Natsumi rushed to the Hokage's office and gasped to catch her breath.

I hope I'm not late. I hope I'm not late. I hope I'm not late.

The assistant, Kin, spotted Natsumi and smiled. "Oh, you made it. I was almost worried that your brother had forgotten to give you the Hokage's letter."

Natsumi straightened and laughed under her breath. "Well, he did. But I'm here anyway." She let out a quiet breath. "Am I late?"

"Oh, no, you're fine." Kin smiled and nodded. "The Hokage's previous meeting has run a little late, so I'm afraid that you'll have to wait for him to finish with that first before he can see you."

Natsumi sighed in relief. I'm not late after all. What good luck.

"I don't mind waiting." She smiled. "I'm glad that I wasn't late."

Kin smiled and listened carefully for a moment. "I think they're finishing up right now. You got here just in time."

No thanks to Naruto! Natsumi played with the bottom hem of her shirt nervously. Why did he throw it away? It was probably important. She sighed and then gulped. What if… What if I'm getting in trouble? She remembered defacing Ebisu's glasses. Oh, no. That jerk probably made sure to tell the Hokage! Or… She pressed her lips together. This is probably about that one prank I pulled… Natsumi hugged her arms close. Oh, no. This is probably… about… that.

The longer she stood there, the surer she became. I'm dead. I'm so, so dead.

The office door opened and a group of Jonin and Chunin filed out. Natsumi pressed herself against the far wall of the hall to give them room. Izumo recognized her and stopped to greet her.

"Oh, Natsumi. Hi." He waved and gave a friendly smile. "You're here to see the Hokage?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know what it's about."

He chuckled. "Well, you're a good kid, so I'm sure you're not in any trouble." He ruffled her hair.

If only you knew! She scratched her cheek and laughed softly. "Y-Yeah, I guess I'm just paranoid."

"Well, I've got to go get back to my post, but it was nice to see you again." He leaned closer with his hand to his mouth and whispered. "Kotetsu is still a little embarrassed that he was beaten so easily by a little girl, but between you and I, I think he needed to be knocked down a peg or two."

She giggled. "I think he'll get over it."

Izumo nodded. "Oh, he'll be fine. His ego is just a little bruised."

He began to turn and leave and Natsumi smiled as an idea came to her. "Izumo-sensei, wait."

He turned back to her. "Hm?"

"Does Kotetsu like Kiri?"

Izumi blinked and crossed his arms. "Kotetsu… and Kiri?" He leaned closer to her. "Why do you ask? Do you know something that I don't?"

Natsumi giggled and waved her hand. "N-No, I was just curious. It just seemed as if there was something between them."

He grinned and straightened. "Well, there has been someone he's had a kind of… puppy love for since he was a kid. But, I'm sworn to secrecy."

I think that's definitely a yes! I can't wait to tell Sena!

"Oh, Natsumi, you're here already." She turned to the Hokage, who stepped out of the office and nodded his head at her in greeting. "Good."

Natsumi bowed her head respectively and swallowed. That's right… I almost forgot what I was doing here.

"Good morning, Lord Hokage."

A silver-haired Jonin followed him out of the office and closed the door quietly. He was tall and covered most of his face with a black mask and his headband pulled down over his left eye. Natsumi stopped as she looked at him and was unable to turn away.

"Natsumi, this is Kakashi Hatake." The Third Hokage motioned to the man and introduced. "He's going to be Naruto's teacher from now on." Hiruzen turned to Kakashi. "And this, of course, is Natsumi Uzumaki; Naruto's twin."

Kakashi raised a hand and smiled, though she could only tell by the way his cheeks lifted and his eyes closed, crinkling at the sides.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you."

He's… really handsome! Her cheeks warmed and she waved in return. But why does he cover up his face like that?

Natsumi smiled and quickly lowered her arm to stick her hands in her pockets. "It's nice to meet you, too."

He looks really cute when he smiles. Natsumi blinked at the thought and she quickly turned away from him to the Hokage as he approached her.

