Chapter 47 (Patreon)

After rushing toward the Hyūga compound for some time, the three of them suddenly came to a stop.

A colossal three-headed snake was rampaging through the district ahead, completely blocking the path they needed to take.

Its massive body crushed buildings and tore through the road as it moved. Each of its three heads towered above the surrounding rooftops, hissing violently as their six eyes searched for new prey.

Before Hinata could even speak, Mihawk leaped away from them.

He landed on a nearby roof before racing forward, jumping from rooftop to rooftop at incredible speed.

“Onee-sama, what is he planning to do?!”

Hanabi’s eyes widened as she watched Mihawk approach the enormous creature.

She had already witnessed the Ranged Slash Mihawk had used during the Chūnin Exam, but the giant snake before them radiated such a threatening presence that she could not stop herself from worrying.

“Don’t worry, Hanabi.”

Hinata watched Mihawk’s back with complete confidence.

“Mihawk-kun will be fine.”

By then, Mihawk had already entered his attack range.

He landed on the edge of a roof and lowered his body into a drawing stance, one hand resting against the hilt of his sword.

Click.

The blade shifted slightly within its sheath.

Zssst!

Mihawk drew his sword.

A towering dark-red Ranged Slash erupted from the blade and tore straight toward the attacking snake.

PSSSH!

The massive slash struck the creature before any of its three heads could react.

The head on the left was severed first.

The dark-red attack continued through the thick central neck without slowing, then tore through the third head and the enormous body behind them.

For a single instant, the three-headed snake remained standing.

Thin red lines appeared across all three of its necks.

Then blood burst outward.

The three enormous heads separated from the body and crashed into the streets below, crushing the broken remains of several buildings. The rest of the snake’s body split open along the path of the slash before collapsing with enough force to shake the surrounding district.

A cloud of dust rose between the ruined houses.

Mihawk calmly flicked the blood from his blade and returned it to its sheath.

Hanabi stared at the enormous corpse with shining eyes.

“So sharp…”

Her amazement immediately overwhelmed her caution.

“That was incredible!”

When Mihawk returned, he was immediately met by the young girl’s openly admiring gaze.

Hanabi could no longer conceal her excitement after watching him effortlessly kill such a terrifying creature.

“Onee-sama, is Mihawk-kun your boyfriend?”

Mihawk’s strength had completely won her over.

Hinata’s face turned bright red.

She quickly raised one hand to cover Hanabi’s mouth.

“H-Hanabi! Don’t say things like that!”

“Mmph!”

Mihawk glanced at the suddenly flustered sisters.

The corner of his mouth rose slightly before he looked at Hinata.

“Let’s get your sister back to the compound first. After that, I’m going to help the others.”

“Mm.”

Once the conversation returned to the invasion, Hinata’s expression immediately became serious.

She nodded and took Hanabi’s hand.

Mihawk led the two sisters toward the Hyūga compound while quietly spreading his Observation Haki across the surrounding area.

The three of them did not travel across the rooftops this time.

Instead, they continued along the streets at a steady run.

After some time, Mihawk’s right hand suddenly returned to the hilt of his sword.

Shing!

The clear sound of the blade leaving its sheath rang out.

A silver-white flash extended from the sword before transforming into a dark-red Ranged Slash three or four meters long.

The slash shot into the sky.

“AAARGH!”

A shinobi who had been moving through the air unknowingly threw himself directly into its path.

The Ranged Slash struck him head-on and hurled him more than ten meters upward.

Its violent force tore through his clothes and skin, leaving his body covered in deep wounds.

The enemy shinobi then fell from the sky and struck the ground with a weak groan.

He could no longer stand.

Perhaps he would die from his injuries.

Perhaps he would survive until the invasion ended and receive treatment afterward.

Mihawk did not care either way.

He had sensed the approaching attack before the enemy had even appeared.

Hanabi, who had been following behind him, stared with increasingly bright eyes.

He’s incredible.

No one can beat him!

Hanabi had been secretly watching Mihawk from the moment he entered the stadium beside Hinata.

She had already seen part of his strength.

Whether he was fighting Neji, whom her father had called a genius, killing enemy shinobi in a single strike, or effortlessly cutting down the three-headed giant snake, Mihawk always remained completely calm.

Nothing appeared difficult for him.

Even while fighting, he looked as though everything was under his control.

He’s so cool…

Mihawk had no idea what Hanabi was thinking.

