Chapter 193 (Patreon)

The Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion pushed the Tenseigan’s repulsive power to its limit. Even Nerona Mihawk could not afford to underestimate it.

Without the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and his ultimate technique, Return to One, even his Ranged Slashes could not match its power.

Its golden blade could cleave through the moon created by Six Paths: Planetary Devastation. Cutting apart a single island was hardly a challenge.

In less than 5 seconds, Hinata separated the beach and a third of the forest from the rest of the island where Cocoyasi Village stood.

“Rise!”

Rumble!

A massive fissure stretched across the ground, its edges smooth and straight. Seawater surged upward from below, filling the gap.

The spheres around Hinata and the chakra cloak covering her body faded away.

Then she raised one hand.

The section of land beneath her began shaking violently.

From the beach, Mihawk, Hanabi, and Saeko watched the churning water seemingly retreat from the shore. The sea level dropped farther and farther below them.

Their patch of land was rising toward Hinata.

Once it reached her height, Hinata descended onto the beach and returned to Mihawk’s side.

“It’s done, Mihawk-kun,” she said with a warm smile. “How high should I keep it?”

Instead of answering immediately, Mihawk asked, “How much chakra are you using?”

“Very little.”

Hinata shook her head.

“With this much land moving at this speed, I could maintain it for six or seven hours and still have more than half my chakra left.”

“That’s incredible...”

Hanabi and Saeko stared at her.

Moving such an enormous piece of land required so little effort?

Once again, the difference between their abilities and Hinata’s became painfully clear.

Saeko had not even fully mastered tree-climbing or water-walking yet.

Her age and physical constitution also affected her progress. Her chakra reserves were still less than a tenth of Hanabi’s.

As for her swordsmanship, she had yet to make progress Mihawk expected. Her current skills remained far below his standards.

Compared to Hinata, Saeko’s strength was insignificant.

The realization made her chest tighten.

An enormous sense of pressure settled over her.

She did not feel the slightest jealousy toward Hinata.

What troubled her was something else.

Both Sensei and Hinata possessed strength that seemed capable of devastating an entire world.

Then how powerful had Madara Uchiha been?

He had brought them close to their limits and had them fight together just to narrowly defeat him.

Was that the kind of opponent they had to face?

If they encountered someone like that again, Saeko would not even be capable of safely watching the battle, much less helping her teacher.

She would only become a burden.

Her desire to grow stronger became more urgent than ever.

I mustn’t become a burden.

...

Two or three kilometers above the sea, a small island floated over the clouds, slowly traveling in one direction.

Crack!

Thud!

The island consisted of only two kinds of terrain: forest and beach.

The forest occupied roughly three-quarters of its surface, while the beach covered the remaining quarter.

At that moment, the sound of trees being felled echoed continuously through the forest.

Each falling trunk startled the birds and animals that had been carried into the sky before they could escape.

Viewed from above, a large clearing was already visible near the center of the forest.

Mihawk sat on a fallen trunk, watching Saeko cut down another tree.

“Keep your breathing steady. Don’t let impatience affect your movements.”

His voice was stern.

“Do you think I need your help clearing this place? I could flatten it with one swing.”

“Take the training seriously. Focus your senses on the sword.”

“Yes, Sensei!”

Sweat ran down Saeko’s face as she studied the trunk before her. She had already cut through two-thirds of it.

She adjusted her stance, took a deep breath, and swung again.

Swish—crack!

A pale flash swept diagonally across the trunk.

The remaining wood split apart.

Boom!

The tree crashed to the ground.

Saeko lowered her sword and vigorously rubbed her reddened palms.

Even without leveling up her swordsmanship, cutting down such a large tree in only a few strikes with an ordinary sword was already an impressive display of strength and technique.

However, the repeated impact of the blade against the wood still left her hands aching badly.

“Rest for two minutes,” Mihawk said calmly.

“Poor Saeko-onee-san...”

Hanabi watched the relentless training and shook her head.

She knew exactly how strict Mihawk could be.

During training, he showed almost no sympathy.

Even when Hanabi had been only nine, he had struck her without hesitation while correcting her mistakes.

Still, her own training had never been quite as harsh as Saeko’s.

Beside her, a nostalgic look appeared in Hinata’s blue-and-white Tenseigan.

“It takes time to develop that kind of skill,” she said knowingly. “Mihawk-kun went through something similar when he first began learning swordsmanship.”

Hanabi turned toward her sister.

“Did Mihawk-nii cut down trees too?”

“No.”

Hinata shook her head.

“He practiced on a waterfall.”

“Heehee. That sounds like Mihawk-nii!”

Hanabi immediately ran toward him.

From several paces away, she leaped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

His stern expression did not frighten her in the slightest.

Mihawk’s severity gave way to resignation as Hanabi clung affectionately to him.

Watching the two, something flickered in Hinata’s eyes.

She pressed her lips together before allowing a faint smile to appear.

Then her expression became focused again.

Using the extraordinary vision of her Tenseigan, Hinata continued surveying the sea below.

The afternoon gradually passed.

As dusk approached, Mihawk finished Saeko’s training, and the four gathered on the beach for dinner.

After night fell, Hinata lowered the floating island onto the sea.

Mihawk took out the storage scroll containing their daily necessities and retrieved several tents.

Before leaving for the Otherworld, they had considered how they would obtain food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

Naturally, they had also prepared for the possibility of arriving in a desert or some other uninhabited region.

The tents had been packed for precisely that reason.

With somewhere to sleep already secured, Mihawk was in no hurry to build a wooden house.

Saeko could continue cutting down the trees at her own pace as part of her training.