Pin the Tail on the Bijuu turns out to be a very simple, very noisy game. It is a good thing Kazama suggested the Guards take their families out for the day to avoid the noise. The players take turns, once again going from youngest to oldest. They set up a scoreboard beside the old training post, and everyone writes their own score after their turn. After some arguing, they all agree to a point system where everyone would earn one point for hitting the bijuu picture and a half point for hitting the post - just to make it a little fairer for those with no ninja training. Kazama is not sure how much difference the point system will make, especially considering the fact that everyone will be blindfolded and spun around a few times before their turn.
First up is Aki, who scores three half points and two whole points. The rest of her ten kunai go astray in the grass. Then Namiko has her turn, and scores three whole points and six half points.
Everyone takes their turn, one by one. Finally, it is Kazama's turn, and she surprises everyone, herself most of all, but hitting the post three times: once at the bottom, once at the top, and once in the middle, right in the center of her picture of Kokuo. And then Arashi takes his turn, and scores four whole points, but no half points. They did well, considering their lack of any ninja training.
When everyone is finished, they add up the points. Sekitei has the least points, having only earned two half points. Udon comes in 14th place, with one whole point and one half point. Kazama is 13th place with her one whole point and two halves. Naruto and Aki are tied at 12th place, with two whole points and three halves. 11th place goes to Arashi, with his four points. 10th is Moegi, with three whole points and four half points. 9th place goes to Kimiko, who scores four whole points and three half points. Namiko takes 8th place with her three whole and six half points. Konohamaru earns 7th place by getting three whole points and seven half points. Burifu takes 6th place, with four whole points and six halves. Then it's Kabuto at 5th place, with seven whole points and one half. Tied for 4th are Kimimaro, who scores eight whole points, and Jyuugo, who scores seven whole and two half points. Kabuto and Minato tie for 3th place, both scoring eight whole points and one half. Iruka and Kushina tie for 2nd place, both scoring eight whole and two half points. And, sitting in first place from the moment he had his turn, is Tachibana, with a full ten points.
"How did you do it?" Burifu demands, frowning at Tachibana. "You've had less training than everyone except Sekitei, and she came last, eh!"
"Well...I…" Tachibana stammers, feeling the disbelief in the air and getting flustered. "When the first kunai hit the post I heard it hit the paper, so I only adjusted my aim slightly...so the kunai wouldn't hit the first one...it's easy…"
"Well I'll be damned," says Minato.
"I guess all that training you do with Uncle Madara is paying off," giggles Sekitei.
"But you got all of them on the bijuu," says Konohamaru, gobsmacked. "How did you manage that, kore?"
"Well...I...pinned the picture on the post…" stammers Tachibana, taking a step back and looking a little intimidated. "...so I know how high off the ground it was...as soon as the first kunai hit, I knew...I knew where it landed and where the rest of the picture was…that's what Uncle Madara taught me to do..."
"That's some pretty advanced training," comments Minato.
"He's blind," says Iruka. "He has to learn that way. Now leave him be."
"Even so," says Kazama crisply. "Tachibana won, so Tachibana gets a prize."
"A what?" asks Tachibana, frowning.
"A prize," repeats Kazama, as Iruka pulls the prize out of his forearm and hands it to her. "It's a special reward for winning, okay?"
"Oh," says Tachibana.
Kazama hands the kid his prize - a plushie of the Ten Tails.
"What is this?" says Sekitei, poking it. "It's squishy."
"It's a plushie of the Ten Tails," explains Arashi, grinning. "Ask Madara to tell you about the Ten Tails later. He knows all about it."
"Oh, I see," says Tachibana, nodding.
"No you don't," says Iruka. "Blind, remember?'
"What's that got to do with…"
"Is it snack time yet?" interrupts Sekitei. "I'm hungry, and all the food I saw looks so weird and I want to eat it."
"It smells strange too," says Tachibana. "Salty and sweet and fruity smells I've never encountered."
Kazama smiles and says, "Let's have morning tea, then. I'll tell you two what the foods you don't know are."
Everyone piles into the house to eat the buffet of snacks laid out for morning tea. Kazama explains the party food to Sekitei and Tachibana. Jyuugo, Kimimaro and Burifu listen in, as they have not had much in the way of junk food in their lives. Once the four kids who know nothing about normal life know what chips and chocolate strawberries are, everyone digs into the food.
