You Don't Want Anything to Happen to Your Little Brother...

"Lord Tsunade."

Seeing there was no escape, Namikaze Yoru put on what he considered his friendliest smile and greeted her.

Tsunade let go of Nawaki, whose face she had once again beaten black and blue, and beckoned to Namikaze Yoru. The expression on her face was rather inscrutable.

"Um... Lord Tsunade, Nawaki and I are heading to the front tomorrow, so it might not be convenient for me to spar with you." Namikaze Yoru replied with a straight face, hoping to dissuade her from beating him.

He had figured they would be leaving tomorrow. It was already late afternoon, and Tsunade couldn't possibly still be at the Training Ground, so he had dared to come practice his swordsmanship.

"No worries!" Tsunade said, unconcerned, patting her chest. Her curves looked even more pronounced beneath her casual clothes. "It won't affect your condition tomorrow. I'll go easy on you."

Namikaze Yoru's eyes wandered for a moment, and he actually nodded without thinking. He hurriedly tried to recover: "I came here to practice swordsmanship today."

Tsunade kicked Nawaki beside her. He obligingly took a Kunai from his Ninja Tool Bag and respectfully offered it to her.

"???" Namikaze Yoru stared at Nawaki in shock, his eyes seeming to ask, You look so honest—how could you betray the cause?

Having been beaten all morning, Nawaki could only apologize. After all, as the old saying went, "Better a friend die than a monk." He turned away, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

But he had still underestimated Tsunade's determination to beat Namikaze Yoru. Before he could react, she kicked him in the butt, sending him rolling through a cloud of dust to the edge of the field.

Seeing there was no way out, Namikaze Yoru steeled himself and decided to strike first. He drew the short sword he'd just bought, chakra bursting beneath his feet as he slashed at Tsunade, swift as the wind!

One glimpse of a master in action was enough to tell you what they could do. Even with only a Kunai in hand, Tsunade's casual strike left Namikaze Yoru's arm numb, and his short sword nearly flew from his grip.

Seeing this, Namikaze Yoru didn't dare let his guard down. He drew on the swordsmanship secret he had learned from Kushimaru Kuriarare, and his entire bearing changed in an instant.

Tsunade had initially looked down on him a little, thinking he had only just started learning swordsmanship. Blades were dangerous, and she was worried she might hurt him.

But the longer they fought, the more startled she became. His swordsmanship seemed to improve at an astonishing pace. His initially wide-open techniques grew more refined by the second, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.

Namikaze Yoru was also rapidly absorbing combat experience as they sparred. Swordsmanship was different from ninjutsu; it wasn't something you could summon with Hand Seals. It demanded a better sense of timing and control.

He slashed at Tsunade again from an awkward angle. With the Kunai too short, she had to retreat, and she could no longer maintain her earlier nonchalant air.

Tsunade was now completely serious. She wasn't particularly skilled in swordsmanship to begin with, only a little better than the average ninja.

Her defensive stance abruptly shifted into an attack. The force behind the Kunai was now entirely different as she slashed fiercely at Namikaze Yoru.

Namikaze Yoru held his Ninja Sword in a reverse grip and blocked the blow, ready to find an opening to counterattack.

Then came a sharp crack. After colliding repeatedly, the Kunai in Tsunade's hand suddenly broke! A slight, triumphant smile appeared on her face.

The arm holding the Kunai snapped back, leaving an opening. In the blink of an eye, her other, empty hand drove straight toward the weak spot at Namikaze Yoru's waist.

There was no time to dodge. The punch struck him hard in the waist. Namikaze Yoru felt his ribs crack, his flesh swelling instantly as a searing pain washed over him.

Tsunade pressed her advantage and threw another hook. Namikaze Yoru endured the pain and slashed at her, but Tsunade didn't try to block him; she drew back her fist.

At the same time, she swung a "Painful Sky Kick" into his side. If it landed squarely, Namikaze Yoru figured he'd "die" on the spot.

He hurriedly backed away, one hand pressed to his waist as he sucked in breath after breath through clenched teeth. He quickly waved to show he couldn't keep fighting.

Tsunade realized she had hit him a little too hard with that last punch. In her experience, the best-case scenario was a fracture, so she stopped.

Once Tsunade stopped, Namikaze Yoru noticed that even the Ninja Sword he had bought that morning had been nicked by her "Monstrous Strength Slash," leaving it in a sorry state.

He looked at himself with a wry smile, unsure whether he'd recover by tomorrow.

Just then, Nawaki came scampering over. He easily took his place beside Namikaze Yoru and briskly rolled up his clothes.

Tsunade walked over slowly, green chakra glowing in her palm. Unlike the violent chakra of Namikaze Yoru's Eight Gates, hers was as gentle as spring water.

"What a genius. She coats her fist in antiseptic, then disinfects it after the beating?"

Namikaze Yoru finally understood why Tsunade had been so sure they'd be fine to go to the front tomorrow. So that was her plan? Judging by how practiced Nawaki looked, he must have taken quite a beating that morning.

Under her Medical Ninjutsu, Nawaki was soon back to bouncing around. Tsunade even healed his bruised and swollen face at the same time.

After sending Nawaki off to the side, she turned to Namikaze Yoru and gestured for him to lift his clothes.

Following Nawaki's example, he rolled up the fabric around his waist. Unlike Nawaki, who still looked like a child, Namikaze Yoru had shot up in height thanks to his long training, and his body beneath his clothes was clearly defined with muscle.

Tsunade's hands, glowing with Medical Ninjutsu chakra, pressed lightly against him. In moments, the swelling had disappeared, and even the small fractures beneath his skin healed rapidly.

"You're in good shape," Tsunade remarked coolly.

Not knowing what she meant, Namikaze Yoru could only grin awkwardly.

"Now that you're heading to the front tomorrow, please look after Nawaki... He's the only little brother I have."

Tsunade spoke suddenly, her words filled with worry for Nawaki. Her clothes had become a little disheveled during their sparring, and the white expanse of her chest peeked through beneath her collar.

Looking at Tsunade, whose expression was completely different from before, Namikaze Yoru found himself thinking, for some reason:

"Oh, you don't want anything to happen to your little brother on the battlefield, do you? Heh heh heh."

Of course, he only dared think it. If he actually said it aloud, he felt he might as well defect in advance; there'd be nowhere left for him in Konoha.

He simply nodded and replied earnestly, "Nawaki's my friend too. Don't worry, Tsunade."

Tsunade gave him a long look and said nothing more. After confirming he was all right, she nodded.

Then she headed back toward Nawaki, who had recovered and was stretching his muscles nearby.

Soon, Nawaki's screams rang out across the Training Ground again.

Namikaze Yoru couldn't help shaking his head. Nawaki really was one lucky guy. He probably couldn't handle that kind of "luck" himself, but watching a winner like Nawaki get beaten still gave him a sense of satisfaction.

Before long, Nawaki was sprawled on the ground again, beaten.

And once more, Tsunade turned her gaze toward Namikaze Yoru.

His hair stood on end. It seemed that to protect her little brother, Tsunade had decided to spend the whole day as a "demon sparring partner."