Life began to settle into a predictable routine. Naruto would send out his Shadow Clones to gather information (and more importantly, secrets) from the village each morning. On weekdays, he had the Academy with Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, and his friends. Afterwards, Sakura and Sasuke would follow him to Training Ground Seven, which usually held Kakashi unless he was on a mission or 'distracted' by Anko. On the weekends, Hinata, Ko and sometimes Tenten joined the group of students Naruto found himself tutoring while he either sparred with Kakashi, one of his parents (in ANBU uniform), or just did raw physical training.
In no time, it was December 27th, the last day before the week-long winter break at the Academy. When Hinata walked up to their usual spot, Naruto got down on one knee in front of her. In front of their incredulous audience, Naruto pulled out a velvet box and opened it to reveal a beautiful ring with a floral design and a 3-karat purple diamond the exact shade as Hinata's eyes. "Hinata, I love you more than anyone or anything. Will you be my wife?" Naruto asked, nervous despite himself.
"Of course, you idiot!" Hinata shrieked, tackling Naruto to kiss him on the lips for the first time. It proved quite pleasurable. When they finally pulled back for air, they got back to their feet after sharing a look of understanding: they were engaged now. Naruto put the ring on her left ring finger, and only then did they become aware of the classroom clapping and cheering.
"I knew it! Pay up, bitches!" Ino shouted, collecting what looked like bet money from the other girls in the class. Once she'd acquired all her money, the blonde rushed up to hug Hinata. "Congrats, Hinata! And on your birthday too, so romantic! You, me, and Sakura need to go out sometime over break! A proper engagement party or sleepover or something!"
"Can I come?" Naruto asked, thoughts of Hinata in her pajamas making him blush.
Ino made an 'x' with her fingers. "Eh, no! No boys allowed, girls only!"
Naruto thought about the problem. He made a hand seal and, with a puff of smoke, his long hair had vanished into a pixie-like haircut, his chest had notable bulges, and his hips were visibly wider. The obviously female blonde bowed. "Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruko, the female version of Naruto. Can I come now?"
"You can't come just because you Transformed into a girl, idiot," Ino protested.
"This is the Sex Change Jutsu, not the Transformation Jutsu. It's a lot more chakra for a permanent switch. Genetically, I'm Naruto if his Y chromosome never lost a leg. Have Hinata check me with her Byakugan, you'll see. I'm completely female, brain chemistry and all. I'll get my period if I stay around long enough before changing back," Naruko tried to explain.
Hinata activated her clan's Doujutsu, not even needing a hand seal after all her practice with Naruto. She looked Naruko up and down. "As far as I can tell, she's female. No chakra expenditure of a Transformation. If I didn't know better, I'd swear she was born this way."
"See, I'm a girl, inside and out! So can I come to the engagement party?" Naruko asked eagerly.
Ino dithered. Sakura had come up to congratulate Hinata and gave her own two ryo. "I'm all for it. This is basically just like inviting the groom's twin sister. Besides, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! A girl who actually understands the male mind! Imagine what secrets she can tell us about their bizarre way of thinking," Sakura argued as if Naruko were a member of some foreign and mysterious civilization.
"I'll pay for everything," Naruko offered.
That was enough to convince Ino. "Very well! We meet tomorrow, high noon, at my family's shop. I'll plan out the whole day, and Naruto's 'sister' will foot the bill. But, wait… are you still attracted to girls?" Ino asked with narrowed eyes.
"I'm attracted to boys, girls, and everything in between regardless of whether I'm male or female. But I'm committed to Hinata. I won't grope her if we go to the hot springs if that's what you mean," Naruko answered a bit defensively.
Ino's jaw dropped. "Wait, what?"
"Naruto, and I suppose Naruko, identifies as pansexual," Hinata explained on her fiance's behalf. "Naruto, could you teach me this Sex Change Jutsu at some point? I'd love to see the world through a boy's eyes, just for a day."
"Sure, Hina-chan!" Naruko chirped.
Before Ino could ask more questions about Naruto/Naruko's sexuality, Iruka called a start to class. Before he started his lecture, he turned to Naruko. "Naruto, I mean, Naruko, will you be with us for the rest of the day?"
