.

Tsunade stared blankly at the sake cup in her hand. She was currently residing in small pub within the village of Konoha. The lighting was dim and flickering, but Tsunade did not notice as her mind was running through a million thoughts.

"Wow. Things must be bad if you're not drinking yet – especially when the booze is within grasp."

Tsunade looked up, giving the person who spoke a slightly annoyed look. Recognizing the white haired toad sage Tsunade snorted, "Jiraiya. Bout time you showed your face." Tsunade brought the sake glass up to her lips and downed the shot.

Jiraiya chuckled deeply at his old teammate as he slide into the seat across from her, "Had to finish up a few things. You wouldn't want me to come back with a partial report, would you?" Jiraiya grinned at Tsunade's glare as he quickly ran through a couple hand signs and placed a seal on the table. The grin fell from Jiraiya's face as he turned serious, "You aren't going to like what I have to say."

Tsunade exhaled, her eyes closing as she leaned back in the booth, "I didn't send you out expecting you to bring back reports about unicorns and mermaids." Tsunade's eyes opened with a sharp look, "What should we be expecting?"

Jiraiya's shoulders sag, "Honestly? I'm still not entirely sure. So much of the Akatsuki is still unknown – their end game goal, their leaders, their members. All I can tell you is that they are all on the same level as Uchiha Itachi and terrifies even Orochimaru."

Tsunade sighed, "Which is a topic for another time, but one we need to address." Tsunade's jaw tightened, "Every mission I send Uchiha Sasuke on, his minions make an appearance. The boy hasn't been made aware of the true threat of the situation yet, but that damn Nara knows and is quite vocal about it."

Jiraiya chuckled lightly, "It's good to know that I wasn't the only one being driven to an early grave by a demon spawn of Shikaku these last two and a half years."

Tsunade snorted and rolled her eyes, "Back to our current, pressing problem."

Jiraiya nodded, "The Akatsuki…" The toad sage paused, "While we don't know what their ultimate goal is, we know what their next step will likely be."

Tsunade stiffened, "You don't mean…" Tsunade's eyes focused out, "Naruto…"

Jiraiya didn't respond. He took a moment to think before crossing his arms, "You know… Someone said something interesting to me today."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "What does this have to do with the Akatsuki?"

"I was speaking to someone, in regards to the group." Jiraiya started, looking Tsunade in the eye, "I expected them to react the same way you did, however… Their first instinct was to ask about the Sand's Jinchuriki, Gaara the Kazekage."

Tsunade frowned, "How is that strange? The Akatsuki are after the tailed beasts."

Jiraiya nodded, "Yes, but their worry for the Kazekage, specifically, is what really caught my attention. They said if the Sand lost their Kazekage, in the state they are in now, the Village Hidden in the Sand would collapse." Jiraiya leaned over the table, "Think about it! The Sand is leaning heavily on us right now. Medical expertise, training methods for recruits, mission support – hell, we're even sending shinobi over their regularly to help with the day to day functions within the village."

Tsunade crossed her arms, "Suna lost a lot in the invasion during the Chunin Exams three years ago. Shinobi, leaders, support from their Daimyo, their reputation…" Tsunade shrugged, "And after our incident with the Cloud, we had to throw as much support towards the Sand and surrounding shinobi villages to show the other nations that, while we weren't looking for another fight, if they wanted one…"

Jiraiya nodded, "You'll have no argument from me. It was the best choice, given the position we were in at the time – one that I think sensei would have approved of." Jiraiya paused slightly before continuing, "That's why what this person said resonated so strongly with me. If I was an organization, independent of all the great nations, with a small, but strong group of shinobi I would make every effort to cripple the five great nations in the most efficient way possible."

Tsunade crossed her arms, looking up to think about Jiraiya's insight, "So, you're saying it would be like hitting two birds with one stone. They would have the one-tailed beast and would destroy the Sand in the process, making their goals – whatever they may be – that much easier."

Jiraiya nodded, "Exactly."

Tsunade exhaled deeply again before rubbing her forehead, "Why did I take this job…"

Jiraiya barked out a laugh, "Because a blue eyed blonde with an iron will and hero complex hit you where it hurt."

The blonde Senju glared at her old teammate. Eyeing the sake bottle, Tsunade grabbed it and poured herself another glass. Knocking the drink back, Tsunade looked at the empty cup as she spoke, "The Sand has many hardworking, utterly loyal, and downright vicious shinobi, but what they have in tenacity, they lack in expert shinobi." Tsunade placed the glass on the table between them as she looked at Jiraiya, "Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame of the Mist… Both terrifying opponents for seasoned jounin. Sending our best to Suna on a hunch that could last who knows how long…"

Jiraiya leaned back with a hand on his chin, "And we have no real way of knowing just how many shinobi, or who, they would send to retrieve the Kazekage. Taking down a Jinchuriki is no easy feat."

Tsunade looked down at her glass, her finger tapping on the side as her mind raced with doubts and regrets.

"What if we created a trap?" Jiraiya asked, shocking Tsunade's out of her thoughts we such a ridiculous statement.

"Are you kidding me?! Tricking an organization made up of Itachi-like shinobi?!" Tsunade balked, "Did a woman finally get a good hit in and you've officially lost it?!"

Jiraiya shook his head, "Hear me out. We know these Akatsuki members travel in pairs. Even when they stole the Seven-Tailed Beast from the Waterfall Village, there was only two – one doing most of the work." Jiraiya pulled a piece of paper and scroll from his pockets and started doodling on it, "The place where the beginning of the Chunin Exams that Naruto took part in – The Demon Desert Checkpoint – is practically an abandoned lookout. No innocent civilians to get in the way and the perfect spot to hold a treaty signing meeting – or something like that."

Tsunade frowned, "You're going to have to explain more of your crazy plan before I'll even considered the fact that you haven't lost your marbles."

Jiraiya sighed before continuing, "It's simple. We let information "slip" that Konoha is pressuring Suna into signing an agreement – make up whatever you want, but it has to be believable and read in such a way that makes Konoha look like the bad guy. We also let information slip that Konoha representatives – not you, because Konoha can't be bothered to send it's Hokage – will be meeting the Kazekage at the Demon Desert Checkpoint to sign the agreement. We need to dress this up in a way that makes Suna citizens resent Konoha – not to the point of violence, but close."

Jiraiya pulled out some other papers – reports – summarizing information from past missions, "The bombing on certain villages, the assignation of high ranking officials, supplying radical groups with food and weapons – all of these acts committed by Akatsuki members points to one goal: Starting war between the great nations." Jiraiya pointed his pen back down at the paper he was writing on, "If we create the perfect bait: The Kazekage – a Jinchuriki and the leader of the Sand – in a slightly vulnerable location to sign a hostile treaty created by the Leaf? They won't be able to pass up the chance to attack."

