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I know this is really late...like a month late... -_-' But I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hitting you all with a short story upload as a gift (a pretty late one...). I know a lot of my followers are NaruSaku fans, so I thought releasing this for Christmas would be a pretty neat idea. Unfortunately, I was way too busy to finish it on time, but it's the thought that counts. :) This should also explain why some of the elements in my story are in it even though it's not around Christmas time anymore.

Fun fact about this story though. I wasn't sure if I should release it because I started it a while back, but I never finished it. Since you all are seeing it, I'm sure you all know that I've decided to finish and release it after all. It's pretty stupid (which is also one of the reasons I questioned releasing it), but whatever lol. I thought about it one day, just thinking it'd be a fun/stupid fic to write, and here it is now. Maybe some of you will like it. And if we're being honest, we all need to laugh a bit when it comes to how life has been going in general. Here's to 2021.

That being said, this is in some respects a crackfic and is not meant to be taken all that seriously. I mean, the fact that the Twister game is in here should be a hint towards that and the thumbnail should really give it away lol. The story starts off fluffy, but later transitions into parody/crack at blazing speed, so be ready for that. It's only two chapters long, but the difference in tone between chapters is...more than noticeable. And just so no one feels misled about what this story is I'd like to say right now that it is Team 7 fluff/Team 7 crack/NaruSaku fluff (not necessarily in that order). If that's your type of thing, then read on! Anyway, this story is just meant to give you a laugh with everything going on in the world today, so I hope it does that. If it does, please be kind enough to let me know in a review! There are also a couple of references in this story, so let me know if you spot any of them.

Also, there's some drinking involved in this story, but I wouldn't suggest getting drunk to anyone. Of course, it's a free country, so you don't have to listen to me at all, but I've heard some stories lol. In any case, enjoy!

Note: This story is set after Shippuden but with Tsunade still being Hokage.

P.S. To any of you following my other story, don't worry, I'm still working on it. ;)


Team 7 Plays Twister

Home

"What's this?" Naruto asked, an inquisitive stare on his face as he peered down at the game box he was holding. The store owner was a gray-haired elderly man who was in the process of writing something down. He stopped to look over to where Naruto was then adjusted his oval glasses to see Naruto clutching the infamous Twister game in his hands. He smiled as he looked back down at his paper and started writing again. "That, my boy, is an oldie, but a goodie…"

"What does that mean?"

The old man gave a small chuckle. "It means that it's an old game, but a good one."

Naruto inspected the game for a bit longer then decided to take the store clerk at his word. The game seemed like it would be fun based on how the people on the box seemed to be enjoying themselves and the colorfulness of it attracted him as well. Pulling out Gama-chan, he asked, "How much is it?"

The old man gave him a wave and said, "Don't bother. I've been needing to get rid of that for some time now. Besides, I think I can let it slide for Konoha's war hero. Consider it a token of appreciation from the Stone."

Naruto gave an appreciative smile. "Are you sure?"

"You bet. I just hope you and your friends enjoy it as much me and my friends used to."

"You and your friends don't play anymore?"

The old man held his stomach as he started laughing in an uproar, but all Naruto could offer were a few nervous laughs of his own. Unfortunately, he had no idea what they were laughing about.

After the old man had finally finished laughing, he said, "Thanks, kid. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time."

Naruto simply scratched the back of his head. "You're welcome, I guess…"

The old man realized Naruto wasn't really getting the joke, so he shook his head as he chuckled a bit more. "Once you actually start playing the game, you'll see why an old geezer like me can't play anymore."

Naruto thought about it for a bit then made a mental note to pay attention whenever he ended up playing the game. "I'll make sure to do that!"

"I'm sure you will." the old man chuckled. "And if you've got some time to kill next time you visit the Stone, you can tell me all about it. That sound good to you?"

"You got it, old man!"

He stashed the game in his backpack then gave one final wave after paying for the rest of his items. "Thanks again!"

"Don't mention it." the store clerk answered with a wave.


