Chapter 121 (Patreon)

Obito and Sasuke’s intervention had thrown the battlefield into chaos, but it had not saved Shimura Danzō.

Once the two of them escaped, Danzō attempted to flee after deactivating Izanagi. Mihawk had never intended to let him leave alive. Before Danzō could reactivate the technique, Mihawk cut him down.

Even the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Jutsu he unleashed at the end failed to take Mihawk with him.

In any case, Mihawk had gained plenty from this battle.

[Your Ryougi Shiki Template has reached 5.72%.]

Quite some time had passed since Mihawk obtained his second template, yet its progress had barely increased.

Since defeating Kakuzu, his only major battle had been against the Six Paths of Pain.

Destroying the Six Paths had indeed granted him system progress, just as destroying Kakuzu’s masked hearts had. However, all of that progress had been applied to his first template. It had not advanced the Ryougi Shiki Template at all.

The current 5.72% had come entirely from the Root shinobi he killed and Danzō himself.

By now, Mihawk understood the system well enough that he no longer judged a template solely by how quickly its percentage increased.

At its core, a template was both a seed of power and the experience required to understand it.

The Hawkeye Template had allowed him to hear the Breath of All Things, while the Ryougi Shiki Template had awakened the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

Compared to the Hawkeye Template, however, most of the experience contained within the Ryougi Shiki Template consisted of insights into death drawn from the Root.

Many of those insights concerned the deaths of ordinary objects, so they offered Mihawk little immediate benefit.

That was precisely why he believed this template should be unlocked gradually.

By receiving those insights little by little, he could retain each one while steadily deepening his own understanding of death.

Unlike Ryougi Shiki, Mihawk’s body was not directly connected to the Root. He could perceive the deaths recorded there only through the power of the template.

If too much knowledge entered his mind at once, some of it would inevitably slip beyond his conscious reach.

It would not truly be forgotten. Rather, those memories would become buried so deeply within his mind that recalling them would be extremely difficult.

Setting those thoughts aside, Mihawk and Tsunade resumed their journey to Konoha after the battle.

By dusk, they had left the Land of Iron and reached the same inn where they had stayed during their journey there.

They spent the night at the inn and continued travelling the following morning.

At noon, Mihawk and Tsunade separated in a forest not far from Konoha.

While Tsunade returned to the village, Mihawk headed straight for the commercial district without stopping.

An hour later, he arrived outside the villa he had rented.

Mihawk took out his key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

“Mihawk-nii!”

The moment he entered, a familiar figure came rushing toward him and leapt into his arms from several steps away.

Mihawk caught Hanabi before she could crash into him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck with a delighted smile, and Mihawk lightly pressed his forehead against hers.

“How did you know it was me?”

“Hehe…”

Hanabi grinned proudly.

“The moment I heard the door opening, I checked with my Byakugan.”

Mihawk pinched her cheek lightly.

“Good. Never let your guard down, even when you’re at home.”

“Hehe…”

Hanabi’s smile grew even brighter at his praise.

Mihawk set her down and walked into the living room. Hanabi followed closely behind him and immediately sat beside him on the sofa.

“Where’s Hinata?”

Before entering the house, Mihawk had already used his Observation Haki to sense everyone inside. He knew Hinata was not there, but he still wanted to know where she had gone.

“You hadn’t come home for two days, so Hinata knew you must have been assigned a mission,” Hanabi explained. “She went back to the village today to ask about your mission. She’s also helping with the reconstruction.”

Mihawk paused.

“Has the village already begun rebuilding?”

“Mm-hm! It sounds like the new Hokage Building has already been completed.”

Hanabi nodded before looking up at him expectantly.

“Mihawk-nii, I’m hungry. Can we eat something?”

Mihawk laughed and tapped her lightly on the forehead.

“Perfect timing. I’m hungry too. Let’s see what we can make.”

“Hehe…”

Hanabi happily followed him into the kitchen.

At dusk, Hinata returned to the commercial district after spending the day in Konoha.

She stopped at the market to buy some fresh ingredients before heading back to the villa.

The moment she entered, she noticed a familiar pair of shoes near the doorway.

Joy immediately appeared on her face.

Hinata carried the groceries into the kitchen and put them away before eagerly heading into the living room.

The sight awaiting her caused her footsteps to become lighter.

Mihawk and Hanabi had fallen asleep on the sofa after talking for hours. Hanabi was leaning against his arm, still holding on to his sleeve.

Hinata smiled gently, pulled a light blanket over Hanabi, and quietly left the room.

She returned to the kitchen, washed the rice, and set it to cook. After considering how much Mihawk might eat after spending two days away, she returned to the market to buy a few more ingredients.

By the time night fell, Mihawk felt a hand gently brushing against his forehead.

The instincts of someone as powerful as him were extraordinarily sharp. Even the faintest movement was normally enough to wake him.

Only those he trusted completely could approach him so closely without immediately putting him on guard.

Mihawk slowly opened his eyes and saw Hinata’s gentle smile.

Hanabi was no longer beside him.

Mihawk opened his arms, and Hinata quietly moved into his embrace.

She did not say anything. She simply rested her head against the left side of his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat.

Mihawk stroked her hair with one hand while wrapping the other around her waist.

“Mihawk-nii! Hinata-nee! Dinner’s ready!”

The peaceful atmosphere was finally broken by Hanabi’s voice.

Mihawk smiled and sat up. After Hinata helped him straighten his clothes, the two of them left the room together.