Worm was thinking too much.
That was Ronin's honest assessment as he hurled a rock into the sky.
He had already declared he was taking on two opponents, so there was no way he was going to let Worm get away to harass Kurapika and Neon. Thanks to the Sharingan's powerful dynamic vision, Ronin could clearly see the massive surge of Nen moving beneath the ground.
While one hand finished the throw, he immediately brought it back to meet his other hand, weaving hand signs right in front of his chest.
Earth Style: Rising Earth Excavation!
Ronin slammed his palms onto the ground, channeling chakra deep into the earth. A few yards away, the ground instantly swelled into a massive bulge.
The mound grew rapidly, looking for all the world like a miniature volcano forming right in the middle of the street. In the next second, Worm—who had been tunneling toward Kurapika—was violently ejected from the "crater" by a massive subterranean force.
In the Naruto anime, this was a B-rank jutsu used by Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi to unearth the hiding White Zetsu army. Used here by Ronin, even though the "volcano" was scaled down, it was the perfect tool for the job.
Worm never expected to be blasted into the sky by such a sudden force while hiding underground. Suddenly exposed to the open air, he was completely disoriented.
But Ronin was already moving. The moment the earth began to rise, he had launched himself forward. By the time Worm was airborne, Ronin appeared right next to him—almost as if he knew exactly where the trajectory would lead. His fist, condensed with a terrifying amount of Nen, hammered straight into Worm's lower back.
Bang!
Before he could even process the shock, Worm plummeted from the sky like a lead ball and smashed into the pavement.
He landed in the classic "Yamcha death pose." As Ronin dropped back to the ground, he couldn't help but feel a little satisfied at the sight.
---
Meanwhile, up in the sky, Bat hadn't managed to dodge the rock throw completely. His wing had a clean hole punched through it, though he was barely managing to stay airborne.
When he saw a fifteen-foot volcano rise from the asphalt, he knew things had gone south.
Back when they arrived at the Gordeau Desert, he had seen Ronin use flight to escape the Phantom Troupe. He figured that anyone the Troupe bothered to chase must have some value, which was why he targeted Ronin.
But now, realizing this guy was no pushover, Bat figured their relationship could be... renegotiated.
Swallowing his pride as a Shadow Beast, Bat called out.
"We can talk!"
He was looking down from above, but his tone was full of compromise. The gap in power Ronin displayed was undeniable; Bat realized that even escaping might be a pipe dream at this point. He regretted showing hostility—and he definitely regretted striking first.
Ronin didn't bother checking on Worm. That punch was strong enough to shatter a spine; if Worm survived that, Ronin would have to question if the guy actually had earthworm DNA or something.
As for Bat's proposal? Ronin scoffed.
Oh, so now that you can't win, you want to negotiate? Where was that energy earlier?
Typical Emitter behavior. Impatient, rushing in without thinking—didn't he stop to consider how someone could casually walk away from a Phantom Troupe encirclement? That rough, hasty personality fit Hisoka's personality test for Emitters to a T.
Besides, Ronin's goal from the start was to get intel on the Ten Dons from the Shadow Beasts. Since Bat and the others had delivered themselves on a silver platter, it worked out perfectly. However, he only needed Owl alive. Bat had to die.
"You. Come down here first," Ronin said, glancing briefly at the other fights.
---
Over in the other battle, things weren't looking quite as easy.
Owl was spinning his Fun Fun Cloth with terrifying speed, creating a wind that threw off the aim of Kurapika's chains every time. He was closing the distance, looking like he was ready to drop the cloth over Kurapika's head at any moment.
Kurapika seemed oblivious, continuing to spar using only the chain on his little finger.
But just as Owl took another step forward, he suddenly felt a restricting sensation snap around his body.
Something's wrong!
The thought barely crossed his mind before he froze completely. The Fun Fun Cloth dropped from his hands as an invisible force pinned his arms to his sides.
Only then did the chain materialize, revealing itself to be connected to Kurapika's middle finger.
It was In (Concealment).
Kurapika had used In during the scuffle to hide the Chain Jail, laying a trap in the surrounding area. As long as Owl kept moving forward, he would inevitably walk right into the invisible bind.
In their short exchange, Kurapika had already analyzed Owl's weakness.
While Owl could use Nen and had developed his own Hatsu (special ability), his application of the fundamentals was sloppy. The aura around his body was a basic Ten or Ren; he didn't even use Ken for defense. He wasn't maintaining Gyo in his eyes either, which meant he was missing crucial visual information during the fight.
Against someone like that, In was a checkmate move.
This must be what Ronin meant by "half-baked," Kurapika thought. Owl knew Nen existed, but he lacked a systematic understanding of it. He clearly hadn't undergone rigorous training and didn't grasp the importance of advanced techniques like Gyo, In, Ken, or Ryu in high-level combat.
Dealing with an opponent like this only required a little bit of strategy.
Kurapika raised his index finger.
At the end of the chain on that finger hung a syringe. As Owl watched in horror, the needle pierced his body.
A wave of weakness washed over him immediately. His Nen was being forcibly drained.
Steal Chain: The Index Finger.
Kurapika had a specific chain for each finger:
The Thumb (Holy Chain): Possesses healing properties. It can heal himself or others, and in his Scarlet Eyes state, the healing factor is significantly boosted.
The Index Finger (Steal Chain): Allows him to steal the target's Nen ability, drain their aura, and force them into a state of Zetsu (unable to use Nen). While in Scarlet Eyes mode, he can even transfer the stolen ability to others, though at a heavy cost. Note: The Steal Chain usually requires the target to be immobilized by the Middle Finger first.
The Middle Finger (Chain Jail): The binding chain. In Scarlet Eyes mode, its restraining power is nearly unbreakable.
The Ring Finger (Dowsing Chain): A versatile tool for tracking and interrogation. It uses a ball at the end of the chain to determine direction or truth. In Scarlet Eyes mode, the range increases, and it acts as a lie detector that can work just by hearing the target's voice, without needing to face them.
The Little Finger: Normally used to assist in stamina recovery for himself and others, though this effect is restricted to the Scarlet Eyes state. The chain ends in a small needle that stimulates specific pressure points to induce relaxation.
However, the Little Finger chain was also Kurapika's go-to weapon for setting up the Chain Jail. The needle tip was sharp enough to inflict multiple wounds in combat, and it could also seal off an opponent's Nen nodes, disrupting the flow of their aura.