"Master Morad, why are you at the morning market?"
"We heard from Gon that Li Mu challenged you. Did you beat up that rascal?"
The owner of a fish stall called out the moment he saw Morad walking through the market.
Morad's face flushed red.
He hadn't beaten Li Mu. In fact, even when he was serious, he lost to Li Mu in just two moves.
"My nephew Li Mu must've caused you trouble, Master Morad!"
Seeing Morad's embarrassed silence, Aunt Mito assumed that Li Mu had been soundly defeated.
But Morad let out a gruff laugh and said, "Mito, your Li Mu is… full of surprises!"
Then he quickly turned and left the market, as if fleeing in shame.
...
Back home.
Gon and Li Mu bumped their fists together—a gesture born from their shared adventures and Aunt Mito's lessons.
"Li Mu, tell me! How'd you beat Master Morad?" Gon asked eagerly.
He'd missed the fight because he was off delivering Big Fish King to the market for Aunt Mito.
"Well, it was like this," Li Mu began with a grin. "Morad pulled out two prop wooden swords and used a dual-wield style he called 'Swallow Dance.' The slashes curved like birds in flight, and I could feel the danger in them! I activated the Frozen Fruit's power and shot two ice spears, breaking through his attack—"
Li Mu's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"Wow! That sounds amazing!" Gon's eyes lit up.
"Of course it's fake! When would Morad have ever learned swordsmanship?" Li Mu laughed. "You're way too trusting, Gon. You believe everything I say!"
"Fake?!" Gon blinked, then broke into a grin. "I trust you, Li Mu—because you're my best friend."
Li Mu's smile faded into something softer. Gon's trust came from the heart—and that was exactly why they were so close.
"Hey Gon, how much pocket money do you have? Can I borrow some?"
Li Mu didn't want to abuse their friendship, but the System Store wasn't cheap. Outside of completing system missions for the chance at a one-yen spike, everything had a full price.
"Not a lot, around 100,000 Jenny."
Gon pulled 80,000 Jenny from his green backpack—the profit from selling Big Fish King earlier. Then he ran to his room, took out a pink porcelain piggy bank, and smashed it. Inside was another 20,000 Jenny.
"I need 90,000. You keep the extra 10,000," Li Mu said as he took the money. He handed back the leftover with a smile.
Combined with his own savings, this was enough to buy something affordable and useful from the system.
…
In the bathroom.
Li Mu opened his virtual panel and transferred the Jenny into the system.
> "Confirm purchase of item: Substitute Technique?"
"Buy!" Li Mu said without hesitation.
> "Purchase successful!"
A shining scroll floated into view.
> "Would you like to learn: Substitute Technique?"
"Learn!"
The moment he confirmed it, the scroll disintegrated into glowing particles and merged with his body. Energy surged through him, along with strange memories and instinctive understanding of the technique.
He pushed open the bathroom door.
"Gon! Punch me in the chest."
"Alright!"
Without question, Gon punched forward using half his strength—just enough for a test.
Boom!
The moment Gon's fist connected with Li Mu's chest, Li Mu vanished in a puff of white smoke—replaced by a chunk of wood that clattered to the ground.
"The Substitute Technique works beautifully," Li Mu muttered, stepping out of the bathroom again. "Even someone as sharp as Gon didn't see through it."
"Whoa! That was so cool, Li Mu! What was that move? Can you teach me?"
Stars sparkled in Gon's eyes.
"Of course," Li Mu nodded. "Actually, it's thanks to you I was able to learn it."
He had completely absorbed the knowledge and mastery of the technique when he fused the scroll. Teaching Gon wouldn't be a problem.
"But not yet," Li Mu added. "When you learn how to use Nen, I'll teach you."
In the world of Naruto, the Substitute Technique (Kawarimi no Jutsu) required chakra. In the Hunter x Hunter world, the system had optimized the skill to work with Nen, the fundamental life energy.
The fusion scroll had not only given him the ability, but also infused his body with a new form of internal energy, boosting his stats again.
[Li Mu - Status]
Constitution: 31
Spirit: 19
Strength: 23
Agility: 21
Devil Fruit Ability: Frozen Fruit (Awakened - 15%)
Nen Technique: Substitute Jutsu (System-optimized)
Li Mu noticed the fusion had slightly increased his physical stats—one point each in Constitution, Spirit, and Agility.
"Nen? What's Nen?" Gon asked, curiosity burning in his eyes.
Li Mu looked at him with a serious expression. "It's something you'll need to master soon. It's the key to becoming a real Hunter."