Chapter 147 (Patreon)

“This... What in the world happened over there?”

Mihawk and Hinata were crossing a barren stretch of land near the coastline when a violent gale swept toward them from the direction of the battlefield.

The wind carried so much dust and sand that it became almost impossible to keep their eyes open.

Mihawk and Hinata raised their hands to shield their faces. Through the narrow gaps between their fingers, they could see the distant sky flashing with thunder and lightning.

Dozens of small tornadoes twisted across the wasteland, creating a scene that seemed to belong at the end of the world.

“ROOOAAAR!”

A demonic roar reached them from an incredible distance.

It sounded as though some evil beast was venting centuries of resentment upon the entire world.

Hinata activated her Tenseigan. Blue-and-white patterns spread across her eyes as she focused upon the distant battlefield.

“Mihawk-kun!” she called over the storm. “There’s an enormous monster ahead! It resembles the Gedo Statue we saw before!”

“Yes.”

Mihawk stared into the distance without changing his expression.

“Nothing else could create a disturbance of this scale.”

The Gedo Statue had already become the Ten-Tails.

Judging from the violence shaking the land, it was most likely undergoing another transformation.

The storm continued raging for several minutes before gradually weakening.

However, Hinata’s expression became even more serious.

“Mihawk-kun, the monster’s appearance has changed.”

Her Tenseigan focused upon the vast concentration of energy gathering in the distance.

“It’s condensing an enormous mass of chakra. I have never seen chakra this powerful before.”

“That’s a Tailed Beast Bomb.”

Mihawk immediately increased his speed.

“Hinata, we need to hurry.”

“Yes!”

Hinata followed closely behind him.

The two had not travelled far when a sphere of concentrated chakra tore across the distant sky, passing high above them before disappearing toward the coastline behind them.

Several seconds later—

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion erupted in the distance.

Despite how far away it was, the sound seemed to detonate directly beside their ears.

An enormous shock wave swept across the wasteland from behind, lifting countless tons of sand and stone into the air.

Neither Mihawk nor Hinata stopped.

Mihawk leaned forward and used the approaching shock wave to increase his momentum. Hinata adjusted the gravity surrounding her body and did the same.

Their speed rose sharply as they raced toward the battlefield.

Hinata continued observing the area ahead with her Tenseigan.

“Mihawk-kun, several more powerful chakra signatures have appeared.”

She studied them carefully.

“Their faces resemble the previous Hokage carved into the Hokage Monument. Their bodies also appear similar to Madara’s. I believe they were brought back through the Edo Tensei.”

Hinata’s attention shifted toward another familiar presence.

“Sasuke-kun is there as well.”

“I understand.”

Mihawk showed no surprise.

“When we arrive, don’t rush into battle.”

Hinata looked toward him.

“The previous Hokage have already joined the fighting. The situation should have shifted in our favor, so preserve your chakra unless something truly dangerous happens.”

Mihawk knew that the current battle was only the beginning.

The plans created over several decades and the conspiracy that had continued for more than a thousand years would finally reach their conclusion tonight.

Once Obito became the Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki, the true decisive battle would begin.

“Yes.”

Hinata nodded obediently.

After travelling at full speed for some time, the two finally reached the battlefield.

“Ninja Art: Four Red Yang Formation!”

Four powerful voices rang out simultaneously.

Boom!

Four immense walls of red chakra rose into the sky, enclosing the battlefield within a gigantic barrier.

The Ten-Tails stood trapped at its center.

Its form had changed considerably. An enormous, flower-like appendage extended from its back, while its monstrous body radiated enough chakra to make the surrounding air tremble.

Four figures stood at the corners of the barrier.

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju—the man revered throughout the shinobi world as the God of Shinobi.

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju—the shinobi once renowned as the fastest of his era.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—the Professor who had mastered countless jutsu.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—the legendary Yellow Flash of the Leaf.

All four had been brought back through the Edo Tensei.