The overly large gates Naruto had grown so familiar with loomed in the distance as he neared the village he called his home. It was very much familiar to him, but the thin blanket of snow that had started covering the landscape gave it that special touch. It was colder now too and he could see faint traces of his breath dancing in front of his face. The kid in him wanted to blow puffs for fun, but he resisted. He was pretty close to the gates so restraining his inner child seemed a wise move. After all, no one could see the great Naruto Uzumaki blowing puffs to himself could they?... Ah, who was he kidding? He soon took to blowing puffs in multiple directions, watching as they faded into nothingness. It was too fun not to. If anyone thought something funny about him, that was their business. He had grown up different for most of his life anyway. So with a joyful spirit, he pounced around lightly, mildly entertaining his inner child, his eyes shimmering a cool blue in the winter wind.

His shenanigans only stopped when he arrived at the gate, giving the two guards a beaming smile as he greeted them. The two guards greeted him with a little more enthusiasm than usual, a small portion of his energy rubbing off on them. After a bit of small talk, he left, making a beeline for the Hokage's office. Giving Tsunade his mission report would be the next order of business.

...

When he finally reached the Hokage office door, he gave three loud knocks and waited for a reply. After a few seconds, the door creaked open and Shizune peered out of the open slit. Upon seeing it was Naruto, she let the door swing open. "Hey! Welcome back!" she said, leaning in to give him a small hug. He wore one of his trademark grins in reply. "Thanks! Good to be back."

Kakashi was standing inside and gave an eye-closed smile after realizing who it was. "Hey, Naruto. You're back a day early. I hope you at least had some fun on your mission."

"Yeah, it took less time than I thought. And you know me Sensei, I always find a way to have fun."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kakashi replied, smiling as he motioned for Naruto to step into the room.

As Naruto walked in, he cast a glance towards the Hokage chair to the blond-haired, hazel-eyed Hokage. "Hi, Baa-chan." Tsunade wore a small smile of her own then replied, "Hi Naruto." She used to protest at the informal name, but by now she had fully accepted that he would probably call her that for the rest of her life. The name had actually grown on her over the years (although she'd never let him know that). "We missed you kid."

"I was only gone 6 days," he replied, although there was a part of him that was glad to be missed.

"Yeah," Kakashi said. "But you'd be surprised how boring things can get around here in that short a time span."

Before Naruto could reply, a voice came from outside the door. "Don't make him feel too good about himself. I can't imagine how he'd act if he thought we couldn't live without him."

Naruto turned halfway towards the door, a grin slowly growing on his face.

Shizune opened the door fully and saw none other than Sasuke standing in the doorway. "Looks like everyone's coming home today!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess so," Sasuke replied, face straight as ever. Stepping into the office, he turned towards Naruto. "Long time no see."

Naruto stepped forward to shake his hand while pulling him into a half-hug. "Yeah, no kidding. It's been over a month since you left for that scouting mission. What took you so long?"

"There were complications, so I had to improvise."

"Look at you trying to sound all professional."

"You only think that because you always sound so unprofessional."

Kakashi's single eye flitted between the two in amusement. "Jeez. You two just got back and you're already at each other's throats."

"You shouldn't be surprised." Tsunade chirped. "It's typical behavior for those two."

"We weren't really at each other's throats," Naruto replied. "We were kinda just talking."

"Yeah, Yeah, I guess." Kakashi chuckled. Turning towards Sasuke, he continued. "We didn't think it'd take you over a month to gather the intel."

"Yeah, just what did you find over there?" Tsunade added, turning in her chair.

Sasuke set a bundle of scrolls he had brought with him down on Tsunade's desk then replied, "Nothing much actually. I didn't think the mission would take as long as it did either. The only reason it turned into such a long mission is because I thought I had found some important intel, but it wasn't what I thought it was."

"I see," Kakashi said, rubbing his chin as he shuffled through the different scrolls. After he was finished looking through them, he passed them to Tsunade, and turned back to Sasuke. "You brought back more information than we thought you would. At least we know you've been busy."

"Yeah, this is good intel Sasuke…" Tsunade added as she looked through the scrolls.

"I just like to keep myself occupied," he replied. "If I'm gonna be on a month-long mission, I might as well make it count."

Kakashi gave a small smile at the Uchiha's usual demeanor and said, "Yeah, it may have been a long mission, but at least you completed it hassle-free." With a small pat on the shoulder, he added, "We're glad to have you back."