Tsunade rubbed her chin as she stared down at the paper. After a few moments of silence, Tsunade's eyes snapped up to meet Jiraiya's, "What if it's too good? And they send more than we can handle?" Tsunade frowned, "For this to work, we will only be able to send a couple small units to defend the Kazekage and defeat the Akatsuki members present. Two Uchiha Itachis is terrifying enough, but four? Eight? Thirty?"

Jiraiya sighed heavily and crossed his arms, "I don't know if we really have any other choice. It's only a matter of time until they make their move. Wouldn't you prefer their first attack to be one we are expecting, even if we don't know the exact details?"

Tsunade sighed, "I can't afford to make those kinds of gambles, Jiraiya." Tsunade turned her head to look down the pub's walkway, "A lot of people think they know what it's like to be the Hokage, but they have no idea what it's like to be the Hokage." Tsunade's eyes hardened, "I start my morning writing letters and speaking to mothers, father, wives, husbands – telling them that not only are their loved ones never coming home, but where they died, how they died, what they were doing that was so important that is cost them their lives… And that's the highlight of my day. It only gets worse from there…"

The Senju heiress turned back to Jiraiya, "What do I tell the families of the shinobi I send out that die? I need more information on this group before I'm willing to send my shinobi out to die." Tsunade's frown deepened, "And even worse, if the Kazekage is captured or killed, it will mean war – and not just with the Sand."

Jiraiya's shoulders sagged, understanding his old teammate's resistance, but feeling strongly about being proactive rather than reactive. Leaning his head back on the top of the chair, Jiraiya stared at the ceiling, "What we need is an escape plan if things turn badly…"

Jiraiya's head snapped forward, making Tsunade raise an eyebrow at his while bringing another cup full of sake to his lips. Jiraiya grinned widely as he placed his hands on the table, "What we need is a foolproof escape plan!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes as she tipped the sake glass and started to down the alcoholic drink, "Of course we need an escape plan. I thought I made that clear…"

.

Jiraiya's grin widened into a sly smirk, "And her name is Nara Kanoko."

Tsunade choked on her sake before spewing out all over the table and her old teammate.

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"Achoo!" Kanoko sneezed loudly, rubbing her nose in annoyance afterwards.

Shikamaru looked up from his scroll and raised an eyebrow at his sister, "I didn't know demons could get colds."

Kanoko rolled her eyes at her brother, "Haha, very funny."

Shikamaru was lounging about in Kanoko's room when Kanoko walked in looking just the same as the last time he saw her – barely a scratch on her. It was quite late in the night – meaning their parents had long since gone to bed – and the room was barely lit with only a couple desk lamps on. Shikamaru was reclining in his sister's desk chair with one of his legs crossed over his knee and a scroll in his hands. Kanoko walked over to the other side of the room before picking up a jar and starting to apply the ointment to some dark marks on her skin.

"Do you need help?" Shikamaru asked with a drawl, his eyes still fixed on the scroll below.

Kanoko looked up from her work and raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

Shikamaru frowned before sighing dramatically, "Troublesome… Your burns. Do you need help applying the salve?"

Kanoko paused before looking down. Shrugging, Kanoko spoke, "They're old wounds. I just didn't get time today to address them and they itched. Nothing that needs to be done tonight." Kanoko paused to think, "Or is it morning?" Kanoko shrugged, not committing to a time of day.

Shikamaru's brows furrowed as he dropped the scroll to his lap, "Old wounds? How bad of burns are we talking here?"

Kanoko snapped the lid on jar of healing salve Hinata gave her and placed it on the shelf with the rest of her first aid supplies, "Don't worry about it."

Shikamaru frowned, his eyes narrowing before letting the topic drop. He wasn't getting anything out of his sister she didn't want to share. Fifteen years as Kanoko's twin had taught him that if he wanted to know something his sister refused to tell him than he had to find other ways of acquiring the information.

Rolling up the scroll, Shikamaru tried another topic, "How was the showdown between the three of you and Kakashi?"

Kanoko shrugged, "We showed up at our old training grounds like planned, but all that was there was a note from Kakashi saying he would reschedule with us later. Sakura and Naruto assumed it was something to do with some book – I wasn't really paying attention at that point – but when I extended my senses to find him, he was in the Hokage's tower."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "A mission? So soon?" The Nara heir frowned, "The Fifth Hokage seemed pretty set on the three of you testing your abilities against your sensei…"

Kanoko frowned, "I am a jounin. I don't require my abilities to be tested. Again."

Her brother smirked, bringing the scroll up to read again, but not before muttering, "Watch it. That Uchiha pride is starting to rub off on you…"

Kanoko ignore her brother as she started to unbutton her top. Kanoko shook off her outer layer and grabbed a hanger before hanging the vest/shirt in her closet. Turning around, Kanoko crossed her arms and gave her brother an annoyed look.

Shikamaru sighed dramatically, dropping the scroll onto his lap again before returning his sister's annoyed look with a lazy look of his own, "What?"

"This is my room." Kanoko told him plainly.

Shikamaru's eyes drifted back to his scroll as he drawled out, "Wow. Is the sky blue too?" Shikamaru made a pathetic explosive sound while imitated an explosion with his hand next to his head, "Mind. Blown."

Orange eyes narrowed, "Get. Out."

Shikamaru picked up his feet and crossed them at his ankles on his sister's desk while crossing his arms behind his head. Letting out a yawn, Shikamaru drawled, "Nah. Thanks for the offer though. I like it here just fine."

Kanoko's eye twitched dangerously. Walking swiftly over to her brother, Shikamaru squeaked out in surprised as his sister slung him over her shoulder with ease – like a sack of potatoes.

"Kanoko!" Shikamaru called out, pushing on her back with his arms as he tried to break free.

"You're the one acting like a child." Kanoko told him with an annoyed tone, "I just decided to treat you like one."

Shikamaru bitched some more about sibling abuse and disrespecting her elders as Kanoko made her way to her door. With a loud thud Kanoko roughly dropping her brother in the middle of the hallway. Shikamaru groaned loudly as he hit the floor. Rubbing his head, he looked up at his sister, "Come on… The guest bed is not made up and I'm tired."

"Not my problem." Kanoko said plainly before slamming the door in her brother's face.

The former Hokage rolled her eyes at the whining she heard through the door before lifting the edge of her shirt to pull it off. Turning around, Kanoko froze in her actions when she caught sight of the dead weight sitting on her bed.

Shikamaru yawned as he stretched on the bed, "It might be your room, but if I remember correctly… It's my bed. So, technically-"

Shikamaru didn't get to finish his reasonable argument as Kanoko grabbed a pillow off of her bed and whack him in the head with it – hard.