With the previous Hokage maintaining the barrier and the Allied Shinobi Forces surrounding the Ten-Tails, nearly everyone’s attention was focused upon the monster.

Mihawk and Hinata’s arrival went almost unnoticed.

Almost.

On top of a broken cliff overlooking the battlefield, Madara sat with his hand on his leg and watched the Ten-Tails struggle within the barrier.

His right arm—the one Mihawk had severed during their previous battle—was still missing.

Madara held his gunbai in his remaining left hand.

The moment Mihawk entered the battlefield, Madara’s eyes shifted toward him.

Mihawk sensed that gaze through his Observation Haki and immediately looked toward the cliff.

Their eyes met across the battlefield.

Madara’s expression remained composed, but his gaze sharpened.

“So you have come, Mihawk.”

His eyes briefly moved toward Hinata before returning to Mihawk.

A faint smile appeared upon his face.

“Do not expect me to give you the same opportunity twice.”

After losing an arm and being forced to withdraw, Madara had firmly engraved Mihawk’s abilities into his memory.

He would never again underestimate him because of his age.

Mihawk did not answer.

Instead, he calmly spread his Observation Haki across the battlefield, searching for two familiar presences.

He found Naruto, Sasuke, the four previous Hokage, and countless members of the Allied Shinobi Forces.

However, Obito’s presence had disappeared.

Kakashi was nowhere to be found either.

“So we were still one step too late.”

There was only one reasonable explanation.

Obito and Kakashi were currently fighting within the Kamui dimension.

Among the three greatest enemies behind the Fourth Shinobi World War—Obito Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—Mihawk was the least concerned about Obito.

Obito claimed that he no longer cared about the real world.

After years of suffering, he had tried to bury every remaining emotion and replace reality with an illusion where everything he had lost could be restored.

However, his true nature had never completely disappeared.

His feelings for Rin remained real.

When confronted by Naruto—someone who had suffered loneliness yet still protected the bonds Obito had abandoned—Obito would eventually be forced to face the truth he had spent years denying.

If he succeeded in redeeming himself, his extraordinary will and power would become a valuable asset to the Allied Shinobi Forces.

If he refused and truly crossed the point of no return, Mihawk was confident he could eliminate him.

However, the moment Obito returned from the Kamui dimension would most likely mark the beginning of his transformation into the Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki.

Madara and Kaguya were far greater threats.

Although Kaguya possessed overwhelming raw power, her combat judgment and experience could not compare with Madara’s.

Madara understood warfare.

He understood deception, patience, and how to turn an opponent’s smallest mistake into a fatal weakness.

Against Naruto and Sasuke, a fully restored Madara might prove even more dangerous than Kaguya herself.

Had Black Zetsu not betrayed Madara at the decisive moment, even Mihawk could not say with certainty whether Naruto and Sasuke would have defeated him.

Mihawk’s gaze settled upon the figure sitting on the cliff.

Madara was currently at his weakest.

He had lost his right arm, had not yet returned fully to life, and had not reclaimed his true Rinnegan.

Once he resurrected himself and recovered his complete power, stopping him would become far more difficult.

This might be Mihawk’s final opportunity to destroy Madara’s reanimated body before that happened.

Even if Madara had prepared another method of resurrection, removing him from the battlefield now would disrupt his plans and change everything that followed.

Mihawk had not yet recovered fully from their previous battle.

Several hours of rest had restored part of his chakra and Haki, but he remained far from his peak condition.

Even so, the opportunity before him could not be ignored.

Should he attack now and destroy Madara while he was still weakened?

Or should he conserve his strength and wait for the situation surrounding Obito and the Ten-Tails to change?

Madara continued watching him from the cliff.

The faint smile on his face gradually disappeared.

He had already recognized the intent within Mihawk’s eyes.

Mihawk’s right hand moved toward Nemesis.

His decision had been made.

Whoosh!

In the next instant, Mihawk vanished.

A blurred afterimage swept across the battlefield, heading straight toward Madara.