"Listen," Naruto looked at Konohamaru as they walked, his hands in his pockets. "In order to become a skilled Ninja, you must first learn to control your Chattora."

"Chattora?" Konohamaru looked up at the older boy.

"Yes, Chattora." Naruto repeated.

"Boss, I think you mean Chakra."

Naruto flinched and then regained his composure. "Silence! That's what real Ninjas call it!"

Natsumi walked on Konohamaru's left side and sighed as she glanced at her brother. Oh, man. He can be a real knucklehead sometimes...

"Oh?! I didn't know that!" Konhamaru's eyes widened in excitement.

This is going to be a really long day. Natsumi shook her head slowly, keeping quiet.

Naruto wiped his forehead and turned his face away. "Whew. I'm glad he's a fool." Turning back to the boy, he continued his lecture. "Listen, Chakra essentially means..."

"Basically," Konohamaru interrupted, holding up a finger while resting his fist on his hip. "it's the energy needed in order to use Jutsu."

Naruto looked at him. "Huh?"

"In other words, fundamental Ninja Arts combine the Chakra, the physical energy accumulated from each cell in the body, with spiritual energy intensified through training and experience. This combined energy is summoned with certain hand signs."

Naruto blinked and realized that the boy was reading the information from a scroll. "You made me think you knew all that when you were just reading from a scroll!"

Natsumi giggled and Konohamaru looked up at her. "Still, it's an important lesson for him to know." She smiled at him. "It's also a very complex subject so I'm impressed that you're reading scrolls like that. I can tell that you are really dedicated to becoming a strong Shinobi someday."

Konohamaru blinked and looked at her, his eyes almost watering. "Nee-chan..." He hugged her, nuzzling his face into her chest.

Natsumi blinked. "Aw, you're so sweet..." She looked down as he rubbed his face in her breasts and she clenched her jaw, clearing her throat. "Konohamaru..." She warned.

"Hey!" Naruto grabbed his shoulder, pulled him away, and smacked his head. "Don't act like that to my sister, you pervert!"

Natsumi crossed her arms over her chest as she blushed. Boys...

Konohamaru sniffed and clasped his hands together, pouting at Natsumi. "S-Sorry, Natsumi-neechan."

She sighed and rubbed his head, kneeling in front of him as she smiled faintly. "It's alright. Just don't do it again, alright?"

He nodded slowly and wiped his eyes.

He reminds me a lot of Naruto when he was little. Natsumi grinned. He's so cute.

"Oh, you're just so adorable!" She hugged him quickly, squeezing him as she did. "I just want to take you home and you could be my brother."

Konohamaru blushed and rested his head on her shoulder and Naruto pointed at his twin. "Hey! You already have a brother, ya know! Me!"

Natsumi stuck her tongue out at him and then released Konohamaru. "But you're all grown up. Konohamaru is still sweet and adorable."

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted. "I can be sweet and adorable, too."

Natsumi looked back at Konohamaru with her hands on his shoulders. "Maybe later I can show you one of my favorite Jutsu, too. Would you like that?"

Konohamaru nodded. "Yeah! That'd be great!"

"H-Hey... what about me?" Naruto pointed to himself. "What happened to your "Boss"?"

Natsumi giggled, then whispered to Naruto. "It's because I'm a girl, you goof." She stood and ruffled Konohamaru's hair. "I can show you my Jutsu later. Naruto's already claimed you for today, and I'm not going to interrupt his lesson."

Even if it is totally ridiculous and inappropriate. She nearly rolled her eyes as she smiled.

He nodded. "Yeah! That'd be great!"

Naruto cleared his throat and his pupil turned his attention back to him. "So, getting back to what I was saying..." He put his hands on his hips. "Much has been said about perfecting the Ninja techniques but it really boils down to just one thing."

"What's that?"

Naruto held up a finger, closing his eyes. "Hard work and guts."

