Chapter 86 (Patreon)

Konoha Year 63, May 1

A month had passed since Sarutobi Asuma’s death.

As always, Mihawk was inside the dojo, listening to the Breath of All Things as he worked to expand the range of his perception and sharpen his ability to grasp the presence within each object.

“…I knew you’d be here.”

Mihawk had no idea how long he had been sitting in meditation when a familiar male voice came from the entrance of the dojo, drawing his consciousness back to reality.

Opening his eyes, Mihawk saw Nara Shikamaru leaning against the doorway with his arms folded.

He wore a chūnin flak jacket, and his usual weary expression remained firmly in place.

A faint trace of confusion passed through Mihawk’s eyes before he slowly rose to his feet.

A short while later, the two were seated in the living room while Mihawk prepared tea.

Shikamaru watched him quietly.

Mihawk was dressed in a kimono, his expression as calm and unreadable as ever.

A small cross-shaped knife hung from a cord around his neck, resting against his chest.

Shikamaru’s gaze lingered on it for a moment.

“What’s with the little cross pendant?” he asked lazily. “It doesn’t really seem like your style. Did Hinata give it to you?”

Mihawk glanced down at the cross-shaped blade before giving a slight shrug.

“It was a gift from someone.”

“That vague answer only makes it sound more suspicious,” Shikamaru muttered, though he did not press the matter any further.

Instead, he leaned back against the sofa and studied Mihawk again.

“Your routine is too severe,” Shikamaru said in his usual lazy tone. “Every day, it’s either sword training or meditation. Living like this can’t be healthy. I don’t even want to imagine how far you would push yourself if Hinata weren’t by your side.”

Anyone capable of maintaining such an unforgiving routine possessed a frightening degree of discipline.

If Mihawk had been an ordinary person, that obsession alone might have allowed him to achieve something extraordinary.

But for someone who was already overwhelmingly powerful, that same nature could easily drive him toward an extreme.

Shikamaru had understood that about Mihawk a long time ago.

He was even certain that, had Mihawk never gotten together with Hinata, he might have become countless times more dangerous than Uchiha Sasuke.

Hinata had saved him from that path.

In Shikamaru’s eyes, she was nothing less than an angel.

Mihawk poured a cup of tea for Shikamaru before filling one for himself.

Rather than taking a sip, he crossed one leg over the other and looked directly at his guest.

“How do you have this much free time today?”

Shikamaru’s relaxed posture immediately changed.

His expression became serious.

Mihawk understood at once.

Shikamaru only ever looked like that when he had come to discuss official business.

“Naruto’s been working on some extremely powerful ninjutsu,” Shikamaru began, rather than getting straight to the point. “He’s trying to add Wind Release nature transformation to the Rasengan. If he completes it, it’ll probably become an S-rank jutsu.”

Mihawk lifted his teacup and took a quiet sip. His sharp red eyes remained fixed on Shikamaru as he waited for him to continue.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

“Apparently, something happened during his training. He left the village with Jiraiya-sama afterward, and since Team 7 had only just been reformed, they’ve been forced to suspend their missions for a while.”

“That’s hardly surprising,” Mihawk finally replied. “An S-rank jutsu isn’t something that can be completed so easily.”

He knew that the technique Naruto was developing was the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. Although Naruto could complete the technique itself, he would only be able to perfect its use after mastering Sage Mode and learning how to throw it safely from a distance.

Shikamaru nodded, a teasing smile appearing on his face.

“Of course. Not everyone can be like our great Mihawk-sama, capable of unleashing an S-rank Ranged Slash at only twelve years old—or even younger. Naruto was the Academy’s dead last, after all.”

At the mention of Naruto’s former reputation, a trace of nostalgia appeared in Shikamaru’s eyes.

Before any of them had realized it, the boy once dismissed as the dead last had grown powerful enough to develop an S-rank jutsu of his own.

Mihawk’s expression twisted with annoyance at Shikamaru’s exaggerated praise.

“Get to the point already. What happened?”

Hearing that, Shikamaru finally stopped joking.

“Because Team 7 is currently missing members, they can’t be deployed for the time being. The Fifth Hokage summoned Teams 8 and 10 instead and ordered me to come get you.”

“Ino already went to find Hinata, and Choji should have reached Shino by now.”

“All right. Wait here.”

Mihawk nodded before rising from his seat. He entered the dojo, took his sword from the rack, and returned to the living room.

