Gekko Izakaya

Commercial Street was small, but it had an astonishing variety of shops: a small grocery, a general store, a flower shop, an izakaya, a barbecue restaurant, a jewelry store, a clothing shop, a Ninja Tool Shop, a bathhouse, and even a little gambling den. Though it was small, it had everything.

At that moment, Hanfu stood outside the bathhouse, blinking his two innocent, wide eyes. He couldn't shake the feeling that some voice was calling to him.

Could it be Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin?

Hanfu was tempted, but in the end, he had to admit that he... probably wasn't developed enough yet.

Never mind. I'll lie low and grow for a while, then come back and test the waters!

Hanfu reluctantly shuffled away and stopped in front of an izakaya. He looked up, and his pupils shrank.

Gekko Izakaya?

Was it owned by the Gekko Clan?

But why had he never heard his parents mention it?

Hanfu peered inside. It was an ordinary izakaya. A row of small tables for four lined the wall on the left, while a long counter ran along the right. A row of stools stood beside it. Since it was nearly noon, quite a few customers were already seated there.

Several busy employees stood behind the counter, dressed in matching uniforms and wearing masks. They expertly prepared all sorts of delicious dishes for the customers.

Hanfu rose onto his toes for a better look. There was sushi, oden, grilled meat, beer, and sake. Their mingled aromas made his stomach growl. How was he supposed to feel, when rice balls had been his staple food for so long?

Hanfu felt his pocket. Apart from a set of keys, it was empty.

As expected, even a hero could be stumped by a lack of money.

Hanfu sighed sadly.

"Feng-chan, what are you doing here?"

A familiar voice came from behind him.

Hanfu knew without turning around that it was his mother, Keiko.

"I want to eat."

Without looking back, Hanfu pointed at the izakaya and got straight to the point.

"That won't do. Hayate is waiting for us at home. Come on, let's go."

Keiko took Hanfu by the hand and firmly led him away.

Hanfu was reluctant. His eyes darted around as he asked, "Why is that izakaya called Gekko?"

"Because it's owned by the Gekko Clan," Keiko replied matter-of-factly.

"Then can I eat there without paying?" Hanfu's eyes lit up.

"Of course you have to pay." Keiko explained earnestly, "The izakaya's profits go to the clan's elderly people who have no family and its children. If you eat there without paying, wouldn't those clan members suffer?"

Hanfu said, "Then just make the izakaya bigger. If it earns more, it won't need my meal money."

Keiko laughed at Hanfu's "innocent" suggestion. "Feng-chan, there are at least thirty izakayas in the village, so the competition is fierce. It's very difficult to expand one, understand?"

Hanfu pursed his lips. She really did think he was just some ignorant little kid.

He'd never worked in the food industry, but in his previous life, he'd eaten at plenty of Japanese restaurants, Korean restaurants, and Chinese fast-food joints. He could borrow some management ideas and learn from the strengths of their different cuisines. That would definitely give Gekko Izakaya a competitive edge!

Unfortunately, everyone still saw him as a child. He had little influence, and his clan-leader father wasn't around. Even if he laid out his ideas in detail, no one would listen. After all, the izakaya's profits directly affected the elderly people and children in the clan. No one could afford to take chances with it.

"Feng-chan, go home first. Mom's going to buy some vegetables."

Keiko stopped when they passed the small grocery.

Hanfu's eyes lit up. At last, he wouldn't have to eat rice balls for lunch!

When they got home, Hanfu had just changed his shoes in the entryway when he heard hurried footsteps coming from the living room.

"Big Brother, you're back!"

His little brother Hayate came running to greet him, barefoot and drenched in sweat, with a wooden sword in hand.

Hayate had climbed over the wall that morning to come practice swordsmanship with Hanfu, but Hanfu hadn't been home. So he'd trained alone in the backyard with his wooden sword, and had kept at it until now.

"Little Brother, didn't I tell you not to push yourself so hard?"

Looking at the sweat on Hayate's head, Hanfu felt helpless and frustrated. "Don't you know what'll happen to you later if you keep this up?"

His little brother stared at him, bewildered.

"Forget it. You wouldn't understand even if I explained. Just remember to take a nap every afternoon, okay?" Hanfu said solemnly.

Gekko Hayate nodded, then shook his head. "No, Big Brother. We have to practice swordsmanship together this afternoon!"

He'd been brainwashed.

Hanfu sighed helplessly.

He had no idea what Gekko Sekiseki was filling his little brother's head with every day to make him so driven at such a young age.

Just look at Naruto. When he was six, he never did anything useful, but he still grew up to save the village and the world, didn't he?

Seeing Hanfu ignore him, Gekko Hayate grew anxious. "Big Brother, let's practice together this afternoon!"

"Fine, fine."

Pestered into submission, Hanfu agreed offhandedly.

"Big Brother, let's practice together tonight too!" Gekko Hayate shouted excitedly.

"Why do you like sword practice so much?" Hanfu held his forehead and grumbled.

"I'm going to inherit Konoha-Style Kenjutsu and make the clan's name famous throughout the world!" Gekko Hayate declared, full of youthful fervor. "Big Brother, let's work hard together!"

"Sure, sure."

Hanfu scratched his head. In the anime, apart from his poor health, Gekko Hayate had been composed and orderly in everything he said and did. He'd even seemed a little lazy. Why had he been so over-the-top as a kid?

What a headache.

Keiko returned with the groceries before long and cooked a lavish lunch.

As they ate, Keiko said, "Feng-chan, don't go out this afternoon. Stay home and keep Hayate company, okay?"

"Okay," Hanfu replied.

"Hayate will sleep with you tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you both to register at the Ninja Academy. After that, you'll be responsible for taking Hayate to and from school, understand?" Keiko added.

In the war against Sunagakure, Konoha Hospital had sent a number of Medical Ninjas to the front lines. The hospital was short-staffed, so Keiko had become busier and could hardly get away.

"Okay." Hanfu was feeling a little helpless. Great, now he had a tagalong. He wouldn't feel comfortable doing anything naughty anymore.

Hanfu glanced at his tagalong and saw he was nearly finished eating. Remembering the prospect of practicing swordsmanship together, Hanfu quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks, then dashed back to his bedroom and locked the sliding door.

A moment later, his little brother knocked and shouted from outside, "Big Brother, let's practice swordsmanship! Big Brother, let's practice swordsmanship..."

Hanfu lay flat on the tatami, sleep tugging at him. His little brother was noisy, but falling asleep to the sound of that racket was rather nice.

Did Hayate think he could interrupt his afternoon nap?

As if!

Hanfu's eyelids grew heavy, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.