Chapter 94 (Patreon)

When a person possessed overwhelming strength, sharp intelligence, and an unshakable state of mind, they became an extremely dangerous opponent.

Even someone on the same level would find such an enemy difficult to deal with.

That was exactly how Uchiha Obito felt at that moment.

The last person who had given him this feeling was his former teacher, the Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze.

However, Obito had already experienced Minato’s strength firsthand.

The person giving him that same sense of danger now was a teenager more than ten years younger than him.

The eye behind the spiral mask stared directly at Nerona Mihawk.

“I never expected another genius like you to appear in this era after Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.”

Mihawk’s expression did not change in response to Obito’s praise.

His sharp eyes remained fixed on Obito, while his Observation Haki clearly sensed the change in the masked man’s emotions.

“You’re not going to continue fighting?”

“Ah… No, I think I’ll stop here.”

Obito turned his gaze toward the lake hidden beneath the dense mist.

“Now isn’t the right time to fight you. We’ll meet again someday.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Obito’s body began to distort.

The space around him twisted into a vortex, and a small black point formed at its center, releasing a powerful suction force that pulled his body inward.

A few seconds later, Obito vanished from Mihawk’s sight.

Mihawk immediately shifted his gaze toward the lake.

Although Obito had disappeared from the cliff, Mihawk’s Observation Haki sensed his presence reappearing above the lake’s surface.

Until moments ago, faint sounds of battle and the low roar of a massive beast had occasionally reached Mihawk’s ears.

Now, however, the entire lake had fallen silent.

The thick mist covering the lake and part of the forest gradually began to disperse as well.

The vast white curtain slowly thinned, revealing the scenery hidden beneath it.

When the enormous lake finally came back into view, Mihawk immediately saw the figures of Team 7, Team 8, and Team 10.

They had surrounded a woman, a large man, and a boy.

Countless crimson crystal fragments were scattered across the surface of the lake and floating through the air.

“Huh?”

Naruto’s confused voice carried all the way to the top of the cliff.

“Where did the Three-Tails go?!”

“Gozu, we’re leaving!”

Taking advantage of Naruto and the others’ distraction, Guren quickly picked up Yūkimaru and called out to the large man beside her.

“Right!”

The two figures rushed across the surface of the water and disappeared into the distance.

They happened to flee in the direction between Team Guy and Mihawk’s position.

By the time Kakashi and the others reacted, it was already too late to pursue them.

However, their attention was no longer focused on Guren and her companions.

They were far more concerned about the Akatsuki member who had appeared without warning and taken the Three-Tails away.

Shikamaru Nara turned toward Kakashi with a grave expression.

“Kakashi-sensei…”

“Yeah.”

Kakashi nodded solemnly.

“That was a space–time ninjutsu.”

“Tch.”

After having his suspicion confirmed, Shikamaru clicked his tongue.

“What a drag. The Akatsuki even has someone capable of using space–time ninjutsu.”

They had already gained the upper hand.

Once Guren had been subdued, the sealing team would have been able to seal the Three-Tails.

Yet an unexpected enemy had appeared midway through the mission and easily taken Isobu away using space–time ninjutsu.

The mission had ended in complete failure.

The only positive outcome was that they had learned the Akatsuki possessed an extremely dangerous member capable of using space–time ninjutsu.

The Four-Corner Sealing Barrier that Shizune and the others had nearly completed was also forced to come to an end.

Once everyone regrouped, Mihawk spoke first.

“Sorry. I failed to stop him.”

Shizune shook her head.

“You have nothing to apologize for. We know almost nothing about the Akatsuki’s abilities.”

She glanced toward the lake.

“Besides, our opponent possessed space–time ninjutsu. None of us here would have been able to stop him from escaping.”

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

“So our mission is over, right?”

Shizune nodded with a faint smile.

“Yes. It’s over. We’ll rest for a while before returning to the village.”

“Whew…”

Ino Yamanaka and Chōji Akimichi immediately released sighs of relief.

Hinata, however, quickly moved to Mihawk’s side.

She carefully examined his body, checking for any injuries he might have suffered during his confrontation with the Akatsuki member.

After confirming that he was unharmed, Hinata finally relaxed.

A gentle smile appeared on her face.

Mihawk smiled in return, raised his hand, and lightly pinched the tip of her nose.

While the two quietly displayed their affection beside everyone else, Shizune summoned a small fragment of Katsuyu and asked her to deliver a report to Lady Tsunade.

Once everything had been dealt with, the group divided into two teams.

One team headed back toward Konoha first, while the other returned to the cave to collect the supplies and belongings they had stored there.

By dusk, everyone had returned to the village.

After spending the entire day traveling, Mihawk and the others disbanded directly at Konoha’s entrance.

Shizune was responsible for handling the mission report, so Mihawk and Shikamaru did not need to visit the Hokage’s office to report to Tsunade personally.

After saying goodbye to Shikamaru and the others, Mihawk and Hinata headed toward the market.

As they walked, Mihawk voiced a rare complaint.

“This mission was exhausting.”

“Yes.”

Hinata nodded in agreement.

“It really was.”

The mission had been unpleasant from beginning to end.

Not only had its objective changed drastically, but the environment and final result made all their efforts feel wasted.

This was probably Team 8’s first failed mission.

As they continued walking, Mihawk raised his head and looked at the evening sky.

A calm, thoughtful light appeared deep within his eyes.

After the incident involving the Three-Tails would come the battle between the Uchiha brothers.

Itachi and Sasuke would finally face each other, while Jiraiya the Gallant would enter the Hidden Rain Village alone.

After that, Pain would set his sights on Konoha.

In the original course of events, the village would be destroyed by a single overwhelming repulsive force.

But this time, Mihawk was here.

As long as he remained in Konoha, he would never allow Pain to reduce the village to ruins so easily.

After buying vegetables with Hinata, Mihawk returned with her to the Nerona residence.

He paused briefly and looked at the familiar house, his gaze resting on the place filled with memories of himself, Hinata, and Hanabi.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

There was no need to wonder whether this home would survive.

When Pain came, Mihawk would stop him before his attack could ever reach it.

No one would destroy the home he had built with the people closest to him.