Still, Ron intended to watch this spar in real time. He took out a data cable and plugged it into his phone. The cable's other end connected to his pocket—more specifically, to a small metal cube with a tiny door inside, leading to Sumas Space. The cable ran through that door and linked to a signal receiver on the other side. Chii could then transmit her viewpoint to the receiver, allowing Ron to see everything on his phone.
Wearing headphones, phone in one hand and food in the other, Ron sat there quietly, eyes on the screen. At that moment, Sasuke had arrived before the captured Nen user.
His name was Grant—a man locked away here in the pyramid.
"You again?" Grant sensed Sasuke's aura, opened his eyes, and snorted. A chill emanated from him.
Sasuke wasted no time.
An intangible energy coated Sasuke's body, forming a semi-transparent, dark red giant.
"So there's yet another new ability?"
Grant frowned at the sight.
On Ron's phone screen, Sasuke's transformation indeed looked much like Susanoo from the Naruto series.
"What's more, it's a full-body Susanoo," Ron observed. "Enveloping Sasuke entirely without gaps—his defense is way up. To hurt Sasuke, you'd have to shatter that first. It's only about three meters tall, so smaller than Susanoo in the source material, but still, if it were opaque rather than translucent, it'd look like a giant suit of armor."
Sasuke rushed at Grant.
Each step hammered the ground. A wave of cold air surged toward him, frosting over Susanoo's surface, but Sasuke only shifted slightly and the ice fell off in clumps. He closed the distance and unleashed a punch—a massive dark red fist barreling down.
Grant conjured an ice wall.
The ice shattered into shards flying in all directions. Grant retreated hastily.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Even in Rashomon Susanoo form, Sasuke could still cast his ninjutsu. A roiling fireball formed in midair.
Grant's expression darkened. He knew his situation: trapped by Ron inside this pyramid realm like a captive prisoner. Ron provided him rations but never allowed him to leave.
From time to time, one of Ron's Beasts came to spar with him, using him as a measuring stick. Grant found it galling—he believed Ron was weaker than him. Had he been more careful in the past, he might have killed Ron outright, or at least avoided ending up behind bars himself, cut off from his high position in the Mingbo Republic.
Now he lived like a caged animal, stripped of dignity, longing for a chance to escape. Then he'd regain everything, capture Ron, and return the torment a hundred times over.
But Ron would never give Grant such an opening. There was the pyramid containing him, and beyond that, Sumas.
There was no route out.
Meanwhile, Ron evaluated Sasuke's performance on screen.
"This Rashomon Susanoo boosts his capabilities across the board, especially defense—higher even than Natsu's. And it doesn't interfere with ninjutsu at all, though it's slightly less agile than normal, and uses up much more aura. Still, in that form, Sasuke's incredibly strong. Switching between normal mode and Susanoo will help maximize his skill set."
Seeing Grant pull back, Sasuke willed Susanoo away. Electricity crackled around him—he shifted into a lightning-charged mode.
A shrill chirping rang out. Grant's eyes widened, and Ron nodded in approval.
"We can call that a 'Godspeed Mode'—something akin to Killua's lightning technique in the original story. In that mode, lightning jutsu is even more effective. Susanoo pairs better with Fire Style. By alternating between these, Sasuke shouldn't be any weaker than Natsu."
The fight continued, as Ron needed more data on Sasuke's new fusion. Aura consumption was not a concern for him. By the end of the third exam, there would be a break before any major battles; few here could threaten Ron, and Illumi was around too. They could rest or move as they pleased.
In Trick Tower's main hall, calm prevailed:
- Hisoka resumed stacking playing cards.
- Illumi ate fries in an odd manner.
- Ron focused on his phone, headphones on, immersed in another world.
- Hanzo leaned against a wall, resting with his eyes shut.
- Geretta observed from the shadows.