Hawk Eyes

Beichen Haotian had not been in the forest for long when, confident in his own strength, he paid little attention to concealing his tracks. Before long, he was spotted by the hawks of Tianya Mountain.

Over a hundred hawks began flying toward Beichen Haotian, circling overhead and crying sharply as their piercing gazes fixed on his every move. Such a huge disturbance naturally could not escape the people guarding the road at the foot of the mountain. One person hurried back to report it, while the rest stayed below, too afraid to go up the mountain.

Suddenly, over a hundred black hawks cried out across the sky, their calls piercing clouds and splitting stone. Like a hundred fighter jets, they dove straight at Beichen Haotian.

Ordinary people, and even average ninjas, would likely flee in panic before the charge of over a hundred adult hawks. But Beichen Haotian was no ordinary person. Ever since reaching the Unity of Man and Blade and awakening Armament Haki, his strength had already come infinitely close to Kage-level. As long as he continued refining Chakra, sensed the breath of all things, and reached the Swordmaster Realm, becoming a Kage-level powerhouse would come naturally.

Comprehending the breath of all things was not difficult for him; he was already familiar with the path. In his previous life, Beichen Haotian had been a Great Swordmaster. Iron Cutting came easily to him, and combined with his unique Blade Intent, there were not many things in the One Piece World that could withstand his slashes. His Blade Intent was what had allowed Beichen Haotian to stand out among countless experts and dominate the seas in his previous life. With it, despite his youth, he had fought Hawk Eyes, the world's greatest swordmaster, for three days and three nights without suffering defeat!

Beichen Haotian frowned and decided not to harm them. After all, he intended to subdue a wild Summoned Beast. Hurting its subordinates would only make things harder for himself.

Lightning Style, Lightning Net.

Beichen Haotian deliberately lowered the voltage. He opened his mouth and spat out a blue ball of light, which transformed midair into a large blue net of lightning. The hawks were diving too quickly to slow down in time, crashing into the lightning net one after another. Their bodies stiffened, and they fell to the ground with a series of smacks. The lucky ones merely hurt themselves in the fall, while the unlucky ones broke bones, but none died.

Forty or fifty hawks were paralyzed by the electric net in that charge. More than half remained, and those diving from behind managed to brake in time and escape disaster. Yet they did not leave. They continued circling Beichen Haotian, crying out repeatedly.

Seeing that they were not attacking for the moment, Beichen Haotian ignored them and quickly leaped toward the summit. A mountain over five hundred meters high was nothing to a ninja; sheer cliffs posed no obstacle at all.

Just as Beichen Haotian was nearing the summit, a clear cry rang through the heavens. It was majestic, proud, crisp, and far-reaching—louder and more penetrating than the combined cries of every hawk.

At that moment, a golden eagle over three meters long, with a wingspan of five meters and golden feathers all over its body, shot out from the mountaintop beneath the sunlight. It moved at incredible speed, like a bolt of golden lightning. Its golden pupils were sharp, and its pale yellow talons curled as it rushed toward Beichen Haotian with vicious intent, striking straight for his throat.

This time, Beichen Haotian did not use ninjutsu. If he wanted to subdue it as quickly as possible, defeating it in close combat was undoubtedly the best method.

Armament Haki, Hardening.

Beichen Haotian's hands, from his elbows to his fingertips, turned pitch-black and gleamed with a metallic luster beneath the sun. He stomped fiercely on the ground, stepping through the air one step at a time as he charged toward the Golden Eagle.

Boom! A claw and a fist collided, stirring the air as a shockwave spread outward. Before it could fully disperse, man and eagle began battling fiercely in the air. Their figures clashed violently, until only eagle talons and black fists could be seen leaving afterimages behind. Sonic booms rang out continuously, accompanied from time to time by excited eagle cries.

Beichen Haotian stepped onto a stone pillar and let out a long breath. Continuously using Geppo while fighting a king of the skies like the Golden Eagle had consumed a great deal of stamina.

A crisp, distant cry sounded. The Golden Eagle flapped its wings and watched Beichen Haotian from above. Once it had his attention, it opened its beak wide, condensing a two-meter-long invisible crescent wind blade and firing it at him. It was incredibly fast and close; the distance of several dozen meters vanished in the blink of an eye.

Beichen Haotian instantly drew his blade. A blood-red blade light filled with Blade Intent, sharpness, and dominance flew out and collided with the incoming wind blade. A violent explosion erupted, sending powerful gusts scattering through the air.

The Golden Eagle cried out excitedly, as though it had found something fun. It gathered strength slightly in midair, then sent three parallel wind blades flying toward Beichen Haotian.

Naturally, Beichen Haotian did not retreat. With a backhand swing, he sent out three blade lights as well. Another series of violent explosions rang through the sky, and the gusts made his clothes snap loudly. After playing like this more than a dozen times, the Golden Eagle finally stopped attacking.

