My Sister Hits Really Hard!

"I've met all of you before."

Watanabe did his best to be respectful as he bowed to everyone.

The Senju Clan's Grand Elder waved a hand heartily. "No need to stand on ceremony. Since you're sitting at this table, you're one of us!"

He was a shrewd man. Mito seating Watanabe at their table said a lot by itself. Combined with Nawaki's earlier talk of a proposal, he'd already guessed that Watanabe and Tsunade were quite close.

"Your name's Watanabe, right? Which ninja clan are you from? If you tell me, I might even know your elders." The Senju Clan's Grand Elder began to ingratiate himself.

Watanabe shook his head. "I'm a civilian. I don't belong to a clan."

"A civilian?"

The elders were taken aback, then their eyes lit up.

A civilian was great!

A civilian could marry into the Senju Clan, instead of Tsunade marrying out.

Compared with Tsunade marrying into another clan someday, they much preferred her to find a husband who would marry into theirs. It would be better for the Senju Clan's growth.

"Being a civilian is pretty good. A clean, simple background, no complicated ties between clans. How many people are in your family now?" The Senju Clan's Grand Elder beamed as he continued to question him.

Watanabe assumed the old man was just a chatterbox and answered all his questions one by one.

But as the Senju Clan's Grand Elder asked more and more questions, Watanabe gradually began to feel that something was off.

Why did it feel like he was being asked to fill out a household registration form?

"Tsunade's elders are so welcoming. From the looks of it, they're trying to dig up every last detail about me, even though I'm just her classmate."

Watanabe grumbled inwardly. Something about this felt strange.

After chatting with the Senju elder for a while, the birthday banquet finally got underway. All the guests who were expected had arrived, and there was no point waiting for the rest.

Mito and Tsunade stood in the center of the banquet hall and addressed the guests. The grandmother and granddaughter looked like a pair of sisters. They thanked everyone for making time in their busy schedules to celebrate Tsunade's birthday.

Watanabe took the opportunity to look around. He spotted many important figures, including Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura—the core leadership of Konoha.

"So this is how the top rich and beautiful live!"

Watanabe couldn't help but marvel.

Normally, he could only watch these bigwigs from a distance. But tonight, thanks to Tsunade, he had the chance to meet the Hokage and the others up close.

Then Watanabe's gaze fell on Tsunade. She wore a light-blue evening dress that accentuated her tall, perfect figure. Her luxurious gown outlined her curves to perfection, and her beautiful, striking face made her look every bit the daughter of a wealthy family.

"Years from now, Tsunade will surely become one of Konoha's most influential figures."

"We're still kids for now, and Tsunade's not mature yet. I wonder if she'll still want to keep our friendship pure once she grows up..."

Watanabe could clearly feel the difference between himself and Tsunade, and for a moment, he lost himself in thought.

"Watanabe."

Nawaki suddenly leaned close and whispered in his ear.

"What is it?"

"Is my sister pretty?"

Nawaki pointed to Tsunade, who was moving from table to table with Mito, exchanging pleasantries.

Watanabe suspected there was a trap in the question and hesitated before answering. "...Of course she's pretty."

Nawaki gave him a disdainful look. "Hmph. I knew you guys all liked pretty girls!"

"..."

Watanabe was speechless. The way Nawaki put it, you'd think he wasn't a boy himself.

Nawaki rolled his eyes, then suddenly tugged at Watanabe's sleeve. "Let's go outside for a walk. It's stuffy in here."

"Sure."

Watanabe wasn't fond of gatherings full of bigwigs either. He'd delivered the cake, so his mission for the night was already complete.

The two of them slipped out of the hall. The Senju elder at their table assumed they were going to the restroom and didn't ask.

As they reached the street, the air felt crisp and cool. Watanabe instantly felt refreshed.

Nawaki got straight to the point. There were a lot of things he hadn't been able to ask directly at the table. "Watanabe, how far have you and my sister gotten?"

"Hm?"

Watanabe was caught off guard. He didn't quite understand what Nawaki meant.

Nawaki demonstrated with his hands, pressing his two thumbs together. "Have you kissed? What about holding hands? You must've held hands, right?"

Watanabe: "..."

He suddenly understood why Nawaki was always trying to marry his sister off. If he had a little brother like that, he'd beat him three times a day just to keep up.

"Tsunade and I are just friends. The things you're talking about are for couples." Watanabe patiently explained it to the little kid.

Nawaki was shocked. His eyes widened. "You and my sister aren't a couple?!"

"...Not yet, at least."

Watanabe's answer stunned Nawaki. Ever since Tsunade had started staying out every day a month ago, he'd thought of Watanabe as his future brother-in-law.

Nawaki stood there dazed for quite a while before he came to his senses and asked, "Then are you going to pursue my sister?"

Watanabe had been about to say that he wasn't good enough, but Nawaki's question stirred something in him.

That's right. If he got together with Tsunade, could he get out of paying the huge debt he owed?

Almost without thinking, he asked, "Would she let me?"

Nawaki thought it over seriously for a moment, then said with a troubled look, "She might. Grandma likes you, but...my sister hits really hard!"

Watanabe laughed at that. If his sister didn't hit hard, he wouldn't pursue her.

His original reason for approaching Tsunade had been to get beaten up.

"It's fine. I can take a beating."

Nawaki stared at him oddly. Watanabe was really willing to risk everything to pursue his sister. With his scrawny little frame, one punch from her would probably leave him on his knees begging her not to kill him.

"Fine, then. I won't object. Do what you want."

That was all Nawaki had to say. He just hoped Watanabe wouldn't regret it someday when Tsunade beat him senseless.

Watanabe kept smiling, not taking Nawaki's words to heart. What did an eight-year-old know? It was just childish talk.

Tsunade was the princess of Konoha, after all. She wasn't someone he could pursue just because he wanted to. If things went wrong, he might not even be able to stay friends with her.

"You probably don't know what my sister was like before. I'll tell you everything." Nawaki started spilling Tsunade's secrets.

"My sister doesn't just hit really hard. She's a gambling addict, just like Grandpa..."

"She used to love gambling. Grandma wouldn't let her go to the casino, so she'd secretly gamble with me instead. I couldn't read the dice, and I didn't even know if I'd won or lost. Somehow, she'd end up taking all my pocket money."

"But ever since a month ago, my sister's been going out early and coming back late every day, saying she's training with you. At least she's stopped secretly gambling with me..."

Nawaki eagerly divulged his sister's secrets, and Watanabe listened with interest. He hadn't expected Tsunade to have a side like this that no one knew about.

Tsunade was usually such an elegant, aloof beauty. It was hard to imagine her having anything to do with the words "gambling addict."

Nawaki was so engrossed in exposing his sister's past that before he knew it, he and Watanabe had walked back to the entrance of the estate. Two figures stood by the gate. One of them startled him so badly that he jumped straight into the air.