Phantom Troupe's Web

Chapter 41.

"They're on the move. What should we do?" Killua asks Leorio and Gon, noticing the targets stand up from their seats and begin walking away from the food court area they had been sitting in. "Like I said, we can't beat them in a fight," the assassin reminded the pair.

"We'll find a way...We have to," Leorio tells the child, sweating slightly after the sudden atmosphere change a few minutes ago with a determined smirk.

Beside him, Gon nods his head; eyebrows furrowing together with determination plastered across his face. "Yeah. We can't leave empty-handed."

Killua releases a hum, turning to look at his friends. "Okay, then listen carefully. Gon and I will track them. We can't let them spot us. We'll use Zetsu," the white-haired child informs them, the trip standing from their seats before he demonstrated the Nen ability – fascinating Leorio. "Gon, I need you to make me two promises. If they see us, we give up immediately and retreat. If I judge that further pursuit is impossible for any reason, we give up. Got it?"

"Okay," the spiky-haired boy agrees easily.

"The signal to abort will be one ring. Make sure your phone's on vibrate. If they split up, we follow the woman," Killua instructs his friend as they pay for their drinks and begin leaving the upstairs cafe they had been inside while observing the two targets. "Leorio, contact Sepile and keep an eye on the auction for us," the boy tells his glasses-wearing friend.

Killua then turns to his best friend, asking if he has ever tracked anyone before; the young assassin and aspiring doctor are surprised to hear the Freecss child had shadowed Hisoka during the Hunter Exam for the Fourth Phase. After giving out instructions, the trio separated with the two kids trailing after the Spiders and their older friend returning to the hotel to maintain an eye on the underground Mafia auction.

"The targets have passed the plaza and entered a side street," Killua reports over the phone, crouching behind a wall to peer over at the swordsman and woman.

"Okay, confirmed. Do they know we're here?" Gon asks his friend.

"It's okay. We're using Zetsu, so they shouldn't notice us unless something's really wrong. But they're expecting to be followed, so be careful," the experienced tracker advises, hanging up when the enthusiastic child tells him to be careful as well.

The two friends continued to trail after the targets, observing their movements as the two troupe members made their way towards a deserted part of the city, where abandoned buildings littered the plot and lush gardens overtook the population. Machi and Nobunaga stand on a plague of concrete, silence encasing the pair as they wait for their pursuers to reveal themselves. Killua and Gon settle on the 4th floor of one of the empty buildings, hugging the wall tightly as they peer out of the window space towards the two thieves – their phones pressed against their ears.

"They're waiting for someone or trying to lure us out. One of the other," the Zoldyck heir tells Gon, whispering into his phone as he glances out the window.

"Do they know we're following them?" Gon asks him.

"Right now, it's fifty-fifty, but they don't know our location. They want to draw us out because they don't know where we are. They're inviting us to show ourselves. They may be waiting for someone else, hold your position and wait," the young assassin instructs his friend before the sound of a phone ringing fills the silent, tense air. "Gon, I'm hanging up. Pay close attention. If they give any kind of reaction, we'll run for it. The next time I ring, it means we bail. Got it?"

Both young boys hang up their phones, pocketing the device and peering out the window, down at the couple. Sweat drips from their temples, tension flies through the air as the long-haired swordsman answers his ringing phone.

"Oh, what's up?...We're being followed, but they haven't made a move and we can't locate them, so this will take a while," Nobunaga tells the caller.

Gon and Killua sweat profusely, anxious to see whether or not they have been caught. Their eyes widen in shock as the long-haired man sharply turns his eyes to the building they sat in; their bodies react quickly, sprinting away from the window towards the exit but are blocked in by two unknown figures.

Phinks stands blocking the doorway of Killua's room, his muscular and tall stature looms over the child's crouching figure – dark eyes glaring down at him. The young assassin thinks quickly, utilising his enhanced speed to maneuver around the room like a bouncing ball to throw the Spider off and escape past him, however, Phinks's eyes easily floor after Killua's body; his hand reaches out and grips the Zoldyck heir's ankle. Killua turns, throwing stones at the blonde man as a distraction before swinging his free leg at him though Phink defends himself, catching the other ankle with his free hand; the young boy digs his hands into the ground, pushing himself to use all his strength to twist his legs to free himself from the blonde's iron grip – jumping away from the Spider who whistles, impressed by the child's strength.

"Hey!" Nobunaga announces his presence to Killua and Phinks, standing in the window space with a leg perched on the windowsill and an elbow against the wall. "Phinks, what are you doing here? Weren't you heading out with the boss?" the swordsman questions his comrade.

'This is the fourth floor,' Killua thought, his eyes widening in shock. He wondered how the man managed to climb the building without making a sound.

"Deceive your allies to deceive your enemies, as they say," the blonde grins at him.

Nobunaga lets out a loud chuckle, cocking his head back. "The boss and Iris got me good again. I wondered why there were so many Zetsu masters around," he walks further into the crumbling room, ignoring the child's wide eyes at the mention of his sister's alias. "Okay, little boy. I have a few questions for you."

In Gon's room, Machi and Pakunoda cage the spiky-haired boy inside the deteriorating room. "Do you know the chain user?" the short-haired blonde woman asks him, walking closer to where he stood in a fighting stance.

"A Nen user who uses chains to fight," Machi adds details to the wanted 'chain user', approaching where the child stood with her fists raised. "We're looking for him. He asked you to follow us, right?"

"I don't know who that is. We were following you for our own reasons," Gon grits out, eyes darting back and forth between the two women – searching for a way out.

"Well, indeed...If he's lying, he's really good. I can check," Pakunoda tells her pink-haired comrade, raising her right hand while the other rests on her hip.

Killua stands, cautiously glancing between Nobunaga and Phinks as the swordsman begins interrogating him. "Question 1: Why were you following us? Answer concisely," the man asks, silence filling the room as the two troupe men wait for the boy to answer.

"The Mafia has put a huge bounty on your heads. Websites are offering a lot of money just for information on your location," the boy answers.

"Question 2: Who taught you to shadow people?"

"Well, mainly, I was using Zetsu, a Nen ability, to conceal my presence. I'm trying to become a pro-Hunter," Killua responds, further answering that a Shingen-ryu master taught him how to use Nen.

"Question 3: Do you know a Nen user who fights with chains? He would be a Conjurer or a Manipulator," Nobunaga asks the child, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

"Does your master have chains hanging from his right arm? Or perhaps it's you?" Phinks questions him, glaring down at Killua who assures that he didn't know of the chain user the troupe members were searching for and that his mentor was an Enhancer who taught him the basics of Nen.

Nobunaga strokes his hair, eyes closed with disappointment at the lack of information given. "I see...Well, nothing we can do if you don't know. Time for the last question, then," his eyes opened and narrowed at the young boy standing between him and Phinks. "You have two choices. Consider carefully before you answer. Do you want to die now or later? Make your choice"

"You have three seconds to answer."