Natsumi touched down on a side street and began to walk with her hands in her pockets to pass the time until she spotted a familiar face at an empty park. Konohamaru stared intently at a target he had drawn onto a tree and was throwing Shuriken in practice. She smiled faintly and walked quietly over, so as not to disturb him. After some time, he shuffled over to collect his Shuriken to begin again, freezing in place as he realized he was being watched.

"Neesan!" He stammered and dropped several Shuriken, lifting his feet to avoid them. He collected them off of the ground and blushed slightly and smiled at her. "H-How long have you been there?"

"Only a few minutes." She smiled and stepped closer. "Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"

His blushed deepened and he chuckled. "W-Well..." He pulled out the bathroom pass from his pocket and held it up to her, grinning. "I'm not skipping, I'm just taking a really long time in the bathroom." His expression fell and he lowered his arm slowly. "You're not going to rat me out, are you?"

Natsumi laughed and ruffled his hair. "No, of course not! It's not as if you're goofing off, anyway. You're really diligent with your training, you know that? I'm proud of you."

He averted his eyes, smiling as he scratched his cheek. "T-Thanks, Neesan."

Konohamaru placed the pile of Shuriken on the grass beside him and looked up at her. "So, what are you doing here? I thought you and Naruto were both real Ninja now?"

Natsumi shrugged and sat cross-legged in the grass, off to the side. "I was... training this morning with my new teammates and accidentally overexerted myself. I'm okay, but they told me to take the rest of the day off just in case."

Konohamaru held a Shuriken carefully in his hand, looking at the target, and then throwing it. It missed, landing on the grass in front of the tree and he sighed deeply.

"Shouldn't you be at home resting then?" He tilted his head to look at her, and she only giggled.

"If I'm at home, I'm reminded of all the chores I have to do but am procrastinating to finish." She sighed and crossed her arms. "And then, after a while of stewing, the guilt will finally eat me up until I clean up. I'm not ready for that yet."

Konohamaru picked up another Shuriken as he made a face. "I really hate chores, too, but the Old Man always makes me do them."

"I wouldn't mind them so much if Naruto helped out more." Natsumi smiled as she watched him practice. "But, as it stands, Naruto is a complete slob, and I'm the one trying to keep our home from turning into a dump. It's a never-ending struggle!" She held up her arms in frustration and then dropped them again with a sigh, drawing her legs in close to her chest. "Sometimes I feel like more of a maid than his sister. I wonder if something happened to me if he would even miss me?"

Konohamaru missed again, then turned to her with his eyes wide and his fist clenched. "N-No way! Neesan, there's no way that he could just forget you! You're so cool and so nice..." He blushed faintly. "And a really great sister, too!"

She blinked and laughed out loud until her eyes watered and she wiped he tears away. His body relaxed and he looked at her strangely.

"Neesan...?"

"S-Sorry." She giggled and wiped another tear away, beaming up at him. "But, when you said that, it made me really happy." Natsumi let out a breath, leaning back and looking up at the sky. "I've been feeling so tense lately for some reason, so I guess I've just haven't been acting like myself. But," she looked back at him. "I feel a lot better now. Thanks, Konohamaru."

He rubbed his head with a grin. "I didn't do anything... but you're welcome."

Natsumi stood and plucked a Shuriken from the grass, twirling it around a finger as she approached him.

"Do you want me to help you? Not that you're doing poorly, but because your technique is a little off. If you practice the wrong way, though, it will become a habit that you'll never be able to break."

"Really?" He broke into a large smile and stared up at her. "You'll help me?"

"Of course!" She patted his hand and took a stance. "Watch me, first." Bringing her arm back, she eyed the target, exhaling softly as she brought the Shuriken forward, releasing it and it raced toward the target, hitting the exact center.

Konohamaru's eyes widened and he pumped his fist into the air. "That was awesome, Neesan!"

Natsumi smiled and plucked another Shuriken from the pile and handed it to him. "Alright, now show me your stance, first."

He nodded and obeyed, and Natsumi pressed her lips together and she looked him over, then gently shifted his feet to the proper angle.

"You're only off by a little bit, but to maximize your speed and power, you need to be as efficient as possible. This way, you'll have less wasted energy, and you can use your whole body fluidly in the right stance. You'll also risk straining yourself less if you do it properly."

He nodded as he listened and she pushed on his shoulder, tipping him slightly.

"Gaah!" He recovered and made a face. "What was that for?!"

"Sorry!" She held up her hands. "I was just testing your balance. You're putting too much weight on your front foot and making your body rigid. Try to evenly distribute your weight, and keep your muscles relaxed until you need them. You'll wear yourself out otherwise."

"Oooh." He adjusted his stance, then looked at her. "Like this?"

Natsumi poked his torso, then nudged his shoulder again. When he remained upright, she smiled. "Yup! Just like that." She moved to his other side to gently move his throwing arm. "Even though you're keeping your arm relaxed, you have to also keep your movements consistent and straight. Following through is also important."

She demonstrated with an imaginary Shuriken, pretended to throw, and then held the pose. "See? I tense up my muscles the moment before I throw. You've already got the wrist movement down, so you just have to adjust how you keep your arm. You try."

She stepped back and he narrowed his eyes at the target, exhaling as he followed her instructions and threw the weapon. It landed on the out edge of the circle, and his eyes widened and he leapt into the air.

"Yeah! I did it!"

"Great job!" She wrapped him in a hug and held him out at arm's length. "See? You were only a little off before, but those little adjustments really make a difference, right?"

Konohamaru nodded. "But my aim is still really bad, though. It's nowhere near the center."

