Chapter 49 (Patreon)

Boom—!

“So Konoha has finally begun its counterattack.”

Walking through the smoke-covered streets, Nerona Mihawk listened to the explosions and tremors coming from the distance.

“That means the battle is almost over.”

With that thought, Mihawk increased his speed. He leapt onto the roof of a nearby house and raced toward the main combat zone while spreading his awareness across a wide area.

Once the Third Hokage died, Orochimaru would flee Konoha. The Otogakure and Sunagakure shinobi would then receive orders to retreat immediately.

Afterward, Sunagakure would discover the Fourth Kazekage’s corpse, surrender to Konoha, and place all the blame for the invasion on Orochimaru.

Before the chaos ended, this small-scale war was Mihawk’s last opportunity to gain a large amount of experience.

Every enemy shinobi he killed could save him several days of training—sometimes more than ten.

Right now, every second mattered.

By the time Mihawk reached the main combat zone, the situation had completely reversed from the beginning of the invasion.

Konoha’s ANBU and the shinobi of its major clans were overwhelming the remaining Sunagakure and Otogakure forces.

However, Mihawk did not stand aside simply because Konoha no longer appeared to need his help.

He rushed straight into the enemy ranks.

The brutal efficiency with which he cut down his opponents made even the ANBU watching from the shadows feel a chill.

Mihawk had already found his own path of swordsmanship. Now that he had decided to accelerate the progress of the Hawkeye template, he showed no mercy.

Every swing of his black blade tore through flesh and bone. Blood sprayed across the ruined streets as severed limbs struck the ground.

The nearby Konoha shinobi were stunned by the sight.

Some of them were so shaken that they unconsciously stopped attacking and simply watched as Mihawk cut through the enemy forces.

Although many Sunagakure and Otogakure shinobi had invaded Konoha, there were very few truly powerful fighters among them. Baki was likely the only elite jōnin present. Most of the others were genin, chūnin, or special jōnin.

The Third Hokage had already described Mihawk as a twelve-year-old Kage-level shinobi.

These enemies were nowhere near his level.

From the moment Mihawk entered the battlefield, it had never been a real fight.

It was a one-sided slaughter.

“Withdraw!”

“Retreat immediately—!”

Once Mihawk’s surroundings were again covered with corpses and severed limbs, several enemy shinobi fighting in the distance suddenly disengaged from their Konoha opponents.

They seemed to have received the same message at the same time.

Without exchanging a single word, they used the Body Flicker Technique and fled toward the edge of the village.

The sudden retreat caught the Konoha shinobi off guard. Their momentary hesitation gave the surviving enemies enough time to escape.

Mihawk knew exactly why they were retreating, so he did not pursue them.

Instead, he turned around and headed home.

He returned his black sword to its sheath, removed his forehead protector, and ran the fingers of one hand through his long, sticky silver hair.

The dried blood clinging to his hair and face made his skin feel tight and uncomfortable.

He wanted nothing more than to return home and wash the filth from his body.

Several minutes later, Mihawk arrived outside his house.

Seeing that it had escaped the battle without suffering any damage immediately lifted his mood.

After entering his room, Mihawk removed his bloodstained kimono and walked into the bathroom.

He stood beneath the shower as hot water poured over his silver hair and face.

The blood that had dyed his hair red was gradually washed away, and the clear water flowing toward the drain quickly turned crimson.

As Mihawk washed his hair, he silently opened the system interface.

[Your “Hawkeye” template has been unlocked to 60.8%.]

The gains from this battle were astonishing.

Mihawk had killed a total of sixty-six enemies and gained 8.6% progress.

The advancement of the Hawkeye template had accelerated by the equivalent of four hundred and thirty days—one year and two months.

It was an enormous increase.

For a brief moment, Mihawk was left speechless.

He had gained so much experience simply by cutting down several dozen weak shinobi.

What exactly had he been doing all these years?

With mixed feelings, Mihawk finished washing his hair and rinsed the remaining blood from his body.

He stepped out of the bathroom wearing a robe and lay down on his bed.

Placing both hands behind his head, he stared blankly at the ceiling.

Outside, rescue teams moved through the village. Commanders shouted orders while the cries and grief of the survivors filled the damaged streets.

None of it reached him.

His room seemed completely separated from the outside world.

Mihawk’s eyelids gradually closed.

His consciousness crossed time and space, merging with a man whose golden eyes resembled those of a hawk.

That man travelled from place to place, challenging every renowned swordsman he could find.

He constantly pushed against his own limits, leaving countless defeated opponents behind as he climbed toward the highest position in the world.

His opponent seemed to change with every passing moment.

Some defeated him.

Some forced him to suffer grave injuries before he could claim victory.

Others became trusted friends after crossing blades with him.

At first, his battles ended in defeat.

Then came hard-fought victories won only after pushing himself to the brink.

Eventually, those difficult battles became easier.

Before he realized it, the golden-eyed swordsman had reached the summit and earned recognition as a great swordsman.

However, one final step still separated him from the throne of the World’s Strongest Swordsman.

“Mihawk-kun…”

“Mihawk-kun…”

Hinata’s gentle voice pulled Mihawk out of the world within his mind.

“Hmm?”

The moment his eyes opened, a cold light flashed through his crimson pupils.

His gaze struck Hinata like the edge of a blade.

Her mind seemed to suffer a direct blow. The strength immediately left her body, and she collapsed to the floor with a pale face.

The sound of her body hitting the ground brought Mihawk fully back to his senses.

“Hinata!”

He immediately sat up and reached for her.

Mihawk lifted Hinata from the floor and pulled the trembling girl into his arms.

“Hinata, are you all right?”

Hinata’s entire body trembled uncontrollably. Feeling Mihawk’s warmth around her, she weakly shook her head as beads of sweat formed across her forehead.

“I-I’m fine…”

Mihawk gently patted her back while holding her tightly.

He said nothing else.

After some time, the violent trembling and unsteady breathing of the girl in his arms gradually subsided.

However, Hinata’s face remained deathly pale.

She raised her head. Her pale lavender eyes were filled with confusion as she looked at him.

“Mihawk-kun… What happened to you just now?”

Mihawk paused, unable to understand her question.

“Why are you asking me that?”

He looked down at her pale face and frowned.

“More importantly, what just happened to you?”

Hinata studied his expression.

Seeing that his confusion appeared genuine, she slowly shook her head.

“I don’t know.”

She lowered her gaze as she tried to explain what she had felt.

“When Mihawk-kun opened his eyes, it suddenly felt as though all the strength had been drained from my body. My mind became incredibly exhausted too…”

Hinata hesitated before continuing.

“It was almost like I had been struck by genjutsu.”

Hearing her explanation, Mihawk’s brows furrowed even more deeply.