If Hisoka actually managed to kill him...
Well, he'd probably drag the head straight to Chrollo. Chrollo would likely roll out the red carpet, treat him like a VIP, and approve his entry into the Phantom Troupe without a second thought.
After all, the Troupe was currently down two members: Number 4 and Number 11.
Unfortunately for Hisoka, he was destined to be disappointed.
Ronin shifted his aura into Ken—solidifying his defense—and reached behind his back, drawing his short sword in one fluid motion.
He was taking this disguise seriously.
Young Kakashi was a master with a blade. His father, the "White Fang of the Leaf," was practically a legend with one. Ronin had to play the part.
Hisoka's eyes narrowed. With a flick of his wrist, a playing card shot toward Ronin like a bullet.
Thanks to the Sharingan, Ronin clearly saw the trail of pink aura connecting the card to Hisoka's hand.
Hisoka was using In to conceal the aura tether, hiding the trap, while simultaneously using Shu to coat the card itself, making it sharper than steel. The guy had his fundamentals down to a science.
Ronin made a split-second judgment. He coated his own blade in Shu and slashed, slicing the card effortlessly out of the air.
But the moment the metal cut through the card, Hisoka's aura stuck to the blade.
Hisoka twitched his finger, retracting the long strand of aura, intending to rip the short sword right out of Ronin's grip.
Bungee Gum. Hisoka's Transmutation ability.
He could give his aura two distinct properties: the elasticity of rubber and the stickiness of gum.
"Hmm?" Hisoka hummed, sounding genuinely puzzled.
He had yanked on the aura, but the sword didn't budge from Ronin's hand. It was like trying to pull a mountain.
He saw through my little trick.
The moment that thought crossed Hisoka's mind, Ronin moved.
An explosive force, far greater than Hisoka's pull, surged through Ronin's arm. At the same time, his free hand dropped to his waist, coiling back to charge a strike.
It was the opening stance for the Big Bang Impact.
Uvogin's signature kill-move. It was incredibly practical, and after Uvogin's death, it had effectively become Ronin's exclusive property.
The sheer force of Ronin holding his ground yanked Hisoka forward, dragging the magician straight into the danger zone.
He didn't cut the connection? He must have a plan.
Ronin's eyes locked onto Hisoka's free fist, which was also cocked back and glowing with power.
He wants to trade blows?
The Sharingan's kinetic vision picked up the flow of aura rushing toward Hisoka's fist. To Ronin, this seemed like a terrible idea on Hisoka's part.
The two collided, fists launching simultaneously!
BOOM!
The sickening sound of fracturing bone echoed through the room. Hisoka was sent flying backward, but Ronin was yanked forward, stumbling after him.
There was a layer of pink aura stuck to the fist Ronin had just used to punch.
It was Hisoka's gum.
At the same time, Ronin noticed something in his peripheral vision. The playing card he had sliced in half earlier had bounced off the floor and was now rocketing toward his back.
There was hidden aura on those scraps, too.
Falling forward, Ronin let go of the short sword and brushed his hand over the pouch on his waist.
In a blur, two senbon needles shot out, intercepting the card mid-air.
The needles pierced the card fragments and pinned them deep into the wall. The card tried to keep flying forward, fueled by the elastic energy, but it shuddered to a halt less than six feet from Ronin's back.
The needles had pinned the residue of Hisoka's aura to the wall.
Bungee Gum stuck to the needles, anchoring them. The aura was elastic, sure, but it had a limit. Pinned to the wall and stretched toward Ronin, it reached its maximum tension.
A second later, the gum snapped. The card fragments fell uselessly.
Ronin, still stumbling forward from the momentum, slammed his foot onto the floor to catch himself.
Massive force exploded from the impact. The concrete floor couldn't handle the stress and instantly crumbled.
The floor collapsed, sending Ronin plummeting to the level below. The card fragments pinged harmlessly off the debris.
Hisoka, who had slammed into the wall from the punch, flexed his arm. He ignored the pain in his hand and tried to retract the gum attached to Ronin's fist, hoping to yank his opponent back up.
But his eyebrow quirked up in surprise. The gum snapped back, recoil hitting him in the chest.
He severed the connection the instant the floor gave way.
How did he do that?
Hisoka scanned the area. The short sword was gone—it must have fallen into the hole with Ronin.
Hisoka instantly flared his aura, expanding his En like a radar. He sensed movement and leaped sideways just as a blade erupted through the floor where he had been standing.
If he had been a second slower, that knife would have skewered his foot.
Such a ripe fruit... fascinating!
Hisoka backflipped away, pulling a handful of fresh cards and flinging them in a wide arc.
As soon as he landed, he mimicked Ronin's move—stomping heavily on the ground. The floor cracked open, and Hisoka dropped through the hole to the lower level.
As he fell, a short sword navigated through the falling debris, aiming straight for his heart.
Simultaneously, a sharp BANG reached Hisoka's ears.
Hisoka snapped his hands together mid-air, abruptly halting his fall for a split second. The sword missed his vitals by a hairbreadth.
However, a jet of blood sprayed from his thigh.
It was a Nen bullet—an attack Ronin had copied from Sydney—that tagged him on the outer thigh.
But as the blood sprayed, a barrage of debris rained down on Ronin from above. Hidden behind the rocks were the playing cards Hisoka had scattered earlier.
Ronin swiped his short sword, retreating rapidly. He immediately felt the blade grow heavy and sluggish; it was caked in Hisoka's sticky aura again.
Even with the Sharingan's dynamic vision, he couldn't dodge everything. Small cuts appeared on his arms and legs as stones and cards grazed him.
They were shallow wounds, but they made Ronin's gaze sharpen.
He skidded to a halt near the stairwell.
He tossed the short sword aside. It was too gummed up to be useful. Clearing it with Lightning Chakra would take too long—unlike his fist, which he had cleared instantly by flashing into Lightning Chakra Mode during the fall.
Hisoka landed softly on the ground. He didn't press the attack. Instead, his eyes drifted to Ronin's left hand, where faint threads of aura were still visible.
He hadn't used his full strength. And he knew his opponent was still holding back cards, too.
"What is your name?" Hisoka asked, casually brushing his hand over his swollen fist. The injury seemed to vanish as he smoothed it over.
"Kakashi Hatake," Ronin replied, sticking to the script.
Without another word, he turned and vaulted down the stairs.
Heavy footsteps echoed from above—the mafia enforcers had heard the commotion and were closing in.
Hisoka frowned slightly. He didn't stick around either, but he didn't chase after Ronin.