"Yes, Iruka-sensei. Naruto doesn't let me out much, so we have a standing agreement that I get at least 24 hours each time he switches. Don't worry, it won't affect my studies," Naruko bowed.
They got through the first two periods \before lunch as usual, Hinata noting that her Yin still synced with Naruko's Yang despite her being a different person than Naruto. She took that as a sign that their souls were meant for each other regardless of sex or gender. Which led to a few fantasies of 'role reversal' and 'experimentation' once they were married that almost gave her a nosebleed.
The usual crowd gathered at their table. Sakura had visibly gained weight, and it was all in the good way. It was remarkable how much difference a little meat on the bones could make. They all opened their bento and Ino resumed her line of questioning. "So what's this 'pansexual' thing? I thought there was just straight, bi, and gay."
"Heterosexuals are attracted to the opposite sex and gender. Homosexuals to the same. Bisexuals are attracted to both males and females. But what about the transgender people, the intersex people, the non-binary people? Pansexual is literally defined as 'attraction to all sexes and genders'. So basically I could be attracted to anyone, no matter how 'abnormal' they are in a heteronormative world. But nowhere in there does it say I can't be faithful and monogamous. Hinata will be the only person I'm with my whole life, with the possible exception of her male counterpart once she learns the Sex Change Jutsu. Unless we mutually decide to add a third or have an open marriage. We'll figure it out as we go along," Naruko lectured before biting into an onigiri. She almost spit it out. "Oh, right, I hate sour plums. Anyone want this?"
"I don't say no to free food," Chouji said, reaching out to take the food item.
"How come you're so… developed when Naruto's still the shortest kid in class?" Shikamaru asked astutely.
"Girls mature earlier than boys, duh. I started puberty at 10, Naruto's still got a little while to wait. I wish him luck with the initial rush of hormones," Naruko wished in sympathy to her male version.
Kiba seemed to have a thought. "Here's an idea. After the girls and… Naruko have their sleepover, we guys take Naruto on a manly party of our own?"
"That sounds like fun, I guess. How about the day after? I'll turn back to Naruto after breakfast at Ino's," Naruko posed. "And you'll forgive me if I don't foot the bill. I imagine Ino has a couple shopping sprees in mind that could wipe out my monthly allowance."
"I won't abuse your generosity, Naruko. Just a couple things from a couple stores, maybe lunch or a soak, just your average fun day in Konoha," Ino waved off Naruko's concerns.
They got through the rest of the day, and then Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura made for Training Ground 7. Kakashi barely blinked at Naruko and discovered that Naruko was as fierce a fighter as her 'brother' was.
The next day at noon, Ino was impatient waiting outside her family's flower shop. Naruko appeared first. "Mind if I browse a bit? I want to get Hinata a bouquet," she asked the party planner.
"Aw, that's so sweet! Sure, go ahead."
Naruko entered the store and was exiting just as Sakura and Hinata arrived together. "For my sunny place," Naruko said with a blush as she offered the flowers to Hinata.
"I'm happy to accept them, my princess of whirlpools," Hinata replied, taking the bouquet and pressing her nose into it to inhale the mixture of scents.
"So, that it? No one invited anyone else?" Ino pressed.
Naruko scratched the back of her head exactly how Naruto would. "I, er, invited a couple of my neighbors and a kunoichi from last year's class. They all said they'd come. I figured we could benefit from their age and wisdom."
"You better not be implying I'm old, dattebane!" came the voice of one Uzumaki Kushina, or Kazama Shippu as her codename designated her.
"Of course not, Shippu-san. You're not even 30, dattebaya," Naruko protested. She even had a different nonsense word than Naruto.
Sakura furrowed her brow. "Are you two related? You both have similar verbal tics."
"I have no relation to Shippu-san," Naruko said easily. It wasn't a lie. Kazama Shippu didn't officially exist. "Coincidence, I suppose."
Tenten came from the other end of the street, dressed in casual clothes instead of her ninja outfit. "Oh, hey everyone! I'm guessing I'm in the right place for the 12-year-old's bachelorette party?"
"It's just an engagement party. The bachelorette party comes the week before the wedding," Hinata spoke up. "Hello again, Tenten-san."
