Time passed quickly, and seven days went by in the blink of an eye.
During those seven days, Mihawk barely stepped outside his home except to eat his three daily meals.
His sudden reclusive behavior caused the neighbors living nearby to look upon him with pity.
Children his age spent their days running through the streets, laughing as they played pretend ninja battles with their friends. Mihawk had once been just as cheerful and energetic as the rest of them.
However, after his mother’s death, that lively and adorable child had changed completely.
The neighbors were not the only ones concerned about him.
Another person had also begun paying close attention to his situation.
That person was Umino Iruka, an instructor at the Ninja Academy.
Aside from the Third Hokage, Iruka had been the first person to truly acknowledge Uzumaki Naruto. In the future, he would become one of the three teachers who had the greatest influence on Naruto’s life.
To ensure that the Will of Fire would continue to be passed down through future generations, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had established Konoha’s Ninja Academy.
Whether they came from an established shinobi clan or were orphans without parents, every child in the village had the opportunity to apply for admission.
The Academy was responsible for nurturing Konoha’s next generation of shinobi. Because of its importance, before each new school year began, the Hokage would arrange for Academy instructors to personally visit orphaned children and remind them to attend the entrance examination on time.
Of course, receiving an enrollment notice did not guarantee admission.
The Ninja Academy’s training system was broadly divided into several stages: entrance examination, basic instruction, physical training, practical application, graduation, and finally, becoming a genin.
The entrance examination served as the first test.
Only children who passed it were permitted to study the fundamentals of being a shinobi and formally become Academy students.
Even Might Guy, who would one day become one of Konoha’s strongest taijutsu specialists, had nearly failed to gain admission.
"Enrollment, huh?"
After seeing off the warm and friendly Iruka, Mihawk lowered his gaze toward the admission notice in his hand.
The figures of Konoha’s future young shinobi naturally appeared in his mind.
Among them, the two who stood out most were the reincarnations of Indra and Asura’s chakra—Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.
At present, they were nothing more than children.
No one could have imagined that eleven years later, those two boys would become the saviors of the entire shinobi world.
It was also because of them that the upper limits of power in this world would rise to an entirely different dimension.
Had Mihawk arrived in this world more than a month earlier, he might have chosen to befriend them and rely on their future strength.
But now...
"My future won’t be inferior to anyone’s."
Determination settled across Mihawk’s young face as he turned and walked toward the dojo.
Five days later, Nerona Mihawk entered the Ninja Academy.
He became the fastest student of his group to pass the entrance examination.
The so-called entrance examination was primarily a test of physical fitness. However, the most important requirement for becoming a shinobi was the ability to produce chakra.
This was where children born into shinobi families possessed a considerable advantage.
Mihawk had already learned how to refine chakra.
Today was the first day he would attend his assigned class.
Mihawk woke early that morning.
After washing up, he stood before a full-length mirror and examined his young reflection.
Silver hair framed a delicate face that still carried traces of baby fat, while a pair of crimson eyes stared calmly back at him.
Even at such a young age, it was not difficult to imagine how handsome he would become several years later.
He had to admit that this body possessed excellent natural features.
In a world where children tended to mature unusually early, he would probably become quite popular with girls in the future.
After changing into his clothes, Mihawk left the house.
As he made his way toward the Ninja Academy, part of his attention remained fixed on the template displayed within his mind.
[Your inherited template, "Hawkeye" Dracule Mihawk, has reached an unlock rate of 0.94%.]
Over the course of twelve days, Mihawk had swung his sword twelve thousand times.
At last, the progress of Hawkeye’s inheritance had approached one percent.
Although it was not even a full one percent, the benefits Mihawk had received were already considerable.
Within the spiritual world, the young Hawkeye had already defeated every opponent of the same age who stood before him.
Through experiencing Hawkeye’s life and comprehending his growth firsthand, Mihawk had already mastered the fundamentals of swordsmanship.
The combat experience gained from Hawkeye’s battles, along with the repeated victories over his peers, had also begun influencing Mihawk’s demeanor in the outside world.
Without realizing it, he had gradually developed a quiet but unmistakable confidence.
Within the spiritual world, Hawkeye had now practiced swordsmanship for more than a year.
In other words, Mihawk had also effectively trained with the sword for over a year and defeated numerous opponents of the same age.
That was the true power of the Strongest Inheritance System.
It did not merely grant cultivation progress.
Swordsmanship experience, combat instincts, and even the emotions and state of mind Hawkeye experienced after each victory could gradually be assimilated by Mihawk.
And all of that had come from less than one percent of the template.
Dracule Mihawk was forty-three years old during the original story, and his life as a swordsman spanned more than thirty years.
His childhood represented only the beginning.
At that point, he could not even be considered a fledgling swordsman.
It was only after he set out to sea that his strength began to advance at an astonishing rate.
On his journey toward becoming the world’s greatest swordsman, Hawkeye would challenge countless powerful swordsmen.
Every one of those battles would become a priceless treasure for Mihawk.
After arriving at the Ninja Academy, Mihawk entered the classroom to which he had been assigned.
He was not the first student to arrive.
More than a dozen children of roughly the same age were already gathered inside.
Among them were three familiar members of Konoha’s future young generation.
They were the future Ino–Shika–Chō formation—Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chōji.
"Wow..."
The moment Mihawk entered the classroom, he immediately attracted the attention of the other students.
Ino’s eyes lit up as she stared at his delicate features.
"He’s so handsome! He’s exactly my type!"
Her excited exclamation made Shikamaru, who was sitting beside Chōji with his cheek resting lazily against one hand, glance in her direction.
"Are kids our age always this interested in that sort of thing?"
Ino immediately turned and glared at him.
"You’re the last person who should be saying that!"
"Yeah, yeah..."
Shikamaru showed no intention of arguing.
"What a drag..."
He finished speaking with a long, unconcerned yawn.
Mihawk briefly glanced toward Ino and Shikamaru before continuing toward the back of the classroom.
He had no intention of devoting himself primarily to ninjutsu.
As far as he was concerned, the Ninja Academy was only a temporary stepping stone.
Once another year or two had passed and his chakra reserves had grown sufficiently, he planned to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
After that, he could leave the theoretical lessons to his shadow clones.
Rather than spending most of his time sitting in a classroom, he would be better off using those hours to train with his sword.
The sooner he perceived the Breath of All Things, the sooner he could enter the next realm of swordsmanship.
In the world of pirates, swordsmen could generally be divided into three broad realms: ordinary swordsmen, master swordsmen, and great swordsmen.
No matter how refined a person’s swordsmanship became, they would remain an ordinary swordsman as long as they failed to cross that fundamental boundary.
Only a swordsman capable of perceiving the Breath of All Things possessed the qualifications to step into the realm of a master swordsman.
The Breath of All Things was also closely associated with the state known as the ability to cut steel.
To cut steel meant exactly what the name implied—the ability to sever steel itself.
Only after entering that realm could a swordsman unleash ranged sword slash.
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