At one point, Kimiko asks Naruto if he has ever had a birthday party, and he tells her he had a party for his sixth birthday, at Lord Third's house. "Did you play Pin the Tail on the Bijuu?" Kimiko asks, her eyes wide.
"Nah, we got Shisui on a sugar high and had a mud fight," says Naruto. "Everyone but me got sick because we sneaked out into the rain to have the mud fight, 'tebayo!"
"That sounds like MY kind of party, eh!" says Burifu, grinning like a wild thing. It is not even mid day, and she already needs a good bath.
"We had baths after the mud fight," says Naruto.
"Okay I take it back," says Burifu, drooping.
Kimiko giggles and shoves a handful of peanuts into her mouth.
After the snacks are gone, which takes a little longer than Kazama expected, Iruka takes over. "Alright, everyone," he says, grinning. "It's time for the next game. Pass the Paper Bomb."
"Question!" says Moegi, raising her hand.
"Yes?"
"Will we be using a real paper bomb?"
"No."
"Thank goodness," says Moegi, sighing in relief.
Iruka organizes everyone into a circle and explains the rules of the game. While the music plays, they pass the fake paper bomb around the circle. When the music stops, they all freeze and the person with the paperbomb is out. Then, when the music starts again, they start passing the paper bomb around again. As the one in charge of the music, Iruka back faces the circle so he cannot see who has the paper bomb.
After Iruka turns around, the entire circle shuffles around and starts tossing the paper bomb from person to person. They make wild gestures in an attempt to communicate that they need to pass the thing to someone other than the person who had it before.
"Sit back down," says Iruka. "If you are standing when the music starts, you're out. Three...two...one...go." Iruka presses play on the music.
They pass the paper bomb around the circle clockwise. Suddenly, the music stops. Jyuugo is holding the paper bomb. "Jyuugo's out!" yells Burifu.
Kazama sees Iruka raise his hand in a half ram. A moment later, confetti bursts out of the paper bomb, covering Jyuugo. For a moment, everyone is stunned. Iruka did not warn them about that. Then Jyuugo starts laughing, and everyone else joins in.
Jyuugo leaves the circle, and they all shuffle closer. Iruka starts the music again and the paper bomb travels around the circle. It moves so fast that Kazama's head spins. The next person out is Arashi, followed by Konohamaru, both of whom also get a face full of confetti. Naruto laughs very hard at Konohamaru for getting knocked out so soon. The game continues, with everyone getting a face full of confetti when they are knocked out. Minato gets knocked after Konohamaru, then Tachibana gets knocked out, then Kimiko, followed by Kimimaro, then Aki, Burifu, Kabuto, Moegi and finally Kazama herself. Somehow, Naruto manages to get rid of the paper bomb before the music goes off if he has it right before Iruka turns off the music. Kazama suspects that Naruto can tell when Iruka is about to switch off the music. Udon is next to go, leaving just Kushina, Namiko and Naruto.
Kazama watches Naruto very carefully. Sure enough, he suddenly hesitates before taking the paper bomb from Kushina, right before Iruka stops the music. Kazama isn't the only one who noticed.
"You did that on purpose, Naruto!" snaps Kushina as she is blasted with a wave of confetti. "I saw you hesitate!"
Naruto just grins.
"It's you and me now," says Namiko, grinning suddenly. "Let's do this."
"You're on," grins Naruto. The shuffle around so they are facing each other. Iruka starts the music, and the two kids start tossing the paper bomb back and forth. Then Naruto hesitates before passing the paper bomb over.
Namiko takes it, and then she grins widely, right as the music switches off.
"What's going on?" asks Sekitei, tipping her head to one side.
Iruka activates the seal.
Namiko grins as she gets a face full of confetti. A moment later, orange paint bursts out the other side of the paper bomb, covering Naruto.
Kazama starts laughing. So that is why Iruka put down his special floor-protecting seal before the party started. She thought it was just in case of accidental messes. But now Kazama realizes that Iruka predicted Naruto would be able to predict when Iruka would turn the music off and win, so Iruka planned one step ahead.
"That's what you get for cheating," says Iruka, turning around.
"HEY!" Naruto glares at Iruka. "You hit me with my own seal, 'tebayo."
"Yes, yes I did," says Iruka, grinning. "But you won, so you get the prize." Iruka pulls out a navy blue snapback hat with the kanji for 'ramen' on the front.
"Cool," says Naruto. Kazama can tell he likes it, but will never actually wear it.
"Alright, it looks like it's lunch time!" says Kazama cheerfully.