"Yeah, you were gone for way too long." Tsunade chimed in. "I'm actually confining you to the village..."

Sasuke's eye narrowed noticeably at that. "For how long?"

"Until I give you your next mission," Tsunade replied, a seemingly innocent smile stretched across her face. Sasuke knew what that meant. There would be no leaving the village for him until Tsunade was willing to let him out again. The annoyance on his face was almost palpable, but after a while, he looked away and mumbled, "Fine..."

"Good," Tsunade said, nodding and feeling a little satisfied with herself.

Naruto crossed both arms and rolled his eyes. "Leave it to Sasuke to make taking a vacation sound like a bad thing. I'd love to go on vacation more often and I'm pretty sure Sakura-chan would kill for a break from the hospital."

Tsunade slouched into her chair with her head resting on her hand. "Yeah." she agreed. "Now that I think about it, I would kill too if it meant having a break from all this paperwork."

A moment later, her eyes widened slightly, almost like a light bulb had gone off in her head. Turning to Shizune, she said, "Speaking of Sakura, tell her to come to my office. She'd never let me hear the end of it if I didn't let her know her boys were back." Shizune gave a small smile then nodded and left after giving a small bow.

Tsunade let out a small sigh after considering her paperwork filled life for a bit longer, then sat up a bit straighter as she turned to Naruto. "So what about your mission?"

Naruto pulled a small scroll out of his backpack and handed it to her, proceeding to tell her about the details of the mission. It had been a simple diplomatic mission, so the details weren't all that interesting. Nevertheless, Naruto did his best to make it sound like the mission wasn't a complete bore.

After hearing the full rundown of the mission, Tsunade gave Naruto a small nod and said, "Good work. I'm glad you're getting better at these diplomatic missions. The experience will come in handy when you're Hokage."

Naruto grinned, whispering to himself, "Believe it..."

Sasuke huffed ever so slightly. "You still talk to yourself, Dobe? I thought you grew out of that."

"Shut up," Naruto said, casting him a sideways glance.

Sasuke smirked ever so slightly before turning to Tsunade. "Are we dismissed?"

"Dismissed."

Sasuke nodded in reply then turned to Naruto. "If you're done here, let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know, but I haven't eaten since I got back."

Naruto tilted his head to the side a bit, wearing an eye-closed smile. "Ichiraku's?"

Sasuke turned around, eyes drooping. "Why not..."

Naruto punched his hand and said, "Awesome! You know you need some ramen to warm you up anyway. It's pretty cold out..."

Kakashi turned towards the two with his usual lazy expression and said, "I hope no one is planning on leaving their favorite sensei behind."

Naruto paused for a second then turned towards Kakashi, grinning that fat, cheesy grin he had owned so well. "Of course not! Who else is gonna pay for our meal!"

Kakashi's visible eye dropped as he looked towards the two. "Oh, no, no, no. I think you guys are old enough to pay for your own meals now."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke snorted. "You've been trying to get out of paying for our meals since we were genin."

Kakashi shot Sasuke a small squint as a small bead of sweat formed at his temple. "That's...irrelevant," he replied, looking off to the side. He was about to protest some more, but Naruto cut him off. "You're the best, Sensei!" he yelled, shaking the gray-haired nin by his shoulders. He turned to Sasuke and said, "Alright Teme, let's get going. Lunch on Kakashi-sensei!"

Tsunade looked at Kakashi who was now squinting at the two with his one visible eye. She dropped back into her chair, chuckling to herself more than anyone else. "Looks like you're treating your team to lunch."

"W-who?" Kakashi stuttered. "Me?" Casting Tsunade a dumbfounded stare, he finished, "I never agreed to any of this."

The way the office door creaked open let Kakashi know that Sasuke and Naruto hadn't got the memo. "Hey!" he half-yelled. "I still never agreed to any of this!"

"Never agreed to any of what?" asked a clueless Sakura who was now standing in the doorway.

Upon seeing that it was Sasuke standing in the doorway, Sakura wore a happy smile and exclaimed, "Hey! You're back!" She stepped forward to give him a hug and whispered, "Took you long enough."

Sasuke returned the friendly embrace then gave a small smile of his own. "Yeah. It took me a while, but I'm back."

