The two walked down the mountain path for a while, sunlight spilling through sparse clouds and casting mottled shadows on the ground.
As Kukuroo Mountain receded into the distance, Kalluto suddenly spoke up.
"Where are we going now?"
His voice remained flat, devoid of any discernible emotion.
Leo spoke as he walked.
"To the Hunter Association Headquarters."
The moment the words left his mouth, Kalluto's footsteps faltered.
"Huh?"
Leo turned his head, looking at that slightly surprised face, and asked with a beaming smile.
"What? Scared?"
Kalluto's face flushed slightly—though it was faint, he definitely blushed.
He turned his head away, deliberately avoiding Leo's gaze.
"Tch, who's scared?"
There was a hint of tsundere in his voice.
"I've just never been there, so I was a little surprised, that's all."
Leo chuckled and didn't call him out.
"Mhm, mhm, mhm."
He nodded with an expression that said, 'Whatever you say.'
"Give me your account details. I'll transfer the four billion deposit to you."
Kalluto rattled off a string of numbers.
Leo took out his phone, tapped it a few times, waited a moment, and then put it away.
"Alright, it's been sent. Do you want to check?"
Kalluto shook his head.
"No need."
His tone was full of confidence.
"If you dare to trick me, the Zoldyck Family won't let you off."
Leo laughed.
"Rest assured, there's no need for that."
The two continued walking forward.
After walking for a while, Leo suddenly spoke.
"For this request, the person you need to find has no identifying characteristics. All we know is that he's an insider at the Hunter Association and is related to someone called the Doctor."
He looked at Kalluto.
"Can you find him?"
Kalluto nodded, his tone still flat.
"No problem. My abilities aren't something ordinary people can compare to."
He paused.
"However, I'll need your cooperation."
Leo asked curiously.
"How do you need me to cooperate?"
Kalluto gave him a mysterious look.
"You'll know once we reach the location."
Leo looked at that face feigning mystery and thought to himself.
'He sure knows how to act the part.'
But he didn't ask further, only nodding.
"Fine."
The two continued toward the small town.
Three days later, in front of the Hunter Association Headquarters building.
Leo walked toward the familiar structure.
The metal and marble structure glinted with a cold, hard luster in the sunlight; staff and Hunters bustled to and fro, and everything seemed normal.
Kalluto followed behind him, stopping to look up at the massive building.
His gaze swept over the tall main entrance, the wide steps, the dense rows of windows, and finally landed on the giant Association logo atop the roof.
He was silent for a few seconds.
He muttered.
"The Hunter Association Headquarters... isn't all that much."
Leo turned to look at him.
"I thought it would be more oppressive."
Kalluto added, a hint of slight disappointment in his tone.
Leo smiled and didn't respond.
"Let's go."
He turned and headed for the main entrance.
"You'll have plenty of time to look later."
Kalluto's small face reddened slightly, and he quickly hurried to catch up.
Stepping into the building, Kalluto's eyes began to wander everywhere.
People were coming and going in the lobby: formally dressed staff, Hunters carrying large bags, and a few ordinary people handling paperwork.
Vending machines stood in the corners, and various notices and bounty posters were plastered on the walls.
Kalluto looked around as he walked.
Although he had been out on missions before, he had never looked at the outside world so carefully or in such a relaxed manner.
Every time he had gone out in the past, he had a clear objective—kill the target, then return immediately.
There was never time to linger, nor the mood to observe.
But now it was different.
He was here to complete a request, not to kill someone.
Moreover, he was accompanied by a 'bodyguard' whose strength was ridiculously high.
So, he could finally relax a bit and see what this Hunter Association, which he had only heard about in rumors, was actually like.
'So this is what the Hunter Association looks like...'
'There are quite a lot of people...'
'That person's hair is so strange...'
'What kind of machine is that?'
He silently observed everything around him as he walked.
Leo walked in front, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
This kid was actually quite interesting.
The two made their way to the seventh floor.
Room 707—the private office of the Zodiac 'Ushi', Machi Komacine.
Leo pushed the door open and walked in.
Machi Komacine was sitting at his desk, with a large stack of files and documents piled in front of him.
He was holding a document, his brow furrowed as he read it carefully.
Hearing the door, he looked up.
Seeing it was Leo, he gave a slight nod.
"Ah, you're back."
Leo walked over and sat on the sofa.
"Yeah. Did you find anything?"
Machi Komacine put down the document and shook his head.
"Nothing at all."
There was a hint of exhaustion in his voice.
"Inside the Association... everything is normal. Everyone's files match up, their resumes have no issues. There's nothing suspicious at all."
Leo nodded, not at all surprised; he had long expected this result.
For that mole to hide for so long, their methods must be very clever; they couldn't be found just by checking files.
"So—"
Leo looked toward Kalluto, who was standing at the door.
"I brought someone along."
Machi Komacine's gaze fell upon the youth wearing a dark purple kimono.
The youth didn't look very old, with short hair and fiery red eyes; his features were delicate, yet his gender was hard to discern.
He stood there quietly, meeting Machi Komacine's gaze calmly, without the slightest hint of nervousness or fear.
Machi Komacine raised an eyebrow slightly.
"And this is?"
"Kalluto Zoldyck," Leo introduced.
A flash of surprise crossed Machi Komacine's eyes.
Someone from the Zoldyck Family?
He naturally knew of that legendary family of assassins, but he hadn't expected Leo to bring a Zoldyck back after a trip to Kukuroo Mountain.
Kalluto nodded slightly, his tone flat.
"Hello."
Machi Komacine also nodded in greeting.
"Hello. I am Machi Komacine."
Leo then explained.
"Kalluto's ability can help us find the person hidden in the Association."
Machi Komacine's eyes lit up.
"Oh?"
He looked at Kalluto with newfound expectation in his gaze.
Kalluto said nothing more and walked straight to the desk.
He glanced at the pile of files on the desk, then tore off a sheet of plain white paper from the side.
His movements were very light and graceful.
That ordinary piece of white paper seemed to come alive in his hands—folding, flipping, pressing; every movement was precise and fluid.
Soon, a palm-sized paper doll appeared in his hand.
Kalluto held the paper doll and closed his eyes.
A stream of Nen slowly surged from his body, flowing into the paper doll.
The paper doll trembled slightly, as if it had been infused with life.
Thirty seconds later, Kalluto opened his eyes.
"It's ready."
He handed the paper doll to Leo.
"Hold the paper doll, then infuse it with all the clues and requirements regarding the target person in your mind. The paper doll will extract half of your Manifested Nen as a condition for activation."