Hunter × Hunter Chapter 265: Break-In (5)

Close-up panels reveal a pair of strong hands pressed together in a deliberate gesture. Nearby, a bearded face exhales sharply, producing a clear whistle. The man with long hair and a scar on his cheek brings his palms together before his face, muttering repeatedly in concentration. The full-page splash unveils the same man transformed: shirtless, powerfully muscled, wearing a black belt and loose pants, striking a fierce combat stance with one fist clenched and the other hand raised. Flames and energy erupt around him as the Hunter × Hunter logo appears beside him. Vertical text on the left declares the life of the man at the summit of the Hunter Organization is about to be revealed.

A vast snowy mountain range stretches across the horizon under a starry sky, with dense evergreen forests blanketing the lower slopes. Far below in the white expanse stands a tiny solitary figure of Netero in a fighting pose, one arm extended. A rectangular caption box states Netero, 46 years old, winter. Bold text proclaims President Netero's path to the top. The Hunter × Hunter logo and chapter title appear at the bottom right.

A black panel displays the word GRATITUDE in large white letters. Beside it, narration explains that the man felt his body and martial arts had reached their limit and he could worry no more, reaching a conclusion. The muscular, long-haired man with a beard stands with arms crossed, his torso heavily defined. The conclusion he reached was that he would repay his deep debt to the martial arts that brought him this far, in his own way. He resolves to pay back that debt to the extent he could. A massive close-up shows his clenched fist delivering the righteous punches of gratitude, ten thousand every day.

Small panels label stages of the routine: PRAYER as the man clasps hands near his face, WORSHIP, PREPARATION as he stands in a snowy landscape with a distant bird, AND THE THRUST as he extends his arm with a starburst effect, and READY as the second figure mirrors the motion. A wide scene shows the man in a forested crater at night, surrounded by smoke, completing the full ten thousand punches. On the first day it took him over eighteen hours; initially it took five to six seconds to complete the cycle once.

High in the rugged mountains, a lone man with long hair and a thick beard continues his grueling routine. After completing his daily task, he would collapse immediately and sleep. Once he awoke, it was back to the cycle of punching. For two years he lived like this until he noticed something terrible. Yet the sun had not set when he finished the day's ten thousand punches, standing alone in the grassy field with the mountain range behind him.

A small butterfly flutters across an open field as the man undergoes a true metamorphosis. As he passed the age of fifty, those ten thousand punches of gratitude could be completed in a single hour. He spent more of his time praying, sitting cross-legged with arms outstretched while birds perch on his hands and shoulders. The scene shifts to a traditional building bearing the sign '天教流拳道場'.

A bare foot steps firmly onto wooden flooring. Netero's stern, bearded face fills the frame with intense eyes. Nearby spectators react with wide eyes and open mouths as the sound effect ざわ ざわ ripples through the group. In a traditional room, Netero sits cross-legged before a sheathed sword and a vase of flowers. A young woman stands alone in the center of a large hall lined with dozens of kneeling disciples in dark robes. Netero rises to his full height, right arm extended forward with fist clenched and the label HIS FIST — visible beside it. A caption box states WHEN NETER0 DESCENDED FROM THE MOUNTAIN. The disciples flinch backward in unison, several toppling over with impact stars marking their shock. In a wide shot, a younger Netero with long ponytail lunges forward, right fist thrust out powerfully as the wooden floor cracks and splinters beneath his bare feet amid heavy motion lines and debris.

Netero lunges in a powerful stance, hair whipping wildly around his head, right fist extended forward with intense focus. Large text boxes declare ...SOUND ITSELF. and ...WAS FASTER THAN.... Shockwaves and motion lines radiate from his body. In a smaller panel a silhouetted disciple stammers KA... while another asks MASTER? .... Observers note THE SOUND CAME AFTER THE PUNCH... FOR A MOMENT... HE VANISHED —. One disciple exclaims I MUST HAVE... IMAGINED IT.... A close-up shows an older Netero with sweat on his face and the line ...KANON-SAMA HAS...! trailing beside him.