As events continued to unfold, Mihawk knew that the number of missions requiring his presence would only increase.

He was already hailed as the White Fang of Konoha’s new generation, and his strength was clear for everyone to see.

Tsunade had such a useful blade at her disposal. Naturally, she had no intention of leaving it sheathed.

As long as someone remained a shinobi of Konoha, missions were unavoidable. Unless they abandoned the village and became a missing-nin, they had duties they were expected to fulfill.

Mihawk had understood that from the moment he became a shinobi. That was why he had never intended to refuse a mission assigned by Tsunade.

He left the house alongside Shikamaru, and the two soon arrived at the Hokage’s office.

When they pushed open the door, they found Hinata, Ino, Shino, and Choji already waiting inside.

Judging by their expressions, they had been there for some time.

Hinata and Ino each carried a large pack, while Shino and Choji had arrived empty-handed.

It had been a month since Team 8 had last gathered together.

Once every member of Teams 8 and 10 had arrived, Tsunade remained seated behind her desk, one hand supporting her chin. Her expression was unusually serious, yet she said nothing.

It appeared they were still waiting for someone else.

Seeing this, neither team attempted to make idle conversation. They simply stood in silence and waited.

Not long afterward, a figure appeared outside the window of the Hokage’s office.

The moment she saw him, Tsunade frowned.

“You’re late, Kakashi.”

“Sorry. Something came up.”

Kakashi scratched the back of his head before slipping through the open window. He raised one hand in greeting toward the gathered shinobi.

“Yo. It’s been a while.”

“Kakashi-sensei.”

Ino and the others quickly returned his greeting.

Mihawk merely gave him a slight nod.

“Good. Everyone is here.”

With the final member present, Tsunade finally began.

“I’ll get straight to the point. There is something you need to know, and afterward, I have an important mission for all of you.”

“Yes.”

“Not long ago, we received intelligence from an ANBU unit. They may have discovered the location of one of Orochimaru’s primary hideouts,” Tsunade explained gravely. “Orochimaru is approaching the point when he’ll need to transfer into a new body. This should be the period when he is at his weakest.”

“However, even at his weakest, neither Orochimaru nor his subordinates should be underestimated,” she continued. “The ANBU who discovered the hideout were attacked shortly after sending their report. There is a strong possibility that none of them survived.”

A heavy silence settled over the office.

“I summoned you here to search the area and locate Orochimaru’s hideout,” Tsunade said. A faint smile appeared on her face as she looked across Teams 8 and 10. “When it comes to sensory abilities, combat strength, and intelligence, you are the most suitable people for this mission.”

Shikamaru immediately stepped forward, his expression turning serious.

“May I see the information the ANBU sent back?”

Tsunade nodded. She opened one of the cabinets beside her desk, removed a notebook, and handed it to him.

“This is the decrypted report. Read it carefully.”

Shikamaru accepted the notebook and began rapidly scanning its contents.

Less than a minute later, he finished and passed it to Kakashi.

Kakashi did not possess Shikamaru’s extraordinary memory, so he spent more than three minutes studying the report before offering it to Mihawk.

Mihawk made no move to accept it.

He shook his head.

“You can handle the arrangements. Whether Kakashi-sensei or Shikamaru decides on the plan, I’ll follow it.”

That was what he said aloud, but in truth, Mihawk felt there was no need for him to read the report.

Tsunade’s explanation had already awakened the relevant memories in his mind.

Although the details were somewhat unclear, unless he was mistaken, this should be the incident involving the Three-Tails.

At that realization, Mihawk’s mood immediately sank.

His memories of the Three-Tails incident itself were rather vague.

However, the events surrounding what came afterward were deeply engraved in his mind.

Orochimaru’s attempt to control the Three-Tails would fail. Not long afterward, Sasuke Uchiha would turn against him and take his life.

The events that followed would include Jiraiya’s death, the battle between Sasuke and Itachi, the truth behind the Uchiha Clan massacre, Sasuke’s alliance with Akatsuki—and eventually, Pain’s assault on Konoha.

Without him noticing, had the story already progressed this far?

Then again, it made sense.

After all, Akatsuki had already lost two members, while another had been dismembered.

“Then I’m entrusting this mission to all of you,” Tsunade declared. “Don’t waste any time. Leave immediately.”

“Yes!”

All seven shinobi answered in unison.