Chapter 38 (Patreon)

After the preliminary matches ended, the eleven candidates who had advanced—aside from Sasuke Uchiha—gathered in the hall once more.

Six of the remaining candidates were from Konoha.

Seeing that more than half of those advancing belonged to his village, the Third Hokage felt deeply satisfied.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood before them with his pipe in hand, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke.

“First of all, congratulations. You have successfully passed the preliminary round of the third exam.”

The exhaustion weighing on the candidates seemed to disappear at once.

Everyone straightened and focused on the Third Hokage, their expressions becoming serious.

“Next, I will explain how the third exam will proceed.”

The candidates immediately tensed.

“Relax,” Hiruzen said. “I am not asking you to begin the third exam today.”

Only then did some of them loosen their shoulders.

“As Hayate already explained, the third exam will be held before a large audience. Every battle will be observed by daimyō, officials, and representatives from several countries.”

The Third Hokage’s gaze moved across the surviving candidates.

“That is why we held the preliminary round. The official matches cannot be filled with long, unimpressive battles. We needed to select the shinobi capable of properly representing their villages.”

He took another pull from his pipe before continuing.

“To ensure fairness—and to allow each of you to display your full strength—the official third exam will take place one month from now.”

A few of the candidates looked surprised.

“You are free to use that month however you wish. You may train, improve your techniques, recover from your injuries, or gather information about your opponents.”

Hiruzen then glanced toward the side of the hall.

“I won’t keep you any longer than necessary. However, before you leave, each of you will draw a number so that the match order can be decided in advance.”

At his signal, Anko Mitarashi, the chief proctor of the second exam, stepped forward while carrying a box.

“Come up one at a time and draw a number from the box,” Hiruzen instructed. “We’ll begin with the first candidate who passed the preliminaries.”

Since Mihawk had been the first to win his match, he stepped forward.

He stopped in front of Anko, reached into the box, and casually pulled out a folded slip of paper.

After opening it, he showed the number to her.

“I drew number one.”

For some reason, the number one seemed to have followed Mihawk throughout his life.

When he was younger, he was often the first student called forward during random Academy assessments. He had also been the first person assigned to spar against Hinata during taijutsu practice.

He had always ranked first in their class, becoming the Academy’s top graduate.

He had fought in the first preliminary match as well.

And now, in the official round of the third exam, he had once again drawn the first number.

If Mihawk remembered correctly, Naruto had drawn number one in the original course of events.

Could it be…?

The thought had only just formed when what happened next confirmed his suspicion.

Two or three more candidates drew their numbers.

Then Neji Hyūga stepped forward.

He reached into the box, removed a folded slip, and opened it.

When he saw the number written inside, the corner of his mouth rose slightly.

Neji turned toward Mihawk.

“I drew number two.”

Hinata’s pale eyes widened.

“Mihawk-kun’s opponent is… Neji-niisan.”

Mihawk was also somewhat surprised.

During the preliminaries, he had taken the opponent originally meant for Sasuke.

Now, during the official third exam, he had taken Naruto’s original opponent as well.

However—

This works perfectly.

Mihawk’s red eyes shifted toward Neji, carrying a faint coldness.

He then gently patted Hinata’s shoulder.

“You should draw your number too.”

“Mm.”

Hinata nodded and stepped forward.

The ten candidates drew their numbers one after another. Since Sasuke was absent, the final remaining number was automatically assigned to him.

Before long, the official match order was decided.

First Match: Nerona Mihawk vs. Hyūga Neji

Second Match: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Gaara

Third Match: Aburame Shino vs. Kankurō

Fourth Match: Temari vs. Nara Shikamaru

Fifth Match: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Dosu Kinuta

Hyūga Hinata received a bye and would advance to the next round automatically.

Once the match order had been announced, the Third Hokage dismissed the candidates.

Team Eight headed toward the teleportation room.

As they walked, Mihawk turned toward Hinata with a smile.

“You were lucky, Hinata.”

“Mm.”

Hinata smiled shyly, a faint blush spreading across her face.

Kurenai had already left after the preliminary round ended.

Because of that, once Team Eight was teleported outside Training Ground Forty-Four, the three of them separated and returned home.

As always, Mihawk and Hinata divided the household work between them.

One returned home to wash the rice and begin preparing dinner, while the other went out to buy groceries.

Forty minutes later, they were together in Mihawk’s kitchen.

Mihawk held a kitchen knife in one hand and carefully cut the meat into thin slices.

As he worked, he let out a regretful sigh.

“I wish we could go back to five days ago.”

Hinata understood what he meant.

Her face turned slightly red, and after hesitating for a moment, she answered quietly.

“Actually… I do too.”

Mihawk placed the sliced meat onto a plate.

After washing and drying his hands, he walked up behind Hinata and wrapped both arms around her waist.

He rested his chin on her shoulder.

As her skin gradually grew warmer beneath his cheek, Mihawk spoke softly.

“Tomorrow, why don’t we ask Kurenai-sensei to help us apply for a mission outside the village?”

Hinata turned her head slightly.

“We could leave for a month,” Mihawk continued. “What do you think?”

A trace of anticipation appeared in Hinata’s eyes, but it was quickly mixed with hesitation.

“That… might be difficult.”

Her voice became quieter.

“If Father learns that I passed the preliminary round, he probably won’t allow me to leave the village.”

Disappointment filled her final words.

Hinata had enjoyed the five days she spent living with Mihawk.

Although she became embarrassed whenever he teased her at night, she loved the quiet moments they shared and the sweet things he said to her.

If possible, she wanted to leave the village and travel with him as well.

However, her concerns were reasonable.

Once Hiashi learned that Hinata had passed the preliminaries and would appear in the official third exam, he would most likely place even greater restrictions on her.

He might even refuse to let her leave the Hyūga compound except for training.

Even if Hiashi believed that her talent was inferior to that of Hanabi, her younger sister by five years, Hinata was still the eldest daughter of the Hyūga clan’s main family.

The clan would never allow her to embarrass the Hyūga name before the many important guests attending the third exam.

She would most likely be subjected to strict training throughout the coming month.

Mihawk gently played with Hinata’s pale, delicate hand.

“I see,” he said, allowing disappointment to enter his voice. “That’s unfortunate.”

Hinata could not bear hearing him sound like that.

She placed her hand over his through the fabric of her apron.

“Why don’t I ask Father first?” she suggested. “I can tell him that I received a bye and see whether he’ll allow me to leave the village.”

Mihawk smiled.

He leaned forward and placed a light kiss against her cheek.

“It’s all right. We still have plenty of time.”

He tightened his arms around her slightly.

“After the Chūnin Exams are over, we can travel together. And someday, we’ll visit many different places together.”

“Mm!”

As Hinata listened, images of the two of them traveling side by side began forming in her mind.

Her expression brightened, and she nodded repeatedly.