturated yet?
He leaned closer to the water. Another bolt of lightning cracked the sky.
Rumble!
In the illuminated reflection, Ronin saw his eyes clearly. They were not the Scarlet Eyes of this world.
Floating in the sea of crimson was a single, black comma-shaped mark.
A Tomoe.
Ronin was stunned. As an anime fan, he knew exactly what this was. This was the Sharingan!
Although he only had one Tomoe in each eye, Ronin was certain. This was his "cheat." His transmigration had mutated the Kurta Clan's Scarlet Eyes into the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
That explained why he could see Uvogin's movements clearly from over a hundred meters away and track the flow of "Qi" in their bodies.
It was all thanks to the Sharingan.
Of course!
In Hunter x Hunter, Kurapika's Scarlet Eyes didn't grant special ocular powers (Dojutsu) like X-ray vision or hypnosis directly. They simply boosted physical stats and changed his Nen type.
But just as Ronin was processing this, the reflection in the water changed. The crimson faded, and his eyes returned to their natural dark color.
simultaneously, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. It wasn't debilitating, but he felt a significant drain on his stamina.
The cost of using the eyes.
Ronin didn't have time to rest. He splashed across the stream and kept running.
His mind, however, was racing with a new possibility: Can I use Ninjutsu?
If he could, he might actually have a way to survive.
Meanwhile, back in the clearing, Uvogin had finished his battle.
In his hand, he gripped a severed head. He had already gouged out the eyes and placed them into a nutrient-filled jar given to him by Chrollo.
He didn't discard the eyeless head. Instead, he tied it to his waist alongside the cloth-wrapped jar.
Looking down at his torn bear-skin shirt and the large bruise forming on his chest, Uvogin looked up, a cruel smile stretching across his face.
I won't let the little one get away. He has the same eyes.
Maybe if I show him this fresh head, his eyes will shine with the most beautiful color before he dies.
With that dark thought, Uvogin began striding in the direction Ronin had fled.
...
Ronin was a hardcore anime fan. He had watched Hunter x Hunter and Naruto multiple times. He had even cosplayed, because the character "Amaterasu" (Itachi/Sasuke) was incredibly popular.
To stand out in the sea of cosplayers, Ronin hadn't just relied on his looks; he had learned the skills. Specifically, he had practiced hand seals until his fingers—slender and fair, perfect for a hand model—moved with practiced fluidity.
He never imagined he would be using those seals in a life-or-death situation.
Ronin clearly remembered the seals for the Clone Technique (Bunshin no Jutsu): Ram – Snake – Tiger.
While running, he formed the seals from memory.
Nothing happened.
He frowned but wasn't entirely surprised. If Ninjutsu were that easy, the Ninja Academy wouldn't need to exist.
But here lay the problem: He didn't have time to train. He needed to figure out the trick immediately.
He considered using a "Vow and Limitation" (Nen contract) to force the ability, but he had a better theory.
To use Ninjutsu, one needs Chakra and hand seals. He had the seals, but the Chakra...
Ronin looked at his hands. He could see the energy coating them. He knew this was Nen.
Then, he recalled the sensation of the Sharingan activating.
In that moment, he understood.
In his normal state, he possessed Nen. Nen is life energy.
Chakra, however, is a mixture of spiritual and physical energy.
If his eyes were truly Sharingan, they required Chakra to function. This meant that when he entered the "Scarlet Eyes" state—or rather, the Sharingan Mode—his body produced Chakra.
Combining this with Kurapika's lore, Ronin reached a conclusion:
Converting Nen into Chakra is my Specialist ability when my Scarlet Eyes are active!
In other words, he was only a "Ninja" when his eyes were red.