"Hey, there's the lady of the hour! Let me see the ring," Tenten urged as she got close.
While Tenten marveled at the piece of jewelry, a small smoke bomb dropped from above. When they all finished coughing, they saw Mitarashi Anko dressed in a crop top and miniskirt with stiletto heels and fishnet stockings. "And the party has arrived!"
"Anko, my friends. Friends, this is Mitarashi Anko, my quasi-adopted sister. By which I mean she's dating a guy my dad sort of took in as his own. Her hiss is worse than her bite, at least with the people she likes. She's sure to be a… colorful addition to our little party," Naruko explained in deadpan.
"So, what's first? Better be lunch, we need to fuel up for a day full of fun and bonding!" Anko grinned, totally unrepentant for her gratuitously dramatic entrance.
Ino, who in theory was the one in charge as the planner, cleared her throat and took off walking. "Lunch is first. One of Chouji's clan's restaurants is having a special today. Half off for all-you-can-eat!"
The group of five girls and two women walked to the proper Akimichi buffet. Naruko covered the admission for all of them and they all set about building plates from the rows of precooked yet delicious food. When they all found a table, Ino was quick to realize she had the smallest plate of anyone in the group, by a significant margin.
"Are you going back for more trips, Ino?" Shippu asked, noting the tiny portions with concern.
Sakura sighed. "Someone, we don't know who, started the rumor that the hottest guy in class likes skinny girls. Hinata and I are possibly the only girls in class who aren't half-starving themselves to try and draw his eye."
Anko snorted. "A kunoichi shouldn't need to diet. She'd sweat off whatever she doesn't need if she's got a half-decent training regime. I mean, look at this gorgeous bod, and half my diet is dango and sweet red bean soup."
Ino's jaw dropped. "Seriously?!" she asked in shock.
Hinata, in a daring gesture, unzipped her baggy sweater and revealed her 'blossoming' form that rivaled Naruko's own development. "Ino, I look more like a woman than you because I eat and train instead of just diet. You do know that malnutrition carries several health risks, not the least of which is delaying puberty? You could actually be hurting your chances to catch Sasuke's eye with how hard you're trying to be thin."
Tenten found this whole thing ridiculous. "There's a happy medium between anorexic thin and Akimichi large. Most kunoichi who actually train their bodies instead of depriving them reach it without even trying. I can't believe a whole year of kunoichi is ruined because of a misguided attempt to attract the cool guy."
"To be fair, that 'cool guy' is Uchiha Sasuke. There's all the prestige of being wife to the future Clan Head of one of the founding clans of Konoha, not just his good looks," Naruko pointed out.
Shippu laid down her chopsticks and grabbed Ino by her arm. "That's it. I'm going to show you how a proper kunoichi should eat, dattebane!"
Under the disguised Kushina's instruction and baleful eye, Ino put together a plate three times bigger than her first and ate every bite. When all seven of them had sufficiently gorged themselves, Ino stood up to guide them to their next destination. "A new rom-com is out in the theater! It's supposed to have great reviews and the male lead was in the last Fujikaze Yukie movie!"
"Drinks only, no snacks. We all should have filled up at the buffet," Naruko spoke up, mourning the loss of so much money from her wallet this day promised to take.
"Fair enough," Ino shrugged.
They got tickets and drinks at the concession stand before getting the good seats in the center of a row that wasn't so close they'd have to crane their necks. The movie actually was very good, a masterful example of the 'make-you-laugh-and-cry-in-90-minutes' genre. The final exchange between lead characters culminated in a perfectly romantic kiss before it faded to black and credits started to roll. They walked out of the theater, gabbing about the movie and all its highlights. After a solid 10 minutes of debating whether the lead actress should have ended up with her best friend instead of the hunk, Ino whistled loud. "Next stop: the hot springs. Because after that comes the shopping, and we'll need to gird ourselves for that expedition into uncertain waters!"
They walked to the Hot Springs, and Hinata asked Naruko to wash her back, telling herself it technically wasn't Naruto seeing her naked in order to not faint. In short order, the seven kunoichi or kunoichi-in-training were relaxing in the steaming hot water.
"So, Naruko-chan, why is your hair so short?" Hinata asked, sitting right next to her groom's female incarnation.