Beichen Haotian sheathed his blade, released his Armament Haki, and revealed a friendly smile. "Brother Eagle, how about following me? I can make you stronger, take you to eat lots of delicious food, play with many interesting things, and visit plenty of interesting places. Maybe I can even find you a beautiful female eagle."

The Golden Eagle was highly intelligent. Though it was young and wild, and could not speak like the toads of Mount Myōboku, the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, the slugs of Shikkotsu Forest, Kakashi's dogs, and other Summoned Beasts, it could understand Beichen Haotian's meaning. It fluttered in the air, bobbing its head from side to side as though considering his words.

After a quarter of an hour, the Golden Eagle seemed to have made up its mind. It flew over to Beichen Haotian, folded its wings, and landed on his shoulder. Beichen Haotian felt his shoulder sink. Though this fellow was still young, it truly was not light. Fortunately, his physique was strong, or it might have crushed him flat.

Beichen Haotian jumped down from the stone pillar, took out a blank scroll from his Ninja Tools pouch, then brought out brush and ink. He quickly began writing complex formulas onto it, while the Golden Eagle on his shoulder tilted its head curiously at his movements. On Earth, this Golden Eagle would already have been enormous, but in Naruto, it could only be considered juvenile.

Soon, Beichen Haotian finished writing. He bit his thumb again, dripped blood onto the scroll, pressed down a handprint, and said, "Brother Eagle, do as I did. From now on, we are comrades and brothers. As long as your big brother has a bite to eat, you'll have half a bite."

The Golden Eagle understood. It condensed a small wind blade and cut open its talon, dripping blood onto the scroll before pressing down a talon print. Beichen Haotian nodded, then used the blood of both man and eagle to write the formulas. Finally, he formed hand seals for the duration of three breaths. The contract was complete! A special connection was established between man and eagle, allowing them to communicate.

"Brother Eagle, my name is Beichen Haotian. You can call me Haotian from now on. Do you have a name?"

"N-No." The Golden Eagle spoke haltingly. Perhaps because it was not used to speaking for the first time, it stuttered a little. Forming a contract between a Summoned Beast and a ninja was also beneficial to the Summoned Beast's evolution. Otherwise, only an idiot would make a contract with a ninja and bind itself without receiving anything in return.

"Then I'll give you one. How about Hawk Eyes? Don't underestimate that name. Hawk Eyes was a true powerhouse, even stronger than me." Beichen Haotian spoke with a solemn expression, though inside he was nearly bursting with laughter.

Does this count as a twisted sense of humor? Forget it. Who told you to surpass me in my previous life? I just have to mess with you like this. Still, the name does sound quite imposing.

"Alright, I'll listen to Haotian." The Golden Eagle—no, Hawk Eyes—spoke. Because he was still young, Hawk Eyes's voice sounded somewhat childish.

"Then it's settled. We should leave this place now. Go say goodbye to your subordinates."

Hawk Eyes spread his wings and soared high, crying loudly as he bid farewell to the hawks of Tianya Mountain.

Beichen Haotian waited for a while. Once Hawk Eyes flew back, he gave a light jump and landed on the Golden Eagle's back. Amid the farewell cries of over a hundred hawks, they flew into the distance.

His coat snapped wildly in the fierce winds at high altitude, but Beichen Haotian was extremely excited, his heart filled with boundless ambition. He let out a long roar that resounded through the sky. Hearing him, Hawk Eyes refused to be outdone, releasing a loud, clear, distant, proud, and majestic cry that echoed through the clouds.

Standing three or four hundred meters in the air, Beichen Haotian caught sight of a large group rapidly approaching Tianya Mountain. His eyes shifted, and a mischievous smile immediately appeared on his face. Better not let them disturb the hawks of Tianya Mountain.

Water Style, Great Waterfall Technique.

Beichen Haotian's Water Style cultivation was naturally not as strong as the Second Hokage's, nor did he possess as much Chakra as the tailless Tailed Beast Kisame Hoshigaki. Thus, the amount of water he could create in a waterless area was not particularly great. Still, it amounted to over a thousand cubic meters, falling from an altitude of three or four hundred meters and crashing down before those people.

Beichen Haotian had no intention of taking their lives. He merely wanted to make them suffer a little and announce that Hawk Eyes already had an owner.

The falling water carried immense impact, sending the people below tumbling in every direction. Only a few Rogue Ninjas avoided the torrent. This also made them notice the sky and see the Golden Eagle's silhouette.

As for what they thought or what they would do afterward, that was beyond Beichen Haotian's concern. Standing atop the Golden Eagle and flying into the distance felt wonderful. It was entirely different from Geppo, and Beichen Haotian found himself somewhat intoxicated by the sensation.

Thanks to YXK, Giant Salamander1, reader 161228..., Henshu Shao 125, Dugu Jingsi, Da Le, Zhuhán Wàndāndàn, A Li, and Weiren de Beiai for the recommendation votes! Thanks to reader 161228 for the reward, many thanks!