"Um…" She cleared her throat and her thoughts quickly. "Lord Third, can I ask why you wanted to see me?" She lowered her eyes to the ground momentarily. "If… this is about Ebisu's glasses, I'm sorry. I kind of… got caught up in the moment of it. It seemed funny enough at the time…"

He chewed thoughtfully on the end of his pipe. "No, this isn't about that."

Crap! She bit her lip. Quick, think! What else is there?

"O-Or how I moved everything in your office to the left a little bit. I didn't mean to cause any problems for you, I was just… curious to see if I could sneak into your office and not get caught."

He blinked slowly. "So… that's why something seemed off… and why I've been bumping into things more than usual." He breathed out quietly. "No, Natsumi."

"Um…" Natsumi gulped and lowered her eyes to the floor as her voice lowered to a guilty whisper. "I am really, really sorry for sneaking in and reading forbidden scrolls. I swear that I didn't try to learn anything there, I was only curious as to what they said and why they were forbidden. I'm so sorry. And I swear that I never told Naruto about it or told him how to get to the Scroll of Sealing. I had no idea of his plan to take it until after the fact. Honest."

"Natsumi!" He interrupted and she swallowed and looked up at him. "I didn't call you here to scold you or—" He stopped and looked her over. "You've read… the Scroll of Sealing?" He asked quietly.

Crap! Her eyes widened in panic. It wasn't about that! Crap! Crap! Crap! I'm dead for sure!

"D-Did I say that?" She chuckled awkwardly under her breath and avoided his gaze, feeling her cheeks burning. Natsumi, you're a moron! He had no idea, and you just told him everything!

Hiruzen released a puff of smoke and held his pipe out as he sighed. "We can discuss that matter later." He glanced over his shoulder at Kakashi, who was watching Natsumi very intently. "There are some things that I still need to discuss with Kakashi, so if you will wait for me at your home, we will discuss the original topic there."

Natsumi glanced up and forced herself to meet his nodding, pressing her lips together tightly as her stomach tightened. "Yes, sir."

Iruka stood in front of the class and looked over his students with a smile.

"As of today, you all have become fully fledged ninjas…however, you're still Genin. The tough part's still to come!" He paused and stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

The kids muttered to each other and looked around, some with anxiety in their eyes as others smiled in excitement.

Naruto sat with his head resting on his arms, carefully to avoid applying pressure to the bruises already forming as he half-heartedly listened. "I wonder what Natsumi's doing now…"

"From here on, you'll be in a squad of three and carry out your missions under your Jonin teachers."

Naruto opened his eyes and blinked. "Oh, yeah.

"I wonder who's going to be with Sasuke." Ino leaned forward to whisper to Sakura in the row in front of her.

Sakura blinked and kept her eyes forward. "I don't know…" She looked over her shoulder at the blonde and clenched her jaw. "Cha! I'll be with one grouped with Sasuke, naturally!"

Sasuke scoffed under his breath. "Squads of three, eh. It'll just slow me down…"

Naruto sat up and rested his cheek in his hand as he thought. "First will be Sakura. And for the other person… anyone other than Sasuke!"

"The groups have been determined so that the strengths of the groups will be balanced. Now," Iruka continued and brought the paper he'd been holding behind his back forward for him to read. "for the assignments!"

He began to list off names for the first group and Naruto listened carefully for his name, groaning quietly as her wasn't called. He closed his eyes again and replayed Natsumi's intervention during the fight in his head Iruka continued on.

After several minutes Iruka paused and cleared his throat. "Now then, is Group Seven… Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto perked at his name and blinked to focus on Iruka now.

"Sakura Haruno."

Naruto raised his arms into the air and cheered. "Hooray!"

Sakura's eyes widened and she hung her head. "I'm with… Naruto?"

"And, Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto slumped in his head and groaned. "I'm with… Sasuke?"

Sakura's eyes lit up and she cheered. "Hooray!"

"Next is Group Eight." Iruka looked up from his page. "Hinata Hyuga!"

"Y-Yes." The shy girl looked at Iruka from Naruto to listen carefully.

"Kiba Inuzka! And… Shino Aburame!"

Sakura turned to Ino and grinned. "Yes! Love is victorious!"

Ino glared at her. "Why is this happening?"

"Group Nine!"

Ino clenched her fists and glared as Sakura turned around, blushing as she looked at Sasuke from the corner of her eye.

