Chapter 63 (Patreon)

When Nerona Mihawk regained consciousness, dawn had already begun to break through the darkness.

Birdsong drifted in through the hospital window as he slowly opened his eyes.

For several moments, Mihawk remained still.

His neck and shoulders were stiff from sleeping in an awkward position, and one of his arms had gone slightly numb. His head was resting against the edge of Hinata’s mattress, while his right hand still loosely held hers.

The events of the previous night gradually returned to him.

After the medical-nin had finished treating Hinata, Mihawk had remained beside her bed. He had cleaned the dirt and dried blood from her face and limbs, then gently massaged the stiffness from her hands, feet, and lower legs.

At some point, sleep had finally overtaken him.

Mihawk raised his head and looked toward the girl sleeping peacefully beside him.

Hinata’s expression was far calmer than it had been the previous night. Her breathing was steady, and the faint tension that had remained between her brows was gone.

His gaze softened.

Without releasing her hand, Mihawk reached out with the other and gently brushed several strands of dark hair away from her face.

He remained there quietly, unwilling to disturb her even when his empty stomach began to complain.

At that moment, several translucent messages appeared before his eyes.

[You have killed Kimimaro and obtained 1.22% template experience.]

[Your Hawkeye Mihawk Template has reached 63.58% completion.]

Mihawk examined the notifications while slowly running his fingers through Hinata’s long, silky hair.

Seeing the amount of template experience he had gained, Mihawk nodded in satisfaction.

During the past seven years, aside from his spars against those three children, this was the first battle in which he had been able to push his swordsmanship so far without ending the fight immediately.

Kimimaro had been strong enough to endure his repeated attacks, adapt to their rhythm, and continue fighting even after suffering wounds that would have brought down an ordinary shinobi.

That persistence had given Mihawk exactly what he wanted.

Instead of relying on overwhelming strength to decide the battle from the beginning, he had restricted himself, tested the limits of his current skill, and continued raising the pressure until his concentration and swordsmanship were pushed into unfamiliar territory.

The experience he gained was worthy of an opponent of Kimimaro’s caliber.

After dismissing the system window, Mihawk closed his eyes again.

He was not attempting to enter his inner world.

Instead, he focused his senses and listened for the breathing of everything around him.

He had poured every trace of concentration he could summon into the final moments of yesterday’s battle and had been unable to properly examine the realm he had briefly touched. Now that his mind had recovered, he naturally wanted to experience that sensation again.

The breathing of the mattress beneath his arm.

The breathing of the wooden chair.

The breathing of the walls, the floor, the glass window, and the trees outside the hospital.

Each sound entered his awareness with unprecedented clarity.

A moment later, Mihawk opened his eyes.

The strain in Mihawk’s eyes gradually faded, though a trace of disappointment remained within his gaze.

“The range has become three times greater than before.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“So that state still cannot be entered at will.”

The Ranged Slash Mihawk had unleashed against Kimimaro was nearly the same as the strike Hawkeye had used at Marineford to cleave through the frozen tsunami created by Aokiji.

However, Hawkeye had released that slash effortlessly.

Mihawk, on the other hand, had needed to gather his full concentration and draw upon everything he had learned throughout the battle.

At that moment, the breathing of all things had filled an unbelievably vast area.

The bones surrounding him, the forest in the distance, and even the mountain beyond it had revealed their breathing at the same time.

Mihawk could still clearly remember the sensation.

Yet no matter how intently he listened now, he could not return to that state.

It was similar to what had happened after he witnessed the battle between Hawkeye and Red-Haired Shanks within his spiritual world.

Upon returning to reality, he had briefly entered an extraordinary state of understanding, only for that sensation to vanish soon afterward.

Even so, the range within which he could now perceive the Breath of All Things had increased severalfold.

Perhaps repeatedly forcing himself beyond the boundaries of what felt familiar was the key.

By refusing to rely on his greatest advantages, he had placed himself under enough pressure to sharpen every sense and draw out a level of concentration he had never reached before.

That final slash had not been a technique he could reproduce simply by gathering more strength.

It had been the result of everything aligning for a single instant.

His breathing.

His awareness.

The movement of his sword and the breathing of the world around him.

Mihawk stared silently at his hand.

“So that is what lies ahead.”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

The path had not become easier.

It had merely grown wider.

Bang!

“Hinat​a-onee-sama!”

The hospital room door was suddenly thrown open with enough force to strike the wall.

Hinata jolted awake.

Her pale eyes opened in confusion, and before she could understand where she was, Hanabi rushed across the room and threw herself against the side of the bed.

“Onee-sama!”

Tears streamed down Hanabi’s face as she grabbed Hinata’s hand with both of hers.

“I heard you were hurt! They said everyone who went after Sasuke Uchiha came back covered in injuries, and Neji-nii was hurt really badly too!”

Hinata blinked several times, still dazed from sleep.

“Hanabi…?”

Her voice was weak and hoarse.

Mihawk immediately leaned closer.

“You’re awake.”

Hinata slowly turned toward him.

The moment she saw Mihawk seated beside her bed, with one hand still holding hers, the confusion in her eyes began to fade.

“Mihawk-kun…”

“How do you feel?”

