Chapter 187 (Patreon)

“Clang!”

Saeko Busujima tightened her grip on her sword and charged at Mihawk again.

She raised the blade above her head and brought it down in a powerful vertical slash.

Mihawk raised the white-oak bokken and stepped forward to meet her attack.

When the razor-sharp blade struck the wooden sword, the collision produced the unmistakable ring of clashing metal.

The sharp sound made Saeko hesitate.

The bokken had stopped a real sword.

Was what she was seeing truly real?

“Clang—!”

Mihawk immediately took advantage of her distraction.

Holding the bokken in one hand, he ran it down the edge of Saeko’s sword and forcefully knocked her blade upward, breaking her stance.

Before Saeko could recover, Mihawk thrust the end of the bokken into her abdomen without mercy.

“Ugh...!”

Saeko’s face twisted in pain.

The sword slipped from her hand and struck the floor with a clatter.

The force of the blow drove Saeko to her knees.

Mihawk looked down at her without a trace of sympathy.

“Pick up your sword and continue.”

Saeko clutched her stomach as she endured the pain.

After catching her breath, she reached for the fallen sword and forced herself back to her feet.

Mihawk retreated several steps and fixed his red eyes upon her.

“Don’t let anything around you distract you,” he instructed calmly. “Treat me like the man you once used to unleash your violent impulses upon. Attack me with the intent to kill.”

Saeko’s expression changed.

She tightened both hands around her sword.

Whoosh!

The next instant, Saeko charged again.

“Clang! Clang, clang, clang!”

The sound of blades colliding echoed throughout the dojo as sparks scattered with every exchange.

Saeko gripped her sword with both hands and continued attacking Mihawk.

Her technique was filled with openings, but her beautiful face remained completely focused.

Her blue eyes stared directly into Mihawk’s red ones without fear or uncertainty.

This time, Mihawk did not simply overpower her.

He controlled the pace of the exchange, guiding her attacks and correcting the posture behind each swing through his own movements.

Under his guidance, Saeko’s attacks gradually became sharper.

Before long, every strike she made was aimed at one of Mihawk’s vital points.

Mihawk nodded slightly and finally offered her a word of praise.

“Good. That’s the look I wanted to see. Remember how you feel right now, and don’t lose this state of mind.”

He continued parrying her attacks as he spoke.

“Unless the situation requires otherwise, anyone who shows you genuine hostility should be treated this way. If you see an opening to strike a vital point or kill your opponent, don’t hesitate.”

“Seize the opportunity and finish them with a single strike.”

Mihawk was teaching Saeko to abandon all hesitation when facing an enemy.

“Yes, Sensei!”

Saeko nodded solemnly.

As sparks continued to fly between their swords, a fierce excitement gradually appeared in her blue eyes.

It was not because Mihawk had brainwashed her.

The overwhelming pressure rolling off him, vast and crushing like a tsunami, had awakened something inside her.

Before meeting Mihawk, Saeko had been the champion of the National Women’s Kendo Tournament.

Aside from experienced masters, she had never encountered anyone near her age capable of defeating her.

Because she feared losing control of her violent impulses, Saeko had rarely fought others seriously.

Now, any pride she had possessed in her accomplishments had been thoroughly crushed by Mihawk.

At the same time, the way he continued guiding her through the exchange gradually drew out the violent instincts she had always kept restrained.

Saeko’s attacks suddenly became faster and more aggressive.

Seeing the change, Mihawk nodded inwardly.

As expected, Saeko possessed the talent to become a killer.

Her current state somewhat resembled the state Mihawk had entered while killing during the Konoha Crush.

However, the difference between them was still immense.

At that time, Mihawk had already been a top-class swordsman whose strength was enough to threaten a Kage.

Saeko, by comparison, was still an ordinary person.

Ten minutes later, Mihawk looked at Saeko, whose body was drenched in sweat, and stopped guiding the exchange.

With one powerful swing, he knocked the sword from her hands.

Before Saeko could react, the tip of his bokken was already pressed against her neck.