"Man…" The boy beside Ino watched her. "Why do girl always think that guy's so great?"

Ino lowered her arms and looked at him. "Don't you understand, Shikamaru?"

He looked at her with his brows furrowed. "Well, I'm not a girl…"

Ino sighed and shrugged. "That's why you're not popular with girls. I definitely don't want to be grouped with you."

"Group Ten." Iruka read off. "Ino Yamanaka. Shikamaru Nara…"

Ino's eyes widened. "Huh?"

Shikamaru smirked. "It appears we're in the same group."

She shot him a look and didn't reply.

"And… Choji Akimichi."

The boy stuffed potato chips into his mouth and Ino glanced over at him in the other row and grabbed her head and grimaced. "And Fatty on top of that…"

Iruka cleared his throat and lowered the paper. "That's all for group divisions!"

Naruto growled and stood, pointing at Sasuke. "Iruka-sensei! Why does an exceptional student like me have to be in the same group as this guy?!"

Iruka looked at him and frowned. "Sasuke has the best grades of the graduates. Naruto, you're at the bottom!"

The room broke out into laughter and Iruka spoke over the noise. "Of course, this is how it is when trying to balance the strength within groups."

"Just don't get in my way, loser." Sasuke spoke to Naruto without looking at him.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "What did you just say?

"Do you want to fight, loser?" Sasuke's mouth twitched in a smirk. "Or do you need your sister to handle it for you?"

Naruto clenched his fists and emitted a low growl. "Why, you—!"

"Knock it off, Naruto!" Sakura shot him a look in irritation.

Iruka put his hands on his hips and sighed, then spoke again. "In the afternoon, I'll introduce you to your Jonin Teachers. You're dismissed until then!"

The students arranged themselves into their groups and filed out of the classroom, talking. Once outside, Sakura looked all around.

"Sasuke-kun!" She walked around the building, calling out for him. "Sasuke-kun! Where did you go?"

She continued to search and felt her heart sink slowly. "I thought since were in the same group and all, we'd eat together."

Naruto caught up with her and waved happily. "Sakuraaa-chan!" She turned to see him and groaned. "Since we're in the same group and all, let's eat together!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Why should I have to eat with you?!"

Naruto blinked and slowly lowered his arm. "Well, we're in the same group, so…"

Sakura narrowed her eyes and scowled. "You're annoying." She turned quickly and began to call out to Sasuke again, leaving Naruto behind.

Naruto blinked and watched her leave, letting out a small sigh and stuffing his hands into his pocket. "I wonder where Natsumi is? She's probably with her new team, too."

Naruto situated himself on a room and looked at the area below, kicking his feet as he sat. "Darn. This is no fun. I'm finally in the same group as Sakura… and then it's like this." He sighed deeply. "I wonder if something good will happen…"

He lowered his head and then sighed again. "I wonder where Natsumi is. I know she's probably already with her team, but I hope she didn't get in trouble with the Old Man. I'm the one who pulls all the pranks." He scratched his cheek. "Although I haven't done anything in a while. I wonder what he wanted to talk to her about."

Naruto crossed his arms and hugged them close. "She'll probably tell me later but I hate having to wait. And I want to know what kind of people are in her team, too. I hope they're nice."

He opened his eyes and spotted Sasuke sitting inside the building across the street, eating his lunch. He broke out into an impish grin and chuckled. "That's it!"

Shikarmaru, Choji, and Ino sat on a balcony and ate their lunch. Ino ate slowly, Shikamaru took thoughtful bites, and Choji shoved the rice balls into his mouth as quickly as he could, humming happily as he chewed.

"Listen up!" Ino looked between the boys. "As long as we're in the same group, you'll follow my instructions."

"Yeah, yeah." Shikamaru muttered dismissively and took another bite, then looked up at her from where he sat. "She becomes a real pain in the neck when people try to argue with her, so…"

"Let's all go out for some Barbeque sometime." Choji smiled and offered.

Ino groaned and smacked her palm to her forehead.

Shikamaru looked up from his rice ball and saw Naruto sneaking carefully undetected to the window where Sasuke was, smirking.

"Naruto?" Shikamaru muttered and Ino turned to look.

