Chapter 83 (Patreon)

“BOOM!”

The entire forest shook violently.

A vast cloud of dust, shattered stone, and splintered wood erupted into the air. The destructive force swept across an area nearly three hundred metres in diameter, extending roughly a hundred and fifty metres in every direction.

Rows of withered trees collapsed one after another with thunderous crashes. Some of their trunks were so thick that several people would have been needed to encircle them, while others would have required more than a dozen.

From a distance, the dark-red slash resembled a raging tsunami.

Its overwhelming pressure tore through the woodland, flattening everything in its path.

The four masked creatures closest to the dark-red wave were hurled across the ground as though they had been caught in a tidal surge, dragging their owner along with them.

Crack...

The black tendrils connecting the creatures began snapping beneath the violent pressure.

One after another, the threadlike appendages broke apart. Fine fractures appeared across the fragile masks, beginning as cracks no larger than a fingernail before rapidly spreading across their entire surfaces.

At last, all four masks shattered like mirrors dropped against stone.

Their fragments were immediately swallowed by the dark-red torrent, ground into powder, and scattered through the air until nothing remained.

The tremendous disturbance frightened away every bird and animal in the surrounding forest.

Even Team Eight and Team Ten, who were fighting elsewhere on the battlefield, turned toward the source of the destruction.

However, the moment they saw that familiar dark-red light, smiles appeared on their faces.

The violent shaking continued for nearly an entire minute.

Several more minutes passed before the dust, mist, and flying debris finally began to settle.

During that time, Nerona Mihawk landed steadily on the ground and stared at the devastation before him with a calm expression.

Several system notifications echoed through his mind.

[You have killed the Wind Mask and obtained 0.50% template progress.]

[You have killed the Water Mask and obtained 0.50% template progress.]

[You have killed the Lightning Mask and obtained 0.50% template progress.]

[You have killed the Fire Mask and obtained 0.50% template progress.]

[Your “Hawkeye—Dracule Mihawk” Template has reached 78.15%.]

After hearing the five notifications, Mihawk had not expected Kakuzu’s elemental masks to provide template progress of their own.

However, after giving it some thought, his surprise quickly faded.

Each of those masked creatures contained one of Kakuzu’s stolen hearts.

In a sense, each of them truly represented another person’s life.

Furthermore, anyone who had mastered a chakra nature transformation to that degree would possess strength comparable to at least a jōnin.

Considering that, the amount of progress he had received was perfectly reasonable.

Once the dust had cleared, Mihawk expanded his Observation Haki and immediately detected a faint, weakening presence.

His figure vanished.

A moment later, he appeared more than a hundred metres away.

Kakuzu lay sprawled across the ruined ground. His exposed body was covered in deep wounds that resembled countless sword cuts.

Sword pressure—or, more precisely, a Ranged Slash—was formed by cutting through and compressing the surrounding air.

Anyone struck directly by such an attack would first be battered by its tremendous force. The turbulent airflow would then twist violently around the target.

Those with weak bodies would be torn apart on the spot.

Even someone physically powerful enough to withstand the initial impact would still suffer severe internal injuries.

Kakuzu had managed to survive the attack, but judging by his condition, he had barely endured it.

This was the first time Mihawk had used a Ranged Slash at the level of a true great swordsman in actual combat.

Unlike an ordinary concentrated slash, this attack had been unleashed in a broad sweeping motion, transforming it into a devastating large-scale technique.

Its destructive power was likely several times greater than even Uchiha Madara’s Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation.

Mihawk looked down at the severely weakened Kakuzu without the slightest hesitation.

He drew his sword and drove the blade directly through Kakuzu’s final heart.

[You have killed Kakuzu and obtained 0.85% template progress.]

[Your “Hawkeye—Dracule Mihawk” Template has reached 79%.]

The moment Kakuzu’s presence disappeared completely, the two system notifications rang through Mihawk’s mind.

Seventy-nine percent.

Although there was still a considerable distance remaining before the Hawkeye Template reached completion, every increase brought him another step closer to unlocking Dracule Mihawk’s full power.

More importantly, the strength he currently possessed had already surpassed the level he had once imagined reaching.

There was no need to rush.

As long as he continued moving forward, the day he completely unlocked the template would eventually arrive.

Mihawk pulled his sword from Kakuzu’s heart, wiped the blade clean, and returned it to its sheath.

He then began walking toward the area where Nara Shikamaru and the others were fighting.

Their battle plan had actually been extremely simple.

Shikamaru would use the Nara Clan’s Shadow Possession Jutsu to restrain Hidan and seal his movements.

At that moment, Mihawk would move in at full speed, sever both of Hidan’s arms, and destroy his weapon before he could react.

Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chōji would then carry the severed arms away, preventing Kakuzu from retrieving them and sewing them back onto Hidan’s body.

Without his arms or his Triple-Bladed Scythe, Hidan would be little more than an ordinary shinobi with an immortal body.

As long as he could not obtain and lick anyone’s blood, his curse ritual would become useless.

After that, they only needed to deal with his tongue and sever his head to remove any remaining threat.

With Hidan reduced to that state, Shikamaru and the others could defeat him however they wished.

Kakuzu, meanwhile, had been left entirely to Mihawk.

The battle against Hidan had never been the deciding factor.

The moment Mihawk defeated Kakuzu, their revenge operation was as good as complete.

When Mihawk reached the entrance of the section of forest that had escaped the destruction, several figures emerged from between the trees.

Hinata Hyūga and Shino Aburame were completely unharmed, without so much as a stain on their clothing.

The three members of Team Ten, however, were covered in varying amounts of blood.

None of it belonged to them.

Satisfied smiles filled with vindication could be seen on their faces.

The moment Shikamaru saw that Mihawk was also unharmed, he walked forward and extended his right fist.

Mihawk understood immediately.

He raised his own fist and lightly bumped it against Shikamaru’s.

The two then opened their hands and clasped them firmly together.

Sometimes, friendship between men required no words at all.