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"Morning…" Shikamaru mumbled out with a yawn as he walked into the kitchen.

Yoshino turned around quickly with her wooden spoon in hand, "Just because you've been gone for nearly three years doesn't mean things in this house has change! Your father is starting to get old, which means you need to start helping him with the deer!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Shikamaru drawled as he grabbed a piece of toast and sat at the table.

Already sitting down, eating their own breakfast, were his sister and father. Shikaku looked up from his paper to give his wife a doe eyed look, "Old?"

Yoshino ignored her husband as she continued to finish cooking breakfast while ranting at her son, "And since you're moving back in, that just means another person to clean up after, so I'll need you to get groceries every few days – and you better not be swindled by that awful vegetable merchant!"

Shikamaru groaned as he head hit the table, "Why can't Kanoko do it? She's better at it…"

Kanoko looked over to her brother while raising an eyebrow. Kanoko didn't get the chance to argue with her brother before her mother started up, "You're sister has really stepped up in the village since you've left! Part-time teacher at the academy, on missions every week, helping that lovely Uchiha boy rebuild his clan's compound, training with your teammates in your absence…" Yoshino grinned widely, looking excited, "Did you hear that your sister is a jounin now?!"

Yoshino walked over and placed some food on Shikamaru's plate before giving the leftovers to Kanoko. Shikamaru looked at his small portion before glaring lazily at his sister's large one. Yoshino beamed at her daughter, completely oblivious to Shikamaru's look, "My daughter is going to be the next Hokage! I'm so proud!"

Kanoko couldn't hold in the smirk as she started to take a few bites of her food. Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he started to take a bite of his own, sad, portion of food.

"Which reminds me!" Yoshino said excitedly as she walked over to the kitchen to place the frying pan she was carrying into the sink, "It's about time we start talking about possible matches, darling. I know the average lifespan of a shinobi is ever increasing in these times of peace, but your father and I were engaged when we only a little older than you and you need to start dating around to get a feel for what kind of person you want to spend the rest of your life with!"

Kanoko started choking on her food, not seeing that coming at all. Shikamaru slapped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing out loud while Shikaku went white as a ghost, the paper in his hands dropping to the ground.

Yoshino kept going, obvious to her family's reaction, as she started scrubbing the dishes, "You spend most of your time with that Uchiha boy and he's very polite, not to mention cute – why don't you ask him? Oh! Or what about that Hyuuga boy - the one always helps me carry home groceries so he can say hi to you?! So cute!" Yoshino suddenly turned pink, "You know, I used to have the biggest crush on Aburame Shibi before your father seduced me. Why don't you ask his boy out? You work with him at the academy right?"

Shikamaru stopped laughing, suddenly finding the situation no longer funny.

"KAA-SAN!" Kanoko yelled, her face beet red from embarrassment and nearly suffocating.

Shikaku sighed heavily as he bent to pick up his paper, "Honey… Noko-chan's still young… And like you said, she's really busy and doesn't have time to find a reject – I mean, boy… Just let her be…"

Yoshino lifted her scrubbing brush and pointed it at Shikaku with a firm look, "I know perfectly well how busy our daughter is, but this is just as important!" Yoshino threw her hands in the air, "What if all the good men die off or get married, and she's stuck with a man just as lazy as her father?! No! No! I won't allow it!"

Shikaku sighed again before mumbling, "I love you too, honey…"

Yoshino viscously started scrubbing the dishes as she continued to rant, "And if she marries a man like that, he'll just drag her down and she'll never be the Hokage – instead spending the rest of her days playing the part of the faithful housewife-"

Yoshino stopped speaking when she looked up and found her two children nowhere to be found. Her dark eyes narrowed on her husband – who looked just as surprised to see his kids gone. Yoshino tossed her sud filled sponge at Shikaku's head, making the clan head groan as soapy water ran down his face.

"Why did I have kids?" Shikaku thought, trying not to make eye contact with his steaming wife.

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Kanoko walked down the merchant district of Konoha, her long hair floating lightly behind her as she took a quick look at the shops setting up. Her brother had left her before they hit the main part of the village, saying something about checking in with Asuma-sensei and seeing how the gift of fatherhood was treating him. Now, Kanoko was quickly perusing the shops while making her way to her teammate's apartment – with high hopes her teammate would not invite her in. That was a place she wished to never step into again.

"Kanoko!"

Kanoko was pulled out of her thoughts when she turned in the direction of the voice calling out to her. Seeing a familiar brunette waving to her from one of the booths, Kanoko walked up with an expressionless look on her face, "Good morning Tenten." Kanoko's orange eyes scanned the booth's goods, "I didn't know you sold weapons – although it would make sense, given your appreciation for them."

Tenten laughed as she put a box of kunai knives on the table, "They're not mine. I just help out the merchant who sells them and in turn, I get a hell of a discount on anything I buy!"

Kanoko nodded while still scanning the items, "Have anything of interest?"

"Just the basic stuff." Tenten replied, "The old man doesn't bring the good stuff out until later, but you probably won't be interested in any of it – given what you already have! I am so jealous of your Blade of the Thunder Spirit!"

Kanoko shrugged, "The craft is decent, but isn't perfect. A good hit would probably crack the blade." Kanoko said before thinking, "Definitely not my best work, but dangerous enough to be a threat…" The former Hokage shook her head, "I don't own it anymore, anyways. I gifted it to Sasuke as a congratulations present for making jounin."

Tenten's eyes rose, "Decent craft?! Are you kidding me?! The Second Hokage made that blade!"

Kanoko shrugged before looking back towards the growing crowd, "Well, Tenten, I apologize, but I was on my way to catch Naruto before he starts causing trouble for the day. It was good to see you."

"Wait!" Tenten called out, "The reason I called you over here was to tell you that Neji was looking for you."

Kanoko frowned.

Tenten raised her hands, "I know, I know! But hear me out. Neji's really sorry about last time and he wants to apologize. Promise!"

Kanoko gave Tenten a slightly annoyed look before exhaling, "Where and when…"

Tenten grinned widely, "Tonight, about 8pm at your team's old training ground!"

"Got it." Kanoko responded plainly, "If I have time, I'll drop by."

"I'll tell him!" Tenten replied happily.

"You do that." Kanoko thought as she waved to her friend and walked away.

Walking down the street for a while, Kanoko turned left and started to climb the stairs to Naruto's place. Making her way to the door with a taped on paper with an orange swirl in the center, Kanoko knocked lightly on the door.

"What? Who's there?!" A scratchy voice from the other side called out.

Kanoko gave the door a blank look, "It's your teammate."

There was a pause on the other side of the door before the sounds of shuffling occurred, "Sakura-chan?!"

"Idiot." Kanoko responded, "Do I sound like Sakura to you?"