"Hard work and guts?" Konohamaru clenched his fists and furrowed his brows in determination.

"That's right." Naruto smiled and lowered his arm. "So be ready for the challenging tasks I'll give you."

"Yes, boss!" Konohamaru shouted in excitement.

Natsumi blinked. I hope that doesn't mean what I think it does.

"Good. Let's start right now. Transform for me."

"Huh?" The boy blinked.

"Let me see first how much you already know." Naruto returned his hand to his hip.

"But what do I transform into?"

"Hm?" Naruto looked around, then spotted a pretty woman with long, brown hair in a ponytail buying fruit from a nearby stand. He pointed. "Okay, first, transform into that lady."

Konohamaru looked at the woman then grinned. "An easy task, boss!"

Oh, boy. Natsumi crossed her arms and stood back.

Konohamaru took in a deep breath and made a hand sign. "Transform!"

Once the cloud disappeared, a woman did stand in his place, though she was overweight, puffy, and bloated. Natsumi cringed.

"Well, do I look like her?"

"Uh..." Naruto blinked and stared at him. "Well... the clothes do and..."

The twins cringed and turned slowly to see the woman glaring at Naruto as she trembled in anger. "What's so similar about that?!"

She drew her fist back and knocked Naruto on the head and Natsumi's eyes widened. Her eyes narrowed and a tremble ran through her body as fire spread through her veins.

How dare she! I'll— Natsumi unclenched her fist and took a step back, breathing out slowly. What's wrong with me? She looked down at her hands. Just now... I imagined myself hurting her.

She looked at Naruto and bit her lip. But she had no business hitting him!

"Honorable Grandson," The woman smiled at Konohamaru. "If you're going to transform into me, at least try to look a little cuter, okay?" She waved and walked away.

Konohamaru shuddered and watched her leave. "She's scary!"

Natsumi knelt and helped her brother off the ground.

Natsumi sighed and dusted him off, looking at his head as she muttered. "There's a knot forming there, but it doesn't look too bad. Good thing she wasn't that strong."

"W-Why am I the one who gets hit?" He mumbled.

Naruto stopped walking in front of a bookstore and put his hands on his hips. "Okay! Now, we'll do some research on sexiness!"

"Yes, boss!"

Natsumi groaned and turned to Naruto. "N-Naruto, whatever you're planning on doing, you're probably going to get in trouble for it."

"Our research is too important to worry about consequences."

Natsumi sighed and shrugged. "Alright. At least I tried."

Naruto opened the shop door quietly and eyed the clerk, so was sleeping on his chair behind the counter. Naruto smirked and snuck inside quietly with Konohamaru close behind. Natsumi sat outside with her arms crossed.

Naruto pulled a magazine from the rack and opened it so Konohmaru could it. Their eyes widened as they stared at the woman in the bathing suit with a confident, seductive expression. The boys blushed and flipped the page to see another woman with her cleavage nearly spilling out of her bikini.

"I told you that I don't allow children to read these things, Naruto!"

The boys winced and slowly turned to see the clerk glaring down at them with a switch over his back.

"Uh oh." Naruto gulped and the clerk swung at him until the boys ran out of the shop. "And don't come back!"

Naruto rested his hands on his knees and caught his breath. "Ow ow ow..."

Natsumi looked up at them and let out a quiet breath as she stood and noticed Naruto's black eye. "I told you that you'd get in trouble."

"All in the name of research!" Naruto crossed his arms. "If you're not helping, why are you coming with us?"

"I already know that I can't stop you once you get something into your head." She shrugged. "So, I might as well supervise to make sure you don't do anything too crazy."

"Hmph. Fine." He turned to Konohamaru. "Time for the final step! Follow me!"

Naruto headed in a different direction, leading Konohamaru as Natsumi stayed several meters behind.

Normally I wouldn't allow Naruto to be such a bad influence on a kid like this, but if Naruto had refused, Konohamaru would have just gone and done this all on his own anyway. She pursed her lips. Supervising them is the better choice but they're still acting like idiots.

