Don't You Say a Word

Returning home, Keiko lived up to expectations; the moment she saw Hanfu's face, she immediately pulled a long one.

"Hanfu, how many times have I told you? You absolutely must not fight at school!"

Keiko lectured him earnestly.

Ninjas possess immense power. If every ninja acted based on their own whims and got into fights at the drop of a hat, that power would become a threat. At best, it could destroy a street; at worst, it could destroy the village, or even an entire nation!

That is why all the major hidden villages maintain a policy of loose oversight but tight control over their ninjas. Once you step out of line, they will immediately restrain you. If you resist, they will suppress you and throw you in prison to reflect. If you run, you become a rogue ninja; not only will they put a bounty on your head, but they will also dispatch the Anbu to hunt you down, never stopping until you are dead!

Keiko worried about Hanfu fighting at school because she feared he would develop bad habits, using his fists to solve problems whenever he was unhappy. It was true that in school, such behavior was the simplest and fastest way to resolve disputes, and at most, one would only be lectured by a teacher if caught. But once you leave school, you are a ninja. If you still dared to fight others at every turn, you would end up in prison sooner or later!

Keiko remembered that many years ago, Tsunade, one of the Sannin, had tamed a pair of brothers named Fujin and Raijin. These brothers possessed immense strength, but because they couldn't get enough to eat, they acted out, relying on their terrifying brute force to cause destruction. In the end, they were personally sent to prison by Tsunade, and she had never seen a trace of those brothers ever since!

Therefore, Keiko absolutely could not let her son follow in the footsteps of Fujin and Raijin!

"Aunt Keiko."

Just then, Gekko Hayate spoke up. "Big brother didn't fight. He fell down the stairs while trying to save someone."

Hanfu put on a wistful expression, looking as if he were in a dilemma, as if to say, I did a good deed without seeking credit, and now you're putting me in an awkward spot by bringing it up.

However, Hanfu's expression didn't last long.

"Is that so?" Keiko looked at Hanfu with a look of disappointment. "I am a medical professional. I deal with all kinds of injured people every day. Hanfu, do you really think I can't tell the difference between injuries from falling down stairs and injuries from being beaten?"

The corner of Hanfu's mouth twitched. Right, he had forgotten about that.

Since that was the case, it was time to show his true skills: sacrifice the pawn to save the king!

Hanfu immediately flipped the script. "Hayate, how could you! I know you're trying to look out for me, but you can't just lie! I am so disappointed in you! Don't talk, I don't want to hear you speak right now, shut up, I'm not listening, I'm not listening, I'm not listening..."

"I..."

But you were the one who told me to say that, Big Brother.

Please provide the text you would like me to translate or revise. Once you provide the Chinese text, I will process it according to your instructions.

Gekko Hayate looked at Hanfu, aggrieved, feeling completely miserable.

"Hanfu!!" Keiko had saved more people than Hanfu had ever fought; she knew exactly what he was thinking and was so angry she couldn't even speak.

Seeing that his mother seemed genuinely angry, Hanfu had no choice but to tell the truth. "Mom, I didn't fight. I just... got beaten up."

He then explained the cause and effect of the situation.

When she heard that her son had been swarmed by the angry masses because he reminded his homeroom teacher to assign homework, Keiko's expression finally softened.

"Hanfu, you didn't do anything wrong!" Keiko said. "You are still students. Teachers assigning homework after class is for your own good! If they hit you again next time, go find teacher Kashima Isamu, understand?"

Hanfu nodded.

Keiko added, "I am proud of you for this, my son."

"Thanks, Mom." Hanfu breathed a sigh of relief, but the next instant, his scalp went numb.

"Hanfu~chan! Am I that old?" Keiko narrowed her eyes.

"..."

It's just a form of address, do you really have to be so petty about it?

Hanfu couldn't understand it at all and could only bite the bullet and play along, "Mom is the youngest and most beautiful!"

"Brother, you just lied to me!!"

Gekko Hayate stood up at this moment, demanding justice for what he had just gone through. "Apologize, Brother, apologize!"

Keiko turned around with a smile to start cooking. As for Hayate's business, she would let the children settle their own affairs.

Hanfu glanced at Gekko Hayate sideways: My little brother is getting cocky, he actually wants me to apologize?

Do you even know what the word 'younger brother' means?

"Brother, apologize, Brother, apologize..." Gekko Hayate grabbed the corner of Hanfu's shirt, refusing to let it go.

Hanfu sighed, reached out to pat Gekko Hayate on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "I lied to you for your own good. Do you know what a white lie is?"

The little brother shook his head in confusion: "I don't know."

"It means I did it for your benefit. Everything I do is for your own good."

Hanfu sighed with emotion, "I practice swordsmanship with you because I hope you become stronger. I encourage you because I want you to overcome setbacks and hold onto your dreams. I lied to you because I didn't want you to be affected by all that messy nonsense. I did all of this for you, and yet you completely failed to grasp my good intentions. I am very disappointed in you. Don't speak, I'm not done yet!"

Gekko Hayate quickly shut his mouth. He didn't dare look into Hanfu's sparkling eyes and instead looked down at the floor, his gaze darting around.

"After dinner, I had planned to practice swordsmanship with you to help you achieve your dreams. Now that you've acted like this, I am deeply heartbroken. I can no longer practice happily with you, and I won't be able to in the future either." Hanfu sighed and turned around. "Go on. You are already a mature younger brother; go practice your swordsmanship by yourself from now on."

The little brother was left in a state of turmoil by Hanfu's words. One moment he felt that what his brother said made perfect sense and that he had truly wronged him; the next moment he felt that his brother was just making up stories to trick him again. Should he believe him or not?

By the time the little brother came to his senses, Hanfu had already run into the kitchen.

The kitchen in Hanfu's house was not large, barely able to accommodate two adults, but fortunately, Hanfu was still small, so it didn't feel crowded.

"Mom, let's not make rice balls for tomorrow's bento, okay?" Hanfu said tactfully.

"Hmm?"

Keiko looked down at Hanfu in surprise, "Hanfu-chan, aren't rice balls your favorite?"

Hanfu said with a straight face, "I'm sick of it. I don't want to eat rice balls anymore."

Keiko said, "Hanfu-chan, being a picky eater isn't good, you know."

Hanfu let out a dry laugh.

Picky eater, my foot.

Adults only ever buy the food they like themselves, but if a child refuses to eat it, they call it being a picky eater!

Hanfu had already learned this truth in his previous life.

So, he spoke with righteous indignation, "Mom, you're right. For the longest time, rice balls are all I've been eating. It shouldn't be this way. There are so many other kinds of food in this world, yet I've been giving them all up just for rice balls. I was wrong. I shouldn't be a picky eater. I've decided that from now on, I will never eat rice balls again. I want to eat other foods; I can't keep being a picky eater!"

Keiko was stunned for a moment, somewhat caught up in Hanfu's circular logic.

After a while, she came to her senses, looked at him with a smile, and said, "Alright, since Hanfu-chan says so, I'll make you something else for your bento tomorrow."

Success!

Hanfu breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally bid farewell to those damn seaweed and sesame rice balls!

Thanks to book friend № Binghuangluan for the tip and support!

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