The door swung open. Kanoko was greeted with the annoyed look of one Uzumaki Naruto, "Yes. Or else I wouldn't have asked." Naruto responded with irritation in his voice before adding, "Idiot."

Orange eyes narrowed, "I forgot how much I enjoyed your presence."

"And I forgot how much I enjoyed looking at your ugly mug." Naruto replied with his face scrunched up, "It's too early to piss you off, why are you here?"

Kanoko slowly raised an eyebrow, "It's 8am. And I'm here to pick you up so we can meet up with Sakura. Remember, Kakashi-sensei is supposed to reschedule our test for today."

Naruto crossed his arms, "I almost forgot that bastard just left us hanging! After all that trouble I went through to get him a present!"

Kanoko raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you get him a book your temporary sensei writes? How difficult could acquire such a book been?"

Naruto huffed as he turned his head, "That's not the point!"

Kanoko rolled her eyes, "I care not. Just get dressed so we can meet up with Sakura."

Naruto blinked before looking down. He was in nothing but his black boxers and crystal necklace – showing off his chiseled chest and six-pack, "AHH!" Naruto screamed, slamming his door in Kanoko's face.

Kanoko waited patiently with her arms crossed until the commotion from within the apartment calmed down and Naruto stepped out – dressed in his long white coat and dark under garbs. Naruto locked the door behind him before standing close to Kanoko, "What were you looking at perv-"

Naruto cut himself off when it occurred to him, standing close to Kanoko for the first time since coming home, that he was looking up.

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"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TALLER THAN ME?!" Naruto screamed, grabbing Kanoko's collar and pulling her down.

"I'm only four centimeters taller than you. Calm yourself." Kanoko told him, pushing him off of her.

Naruto crossed his arms and started muttering to himself, cursing kami and his sense of humor. Kanoko ignored her teammate's muttering and started walking in the direction of Sakura's chakra signature.

Naruto looked up to see Kanoko walking down his stairs and quickly caught up to her, "So where are we going?"

Kanoko raised an eyebrow, "Are you deaf or are simply not listening to me? We are going to meet up with Sakura."

Naruto smirked, "It's the not listening to you part, but that wasn't what I was asking. Shikamaru told me your skills as a sensor far exceeds the standard sensor's abilities. You can find anyone within the Land of Fire if you concentrate hard enough."

Kanoko frowned, suddenly wondering how much her brother told Naruto about her. She trusted the blonde idiot, but there were some things she liked to keep just between her and her brother, "The Hospital."

Naruto nodded, folding his arms behind his head as he walked, "So Sakura really did become a medic…"

Kanoko nodded as they walked, "One of the best students Tsunade has ever had, according to Shizune. All of the Konoha 13 would agree, pardon you and Shikamaru for obvious reasons. I, in particular, have witnessed Sakura's genius first hand."

Naruto gave Kanoko a concerned look, "I remember Shikamaru hitting the ground, holding his stomach in pain while we were gonr. He was a mess for a bit, but was fine after a while… You never did respond when I asked you what happened."

Kanoko continued to stare ahead as they walked in silence. Buildings passed by as they made their way to Konoha's hospital, neither speaking.

"How long is she going to give me the silent treatment?" Naruto thought as he took a look around at all the buildings, seeing a few places he didn't recognize as they walked. Shifting his eyes to take a peek at Kanoko, he couldn't help but stare at her long brown hair, "I wonder why she decided to wear it down. She always complained about her hair and how she wanted to cut it, but didn't want to upset Aunty…" His blue eyes traveled down before snapping away with a light dusting of pink on his cheeks, "She still acts like an old man, but she sure doesn't look like one…"

The white brick walls of the large building in question came into view when Kanoko finally spoke, pulling Naruto roughly from his thoughts, "We're here."

Naruto turned his head from Kanoko to look up at Konoha's Hospital, "Well, what are we waiting for?" Naruto twisted his head to grin at Kanoko and he ran towards the doors, "Let's go get Sakura-chan!"

Kanoko shook her head, but followed after slowly with a small smile on her face.

The two made it to the nurse's desk and waited for Sakura to come out and join them. Naruto, ever the restless teen, start pacing back and forth. Kanoko crossed her arms as she leaned her back against one of the pillar with her eyes closed. After feeling Naruto pass her for the fiftieth time, Kanoko drawled out, "You're pacing won't make her come out any faster."

Naruto huffed, "Why don't we just go get her? You know where she is!"

Kanoko nodded, "I do, but this is a hospital. We will wait patiently for her to come to us."

Naruto stuck his tongue at Kanoko, "Is it exhausting, constantly being a stick in the mud?"

"Only when in the presence of hyperactive blondes with a death wish." Kanoko responded plainly.

Naruto opened his mouth to respond when the flash of pink hair caught the two members of team Kakashi's attention.

"Naruto! Kanoko!" Sakura called out with a large grin, "Sorry about the delay! I was in the middle of surgery."

Naruto's eyebrows rose, "You're a surgeon now?!"

Sakura scratched the back of her head, "Not yet! I was just helping out and getting more experience under my belt." Sakura turned to Kanoko and grinned, "How was the walk over here?"

"Exhausting." Kanoko replied without missing a beat.

Naruto glared as Sakura giggled.

"Oh!" Sakura said suddenly, remembering why her teammates were here, "I have news!"

Naruto turned to his pink haired teammate, "About what?"

"Our test!" Sakura said with a grin, "Kakashi-sensei caught me when I was leaving Shizune's office this morning. He said the Hokage called him in last night and our mission parameters have changed. He wants us to meet him at the training grounds on the outskirts of Konoha – the one near the waterfall."

Kanoko raised an eyebrow, "That far out? Did he say what this was about or what time?"

Sakura shook her head, "No, but he did say to show up before noon."

Naruto looked up at the clock above the nurses station, "It's almost ten now. We should head out now and scan the area before Kakashi-sensei shows up."

Kanoko's and Sakura's head snapped towards Naruto, eyes wide in shock.

"What?" Naruto asked with a shrug, "Is there something on my face?"

Kanoko frowned before scoffing and muttering underneath her breath as she walked away, "I tell him, time and time again, to be aware of his surroundings, to scout the area before meeting an enemy – all the things a good shinobi does before a fight, but does he listen? No. Then my lazy bastard of a brother tells him and suddenly it makes perfect sense to him. Damn Uzumakis and their incessant need to be the most frustrating individuals on the face of the planet…"

Sakura leaned in close to Naruto and whispered, "What the hell is wrong with her?"

Naruto shrugged, "Maybe she didn't get a good night's sleep." Naruto's face turned sour as he remembered a certain Nara heir and his need to strangle things in his sleep, "Yeah… I'm positive that's what it is."

Sakura nodded slightly confused, but went with it, "Well, in any case, we should head out."

