This Is My Brother

"Ah, it looks like Kirigakure has no intention of forming an alliance after all."

Hatake Kakashi sighed.

It was a real shame they couldn't form an alliance with Kirigakure.

Kirigakure had formidable strength and intelligence-gathering capabilities.

An alliance with Konoha would have been an enormous boon!

But Hyuga Kagami had taken on all of Kirigakure by himself yesterday. It was only natural they wouldn't want an alliance.

Hyuga Kagami's lips curled up. "Whether we form an alliance isn't up to him. The one in charge of Kirigakure is the Mizukage!"

Hatake Kakashi froze, baffled. "But the Mizukage is despondent right now and didn't attend the banquet. And even if he did, there's no guarantee he'd form an alliance with us..."

The Mist Ninja around them were glaring with hostility!

He felt a headache coming on.

How could they possibly form an alliance under these circumstances?

It would be a relief if they didn't end up fighting!

But just then,

a youthful voice, brimming with authority, rang out. "Hahaha! Genji, how could you hold a gathering like this without inviting me? Without the Mizukage, wouldn't this banquet be terribly dull?"

Karatachi Yagura slowly stepped forward.

He looked refreshed!

His purple eyes were filled with determination and confidence!

He was like a completely different person from the despondent man he'd been yesterday!

"The Mizukage! Lord Mizukage?!"

Genji couldn't believe his eyes. He sprang to his feet, trembling all over. "Y-You've recovered!"

If the Mizukage hadn't recovered, how could they have let themselves be bullied like that yesterday?

For a moment, he trembled all over, as if he'd finally found his courage!

"Lord Mizukage!"

"Lord Mizukage has recovered! The Mizukage of Kirigakure is back!"

"With Lord Mizukage here, no one can bully us anymore!"

Countless Mist Ninja were overcome with emotion. Some were so moved that tears streamed down their faces.

Karatachi Yagura could fully control the Three-Tails.

His power was terrifying enough to send chills down anyone's spine!

Karatachi Yagura walked up to the stage and took his place at the highest point. "I'm back. From today onward, Kirigakure will enter a new era!"

"And Kirigakure will formally form an alliance with Konoha!"

"Hyuga Kagami is my brother! From now on, any shinobi from Kirigakure who sees Hyuga Kagami will treat him as they would me!"

One bombshell after another!

The Mizukage's renewed determination was thrilling enough!

But then came the announcement that Kirigakure would form an alliance with Konoha?

They'd only been bullied by Hyuga Kagami yesterday, and now he was Lord Mizukage's brother!

"How... how could this happen?!"

"What makes Hyuga Kagami think he deserves this?!"

"He stole the Ninja Swords from our village!"

The eyes of the Kirigakure shinobi turned red!

They were clearly unwilling to accept it.

Buzz!

In an instant,

terrifying Crimson chakra gathered around Karatachi Yagura. He swept his gaze over the crowd. "So, would you rather gain an ally as powerful as me, or make yourselves another enemy?!"

"Kirigakure will form an alliance with Konoha. That is my order!"

"The vote is unanimous. No one can object!"

Everyone was stunned.

But in the next moment, they came around. It was true—Hyuga Kagami's strength was absurd!

If he could become an ally of Kirigakure... that would be an incredible boon!

Besides, Genji really had been the one to scheme against him first.

So they looked at Hyuga Kagami with complicated expressions.

Some of the shinobi had already begun to admire him...

A few even raised their cups to Hyuga Kagami.

Then more and more joined them!

In Kirigakure, the strong ruled. Submitting to the strong was the law of the village!

"Konoha... just formed an alliance with Kirigakure like that?"

Genji was stunned.

Damn, how humiliating!

Just yesterday, he'd insisted that an alliance with Konoha was impossible. In the blink of an eye, he'd been proven wrong!

At this moment, Hyuga Kagami's standing in Kirigakure was no lower than his own!

"Forget it."

Genji sighed. He still held a grudge, but the Mizukage had regained his determination.

That mattered more than anything!

"Perhaps Lord Mizukage made the right choice after all."

He slowly left the banquet, disappearing into the darkness.

He was a shinobi of the old era.

He no longer belonged in the present.

Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi were both dumbfounded. "Can something really be that outrageous?"

"Kagami, how did you pull that off?"

But Hyuga Kagami was surrounded by people offering him drinks and didn't even have time to respond...

"Forget it."

Hatake Kakashi shook his head helplessly. "Maybe this guy really can make miracles happen."

"Still, becoming the Mizukage's sworn brother and forming an alliance with Kirigakure—those two things are going to give the village elders a headache!"

Meanwhile, off in the distance, Mei Terumi watched Hyuga Kagami among the toasting guests, her expression complicated, her little face clouded with wistfulness and confusion.

"In the blink of an eye, Kagami-kun became Lord Mizukage's sworn brother?"

It was too outrageous.

She knew that just yesterday, all the major clans had made it clear that an alliance with Konoha was impossible.

But now... they'd all been proven wrong!

Her lips parted slightly. "Does this mean... we can be together?"

The banquet lasted until nightfall.

It wasn't until the following morning that the three of them prepared to leave Kirigakure.

"Kagami! You have to come visit me often!"

Karatachi Yagura said earnestly, "I'll visit you in Konoha when I have time, too. But Kirigakure is in too much turmoil right now. I'm afraid I won't be able to get away for a long time."

Hyuga Kagami smiled and agreed. "Get back to it!"

He punched Karatachi Yagura. "I'm not into men!"

With that,

he turned and walked away with a hearty laugh, leaving Karatachi Yagura looking helpless.

This brother of his was so bold and easygoing. He always gave people a sense of security and trust!

Karatachi Yagura glanced at Mei Terumi beside him. "What, are you reluctant to see him go?"

Mei Terumi shook her head. "I don't know. But maybe... I'll never meet another man like Kagami again."

"When we form the alliance, would you like to come along?"

"Huh? I want to go!"

Mei Terumi's eyes brightened, and she cheered up at once.

She watched Hyuga Kagami's retreating figure. This man... always makes me love him and hate him at the same time!

It would also be a chance to see whether Hyuga Kagami had other women in Konoha!

She really couldn't let her guard down!

Time passed.

The journey back was uneventful, and before they knew it, half a month had passed.

As they neared the border of the Land of Fire, Hyuga Kagami furrowed his brow. Through his sensory perception... he could detect several violent chakra signatures!

The air was thick with the smell of blood.

They were just like... the shinobi from Kumogakure they'd encountered before!

Suddenly, Hatake Kakashi frowned. "Stay alert! There are shinobi approaching!"

"Are these unidentified shinobi in the Land of Fire from another hidden village, or... unknown mercenaries?"

His expression was grave.

Their chakra was incredibly sharp. They were definitely no pushovers!

"Hehehe, I was wondering why I felt so irritated. Turns out it's the famous Copy Ninja of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi!"

Four figures slowly emerged from the woods.

They wore Kumogakure Forehead Protectors, and their eyes were full of hostility!

Unlike the shinobi of Konoha, they were burly and had dark brown skin.