Nawaki : le petit frère de Tsunade

Nawaki: Tsunade's Little Brother

1214 words | Reading time: 7 min

UniverseNawakiSenju

Died the day after his twelfth birthday. Nawaki, Tsunade's little brother and grandson of the First Hokage, dreamed of the hat too. An explosive trap in the Second Great Ninja War killed him at twelve, the day after the birthday on which his sister had given him Hashirama's necklace. A profile of a boy whose resemblance to Naruto Jiraiya found unsettling, and of the necklace recovered from his body — the first link in a curse that would lead to Tsunade's trauma.

A boy who dreamed of being Hokage, dead at twelve years and one day: Nawaki is the first link in a chain of losses that would break Tsunade. His story is that of a necklace and a curse.

Contents

Tsunade's Little Brother

Nawaki is Tsunade's little brother and, like her, a grandson of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju and of Mito Uzumaki. He therefore belongs to the Senju clan.

A notable fact: he closely resembles Naruto, both physically and in personality — headstrong and a sore loser. Jiraiya would later point out this unsettling resemblance.

The Dream of Becoming Hokage

Like Naruto, Nawaki had only one dream: to become Hokage. A child's dream, carried with the naive fire of his age, in the middle of an era of war.

It was that dream Tsunade wanted to encourage with a gift heavy with meaning — with no idea of the tragedy that would follow.

A cliff carved with seven giant faces, overlooking the rooftops of a village
The title Nawaki aspired to: every Hokage has his face carved into the Konoha cliff.

Death the Day After His 12th Birthday

For his twelfth birthday, Tsunade gives him the necklace of their grandfather, the First Hokage's necklace. The next day, Nawaki dies in battle during the Second Great Ninja War.

He is killed by an explosive trap, and his body is described as unrecognizable. Orochimaru recovers the necklace from the body and returns it to a devastated Tsunade.

Close-up of an elongated green crystal pendant, hanging from a simple black cord worn around a neck
The First Hokage's necklace, given by Tsunade to Nawaki for his twelfth birthday, the day before his death.

The Cursed Necklace

This necklace would become infamous. Tsunade later gives it to Dan Kato, the man she loves, who also shares the dream of becoming Hokage. Dan dies in turn during the same war.

Two wearers, two deaths: the jewel inherits a reputation for being "cursed". It is not a supernatural power, the canon makes clear, but a series of tragedies that brands Tsunade for life.

A blonde woman in a white kimono and a man with long light hair in a green vest face each other very closely, he touches her chin, against a bright background
Tsunade later gives the necklace to Dan Kato, who dies in turn during the same war.

Tsunade's Trauma

Being unable to save Dan, covered in blood despite her medical mastery, gives Tsunade a phobia of blood that would cripple her in combat. The two losses make her lose faith in the dream of becoming Hokage.

The necklace would end up with Naruto: Tsunade bets that he will not master the Rasengan in a week. He succeeds, saves her life, and receives the necklace — finally breaking the curse. Also appearing in this story is Shizune, Dan's niece.

A blonde woman wearing a forehead protector, eyes wide open in the rain, her face and hands streaked with blood
The phobia of blood born from these losses would cripple Tsunade in combat despite her medical mastery.

Summary Table

Aspect Details
Identity / family Tsunade's little brother; grandson of Hashirama Senju (First Hokage) and Mito Uzumaki; member of the Senju clan.
Dream To become Hokage. Very similar to Naruto, physically and in personality (Jiraiya notes the resemblance).
Death At 12, during the Second Great Ninja War; killed by an explosive trap, the day after his 12th birthday; body unrecognizable.
The necklace First Hokage's necklace given by Tsunade on his 12th birthday; recovered from the body by Orochimaru and returned to Tsunade.
Legacy / impact "Cursed necklace" (Nawaki, then Dan) → Tsunade's trauma and phobia of blood; the necklace then passes to Naruto through the Rasengan bet.

FAQ

  • Who is Nawaki in Naruto?
    Tsunade's little brother and, like her, a grandson of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju (Senju clan). He looks a lot like Naruto, physically and in personality, and dreamed like him of becoming Hokage.
  • How and when does he die?
    At 12, killed in battle during the Second Great Ninja War, victim of an explosive trap — the day after his 12th birthday, the necklace having been given to him the day before. His body is described as unrecognizable.
  • Why do people speak of a "cursed" necklace?
    Because Nawaki, then Dan, both die after receiving the First Hokage's necklace from Tsunade. It is an in-universe nickname tied to these successive deaths, not a magical power: the canon sees a series of tragedies in it, not a real curse.
  • What does it have to do with Tsunade's phobia of blood?
    The deaths of Nawaki and then Dan forge her trauma. It is above all in failing to save Dan, covered in blood, that Tsunade develops a phobia of blood that then cripples her in combat.
  • How does the necklace finally reach Naruto?
    Through a bet: Tsunade wagers the necklace, betting that Naruto will not master the Rasengan in a week. At the end of the confrontation he succeeds (and saves her life), so she hands him the necklace, regaining faith in the dream of becoming Hokage.

In summary

Nawaki appears only in memories, but his shadow hangs over Tsunade's entire journey: it was his death that extinguished his sister's faith, and it is in Naruto — his twin at heart — that she will find it again. The lost little brother traced, without knowing it, the road of the future Hokage.

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