Chapter 56 (Patreon)

The Fifth Hokage’s summons brought Mihawk’s training to an early end.

After telling Hinata that he had been called away, Nerona Mihawk followed the ANBU shinobi back toward the village.

Ten minutes later, he arrived at the Hokage’s office.

When Mihawk opened the door, he found a familiar face waiting inside.

“Yo. They called you too?”

Nara Shikamaru lazily raised one hand in greeting. From his expression, he did not seem surprised to see Mihawk there.

Mihawk gave him a small nod before moving to stand beside him.

Behind the desk sat the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. Shizune stood nearby with Tonton, the small pink pig, held in her arms.

Tsunade’s eyes remained fixed on Mihawk as he entered.

His crimson eyes calmly met her gaze, and his expression did not change in the slightest.

Even with the Hokage studying him so closely, Mihawk showed no sign of discomfort.

After looking at him for a few moments, Tsunade rested her elbows on the desk and folded her hands beneath her chin.

“I’ve already received the reports from the Chūnin Exams.”

Her gaze moved between Mihawk and Shikamaru.

“There were one hundred and fifteen candidates this year, including shinobi from other villages. Out of all of them, the two of you showed the judgment and ability expected of a Chūnin.”

Tsunade’s voice became more formal.

“As the Fifth Hokage, I hereby promote both of you to the rank of Chūnin, effective immediately.”

Neither boy reacted the way she expected.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head and let out a tired sigh.

“Chūnin, huh? Sounds troublesome…”

Mihawk remained completely indifferent.

Whether it was Gatō’s fortune or a higher shinobi rank, neither meant much to him. A title would not make his sword any sharper, nor would it help him complete his template any faster.

Seeing their reactions, Tsunade’s eyebrow twitched.

One was too lazy to care, while the other simply did not care at all.

What a troublesome pair.

“Shikamaru, you can leave,” she said, waving him toward the door. “Come back in three days to collect your Chūnin flak jacket.”

Her eyes shifted toward Mihawk.

“Mihawk, stay.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Shikamaru turned around and walked out without showing the slightest concern for Tsunade’s impatient tone.

Once the door closed, Tsunade’s expression became serious.

“I’ve heard about you from Jiraiya, Kurenai, and the shinobi who witnessed the Konoha Crush.”

She looked straight at Mihawk.

“There’s no question that you’re talented. At your age, there aren’t many shinobi who could match you, even among those who grew up during the last two wars.”

Tsunade paused.

“I also saw the reports describing what you did to the enemy shinobi.”

Mihawk remained silent.

“Jiraiya believes you would have done well during wartime,” Tsunade continued. “After reading everything, I understand why.”

Her tone became sharper.

“You don’t hesitate, you don’t panic, and once you decide someone is an enemy, you finish the fight.”

She leaned back slightly.

“Those qualities are well suited for the ANBU.”

Tsunade finally made her offer.

“Join the ANBU and work directly under me.”

“I refuse.”

Mihawk answered immediately.

Tsunade and Shizune both stared at him.

There had not been even a second of hesitation.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes as a thought occurred to her.

“Is this because of Hinata?”

Mihawk’s strength had become impossible for Konoha’s higher-ranking shinobi to ignore after the Konoha Crush.

He had displayed enough power to cut down experienced shinobi with ease, and the scale of his Ranged Slash was already beyond anything an ordinary Chūnin or jōnin could produce.

At only twelve years old, he had already shown signs of reaching the level of the village’s strongest shinobi.

Naturally, the major clans had begun investigating him.

And once they looked into Mihawk, they quickly discovered Hinata.

The two had known each other since childhood, and Hinata was the person closest to him.

Hanabi had also been allowed to accompany her sister during Mihawk’s training for more than a month. That would never have happened without Hiashi Hyūga’s approval.

Tsunade had naturally learned about all of this while looking into Mihawk’s background.

Mihawk was silent for a moment before nodding.

“Yes. I don’t want to leave Team Eight.”

“With your strength, you’ll become a jōnin sooner or later,” Tsunade replied. “Once that happens, you won’t remain a regular member of Team Eight anyway.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“What will you do then?”

“I’ll refuse the promotion.”

His answer came without hesitation.

Tsunade stared at him.

Shizune blinked several times, wondering whether she had heard correctly.

Mihawk did not care about becoming a jōnin.

If not for Hinata, he might not have remained in Konoha at all.

Joining the ANBU would probably give him more chances to fight and gain template progress, but there were far better choices outside the village.

He could become a bounty hunter and hunt missing-nin through the underground black market. He could even join the Akatsuki and eventually face the strongest shinobi in the world.

Compared to those paths, ANBU missions offered very little.

Rather than spend his time carrying out secret orders for the village, Mihawk preferred staying close to Hinata, overseeing her training, and completing his daily sword swings for that miserable 【0.02%】 increase.

Tsunade could already feel a headache coming on.

Someone with Mihawk’s strength would be an enormous asset to the village, but he had no interest in rank, money, reputation, or authority.

How was she supposed to convince someone who wanted none of the things most shinobi worked for?

Still, Tsunade did not give up.

“You don’t need to answer immediately. Think about it first.”

Mihawk looked at her without responding.

Tsunade leaned forward.

“And don’t think only about yourself. Think about Hinata too.”

That finally earned a slight change in his gaze.

Tsunade noticed it immediately.

“Hinata is the heiress of the Hyūga clan. Even if Hiashi accepts you personally, the elders of the clan may not.”

Her expression remained calm, but there was a knowing look in her eyes.

“You do intend to marry her someday, don’t you?”

Mihawk said nothing.

Tsunade took his silence as an answer.

“If you join the ANBU, I can make sure you rise quickly. With your ability, you could lead an ANBU squad within a year.”

She held up three fingers.

“Within three years, you could become one of the ANBU commanders.”

“Most villagers would never know your position, but the Hyūga clan would. They would know that you serve directly under the Hokage and that the village trusts you with its most important missions.”

Tsunade continued before he could reject her again.

“You would also gain access to higher-level ninjutsu and classified records. If you rose far enough, I could even grant you permission to study techniques from the Scroll of Seals.”

Several minutes later, Mihawk walked out of the Hokage’s office.

The door closed behind him.

Tsunade remained silent for a moment before lowering her head and striking her forehead against the desk.

“I give up! What does that boy even want?!”

“H-Haha…”

Shizune laughed awkwardly while holding Tonton.

She had never seen anyone reject an offer from the Hokage so easily.

Rank, authority, powerful ninjutsu, and even access to the Scroll of Seals had failed to move him in the slightest.

It was almost impressive.