Showing Off Too Hard

When Kawafune returned home, Sakumo was nowhere to be seen in the Training Hall. His task-crazed older brother did nothing but missions and training, and his social circle was far too small.

No wonder he committed suicide later on. But under Hatake Kawafune's deliberate guidance, he was much better off than in the original story now. At the very least, he had someone to share his joys, anger, sorrows, and pleasures with, so he would not spiral into a dead end alone.

When he entered the Living Room, his sister-in-law was feeding her beloved Ninja Dog.

His sister-in-law had long brown hair draped over her shoulders, and two red markings on her face. Rather than looking strange, they added a touch of unusual charm.

The Ninja Dog was a huge black dog nearly half a man tall. The thick ring of fluffy fur from its neck to the top of its head concealed its ears completely. One look told him it was not the kind of dog that was easy to pet.

There was no doubt that his sister-in-law was from the Inuzuka Clan. Her original name was Inuzuka Nayuki, a lovely name.

She was beautiful too. As Kawafune often put it, his sister-in-law must have been blind to fall for such a dull lump.

At times like this, Sakumo would glare at his younger brother before turning to his wife with an indulgent smile.

"Kawafune, you're back. Your brother's been roaring in the Training Hall for half the day."

Hatake Nayuki did not even look up. She had identified her brother-in-law, Hatake Kawafune, by scent alone.

"Haha, that lousy sword was due for a replacement anyway."

"Out with the old, in with the new."

With a laugh, Kawafune swaggered over to the Ghost Mastiff, crouched down, and vigorously buried his hands in its thick fur, petting it to his heart's content.

Who could understand how wonderful it felt to pet such a large Ninja Dog? It was simply incredible.

And then there was whatever Kakashi kept. A pet Ninja Dog?

It was downright embarrassing for his sister-in-law. Aside from being fairly confident in his sense of smell, Kakashi had inherited none of the good traits.

Kawafune made up his mind to make Kakashi raise a fierce dog someday. Otherwise, how could he match the status of the young clan heir of the Hatake Clan?

The Ghost Mastiff let out a dissatisfied whine. If this guy were not his master's younger brother, he would have bitten him to death.

"What are you whining for? I'm just petting you a little. Stingy mutt."

Kawafune clearly sensed the Ghost Mastiff's displeasure. He gave it a pat on the head before reluctantly withdrawing his hand.

If he kept petting the same spot, it would go bald soon. That would ruin its looks.

"Stop patting the Ghost Mastiff's head. You'll make it stupid."

His sister-in-law shot her brother-in-law a glare. The Ghost Mastiff looked so fierce, yet her brother-in-law insisted on petting it.

The first time they met, he had pinned the Ghost Mastiff down and thoroughly petted it, making her heart ache just watching.

The Ghost Mastiff nodded along, as if to say that if he patted it again, it would not be polite.

"Big Brother isn't home?"

Kawafune casually asked about his brother, hoping to gather some intelligence. If things went south, he was prepared to retreat at any moment.

"He went to the Weapon Shop, then came back and went to the Ancestral Hall to beg forgiveness."

"You should go talk him down too."

Hatake Nayuki was helpless as well. Although her husband and brother-in-law were blood brothers, their personalities could not have been more different.

She wondered what kind of girl could possibly tame a man like her brother-in-law.

"Then I can rest easy."

"He won't be willing to come out from kneeling until dinner."

Kawafune happily got to his feet, ready to return to his room for another nap.

"..."

After finishing the Ghost Mastiff's meal, Nayuki was left speechless. He was the one who had broken White Fang, yet he was actually gloating now.

"Sister-in-law, call me when dinner's ready."

Kawafune stretched extravagantly and headed for his room.

"Got it."

Nayuki covered her face as she answered. Forget it. She would let the two brothers sort out their own business.

After a comfortable afternoon nap, Kawafune was awakened by the Ghost Mastiff.