After walking a while, Naruto finally stopped, smiling at Konohamaru. "This is the last test so put all of your effort into it!"

"Yes, boss!"

Natsumi looked up at the sign of the building. "T-The bathhouse?!"

They transformed at the same time— Naruto appearing as his typical, cute female self in his normal clothes, while Konohamaru looked like a bloated, breasted version of himself.

Natsumi grimaced and then smacked her hand to her face. They're not going to fool anyone at all!

Nodding at each other, the boys headed into the women's side of the bath confidently. Natsumi crossed her arms and approached the building's exterior wall, gently hitting her forehead against it. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

A moment later, a chorus of screams erupted. "Naruto! It's you again!"

Natsumi looked up and groaned. "'Again.' Of course, it's 'again.'"

Naruto, you're lucky that you're my brother!

Naruto, Natsumi, and Konohamaru stood in the middle of a small clearing, surrounded by tall, old trees and Naruto sighed.

"Why is it always me?" Naruto complained and gently rubbed his bruises.

Konohamaru's lip quivered and he looked down and balled his fists. "Sorry." He muttered softly.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, the syllable distorted by his swollen cheeks.

"It's because I'm the Hokage's grandson." Konohamaru explained under his breath.

Naruto attempted to smile. "Don't worry about it."

Konohamaru looked at him and his stomach sunk as he saw the bruises again. "Huh?"

"You're now ready to perform the Sexy Jutsu!" Naruto grinned and looked at the boy with one eye swollen shut and gave a thumbs-up. "You just need more practice."

Konohamaru blinked and then broke out into a large smile. "Alright! Yes, boss!" Looking around Naruto, he waved his hand at Natsumi. "Neechan, did you hear? I'm ready to do the Jutsu now!"

He stopped as he saw her there with her back pressed against a tree, her face pointed at the ground as her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. She was trembling and didn't seem to hear.

He lowered his arm and Naruto turned, furrowing his brows as best he could as he looked at his sister.

"Natsumi? What's wrong?"

Natsumi blinked quickly and jerked her head to looked at them, suddenly unclenching her fists and looked between them.

"I... w-what?" She forced a laugh and fidgeted with the hem of her jacket. "Sorry. I was thinking about something. Did you say something?"

"Neechan... are you okay?" Konohamaru frowned.

Natsumi nodded quickly. "Y-Yeah, sorry. I've been spacing out lately. I think it's because I haven't been sleeping well."

Naruto leaned closer to her to study her face. "You're lying." He finally said.

She leaned back and crossed her arms, chewing on her bottom lip. "Am not."

"Are too." Naruto leaned closer.

"I am not! Just leave me alone!" She shouted, then covered her mouth with both hands. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell. I just... haven't been feeling well."

Naruto's expression softened and he touched her forehead. "Maybe we should take you to the doctor. You do feel a little warm."

Natsumi stared at him blankly for a moment before laughing loudly, holding a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.

Konohamaru leaned closer to Naruto, holding up his hand as he whispered. "Something's definitely wrong. She's acting crazy."

The laugh trailed off and Natsumi hiccupped, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm fine, really." She smiled. "If anyone should see a doctor, it's you, ya know. You look terrible, and I bet it hurts."

"Pssh." Naruto pursed his lips and put his hands on his hips. "I'm fine! It's nothing to worry about, and, besides, it's not worth leaving Konohamaru's training unfinished."

The boy blinked. "Really? You mean it?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah! Let's keep going!" He laughed. "Keep in mind, the point is for 'boom boom boom.'" He raised his fist into the air in excitement. "Now do it!"

Natsumi smiled faintly and hugged her arms close to her. Maybe he's right. Maybe I should have Sena look at me. I'm sure she'd know what was wrong. Shaking her head, she looked between the boys again. But that can wait. I want to just have fun for now.

