When Hatake Keiji returned home, he didn't see Shigemo anywhere in the dojo. His mission-addicted older brother was either out on some task or training all day long. The guy had such a small social circle that it wasn't surprising he ended up trying to take his own life.
But this time, with Hatake Keiji deliberately steering things, the story turned out far more compelling than in the original version. At least someone was finally giving voice to Shigemo's joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—no longer leaving him trapped in a dead-end alley with no way out.
When Keiji walked into the living room, his sister-in-law was feeding her beloved ninja dog.
She had long, brown hair that draped over her shoulders, with two striking red lines painted on her face. They didn't look strange at all—in fact, they added a touch of mysterious allure.
The ninja dog was a massive black beast, almost as tall as a person. Its ears were hidden beneath thick fur that fluffed up from its neck to the top of its head. One glance, and it was clear this was no ordinary dog.
There was no doubt that his sister-in-law belonged to the Inuzuka Clan. Her original name was Inuzuka Nayuki—a beautiful name, really.
And she was just as beautiful as her name suggested. Like Keiji always said: his sister-in-law must've been blind to fall in love with a brainless guy like his brother.
Whenever Keiji said something like that, Shigemo would glare at him—but only for a second—before turning his gaze back to his wife with a soft, doting smile.
"Keiji, you're back. Your brother's been shouting in the dojo for half the day."
Hatake Nayuki didn't even lift her head. Just from the scent alone, she knew the person who'd arrived was her brother-in-law, Hatake Keiji.
"Haha, that broken blade turned out to be a blessing. I can finally swap it out."
"Out with the old, in with the new."
Keiji walked over to the dog, grinning, and crouched down to vigorously rub its thick fur.
Who could understand the feeling of this giant ninja dog? It was amazing.
And look at what kind of pet Kakashi raised—just a regular ninja dog?
It made things so awkward for Nayuki. Aside from his enhanced sense of smell, Kakashi hadn't inherited any of his mother's good traits.
Keiji decided right then: Kakashi needed to raise a mastiff. Otherwise, how could he live up to his status as the heir of the Hatake Clan?
The black mastiff whined in protest. If this guy wasn't my master's brother-in-law, I'd have bitten him to death already.
"What's that supposed to mean? Just wipe it down and it's fine. You're too stingy."
Keiji could clearly feel the dog's displeasure. He patted its head before reluctantly pulling his hand away.
"I always end up rubbing that same spot. It's making me bald. Ruins my image."
"Stop rubbing Ghost Mastiff's head. You're going to make him stupid."
Nayuki rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand why her brother-in-law liked to pet such a fierce-looking dog.
The first time she saw it, Keiji pinned it down and started rubbing like crazy. It made her heart ache.
The dog nodded, as if to say: If you take one more picture of me like this, we're going to have a serious problem.
"Is my brother not home?"
Keiji asked casually, trying to get a read on the situation. If things looked bad, he was ready to bail at any time.
"He went to the weapons shop, then to the ancestral shrine to apologize."
"You might want to go talk to them too."
Nayuki sounded helpless. Even though her husband and Keiji were brothers, their personalities couldn't be more different.
She had no idea what kind of girl could ever handle someone like her brother-in-law.
"I'm not worried."
"I'm just afraid he'll stay kneeling until dinnertime and still won't come out."
Keiji stretched and stood up, planning to head back to his room for a nap.
"..."
After feeding the Ghost Mastiff, Nayuki was speechless. The guy had literally broken White Fang, and now he was enjoying all this drama?
"Call me when dinner's ready, Sis."
Keiji yawned and headed off to his room.
"Got it," she said with a sigh.
She covered her face in exasperation. These two brothers… might as well let them work it out themselves.
After a solid nap, Keiji was woken up by Ghost Mastiff barking.
The big dog had been pacing outside his door for a while, clearly struggling internally, before finally pushing open the door and barking a few times at Keiji—then bolting out of the room without looking back.
"All I did was take you out for dog meat once. Don't be so dramatic."
"So ungrateful."
Keiji yawned, cracked his neck, and got up for dinner.
By the time he arrived at the dining room, the food had already been served.
Sitting at the head of the table was Hatake Shigemo, his face a twisted mess of frustration and gloom.
To his right sat Nayuki. The empty seat on the left obviously belonged to Keiji.
The Hatake Clan didn't have many members. Kakashi was nowhere in sight, so meals were usually very quiet.
Keiji turned his head away from Shigemo's awful expression and walked straight to his seat.
"Eat, eat."
He didn't wait for his brother to start. With only three people here, Keiji couldn't be bothered with formalities.
He picked up a piece of sushi and popped it into his mouth. Honestly, it just felt like seaweed-wrapped rice to him.
Nayuki glanced at her husband's face, which was nearly as dark as the bottom of a pot. She sighed and started eating with Keiji.
"Taste good?"
Shigemo finally spoke, watching his little brother devour the meal with gusto. It just made him even more annoyed.
"I'm still growing, after all."
Keiji replied between bites of roasted piglet, casually tossing a response to his brother.
"You know…"
"Yes, the ancestral sword."
Keiji cut him off. This stubborn old man only ever repeated two lines. His fighting spirit was practically nonexistent.
"Do you know why that sword broke?"
Keiji asked in return. The question left Shigemo speechless. He had no idea how to answer.
He couldn't exactly say it was because the sword was poor quality, could he?
Keiji swallowed the last of his roast pork and downed a cup of wine.
He looked like someone who truly believed no one could outdo him.
"Because I hadn't joined the Hatake Clan yet."
"Starting today…"
"The sword I, Hatake Keiji, use—will be the one passed down for generations."
Both his brother and sister-in-law were stunned by such shameless words. They hadn't realized Keiji had ambitions like this.
"I feel much better now."
"To our revered ancestors in the Pure Land."
Shigemo was visibly moved. He raised his glass and clinked it against Keiji's empty one, downing it in one go.
Nayuki joined them in a toast.
Keiji just looked confused.
Man, I was only trying to act cool. No need to go overboard like this.
Now I'm going to end up embarrassing myself.
Shigemo had calmed down. He was no longer brooding over the broken White Fang.
It turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant dinner.
Keiji couldn't resist his brother's enthusiasm, and he ended up finishing all the wine left over from lunch.
During this time, Shigemo said a lot of unexpected things. In his eyes, Keiji had become more mature.
"You little rascal, you're amazing at making money."
"You little rascal, I can't beat you anymore."
"You little brat, all you do is piss me off."
...
Finally, drunk out of his mind, Shigemo leaned against his wife and said he was going to pay respects at the ancestral shrine again—declaring that the Hatake Clan would soon produce a great man.
Keiji, the one who started it all, could only watch in silence. His brother had actually taken his nonsense seriously. What a pain.
Reviving the clan and becoming a powerful ninja—that was never his dream.
He just wanted to date the prettiest girls, drink the spiciest sake, and ride the coolest horses.
Why did it suddenly feel like the weight on his shoulders had gotten heavier?
He shook his woozy head.
Grabbing the still-lingering Ghost Mastiff, he shoved the job of escorting him back to his room onto the big dog.
The dog probably wasn't that smart. It hadn't left yet because it still hadn't figured Keiji out.
Now it had no choice but to carry this 100+ pound man back to his hellhole of a room.
Life was hard.
Living under someone else's roof was even harder.