Stay Away from Watanabe from Now On

Seeing Watanabe dodge him, Inuzuka Kiba's whole face darkened in an instant.

"Looks like you didn't take my warning seriously. You're determined to get close to Tsunade."

Watanabe calmly asked, "You want to fight?"

He hadn't gotten to spar with Tsunade at noon. A bout with this idiot would be pretty good, too.

"You've got some nerve!" Inuzuka Kiba was more than willing. "Fine. I'll fight you today. If you lose, stay away from Tsunade from now on. If I lose, I'll stop meddling in things between you and Tsunade. How about it?"

Watanabe shook his head. "Tsunade isn't something you can use as a wager."

His words struck Tsunade straight in the heart like an arrow.

All the displeasure she'd felt toward Watanabe that morning vanished.

She could feel how much she meant to him. When someone else challenged him, even with her nowhere nearby, he wouldn't wager her in a fight.

People always looked better by comparison. Next to Inuzuka Kiba, Watanabe's behavior made Tsunade more than satisfied.

"I don't care. If you lose, you have to keep your distance from Tsunade!"

Inuzuka Kiba said stubbornly. He set Green Maru down from his head and channeled Chakra into his limbs. His fingernails grew longer, and he dropped to all fours like a dog.

"The Four Legs Technique."

Watanabe recognized the move.

Inuzuka Kiba had used the Four Legs Technique when he sparred with Jiraiya the other day. It was a secret technique of the Inuzuka Clan that transformed the user into a beastlike form, greatly increasing their speed and attack power.

"Get ready to be beaten into the ground!"

Inuzuka Kiba barked, charged at Watanabe on all fours, and viciously swiped at him with one claw.

"Rip."

The front of Watanabe's shirt tore, exposing his pale, well-built chest.

[Under attack: Vitality +6, Defense +2, Pain -1...]

Was that all the strength he had?

Watanabe frowned. Compared with Tsunade, the other man's attack didn't even tickle.

After landing his first hit, Inuzuka Kiba immediately sprang away and ran circles around Watanabe, laughing smugly. "Can't keep up with my speed, can you? This is just the beginning!"

With that, he leaped into the air and launched a sneak attack from behind, landing a claw on Watanabe's back.

"Rip."

The back of Watanabe's shirt tore as well. The claws left three white marks on his skin, but didn't even break it.

[Under attack: Vitality +5, Defense +2...]

Tsunade poked her head out. Seeing Watanabe stand still and take Inuzuka Kiba's attacks without retaliating, she couldn't help getting anxious.

"Why isn't Watanabe fighting back?"

She knew Watanabe could take a beating and that Inuzuka Kiba might not be able to hurt him, but watching Watanabe get hit without fighting back still made her uncomfortable.

Just as Tsunade couldn't take it anymore and was about to reveal herself and beat Inuzuka Kiba to a pulp—

"You're too weak."

Watanabe suddenly spoke, uttering three words.

"What did you say?"

Inuzuka Kiba darted in circles around him, looking puzzled.

"I said you're too weak."

Watanabe was very disappointed.

Seeing Inuzuka Kiba come at him so aggressively, he'd thought the guy must be strong. He hadn't expected him to be such a weakling that he couldn't even break through Watanabe's defense.

Trading a perfectly good shirt for a spar with a weakling like this was a terrible deal.

"You dare mock me!"

Inuzuka Kiba flew into a rage and shot into the air like an arrow. This time, he aimed for Watanabe's face, intent on scratching it up.

And at that very moment, Watanabe struck.

He didn't act until he did—and then he hit like a bolt of thunder.

He swiftly grabbed Inuzuka Kiba by the neck, as if he'd caught a puppy, twisted his waist, and slammed him hard into the ground.

"Thud!"

Inuzuka Kiba was dazed by the impact, stars swimming before his eyes. Watanabe followed up with several heavy punches to his face, leaving him dizzy and bleeding from the nose.

"Stop! I give up, I give up!"

Inuzuka Kiba hurriedly cried out.

Watanabe let him go and said coldly, "Listen. Unless Tsunade herself doesn't want to have anything to do with me, no one has the right to tell me to stay away from her. Not even the Hokage!"

Inuzuka Kiba didn't dare talk back. He covered his bleeding nose and grimaced.

Watanabe didn't bother with him again. He turned and left without hesitation.

"That guy..."

Tsunade gazed quietly at Watanabe's retreating figure, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a tenderness that seemed ready to spill over.

"No one has the right to tell me to stay away from her. Not even the Hokage..."

Watanabe's final words kept echoing in her ears. With every repetition, Tsunade's heart beat faster, and her pretty face grew rosier. Warmth spread through her whole heart.

It was a wonderful feeling she'd never experienced before.

"Damn it."

Inuzuka Kiba struggled to his feet and glared viciously in the direction Watanabe had gone. He muttered to himself, "Don't get cocky. I'm going to tell Lady Mito and have her stop you!"

Tsunade's expression darkened, and she stepped out from behind the tree.

"Tsunade?"

Inuzuka Kiba froze, then exclaimed in delight, "Tsunade, you're just in time. That kid Watanabe—"

Without a word, Tsunade punched him.

"Boom!"

The thick tree behind Inuzuka Kiba, wide enough for three people to wrap their arms around, snapped at the base and crashed to the ground.

Inuzuka Kiba stared blankly, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Stay away from Watanabe from now on."

Tsunade lowered her fist and warned him.

Inuzuka Kiba swallowed hard and nodded.

"Stay away from me, too, or I'll beat you to death," Tsunade added.

Inuzuka Kiba: "..."

Please don't say such vicious things with such a pretty mouth!

He suddenly felt as if the world before him had plunged into darkness.

If he were an Uchiha, he'd definitely awaken his eyes right now.

Tsunade didn't care how Inuzuka Kiba felt. After warning him, she immediately hurried after Watanabe.

On the commercial street, Tsunade spotted Watanabe in his tattered clothes, clutching three scrolls in his arms. He looked utterly down on his luck, and passersby kept giving him strange looks.

"Where are you going?"

A clear voice rang by his ear.

Watanabe turned around and saw Tsunade had quietly come up behind him. At first glance, she looked rather radiant.

"Weren't you going to help your younger brother train?"

"My grandma's teaching him, so I'm not needed." Tsunade lied without batting an eye. She frowned and asked, "What happened to you?"

Watanabe didn't want to mention his clash with Inuzuka Kiba, so he answered vaguely, "I accidentally tore my clothes just now. I'm going home to change."

Tsunade looked him over a few times and thought, Just as I expected. You sure know how to act tough.

She wished Watanabe would tell her the truth and admit that he'd fought Inuzuka Kiba for her.

Even if Watanabe had lost to Inuzuka Kiba, Tsunade wouldn't have thought he'd embarrassed himself. He'd fought honorably.

"I happen to need to buy some clothes. Come shopping with me."

Without giving him a chance to refuse, Tsunade pulled Watanabe toward the clothing store next door.

Tsunade had noticed that Watanabe only rotated between three old outfits. It was high time he got something new.

At first, Watanabe thought he was just accompanying Tsunade to buy clothes. But as they walked, he suddenly realized something was off.

Why had they ended up in the men's clothing store?