"Yes, boss!" Konohamaru shouted and pumped his fist into the air. He brought his hands together and formed a hand seal. "Transform!"

The smoke dissipated and a taller, female Konohamaru definitely stood in his place. She wore only a bra and panties, but the girl was still puffy and fat, and her face was bloated and unattractive.

Oh... that's still pretty bad. Natsumi covered her mouth to hide a giggle. But he's not doing badly for only just starting.

"That's no good!" Naruto shouted. "Try again!"

Naruto raised a finger, then pointed at the transformation. "Make it more slender."

"Yes, boss!" Konohamaru nodded and tried again. "Is this okay?"

Naruto looked over the girl and crossed his arms. "She's slender, but plain-looking. More attractive."

"Yes, boss!" Another puff of smoke cleared and Konohamaru struck a pose? "How about now?"

Naruto cringed. "No, no! Too old! Try it again!"

Natsumi giggled again.

He's so determined... he really is a lot like Naruto.

Ebisu stood on top of the observation platform of Hokage Rock and looked over the village with a scowl.

"That Naruto! What is he teaching the Honorable Grandson?" He groaned as he scanned the area below. "Where the hell could they be?"

He let out a hot breath and adjusted his glasses. "I am a distinguished teacher training a potential Hokage. All those who interfere will be eliminated." His eyes narrowed and he straightened to his full height, flickering himself elsewhere.

Naruto took a long slurp out of the can of juice in his hand as he sat on a log near the vending machines.

"You know, I've been wondering... you seem obsessed with beating your Grandpa Hokage."

Konohamaru looked at Naruto and then looked down at the ground quietly.

"My name is Konohamaru. It was Grandpa who gave me that name. He named me after our Village." He paused and Natsumi watched his expression shift as she sat on his other side as he continued. "It should be easy for everyone here to remember. But nobody ever calls me by that name."

His face fell and she spoke quietly. "When they see me, all they see is the grandson of Lord Hokage. No one sees me for who I really am. I can't stand it anymore. That's why..."

Konohamaru clenched his fists, his hands trembling as his gaze intensified. "That's why I want the title of Lord Hokage now."

Naruto blinked and looked to the ground. "Idiot... who do you think will accept you, huh?"

Konohamaru looked up at him. "Hm?"

"You won't win the title that easily, you know."

Konohamaru stood and glared at him. "What?"

"It's not that simple. If you're really serious about gaining the title of Hokage..."

"What?" He gritted his teeth.

Natsumi brought her drink to her lips and smiled faintly. I was right. They really are alike.

Naruto smirked and looked at his junior. "You'll have to beat me first!"

Konohamaru froze and his eyes widened.

The Third Hokage stood on the roof of the Hokage building with his hands clasped behind his back as he looked up at the monument.

"Lord Hokage! I've been looking for you." A familiar voice called out as Iruka Flickered onto the room and smiled.

"Iruka."

Iruka approached the Hokage. "Did Naruto re-submit his Ninja Registration Form?"

"Yes." Hiruzen released a small puff of smoke and chewed thoughtfully on his pipe.

"When I lectured him the other night at the ramen stand, he said that he will make everyone accept him now that he's a Ninja. He's been in a good mood since then."

The Hokage stood in silence as he listened, staring at the image of the Fourth Hokage.

"It might not be easy for Naruto to realize that dream." He replied finally.

"Huh?"

"As you know, only the villagers who fought the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit twelve years ago know that the monster is sealed inside Naruto. I ruled that no one should speak of that incident and I have punished those who have broken this rule. Now, our children know nothing about it. That is the only positive development for Naruto that has come of it."

He let out another puff. "Before the Fourth Hokage trapped the monster and died, his last wish was for the villagers to see Naruto as a hero."

"A hero?" Iruka repeated under his breath.