"So what?" She shrugged. "Accuracy takes practice, but you already have the most important skill you'll need to master it."

"I... do?" He blinked.

"Determination!" She poked the tip of his nose and giggled. "When I was your age, I wasn't that great at throwing Shuriken, either. But I never gave up, no matter how frustrated I got, and I train every day so I'll never get rusty. You're already better than I was, Konohamaru. So, don't feel discouraged."

His cheeks warmed and he grinned ear-to-ear. "Really?"

"Really. I was bad at everything when I was your age and I was a real crybaby. But, I had a lot of motivation, and that always kept me going." She ruffled his hair. "I know you're going to be a great Shinobi someday. Probably even better than me."

"Neesan... do you really mean that?"

She nodded. "And, if you manage to beat Naruto and become Hokage, then I'll want your autograph, alright?"

"Heh." He put his hands on his hips and chuckled. "Of course. Once I'm Hokage, I'll have a lot of fans, and I won't let anyone down."

"As long as you don't forget about your friends, okay?" Natsumi giggled. "I'd like some of the cool benefits of being the Hokage's friend."

"F-Friend?" He blushed.

"Hm?" Natsumi laughed under her breath awkwardly. "Well, I hope that you consider me a friend, anyway. You're really fun to be around."

"O-Of course!" He beamed at her. "But only if I'm your friend, too!"

"It's a deal." She held out her hand to shake, and he took it after a moment.

"Now," She put her hands on her hips. "You have to get back to class, alright? I don't want Lord Third to scold me if he found out that I helped you play hooky."

Konohamaru groaned and pouted, crossing his arms. "Aw man..."

Natsumi smiled and crossed her own arms as he pouted. "How about just one more throw, then? Let's end on a good note."

His eyes brightened and he grabbed a Shuriken happily. "Yeah! I'll show you how good I am!"

She knelt beside him and kept a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, so my last tip is something that I do, so listen carefully."

He nodded and listened eagerly.

She tapped the Shuriken in his hand. "Don't just think of the Shuriken as a tool. Imagine it as an extension of yourself." She paused. "You're not just throwing a piece of metal at a target, but imagine that a piece of you stays with it once it leaves your hand. Feel the wind in your hair as it flies at the target. Imagine directing it exactly where you need it to go. It might just be a ninja tool, but it's more valuable than that. When it comes down to it, this one little Shuriken may be your last hope in defending someone that you care about or saving your own life. There's nothing unimportant about that."

She flushed and held up her hands, shrugging. "That must sound silly, sorry..."

"No, it's not!" He took a ready stance and gripped the Shuriken between his thumb and forefinger. "So, I just imagine that I'm the Shuriken?"

"Well, not exactly. But, imagine that it's an extension of yourself. You're in control, and if you have the confidence, you'll never miss."

He focused on the target and Natsumi took a step back.

"Take your time." She murmured. "Take a moment to connect with the Shuriken if you have to. Feel its weight in your hand. Establish the connection. Then, when you feel ready, throw."

Konohamaru closed his eyes, breathing slowly and then opened his eyes, throwing the Shuriken at the target with a spirited shout. It wobbled midair and hit the center of the target, bouncing off. He gaped in horror and clutched his head as he cried.

"Nooo! I did exactly what you said!"

"Hey, hey..." She put her arm around him and poked his cheek. "You didn't miss, you know."

"H-Huh?" He sniffed and wiped his eyes, meeting hers. "But it bounced off."

"Maybe so, but you still hit the middle." She grinned. "That still counts."

His eyes widened and he looked between her and the target. "I-I did? It does?!"

Natsumi nodded. "It definitely does. Keep practicing just like that, and it will stick in the tree every time."

She stood and kept her hand on his head, fluffing his hair. "Alright, we need to get you back to the Academy."

"But—" Konohamaru sighed deeply, interrupting himself. "Alright... But I wish you were my teacher instead of Four-Eyes."

Natsumi laughed and helped him to collect the Shuriken. "As arrogant or obnoxious as he is, he's still a well-qualified teacher. Even if the way he teaches might be annoying, it's still important to learn from him and do your best."

"I know." He stuffed the pouch of Shuriken into his pocket and sighed again.

"After all, the Hokage is someone who has to be able to learn from and deal with anyone, even if they're obnoxious, so think of it as part of your training, too."

Konohamaru chuckled and nodded. "You always know exactly what to say, Neesan. You should be a Sensei one day. You'd be good at it."

"Me?" Natsumi blinked and shook her head. "No, I don't think that I'd be a very good teacher. Most kids are brats, ya know."

He crossed his arms. "Am I a brat, too?"

She winked and began to walk in the direction of the Academy with him following closely. "The brattiest."

"Heh." He rubbed his nose and they shared a laugh.

"Konohamaru?"

Natsumi watched him walk a with his arms crossed above his head, reminding her of Naruto.

"Yeah, Neesan?" He kept his eyes ahead but looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"I don't think I want to be friends anymore."

He stopped walking and his mouth hung open. "W-What?! Why?!"

Natsumi giggled and put her hands in her pockets. "Yeah. I've decided that you're going to be my little brother instead."

His eyes widened and he blushed deeply. "B-brother?"

"If that's okay with you, I mean." She smiled and he nodded after a moment, and she giggled. "Good. Because I already decided anyway."

They started to walk once more and Konohamaru kept quiet for a few minutes before looking at her.

"...Neesan?"

"Hm?" She looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"Can I... hold your hand?" His face was flushed a deep red and Natsumi giggled.

"Of course." She grasped his hand and looked ahead, swinging their arms gently as they walked. "Niichan."