Besides his training, Ronin had another objective: investigating the Mafia.
To recover the Scarlet Eyes more efficiently, having a Mafia background was the most convenient route. This was exactly what Kurapika had done in the original Hunter x Hunter story.
Ronin had entrusted this task to Kurapika again.
However, unlike Ronin's expectation that Kurapika would target the Ten Dons directly, Kurapika had gathered intel and decided to start with smaller mafia families.
"These smaller families are easier to control. With groups like the Ten Dons, even if you take out the current leader, a new one will just pop up unless you control the core," Kurapika explained. "Also, my investigation revealed that the Ten Dons have a special squad under their command.
"They're called the Shadow Beasts. I suspect every member is a Nen user. Fighting Nen users is always risky, so I've selected some smaller local families. Starting with them, we can recruit some pro Hunters, which will make achieving our goal smoother and easier."
Although Ronin had given Kurapika free rein, his own preference was still the Ten Dons. It wasn't that he looked down on the small-time mobsters, but rather that he saw challenging the Ten Dons as a perfect trial.
More accurately, his target was the Shadow Beasts.
Nen training could be done by hiding away in the mountains like Netero, but Ronin preferred the thrill of combat.
Whether it was the tension of close-quarters combat or the sheer firepower of using ninjutsu against enemies, Ronin enjoyed it all.
He even enjoyed the cheers of the crowd at Heaven's Arena.
If the threat of the Phantom Troupe wasn't hanging over him, he might have returned to Heaven's Arena. Whether it was challenging Floor Masters or participating in the Battle Olympia, he would have likely joined in.
"I still suggest we aim for the Ten Dons. If we can secure a seat at that table, it would be a massive asset for our future," Ronin voiced his thoughts.
"That means we'll have to face the Shadow Beasts," Kurapika said solemnly.
"Scared?"
"No. Actually, I'm a little eager to try," Kurapika said with a faint smile.
During his Nen training, Kurapika had already determined his aura type using the Water Divination test.
In his normal state, he was a Conjurer. When his eyes turned scarlet, he became a Specialist.
He didn't have any concrete ideas for his Hatsu (special ability) yet; right now, he was just building his foundation alongside Neon.
But he did have a general concept for what he wanted to conjure.
If he were an Enhancer, he might have chosen to be a frontline fighter like Ronin. Enhancers were naturally suited for head-to-head combat.
Unfortunately, he wasn't.
So, Kurapika saw his role as more support-oriented.
He knew exactly what was lacking in their quest to avenge their clan and recover the eyes.
First, raw power.
After discovering he had Specialist potential like Ronin, Kurapika realized exactly what both of them were missing:
Training time.
If they had enough time, their growth would far outstrip the average person.
His recent training had also shown him what consumed the most time in the process:
Recovery!
Nen training was a grind. Whether it was basic exercises or increasing aura capacity, it constantly drained physical stamina.
After heavy exertion, aside from necessary food intake, having additional support methods to shorten recovery time would be invaluable.
It would effectively speed up their training.
Therefore, the first ability Kurapika needed was something that could help him and Ronin recover stamina and relieve fatigue quickly.
Second, intelligence!
Only by mastering information could they efficiently retrieve the Scarlet Eyes and understand their enemies' weaknesses.
Battles between Nen users were information warfare.
Whoever understood the opponent's ability first held the advantage.
Whether it was Ronin's fight with Uvogin or Omokage, Ronin had always figured out the enemy's ability beforehand. That was how he seized the initiative to win every time.
Third, healing!
Ronin's combat ability was formidable, but getting injured in a fight was inevitable.
Kurapika wanted to handle the logistics and support, so a healing ability was on his list.
Fourth, self-defense.
To avoid being a burden to Ronin, he needed the ability to protect himself.
Finally, a more selfish desire: he wanted those who took his family away to feel the pain of having their hope stolen!
So, he needed an ability to steal.
To satisfy all these greedy demands, Kurapika had found a method within the Nen knowledge Ronin had shared that could make it all possible.
Vows and Limitations.
If he could conjure chains, could he assign a different ability to each of the chains on his five fingers?
And his Specialist ability could be the key to amplifying these five powers!
Ronin didn't know the details of Kurapika's thoughts, but seeing Kurapika's eagerness, he smiled with relief.
So, it was decided.
Finding the Ten Dons wouldn't be easy; the key was still to start with the mafia families.
Only by causing enough trouble to get the mafia's attention would the Shadow Beasts be deployed. And if they wanted to find the Ten Dons' location, the Shadow Beasts were the best lead.
These special operatives reporting directly to the Ten Dons were the ones in the mafia most likely to have had contact with them.
"Let's go big," Kurapika said, pulling up info on a small mafia family at their campsite.
Their training for the day was done, and the three of them were resting and barbecuing by the river.
"What do you mean?" Ronin asked, interested.
"We don't have much money, so why not just rob the mafia's auction directly?" Kurapika wrote his idea on a blackboard.
Ronin felt like Kurapika was turning a bit to the dark side.
But he didn't interrupt. He listened patiently. If they could get the Scarlet Eyes without spending a dime, he certainly wouldn't mind.
The only issue was that robbing the place would make them wanted criminals, which wasn't exactly an ideal status.
"We rob it using the Phantom Troupe's identity."
Kurapika's next sentence made Ronin realize what he was getting at.
"The Phantom Troupe will definitely guess that we'll be in Yorknew on September 1st for the auction. I even suspect the Scarlet Eyes currently listed in the auction were put there by the Troupe themselves.
"Since that's the case, why don't we do some bad deeds using their name? They've got so much blood on their hands already, a little more won't make a difference to them." Kurapika then wrote two terms on the blackboard: Shadow Clone Jutsu and Transformation Jutsu!