Chapter 65 (Patreon)

After Mihawk finished his bath and stepped into the hallway, the rich aroma of freshly prepared food drifted toward him from the dining room.

He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

It was already 10:45 in the morning.

Walking into the dining room, Mihawk looked at the two girls waiting at the table.

“You still haven’t eaten breakfast?”

“Mm-hm. Sis made breakfast a while ago, but she said we had to wait until you came back, Mihawk-nii-san.”

Hanabi appeared to have finally overcome her earlier embarrassment and returned to her usual energetic self. Rubbing her empty stomach, she turned toward Hinata with a teasing smile.

“Even though she was hungry, she still wouldn’t let me touch the food.”

Hinata’s face immediately turned red.

Mihawk gently placed a hand on Hanabi’s head before looking at Hinata with a smile.

“You don’t need to wait for me when you make breakfast here. When I’m not home, you can simply bring me a bento around noon.”

“I usually train until around eleven or twelve in the morning.”

“Right.”

Hinata nodded obediently, committing his words to memory.

‘Starting tomorrow… I need to wake up even earlier.’

The three of them took their seats and began eating breakfast.

The meal was far from quiet or formal. Instead, the atmosphere around the table remained cheerful.

Mihawk and Hinata were both only thirteen years old, while Hanabi was eight. Mihawk had never been particularly withdrawn, either.

Back when it had only been him and Hinata, he would often find different subjects to discuss with her. Now that the lively Hanabi had joined them, there was never any danger of the conversation falling silent.

While they ate, Mihawk chatted with Hanabi about her training. He reminded her not to grow careless during the winter and told her that once the season ended, she could resume practicing on the surface of the water in the small valley.

Hinata quietly ate beside them, watching the person she loved speak with her little sister.

A warm, contented smile appeared on her face.

This kind of life is wonderful.

I wish time could stop at this moment… and the three of us would never have to separate.

Just then, Mihawk suddenly turned toward her.

“Hinata, how would you feel about going on a journey with me soon?”

“Huh?”

Hinata froze, caught completely off guard by the question.

She soon looked at Mihawk with growing anticipation. Her mind immediately returned to the promise he had made during the Chūnin Exams—that one day, the two of them would travel across the shinobi world together.

Her beautiful face gradually turned crimson.

Lowering her head, Hinata answered in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

“Y-Yes.”

“What about me?”

Realizing that the two of them had once again slipped into their own little world, Hanabi hurriedly put down her bowl and chopsticks.

She stared expectantly at Mihawk.

“Mihawk-nii-san, can I come with you?”

Mihawk gently rubbed her head before answering with a smile.

“You’re still too young. Once you’re older and have become a proper shinobi, we’ll travel together. All right?”

“…”

Hanabi’s shoulders dropped in disappointment.

“All right.”

She understood that Mihawk had already made his decision, so she did not continue arguing.

Once breakfast was over, Hinata and Hanabi began clearing away the bowls and chopsticks.

Mihawk headed to the dojo alone and started completing his daily system task.

Practicing his swings remained the simplest and most reliable method of testing his swordsmanship.

When he was younger and had only just begun perceiving the Breath of All Things, he had always gone outside whenever he practiced his slashes. At the time, he had been afraid that a careless strike might destroy the dojo.

As he grew older and learned to perfectly integrate the principles behind swinging and cutting, he was finally able to resume his practice inside the house.

Now, Mihawk’s swordsmanship had begun to display the bearing of a true master—profound skill concealed beneath complete simplicity.

Instead of using his usual sword, he held an ordinary bamboo sword in his hands.

His movements appeared completely unremarkable.

Each time the bamboo sword descended, it produced no violent gust capable of tearing through the surrounding air. Not even Mihawk’s hair or clothing stirred from the motion.

Despite that, the system’s task counter continued rising with every passing second.

An hour and a half later, Mihawk finally stopped swinging the bamboo sword.

Not far from him, Hinata and Hanabi had already begun their own training. Neither of them had come over to disturb him.

After setting down the bamboo sword, Mihawk sat on the floor and assumed a meditative posture used by swordsmen. He closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to enter the spiritual world.

Mihawk had not entered this place since September.

Each daily increase of 0.02% in swordsmanship experience had been too small to provide him with any immediately noticeable improvement.

Because of that, he had chosen to accumulate all of it before experiencing it at once.

Now, with Kimimaro’s additional 1.22% template progress included, the time had finally come.

His consciousness began to move.

It felt as though Mihawk’s soul had crossed an immeasurable distance before attaching itself to the body of a sharp-eyed man.

Within the spiritual world, Dracule Mihawk seemed to be approaching the point where he would stand alone at the summit of swordsmanship, with no worthy opponent left before him.

Within these few additional percentages of the template’s life experience, there had been no more than two battles that could even be considered significant.

Even those encounters had resembled a cat playing with mice.

The challengers had come after hearing of Hawkeye’s reputation, only to be completely overwhelmed.

It was also worth noting that Hawkeye had already entered the realm of a Great Swordsman during this period.

Mihawk experienced both battles from Hawkeye’s perspective, once again entering that familiar state of absolute awareness.

The Breath of All Things spread across an enormous area.

Within that range, it felt as though nothing in the world was beyond the reach of his sword.

That sensation left Mihawk completely absorbed.

Even after his consciousness withdrew from the spiritual world, he did not immediately open his eyes.

Instead, he remained seated, immersing himself in the sensation he had just experienced.

The individual breaths of everything around him gradually entered his perception.

His awareness continued expanding farther and farther.

During the Chūnin Exams, the greatest distance over which Mihawk could perceive the Breath of All Things had been slightly more than one hundred meters.

The Ranged Slash he had used to sever the enormous wall of the arena had contained roughly seventy percent of his strength.

Now, however, the range of his perception had expanded to between four and five hundred meters.

The number of inanimate objects whose breaths he could hear had increased dramatically. Even the breaths themselves seemed deeper and more distinct than before.

Mihawk had already become a true top-class swordsman.

His foundation was firm, and his slashes were pure.

As long as he continued expanding the range over which he could perceive the Breath of All Things, he would be able to step into the realm of a Great Swordsman at any moment.

A long time later, Mihawk slowly opened his eyes.

“Will the remaining thirty percent of his life as a swordsman be nothing but solitude at the summit?”

He lowered his gaze thoughtfully.

“The World’s Greatest Swordsman truly is formidable.”

By the time Mihawk completed his swordsmanship training, it was only two in the afternoon.

He asked Hinata to take Hanabi home while he remained behind and began the monotonous process of conditioning his body.

One month later, the New Year arrived.

Mihawk announced that Team Eight would be taking an extended break.

Afterward, he visited the Hokage’s office and requested a lengthy leave of absence.

Having already received the silent approval of the Hyūga clan, Hinata left Konoha alongside Mihawk, and the two of them began their journey across the shinobi world.

Before long, the Child of Prophecy would also begin his two-and-a-half years of training under one of the Legendary Sannin.

By the time he returned to Konoha, the shinobi world would already be heading toward another great conflict.