Chapter 152 (Patreon)

“Oh... So I can see it.”

After perceiving the lines of death upon both Obito and the Truth-Seeking Balls, Mihawk felt the last of his uncertainty disappear.

His strength had already surpassed the Kage level, but a gap had still remained between him and a true Six Paths-level existence.

The templates had never handed him perfected power.

They had only given him the seeds.

Mihawk still needed to train those abilities, understand their principles, and discover his own path forward. The result did not necessarily have to become identical to the original owner of the template.

He could end up weaker.

He could also surpass them.

Mihawk’s first template had given him Dracule Mihawk’s swordsmanship and Haki, but his shinobi body remained physically inferior to the monstrous body possessed by the original Hawkeye.

His second template had been even more complicated.

The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception originated from a world connected to the Root—the source of all phenomena and records.

The Naruto world possessed no such foundation.

As a result, Mihawk had received the potential of the Mystic Eyes, but not their complete understanding of death. He had been forced to develop that understanding himself through training and experience.

Chakra had originated from beyond this world.

The Divine Tree, the chakra fruit, and the Ōtsutsuki Clan were all alien existences. Mihawk had known almost nothing about the true nature of their power.

Until now, he had never been certain whether his Mystic Eyes could perceive the death of a Ten-Tails jinchūriki.

Now he had his answer.

He could see the lines upon Obito.

He could also see them upon the Truth-Seeking Balls.

That meant Mihawk had obtained the right to participate in the final battle.

Ahead of him, Tobirama appeared beside Obito.

Obito reacted before Tobirama could complete his attack.

A black mass swept through the air and destroyed half of Tobirama’s reanimated body.

Tobirama immediately used the Flying Raijin Jutsu to escape, reappearing beside Minato with half his body reduced to white dust.

Mihawk’s gaze remained fixed upon Obito.

“Hinata.”

Hinata turned toward him.

“Let’s go.”

A trace of happiness appeared in her eyes when she realized that Mihawk was finally ready to enter the battle.

Her expression quickly became serious.

“Yes!”

“Hey, Mihawk—”

Naruto tried to call after him.

SHING!

Before Naruto could finish, Mihawk vanished.

Only the sound of Nemesis leaving its sheath remained behind.

Hinata followed him a moment later, the two transforming into blurred afterimages as they rushed toward Obito.

Naruto stared after them.

“He could have at least let me finish...”

Unlike Naruto, Sasuke’s attention had been captured by something else.

His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan followed Mihawk and Hinata closely.

“Those eyes...”

Even after several years, Sasuke still remembered every detail about Mihawk.

His silver hair, red eyes, and the tiny cross-shaped blade worn against his chest had always made him instantly recognizable.

The most unforgettable feature had been his eyes.

They were normally as red as rubies, yet carried a coldness that made anyone meeting their gaze feel as though a blade had been placed against their throat.

However, Mihawk’s eyes had just changed from red to icy blue.

Sasuke had seen them take that form once before in the Land of Iron.

He had never learned what kind of dōjutsu they were.

Then there was Hinata.

The Hyūga Clan’s Byakugan had somehow transformed into something completely different.

The blue-and-white patterns within her eyes bore no resemblance to any Byakugan Sasuke had ever seen.

Just what had happened to those two?

“Naruto, Sasuke.”

Sakura’s voice pulled their attention back toward the battle.

Naruto immediately looked at Sasuke.

“Let’s go too!”

Sasuke gave a short nod.

“Yeah.”

Golden chakra erupted around Naruto as he entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

Sasuke activated his Susanoo.

The two rushed after Mihawk and Hinata.

Minato had escaped Obito’s attack alongside Tobirama. When he saw the four young shinobi approaching, surprise appeared on his face.

“What incredible pressure...”

He looked toward Mihawk and Hinata.

“Are those two from the same generation as Naruto and Sasuke?”

Tobirama released a quiet hum.

A faint smile appeared upon his otherwise stern face.

“Konoha has produced some remarkable shinobi in this era.”

A Nine-Tails jinchūriki and three powerful dōjutsu users were now advancing together.

Tobirama understood Sasuke’s Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

He knew far less about the eyes possessed by Mihawk and Hinata.

