Chapter 74 (Patreon)

After leaving the Akatsuki hideout, Team 7 and Team 8 carried Gaara’s body through the forests of the Land of Rivers, the small nation situated between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.

Chiyo joined them sometime later.

She had remained behind in the cave until the core within Sasori’s chest finally fell silent. No one asked what had passed between grandmother and grandson during those final moments, and Chiyo offered no explanation.

On a stretch of grassland beyond the forest, near the border of the Land of Wind, the members of Team 8 witnessed something none of them would ever forget.

Chiyo performed the forbidden technique known as One’s Own Life Reincarnation, sacrificing her own life to call Gaara’s soul back from the afterlife.

The sight of a dead man returning to life left everyone present deeply shaken.

However, for the countless Sunagakure shinobi who had rushed there from the village, Gaara’s resurrection brought tears of overwhelming joy.

Mihawk stood to the side and watched in silence.

Although his expression remained calm, his emotions were nowhere near as still as they appeared.

Three and a half years ago, Gaara had hated the entire world. He had feared love, rejected everyone around him, and tried to kill anyone who crossed his path.

Yet now, the same person who had once been hated and feared had become the Fifth Kazekage—a leader sincerely loved by the people of his village.

Gaara had reached that goal before Naruto Uzumaki.

Looking at him now, Mihawk could almost see the future in which Naruto finally became the Seventh Hokage.

However, Mihawk had no interest in inheriting the position himself.

The moment someone became Hokage, they could no longer avoid politics. Every decision had to be made for the village’s future, and most of their days would be spent buried beneath paperwork in the Hokage’s office, without even the smallest amount of personal freedom.

In Mihawk’s memories, Naruto had changed greatly after becoming the Seventh Hokage.

He had finally received the acknowledgment and affection he had always longed for, but his daily life seemed far less carefree than Sasuke Uchiha’s life as a wandering shinobi.

Mihawk had no desire to live that way.

That was why he had repeatedly rejected Tsunade’s attempts to draw him deeper into the village’s command structure, including her suggestions that he join the ANBU.

Team 8 remained at the edge of the gathering, watching as Team 7 accompanied Gaara and the Sunagakure shinobi back to the village.

Shino Aburame turned toward Mihawk. Although his eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, the meaning of his gaze was clear.

Were they returning to Konoha, or following the others to Sunagakure?

Mihawk considered it for a few seconds before stepping forward.

Hinata and Shino followed without question.

By the time dusk descended, Team 8 stood quietly among the crowd in Sunagakure, witnessing the entire village welcome the return of its Kazekage.

They remained unnoticed at the edge of the celebration, but the emotions surging through the village still reached them.

Hinata and Shino were once again affected by the heartfelt joy surrounding them.

When Team 7 prepared to say goodbye to Gaara, a scene worthy of being remembered unfolded.

Naruto reached out his hand.

Gaara stared at it for a moment before using his sand to guide Naruto’s hand toward his own.

The two clasped hands.

At that moment, their handshake seemed to symbolize the bond that had formed between Konoha and Sunagakure.

The brilliance belonging to the Child of Prophecy—and the reincarnation of Asura—had finally begun to shine.

Shino adjusted his sunglasses and spoke in his usual measured tone.

“Naruto Uzumaki truly is an unusual person.”

Mihawk’s expression remained calm.

He turned away and began walking back along the road they had taken.

“Let’s return to Konoha.”

Hinata and Shino quickly followed him.

Team 8’s quiet departure had no effect on the celebration, which had already reached its peak.

As the three of them crossed the desert, they did not use the Body Flicker Technique to hurry.

Mihawk, Hinata, and Shino walked side by side, yet not one of them spoke.

All three seemed to remain immersed in the scene they had just witnessed.

Even Mihawk had never expected the emotions of an entire village to possess such overwhelming power.

With his Observation Haki, he had sensed the feelings of every Sunagakure shinobi and civilian surrounding Gaara.

Their joy, relief, and affection had been completely genuine.

No one could perceive those emotions more clearly than Mihawk.

