Chapter 171 (Patreon)

By the time evening arrived, most of the day had already passed.

At six-thirty, Mihawk joined the Hyūga family for dinner.

Perhaps he had passed whatever test Hiashi had intended during their conversation that afternoon, because the atmosphere was far more relaxed than it had been at lunch.

Hiashi no longer wore his usual stern expression. From time to time, he asked Mihawk about the battles he had fought during the war.

He also made no attempt to hide his admiration for Mihawk’s swordsmanship.

Silver hair, crimson eyes, a kimono, and Nemesis resting at his side—that image had become known throughout the shinobi world.

Mihawk’s name had spread even further after the war. Portraits of him could now be found in every major country, while young shinobi had begun copying his clothes and carrying swords at their waists.

Even wandering rōnin were trying to imitate his techniques.

Stories about Mihawk’s swordsmanship had already begun turning into legends.

One such story claimed that an enormous abyss in the borderlands between the Lands of Fire and Lightning had been carved by a single swing of his sword.

The ravine stretched for several kilometers and measured more than a kilometer across and deep.

People were already traveling there simply to witness the mark left behind by Nerona Mihawk.

Most assumed the tale had been exaggerated.

It had not.

After dinner, Mihawk did not return home.

Hiashi had not even prepared a guest room for him. Instead, he allowed Mihawk to stay in Hinata’s room.

The meaning behind that decision was obvious.

Hiashi no longer regarded Mihawk as merely his daughter’s boyfriend. He had already accepted him as Hinata’s future husband.

At eight that night, Mihawk and Hinata sat together on the wooden veranda outside her room.

They rested upon two cushions, drinking tea while gazing up at the star-filled sky.

Two moons hung above Konoha.

The new moon created by the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei had risen beyond the atmosphere. Over the following three or four days, its gravitational pull continued drawing in debris and meteorites, causing it to grow larger with each passing night.

It had now become difficult to tell the new moon apart from the old one.

“Peace really is wonderful,” Hinata said softly.

Mihawk glanced at her and smiled.

He did not share her optimism.

True peace would never be easy to achieve in the shinobi world.

Ōtsutsuki Toneri would make his move in three years. Sixteen years after that, the next generation would face troubles of its own.

The peace they had now was only a pause between conflicts.

Still, those problems belonged to the future.

By the time another ten years passed, Mihawk would be far stronger than he was now.

Completing Return to One had already pushed his swordsmanship into an entirely new realm.

Mihawk currently stood far beyond any ordinary Six Paths-level fighter, even if he had yet to truly surpass the realm of the Sage of Six Paths—the level reached by Madara after regaining both Rinnegan.

Given another decade, he believed he could surpass opponents like dual-Rinnegan Madara and even Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki.

Return to One had ended his battle with Madara in a single strike, but that did not mean Mihawk could use it without consequence.

That one attack had consumed nearly all his remaining strength.

It was a trump card, but it was also something more.

Return to One marked the beginning of a new sword style.

Until now, Mihawk’s swordsmanship had followed the path of the Killing Sword. Every movement existed for one purpose—to end the battle with a single cut. Once his blade was drawn against an enemy, there was no hesitation and no mercy.

Return to One followed a different path.

It was born from combining the Breath of All Things with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

Ordinarily, separate Ranged Slashes could not be layered together. Once released, each slash existed on its own.

Mihawk had broken that rule.

During his final attack against Madara, he had compressed seventy-three full-power Ranged Slashes into a single strike.

The result was an attack that surpassed the limits of even a great swordsman.

But Return to One did not always require seventy-three slashes.

Mihawk could combine two or three, or perhaps five, seven, or eight. The strength of the final attack would change depending on how many Ranged Slashes were brought together.

That meant Return to One was no longer merely a desperate final move.

It had become a complete sword style of its own.

Mihawk named it the Return-to-One Sword Style.

His Killing Sword had only recently taken shape, yet another path had already opened before him.

There was still much he had to learn, but at least he knew where that path led.

“Still a long way to go,” Mihawk murmured.

Hinata turned toward him.

“Did you say something?”

“Nothing.”

Mihawk lifted his tea and took another sip.

At nine o’clock, the two finished watching the night sky and returned to Hinata’s room.

Hanabi had gone back to her own room early and did not come to disturb them.

After the lights were turned off, Mihawk and Hinata lay beside each other on the large bed.

Neither of them immediately fell asleep.

This was the first time Mihawk had stayed overnight at the Hyūga residence, and the unfamiliar setting made the experience feel strangely new to both of them.

Moonlight from the two moons poured across the village, slipping through the narrow gap between the curtains and casting a silver line across the room.

For some time, Mihawk and Hinata simply stared at the ceiling in silence.

Eventually, sleep claimed them.

The following morning, Mihawk woke at around eight-forty.

He had not slept late because he was exhausted. He simply was not accustomed to the room and had allowed himself to remain in bed longer than usual.

Hinata was no longer beside him.

Then Mihawk felt something soft touch his forehead.

His eyes opened.

Hanabi was leaning over him, her face only a short distance from his. She had just placed a light kiss on his forehead.

“Good morning, Mihawk-nii.”

Mihawk looked at her for a moment before reaching up and resting a hand on her head.

“Sneaking into your sister’s room this early?” he asked. “Aren’t you afraid she’ll catch you?”

“Hanabi isn’t afraid.”

She gave him a mischievous smile.

“It might be better if Onee-sama catches me. Then she’ll know she can’t keep Mihawk-nii all to herself.”

Mihawk narrowed his eyes slightly.

Realizing that her joke might have gone too far, Hanabi quickly continued.

“Don’t worry. Hanabi won’t cause trouble for Onee-sama.”

Her voice became quieter.

“As long as I can stay with Mihawk-nii and Onee-sama, I don’t care if I never marry anyone.”

Mihawk’s smile faded.

“Don’t decide something like that at your age.”

“But Hanabi means it.”

Mihawk gently stroked her hair.

“It isn’t only your sister who matters to me. You’re part of my future too, Hanabi.”

“Hee-hee…”

Hanabi’s smile returned.

“Mihawk-nii is greedy. You want both sisters to stay with you forever.”

Her expression soon softened again.

“But that isn’t possible. Once Onee-sama marries you, I’ll have to remain here and inherit the clan. I can’t follow you wherever I want without causing trouble for her or damaging the Hyūga clan’s reputation.”

Mihawk remained silent for several moments.

“Then we won’t let this world decide everything for us.”

Hanabi blinked.

“If there comes a day when this world has no place where the three of us can remain together, I’ll find another world that does.”

Hanabi stared at him before letting out a quiet laugh.

“Mihawk-nii says impossible things with such a serious face.”

“I’m serious.”

Seeing that he was not joking, Hanabi threw her arms around him.

“Then Hanabi will remember that promise.”

Mihawk lightly patted her head.

The road ahead of him was still long.

That was true of his swordsmanship and of the future he intended to create.

But Mihawk knew exactly where he wanted both paths to lead.