"You were gone for so much longer than we expected," she said, letting go of him. "I hope your mission was a success."

"Fortunately, it was."

"Good." she nodded. "I assume you're why Tsunade called me to the office," she finished, tiptoeing to try to peer past him into the office.

Sasuke smiled and said, "Yeah." then stepped to the side. "...and because of the Dobe."

Naruto stepped into her line of sight with an energetic wave. "Heya Sakura-chan!" he chirped, all the while casting her one of his eye-closed smiles.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, almost running into the office to give him a warm hug. Holding him close, she whispered, "I thought you weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow. Wasn't your mission a week long?"

"I felt like coming home early," he said, smiling softly. Sakura simply smiled, hugging him a bit tighter. She had missed him more than she cared to admit while he was gone so him coming home early was a welcome surprise.

Naruto noticed their hug was dragging on a little longer than usual, so in typical Naruto fashion, he decided to have some fun with it. Wearing a more mischievous grin than usual, he bit his lip while resting his head on her shoulder and hugging her closer. "You must've really missed me..." he said in what almost sounded like a purr.

Sakura registered what he said, then clumsily pushed him off while looking obviously caught off guard by the statement. Hehe, Naruto thought. Bingo.

Sakura responded by quickly crossing her arms, hoping it would hide her flustered state. "Don't flatter yourself," she said, hiding a nervous swallow as she tilted her head up and to the side. "It's just that with how hectic things have been at the hospital, I've learned to appreciate your...mindless visits." After a short pause, she turned her gaze back to him and continued with a hint of sass. "If it weren't for that, I probably wouldn't have even noticed you were gone."

Sasuke stood blank-faced, shaking his head at the sight while Kakashi and Tsunade exchanged amused glances. Naruto, however, just gave Sakura an affectionate smile and softly raised a curled index finger to her chin. "I missed you too, Sakura-chan," Sakura looked away bashfully, hoping the small blush on her face wasn't noticeable.

Without missing a beat, she turned to Tsunade, deciding that the best course of action would be to change the subject. "So, what are you all doing in here anyway?"

"Nothing really," Naruto said with a shrug. "Me and Sasuke just happened to get here around the same time so we both gave Baa-chan our mission reports. We were feeling a little hungry when we got back so we decided to go to Ichiraku's. You should come, Kakashi-sensei's paying."

"I still never agreed to that!"

Sakura turned towards Tsunade and Tsunade didn't need to read her mind to know what she wanted. "Take an early lunch break, Sakura."

"Thanks, Shisou," Sakura said, smiling in gratitude.

"You're welcome. Now if you all will excuse me; I have a mountain of paperwork to tackle." The four nodded and gave small bows before taking their leave.


"You guys should stop by my place tonight," Naruto said, ramen slurping out of both sides of his mouth as he spoke.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Sakura chided.

"Sorry," Naruto mumbled, a few strands still dangling out of his mouth haphazardly.

"You're hopeless," Sakura said, shaking her head.

Kakashi lowered the Ichi Ichi book he was reading slightly and said, "What's the invitation for?"

Naruto used his thumb to point over his shoulder to his backpack then said, "There was this nice old man who gave me this game while I was in the Stone. I think it'd be cool if we played it together."

Sasuke turned away with a scoff. "No thanks. Every time you invite us over to play a game, you just end up cheating to try to win."

Sakura smiled and nodded in approval while Kakashi's reaction was hidden behind his mask.

Naruto started poking his index fingers together nervously and said, "Come on guys. I don't cheat every time…"

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "Just when it counts…"

Naruto let out a cheeky chuckle then said, "I neither confirm nor deny that statement. Besides, we're ninja, we're supposed to cheat."

"Inconspicuously," Sasuke stressed.

"What's that?" Naruto mused.

"Everything that you're not," Kakashi replied, head returning to his book. Sakura couldn't help but giggle.

Naruto waved off Kakashi and continued, "Come on. You guys know you can't live without my little game nights."

"Sure..." Sasuke mumbled from the stool he was sitting on.

Naruto waved him off as well before turning to Sakura. "Come on, Sakura-chan. You'll be there right?"

