Chapter 188 (Patreon)

Time passed quickly.

Before long, seven days had passed since Saeko Busujima arrived in the Otherworld.

Despite leaving behind a technologically advanced city and moving to a shinobi village filled with traditional buildings and high walls, Saeko adapted without much difficulty.

If anything, she welcomed the change.

Mihawk had taken her from a world overrun by zombies and brought her to a peaceful village. He had also introduced her to powers she had once believed existed only in legends.

For that, Saeko was deeply grateful to him.

Over the past week, she had also grown close to Hinata and Hanabi.

With their help, Saeko quickly became familiar with Konoha.

Although the village seemed rather small compared to Tokonosu City, Saeko soon fell in love with its lively atmosphere and the warm, honest nature of its people.

Every night, she went to the dojo and trained under Mihawk.

Only after encountering the supernatural powers of this world did Saeko realize how inadequate her swordsmanship was in Mihawk’s eyes, despite all the praise she had received from her father and other senior swordsmen.

Under Mihawk’s guidance, Saeko began rebuilding the style she had spent years developing.

He gradually stripped away her deeply ingrained habit of holding back. Her movements became sharper and more decisive, and every attack began to carry genuine killing intent.

There was one other matter worth mentioning.

Saeko had successfully learned how to produce chakra.

After witnessing ninjutsu and seeing shinobi run across walls and rooftops, Saeko expressed her desire to learn those abilities on her second day in Konoha.

Since Hinata already knew where Saeko had come from, she taught her the chakra extraction method without hesitation.

Perhaps because the laws of this world now applied to her as well, Saeko successfully produced chakra.

Mihawk was mildly surprised by the result, though he did not find it entirely unexpected.

He quietly revised Saeko’s training schedule afterward.

During the day, Hinata taught her tree-climbing and water-walking exercises to improve her chakra control.

At night, she continued training in swordsmanship under Mihawk.

Soon, Wednesday of her second week in Konoha arrived.

That afternoon, Mihawk brought Hinata, Hanabi, and Saeko to a restaurant.

“Yo, Mihawk! You’re finally here!”

As soon as Mihawk entered, he saw Kiba Inuzuka standing beside Akamaru.

Behind them was a large round table, already prepared with hotpots, grills, utensils, and various ingredients.

Aside from Sasuke Uchiha, who was currently traveling throughout the shinobi world, the rest of the Konoha Twelve had already arrived.

Several other familiar faces were present as well.

“Mihawk, you’re late!”

Mihawk led Hinata, Hanabi, and Saeko toward the four empty seats.

Shikamaru Nara, who was seated beside Mihawk’s place, gave him an amused look.

“Well, I suppose the hero is supposed to arrive last. Unlike Naruto, who came running here ahead of everyone else.”

“Hmm?”

Naruto Uzumaki, seated across the table, instinctively raised his head.

He was holding a book in his bandaged right hand.

In the past, Naruto would have been making noise alongside Kiba and Chōji Akimichi, keeping the gathering lively from the moment he arrived.

Now, he was quietly reading while waiting for the meal to begin.

Such a sight would once have shocked everyone present.

However, none of his friends seemed surprised by it anymore. Even Mihawk regarded it as perfectly normal.

Naruto’s life had always revolved around his dream of becoming Hokage.

As one of his former classmates, Mihawk had personally witnessed how much Naruto had changed and how the people around him had shaped that growth.

Sasuke’s defection had forced him to leave much of his childishness behind.

Jiraiya’s death had made him truly mature, giving him the resolve necessary to become both a hero and the savior of the shinobi world.

Now, Naruto was preparing himself to shoulder the future of Konoha.

Years from now, this once-reckless boy would become Hokage and devote every part of himself to the village.

Thinking about the life awaiting Naruto, Mihawk silently shook his head.

He had no desire to live that way.

After sitting down, Mihawk noticed the woman beside Shikamaru.

He raised an eyebrow and looked between the two of them with an odd expression.

“And this is...?”

“Oh, right. I haven’t introduced you.”

Shikamaru gestured toward the woman beside him.

“This is Temari from Sunagakure. She came to Konoha with the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, for an official visit.”

“After Lady Tsunade stepped down and Kakashi-sensei became the Sixth Hokage, I started working under him. I’m responsible for accompanying Temari during her stay.”

“Ah...”

The corner of Mihawk’s mouth rose as he gave Shikamaru a meaningful look.

Temari’s face immediately began to redden.

Shikamaru scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

Eager to change the subject, he turned toward Temari and pointed to the three women beside Mihawk.

“The one sitting next to Mihawk is his girlfriend, Hinata Hyūga. You’ve probably heard of her—she’s one of the three heroes who saved the shinobi world.”

“Beside her is her younger sister, Hanabi Hyūga. And the last one is Mihawk’s student, Saeko Busujima.”

“N-Nice to meet you!”

Temari greeted Hinata and the others with an unusual trace of nervousness in her voice.

Hinata, Hanabi, and Saeko nodded in return, offering her warm smiles.

Mihawk leaned back in his chair and quietly observed everyone around the table.

Chōji and Kiba were busy preparing the food.

Shino Aburame and Neji Hyūga sat quietly nearby.

Naruto continued reading his book, while Ino Yamanaka chatted with the others.

A rare trace of nostalgia appeared in Mihawk’s red eyes.

After a moment, he spoke.

“I’ll be leaving on a journey with Hinata and the others in two days. We probably won’t return for quite some time.”

Shikamaru paused before smiling.

“In that case, I suppose we’ll have to forget about the drinking age tonight and share a drink.”

Mihawk gave him a rare smile.

“All right.”

“Good. I’ll go get some sake.”

Shikamaru immediately rose from his seat.

Before walking away, he placed a hand on Mihawk’s shoulder and gave him a meaningful look.

“Don’t keep us waiting too long. Everyone’s still waiting to celebrate your and Hinata’s wedding.”

“Yeah...”

Mihawk nodded slightly.

More people gradually arrived after that.

Among them were the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, and his bodyguard, Kankurō.

The first gathering following the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War finally began.

At the same time, it became a farewell party for Mihawk.

That night, Mihawk drank alcohol for the first time.

Naruto eventually put his book aside and returned to his usual lively self.

He wrapped an arm around Gaara’s neck, and the two raised their cups in a toast to their friendship.

The gathering continued until after nine that night.

Mihawk had little tolerance for alcohol, and both he and Shikamaru were among the first to become completely drunk.

By the time the party ended, Mihawk could no longer walk home by himself.

Hinata carried him on her back as they made their way through the village.

During the journey home, Saeko finally gained a proper understanding of her teacher’s circle of friends and the side of his personality he normally kept hidden.

She looked at Mihawk resting drunkenly against Hinata’s back, his face flushed from the alcohol.

A gentle smile appeared on Saeko’s beautiful face.

Sensei was completely different when he was drunk.

The contrast was unexpectedly cute.