Chapter 80 (Patreon)

A forest filled with lifeless trees stretched in every direction.

“No. We can’t proceed with this plan.”

Beneath a towering tree that had long since withered, its bare branches devoid of even a single leaf, the members of Team 8 and Team 10 stood gathered together.

Nerona Mihawk’s firm rejection immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Holding the blood-collection syringe Shikamaru had handed him, Mihawk spoke with a grave expression.

“I’ll admit that your plan is nearly perfect. It’s probably the most effective way for weaker shinobi to restrain a stronger opponent.”

He then handed the syringe back to Shikamaru.

“But you’ve arranged the steps in the wrong order.”

Rather than showing any displeasure at having his strategy criticised, Shikamaru listened carefully.

“Mihawk, explain.”

“I fought Sasori of the Red Sand, one of the Akatsuki, and killed him,” Mihawk said seriously. “Because of that, I know a little about how the organisation operates. And after listening to what you told me, I came up with a rather bold theory.”

“What theory?”

Shikamaru’s nerves immediately tightened.

“When Team 8 and Team 7 undertook the S-rank mission to rescue the Fifth Kazekage, our enemies also operated as a two-man team. Both of them constantly spoke about art.”

“One pursued the fleeting beauty of an explosion, while the other pursued the eternal beauty of puppetry.”

“In our eyes, they were merely S-rank rogue shinobi—dangerous criminals wanted by multiple nations. But from another perspective, both of them truly considered themselves artists.”

Mihawk stared directly at Shikamaru, whose face gradually began to pale as he realised where the conversation was heading.

“If the Akatsuki always operate in teams of two, then what about the pair who killed Asuma-sensei? Do they share a similar obsession, or are their abilities evenly matched?”

“No.”

Shikamaru answered immediately.

He remembered every word Hidan and Kakuzu had spoken that day, as well as every movement they had made.

“One of them enjoys mutilating himself and preaching about his religion. He constantly talks about offering sacrifices to Jashin. Aside from his ability to transfer his injuries to someone else, his actual combat ability isn’t particularly impressive.”

Shikamaru’s expression darkened.

“But the rogue shinobi travelling with him was overwhelmingly strong.”

“Then do you think they were paired together because their strength was equal,” Mihawk asked, “or because their abilities complement one another?”

Shikamaru’s expression grew increasingly grim.

“That immortal bastard had his head cut off that day. His partner used some kind of strange black threads to sew it back onto his body.”

“Then let’s make an assumption.”

Mihawk continued calmly.

“What happens to your plan if the other man possesses an unknown form of immortality as well? What if even piercing his heart isn’t enough to kill him?”

“The probability of failure would rise above thirty-five per cent.”

Shikamaru produced the answer almost instantly, his eyes remaining fixed on Mihawk.

“And without you, the probability of the rest of us dying would exceed ninety-five per cent.”

Mihawk’s warning caused cold sweat to gather across Shikamaru’s forehead.

After hearing about the peculiar obsessions shared by Sasori and Deidara, Shikamaru understood that Mihawk’s theory had at least a seventy-per-cent chance of being correct.

Had Mihawk not been present, leading Team 10 into battle under the original plan would have been no different from pushing them into a raging fire.

They would almost certainly have died.

Shikamaru looked at Mihawk with a solemn expression.

“Give me a little time. I’ll revise the strategy and account for that possibility.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Mihawk raised a hand, interrupting him.

“Your plan is still excellent. It only needs a few adjustments.”

He continued his analysis.

“Whatever form of immortality the other man possesses, it clearly isn’t as immediately dangerous as the ability of the one who can transfer damage after consuming his opponent’s blood.”

“Hidan is the greatest threat to us.”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Mihawk’s mouth.

“Fortunately, although he was granted such a troublesome ability, he seems to have paid for it with a lack of skill.”

“As long as we never allow him to obtain and consume our blood, he won’t pose much of a threat. Isn’t that right?”

Countless fragments of information flashed through Shikamaru’s mind.

Within moments, the foundations of several new strategies had already begun taking shape. Even so, he restrained his excitement and asked another question.

“Mihawk, what exactly are you planning?”

Mihawk crooked a finger at the members of Team 8 and Team 10, signalling for them to gather closer.

He then lowered his voice and quietly explained his plan.

Mihawk could have ended the battle himself, but he chose not to. Hidan was Shikamaru’s opponent.

Asuma’s death had left something unresolved within him. If Mihawk took away his chance to confront the man responsible, that weight might remain in Shikamaru’s heart forever.

Mihawk would intervene the moment Shikamaru’s life was truly in danger, but until then, he intended to let him see the battle through. He had no objection to helping disarm and restrain Hidan beforehand.

As long as Shikamaru was given the opportunity to settle things himself, that was enough.

Shikamaru’s intelligence was undeniable.

According to the original course of events, the strategy he devised had nearly brought down the Akatsuki’s immortal duo.

Had Mihawk simply followed Shikamaru’s original plan, it still would have had a considerable chance of succeeding.

However, several flaws remained.

Should even a single unexpected variable arise, everyone present could be placed in mortal danger.

Mihawk would never allow Hinata to be caught in such a situation.

Because of that, he had already formulated his own battle plan while travelling to this forest.

When it came to developing strategies based on existing intelligence, no one possessed a greater advantage than someone who knew the future.

The Akatsuki were far too infamous for Mihawk to forget their abilities and hidden trump cards. In fact, as the timeline moved closer to those events, his memories of them only became increasingly vivid.

As long as he possessed comparable strength, Mihawk was confident that he could kill most opponents before they were even given the opportunity to reveal their trump cards.

Sasori of the Red Sand had been one such opponent.

The moment Sasori brought out the puppet made from the Third Kazekage, Mihawk seized the initiative, cut the puppet in two, and then pierced Sasori’s core.

After explaining the strategy to both teams, Mihawk turned towards Hinata.

Hinata’s expression brightened. The quiet trust in her eyes was impossible to miss.

“Hinata, Ino. I’ll leave the task of locating them to the two of you.”

“Yes!”

“Understood.”

Hinata and Ino Yamanaka responded immediately.

Shikamaru rose to his feet with a smile before glancing towards the hawk circling low overhead.

“The Hyūga clan’s Byakugan can observe everything within a radius of one kilometre. Use it to search the surrounding area.”

“As long as those two pass anywhere near this location, they won’t be able to escape our pursuit.”

The combination of Team 8’s tracking capabilities and the Ino–Shika–Chō Formation was remarkably effective.

Seventeen or eighteen minutes later, Ino—who had been concentrating with her eyes closed—and Hinata—whose Byakugan was fully activated—spoke almost simultaneously.

“We found them!”

Shikamaru’s expression sharpened.

“Proceed according to the plan. Move!”

Six figures vanished from the forest in an instant, leaving only fading afterimages behind.