Might Duy

"Then I have one more candidate. I just don't know if he's in the village."

"Nawaki, come here."

As if she had suddenly thought of something, Tsunade shouted, startling the two people who had been slacking off.

Thinking they had been caught loafing around, Nawaki immediately handed his wooden sword to Minato and ran over to his sister with a flattering grin.

"What is it?"

"Is your teacher in the village?"

The other candidate Tsunade had in mind was Orochimaru, the Third Hokage's most outstanding disciple.

When it came to ninjutsu, Orochimaru not only learned quickly but could draw inferences from what he learned.

Calling him a genius would not be an exaggeration.

Kawafune's eyes lit up as well. He had actually forgotten such an important figure.

"Teacher said he'll be back tomorrow and stay for a while."

Nawaki honestly shared Orochimaru's whereabouts. One was his own sister, and the other was his future brother-in-law.

There was nothing to hide.

"Tomorrow, we'll visit your teacher together."

Tsunade settled the matter right away.

"Teacher will definitely be happy."

"He also said Big Brother's horse stance is truly impressive, and his Sword Art is extraordinary too."

"When he gets the chance, he'll visit the Hatake Clan."

Nawaki was happy for two reasons. First, no one had noticed him slacking off. Second, these people were all the closest people in his life.

Their friendship was worth celebrating too.

"Really? Your teacher has excellent judgment."

Kawafune had said all the nice things. By praising Orochimaru, he had also conveniently praised himself.

"Enough. Go train."

Tsunade had learned the art of using someone and then tossing them aside from Kawafune very quickly.

A flick to the forehead sent Nawaki jumping up on the spot, and only then did he realize that his sister had seen through his slacking off from the start.

Just then, Sakumo and Nayuki returned, with Ghost Mastiff trailing behind them in a listless state.

The two of them brightened when they saw Kawafune. It did not matter whether his training had succeeded or not. As long as he was safe, that was enough.

They brought Ghost Mastiff over and sat down at the stone table.

"Did Ghost Mastiff get neutered?"

Kawafune spoke first, and his vicious thought made Ghost Mastiff shoot him a sidelong glance.

I really fucking want to bite this bastard to death.

"No. Sakumo and I took him home to breed."

"Ghost Mastiff is one of the rare fierce dogs of the Inuzuka Clan."

Nayuki explained the purpose of their outing.

Looking at Ghost Mastiff's half-dead appearance, Kawafune guessed he must have bred quite a few times. The poor dog had been worked to the bone.

"How did your Sage Art training go?"

Now that Kawafune had returned safely, Sakumo had become curious about the results of his training.

"I finished it in one day. Your little brother is such a genius—how about calling me Big Brother to celebrate?"

Tsunade spat out a mouthful of tea onto the ground. Unable to hold it in, she clutched her stomach and burst into laughter.

"You won't let me go unless you drive me to death, will you?"

"Let's duel, you little brat."

For all these years, Sakumo had only been able to keep Kawafune in check with his status as the older brother. How could he possibly agree to call him Big Brother?

Would that not mean throwing away even his last shred of dignity?

After draining his tea, he grabbed Kawafune by the collar with a dark face and dragged him to the center of the Training Hall.

"Are those two always like this?"

Tsunade had yet to recover. She tapped her temple with her middle finger.

Nayuki sighed. She had seen it so often that she was used to it.

At first, she had even thought the Hatake Clan had a history of mental illness.

"The two brothers depended on each other for survival. They're used to fooling around like this."

Hearing Nayuki's words, Tsunade looked at the luxurious mansion and the spacious Training Hall.

You call this depending on each other for survival?

These two were living in luxury.

"Oh."

A thousand words condensed into one.

She had absolutely no interest in the duel in the middle of the room.

Those two idiots were just swinging swords at each other. There was nothing entertaining about it.

After the two women had barely finished two cups of tea, Kawafune returned.

As expected, without holding back, Kawafune was a dream Sakumo could never hope to reach.

But not calling him Big Brother was Hatake Sakumo's bottom line.

After Kawafune sat down, Sakumo returned to the stone table as well.

He snorted in dissatisfaction. So Big Brother wasn't worthy of you holding back?

You good-for-nothing bastard.

After that farce ended, the group quickly resumed chatting.

Sakumo gradually returned to normal as well. He had figured it out—if he kept getting angry at Kawafune, even nine lives would not be enough.

The next morning.

Kawafune held a fine sword he had picked up from the Hatake Armory, with Minato behind him.

They met up with Tsunade and Nawaki at the Senju Clan residence, then headed together to visit Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru has returned to the village. What about Jiraiya?"

Kawafune thought of that perverted sage. He had stolen Dan Katō's destined relationship, so he did not feel guilty in the slightest.

"He went to Mount Myōboku to train."

"He should be training in Sage Art too."

The Third Hokage's disciples still got along quite well at this point, so it was perfectly normal for Tsunade to know Jiraiya's whereabouts.

"I'm afraid it won't be so easy for him to learn."

Kawafune knew that Jiraiya had likely taken ten years to master Sage Art. He could be considered a hard-working ninja.

"He's the most hardworking ninja I've ever seen."

That was already high praise coming from Tsunade. Jiraiya had been born into a commoner family and was not especially gifted, but she had seen how hard he worked.

It was just that the current Jiraiya truly did not suit her tastes. Otherwise, there would have been no place for Kawafune.

As the two spoke, Kawafune caught sight of a cat pouncing toward him.

What a fat cat. It was decked out in gold and silver too. Who knew which wealthy Konoha lady it belonged to?

He reached out and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.

But then he felt another hand touch his own, only to withdraw at once.

So fast!

Kawafune looked up.

Before him stood a young man in a green jumpsuit, with gleaming black hair parted down the middle.

"Genin Might Duy greets Tsunade-sama."

The newcomer was actually Emperor Guy's father, the first man to master the Eight Gates Formation.

"Hello."

Tsunade clearly did not know this Genin who was still doing low-level missions, but she replied out of courtesy.

"Hello, I'm Hatake Kawafune. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Kawafune, on the other hand, was very interested in him.

"Hello, hello."

As a Genin, Might Duy had never had another ninja speak to him so politely. Moreover, Kawafune clearly came from no ordinary family.

He was somewhat nervous when he spoke.

"You're catching this cat, right?"

Kawafune handed him the fat cat.

"Thank you, Kawafune-sama."

Might Duy took it naturally and turned to leave. He had never imagined that someone important would want to help him.

"Wait. Your speed is very fast. Your taijutsu must be quite good, right?"

Kawafune was asking a question he already knew the answer to. Could someone practice the Eight Gates Formation with poor taijutsu?

"It's all right."

Duy flashed a set of bright white teeth and gave a simple, foolish grin.

"With your skills, why are you still doing Genin missions?"

Kawafune did not understand how this fierce man, who would one day open the Eight Gates Formation and nearly wipe out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist by himself, was still only a Genin.

"I only know taijutsu, so I can't pass the Chunin evaluation."

Konoha's promotion system was still rigid at the time. Commoners without the right circumstances found it difficult to rise.

If he had belonged to a major clan, Duy would have been promoted long ago.

"I see. I'll think of a way to help you."

"Let's be friends. Come visit the Hatake Clan when you have time."

Kawafune did not mind helping Might Duy. He would make an excellent companion.

"Then thank you very much."

"May youth always be by your side."

The signature thumbs-up and dazzling white teeth.

Just as expected of Emperor Guy's father.

Nawaki and Minato both stared blankly. This strange man seemed to be quite favored by Big Brother and Teacher.