Chapter 169 (Patreon)

In the end, Mihawk’s first formal visit to the Hyūga clan was nothing more than a family lunch.

The meal itself was simple, but the invitation meant something.

Mihawk and Hinata had been together for years, and now the entire shinobi world knew about them. If the Hyūga clan still refused to welcome him, people would assume they looked down on him.

Hiashi did not summon the entire clan or arrange a grand reception.

Only Mihawk, Hiashi, Hinata, and Hanabi sat at the table.

The meal passed quietly.

Mihawk, Hinata, and Hanabi were normally comfortable around one another, but none of them spoke much with Hiashi sitting beside them. Even Hanabi kept her usual jokes to herself.

Once they finished eating, Hinata and Hanabi cleared away the dishes while Mihawk followed Hiashi into the tea room.

The two sat across from each other.

Mihawk watched in silence as Hiashi prepared the tea. Hiashi did not speak either.

Once both cups were ready, Hiashi set down the teapot and gestured toward the one in front of Mihawk.

“Go ahead.”

Mihawk nodded, lifted the cup, and blew lightly across the rising steam. After taking a sip, he gave a small nod of approval.

A faint smile appeared on Hiashi’s face.

“Hinata’s eyes,” he began. “You were involved, weren’t you?”

“A little,” Mihawk replied. “I only gave her the catalyst. Everything that happened afterward was because of Hinata herself.”

“What kind of catalyst?”

“An old relic my father left behind.”

Mihawk met Hiashi’s gaze as he continued.

“I never knew where it came from. It held a strange chakra, but it never reacted to me. When I brought it near Hinata, it responded to her Byakugan.”

“So you gave it to her?”

Mihawk nodded.

“After seeing the Treasured Tools used by Kinkaku and Ginkaku during the war, I started wondering if that relic came from the same era. Whatever it was, it only served as a catalyst. Hinata awakened those eyes through her own strength.”

His expression remained calm, and his eyes never left Hiashi’s.

None of it was true.

The system was Mihawk’s greatest secret.

He could have told Hinata and Hanabi. Neither of them would ever reveal it to anyone.

Trust was not the problem.

If Mihawk told them everything, he would be forced to admit that he had never truly belonged to this world. Once that truth was spoken aloud, he could no longer pretend otherwise.

By keeping it to himself, he could continue living as Nerona Mihawk of Konoha, together with Hinata and Hanabi.

Still, the Tenseigan needed an explanation.

Whether anyone else believed that explanation did not matter to him.

Hiashi studied Mihawk for several moments.

He still had some doubts, but most of the story made sense.

“My father probably found the relic by chance,” Mihawk added. “He didn’t possess a kekkei genkai, so it never reacted to him. That must be why he left it untouched.”

Hiashi fell silent again.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Ten-Tails had appeared before the entire Allied Shinobi Forces. Uchiha Madara, a man who should have been dead for generations, had also returned to life.

After everything they had witnessed, the existence of one more ancient relic was hardly impossible.

“There’s something you should know,” Hiashi said at last.

Mihawk waited.

“Hinata’s eyes have a name.”

Hiashi looked directly at him.

“The Tenseigan.”

Mihawk raised an eyebrow.

“Tenseigan?”

“Yes.”

Hiashi’s expression turned serious.

“Only the head of the Hyūga clan is allowed to read the record that mentions it. I always thought it was nothing more than a legend, but Hinata’s eyes proved otherwise.”

He paused before continuing.

“The Hyūga clan descends from Ōtsutsuki Hamura, the younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths.”

“Our records say the Byakugan can change into a higher dōjutsu, just as the Sharingan can. The method was lost long ago. All that remains is its name—the Tenseigan.”

Mihawk showed no surprise.

The fact that Hiashi knew the name at all was impressive.

The Hyūga clan and the Ōtsutsuki living on the moon both carried Hamura’s blood, but the two families had been separated for generations.

The strongest Gentle Fist techniques and the secret behind the Tenseigan had remained on the moon. The Hyūga clan inherited the Byakugan, but not the knowledge needed to take it any further.

The Uchiha had at least preserved the path of the Sharingan’s evolution. The Hyūga had been left with little more than an old name in a hidden record.

Hiashi thought about Mihawk’s explanation once more.

“The Gold and Silver Brothers possessed four of the Five Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths,” he said. “If those tools survived until this era, another relic from that time could have survived as well.”

He glanced toward the garden.

“Perhaps your catalyst was created for Hamura’s descendants. When Hinata used it, it awakened the power already lying within her blood.”

“I see.”

Mihawk pretended that the explanation had cleared up his confusion.

Hiashi gave an approving nod.

He would never have shared a secret known only to the heads of the Hyūga clan with an outsider.

That alone made his feelings clear.

Then he suddenly changed the subject.

“When do you plan to marry Hinata?”

Mihawk paused.

“That was sudden.”

“Answer the question.”

Mihawk thought for a few seconds.

“When we’re nineteen.”

“Nineteen?”

Mihawk nodded.

He had always felt that nineteen would be the right age. Hinata would be at her most beautiful, and the two of them would still have their entire future ahead of them.

“That’s three years from now.”

Hiashi considered it before nodding with satisfaction.

“Very well. When the time comes, I’ll handle the wedding.”

Hiashi knew Mihawk had no family to make the arrangements for him. That was why he had offered to take responsibility for the ceremony himself.

Mihawk placed his hands on his knees and bowed from where he sat.

“Thank you, Uncle Hiashi.”

“There’s no need to thank me.”

Hiashi’s expression softened.

“Come here more often from now on. You’re already here today, so stay for dinner. You can spend the night as well.”

With those words, the Hyūga clan had done more than simply accept Mihawk’s relationship with Hinata.

They now regarded him as their future son-in-law.

Mihawk and Hiashi remained in the tea room for a while longer before finally ending their conversation.

Once he stepped outside, Mihawk went to find Hinata.

He had never been shown around this part of the Hyūga compound, but that hardly mattered.

With Observation Haki, locating Hinata and Hanabi was easy.

After sensing where they were, Mihawk headed toward them.