My Little Brother

Keiko stood in the backyard for a long while before turning back to Hanfu. "Feng-chan, be a good boy and stay home to play. Don't go running around, okay? Mom is going to the hospital to check on things, and I'll make you something delicious tonight."

Keiko bent down, gently rubbing Hanfu's head, then walked to the entrance to change her shoes before turning to look at him again.

Hanfu looked back at Keiko. The two stared at each other, eyes wide. Keiko tilted her head, and Hanfu followed suit, tilting his head in imitation.

Keiko didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Feng-chan, you can't be so impolite."

"Eh?"

Hanfu was a bit confused. He hurriedly recalled his past experiences, and in an instant, it dawned on him. "I understand, Mom. I'll stay home and wait for you to come back."

Only then did Keiko smile. "Then goodbye."

Hanfu didn't say anything.

Keiko opened the door and turned her head back with an expressionless face.

Hanfu's survival instinct hit the roof. "Goodbye, Mom!!"

Only then did Keiko leave, satisfied.

After she left, Hanfu wore an expression of utter despair. How am I supposed to make it in this world from now on?

A while later, Hanfu suddenly remembered something. He couldn't help but cross his arms, looking like a little adult, and muttered to himself, "Mom works at the hospital... she must be either a nurse or a doctor."

Silently giving himself a thumbs-up for his intelligence, Hanfu puffed out his chest and walked into the backyard. He glanced at the wooden sword his dad had stuck in the grass, then picked up his own thirty-centimeter wooden sword.

He had originally thought he could rely on a cheat to reach the Peak of Life, but he had suffered three consecutive defeats in his first day of gathering.

"I still have to rely on myself."

Hanfu recalled the posture of his father's Iaijutsu from earlier. He immediately mimicked it, pressing the wooden sword against his left hip, leaning forward, and then fiercely drawing the sword to strike the wooden stake in front of him.

Bang!

With a dull thud, the wooden sword bounced off the moment it struck the wooden stake. The intense recoil made it impossible for Hanfu to keep his grip, and the sword flew right out of his hand.

Hanfu remained in his drawing stance, the atmosphere becoming exceptionally awkward.

"Big brother, are you practicing swordsmanship?" Suddenly, a childish voice came from the other side of the wall.

Hanfu turned his head and saw a small head peeking over the wall, looking at him with an expectant expression.

Memories instantly surged through Hanfu's mind.

This little brat... was his younger brother, Gekko Hayate!

"Hayate, you..." Before Hanfu could finish his sentence, he saw Gekko Hayate scramble up the wall like a dog, jump down, roll a few times on the grass, and stand up as if nothing had happened. He then ran toward Hanfu, kicking up sparks and grass blades along the way.

"Brother, let's practice swordsmanship together!"

Practice your head!

Hanfu couldn't help but roll his eyes. He then rubbed his right wrist and huffed, "You practice. I'll watch from the side so you don't get hurt."

"Okay!"

Gekko Hayate shouted, then ran over to pick up Hanfu's thirty-centimeter wooden sword, hacking and slashing away with a grunt.

Hanfu turned and sat on the wooden veranda of the courtyard, resting his chin in his hands as he watched Gekko Hayate, his mind gradually wandering.

He was thinking about his future. Although it seemed ridiculous for a seven-year-old to be pondering the future, who could blame him when he knew the plot of Naruto?

As for what the future held, Hanfu honestly didn't care too much. He just wanted to live a good life, no matter which world he was in.

And the Naruto World—it was dangerous, yet if you looked at it another way, it wasn't dangerous at all.

If Hanfu decided not to become a ninja, he just needed to find the legendary Ichiraku Ramen, apprentice himself to the owner, and get up early every day to make ramen. He would be guaranteed a peaceful life, free from illness and disaster, and might even marry the owner's daughter, reaching the Peak of Life from then on!

But if he became a ninja, the situation would be different. He would have to leave the village to go on missions—D-rank, C-rank, B-rank, and even A-rank or S-rank. The higher the rank, the greater the danger, especially during wartime, where death followed like a shadow!

Therefore, for Hanfu, there were only two paths to surviving safely: either be an ordinary person, honestly make ramen, and muddle through until the series finale, or if he became a ninja, he had to reach the pinnacle of the ninja world and become a figure like Uchiha Madara so that he wouldn't be killed!

If he didn't have a cheat, Hanfu would have chosen Ichiraku Ramen without hesitation, but he did have one.

However, this cheat seemed, possibly, probably, and apparently a bit unreliable, which was awkward.

"Brother, what are you thinking about?" Gekko Hayate had been practicing for ten minutes and was drenched in sweat. He looked back and saw his older brother spacing out, and he wasn't happy about it.

"I'm thinking about my che..."

Hanfu opened his mouth subconsciously, then slammed it shut. He immediately glared at Gekko Hayate with malicious intent.

Little brother, you've gotten cocky, haven't you? Daring to try and trick me?

How insolent!

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Hanfu's mind.

Could it be that I'm opening my cheat the wrong way?

Although I don't know if my cheapskate father is a Jonin or a Chunin, I'm still just a kid right now. The gap between me and my cheapskate father is definitely like clouds and mud. It's like a level 0 newbie in a game trying to farm a boss—the result is bound to be failure!

Therefore, everything should start from small things!

Especially... good deeds!

The malice on Hanfu's face vanished in an instant: "Little brother Hayate, are you tired? Should Brother loosen up your muscles for you?"

"I, I'm not tired."

Gekko Hayate instinctively took two steps back, then abruptly dropped the Wooden Sword in his hand and scrambled toward the wall, crawling and stumbling as he went.

"Don't run, Little Brother. Let the two of us brothers get close and personal today!"

Hanfu lunged like a starving dog, tackling Gekko Hayate just as he was halfway up the wall.

"Mom, Mom... Waaah..."

Gekko Hayate couldn't handle the shock and burst into loud, wailing tears right then and there.

Hanfu pinned Gekko Hayate beneath him. Seeing him cry, he panicked slightly. For some reason, the image of Keiko squinting at him with an expressionless face surfaced in his mind. With a shiver, Hanfu hurriedly pulled Little Brother up and began massaging his shoulders.

Facts speak louder than words; Gekko Hayate cried for half a minute, and upon realizing he wasn't being bullied, his sobbing naturally quieted down.

"Little Brother, does that feel good?"

Hanfu asked with a sly grin.

"Mm, it feels good. Thank you, Brother."

Gekko Hayate wiped away his tears and snot, then turned around and reached out. "Brother, it's my turn to massage you."

Hanfu glanced at the snot on Little Brother's hand and shook his head awkwardly. "No, I'm not tired. You're exhausted from practicing your swordplay. Turn back around quickly; let me massage your shoulders some more."

"Really?" Gekko Hayate asked. Only after receiving an affirmative answer from Hanfu did he happily turn around to continue enjoying Hanfu's massage.

As he massaged, Hanfu gritted his teeth and told himself: This is an early-stage investment. I expect a return. Tomorrow, I'll make you pay it back with interest!

Hmph, Little Brother, you have no idea how terrifying this society is!

Tomorrow, let your brother give you a proper lesson in adult education!

The new book is setting sail! Please add to your library and leave a recommendation!