"Hm?"

Naruto leapt inside of the window and knocked Sasuke down and the two began to struggle.

"Jerk! This is Naruto, isn't it!" Sasuke's voice was muffled.

"Darn! Just be quiet!" Naruto muttered and the panel slipped and blocked the view into the building.

Ino balled her hand and stared down at the window. "Naruto! If you hurt Sasuke, I won't forgive you!"

The struggling grew louder from inside until it finally went quiet and Ino and Shikamaru stared at the window.

"What happened?" She mumbled.

Suddenly the panel opened again and Sasuke hopped out, smirking slightly.

"So, Naruto got beaten by Sasuke." Shikamaru mused.

"Of course!" Ino smiled and shrugged. "Naruto is no match for Sasuke."

Natsumi sighed as she walked and kept her arms close to her. I have this horrible feeling that I'm going to really get it… Why did I have to go and blurt it all out like that? I'm such an idiot!

She bit her lip and hung her head. "All I can do now is beg for mercy and maybe Lord Third won't take my headband away. I did do something pretty serious…

A small yap interrupted her thoughts and she looked up in time to see a small dog leap at her. She caught it quickly and he started to lick her cheek. She giggled.

"Oh, hi there!" Natsumi scratched under its chin. "Aren't you cute? Where did you come from?"

The puppy laughed and licked her hand, sniffing her eagerly.

"You really are so cute!" She nuzzled her face into his fur and hugged him. "I could just take you home with me!"

It sniffed her torso all over and stuck its face into her pocket and pulled out the small bag of jerky she had brought as a snack, wagging happily. Natsumi laughed.

"I see… you only like me because you want me to share."

She set the dog down carefully, kneeling in front of him as she opened the bag and pulled off a small piece of meat and smiled at the dog.

"Do you know how to sit? I'll give you some if you sit."

The puppy yapped and quickly sat down and Natsumi grinned and held out the treat. "Oh, you're such a smart boy!" She retrieved another piece. "Can you lay down, too?"

He yapped again and lay down, wagging his tail and looking up at her expectantly.

"Awww… you're a good boy." She handed him the bite and scratched his head affectionately. "I wish I could take you home with me. You're so cute."

"Akamaru, stop taking everyone's food! You're not starving!"

Natsumi glanced up and recognized one of Naruto's classmates. He stopped as he met Natsumi's eyes and his cheeks turned pink. "S-Sorry about him. He's pretty pushy."

Natsumi handed over the remaining jerky and watched as the dog happily munched. "He's adorable. I don't mind."

Kiba scratched his cheek and, finished eating, Akamaru leapt into his arms. "I've only ever seen her from far away… but up close, she's really cute!" He watched Natsumi reach out and rub Akamaru's head, and his eyes lowered until he blushed and forced himself to look away. "Really… really… cute."

He cleared his throat and blushed deeper. "I-I'm Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka."

"I know." She said quickly and her eyes rose from the dog to its owner quickly. "I've heard of you teasing Naruto before."

He blinked quickly and gulped. "That's right… I guess… I have…" He chuckled awkwardly. "Um… I didn't mean it, you know."

"Yes, you did." She replied flatly. "Or you wouldn't have said it." She returned her focus back to the spoiled pup. "But, since I didn't see it in person, I'll pretend that it never happened… since it won't happen again."

He gulped again at the cold look in her eyes and remembered her intervention in the classroom. "Just some dumb kid stuff… we're too mature for that." He smiled weakly. "I really don't want her angry with me, too!"

Natsumi straightened to a stand and smiled sweetly. "I'm glad! I'm really hoping everyone can move on and we can be friends."

"Yeah, I like you." He stopped himself and stammered. "Your idea, I mean. I'd like to be friends."

She giggled. This guy is acting so weird… but, he has a cute dog. "I'd like that."

"You know," he cleared his throat again. "What you did before, in the classroom, that was really cool. You're really strong."

"Hm?" She smiled and clasped her hands behind her, "Thanks, but I didn't even do anything."

He blinked. "What?! I've never seen someone our age stop a punch like that before. It was… impressive."