On a wooden floor, a foot is placed down firmly. A voice declares, "I LAY IT AT YOUR FEET. MY SIGN -" A hooded figure with a long beard responds, "SHALL WE BATTLE FOR YOUR SIGN? NOW, THEN..." In a wide view of the hall, a bald man in robes kneels deeply and begs, "I BEG OF YOU ... TAKE ME AS YOUR APPRENTICE." A tall, muscular man with long flowing hair and torn clothing walks away, labeled "A MONSTER -" while vertical text reads "WAS BORN." The long-haired man turns with a serious expression and says, "OKAY. IF YOU'LL LET ME HAVE SOMETHING TO EAT." A caption notes, "THIS ALL HAPPENED OVER SIXTY YEARS AGO."

On a high balcony overlooking a stormy night landscape filled with jagged icicle-like structures, a bald man with a ponytail stands and raises one hand. A small figure stands near a domed structure in the distance. A winged creature with a grotesque form hurtles through the air as "PUFU!!" erupts. The creature thinks, "AT THIS RATE, I'LL BE BLOWN FAR AWAY FROM HERE..." A close-up shows a wide-eyed female character with curly hair, thinking, "ALL HIS ATTENTION IS ON PROTECTING THE KING... HE DOESN'T HEAR ME..."

A massive skeletal nurse-like figure with puffy sleeves and a stitched mouth looms over the scene, its clawed hands reaching downward as it is summoned with the cry "DOCTOR PRICE!!!" A tiny figure with spiky hair is caught in its grasp. Text explains that originally this ability had no use whatsoever outside of healing. The small figure is yanked violently along the ground with a loud "NIGH" as motion lines streak across the panel. A narration box details that "DOCTOR PRICE" cannot move from the position to which she is initially summoned, and Pitou, who created her, is connected to her by a tail, limiting his radius of movement to a twenty metre radius.

The skeletal nurse figure's face fills the frame as narration states that the limitation "IS EXACTLY WHAT PITOU NEEDED IN THIS PREDICAMENT." The small spiky-haired figure shouts "I'VE STOPPED ......!!" while being reeled in. Another box notes "BUT THAT LIMITATION --" The scene shifts to the figure falling rapidly through vertical lines with the cry "FASTER ...!!" A close-up shows a wide-eyed face looking upward in shock. Narration describes the fall seeming to take an eternity to Pitou. A box explains that about 100 metres above the ground, Pitou deactivated the ability and descended toward a point approximately 500 metres from the palace, shown as a distant silhouette against the night sky.

Arrows cascade from the heavens in a relentless downpour, striking the grand palace and its surrounding grounds. The bombardment is labeled THE DRAGON RAIN.... Countless shafts pierce the domed roofs, walls, and courtyards, visibly damaging the massive central structure. A lone figure with wild, flame-like hair stands on a ledge below, arms flung wide as if witnessing the assault. Narration states ...PIERCED THE PALACE. In a tight close-up, the same character's wide, shocked eyes fill the frame, mouth open in alarm. A jagged speech bubble erupts beside them: YOUR MAJESTY...!!! The figure's posture and expression convey sudden horror at the unfolding destruction.

Multiple characters react in sequence to the distant event. A bald, muscular man with a stern, furrowed brow glares intensely downward. Next, a woman with sunglasses holds a small object near her mouth while a stern man with a ponytail and earring stares forward. An angry man with a pompadour hairstyle clenches his fist near his face, teeth gritted, while a curly-haired man beside him looks surprised with wide eyes. Below, Killua appears with a serious, focused expression, Gon stares forward with determination, and a small round creature with large eyes and spiky fur reacts beside them. All faces show tension and concern as they process the palace strike.

On the wide stone staircase inside the massive hall, a powerfully built man with a long beard crouches low in a fighting stance, muscles tensed as he stares downward. Below him, Gon and Killua stand ready near the center, eyes fixed ahead. To the right, a long-haired man in sunglasses blows forcefully into a massive pipe-like weapon. Nearby, a figure with a long tail leaps forward while another character with braided hair carries a lantern-shaped device. A small furry creature clings to the ornate wall above a decorative sign. Motion lines and dust swirl around the group as they brace for impact.

The muscular man transforms mid-air, his body sprouting multiple clawed arms and wings as he hovers above the stairs. The Dragon Dive attack rains down violently, shattering the stone steps and walls with countless piercing spikes and debris. Gon and Killua react in the foreground while the long-haired man continues playing his pipe and the tailed fighter is hurled backward. A large narration box appears in the lower left. The entire staircase erupts in destruction as the technique lands.