Naruto agreed and the two walked out of the hospital not far behind their taller teammate.

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After checking the area for traps, Team Kakashi picked a spot near the edge of the water and waited patiently for their sensei to show. Naruto was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and his chin resting on his hand. Sakura was just a few feet away, writing notes on a journal while reading a book on field surgeries. Kanoko was the only one standing, her arms crossed as she stared at the crashing water from the small waterfall. The area was fairly clear of trees, leaving a wide open area for sparing, and at the bottom of the waterfall was a decent pool of water.

"Why is Kakashi-sensei always late?" Naruto groaned out.

Sakura nodded, looking up from her book, "Shishou is always yelling about it too! You think he'd at least be on time for the Hokage!"

Kanoko ignored her teammates. She didn't understand why they were always so surprised and upset by their sensei's tardiness. As much as Kakashi's lack of etiquette and basic human decency irritated her, Kanoko had long since come to terms with it – especially when she has bigger concerns with the copycat ninja. Like the fact that he essentially gets paid for "teaching" young, impressionable minds when she's the one doing all the heavy lifting.

"Yo!"

"Speak of the demon…" Kanoko thought, turning her head to see Sakura and Naruto glare at the silver haired shinobi.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, "My bad… I saw this older lady struggling with-"

"Can it!" Naruto shouted with his arms crossed.

"Yeah!" Sakura added, "We don't believe it so stop wasting precious air!"

Kanoko raised an eyebrow at the two before turning her eyes to the shocked jounin. Chuckling, Kanoko spoke softly to her sensei, "I do believe you've made them quite angry."

Kakashi gave his tallest student a bland expression, "Observant as always, Kanoko-chan…"

Kanoko shrugged, but kept the smirk firmly on her face.

"You going to tell us why you called us out here or not?" Naruto asked, a frown on his face.

Kakashi raised his hands and sighed, "First you tell me to shut up and now you want me to speak… No respect for your old sensei I see…"

Kanoko snorted, "Respect? When did we ever start respecting you?"

Kakashi's eye twitched before pointing to Kanoko and asking her teammates, "Has she been like this all morning?"

Kanoko glared at Kakashi while Naruto and Sakura nodded.

Kakashi rubbed his chin in thought before mumbling out, "Must be that time of-"

Dark energy flooded the area as Kanoko pulled out her sword and pressed the tip on Kakashi's neck. "Finish that sentence… I dare you."

Kakashi sweat-dropped before poofing to the other side of Naruto and Sakura. Keeping himself at a safe distance away from his murderous student, Kakashi clamped his hands together, "Anyways!" Kakashi paused to pull a timer out of his kunai pouch, "You have two hours."

Sakura was the first to speak, "To do what?"

Kakashi snapped his fingers, "That's right! I forgot to tell you…"

Naruto groaned loudly, "I never thought I'd actually miss pervy sage!"

Kakashi held a hand to his heart and looked crushed, "You wound me, Naru-chan!"

Naruto's head snapped up, "Wait, wait! Naru-chan?! Over my dead body!"

Kanoko shook her head, "Idiot. Now he knows how much it bothers you and will use it all the time."

Naruto twisted his head around to growl at Kanoko, but was stopped by Sakura.

"ENOUGH!" Sakura shouted, raising her chakra powered fist and smashing it into the ground, making the earth at their feet shake before splitting open.

Kakashi and Naruto turned white as they landed on the ground, after jumping out of the way, while Kanoko simply crossed her arms and side stepped the mess.

Sakura dusted off her hands before shooting a nasty look at her male comrades, "I just spent the last three hours assisting a surgery and have a lot of studying to catch up on before my second one tonight and I don't have time to listen to the three of you bicker like old women!" Sakura lifted her fist in the air as hair started to flare in the air, "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

"Crystal." Naruto spit out quickly, not missing a beat.

Kakashi nodded, "Definitely."

"Good." Sakura told them, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.

Naruto's blue eyes shifted quickly to Kanoko before looking away and mumbling, "How come Kanoko didn't get in trouble… She started it…"

"Naruto!" Sakura warned, making the blonde raise his hands in a sign of peace.

Kanoko chuckled quietly at her teammates before turning to Kakashi, "As you were saying?"

Kakashi coughed, "As I was saying… You have two hours to complete your task…" Kakashi's eye shifted from Sakura to Naruto and settled on Kanoko, "Your task is to gather all three bells."

Sakura and Naruto looked at Kakashi with curious eyes. "Kakashi-sensei." Sakura started, "Are you talking about the bell test? The one you put us through when we were genin?"

Naruto crossed his arms, "But we beat that one already – even if Kanoko nearly died by the end of it."

"Which is something I still haven't forgiven you for." Kanoko told Kakashi with her arms crossed and her orange-reddish eyes narrowed.

Kakashi laughed nervously before coughing, "It's sort of like that, but different." Kakashi tossed a bell at each of his students. Kanoko, Sakura, and Naruto all caught the bell tossed to them and held it up curiously. Kakashi smiled at his students, "You see, instead of trying to steal the bells from me, you're going to be trying to steal them from your teammates."

Sakura frowned, "You're telling us to turn against our teammates? Isn't that against everything you taught us?"

Kakashi placed a hand in his chin and looked up, "Hmmm… When you put it like that, I suppose it is…" Kakashi looked down at Sakura with a grin, "But teamwork isn't the purpose of this test."

"Then what is the goal here?" Kanoko asked with an annoyed tone, "Sakura has more than proved her abilities and capabilities as a chunin and medic on every mission she has gone on in the last two years and I'm a jounin. Why do you feel the need to test us in addition to Naruto?"

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed at Kanoko, "So you're too good to be tested with me, is that what you're saying?"

Kanoko scoffed and glared at Naruto, "Why do you think everything I say is an attack against you?"

"Because it is!" Naruto retorted back.

"Ugg…" Sakura groaned out, placing her hands over her eyes, "It never stops…"

"Children, children…" Kakashi said, trying to calm them down and failing miserably.

"You know what, I'm glad Kakashi-sensei chose to test me like this!" Naruto shouted, his fists tightening, "I'm going to have fun ripping that bell out that manicured, pampered hand of yours!"

Kanoko growled back, "Not as much fun as I'm going to have when I slam my fist into your pretty boy face before taking your bell!"

"You're on!" Naruto shouted, jumping back to make a hand sign, "Shadow clone jutsu!" Four clones appeared behind Naruto, all with angry scowls on their faces.

Kakashi's eye widened, "Wait! I didn't say start!"

"Water Style: Water Shockwave!" Kanoko shouted as water from the nearby river started swirling rapidly around her in the air.

Sakura and Kakashi quickly leaped out of the way as water smashed into the ground and trees around them. Naruto jumped into the air to avoid the water, giving Kanoko and opening. Kanoko raced forward and leaped into the air with her sword out.