Natsumi laughed and leaned close to him, holding up her hand to whisper. "Between you and me… those girls are really weak. I didn't even really have to try hard."

"R-Really?" He laughed and whispered back. "I guess it makes sense. They don't look strong."

She laughed and pulled away again and then paled quickly. "Sorry, I just remembered that I still have to meet the Hokage. I've gotta go!"

She ran off and raised a hand to wave. "Bye! See you around!"

Crap! I hope I'm not late!

"So, that's Naruto's sister?"

Kiba jumped and turned to see his new teammate. "Don't sneak up on people like that! It's creepy!"

Shino stuffed his hands into his pocket, ignoring Kiba as he watched Natsumi disappear out of view. "She's very pretty."

"She seems very nice."

A small voice came from his other side and Kiba jumped again, then loudly sighed. "Hinata! Not you, too!"

"S-Sorry." She quickly apologized.

Sakura sat alone on a stone bench eating her lunch slowly in silence, then shut her lunch box and sighed once she was finished. "There's no need for me to feel rushed to get back… from here on out, I'll be in the same group as Sasuke for the long haul…"

She set aside her lunch box and rested her hands on her lap. "But…" She sighed a second time and rested her elbows on her knees, holding her face as she leaned forward solemnly. "Even if I were to use my feminine charms… my… proportions are below average. All that I have above average is how big my forehead is… What should I do?"

Suddely she looked up and her eyes widened, noticing a familiar figure standing across from her as he leaned against a tree, watching her intently with his arms crossed.

"Huh?" Sakura blushed. "No way! Sasuke-kun is looking… this way! And with such a passionate look!"

Sakura's blush deepened and she averted her eyes, imagining Sasuke approach her with a faint smile on his face.

"You have a charmingly wide forehead… it makes me want to kiss it."

Sakura sighed quietly to herself. "Yeah, right… like that would happen… I'm not some kid who believes in fairy tales. There's no way something like that would happen in real life."

"You… have a charmingly wide forehead." Sasuke spoke up.

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked at him. "W-What?"

Sasuke stepped in front of her and smiled slightly. "It makes me want to kiss it."

"Cha! This fairy tale is for real!"

"Or, that's what Naruto would say." Sasuke chuckled, watching Sakura carefully.

She lowered her head and felt her stomach sink. He sat beside her as she stared downward.

"I've got something to ask you."

"Hm?" She turned to him and studied his expression.

"What do you think… of Naruto?"

Sakura tensed at his name and frowned. "He's quite at home interfering and enjoys when I make mistakes. Naruto doesn't understand anything about me… he just annoys me!" She balled her hands into fists. "And, his sister really gives me the creeps!"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he listened.

"All I want… is for you to accept me, Sasuke."

"For me to accept you?" He repeated softly.

Sakura met his eyes and her cheeks flushed again. "I'll do anything for the sake of that." She turned her body toward him and closed her eyes, leaning in with her lips puckered.

His eyes opened wide as she drew nearer and his heart began to pound.

The real Sasuke struggled against the ropes with a scowl. "I was careless!" He remembered tying Naruto up after his ambush, only to discover that it was substitution Jutsu— just before he was attacked by a group of shadow clones.

"I didn't that that someone who couldn't even perform the Clone Jutsu properly could do the Shadow Clone Jutsu…"

Naruto— as Sasuke— watched Sakura lean closer and blushed faintly. "I finally know why I… like Sakura so much."

He began to lean in to close the gap between them and cringed as pain shot through his stomach. He clutched his gut and grimaced, feeling himself pale. "Oh no! Diarrhea? At a time like this?!"

He got up and ran away as quickly as he could. Sakura opened her eyes and watched him leave. "Wait! What's wrong?"

"I-I'll be right back!" He managed to squeak out as he rushed away.

Sakura giggled to herself. "Sasuke is so shy! I guess he needs a moment to prepare himself mentally…"

Naruto ran into the bathroom quickly as sat down in time, wiping his forehead. "Oh, man. That was so close. My stomach was hurting so much that the Jutsu was about to wear off! Why does something like this have to happen at such a good time?!"

He let out a quiet breath and his eyes lowered to the floor. "So, I'm annoying… huh? She said it again." He chuckled to himself as he thought. "In that case… I'll play an obnoxious Sasuke and make her hate him!"