"When I first did the Sex Change Jutsu, Naruto's hair was short and mine came out long. I suppose it's the Jutsu's way of differentiating between the two forms. Since his hair's longer than Jiraiya's at this point, I get a fashionable short cut," Naruko shrugged.
"I got a REAL question for Miss Switcheroo," Anko smirked. "Which is more fun to play with, a cock or a pussy?"
"ANKO! They're 12," Shippu protested even as Tenten, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata all blushed and not from the heat.
"I think I'm going to give Hina-chan power to veto on this one," Naruko countered.
Hinata played with her fingers for a bit. "I… I kinda want to know myself."
Given the go ahead, Naruko answered the crude Tokubetsu. "Well, a cock is certainly easier to play with. You can actually see what you're doing, for one thing. And you know how sensitive your clit is? Imagine a six-inch long one and that's basically a penis. Whereas a vagina is some unseen, mysterious tunnel you can barely work with yourself! And men and women are wired differently for orgasm. Men are like a tsunami, this rush of pleasure through their body and out their dick in one big release. Women are more like an earthquake, these shockwaves of variable intensity everywhere, with aftershocks and foreshocks and possibly even a consecutive quake if your partner knows what they're doing. Having experienced both, I can't honestly say which I prefer, with the caveat that guys are so much easier to get off. That satisfy your curiosity, Anko?"
Anko grinned like a crocodile. "Oh, I'm just getting started. You have a Sex Change Jutsu. You can make physical copies of yourself. You ever, how should I NOT put this delicately, pork yourself?"
At least a third of the steam on their side of the hot spring was coming out the other girls' ears. But Hinata nodded to Naruko so the female Uzumaki went ahead. "No, I don't have sex with my Shadow Clones. I promised myself Hinata would be the one I lost my virginity too. You might see it as just a higher form of masturbation, but I count my Shadow Clones as people. Once we're married though…" Naruko trailed off suggestively, wrapping an arm around Hinata's shoulders.
Shippu cleared her throat. "I have a male-female question that's actually PG. Why do men seem like such… idiots half the time?"
"We think differently, on a fundamental level," Naruko answered her disguised mother. "For one thing, women pick up on 5 different levels to any communication exchange. Most men pick up 1, maybe 2 if they're especially perceptive. For another, they're simpler. Not stupider, just that their urges aren't a complex quagmire like ours are most of the time. Your average dude wants food, sex, shelter, emotional comfort, and the satisfaction of doing a good job. That's it. Why do you think the ideal image of a woman is a buxom bombshell in an apron in the kitchen? Seriously, keep their bellies full and their balls empty, maybe have a deep emotional talk once a month, and you're golden. That might sound like oversimplifying it, but it essentially boils down to that. Plus, when you complain to a man, you mostly just want to feel heard? Well, to the guy's mind, you wouldn't mention it unless you wanted him to fix it. Which can go wrong a number of slapstick ways, as evidenced by some of the scenarios in that movie we just saw. Now, don't get me wrong, there are times men can be as complex as women and women can be simple as men. It's all on a case-by-case basis, I'm just generalizing."
"You said you can get your period. Can you, like, get pregnant in this form?" Ino asked once she'd recovered a little from the images Anko's questions had evoked.
"No reason I can't. Like I said, this is a permanent shift between my male and female forms until such time as I reverse it. If I wanted, I could never change back to Naruto and live the rest of my life as a woman. But we were born male to start with, so it feels more fair to let him be the main form and I'm just the party trick," Naruko shrugged. "And to add another caveat to Anko's self-sex question, it'd feel like incest for me to fuck Naruto. We are genetically twins after all."
"Can we, just, like, STOP asking Naruko questions?" Sakura begged.
"Seconded," Tenten added.
"Motion carried. Let's just soak," Naruko said, leaning back against the natural stone lip of the spring.
Once they'd all had their fill of the hot, mineral-rich water, they dried off and got dressed. Then Ino got a slightly insane glint to her eye. "Now for the real fun, ladies. We are going to shop till we drop!"