Naruto cursed lowly as Kanoko brought her arm back to slice her sword through him.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto called out another clone, before grabbing its hand and using the clone as to pull himself out of the way.

Kanoko's sharp eyes snapped to where Naruto was pulled away by his clone and twisted her body around to block Naruto as he brought his kunai down on her. The two dropped to the ground and propelled towards one and another.

Naruto blocked Kanoko's sword with his kunai as he aimed a kick at her shin. Kanoko quickly side stepped and wrapped her hand around Naruto's wrist to bring him forward for a kick to the gut. Just as Kanoko's foot made contact, Naruto poofed away.

"Clone." Kanoko thought with a scowl before rapidly searching the area with her chakra sensing ability.

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted from above.

Kanoko easily sidestepped the attack, sensing him before he appeared, "Wind Style: Air Vacuum!" Small compressed air needles shot towards Naruto.

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!" Naruto shouted, his palms slapping together as he feet hit the ground. The air needles were pushed back as a burst of razor blade-like winds blew through the field.

Kanoko's scowl deepened as she teleported swiftly away. Landing on the surface of the water, where she had placed a floating tag for her to teleport to earlier, Kanoko watched as Naruto's wind jutsu ripped open the ground and sliced the trees to pieces.

"His wind based attacks are quite formidable. He must have a great affinity for wind chakra…" Kanoko thought as she stood tall on top of the water, her arms crossed underneath her chest.

Naruto stood his ground back on land, his white coat whipping around behind him from the harsh winds. His blue eyes sharpened, "Going out there is a mistake. Kanoko's an expert in water jutsus. I need to get her back on land…" Naruto's spare clones walked up beside him.

Kanoko smirked, "What happened to all that talk about ripping my bell from me?" Kanoko tossed her bell into the air before catching it and dangling it out, "Too chicken to face me on my own-"

Kanoko cut herself off when she felt a large spike in chakra coming from the blonde in question. Orange-reddish eyes narrowed as she watched Naruto and his clones create some kind of condensed chakra ball into the real one's hand.

"That certainly looks like the start of the Rasengan, but… The chakra is different… Like he added wind chakra into it…" Kanoko made a few hand signs and took a defensive stance, "I have a bad feeling about that attack…"

Naruto grinned while sweating as his chakra started to form into the shape of a large, swirling shuriken. Shifting his deep blue eyes across the water to his opponent, he called out, "Feast your eyes on this! An Uzumaki special!" Naruto roared as he swung his arm around, "RASENSHURIKEN!"

Kanoko's eyes went wide as she watched the massive chakra shuriken rapidly travelled over the water toward her, "Water Style: Water Wall!" Kanoko called out quickly, pouring an intense amount of chakra into her defensive jutsu to stop the oncoming attack. Running through more hand signs, Kanoko stretched her shadow over the wall create an extra layer of support, "Yin Style: Shadow Wall!"

Kanoko widened her stance, prepare to repel the attack, "There's no way that attack's getting through. I've testing this out several times. Not even Sasuke's most powerful lightning jutsu can break through this barrier."

Naruto grinned confidently as he yelled, "You better move if you don't want to get split in two!"

Kanoko considered retorting back, but was pulled from her thoughts as the massive chakra energy slammed into her barrier.

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Slicing through it like butter.

Shock covered Kanoko face for a second as she was forced to teleport back to her seal on land.

"Told you!"

Kanoko cursed as Naruto appeared next to her and slamming his fist into her shoulder. Kanoko, running off of years of reflexes, quickly grasped the fist while sucking in a gasp of pain. Moving through one handed seals at a speed Naruto's eyes couldn't keep up with, Kanoko sucked in air, "Water Style: Heavenly Weeping!"

Naruto cried out in pain as water senbon stabbed into his front, forcing him to let go of Kanoko.

Leaping back as well, Kanoko skidded across the ground. Standing up slowly, Kanoko's scowl turned into a smirk.

Naruto panted slightly as his eyes narrowed, "What?"

Kanoko's smirk grew, "You've grown stronger. Part of me worried my lazy brother would rub off on you and you would waste the valuable time given to you."

Naruto straightened his stance and placed a hand on his hip with a smirk on his face, "Shikamaru's lazy, but he isn't as stubborn as I am. If anything, I think you'll find Shikamaru's not quite as lazy as he was before."

Kanoko chuckled, "That remains to be seen." The Nara heiress raised her sword and pointed it at Naruto, "I've underestimated you. I won't make that same mistake twice."

Naruto smirked back, the wind kicking up again and blowing his blonde strands and white coat to the side, "I promise not to hold back if you don't."

Kanoko smirked, "Deal."

No sooner than the words were out of her mouth, a thousand clones resembling Naruto flooded the area with a small gap around Kanoko. Kanoko shifted her eyes around, her smirk still firmly planted on her face, "That Uzumaki chakra never ceases to piss me off."

Naruto crossed his arms with pride before shouting, "Charge!"

Kanoko twirled her sword in her hand as the horde of clones charge at her. Kanoko smirked as she cut through the first one before grabbing another and tossing it into two more, "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised at the brash attack style. Shikamaru barely listened to me when I was teaching him taijutsu and Jiraiya doesn't look like the taijutsu type."

"Rasengan!" Two clones shouted, several other clones surrounding them to provide chakra before popping away in a puff of smoke.

Kanoko smirked, "Flying Thunder god Justu!" The former Hokage appeared behind one of the clones with the Rasengan in hand. The clone's eyes widened as Kanoko grabbed its arm and flung them and their chakra dense attack towards the other, making the two Rasengans clash into one and another.

"Ahhh!" Some of the nearby clones shouted before popping away from the force of the two jutsus combining and exploding.

"We're not done yet!" A chorus of clones shouted, leaping towards Kanoko with their fists or feet raised for attack.

Kanoko shook her head in amusement as she started wrapping her arms around the incoming arms and legs and snapping them in half. Switching back to her sword, Kanoko jumped into the center of one of the Naruto clusters and began chopping them in half like trees.

Starting to fear for their lives, the clones started to disperse away from Kanoko. The brunette kunoichi raised an eyebrow as she cut a Naruto down that was trying to escape. Shouting out to the area, Kanoko taunted the real Naruto, "Is this you not holding back? I'm not impressed."

Naruto cursed lowly, "Kanoko can't find the real me because all my clones share my chakra, but it's only a matter of time until she chops off all their heads like weeds… And I can't use my Rasenshuriken again today. Shikamaru warned me what the consequences were if I continued to use it…" Naruto watched as his teammate started indiscriminately casting lightning based jutsus into the groups of Narutos, making large cluster disappear in a puff of smoke.