Sakura thought about it for a second then stood up and said, "Yeah, why not. I've gotta get back to the hospital though. It's around time for me to head back."

Naruto shot her a thumbs up and said, "Awesome! I knew I could at least count on you Sakura-chan. See ya later!"

Sakura gave him a small wink then gave the three a small wave as she headed back in the direction of the hospital.

Naruto watched until she disappeared out of sight then said, "Alright! Now that Sakura-chan's coming you guys have to come too."

"No, we don't," Kakashi said, head buried in his book.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows and replied, "Yeah, you do."

"No, not really," Sasuke said, a sly smirk crossing his lips. "I'm pretty sure you and Sakura would be fine without us."

Naruto thought about what he was saying for a second then turned towards him and wagged a finger while trying to hide a grin. "No one likes a wise guy, Teme..."

Sasuke started smiling as he stood up then said, "Whatever. I'll be there."

Naruto wore a wide grin and said, "Alright, two down! So where are you headed to now?"

Sasuke looked in the direction of the training grounds then replied, "I'll probably find somewhere quiet to meditate for a while. I'll catch you guys later."

Naruto gave a small wave and said, "See ya." Kakashi simply gave a small wave with the free hand that wasn't holding his book.

Naruto watched until Sasuke faded out of sight then turned back to the ramen stand. Much to his surprise, Kakashi was already gone. In his place was a small note that had been left behind, folded in two. With a curious pout, he picked it up and opened it to see a note written in Kakashi's handwriting.

Don't worry, I'll be there Naruto. I do have to attend a meeting regarding the village with Lady Tsunade later though, so I might be a bit late. You know how it is. See you then.

- Kakashi-Sensei

Naruto let out a wide smile and said, "Awesome." before folding the note and putting it in his pocket. Spending time with Team 7 was something he always liked doing. It always felt like he was just spending time with family. Quality time with others was something he never got much of growing up, so he put a high value on it whenever he did get it.

Ayame watched him with a bit of amusement then smiled. It was sad to watch him get played over and over like this, but he never learned. "Ahem!" she said, clearing her throat much louder than necessary. "I don't know why you're so happy. I hope you realize that all Kakashi did was find a slick way to leave you here so you would have to pay for everyone's bill."

Naruto registered what Ayame had said, then looked at the ramen bar and saw seven empty ramen bowls that still hadn't been paid for.

"AW, MAN!" Naruto shouted, slamming a fist on the bar. "That gray-haired turd got me again!" A low growl escaped his throat as he continued, "Sneaky little..."

Teuchi chuckled then said, "Time to pay up, Son."

Naruto let out an unintelligible grumble then finally resigned himself as he pulled out Gama-chan with a sigh. "How much?..."


Later that night...

Sakura stood on the edge of Naruto's couch, tiptoeing as she put the finishing touches on a most elegantly decorated Christmas tree. It almost reached the ceiling, but not quite. Naruto just watched, content with how everything had turned out. Usually, he insisted Sakura decorate for the most part (she knew how to make things look beautiful more than he did), but she insisted he help out more this time, so he did. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. It was fun to decorate the tree together and now it felt like something they had shared instead of something he just didn't really know how to do. The gold star went well with the glittery ornaments and multi-colored garland, and the only thing that seemed to be missing were the presents under the tree. It was beautiful. The only thing to enhance the scene was Sakura herself, the Christmas lights faintly illuminating her peaceful visage and reflecting in her jade eyes. A small frown rested on her face whenever she wasn't pleased with something, and a content smile replaced the frown when she had set things right. When she put the star on top of the tree, he thought she was finished, but instead of stopping, she would start putting on any ornaments that had been left behind, not ever quite finished with decorating.

"So, that's it?" asked Sasuke, glancing down towards the multi-colored dotted mat on the floor.

Naruto turned his attention to the mat and said, "Basically, yeah."

"And this," he added, reaching for a multi-colored spinner.

"Looks pretty plain to me," Sakura said, jumping down and taking the spinner from Naruto to examine it.

"Just give it a chance," Naruto said, tossing the instructions to Sasuke.

After Sasuke finished reading the instructions, he passed them to Sakura and said, "Sounds simple enough." With a sigh, he kicked off his shoes and stepped forward, claiming two central red circles.

