Chapter 124 (Patreon)

“Cough! Cough…”

Only moments after Hanabi slipped out of the living room, the sound of her coughing echoed through the hallway.

Her face had turned bright red, and she looked as though she were seriously choking.

Hinata hurried over and gently patted her back.

“Honestly, Hanabi! Why would you run while drinking tea? Slow down.”

“Hehe…”

Once she finally caught her breath, Hanabi covered her mouth and snickered.

“I just didn’t want Mihawk to make me take another turn. Besides, watching the two of you was much more interesting.”

“Hanabi!”

Hinata’s face reddened as she tapped her younger sister on the head.

“Ow!”

Hanabi immediately covered her head and stared at Hinata accusingly.

“If you keep causing trouble, I’ll make you clean the entire living room by yourself tomorrow,” Hinata warned gently.

Hanabi stuck out her tongue but wisely stopped teasing her.

Mihawk watched Hinata lecture her younger sister without taking either side.

The shoulder massage had eased most of his exhaustion. Even Hanabi’s attempts to press the same spot harder had been more amusing than troublesome.

The three of them spent the remainder of the evening quietly enjoying their first night in the new house.

When it was time to sleep, Hanabi proudly retired to the bedroom she had chosen for herself, while Mihawk and Hinata went to the master bedroom.

Hanabi did not cause any more trouble.

Although she knew Hinata’s gentle personality made it difficult for her to become truly angry, Hanabi also understood when she had taken a prank far enough.

The fun came from getting away with a little mischief, not from genuinely upsetting her sister.

As the new house fell silent, sleep gradually overtook all three of them.

————

At noon the following day, Mihawk sat on the sofa in the living room.

He was wearing the same dark house robe he had put on after bathing the previous evening. Leaning slightly forward, he held a pen in his right hand and filled his notebook with lines of bold, flowing script.

He was transcribing the insights into death he had received through the Ryougi Shiki Template.

Every individual insight required several pages to express in words. The concepts were so complicated that writing them down felt no different from composing a detailed research paper.

However, those densely written pages contained profound knowledge regarding the deaths of ordinary things.

The faint sound of approaching footsteps eventually broke Mihawk’s concentration.

His awareness returned to his surroundings, and he glanced toward the entrance to the living room.

Nara Shikamaru appeared in his chūnin flak jacket. While examining the interior of the new house, he walked over and sat on the sofa opposite Mihawk.

“Seriously…”

Shikamaru looked around the spacious living room.

“One glance is enough to tell that this place cost a fortune. Elite jōnin really do earn a lot more than the rest of us.”

“Don’t bother pretending your family lacks money.”

Mihawk did not believe a word of it.

The Nara clan had raised deer for generations, and their antlers were precious medicinal ingredients.

Although the clan was best known throughout the shinobi world for its Shadow Possession Jutsu and its place in the Ino–Shika–Chō formation, it also possessed extensive knowledge of medicine.

By supplying medicinal compounds and selling valuable herbs, the Nara clan had become one of Konoha’s wealthiest families.

Pain’s attack had damaged some of the clan’s property, but the Nara clan had escaped any serious losses.

More importantly, its deer herds were raised in the forests outside the village and had remained completely unharmed. The financial foundation of the clan had never been threatened.

“Well…”

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

“That’s the clan’s money, not mine.”

“You’ll inherit the Nara clan eventually. Sooner or later, that money will belong to you.”

Mihawk’s tone remained flat.

“Fine. You win.”

Shikamaru raised both hands in surrender.

Mihawk closed his notebook and placed it on the table.

“You didn’t come all this way merely to look at my new house, did you?”

After Sasuke’s defection, Mihawk had rarely spent time with the other members of Konoha’s younger generation.

Among them, Shikamaru was the only person Mihawk genuinely regarded as a friend.

Their friendship had deepened further after Asuma Sarutobi’s death, and the two now understood each other’s personalities extremely well.

If Shikamaru merely wanted to talk, he would usually invite Mihawk outside. If he intended to visit the new house, he should at least have brought a housewarming gift.

His empty hands suggested that something else had brought him there.

Unexpectedly, Shikamaru shook his head.

“You guessed wrong. I really did come to see your new house.”

Displeasure immediately appeared on Mihawk’s face.

“You’ve seen it. You can leave now.”

“Hey, isn’t that a little cold?”

The corner of Shikamaru’s mouth twitched.

“I finally managed to get a day off. My dad and Lady Tsunade left for Kumogakure, so I found enough time to visit a friend.”

He released a helpless sigh.

“That reaction actually hurts, you know.”

Mihawk paused.

“The Fifth Hokage left for another meeting?”

“Yeah.”

Shikamaru nodded.

“They’re discussing where to relocate and protect the Eight-Tails’ and Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki.”

“At the same time, the five villages will be combining everything they’ve learned about the masked Uchiha and the remaining members of the Akatsuki. The Fourth Shinobi World War is approaching. If the Five Great Nations continue prioritizing their individual interests, we’ll have very little chance of winning.”

Shikamaru’s expression gradually became serious.

“After all, the person directing the enemy is Madara Uchiha.”

He then added, “Lady Tsunade originally intended to bring you as her guard. However, the five daimyō decided that since the Five Great Nations had officially formed an alliance, each Kage only needed to bring a military adviser. There was no reason for bodyguards to accompany them.”

“That’s why my father went with her instead.”

Mihawk fell silent.

The second meeting of the Five Kage had already begun, and they were discussing the relocation of the Eight-Tails’ and Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki.

That meant Naruto would soon be sent away to learn how to control the Nine-Tails’ power.

The beginning of the Fourth Shinobi World War was drawing closer.

Mihawk’s expression became slightly more serious.

“The enemy willingly declared war on all five great shinobi villages. That means they must believe they possess enough power to confront the entire Allied Shinobi Forces.”

He looked directly at Shikamaru.

“When the fighting begins, be careful.”

“Yeah.”

Shikamaru’s expression became equally serious.

“I’m already prepared.”