"I promised I wouldn't hold back…" Kanoko called out, sliding her sword in her sheath, "And I won't."

Kanoko reached in her pocket and pulled out a thick stack of papers, holding them between her pointer and middle fingers. Rapidly making seals with her other hand, water started to form beneath her feet and covering the ground. Turning her eyes towards the real Naruto, Kanoko smirked, "You're fifty years too young to hide from me."

Naruto cursed as he and the clones around him started to make hand signs.

Pushing off the ground, Kanoko broke out in a run towards the real Naruto high in the trees. Determined to protect the real one, more than a hundred Narutos leaped towards Kanoko, throwing kunai, shuriken, and even a few with Rasengans in hand.

"Water Style: Water Dragon!" Kanoko called out in a deep voice, a slim dragon made of water forming from the water at Kanoko's feet and ripping through several Narutos. Kanoko used her mouth to hold the stack of explosive tags as she used both of her hands to make hand signs. Forming the last sign, Kanoko sucked air in through her nose and spit out the tags, making them shoot out and stick to anything in their path.

A large number of Narutos chasing Kanoko were either stopped in their tracks by the explosive tag sticking to them or forced to move and evade the flying papers.

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!" Naruto called out, sending more than half of the papers flying away from him and his clones.

"Ninja Art: Multi Explosive Tag Jutsu!" Kanoko shouted, activating the tags and setting the woods on fire with several small explosions.

Naruto hissed as he watched some of his clones catch on fire and pop into smoke. Spinning around, Naruto blocked an incoming kick from Kanoko. Kanoko's next attack came quicker than the next, which was followed by an even quicker assault.

Naruto felt the sweat pour down his neck and he pushed his body to keep up with Kanoko's quick onslaught of taijutsu moves.

Kanoko frowned as her feet hit a tree branch before propelling back towards Naruto, "Why are you holding back?"

Naruto hissed at Kanoko's punch connected with his jaw. Swinging his hand around and getting nothing but air, he responded with gritted teeth, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kanoko's eyes narrowed as she teleported behind Naruto and wrapped an arm around his throat, pressing him tight up against her and choking him. With a deep voice, Kanoko spoke in his ear, "You spent two and a half years traveling with a sannin – a legend from the Second Great Ninja War – and my brother – a genius who I taught myself – and learned no greater tricks than the shadow clone jutsu and a more impressive Rasengan – which you've only used once."

Naruto gasped for air as he struggled to get out of his teammate's grasp, "Maybe you're just that good."

Kanoko's eye thinned further, "Another thing I don't trust. Humility." Kanoko's muscles tensed as she tightened her hold, making Naruto gasp audibly.

"Kan… Noko… Can't… Bre… Breath…" Naruto squeezed out.

"Then tell me. Why are you holding back? What's your endgame?" Kanoko growled at him.

Naruto pushed out a broken chuckled before smirking, "To… Take… The… Bell…"

Kanoko's eyes widened slightly as they snapped down to where she placed it on her hip. Her orange-reddish eyes snapped back to Naruto when she felt a spike in chakra. A soft glow caught her eye, realizing that on Naruto's back was an exploding seal – seconds from exploding.

"A clone?!" Kanoko thought, tossing the Naruto in her arms away, "There's no way he'd blow up himself!"

Naruto grinned as he spun around in the air, the glowing paper seal falling off of his back – showcasing its harmlessness.

Naruto quickly pour chakra into his hands, forming two Rasengans – one in each hand.

Kanoko cursed as she used her space time jutsu to teleport to Naruto, where she marked him on his arm the first time she grabbed him. Grabbing one of his arms, Kanoko pushed his Rasengan into the other in an attempt to cancel them out.

Kanoko's eyes widened as, instead of causing an explosion like she intended, Naruto rapidly adjusted the chakra density and swirl speed of both to the same amount – allowing the two to combine into one large Rasengan.

"Dammit!" Kanoko cursed, about to let go so she could teleport away, but was stopped as two Naruto clones appeared from behind and pushed her further into the real Naruto.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto shouted, pushing his large and dense Rasengan into Kanoko's side.

"Arg!" Kanoko cried out in pain as the ball of chakra smashed into her hip and waist, sending her into the ground below with the two Naruto clones still stuck to her like glue.

Kanoko pushed herself off the ground before grabbing the two Naruto's holding her down and smashing their faces into the dirt – making them poof into smoke.

Naruto grinned a few feet away, his arm out as he held up his teammate's bell. "You're right. I did learn something after spending two and a half years with Shikamaru and pervy sage!" Naruto placed the bell in his back pocket before explaining, "Pervy sage was always waaay stronger than me and Shikamaru is a tricky bastard that would make me run in circles all day long. It pissed me off, how they always beat me! So I had to come up with different tricks."

Kanoko dusted herself off, "So you promised to go all out, only to pretend you were weak, so I would call you out – giving you the opportunity to get close to me… Clever."

Naruto grinned, "I actually thought it would take a lot longer. It seems Shikamaru was right. Duckbutt's temper is rubbing off on you."

Kanoko rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms, "My brother seems to think I'm ditching my ties with the Nara Clan to become an Uchiha. As if I'd willingly let that happen."

Naruto laughed out loud before curving his hand around his mouth and calling out, "Ok Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan! I have Kanoko's bell! I won, so you can come out now!"

The sound of silence greeted Naruto, making him frown. Turning back to Kanoko, he asked her, "Did they leave or something?" Naruto looked around, "We weren't that destructive…"

Kanoko shook her head with a slight smirk on her face, "It seems what you said about my brother's laziness dwindling is either untrue or is a recent occurrence."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, not following his teammate at all.

"I told my brother, before the three of you left Konoha, to teach you about identifying genjutsus and how to bring yourself out of one once you recognize it." Kanoko scoffed, "Clearly he didn't listen to me or was too lazy to follow through."

Naruto blinked, "Wait…" Suddenly, the world around him shifted – melting away from the lush green forest, to the wide open grassy area in front of the waterfall they were standing in before their fight began.

Naruto rubbed his eyes before twisting his head around, catching a bored looking Kakashi and Sakura shaking her head.

"I can't believe you didn't realize you were in a genjutsu!" Sakura yelled at Naruto, "And now Kanoko's won!"

Naruto blinked again before panicking and snapping his hand to where he left his bell on his belt. Hitting nothing but his side, Naruto twisted around to look for the bell.

"Looking for this?" Kanoko called out with a bland tone, tossing three bells into the air and catching them.

"Ahh! How'd you…!" Naruto cried out, pulling at his hair.

Kakashi sighed, "She placed a strong genjutsu seal on you, the first time the two of you exchanged punches. After you were stuck in your own world, she went after Sakura…"

Sakura sighed, rubbing her shoulder, "I may have trained with Lee and Gai, but Kanoko's been training with Sasuke… She was too fast for me to keep up with."