Sakura read through the instructions next then looked down at the floormat pensively. Math was one of her strong suits and the number of different positions this game could put your body in was mind-boggling. This game might be a bit trickier than they thought...

After studying the mat for a little longer, she stepped onto a yellow circle and a blue circle, claiming them for herself. "I think this is gonna be harder than you think," she said, tossing the instructions back to Naruto.

Naruto puffed out his chest a bit and proudly boasted, "Whatever it is, I'll be able to handle it Sakura-chan."

Sakura gave a small eye-roll at his antics. "If you say so."

Naruto nodded in response then stepped onto the mat claiming the two green circles opposite Sasuke.

Sasuke looked towards the door, his annoyance tangible. "Where's Kakashi?"

"Oh yeah," Naruto replied. "He said he'd be running late because of a meeting with Tsunade."

Sasuke let out a small huff then sat down with Sakura and Naruto joining him soon after. As usual, they would just talk about random things until Kakashi arrived. Kakashi was usually late without announcing it so there was no telling how late he'd be if he actually gave them notice.


After waiting for around half an hour, the three heard a knock at the door. Naruto looked at the two then dropped his eyes. "Finally..." He walked over to the door and swung it open while eyeing Kakashi with a squint. "Took you long enough."

Kakashi stood there wearing an eye-closed smile then replied, "Yeah, sorry about that, but I come bearing gifts."

"Gifts?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi pulled out a little brown pouch and said, "Yeah. Tsunade felt bad about our meeting running later than expected so she sent a little something for us. She said it would help us loosen up." After digging through the pouch for a bit, he pulled out four small bottles. Each of them was a dark green color and had pale yellow labels on the side. Three of the labels were blank, but one of them had Naruto's name on it.

Sasuke inspected his bottle and asked, "What's this?"

"It's Tsunade," Sakura snorted. "What do you think it is?"

Sasuke looked at it a bit closer and said, "If it's just Sake, why is there so little of it? I thought she loved the stuff."

"Oh, she does." laughed Naruto. "Don't let the small bottle fool you. Trust me, whatever weird concontion is in there will help you loosen up just like Kakashi-sensei said it would."

"Speaking from experience?" Sasuke asked.

"A little bit, yeah," said Naruto as he tried to pull the cork loose.

"So why is your bottle special?"

Naruto's bottle cork came off with a pop before he raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Because I can really hold my liquor."

Sakura turned towards Sasuke and flatly said, "Naruto burns through alcohol like crazy because of Kurama. Tsunade always puts a crazy high concentration in his bottle. Everyone else gets a normal dose."

"That makes more sense."

"Stop giving away my secrets, Sakura-chan," Naruto whined, a pouting frown on his face.

Sakura shrugged then popped the top off her bottle and chugged it down in one swig. After swallowing it, she made a somewhat scrunched face but quickly shook it off and seemed to return to her normal self.

Naruto looked at her slightly perplexed and squinted. "I still don't know how you do that..."

"It's actually pretty easy once you get used to it," said Kakashi, whose bottle was now curiously empty. Naruto looked over to Sasuke's bottle and saw that it was empty as well.

"You guys are all just a bunch of undercover alcoholics!"

Sakura wore an eye-closed smile and said, "Remember my motto. Don't think about it. Don't smell it-"

"Just chug it all in one." Kakashi finished.

"How reassuring..." Naruto drawled.

"Works for me." Sakura chirped back.

Naruto held up the bottle to eye level and said, "Ah, well..."

Taking Sakura's advice, he chugged the weird beverage with no questions asked. Upon swallowing it, he nearly stumbled over and exclaimed, "WHOA! What a rush!" He scratched his head a bit and added, "It wasn't that bad last time..."

"Yeah," Sakura chuckled. "Count on Tsunade to mix things up. Anyway, let's get started. A lot of the night is already gone, let's not lose any more of it."

The three nodded in agreement and stepped back onto the mat. Kakashi walked over to the side of the mat opposite Sakura then stepped onto one blue and one yellow circle. "I suppose I should stand here?"

Naruto responded, "Yeah. Don't worry. You'll see how to play as the game goes on. It's nothing complicated..."


It's nothing complicated he says...