Hinata tried to push herself upright, but Mihawk placed one hand behind her shoulders and carefully helped her sit against the pillows.

“My body feels a little heavy,” she answered softly. “But it doesn’t hurt very much.”

“Your chakra was almost completely exhausted,” Mihawk said. “The medical-nin treated your injuries last night. You only need rest now.”

Hinata lowered her gaze and finally noticed that Mihawk had been holding her hand.

A faint blush appeared across her cheeks.

Memories of the mission gradually returned—the battle, the pain spreading through her body, and the darkness that had swallowed her consciousness.

She looked at Mihawk again.

“Did you bring me back?”

Mihawk nodded.

Before Hinata could say anything more, Hanabi leaned forward and wrapped her arms carefully around her, avoiding the bandages across her body.

“I was so scared, Onee-sama…”

Hinata’s expression softened.

She raised one arm and gently stroked Hanabi’s hair.

“I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Hanabi buried her face against Hinata’s shoulder for several moments before suddenly raising her head.

Her tearful gaze moved toward Mihawk.

“And Mihawk-nii too!”

Without warning, she released Hinata and threw herself at Mihawk.

Her petite body struck his chest, and her arms closed tightly around his waist.

“Ugh…”

Although Mihawk hadn't been injured from the battle, the sudden impact still forced a quiet breath from his lungs.

Hanabi clung to him, fresh tears soaking into his clothes.

“They said you fought someone terrifying by yourself! And when Onee-sama didn’t come home and I heard that you hadn’t returned to the Nerona residence either, I thought something had happened to both of you!”

Mihawk glanced briefly at Hinata.

She was awake, her condition was stable, and some color had already begun returning to her face.

Only then did he turn his full attention toward Hanabi.

He placed one hand on her head and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with two fingers.

“We’re both here,” he said softly.

Hanabi looked up at him through reddened eyes.

Mihawk stroked her dark hair reassuringly.

“No matter what you hear in the future, remember this.”

Hanabi sniffled.

“Your sister is stronger than you think, and your Mihawk-nii will always bring her home safely.”

Hinata’s eyes widened slightly.

A warm blush spread across her face as she watched him.

“That is my promise to you,” Mihawk continued.

“Do you understand?”

“Mm…”

Hanabi nodded, though her voice remained choked.

She raised one hand and extended her little finger toward him.

“Pinky promise!”

Mihawk could not help smiling.

He hooked the little finger of his right hand around hers and gently moved their joined hands up and down.

“Pinky promise.”

Hanabi then turned toward Hinata and held out her other little finger.

“You too, Onee-sama!”

Hinata smiled gently and linked her finger with Hanabi’s.

“I promise.”

“Hee-hee…”

Hanabi’s tears immediately turned into laughter.

In the end, she was still only a seven-year-old girl.

Watching the sisters together, Mihawk felt something warm settle within his chest.

Hinata had already become the most precious person in his life.

And without him realizing it, Hanabi had also claimed a place beside her.

Time flowed steadily onward.

Two months passed.

It was now the middle of December, and the end of the year was rapidly approaching.

Following Sasuke Uchiha’s defection, the young shinobi of Konoha seemed to mature almost overnight.

The two who had changed the most were Naruto Uzumaki and Shikamaru Nara.

Naruto had promised Sakura that he would bring Sasuke back, yet despite everything he had endured, he had failed to keep that promise.

For the first time, Naruto seemed to truly understand how powerless he had been.

Frustrated by his own weakness, he became noticeably less childish. He began approaching his training with far greater seriousness while searching for every possible source of information concerning Sasuke.

Shikamaru had also changed.

His teammates had nearly died while following his orders, and the guilt of that mission continued to weigh heavily upon him.

Although he still appeared lazy and troublesome matters continued to earn the same weary complaints from him, the moment a mission began, his entire attitude changed.

He would focus completely, using his natural intelligence to consider every possibility and prepare the most effective plan available.

The other members of their generation had also grown after fighting together.

The bonds between them gradually deepened.

Whenever Naruto, Sakura, Team Ten, and the other rookie shinobi arranged a gathering, Kiba Inuzuka and Shikamaru Nara would often come over and invite Team Eight to join them.

Neji Hyūga and the rest of Team Guy also began attending.

Mihawk refused at first.

However, after being repeatedly bothered by their invitations, he eventually accompanied Team Eight several times.

His relationship with the other young shinobi gradually changed from that of unfamiliar former classmates to acquaintances who would acknowledge one another whenever they met.

At least, that was how Mihawk himself viewed it.

Shikamaru and the others had already begun regarding him as a reliable companion.

Before anyone realized it, snow had begun falling over Konoha.

White gradually covered the rooftops, streets, training grounds, and surrounding forest as the end of the year drew closer.

December 27.

Today, Mihawk had prepared a surprise for Hinata.

Night had already fallen over the Nerona residence, and the lights inside the living room had been dimmed.

Hinata and Hanabi, who had both been called over by Mihawk, entered the room together.

A cake stood in the center of the table, surrounded by twelve glowing candles.

Hinata stopped in surprise.

Before she could fully take in the sight, a pair of hands gently covered her eyes from behind.

A quiet whisper sounded beside her ear.

“Happy birthday, my beautiful Byakugan Princess.”