Chapter 58 (Patreon)

The world before dawn was wrapped in silence.

Ever since leaving through Konoha’s main gate, Team 8 had maintained a relentless pace. They had not even stopped for dinner, merely eating some dry rations from their backpacks to quiet their hunger before continuing onward.

Before long, a vast forest appeared ahead of them.

“Shikamaru’s chakra signature is growing clearer. He shouldn’t be too far ahead.”

Shino Aburame, who had been leading the group, gradually slowed his pace. Despite the darkness of the early morning, his sunglasses remained firmly in place. He studied the small black insect resting on his index finger before speaking quietly to Mihawk beside him.

“My kikaichū also detected three other chakra signatures moving quickly ahead of us. I can’t tell who they belong to, but the insects remember them clearly. They must be people we’ve encountered before.”

Hearing that, Mihawk frowned slightly.

According to the original course of events, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha’s battle should already be nearing its conclusion. He could not immediately remember who the other three people might be.

“Let’s catch up and find out,” he ordered.

“Right.”

The moment he spoke, all three of them increased their speed.

It did not take long before three figures appeared in the distance.

The sight of the red-haired boy carrying an enormous gourd on his back immediately brought back a part of the original story Mihawk had nearly forgotten. Shino also understood why his kikaichū had found their chakra signatures familiar.

They were Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō.

Although their encounter in the Forest of Death had been brief, the three siblings from Sunagakure had left a deep impression on both Hinata and Shino.

After witnessing Gaara’s battle against Rock Lee, they understood just how fortunate they had been during their earlier encounter. Had Mihawk not been beside them in the Forest of Death, they might not have escaped with their lives.

To Hinata and Shino, Gaara was nothing less than a terrifying monster.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Hearing the sound of people rapidly approaching from behind, Kankurō and Temari turned their heads.

Under the silver light of the sixteenth night’s full moon, their eyes met Mihawk’s calm gaze.

The instant they recognized him, both of their expressions stiffened. Fear appeared on their faces before they could hide it.

Remembering that Sunagakure and Konoha had restored their alliance, Temari swallowed nervously.

“Y-You... It’s you!”

Kankurō’s face turned pale.

Why did they even ask us to come if that monster is already here?

The impression Mihawk had left upon the two of them was impossible to erase.

Following the Konoha Crush, Nerona Mihawk’s name had become known not only among Konoha’s leadership, but also throughout the upper ranks of Sunagakure.

Any village that gathered information about the invasion would undoubtedly remember him.

He possessed astonishing swordsmanship and was even capable of using an S-rank ninjutsu. More terrifyingly, he had mercilessly killed sixty-six shinobi from Sunagakure and Otogakure during the invasion.

The unit sent from Sunagakure to retrieve the bodies had been horrified by the gruesome sight of severed limbs scattered across the battlefield.

Just as Hinata and Shino viewed Gaara as a monster, Kankurō and Temari regarded Mihawk in exactly the same way.

The only difference was that, in their eyes, Mihawk was even stronger than Gaara.

Neither Mihawk nor Gaara knew what their teammates were thinking.

After hearing the fear in Temari’s voice, Gaara turned around and stared at Mihawk without expression.

The moment he met Mihawk’s crimson eyes, Gaara’s face remained calm, but his pupils contracted slightly. A faint disturbance passed through his otherwise emotionless gaze.

Mihawk could also tell that Gaara’s body was still protected by his Armor of Sand.

After a brief silence, Gaara spoke.

“Long time no see, Nerona Mihawk.”

“Yeah. Long time no see.”

Mihawk had not expected Gaara to greet him first. He gave a slight nod before saying bluntly, “It’s only been two months, but you’ve changed quite a lot.”

Gaara did not answer.

Instead, the image of Naruto Uzumaki appeared in his mind.

The Fifth Hokage had requested Sunagakure’s assistance, but the true reason Gaara had personally come was Naruto.

Mihawk had been the first person to injure him and make him understand the sensation of pain. Even so, Naruto had left a far deeper impression upon him.

Naruto had completely defeated him.

More importantly, Naruto carried the same burden he did, yet had chosen to live in a completely different way.

When Gaara fell silent, Mihawk did not press him.

The four remaining members of the two groups naturally stayed one position behind them, exchanging cautious glances as they continued moving through the forest.

Shino looked toward Kankurō and asked directly, “Why are you here?”

“The Fifth Hokage requested help from Sunagakure,” Kankurō replied. “The invasion two months ago wasn’t something we personally wanted, but Sunagakure still owes Konoha a great deal for what happened.”

Shino adjusted his sunglasses and said nothing more.

Trying to ease the uncomfortable atmosphere, Kankurō searched for another topic.

“You only just returned to Konoha, didn’t you?”

Shino nodded.

“We had barely made it back before we were sent out again. None of us expected something like this to happen.”

Kankurō recalled the sight of Sasuke Uchiha injuring Gaara during the Chūnin Exams.

“Uchiha Sasuke... He’s dangerous.”

A rare smile appeared on Shino’s face, carrying a faint, almost unreadable meaning.

“He only graduated second in our class.”

Kankurō froze for a moment.

Then he looked toward Mihawk, who was moving ahead of them, and immediately understood.