After knocking the enemy shinobi out of the sky, he calmly returned his sword to its sheath and continued running.

Ten minutes later, the three of them arrived at the entrance to the Hyūga compound.

“You should both remain inside,” Mihawk instructed. “Don’t come back out until the invasion is over.”

Although fighting had broken out across Konoha, one of the safest locations in the entire village was the Hyūga compound.

As one of Konoha’s most powerful clans, the Hyūga would not be easily overwhelmed.

Even if the fighting reached this area, the clan’s shinobi would immediately escort Hinata, Hanabi, and the other noncombatants to a secure shelter.

Mihawk did not need to worry about their safety once they were inside.

“Mm.”

Hinata nodded before looking at him with concern.

“Mihawk-kun, please be careful too.”

She understood his personality.

Hinata knew there was no point in trying to stop him from returning to the battle, so she only expressed her concern in her usual gentle manner.

Mihawk nodded and smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

With those words, he turned and disappeared.

His afterimage flashed through the streets and across the rooftops as he rapidly made his way toward the center of Konoha.

Before long, Mihawk stood on top of a tall building overlooking the village.

His silver ponytail, stained red in places by blood, swayed in the wind.

Battles were taking place throughout the surrounding districts.

As he watched the chaos below, an excited and bloodthirsty smile appeared on his handsome face.

Through his Observation Haki, Mihawk could no longer sense any civilians in the immediate area.

Only a small number of Konoha shinobi remained, desperately resisting the combined attacks of Sunagakure and Otogakure.

According to Konoha’s emergency response protocol, the village would immediately carry out three major phases when faced with an invasion.

The first phase was to eliminate the enemy’s surprise-attack forces before they could spread throughout the village.

If that failed, the second phase would begin immediately.

All civilians and children would be evacuated to the designated shelters.

That was why so few Konoha shinobi remained in the district below. Most of them were currently escorting the villagers to safety.

The evacuation had already cleared this area, though it had not yet been completed throughout the entire village.

Once the second phase was complete, Konoha would begin the third phase.

The village’s full military strength would be turned against the invaders.

For the moment, however, that stage had not yet begun.

In this district, the remaining Konoha shinobi were still outnumbered.

There was no reason to leave any of the invaders alive.

“Then, until the village is ready to counterattack…”

Mihawk drew the sword at his waist.

The cold silver blade was gradually covered in a layer of black Armament Haki.

When the entire blade had turned black, Mihawk’s smile deepened.

“This is my time.”

His figure disappeared.

Whoosh!

A violent gust of wind swept across the street below.

Three shinobi had been fighting there—two from Konoha and one from Otogakure.

The Otogakure shinobi’s eyes suddenly widened.

Confusion filled his face as his vision began to spin.

For an instant, he caught sight of his own headless body.

Behind it stood a silver-haired boy holding a blackened sword.

Thud.

The enemy shinobi’s head struck the ground.

Before the two Konoha shinobi could react, another tearing sound came from a nearby Sunagakure shinobi.

Slash!

A deep cut appeared from the man’s left shoulder to his right hip.

Blood erupted from the wound.

Before even a single drop could touch Mihawk, however, he had already disappeared.

“S-So fast…”

One of the Konoha shinobi stared at the place where Mihawk had stood.

“Who is that boy?”

Mihawk had already reached another battlefield.

Clang!

His sword collided with a kunai.

Crack!

The kunai immediately snapped in half.

Mihawk looked into the stunned Sunagakure shinobi’s eyes.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Impressive.”

The enemy had somehow reacted to his first attack.

“As a reward, you may die.”

Mihawk’s body blurred.

In the next instant, he appeared behind the Sunagakure shinobi and continued racing toward another battle without looking back.

The enemy remained standing for a moment.

Then the upper half of his body slid away from the lower half and struck the ground.

Mihawk leaped onto another rooftop.

His face was stained with blood, yet his smile remained as gentle as a passing breeze.

His emotions were completely calm.

Killing did not make his heart race.

Instead, the world around him seemed to become quieter.

Only the sound of breathing remained in his ears.

His own breathing.

The breathing of his allies.

The hurried and fearful breathing of his enemies.

Even those who were moments away from death seemed to breathe with incredible weight.

Mihawk did not know whether the shinobi around him were genin, chūnin, or something higher.

It did not matter.

Their bodies all seemed equally fragile.

A single swing of his sword was enough to cut them apart.

In this state, Mihawk’s strength was overwhelmingly destructive.