Chapter 2: My Little Brother

Emiko stood in the backyard, half-leaning, then turned to Ryofu and said, "Ryo, be a good boy and stay at home to play. Don't run around, okay? Mom is going to the hospital, and I'll make you something delicious tonight."

Emiko bent down, gently rubbed Ryofu's head, then walked to the entrance, changed into a pair of shoes, and turned back to look at Ryofu.

Ryofu also looked at Emiko, the two of them staring at each other. Emiko tilted her head, and Ryofu imitated her, also tilting his head.

Emiko sighed and said, "Ryo, you can't be so impolite."

"Eh?"

Ryofu was a bit puzzled, quickly recalling his past experiences. Suddenly enlightened, he said, "I understand, Mom. I'll stay at home and wait for you to come back."

Emiko smiled, "Well then, goodbye."

Ryofu remained silent.

Emiko opened the door, turned expressionless, and Ryofu's survival instinct instantly exploded, "Goodbye, Mom!!"

Emiko was finally satisfied as she left.

After she left, Ryofu revealed a look of utter despair, wondering how he would navigate society in the future while having to act like a kid.

After a while, Ryofu suddenly remembered something. Unable to resist, Ryofu raised his head, walked into the backyard with a curious look on his face, glanced at the wooden sword stuck in the grass by his dad, and then picked up his own 30-centimeter wooden sword.

He initially thought he could reach the pinnacle of life with external help, but on the first day, he experienced three consecutive defeats.

"It seems I still have to rely on myself."

Recalling his dad's sword-pulling posture from earlier, Ryofu promptly and skillfully placed the wooden sword on his left side, then bent forward, and with a swift motion, pulled the sword and struck the wooden stake in front of him.

Bang!

With a muffled sound, the wooden sword rebounded immediately upon striking the wooden stake. The intense recoil force made it impossible for Ryofu to hold onto the wooden sword, causing it to fly out of his hand.

Ryofu maintained the posture of pulling the sword, but the atmosphere was unusually awkward.

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

Ryofu turned to look and saw a little head peeking out from the other side of the wall, eagerly looking at him.

Memories rushed through Ryofu's mind.

This little rascal... was his own cousing whom he treated like a little brother, Gekko Hayate!

"Hayate, you..." Before Ryofu could finish his sentence, Gekko Hayate climbed up the wall in a monkey-like manner. Then, he jumped down from the wall, rolled a few times on the grass in the yard as if nothing happened, stood up casually, and ran towards Ryofu with dirt and grass leaves flying.

"Big brother, let's practice swordplay together!"

Practice with you, my foot!

Ryofu couldn't help but roll his eyes, then touched his right wrist and snorted, "You practice, I'll watch from the side to make sure you don't get hurt."

"Okay!"

Gekko Hayate shouted excitedly, then ran to pick up Ryofu's 30-centimeter wooden sword and started swinging it around with enthusiasm.

Ryofu turned around and sat on the wooden corridor in the yard, supporting his chin with both hands, watching Gekko Hayate, gradually drifting into daydreams.

He was pondering about the future path, and although it might seem amusing for a 7-year-old to think about the future, he couldn't help it because he knew the plot of Naruto.

As for the future, Ryofu honestly didn't care too much. He just wanted to live well, regardless of the world he was in.

The Naruto world, dangerous or not, was actually not that perilous. If Ryofu decided not to become a ninja, all he had to do was find the legendary Ichiraku Ramen and then apprentice under the owner. Making ramen every morning would ensure a peaceful and uneventful life, free from illness or disaster. He might even marry the owner's daughter and reach the pinnacle of life!

However, if he became a ninja, the situation would be different. He would have to leave the village for missions, starting from D-rank to C-rank, B-rank, and even A-rank, S-rank missions. The higher the rank, the greater the danger, especially during times of war, where death would be a constant companion.

So, for Ryofu, there are only two paths to safely survive. Either he becomes an ordinary person, earnestly making ramen and peacefully navigating through the main story, or he chooses the path of a ninja and strives to reach the pinnacle of the ninja realm, becoming a figure like Uchiha Madara to avoid being killed!

If there were no cheat codes, Ryofu would unhesitatingly choose Ichiraku Ramen. However, he does have cheat codes.

But these cheat codes seem, maybe, possibly, probably a bit unreliable, and that's awkward.

"Big brother, what are you thinking about?" Gekko Hayate had been practicing for ten minutes, sweating profusely. When he turned around and saw his older brother lost in thought, he felt unhappy.

"I'm thinking about my cheat c..."

Ryofu subconsciously began to speak, then abruptly closed his mouth, followed by glaring at Gekko Hayate with a malicious look.

Little brother, you sneaky little guy, daring to fish for my words?

Outrageous!

Immediately after, a flash of insight suddenly crossed Ryofu's mind.

Is it possible that I haven't activated my cheat codes correctly?

Although I don't know whether my old man is a Jonin or a Chunin, the difference between me, a mere child, and my old man is like night and day. It's just like a level 0 novice in a game trying to directly face a boss; the result is bound to be failure!

Therefore, anything should be started from a young age!

Especially... good deeds!

The malice on Ryofu's face instantly disappeared, "Hey, Hayate, little brother, are you tired? Let big brother loosen up your muscles."

"I-I'm not tired."

Gekko Hayate subconsciously took two steps back, then suddenly threw away the wooden sword in his hand and scrambled towards the wall.

"Little brother, don't run. Today, let's have some brotherly bonding!"

Ryofu pounced like a hungry dog, directly knocking down Gekko Hayate who was halfway up the wall.

"Mom, Mom... Wah..."

Unable to handle the fear, Gekko Hayate burst into tears instantly.

Seeing him cry, Ryofu panicked. In his mind, an image of Emiko squinting her eyes and looking at him expressionlessly surfaced. With a start, Ryofu quickly pulled Little brother up and started massaging his shoulders.

Actions speak louder than words, and Gekko Hayate cried for half a minute, but once he realized he wasn't being bullied, his crying naturally subsided.

"Little brother, feeling good?"

Ryofu asked with a sly grin.

"Yeah, feels good. Thanks, big brother."

Gekko Hayate wiped away his tears and sniffles, then turned around, extending his hand, "Big brother, it's my turn to massage you."

Ryofu glanced at the snot in Little brother's hand and awkwardly shook his head, "No, I'm not tired. You worked hard practicing just now. Turn around, and I'll massage your shoulders."

"Really?" Gekko Hayate asked. After receiving Ryofu's affirmative answer, he happily turned around to continue enjoying Ryofu's massage.

Ryofu, gritting his teeth, told himself as he massaged, "This is an early investment. I'll get my returns. In the future, I'll make you pay me back with interest!"

Hmph, Little brother, you have no idea how scary this society can be!

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