Chapter 72 (Patreon)

Every kind of slash had its own strengths and weaknesses.

At close range, once Mihawk grasped the “breath” of his target through the Breath of All Things, even steel could be severed in a single stroke.

A Ranged Slash was different. It carried tremendous destructive power, and taking one head-on would inflict severe damage.

However, a Ranged Slash was also easier to avoid, especially in the shinobi world, where high-speed movement techniques were common.

That was why Mihawk rarely relied on them against skilled opponents. Most of the time, he used them to destroy obstacles, restrict an enemy’s movements, or create an opening.

After his Ranged Slash crushed Sasori’s barrage of poisoned senbon, Mihawk concealed himself behind the surging blade of compressed air.

His Observation Haki remained fixed on Sasori’s presence.

The moment Sasori moved aside to avoid the approaching slash, Mihawk acted.

Whoosh!

His body blurred into an afterimage and vanished.

In the next instant, Mihawk appeared beside Sasori once more, his blackened blade sweeping toward Hiruko’s back.

If the strike landed cleanly, both Hiruko and Sasori concealed within it would be cut in two.

Sasori’s pupils contracted as the pitch-black blade approached.

The remaining section of Hiruko’s iron tail stabbed into the ground. Using it as an anchor, Sasori twisted the puppet sharply to the right before it had even touched the ground.

However, Mihawk seemed to have anticipated that response.

He rotated his body a full one hundred and eighty degrees and drove his left leg sideways.

Black Armament Haki coated his foot.

Boom!

The kick struck Hiruko directly.

The puppet’s body cracked apart before exploding in midair, sending shattered pieces of wood and metal across the cavern.

Behind the falling debris stood a slender young man wearing the Akatsuki’s black cloak patterned with red clouds.

His short red hair framed a youthful and handsome face. Compared to the grotesque appearance of Hiruko, his true body possessed the delicate appearance of a perfectly crafted work of art.

“Sasori…”

The moment Chiyo saw the face that still matched the boy in her memories, the emotions she had been suppressing finally broke through.

His name escaped her lips before she could stop herself.

Sasori looked toward her and smiled faintly.

“It has been a long time, Granny Chiyo.”

His voice was no longer as deep and distorted as it had been from within Hiruko.

“What’s wrong? You look surprised.”

A trace of amusement entered his expression.

“I suppose that’s understandable. We haven’t seen each other in twenty years.”

Chiyo finally recovered from her shock, but her voice still trembled.

“You… Your body…”

“That’s right. I transformed myself into eternal art—”

Whoosh!

Before Sasori could finish displaying his creation to Chiyo, a familiar silver light flashed toward him.

His expression changed, and he immediately threw himself aside.

After rolling across the ground several times, Sasori rose onto one knee. A scroll had already appeared in his hand.

He quickly opened it and looked toward Mihawk with a cold expression.

“I’ve seen enough of your swordsmanship, brat.”

A faint smile appeared on Sasori’s face.

“Every strike you make is meant to kill me. It’s almost as though your swordsmanship was created for no other purpose than taking lives.”

He spread the scroll open completely.

“Since you’ve forced me into such an embarrassing position, I’ll show you my favorite treasure in return.”

Poof!

A cloud of white smoke filled the cavern.

When it dispersed, a human puppet floated beside Sasori.

The instant Chiyo recognized its face, her eyes widened once again.

“That appearance…”

Her voice faltered.

“Could it be…?”

“That’s right.”

Sasori leaned forward and raised both hands, his fingers assuming the position used to control chakra threads.

“This is the Third Kazekage, who disappeared from Sunagakure many years ago.”

A satisfied smile spread across his face.

“I transformed him into an eternal work of art.”

“Sasori, you—”

“Quickdraw.”

Mihawk’s voice interrupted the exchange between grandmother and grandson once again.

While Sasori had been revealing the Third Kazekage puppet to Chiyo, Mihawk had already returned his sword to its sheath.

His senses remained locked onto Sasori.

Through the Breath of All Things, Sasori’s puppet body was filled with openings. Every joint, seam, and connection revealed its own distinct “breath.”

Mihawk only needed to choose where to cut.

If his blade reached that point, the puppet would be severed without fail.

Sasori had transformed nearly his entire body into a puppet.

That only made his openings clearer to Mihawk.

Once again, Sasori had allowed his pride in his art to distract him.

Mihawk would not waste the opportunity.

His feet struck the ground more than ten times in an instant.

Using the explosive force generated by soru, his figure disappeared.

A silver-white streak of sword light tore through the cavern like a shooting star.

An unprecedented sense of danger struck Sasori.

His expression changed drastically as the silver light expanded before him like a curtain, obscuring almost everything in his vision.

He did not even have enough time to manipulate the Third Kazekage puppet.

Sasori could only leap aside once again.

However, the moment he left the ground, the silver light vanished.

Mihawk stopped in place, one hand still gripping the hilt of his sword.

The previous attack had been a feint.

He immediately swept the blade toward the airborne Sasori.

A crescent-shaped Ranged Slash, six or seven meters long, burst from the sword and struck Sasori directly.

Crack!

The tremendous force shattered his puppet body.

The violent air current tore through his waist, crushing the surrounding mechanisms and sending fragments scattering across the cavern.

For the first time, disbelief appeared on Sasori’s face.

But Mihawk was already there.

He had followed directly behind the Ranged Slash, using it to conceal his approach just as he had done before.

By the time Sasori noticed him, the pitch-black sword had already entered his vision.

Before the widened eyes of both Sasori and Chiyo, Mihawk thrust the blade toward the living core embedded in Sasori’s chest—the only remaining part of his original body.

Sasori had been correct about one thing.

Mihawk’s swordsmanship was the swordsmanship of a killer.

He had not yet taken enough lives for his killing intent to reach truly terrifying heights, but the foundation had already begun to form.

There had only been one occasion when Mihawk had deliberately shown restraint.

That had been during his fight against Neji Hyūga, and only because of Hinata.

Even then, Mihawk had never drawn his sword against him.

Against a true enemy, every swing of Mihawk’s blade carried the intention to kill.

He would not spare someone simply because they had once been an important character in the original story.

He would not hesitate because their death might change the future.

Nor would he hold back merely because their relatives, companions, or loved ones were standing nearby.

Once Mihawk found an opportunity to kill his opponent, he would never give them enough time to reveal another technique or prepare a counterattack.

His sword existed to kill.

That was the foundation Mihawk intended to establish for the path his swordsmanship would follow in the future.

One day, when his killing intent and murderous aura reached unimaginable heights, he would not allow rage or bloodlust to control his blade.

Whether he fought with a calm mind, under overwhelming killing intent, or in a state of complete awakening, the purpose of his swordsmanship would remain unchanged.

His blade existed for one reason alone.

To kill.