Chapter 50 (Patreon)

Genjutsu?

Mihawk possessed Kage-level combat strength, but only he knew how limited his abilities were when it came to ninjutsu and genjutsu.

His ninjutsu repertoire consisted of little more than the Three Basic Techniques and the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Aside from the Body Flicker Technique, he had barely trained in conventional shinobi combat techniques. As for genjutsu, he only knew how to release himself from ordinary illusions. He had not even mastered a single low-level C-rank genjutsu.

Without his swordsmanship and the two types of Haki he had already awakened, his strength would only be comparable to that of an elite jōnin.

There was no possibility that he had unknowingly cast a genjutsu on Hinata.

His chakra had not decreased at all.

And Hinata had said that the strength had suddenly left her body...

Wait.

Mihawk’s eyes widened slightly.

Could it have been...

Conqueror’s Haki?

The moment that possibility appeared in his mind, Mihawk could not suppress his excitement.

When Conqueror’s Haki first awakened, it could erupt whenever its user experienced intense emotions. Sometimes, even the user would be unaware that they had released it.

Just now, Mihawk had been completely immersed in the spiritual world. He had experienced Hawkeye’s battles as though he were personally fighting them, feeling the excitement of every victory and the pressure of every powerful opponent.

His emotions had remained at an unusually high level the entire time.

If he possessed the qualities of a king, it was entirely possible that his Conqueror’s Haki had erupted without his knowledge.

That would explain what had happened to Hinata.

Overcome with excitement, Mihawk lifted Hinata and gently placed her on the bed. He then leaned down and captured her soft lips with his own, expressing the emotions he could not put into words.

If that really had been Conqueror’s Haki, it meant far more than simply obtaining another powerful ability in the future.

It would prove that his previous theory had been correct.

The template did not merely allow him to inherit Hawkeye’s abilities and then receive all of Hawkeye’s strength once it reached one hundred percent.

Even though nearly sixty percent of Dracule Mihawk’s template had already been unlocked, Mihawk knew that this did not mean he possessed sixty percent of Hawkeye’s true power.

In fact, if he were to face Dracule Mihawk while the World’s Strongest Swordsman was using only sixty percent of his strength, Nerona Mihawk knew he would still lose completely.

He would not even have the chance to fight back.

There was still a very long road ahead of him.

Mihawk had a feeling that the true power Dracule Mihawk possessed at his peak would only appear during the final percentages of the template.

The template was not simply giving him raw strength.

It was providing him with swordsmanship knowledge, combat experience, and access to the power system of another world. At the same time, it allowed him to receive the guidance of one of that world’s greatest swordsmen.

The state Mihawk had entered while cutting down his enemies two days earlier was part of his own swordsmanship.

It was his path.

Hinata was soon left breathless by the kiss. However, she seemed to understand the excitement Mihawk was feeling.

Her arms slowly wrapped around him, and she clumsily began to return the kiss.

...

Two days later.

August 8, in the morning.

The sky was covered by dark clouds that completely hid the sun.

Konoha had lost its usual liveliness. No matter where one went in the village, a heavy sadness could be felt in the air.

Every shinobi in the village wore black.

Jōnin, chūnin, genin, Academy students, and even many ordinary villagers had dressed in black coats and trousers for the occasion.

Mihawk and Hinata had also set aside their usual clothing. Instead of his kimono and her white coat, both of them wore black shirts and trousers.

They arrived at their assigned meeting place early in the morning.

Under Kurenai Yūhi’s leadership, Team Eight joined the long procession heading toward the memorial service.

One after another, they placed white chrysanthemums before the portrait of the Third Hokage, paying their respects to Hiruzen Sarutobi and mourning his death.

Heavy rain poured from the sky.

Standing among the crowd, Mihawk suddenly felt completely out of place.

There was no sorrow or pain on his face.

He did not shed any tears.

The expressions of many people around him remained calm, but beneath the surface, they were struggling with genuine grief.

Mihawk felt none of it.

He did not understand when he had become like this.

In his previous life, even seeing a puppy die in front of him would have left him feeling a little sad.

However, after arriving in this world, merging with Hawkeye’s experiences in the spiritual world, and personally experiencing the act of killing for the first time, something inside him had gradually begun to change.

When he killed the Demon Brothers, his emotions had not fluctuated in the slightest.

Instead, he had felt excited.

When he faced Zabuza Momochi, Mihawk had shown no mercy or hesitation.

During the preliminary rounds of the Chūnin Exams, he had ignored how others might judge him and killed Yoroi Akadō without hesitation.

Even then, however, Mihawk had still been holding part of himself back.

Two days ago, that restraint had disappeared completely.

He had finally released everything.

The sight of the sixty-six people he had killed continued to replay in his mind from time to time.

Severed limbs, torn bodies, and blood covering the ground did not make him feel sick.

The memory excited him.

It made his blood boil.

Even now, Mihawk found himself longing to return to the state he had entered that day.

He knew there was something wrong with his mental state.

He had stepped onto a path that could turn him into a killer, and his emotions were gradually being influenced by his own bloodlust.

When that bloodlust rose, he entered a state unlike anything he had experienced before. His ability to hear the Breath of All Things became clearer, and the power of his swordsmanship increased along with it.

However, bloodlust could easily push someone to an extreme.

If Mihawk allowed himself to be controlled by it, he could eventually develop an uncontrollable desire to kill and become someone who could no longer restrain his own emotions.

The effects were not severe yet.

But as Mihawk killed more people and his desire for battle continued to grow, he could become increasingly irritable.

A simple argument might make him lash out.

A stranger’s provocative stare might be enough to start a fight.

And in the shinobi world, such a fight could easily end with someone being killed.

Mihawk’s hands slowly tightened into fists.

Since this is the path of swordsmanship I have chosen, I’ll continue forward without fear.

Those possibilities did not frighten him.

His resolve had already become firm.

Now that he had recognized the danger, he could search for a way to control it before it became a serious problem.

After the memorial service ended, Mihawk took a deep breath and returned home with Hinata.

The moment they entered the house, Hinata looked at him with concern.

“Mihawk-kun... are you all right?”

Mihawk reached out and gently pinched her nose.

“What could possibly be wrong with me?”

Hinata did not look reassured.

“I don’t know why, but your emotions have felt very unstable lately.”

She looked directly at him, her gentle voice filled with concern.

“If something is troubling you, please don’t hide it from me. Can’t we face it together?”

Mihawk opened his arms and pulled Hinata into an embrace.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

His voice was gentle, but his resolve was absolute.

Even if only for Hinata’s sake, Mihawk would never allow himself to be consumed by bloodlust.