Ino led them to a mid-tier boutique, somewhere between couture and the bargain bin. Naruko was fine wearing Naruto's clothes, but she did shop for some underwear for when she was in female form. They of course spend hours modeling for each other for constructive criticism. Shippu and Anko ended up paying for their own clothes, so Naruko only had to handle Ino and the rest of her age-mates. Ino almost cost more than the other four girls put together.
Carrying their bags back to the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Ino showed them the back entrance to the house part of the building. "Mom, Daddy! My friends are here for the sleepover!"
"Ino-chan! Welcome home!" came the boisterous voice of Yamanaka Inoichi. One look at the man's face was enough to see he was the doting type that saw his little girl as a princess. He blinked at Shippu and Anko. "Oh. I didn't realize you had friends so old, Ino-chan."
"You calling us old, Inoichi? Because I'd be happy to use what you taught me on yourself if you're up for it," Anko said with a tick-mark.
Realizing the landmine he'd stepped on, Inoichi backtracked abruptly. "I meant, mature! Aged like fine wine! Delicate blossoms in full bloom rather than mere buds like my Ino-chan."
"That's more like it, dattebane," Shippu muttered. Unfortunately, Inoichi heard her.
"What did you just say?" he asked the disguised woman.
Naruko cleared her throat. "Three words, Inoichi-san: S-rank secret. You don't think, you don't know, you don't want to know. Got it?"
Inoichi turned to the blonde. "Who're you? I thought my Ino-chan was the only blonde girl in her class."
Hinata spoke up in defence of her fiance. "She's Naruto's female form. We invited her to come along today."
Inoichi's face suddenly got red as a flag meant to taunt a bull. "NO BOYS AT THIS SLEEPOVER!"
"I'm not a boy. I'm a girl. I was a boy yesterday, until I used the Sex Change Jutsu. Now I'm a girl until whenever or if ever I use the Jutsu to change back to a male. And if that's not enough to convince you, you can trust Anko-san and Shippu-san to act as appropriate chaperones to ensure I don't do anything untoward to any of the other girls," Naruko laid out.
Inoichi chewed that over. "Let me check your mind to see if your intentions are pure."
Naruko shrugged. "Fine. But I wouldn't dive too deep. We both know who's waiting down there."
Inoichi gulped before making a hand seal unique to the Yamanaka Clan. "Ninja Art: Mind Reading Jutsu!" he said.
Naruko felt and allowed the probe into her surface thoughts, not attempting to hide anything because she had nothing worth hiding. She just wanted a fun night together with her fiance and friends before becoming Naruto again tomorrow and not coming out again for an indeterminate time.
Inoichi rose a brow as he ended the Jutsu. "You really are female, even in your thoughts… Very well. I'll allow you to sleep in my home. But just a hint of trouble…"
"Daddy, you're embarrassing me! Naruko's cool, let it go!" Ino demanded.
"Alright, Ino-chan! Go put your stuff away in your room, Mommy will have dinner ready in an hour!" And just like that the man crumbled.
The seven participants in the sleepover went up to Ino's room, which looked like your average preteen girl's abode. Complete with photos of Sasuke taped to her mirror. "You can stash your bags in my closet until you leave tomorrow," Ino said even as she unloaded her own bags onto her bed and began to sort her purchases.
"Good thing I packed extra sleeping bags. Though it looks like your bed could fit three of us. What is it, a double King?" Naruko asked incredulously.
"I asked, Daddy said yes. I got him wrapped around my finger," Ino smirked.
"That's bad parenting. No offense, Ino-san," Shippu commented.
"Hey, I know he's spoiled me rotten. Least I can do is enjoy it, right?" the blonde Academy student shrugged.
Once they were all packed away, they took positions on the bed or floor and engaged in the age old tradition of girl talk. "So, Anko-san, who's this guy you're dating Naruko knows?" Tenten asked.
"Hatake Kakashi. You might have heard of him. Your sensei Gai has this weird platonic man-crush on him," Anko shrugged.
"I have to ask. His summon species is the Dog. How is he, you know, doggy style?" Naruko asked with a giggle.
"It's our preferred position, actually. Makes me howl like a bitch in heat. Hey, thanks for soundproofing our apartment by the way," Anko answered.
