Tsunade was not worried at all that her Heavenly Guardian Kick would injure Watanabe, because Watanabe had used a month of beating experiences to prove to her just how thick-skinned he was.
Sure enough, a moment later, a figure patted his backside and walked out of the dust and smoke.
"Tsunade, come again!"
A brilliant glint burst in Watanabe's eyes as he eagerly anticipated the next round.
Tsunade's expression shifted back and forth a couple of times before she suddenly pouted and sat down on a large boulder.
"I'm not doing it anymore. You've put me through the ringer for so long, my lower back is sore."
Watanabe asked in confusion, "Are you tired already?"
You're not very enduring, are you?
Tsunade: "..."
"You think everyone is like you and doesn't get tired?" She couldn't help rolling her eyes.
She had to admit that Watanabe's physique was truly monstrous, and his stamina was jaw-droppingly strong. He was practically a human-shaped Tailed Beast; not only was he resistant to beatings, but ever since she started accompanying Watanabe in his training a month ago, Tsunade had never seen him look fatigued.
No matter how she attacked him, in the end he was always full of vitality and left without any injuries. His self-healing ability was comparable to her own when the Hundred Healings Jutsu was activated, and Tsunade even suspected for a time that Watanabe had awakened some sort of Kekkei Genkai.
"Alright, let's rest then. Thanks for the effort today."
Seeing that Tsunade was indeed exhausted, Watanabe didn't push her any further. He took out a bag of pre-prepared cherry tomatoes for her to enjoy.
Watanabe was quite good with people. To thank Tsunade for accompanying him in sparring, he would always prepare a small gift for her beforehand—sometimes fruit, sometimes bread, and sometimes milk tea—so that her mouth wouldn't stay idle while she rested.
Tsunade ate the cherry tomatoes one by one, biting into them so juices splashed everywhere, sweet and delicious.
"Massage my shoulders."
She ordered.
"Okay."
Watanabe readily agreed. He walked around behind Tsunade, pushed aside her two golden ponytails, and placed his palms on her shoulders to massage them.
Tsunade's body was soft and plump with flesh, very satisfying to knead. In truth, Watanabe had always wanted to massage her chest, but he didn't dare say it.
"Is this pressure enough?"
"Use a bit more force."
Watanabe applied force in secret, as if trying to knead his palms right into Tsunade's shoulders.
Feeling the light pressure behind her, Tsunade glanced at him sideways and said, "Watanabe, although your physique is good and you're great at taking hits, your strength and reaction speed are both lacking."
"If you go to the battlefield, with just this little bit of skill, you'll only be a punching bag. When you encounter an enemy who is truly proficient in Taijutsu, you won't be able to do anything against them."
Watanabe understood that Tsunade was right. Although his blood vitality and defensive power had increased drastically over the past month with Tsunade's help, his strength and speed simply refused to improve.
He was quite distressed about this point himself. What good was a punching bag that could only take hits? Someone who could both take hits and strike back was a true tank.
"Tsunade, do you have any kind of Taijutsu that causes damage to the body during normal training?"
Tsunade found it funny. "How could there be such a Taijutsu? The more you train in Taijutsu, the stronger your body becomes."
"Is that so..."
Watanabe was somewhat disappointed.
"Don't be impatient. A powerful ninja must be proficient in all three aspects of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. You have no issues with ninjutsu, and for genjutsu you just need to know how to break it. Your only current shortcoming is taijutsu," Tsunade comforted him, picking up a cherry tomato and handing it backward.
Watanabe opened his mouth absentmindedly, taking in Tsunade's fair, tender fingers along with the tomato, and licked them.
"..."
Tsunade's cheeks instantly turned as red as a cherry tomato, and she quickly withdrew her finger.
Looking at the saliva stained on the pad of her finger, Tsunade feigned nonchalance, didn't wipe it off, and continued to pick up another cherry tomato to put into her mouth.
Eating them this way, the flavor seemed even sweeter...
"From now on, I'll try to spar with you more often. Gradually, your taijutsu will get stronger, and this shortcoming will be made up for sooner or later," Tsunade said.
Watanabe felt a bitter pang internally. He knew very well that sparring with Tsunade would only increase his blood vitality and defense. If he wanted to increase his strength and speed, he needed to find another way.
He would just have to take things one step at a time.
Actually, Watanabe wasn't in any great rush to become stronger right now, because the Shinobi World was still at peace with no wars breaking out, and he hadn't felt any crisis for the time being.
Soon, Tsunade finished the bag of cherry tomatoes, clapped her hands, and stood up.
"That's it for today, I'm heading home."
"Aren't you coming to my house for dinner tonight?" Watanabe invited her.
Tsunade suddenly glared at him. "You cook so many delicious things every day, you've made me fat!"
Is she starting to care about her weight now?
Watanabe smiled. "I don't think so. Your figure right now is very nice."
Tsunade was quite satisfied with his honest words. She let out a soft hum, waved her hand, and said, "I'm going back early tonight."
"Tomorrow night... come to my house tomorrow night."
"Go to your house? What for?" Watanabe was curious.
Although he and Tsunade had become very good friends, he had only been to her house the first time he asked Mito for help. Usually, if there was nothing going on, Tsunade would never invite him over.
"Tomorrow night is my birthday, and my grandmother is holding a banquet. If you want to come, come; if not, forget it," Tsunade said indifferently, though her gaze fell on Watanabe's face intentionally or unintentionally.
"So it's your birthday." Watanabe suddenly understood.
"I didn't know your birthday was tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll definitely be there!"
Watanabe gave his promise. It was completely normal for a birthday banquet to invite family and friends to attend, and as Tsunade's only male best friend, there was no reason for him not to show up and support her.
"Mm, then that's settled."
Tsunade received the expected reply, feeling warm inside, even sweeter than when she ate the cherry tomato just now.
Mito had always wanted to invite Watanabe over as a guest again, but Tsunade had been intentionally dodging it. Going on dodging it forever wasn't a solution, so Tsunade planned to take this opportunity to officially introduce Watanabe to her family. Therefore, this meeting held extraordinary meaning for her.
Tsunade's birthday—what gift should I give her?
On the way back, Watanabe pondered this question.
He couldn't afford anything too expensive, and he would be too embarrassed to give anything cheap.
"Why don't I make Tsunade a birthday cake myself?"
Watanabe got an idea. A gift conveyed one's feelings, and he just needed to convey his sincerity to Tsunade.
The next day was a rest day, and the Ninja Academy had no classes. Watanabe went to the vegetable market early to purchase a large amount of ingredients for making a cake, and then went home to get to work.
Considering that Tsunade might invite other classmates to attend, Watanabe planned to make a jumbo-sized birthday cake. Aside from taking beatings, his next best marketable skill was cooking.
It took him a whole day, from early morning until dusk, and Watanabe finally finished making the cake.
This cake fully qualified to be called a jumbo. It had three layers both inside and out, weighing over forty jin. Just buying the raw materials had cost Watanabe a thousand ryo, and Watanabe felt that if he took it out to sell, the price could at least double.
Packaging the "jumbo" in a gift box, Watanabe carefully held it in his hands and headed toward the Senju Clan Compound.
Before you continue