Sakura looked up from the bench and stood, grinning happily as Sasuke approached.

"Oh, Sasuke, you're such a shy bad boy! Are you ready now? I'm raring to go!"

He continued to walk past her without acknowledging her and her face fell.

"H-Hey, Sasuke…"

He stopped walking and looked at her over his shoulder, studying her thoughtfully for a minute. "Where's Naruto?"

Sakura laughed quietly, shifting awkwardly. "Oh, there you go changing the subject again… just leave Naruto alone! All he does is pick fights with you!" She crossed her arms and hardened her expression. "It's all because he wasn't raised right! You know! He doesn't have any parents, right? Just that sister…"

Sasuke shot her a look and clenched his jaw as she continued to talk on her own.

"He always is selfish and does whatever he wants! My parents would scold me if I did something like that!"

He narrowed his eyes as she kept going.

"There are no parents to nag you if it's you alone! So his selfishness comes out all the time."

Finally, she stopped and put her hands on her hips and Sasuke kept his back to her.

"The loneliness." He muttered under his breath.

"Hm?" Sakura looked at him and blinked.

"It's something worse than being scolded by parents…" He spoke in a cold tone.

"W-What's gotten into you?"

He turned to meet her eyes with an icy gaze. "You annoy me."

Sasuke walked away without another word, while Sakura stared in shock as he disappeared out of sight.

"So, this is Naruto's home…" Kakashi looked around the kitchen and dining area. It was reasonably clean and organized, with the exception of Naruto's breakfast that he had neglected to clean up.

He noticed some pictures had been taped up along the wall. He looked over them and found simple, candid shots of the twins over the years eating ramen, playing cards, or camping. Most of the photos were of Naruto, though a few had been taken by Naruto while Natsumi was sleeping, or laying in the grass as she looked at the stars. In one photo, Kakashi was sure he could tell that she'd just been pushed into a river by her brother and looked angry as she climbed out of the water to snatch the camera from him. The last photo of them was a partially blurry self-portrait of both of them at their last birthday where they sat each with a single cupcake in front of them as they smiled.

"And," The Hokage continued with his hands clasped behind his back. "Sasuke of the Uchiha clan is also in the group you'll be in charge of. I wish you good luck."

Kakashi turned to and picked up the carton of milk left out. "The expiration date… has passed quite a while ago…" He shook it gently and it squelched as the curdling slopped around. "He'll get sick if he drinks this. It seems like things are going to get disastrous…"

Please don't be there already. Please don't be there already.

Natsumi huffed and went to unlock the apartment door and found it unlocked. She gulped and slowly stepped inside and spotted the Hokage with the silver-haired Kakashi from before. She spotted Naruto's mess on the table and the carton in his hand and blushed immediately.

"I-I'm so sorry about the mess. I told Naruto to pick up before we left…" She grabbed at the hem of her shirt and bit her lip. "And I'm sorry for getting here late. There was a dog and—" She quickly shut her mouth and waited for the Hokage to speak. "Nevermind. It's not important."

"Come." He motioned to the table. "Sit."

Natsumi nodded and sat as the Hokage took a seat in the second chair. Please don't bring up the Scroll. She fiddled with her shirt nervously. But, what else is there to talk about?

"I reviewed the report from Izumo, Kotetsu, and Kiri's tests and, I must admit, that your progress is very impressive." He finally broke the silence and Natsumi looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly.

"S-Sir?"

"At first, I was concerned with the idea of having you stay at the Academy longer, but you have excelled even more than I had anticipated. You should be very proud of yourself."

Natsumi nodded and remained politely quiet.

He watched her expression carefully and released a puff of smoke into the air. "For the matter of your graduation, you may not be aware, but the number of graduates this year exceeds the number of places on a three-man squad that are available."

Natsumi blinked and felt her stomach twist into knots. "So… I won't be assigned to a team?"

"That's correct."

She fell silent and her eyes lowered to the table. What am I going to do?

The Hokage watched her expression fall and he cleared his throat quietly. "However, I have found a much better use for your talents. I would like you to join the ANBU under my direct command."