Chapter 32 (Patreon)

The moment Gaara’s team stepped out of the forest, all three of them focused on Mihawk.

Mihawk first glanced at Kankurō and Temari. Neither of them seemed to take him seriously.

His gaze then settled on Gaara, who stood between them with his arms crossed.

Gaara wore a dark outfit and carried an enormous gourd on his back. His short red hair framed a pale face marked by heavy shadows beneath his eyes, while the kanji for “love” was carved into the left side of his forehead.

His expression showed no emotion.

Only the hatred and killing intent in his eyes gave anything away.

Mihawk raised the Heaven Scroll and gave it a small shake.

“You want this?”

Kankurō looked at Hinata and Shino as they moved to Mihawk’s side.

He seemed to recognize the Hyūga and Aburame Clan symbols, and some of the contempt disappeared from his expression.

“Since you’re Konoha shinobi, we’ll give you one chance,” Kankurō said. “Hand over the Heaven Scroll, and we might let you leave alive.”

“I’m going to kill them.”

Gaara’s cold voice cut through the clearing.

Kankurō’s expression immediately changed.

He leaned closer to Gaara and lowered his voice.

“Gaara, these are Konoha shinobi. The girl is from the Hyūga Clan, and the other one is an Aburame. Killing them could cause trouble and affect what we came here to do.”

He glanced toward the scroll in Mihawk’s hand.

“Just make them give us the Heaven Scroll.”

Gaara ignored him.

He slowly uncrossed his arms and raised his right hand toward Team 8.

“I kill anyone who gets in my way.”

While Kankurō tried to reason with Gaara, Team 8 was also speaking quietly.

Shino’s voice had lost some of its usual calmness.

“Mihawk, my insects are warning me about the red-haired one. He’s dangerous. His killing intent is overwhelming.”

Mihawk placed the Heaven Scroll inside his kimono.

“Prepare to fight.”

He kept his eyes on Gaara.

“Hinata, take the girl. Shino, handle the one carrying the puppet. Leave the red-haired one to me.”

“Yes,” Hinata answered.

Shino nodded.

“Sand Coffin.”

Gaara’s voice signaled the beginning of the battle.

Sand poured from the gourd on his back and spread across the ground.

Three hands formed from the sand and reached for Team 8’s legs.

Mihawk, Hinata, and Shino had already gathered chakra beneath their feet.

The instant the sand moved, all three vanished from where they had been standing.

Boom!

An explosion rang out almost immediately afterward.

A fist-sized hole appeared in the wall of sand that had formed in front of Gaara.

Kankurō and Temari stared in shock.

Mihawk had appeared directly in front of them so quickly that neither of them had seen him move.

Even Gaara’s emotionless eyes widened slightly.

This opponent was different from the others.

“Armament Haki.”

Mihawk’s lower leg and foot turned black.

He twisted his body and drove a powerful kick toward Gaara.

The sand reacted automatically.

Another wall rose between them.

Mihawk’s foot struck it.

Boom!

The wall burst apart as though it had been hit by an explosive tag.

His kick continued through the broken sand and landed directly against Gaara’s stomach.

Gaara had made no attempt to dodge.

The impact sent him flying backward.

His body tore through the clearing and disappeared into the trees.

“How is that possible?!”

Temari and Kankurō shouted at the same time.

As far as they knew, Gaara had never been struck before.

His sand had always stopped every attack before it reached him.

Yet the silver-haired boy had broken through that defense and kicked him away in a single exchange.

Despite their shock, their training took over.

Temari reached for the giant folding fan on her back, while Kankurō prepared to release the puppet wrapped in bandages.

“Eight Trigrams Air Palm!”

Hinata thrust her palm forward.

A compressed blast of chakra tore through the air toward Temari.

Temari sensed the danger and quickly opened part of her Three-Star Fan in front of herself.

The chakra blast struck the fan.

Boom!

The force pushed Temari several meters backward, her sandals scraping across the ground before she regained her balance.

At the same time, a loud buzzing filled the clearing.

A massive swarm of kikaichū rushed toward Kankurō.

The insects passed around Mihawk without touching him and forced Kankurō to retreat before he could unwrap his puppet.

Shino stood with both hands inside his pockets.

“Your opponent is me.”

Hinata activated her Byakugan and took the Gentle Fist stance.

“I won’t let you interfere with Mihawk-kun.”

Kankurō and Temari looked at Shino and Hinata before glancing toward Mihawk.

It was obvious that he was the center of Team 8.

They had chosen the wrong opponents.

These three were nothing like the genin they had faced earlier.

Kankurō gritted his teeth.

Their father had told them that Konoha produced more talented shinobi than any other village.

It seemed he had been telling the truth.

First there had been Uchiha Sasuke.

Now there was this unknown silver-haired swordsman.

Branches cracked inside the forest.

Gaara emerged from between the trees and walked back into the clearing.

The layer of sand covering his body had cracked across his stomach.

His expression remained unchanged, but beneath the damaged Sand Armor, his real face was likely twisted with rage.

His eyes locked onto Mihawk.

“What is your name?”

“Nerona Mihawk.”

Mihawk answered as though he did not already know Gaara’s identity.

“What about you?”

His eyes remained fixed on Gaara’s stomach.

The cracked Sand Armor was already repairing itself.

The kick had not truly injured him.

That surprised Mihawk slightly.

He had not used his full strength, but a kick strengthened with Armament Haki could easily break through a tree thick enough that three people would struggle to wrap their arms around it.

Gaara’s Sand Armor was more durable than he had expected.

Then Mihawk remembered the automatic wall of sand he had already destroyed.

The first defense had absorbed part of the force before his kick reached Gaara.

“Nerona Mihawk.”

Gaara repeated the name.

“I’ll remember it.”

His voice remained flat, but his killing intent grew even stronger.

“If I kill you, it will prove that I exist.”

“I’m not responsible for proving your existence.”

Mihawk rested his right hand on the hilt of his sword.

“And whether you can kill me is still undecided.”

The blade and sheath darkened beneath a layer of Armament Haki.

Mihawk lowered his stance.

Shing—!