Chapter 27 (Patreon)

More than half a month passed.

Before they realized it, June 23 had arrived.

It had been almost two months since Team 8 returned from the Land of Waves. During that time, they had completed only three D-rank missions.

Four months had passed since their graduation from the Academy. Team 8 had now completed eleven missions in total, including one B-rank mission, which was enough to meet Konoha’s basic requirements for entering the Chūnin Exams.

That morning, Kurenai called the team together for the first time in a while.

They gathered in the same clearing where she had conducted their survival exercise.

Standing before Mihawk, Hinata, and Shino, Kurenai said, “I called you here because there’s something I need to tell you.”

“The Third Hokage recently summoned the jōnin instructors and announced that this year’s Chūnin Exams will begin on July 1. Registration will open in a few days.”

She looked at each of them in turn.

“I’m confident in your abilities, but I still need to ask. Do you want to take the Chūnin Exams?”

Hinata and Shino immediately looked toward Mihawk.

Hinata trusted his decision completely.

After witnessing Mihawk’s strength firsthand, Shino had also come to see him as the center of Team 8. It was only natural that he wanted to hear Mihawk’s answer first.

Feeling their gazes, Mihawk nodded.

“We’ll participate.”

Hinata smiled shyly without saying anything.

Shino adjusted his dark glasses and remained silent as well.

Their expressions were enough to tell Kurenai that they agreed.

“Good.”

Kurenai nodded in satisfaction.

“I’ll submit your applications. I’ll tell you the exact time and location once everything is confirmed.”

She raised one hand.

“That’s all for today. You’re dismissed.”

The moment she finished speaking, Kurenai disappeared with a Body Flicker.

The three genin began walking back toward the village.

“The Chūnin Exams are used to decide whether a genin is ready for promotion,” Shino explained in his usual calm voice. “My father told me that the major villages normally hold them twice a year.”

He adjusted his glasses again.

“They’re also used to display the strength of each village to the daimyō and other clients. The host village changes depending on the agreement between the participating villages. This time, Konoha was chosen.”

“In other words,” Shino continued, “we’ll face strong opponents from Konoha and from several other shinobi villages.”

Mihawk answered without hesitation.

“It doesn’t matter who we face. We’ll make it to the end.”

Shino gave a small nod.

He believed Mihawk’s words, and he believed in Mihawk’s strength even more.

Even Hinata, who was usually cautious, showed no sign of worry.

That alone showed how much faith the two of them had in Mihawk.

Their confidence in him was similar to the way Temari and Kankurō trusted Gaara’s strength.

The three separated after reaching one of the village streets.

Mihawk and Hinata returned to his house together.

It was still morning. They had only eaten breakfast before meeting with Kurenai, so they decided to use the rest of the day for training.

The two went directly to the dojo.

Years earlier, Hinata had lost a sparring match against Hanabi, her younger sister by five years.

After deciding that Hinata lacked the ability to inherit leadership of the Hyūga Clan’s main family, Hiashi had largely stopped placing expectations on his eldest daughter.

Because of that, Hinata was given far more freedom than before.

As long as she returned to the Hyūga compound by evening, no one paid much attention to where she spent the rest of her day.

Hinata usually remained at Mihawk’s house.

She trained with him and helped take care of the daily matters he often ignored whenever he became focused on his swordsmanship.

For the past two years, Mihawk and Hinata had rarely trained outside.

Several wooden training posts had been installed inside the dojo specifically for Hinata to practice the Gentle Fist.

Mihawk stood on one side of the dojo with his sword held in one hand.

He repeatedly swung the blade through the air.

Each controlled slash created a powerful gust that sent his clothes fluttering.

The force gathering around the blade was so sharp that even a slight loss of control could turn it into a Ranged Slash.

Not far away, Hinata stood surrounded by several wooden posts.

Both of her palms moved quickly, striking the chakra-point markings carved into their surfaces.

Her movements were precise and continuous.

More than an hour later, Mihawk completed his daily system task and withdrew his awareness from the spiritual world.

The two ended the first part of their training and began the second.

Calling it a spar was not entirely accurate.

Mihawk did not attack.

He simply remained in place and allowed Hinata to use her Gentle Fist against him.

In the past, he had trained his Observation Haki by covering his eyes and dodging her attacks.

Now, he was testing how well his Armament Haki could withstand the Gentle Fist.

“Two Palms!”

Hinata stepped forward.

“Four Palms!”

Her hands accelerated.

“Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms!”

She continued moving around Mihawk as her strikes landed from different angles.

“Thirty-Two Palms!”

Her final sequence began.

“Sixty-Four Palms!”

A rapid series of palm strikes landed across Mihawk’s upper body.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Instead of the usual sound of flesh being struck, each impact sounded as though Hinata’s hands were hitting something solid.

Beneath Mihawk’s kimono, a layer of Armament Haki covered his chest and protected the areas she struck.

That black coating had blocked the force of her attacks.

Of course, Hinata had deliberately avoided sending chakra into his tenketsu.

Mihawk still did not know whether Armament Haki could protect him from the internal damage caused by the Gentle Fist.

Even if he wanted to test it, Hinata would never agree.

Convincing her to strike him with the full sequence of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms had already taken a great deal of reassurance.

After completing the technique, Hinata lowered her hands and caught her breath.

A light layer of sweat covered her forehead.

Mihawk looked at her and smiled.

“That was good, Hinata.”

“N-No…”

Hinata lowered her head after hearing his praise.

“Compared to you, Mihawk-kun, I still have a long way to go.”

Mihawk opened his arms and pulled her into a hug.

He rested his chin lightly against her shoulder and listened as her breathing gradually returned to normal.

“I don’t plan on letting you catch up to me,” he said quietly. “The same goes for everyone else.”

Hinata looked up slightly.

Mihawk continued.

“I’m going to protect you. That means I have to become stronger than anyone who might try to hurt you.”

“Mm.”

Hinata wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest.

A happy smile appeared on her face.