"Yes." Hiruzen nodded. "The Fourth Hokage sealed the monster into the navel of a newborn baby, whose umbilical cord had just been cut. As a vessel for the Fox Spirit, Naruto saved the village. Unfortunately, the other villagers don't see him like that. Some even say that Naruto is the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon himself. Little by little, that attitude has been passed down to their own children."

He sighed and lowered his eyes from the mountainside. "Iruka, do you know?"

"Know what, sir?"

"When someone is hated and people refuse to accept his existence, that he sees it in the eyes of the people around him."

Iruka's eyes fell to the ground and he contemplated the Hokage's words.

"I don't know how it must make him feel... but I am sure that he is suffering on the inside." Hiruzen spoke softly.

Iruka blinked and remembered Natsumi's words in his head. Doesn't that mean Naruto is a hero? Without him, the Village would be completely destroyed. He helped save everyone.

Iruka glanced down at the ground momentarily. "That's right... she was the one who said that, too."

"Natsumi believes in him." Iruka found his voice. "She sees him as a hero."

The Hokage nodded slowly. "Natsumi... what a good child." He smiled faintly. "It's good that he is not totally alone. She has a good head on her and is always willing to put Naruto first, even at the expense of herself."

Iruka nodded. "She balances him out well and does what she can to keep him in line."

Hiruzen turned slightly and held his pipe in his hand, blowing out smoke. "Iruka, are you aware of the full extent of her sacrifices for her brother's sake?"

"S-Sacrifices?" Iruka stepped forward but kept a respectful distance.

The Hokage nodded. "About four years ago, we started to notice rapid development in Natsumi. It seemed as though she became completely motivated in her education and within only a year, Natsumi was easily exceeding all expectations. Out of curiosity, I instructed Hidemi to give her the Graduation Exam. She passed easily."

"Three years ago...?" Iruka blinked as he thought. "I don't understand. What was she still doing at the Academy if she'd already passed years before?"

The old man smiled faintly. "I took her into my office to discuss the Exam results with her and offered to fit her into a three-man squad right away. She was more than ready. However, she refused. She insisted on staying at the Academy."

"But why?" Iruka put his hands into his pockets.

"Natsumi simply refused to leave Naruto." He explained. "The other students treat Naruto poorly and Natsumi is, at times, the only buffer there is. She has stepped in many times when Naruto has been bullied and comforts him when their peers ignored him completely. She refused to allow him to face his peers alone."

Iruka nodded. "That sounds just like her..." He looked at the Hokage. "But, what has she been doing at the Academy all this time if she knows all the material?"

"She was studying an advanced curriculum that I was overseeing. During the school day, she would act as if no different from her peers, but each assignment she was given was different from theirs. Once school released, Hidemi would test Natsumi on that day's lesson and send me reports on her progress. She's an exceptional child."

"All that extra work and secret-keeping just to look out for her brother? She really is an exceptional sister to him." Iruka met the Hokage's eyes as he returned the pipe to his mouth. "Why is it that Naruto doesn't know?"

The old man shook his head. "Natsumi herself asked that the information stay within a small circle so that Naruto would not be made aware of it. As a result, until he was able to finally pass the Exam as well, she was given a false failing grade as well, in order to keep them together. She felt that telling Naruto would only make him feel guilty for holding her back, instead of recognizing that she chose that path out of love."

"You know him well, so you understand, Iruka." The Hokage nodded as he spoke. "That Naruto would have felt even worse if he believed that he was a burden on the only family he has. That is why she has worked so hard to maintain her façade as a student to make it as realistic as possible. Her devotion is admirable."

Iruka stood in silence for a long time until he spoke again. "But, sir. The number of Graduates is uneven. Once they are arranged into Three-man squads, Natsumi will be left out. By waiting for Naruto, she's missed her chance to join a team."

The Hokage turned to fully face the teacher and raised a hand to pat his shoulder. "Don't worry. I've found a solution already. I'll be keeping a close eye on her."