Chapter 70 (Patreon)

“Byakugan!”

The moment Hinata saw Mihawk draw his sword, the veins around her eyes bulged. Her vision expanded instantly, granting her a clear view of everything within a one-kilometre radius, even through the surrounding trees and earth.

After searching the area carefully, Hinata asked in confusion, “Mihawk-kun, what is it?”

Even with the Byakugan, she could not detect the slightest trace of chakra anywhere within a kilometre.

“My insects also say that no one is following us,” Shino added.

Despite his words, however, neither Shino nor Hinata relaxed their guarded posture.

Their trust in Mihawk’s senses had long since become absolute. If he believed that someone had been watching them, neither of them would dismiss his warning.

Mihawk slowly returned his sword to its sheath.

He stared at the place where the cloud of dust was gradually dispersing and frowned slightly.

“Perhaps it was my imagination, but I definitely sensed someone’s presence over there just now.”

Unable to find anything else, Mihawk turned away.

“Forget it. Let’s keep moving.”

Under Pakkun’s guidance, Team 8 continued advancing toward the Land of Rivers.

Meanwhile, inside a sealed cave somewhere within the Land of Rivers...

The members of the Akatsuki stood upon the fingers of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, maintaining the Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals.

Zetsu, who was responsible for monitoring the surrounding area, suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice.

“It seems someone troublesome has arrived. My long-range surveillance technique was discovered.”

“Who was it?” Pain asked solemnly from the position marked with the character for Zero.

Zetsu answered, “Nerona Mihawk, the swordsman from Konoha.”

“Tch. I’ve never heard of him... hm!”

Deidara’s physical body curled his lips in disdain.

“Heh...”

Kisame Hoshigaki revealed a sharp-toothed grin.

“Don’t underestimate him. That brat is still a teenager. I believe he’s around the same age as Itachi-san’s younger brother.”

“When Itachi-san and I visited Konoha, Itachi-san fought him. His swordsmanship defies common sense. He can unleash powerful slashes comparable to S-rank ninjutsu with nothing more than a swing of his sword.”

After hearing that, the disdain on Deidara’s face faded slightly, though his tone remained arrogant.

“Then let me deal with him. I’ll see for myself whether he’s truly as powerful as you claim.”

“Do not act recklessly,” Pain interrupted calmly. “Your real body is here. This sealing technique must continue for three days, and you will still need to escape after the extraction is complete.”

“There is no reason to transfer thirty percent of your chakra through the Shapeshifting Technique merely to confront him.”

Without giving Deidara a chance to argue, Pain shifted his gaze toward Kisame.

“If he is a master swordsman, then leave him to Kisame.”

“After all, no one here possesses a greater amount of chakra than you.”

“Heh... Leave him to me.”

Kisame readily accepted the task.

Zetsu, who was still monitoring the surrounding area, spoke again.

“More people are approaching. This time, they are also shinobi from Konoha.”

The moment he heard that, Pain turned toward Deidara with a noticeably colder gaze.

“Hmph.”

Sasori of the Red Sand let out a displeased snort.

“I told you before. That brat’s techniques are completely unsuited for covert operations.”

“What?!”

Deidara immediately looked offended.

At that moment, Itachi Uchiha spoke voluntarily.

“I will deal with the Konoha shinobi.”

Pain nodded.

“I’ll leave them to you.”

The Land of Rivers was a narrow country covered in rugged terrain and rocky mountains.

After separating from Pakkun, Shino’s insects picked up Kakashi’s scent, allowing Team 8 to continue pursuing Team 7 at full speed.

As the three of them moved across the rocky landscape, Mihawk suddenly spoke.

“Be careful. Someone is approaching.”

“Byakugan!”

Hinata immediately activated her Byakugan again and searched their surroundings.

Her expression soon became serious.

“Seven o’clock... He’s here. He’s incredibly fast!”

A long, bandaged sword suddenly burst from beneath the ground.

Only part of the blade was visible above the surface, making it resemble the fin of a shark as it rushed straight toward Mihawk.

“A childish trick.”

Mihawk drew his sword and swung it downward.

“BOOM!”

With nothing more than a casual swing, a towering Ranged Slash twelve or thirteen metres high roared forward like a surging tsunami.

The entire ground trembled.

The dry, cracked earth was mercilessly torn apart as the Ranged Slash carved a deep path through the rocky terrain.

Samehada, which had launched the surprise attack from underground, was instantly swallowed by the immense slash.

“BOOM!”

A figure erupted from beneath the earth and shot into the sky.

However, at the very moment Kisame emerged, another figure had already risen even higher.

Using the enormous Ranged Slash as cover, Mihawk had stepped directly upon the air and raced into the sky ahead of him.

The sword in Mihawk’s hand had already returned to its sheath.

One hand rested upon the hilt as he assumed an iaijutsu stance.

“Shing!”

The instant Kisame emerged into the open air, a silver-white flash crossed his waist.

Suspended in midair, Kisame had no foothold from which to evade.

The sound of tearing cloth rang out.

Kisame looked down at his body as it separated into two halves. For once, his shark-like face and usually dull eyes were filled with genuine astonishment.

So fast...

What terrifying iaijutsu.

The attack had reached a level of speed that an ordinary swordsman might spend an entire lifetime trying—and failing—to comprehend.

The two halves of Kisame’s body fell to the ground.

Moments later, his appearance began to change, revealing an entirely different person beneath it.

It had been created through the Shapeshifting Technique, one of the Rinnegan’s abilities.

By transferring the chakra of an Akatsuki member into a living sacrifice, Pain could transform the victim into a perfect duplicate of that person.

The duplicate could use the original’s ninjutsu and even their kekkei genkai, although its overall power depended on the amount of chakra transferred into it.

Shino stared in surprise as Mihawk descended from the sky.

“What was that?”

His insects shifted restlessly beneath his coat.

“Can a human truly run through the air?”

“Yes. It’s a technique Mihawk-kun developed himself,” Hinata replied.

As she watched Mihawk land, her pale eyes were filled with unmistakable pride.

Inside the sealed cave, the Akatsuki continued maintaining the Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals.

“Heh...”

Kisame grinned despite what had happened.

“I was defeated in less than a minute. What a terrifying brat.”

Pain’s gaze immediately shifted toward him.

“Kisame, what happened?”

“That brat named Nerona Mihawk has become even more terrifying than before.”

Kisame showed no embarrassment over his defeat. The body that had been destroyed was merely a duplicate containing thirty percent of his chakra, so he calmly described everything that had happened.

“With a single casual swing, he released a mysterious slash more than ten metres high. Its destructive power was unquestionably comparable to S-rank ninjutsu.”

“He also possesses a technique that allows him to run through the air, along with an iaijutsu strike so fast that it cannot be seen. By the time you realise he has drawn his sword, your body has already been cut apart.”

Kisame’s grin widened.

“That brat may already be more terrifying than the legendary White Fang of Konoha.”

“...”

As Kisame’s words echoed through the cave, the Akatsuki members fell silent.

“Konoha truly produces one talented shinobi after another,” Kakuzu finally remarked after a long pause.

“To think they would keep someone like that hidden. If his abilities became widely known, his bounty on the black market would undoubtedly be considerable.”

“Sasori, Deidara, you must remain cautious,” Pain warned.

Although he addressed both of them, most of his attention rested upon Sasori of the Red Sand.

Whether in the pirate world or the shinobi world, a severely unfavourable matchup could easily become fatal.