Caught Red-Handed by Tsunade!

Jingyi pushed aside the book Nawaki had handed him and turned to walk into the kitchen. He needed to have a proper talk with Tsunade tomorrow. The earlier you disciplined a younger brother, the better.

Seeing Jingyi ignore him and head straight into the kitchen, Nawaki worried that he would tattle to his sister, so he followed him inside.

"Jingyi, I consider you a friend. You can't go tattling to my sister!"

After washing the rice, adding water, and setting it on the stove, Jingyi turned around. "So you mean I'm supposed to help you keep it a secret?"

"Of course! We're friends! Friends! How can you betray a friend?" Nawaki answered as if it were only natural.

Jingyi: "..."

Friends, my ass. You were reading dirty books, kid. Didn't you realize how serious this was?

Pulling two potatoes from the cabinet, Jingyi peeled them and asked, "Nawaki, do you really like reading these books?"

"Of course. What man wouldn't?" Nawaki felt that he had said nothing wrong.

"Don't you like this kind of book, Jingyi? Or do you not like girls?"

"Cough, cough!!"

Jingyi, who was peeling a potato, nearly cut himself. That question was a little too lethal.

Speechless, Jingyi set down the knife and potato and seriously told Nawaki:

"Of course I like them, but I wouldn't read them before I grew up. And my sexual orientation is perfectly normal. I like pretty and cute girls too."

"Why not read them before growing up?"

Did reading this stuff have an age requirement?

Nawaki found it a little strange. After all, Jiraiya had never drilled that kind of nonsense into him.

He only took him along to enjoy a little fun...

Jingyi spread his hands. "Because there's no point in reading them before you've grown up."

"Think about it carefully. Jiraiya can take you to look at this stuff, then go out and have fun himself—but can you?"

"..."

At Jingyi's question, Nawaki's smile froze.

He seemed to recall that Jiraiya liked going to certain places, places he was not allowed to enter. Whenever he wanted to follow, Jiraiya would chase him away.

"So... saving allowance isn't easy, especially when you're trying to save it under your sister's nose. Don't waste your money on useless things like this from now on. If you like it, wait until you're grown up. You'll have plenty of time then, and no one will criticize you. You also won't leave yourself all worked up with nowhere to put it. Understand?"

Faced with Jingyi's lecture, Nawaki blinked blankly.

"Jingyi, you mean I should save more money and read them after I grow up, so I can go help support pretty big sisters with Jiraiya?"

"Damn it..."

Jingyi nearly threw out his back.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're right about everything."

He was exhausted.

Do whatever makes you happy, as long as you weren't afraid of your sister beating you up.

Why did Jingyi sound so perfunctory?

Nawaki could not figure it out. Forget it, he should read first.

And so... Jingyi in the kitchen kept hearing lewd laughter from the living room, leaving him with only one thought: "What a sin."

After dinner, Jingyi decisively kicked out Nawaki, who was lingering around and refusing to leave.

That little brat never learned anything good. All he could think about was dirty stuff.

Jingyi had no intention of taking the blame for leading a child astray.

That blame was better left to Jiraiya. After all, he was the one who had taught Nawaki to like this stuff.

I hope my sister is working late today.

After returning home, Nawaki cautiously poked his head around and looked in every direction like a guilty thief, terrified that someone would spot him.

Great, no one was around.

The courtyard was quiet, and no sounds came from the house. At this hour, Mito Uzumaki should have been teaching Kushina the Uzumaki Clan's unique sealing techniques. As for Tsunade, she was either working late or resting in her room.

Only after confirming there was no danger did Nawaki boldly walk into the courtyard.

"Stop right there!"

"..."

He was done for.

Hearing the voice behind him, Nawaki's smile instantly froze. His body stiffened as if he had been hit with a paralysis technique, nailed in place without moving an inch.

"Why are you only getting back now? Where have you been running around?"

Tsunade skillfully twisted Nawaki's ear and snapped viciously:

"I warn you every morning to come straight home after school and spend more time with Grandma. What did you do instead?"

Tsunade would at most scold Nawaki a little for coming home late. She would not take it to heart; eight- or nine-year-old children were naturally playful.

But Nawaki had returned home like a thief, and that was a problem.

After noticing this, Tsunade hid herself. She wanted to see what that brat Nawaki was sneaking around to do.

"Ow, ow, ow!! Sis, my ear's going to fall off!"

Nawaki yelped in pain, hoping his sister would show mercy.

"Tell me honestly. Where did you go?"

Tsunade remained unmoved, because she knew exactly how much strength she had used. It was enough to hurt Nawaki a little, nothing more. His ear being torn off was complete nonsense.

When an older sister beat up her younger brother, it was simply bloodline suppression. Nawaki immediately confessed, "I went to Jingyi's house. I ate at his place and came back. I didn't go anywhere else."

"Well, well. Looks like you've learned how to mooch meals off people."

Tsunade released Nawaki's ear. She believed that he would not dare lie to her.

Besides, he had merely come home a little late. A small lesson was enough; there was no need to make a huge fuss.

Damn it, she beat me up again!

Nawaki held his ear with an expression full of anger he did not dare voice.

You were still glaring at her!

Tsunade had intended to let Nawaki off, but when she saw her little brother glaring at her, she slapped him.

Caught off guard, Nawaki staggered, and the book hidden inside his clothes fell to the ground.

Tsunade had a habit of checking his schoolbag for homework. To keep from being discovered, Nawaki had stuffed the dirty book into his clothes. It had been hidden perfectly well, but Tsunade's slap knocked it right out.

"???"

What was this?

Tsunade looked down, and her eyes slowly widened.

It's over, it's over. My little treasure, the book I just bought... No, the book doesn't matter anymore. I'm dead.

Someone save me!

Picking up the book and flipping through it twice, Tsunade turned her head and spat before giving Nawaki a cold smile. "Are you going to confess on your own, or are you going to get beaten first and confess afterward?"

"I bought it with my allowance. I just bought it today."

"So you went to Jingyi's house just to read this?"

"No, wait. Jingyi Hyuga read this too?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Tsunade realized something was wrong.

Nawaki awkwardly scratched his head and gave an embarrassed laugh.

"He kicked me out. He even told me that kids shouldn't read this stuff and should wait until they grow up."

That was rare.

Now it was Tsunade's turn to be surprised.

Not only had Jingyi Hyuga not read it, he had lectured Nawaki and even kicked him out?

In Tsunade's impression, only Orochimaru had no interest in this kind of thing. As for everyone else... they were pretty much all the same.

From the Third Hokage to Jiraiya, then to the male ninja she knew.

Every last one of them—hardly any could escape it.

And even those who could would not earnestly lecture a child like Jingyi did, telling him not to read such things.

"Big Sister Tsunade, what are you doing?"

Although Tsunade had beaten Nawaki plenty of times, this was the first time she had seen him punished by being made to hold up his schoolbag.

It was so embarrassing.

Nawaki's face was as red as a monkey's butt. He guiltily lowered his head and obediently held his schoolbag high.