“That’s enough.”

Saeko’s transformation would not happen overnight.

Even with the Hawkeye template, it had taken Mihawk more than a year to comprehend the Breath of All Things.

As for Saeko, the foundation she had built through years of kendo was only average in Mihawk’s eyes.

He could not yet say whether she possessed the natural ability required to perceive the Breath of All Things.

Mihawk had never expected her to comprehend it immediately.

Once her foundation reached a level that satisfied him, he would teach her the method he had used to perceive the Breath of All Things.

If she lacked the necessary aptitude, Mihawk would find another way to help her discover a path of swordsmanship suited to her.

He looked at Saeko, who was soaked in sweat, and spoke in a calmer voice.

“Go take a bath and get some sleep. From now on, you’ll be training like this often.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

Saeko nodded obediently.

Mihawk returned the white-oak bokken to her and left the dojo.

...

At 11:30 that night, inside Mihawk’s bedroom.

Mihawk lay on the large, soft bed with Hinata and Hanabi beside him.

Neither of the sisters had fallen asleep. One rested against his chest while the other held one of his arms.

Hanabi reached through the loose opening of his robe and lightly touched the firm muscles of his chest before finally asking the question that had been bothering her all day.

“Mihawk-nii, didn’t you leave to train your swordsmanship? Why did you come back so soon? Was it because of Saeko-onee-san?”

Hinata remained silent beside him.

In the darkness, a trace of doubt also appeared in her eyes.

Mihawk nodded and smoothly began weaving an explanation.

“I was indeed training, but not in the shinobi world.”

Hanabi blinked.

“Then where did you go?”

“Another world.”

Hinata and Hanabi both froze.

“Another world?!”

Their voices rang out at the same time.

“A few days ago, my ocular jutsu underwent a change, and I awakened a new ability,” Mihawk explained. “At first, I thought it was an ordinary space-time jutsu.”

“I later discovered that it could open a path to another world.”

He glanced toward the door.

“Saeko is the student I accepted while I was there.”

Hinata and Hanabi immediately believed him.

Neither of them thought Mihawk would lie to them.

They simply had not expected his experiences over the past two days to be so extraordinary.

“That’s amazing!”

Hanabi’s eyes shone with excitement.

Still young, she was naturally filled with curiosity and fascination toward the idea of another world.

She immediately looked up at Mihawk with anticipation.

“Mihawk-nii, can you still use that ability? Can you bring other people with you?”

Hinata remained quiet.

As the wielder of the Tenseigan, she understood the dangers of powerful ocular jutsu all too well.

Every ocular ability consumed something, and the more powerful the technique, the greater the price its user usually had to pay.

Hinata had witnessed Mihawk suffer from severe mental strain after overusing his eyes many times before.

Her brows drew together, and she was about to reprimand him for taking such a risk.

Mihawk noticed the change in her mood.

He gently patted her back while using his other hand to rub Hanabi’s head.

“The ability doesn’t consume much power, and its recovery period isn’t very long. I simply can’t use it again for the time being.”

Hinata’s expression relaxed slightly.

Hanabi, meanwhile, became even more excited.

“Then once it recovers, will you take me to visit another world?”

“Of course.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Hanabi nodded repeatedly, her face filled with anticipation.

“Then it’s a promise!”

“It’s a promise.”

Hinata and Hanabi’s eyes remained bright as they imagined the possibility of traveling beyond their own world.

Mihawk opened his arms and pulled both of them closer.

Staring up at the ceiling, he spoke quietly.

“Hinata, Hanabi... once we find a way to live forever, let’s find somewhere peaceful and spend a hundred years there together—just the three of us.”

“How does that sound?”

“Mm-hm!”

Hinata and Hanabi nodded, their expressions filled with longing for that distant future.

Their replies were barely louder than whispers, but the bedroom was so quiet that Mihawk heard them clearly.

After calming the excited Hanabi, Mihawk lowered his head toward Hinata’s ear and whispered something meant only for her.