It paced outside the door for a long while before finally making up its mind to enter Kawafune's room, the place that had left a shadow on its canine life.

It pushed open the door, barked wildly at Kawafune, then ran off without looking back.

"I only took you to eat some dog meat. Why are you getting all dramatic?"

"Ungrateful mutt."

Yawning, Kawafune rolled his neck and got up to eat.

When he reached the dining room, the servants had already brought out the food and arranged it on the table.

Hatake Sakumo sat at the head of the table with a sour look on his face.

His wife sat to his right, while the empty seat to his left naturally belonged to Kawafune.

The Hatake Clan truly had few members. Kakashi was not even around yet, making even their meals feel lonely.

Turning his face away to avoid Sakumo's ugly expression, Kawafune went straight to his seat.

"Let's eat, let's eat."

Without waiting for his older brother to begin, he dug in first. There were only three of them, so he could not be bothered with so many formalities.

He picked up a piece of sushi and stuffed it into his mouth in one bite. Kawafune had always felt that this was just seaweed rice rolls.

Watching her husband's face darken like the bottom of a pot, Nayuki sighed and started eating with Kawafune.

"You can still eat?"

Sakumo could not hold back any longer. Seeing his younger brother wolfing down food made his anger rise again.

"I'm still growing at this age."

Kawafune stuffed three bites of roast suckling pig into his mouth before finding a moment to answer his brother.

"Do you know..."

"Yes, it's an ancestral treasured sword."

Kawafune cut his brother off. This old fossil only ever repeated those same few lines. His combat power was far too low.

"Do you know why even a treasured sword can break?"

Kawafune threw the question back at Sakumo, leaving him speechless and unable to answer.

He could hardly say that the ancestral treasured sword was just poorly made.

Kawafune swallowed all the suckling pig in his mouth and drank a cup of wine.

Then he put on an air as if no one else in the world could compare to him.

"Because the Hatake Clan didn't have me back then."

"Starting today—"

"The swords I, Hatake Kawafune, use will be passed down forever as ancestral weapons."

Those shameless words actually left his brother and sister-in-law staring at him in shock. They had not expected their younger brother—her brother-in-law—to harbor such grand ambitions.

"I am deeply gratified."

"A toast to our parents in the Pure Land."

Sakumo was so moved that he raised his cup, clinked it against Kawafune's empty one, and drained it in a single gulp.

Nayuki also drank a cup beside them.

Kawafune was completely dumbfounded.

Hey, I was just showing off. There was no need to take it this seriously, right?

You're making it very hard for me to back down.

Sakumo's mood finally settled, and he no longer fixated on White Fang being broken.

Dinner ended up being a cheerful affair.

Unable to resist his brother's enthusiasm, Kawafune drank all the wine he had not finished at noon at home.

During that time, Sakumo said many things Kawafune had never expected. In his older brother's eyes, Kawafune became more fully realized.

"Brat, you're pretty good at making money."

"Brat, damn it, I can't beat you anymore."

"Brat, all you know is how to make me mad."

By the end, Sakumo was eighty percent drunk. Supported by his wife, he declared that he was going to offer another stick of incense to their ancestors. The Hatake Clan was about to produce an extraordinary figure.

As the one who had started it all, Kawafune could only watch in silence. His older brother had truly taken his words seriously. What a pain.

Revitalizing the clan and becoming a powerful ninja had never been his dream.

He only wanted to woo the prettiest girls, drink the strongest wine, and ride the fiercest horses.

Why did it suddenly feel as if the burden on his shoulders had grown heavier? He shook his woozy head.

In a flash, he grabbed the Ghost Mastiff, which had not yet left. He had found the laborer responsible for taking him back to his room.

The Ghost Mastiff was probably truly not very bright. Not leaving immediately showed that it still did not understand Kawafune well enough.

Now it could only carry this man, who weighed well over a hundred pounds, back to his hellish room. A dog's life was hard!

Living under someone else's roof, this dog's life was too miserable.