Hinata, blushing but not fainting like she would have a couple months ago, turned to Shippu. "What about you, Shippu-san? Is there a man in your life? Or woman?" Hinata tacked on to be polite.
"I'm married to the most wonderful man in the world… Kazama Arashi," she said, a small pause where she remembered to use codenames.
"How'd you two meet?" Sakura asked.
"In the Academy, actually. He says he took one look at me and fell in love, especially with my hair. It wasn't until he rescued me from a team of Kumo-nin sent to kidnap me that I returned his affections," Shippu explained.
"So was he worth the wait?" Ino asked, clutching a plush as she sat on her bed like she was queen of the court.
"Let's put it this way: he's the fastest man I know, but NOT in the bad way," Shippu grinned salaciously.
Aware that she was referring to her father, Naruko eagerly changed the subject. "So Sakura and Ino both want Sasuke. And Hina-chan is head over heels for Naruto. What about you, Tenten?"
Tenten snorted. "I'm not even thinking about romance until I'm Jonin or turn 21, whichever comes later. I don't need no man to define myself by. Hell, I'm not even sure marriage and kids is what I want in the end."
Sakura tapped her chin. "Okay… how about if, kunai to your throat, you had to pick between Neji and Lee?"
Tenten looked vaguely nauseated. "Am I allowed to just throw myself on the kunai?"
"They're both that bad?" Hinata asked.
"I'd rather pick Gai-sensei and he's old enough to be my father. Neji is an emo asshole and Lee lives and breathes Taijutsu and physical conditioning, it's all he talks about. I know he's overcompensating about his disability, but still! And he worships the ground Gai-sensei walks on for giving him a chance to become a shinobi without being able to cast Jutsu." Tenten shook her head. "So, yeah, neither of my teammates if I can help it."
"So, she said, aware she's opening a major can of worms… what's the big deal about Sasuke?" Naruko asked the room.
Ino squealed. "What's NOT the big deal about Sasuke? He's gorgeous, he's super cool, he's an Uchiha which means he's practically destined to become a powerful ninja, he's perfect husband material! Gah, I could talk for hours about him!"
"And how much do you actually KNOW about the man, Ino?" Sakura countered.
"We can work out fine details like favorite colors and deep, dark secrets after the wedding," Ino waved off.
Sakura sighed before giving her own answer. "He's cold, but his problem isn't that he doesn't feel. It's that he feels too much. He never recovered from the Massacre, and I don't think he got nearly enough counseling after it happened. He carries the pain of his clan's loss and his brother's betrayal deep in his heart. He almost treasures the suffering, because they're all he has left of them. He's afraid to form connections because of the risk they'll be broken and he'll be forced to endure even more loss. But there's glimpses, now and then, where he'll smile at something: a flower, a squirrel, a reflection in water. That's when you see the real Sasuke, behind his ice-cold mask. I wouldn't say I love him, not really. We're not nearly intimate enough to have forged that kind of connection. But I could see the woman I hope to be with the man he could become. First thing that has to happen is someone pulling the stick from his ass, though."
The other six were all blown away. Naruko whistled. "Well, it's clear which of you two is more observant of his behavior."
Ino's jaw had dropped. "Sakura… How do you know all that?"
"I watched him, picked up his little tics and habits. For someone from a clan revered for reading minds, you have trouble seeing past the surface, Ino. You fell for the dark prince of the class. I'm falling for the man behind the crown. Feel free to keep up your pursuit. Just know I'll always be there to fight you for him, until he decides for himself, whatever that choice may be. It could be the waitress at the local ramen bar for all we know. We'll both do what we feel is the best thing to get his attention. Time will tell who had the better read of him," Sakura stated resolutely.
The deep moment was interrupted by Ino's mother calling "Dinner, everyone!"
The seven girls went downstairs and smushed themselves around the Yamanaka's dining table. Anko kept Inoichi distracted with shop talk, giving Ino's mom a chance to bond with Ino's friends, including Naruko. If she found anything odd about a 12-year-old getting engaged, she kept it to herself. She did seem to approve when she learned they were waiting 3 years for the wedding.
After dinner, they raided the stash of candy Ino had bought and talked for hours in their pajamas. Eventually the estrogen rush faded and they all passed out, dead to the world.