Chapter 34 (Patreon)

Team Eight parted ways on the street, and Mihawk returned home with Hinata.

The moment they stepped inside, Hinata turned toward him, worry clear in her pale eyes.

“Mihawk-kun, are you sure your body is all right?”

“What would be wrong with me?” Mihawk replied. “I already told you that my swordsmanship doesn’t consume chakra. Even Iruka-sensei wasn’t affected much by the teleportation, so why would I be?”

He gently pinched the tip of her nose and smiled.

“You’re the one who should be worried about yourself. You must be exhausted by now. Go take a bath and get some rest.”

“Mm.”

Mihawk did not appear to be hiding anything, so Hinata obediently nodded and headed for the bathroom.

Once she was gone, Mihawk reached up and rubbed his shoulders.

They were still a little sore.

He could not help feeling slightly annoyed with Iruka.

His body was still growing, yet Iruka had not warned them about the strain before activating the teleportation technique. Their teacher really had been careless.

If Mihawk’s shoulders hurt, Hinata’s condition was probably even worse.

The next time they were teleported, he would have to remember to protect his shoulders with Armament Haki.

Mihawk lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. As he quietly rested, the sound of running water drifted from the bathroom.

Click.

Half an hour later, the bathroom door opened.

Hinata stepped out with a towel wrapped around herself. Looking toward Mihawk, she spoke softly.

“Mihawk-kun, I prepared the bath for you. You should soak for a while too.”

“Mm.”

Mihawk sat up and nodded. His gaze fell on Hinata’s smooth shoulders, which were still slightly red from the strain.

“Put some medicine on them later,” he reminded her gently. “And the next time we use a teleportation technique, remember to protect your shoulders with chakra.”

“Okay.”

Hinata nodded several times, taking his advice seriously.

Mihawk lowered his head and gave her a brief kiss before walking into the bathroom.

By the time he came out again, another half hour had passed.

Hinata had already changed back into her usual clothes, while Mihawk wore a light yukata.

The kimono he normally wore possessed the ability to clean itself, but Mihawk still regarded it as formal clothing. Perhaps it was only psychological, but after a bath, wearing a loose yukata simply felt more comfortable.

When Hinata saw him emerge, she looked up from where she was sitting on the bed.

“Mihawk-kun, come here. I’ll massage your shoulders.”

Mihawk glanced at the bottle of medicinal liniment in her hand and smiled.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Hinata.”

As he walked over, he loosened the upper half of his yukata.

Mihawk lay facedown on the bed. Hinata carefully settled astride his lower back, and the veins around her temples rose as she activated her Byakugan.

After applying the liniment to her hands, she began massaging his shoulders.

Her slender fingers pressed against the firm muscles of his back. With the Byakugan, she could clearly locate the strained muscles, pressure points, and chakra pathways. Her movements were neither too strong nor too weak, applying exactly the right amount of pressure.

The Hyūga clan’s Gentle Fist training really was surprisingly useful for massage.

Mihawk let out a quiet hum of satisfaction.

After Hinata had been massaging him for a while, Mihawk casually brought up something that had been on his mind.

“Hinata, why don’t you stay here for the next five days?”

“Eh?!”

Hinata had not expected him to say that so suddenly.

Her face turned bright red, and her words immediately became tangled.

“Th-That… I…”

“Your family doesn’t know that we reached the central tower ahead of everyone else,” Mihawk continued.

He turned his head to look at her, his expression gentle.

“Dozens of candidates were eliminated during the first exam, and the second exam will probably eliminate more than half of those who remain. Barring something unexpected, the third exam should consist of individual matches.”

He paused before adding expectantly:

“We can use these next few days to train together. What do you think?”

“…”

Hinata looked at the undisguised anticipation in his eyes.

In the end, she gave in to his coaxing.

“All right…”

Her answer came in a whisper so quiet that it was almost impossible to hear.

The moment she agreed, Mihawk’s smile visibly brightened.

He rolled over, wrapped his arms around Hinata, and pulled the blanket over both of them. He then began teasing her until she became so embarrassed that she could no longer meet his eyes.

Time passed quickly, and the 120-hour limit for the second exam soon approached its end.

Over those five days, Mihawk and Hinata grew even closer.

During their afternoon naps, Hinata often let Mihawk rest his head on her lap. At night, they stayed together and talked quietly beneath the covers. Mihawk also took every opportunity to steal a quick kiss or tease her until her face turned red.

For him, those five days passed almost too quickly.

The other nine Konoha rookies had a far more miserable experience by comparison.

Team Seven suffered the worst of it.

First, they were targeted by Orochimaru, a shinobi whose strength stood at the level of a Kage. After that, they were attacked by the three genin from Otogakure.

Despite everything they endured, they eventually managed to reach the central tower.

On the morning of the final day, Team Eight used the teleportation technique and returned to the tower as well.

They arrived two or three hours before the deadline.

After experiencing the effects of teleportation once, none of them wanted to wait until the final moment. The lingering strain and discomfort could easily affect their condition during the next stage of the exam.

At 2:30 p.m., all the candidates who had passed the second exam gathered inside a large hall.

The other members of the Konoha Twelve looked at Mihawk with strange expressions.

By then, they had apparently learned how quickly Team Eight had reached the central tower.

They had struggled through the Forest of Death for several days, yet Team Eight had obtained both scrolls and reached the tower in only fifty-five minutes.

The difference between them was impossible to ignore.

Sasuke Uchiha’s reaction was especially obvious.

He stared at Mihawk without bothering to hide the unwillingness or fighting spirit in his eyes.

It seemed that Sasuke intended to rely on the power he had recently obtained to challenge the person who had overshadowed him for the past six years. He wanted to wrest the top position away from Mihawk with his own hands.

Mihawk noticed the looks directed at him, but he paid them little attention.

The only gaze he bothered to return belonged to Gaara.

Gaara stared at him with naked killing intent.

Mihawk met his eyes, the corner of his mouth rising slightly, before calmly looking away again.

A total of seventy-eight candidates, divided into twenty-six teams, had entered the second exam.

Only eight teams remained.

Twenty-four candidates had passed, which was not even half of the original number.

Unlike the original course of events, however, one additional team had survived—the team that included Inuzuka from Team Nine.

As expected, the Third Hokage appeared on the second-floor balcony.

He addressed the remaining candidates and explained the true purpose and significance of the Chūnin Exams.

Once his speech ended, Hayate Gekkō, the proctor responsible for the preliminary round of the third exam, stepped forward.

Mihawk also noticed Orochimaru standing openly on the second floor while disguised as an Otogakure jōnin.

Kabuto Yakushi knew that his role in the exam was already finished. At the same time, he was concerned that he might fail to properly restrain his strength during the matches and expose himself in front of the Third Hokage.

Because of that, Kabuto chose to withdraw.

With only twenty-three candidates remaining, the preliminary matches for the third exam officially began.