However, one had forced Madara to use his full power, while the other had pulled a meteorite down from the sky.

There was no question that both had already surpassed ordinary Kage.

Mihawk raced toward Obito with Nemesis in his hand.

“Hinata, restrain him.”

“Yes!”

Hinata raised her hand and spread her fingers.

She closed them around Obito from a distance.

An enormous gravitational force descended upon him.

Obito had already sensed Mihawk’s approach and was preparing to counterattack.

Several appendages behind him ignited with crimson chakra and began transforming into enormous hands.

However, Hinata’s gravity seized him before he could complete the attack.

The air distorted around Obito as his body was locked in place.

Mihawk stepped upon the air with Geppo.

Whoosh!

He changed direction without producing any of the chakra fluctuations associated with the Body Flicker Jutsu.

Both Tobirama and Minato immediately noticed the difference.

“That movement...”

Mihawk disappeared from in front of Obito.

A split second later, he appeared at Obito’s side.

This first strike was a test.

Instead of aiming for the deepest point of death within Obito, Mihawk chose one of the lines running horizontally across his torso.

Nemesis swept through it.

A white arc flashed across Obito’s body.

TEAR!

The body of the Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki, which ordinary ninjutsu could not damage without senjutsu, parted as easily as a sheet of paper.

Obito was severed at the waist.

“Fall back!”

Mihawk withdrew immediately after completing the slash.

Hinata released her gravity and retreated alongside him.

Naruto and Sasuke had been preparing to support them, but the sudden retreat caught both of them by surprise.

They quickly abandoned their attacks and pulled back as well.

Obito’s upper body remained floating in the air.

His lower body continued standing upon the ground.

The two halves did not fall.

Dark lines were still visible across both portions through Mihawk’s Mystic Eyes.

Obito’s blank expression finally changed.

His face twisted slightly, as though the Ten-Tails’ chaotic will was experiencing pain for the first time.

His upper and lower halves began swelling.

Pale flesh and chakra expanded violently around both sections before converging into another enormous sphere.

The surface writhed as though something inside was attempting to rebuild itself.

Mihawk watched without speaking.

A slight frown appeared upon his face.

The Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki had not died after being cut in half.

That result was not entirely unexpected.

Mihawk had severed a line of death across Obito’s torso, killing everything along the path of the slash.

However, he had not struck Obito’s central point of death.

The real question was whether Obito could repair the portion Mihawk had killed.

Hinata activated her Tenseigan and stared into the pulsating sphere.

“Mihawk-kun, his chakra is increasing again.”

Mihawk raised an eyebrow.

“Increasing?”

“You divided both his body and chakra into two separate sections.”

Hinata carefully observed the movement within the sphere.

“They aren’t reconnecting.”

Mihawk’s eyes narrowed.

“What is happening to them?”

“One section is using the Ten-Tails’ chakra to grow a new body.”

Hinata pointed toward the shifting sphere.

“The other section—the part you severed—hasn’t recovered. Its chakra is collapsing and becoming part of that outer membrane.”

Mihawk studied the sphere for several seconds.

“So the severed portion remains dead.”

“Yes.”

Hinata nodded.

“He isn’t healing it. He’s abandoning it and creating a replacement.”

A smile finally appeared upon Mihawk’s face.

The result was not as advantageous as making all regeneration completely impossible, but it was far from unfavorable.

The part killed by the Mystic Eyes could not be restored.

Obito could only discard it and consume the Ten-Tails’ chakra to create an entirely new section of his body.

Such regeneration could not be without cost.

The Six Paths state involved the Divine Tree, the origin of chakra, and the bloodline of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.

Until Mihawk completely understood those alien powers, he had never expected the Mystic Eyes’ anti-regeneration effect to remain absolute against them.

More importantly, this attack had only severed a line across Obito’s torso.

If Mihawk struck his point of death, replacing a missing section of flesh would not be enough to save him.

Their abilities countered one another.

Obito possessed immense regenerative power, while Mihawk could permanently kill each section he severed and force him to spend more chakra replacing it.

That meant Obito was not beyond his reach.

He could be fought.

And he could be killed.