This world truly was an extraordinary place.

At noon on the third day after leaving Sunagakure, the three members of Team 8 returned to Konoha.

As always, they went directly to the Hokage’s office and reported every detail of the mission to Tsunade.

After listening to Mihawk’s account, Tsunade leaned back in her chair and released a quiet sigh.

“So the missing Third Kazekage was killed by Sasori of the Red Sand. No wonder Sunagakure never found any trace of him.”

Mihawk nodded.

“If there’s nothing else, we’ll be leaving.”

He departed the office with Hinata and Shino, bringing Team 8’s first S-rank mission to an end.

The three separated beneath the Hokage Building.

Shino headed home alone, while Mihawk and Hinata walked together through the village streets.

Unlike the solemn expressions they had worn during the mission, gentle smiles now rested on their faces.

Mihawk looked up at the blazing afternoon sky before taking Hinata’s small hand in his.

“At this hour, Hanabi should already be finished with her classes, shouldn’t she?”

Their fingers intertwined naturally, like those of a couple.

A faint blush appeared on Hinata’s cheeks. She pressed her lips together in a soft smile and nodded.

“Mm. She should already be home.”

The home Hinata referred to was not the Hyūga estate.

It was Mihawk’s house.

Both Hinata and Hanabi had nearly come to regard Mihawk’s home as their second home.

At some point, it had become completely normal for either of them to remain there overnight instead of returning to the Hyūga estate.

The Hyūga clan seemed to have silently accepted the arrangement as well. No one had ever made any attempt to stop them.

As they made their way toward the market, Mihawk casually searched for another subject to talk about.

“Come to think of it, Hanabi will be graduating soon, won’t she?”

Hinata lowered her head slightly.

“Yes. She’ll graduate next March.”

Mihawk loosened their intertwined fingers before placing an arm around Hinata’s shoulders.

Hinata was nearly one hundred and sixty centimetres tall, but Mihawk still drew her easily against his side.

Pretending not to notice how deeply her face had reddened, he smiled with a distant, nostalgic expression.

“It’s been nearly ten years since we first met.”

The moment Hinata heard those words, memories of their childhood and adolescence began flashing through her mind one after another.

Their first meeting.

The days they had spent together as children.

Their time at the Ninja Academy.

Their missions after becoming shinobi.

The countless ordinary moments that had quietly brought them closer.

A joyful smile appeared on Hinata’s beautiful face, and she nodded firmly.

“Mm!”

A person’s life lasted only a handful of decades.

The years Mihawk and Hinata had already shared were a considerable part of their lives.

Compared with most people, they had been remarkably fortunate.

They had grown up together as childhood friends and, without forcing anything, had naturally come to stand beside one another.

At sixteen years old, they already had nearly a decade of memories to look back upon—and a future they could speak about together.

Their lives had been peaceful, fortunate, and nearly perfect.

After purchasing vegetables at the market, Mihawk and Hinata returned home.

“Mihawk-nii-san!”

The moment they entered, Hanabi, who had been lying on the living-room sofa, sprang to her feet and rushed toward them.

She leaped into Mihawk’s arms with both feet leaving the ground, showing the complete dependence of a younger sister toward the older brother she trusted most.

Mihawk caught her easily.

Holding Hanabi in his arms, he pinched her cheek and smiled.

“If you keep coming here instead of going home to practise your jutsu, you should be careful. When your father checks your progress next month and discovers you haven’t improved at all, he may stop allowing you to visit.”

Hanabi wrapped both arms around Mihawk’s neck.

Without showing the slightest concern for proper manners, she also wrapped her legs around his waist so that he would carry her.

Her eyes curved into happy crescents as she answered proudly.

“I’m not worried. Whenever Father tests me, I never show him my full strength.”

“You little schemer.”

Mihawk lightly tapped the tip of her nose before carrying her toward the sofa.

Hinata watched the two of them with a gentle smile, then took the vegetables and headed into the kitchen.

Seen from behind, the three of them looked no different from a true family—bound together as closely as if they shared the same blood.