"ARGG! DAMN BASTARD!" Naruto shouted at the sky, "I thought for sure I was going to get you this time!"

Kanoko shrugged, "You may have – if you didn't have such a weakness to genjutsu." Kanoko placed a hand on her chin as she narrowed her eyes on Naruto, "We will have to fix that…"

Kakashi clapped his hands, "Well… Time's up anyways and Kanoko has the bells… So…"

Naruto crossed his arms, "Yeah, yeah! I get it. Kanoko's the winner…"

Sakura giggled at her teammate, "Come on Naruto, I lost too. Don't pout."

Kanoko turned to Kakashi-sensei, "I assumed you wanted to assess Naruto's skills. While I can't show you what transpired in my genjutsu, I can tell you that he more than qualifies for any mission assigned to Team Kakashi."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "You can see what happens in your genjutsus?"

Kanoko shook her head, "Just the ones created by seals and only after the seal is deactivated. Similar to the Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"Wait, what?" Naruto started, "What's this about the clone jutsu?"

Kakashi sweat-dropped, "Let's hold that conversation for another day… I'm sure you guys have things to do and I need to give my report to the Hokage." Kakashi turned to Naruto and smiled, "After all, the sooner I let her know, the sooner we will get assigned a mission."

Naruto frowned, his arms crossed, "Don't think I'm letting you off the hook that easy. I'm not an idiot."

Kanoko chuckled lowly, "Easily pleased is more accurate, but Kakashi is right. He is already late in reporting to the Hokage. I'm sure if he waits too long, she's going to come looking for him – which is a bad thing for all of us."

Naruto went slightly pale, remembering how hard granny Tsunade's punches were, "I guess you're right." Naruto's blue eyes narrowed at Kakashi, "For now."

Kakashi nodded with a sweat-drop before waving to his students and disappearing in the wind.

Sakura turned to her teammates, "What now?"

Kanoko opened her mouth to respond when the large growl of Naruto's stomach cut her off. Naruto laughed nervously, "Ramen anyone?"

Sakura laughed as Kanoko sighed, "I guess…"

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The Nara heiress stared at the bright moon. It was just a sliver now, but was bright enough to light up the small clearing she was standing in. It was nearly 8pm. Kanoko almost didn't come, enjoying the easy and happy presence of her teammates as their spoke about the things each of them missed while off completing their own adventures.

"Kanoko." A calm voice spoke, pulling Kanoko from her thoughts.

Not moving her eyes from the moon, Kanoko responded with a deep voice, "Hyuuga."

Neji sighed heavily at Kanoko's indifferent attitude. Neji wore a long sleeved and plain kimono-like top, equally plain and loose pants, and a dark gray cloth around his waist – just a skirt away from the normal Hyuuga family garb. As he walked closer to Kanoko, he stopped a foot away from her – sensing her tense posture. Like an animal ready to pounce.

Scoffing at the ground, Neji grounded out, "I'm sorry, ok?"

Kanoko's eyes did not change as she moved them from the moon to the Hyuuga before her, "If you believe such an apology adequate, than you should not further waste your breath."

Neji frowned and sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose before continuing, "You know how it's been around here lately. The clans are a mess: The elders in charge are tightening their holds on those they see as inferior, protests in the streets are becoming more frequent, and more and more clan members are disappearing."

Kanoko did not respond nor acknowledge what Neji was saying.

Neji gritted his teeth, "Don't you care?! This isn't just a Hyuuga or Nara issue! This is affecting all the clans!"

Kanoko closed her eyes and crossed her arms, "You don't want to hear what I have to say, so why bother speak?"

"Because everyone's looking at you!" Neji shouted, "It doesn't matter if they're a branch member from the Hyuuga clan or a dish washer from the Akimichi clan, they're all looking at you! They see what you've done within the Nara clan, the way to continue to stand up to the monarchy – the old men who think they can play with and then discard our lives like shogi pieces – and are relying on you to give them hope and guidance!"

Kanoko frowned, "You and I both know that I am not that person."

Neji waved his hands in frustration, "Which is why I'm so angry! Why can't you? Why do you refuse to stand up for your people, the ones whose lives are just like yours – suppressed, abused, discarded, forgotten! Why are you so selfish, that you'll only fight for yourself and not anyone else?!"

"Because it's not myself I'm fighting for and that's what angers you the most." Kanoko told him with harsh eyes, "I would serve my role within the clan, without complaint – regardless of what that role would entail."

Neji growled, "But you don't because sitting back would mean allowing your brother to suffer. As if he has such a difficult life." Neji finished with a scoff.

Kanoko's chakra darkened, her voice dropping, "Watch yourself Hyuuga. You don't want to make the same mistake as last time."

Neji's face twisted with anger as he barked out, "I don't care! If you stopped worrying about your precious brother for one second and gave a damn about the rest of us, maybe this village wouldn't be so fucked up!" Neji stomped forward and grabbed Kanoko by her collar, pulling her forward, "You say that you care about this village, that it's the most important thing to you, but you're nothing but a liar and a sellout!"

Kanoko stared blankly at Neji, her face showing no emotion, "I don't care what you think of me."

Neji let go of Kanoko's collar as he pushed her back, "But you care what your brother thinks of you, right?"

Kanoko's orange eyes darkened, turning slightly red.

Neji scoffed, "What if I told him who you really are? What do you think he would think of you then?" Neji's tone deepened, "I wonder what emotion he'd feel the strongest? Pain? Shock? Shame? Disgust?"

Kanoko hand snapped out and wrapped tightly around Neji's neck, pulling him in close while strangling him, "Do not think the Hyuuga's main branch are the only ones with the ability to activate that seal on your forehead. You push me and I will show you no mercy. There are far worse things than death." Kanoko finished by pushing Neji back and away from her.

Neji folded over as he gasped for air. Panting heavily, he turned his head up to meet Kanoko's deadly gaze with a glare of his own, "Yeah… There are far worse things than death…" Neji took another breath as he moved to stand tall, his pale eyes narrowing on the woman before him.

"Like living."

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Shikamaru looked up from his book as his sister walked in, looking a little worse for wear. Sitting up, Shikamaru called out to her, "Hey… What's up?"

Kanoko shook her head before mumbling, "Tired. Long day." Kanoko walked over to her dresser and started pulling out her night clothes. Grabbing them, she quickly made her way out the door and to the bathroom to change.

Shikamaru's dark brown eyes followed his sister as she traveled around and out the room. For as removed and difficult as she was, she didn't normally look this run down. When Kanoko walked back through the door to her room, she went straight for the bed Shikamaru was laying on and got in the covers – her back facing him.

Shikamaru frowned at his sister's back. Setting the book down, he leaned over to turn off the lights – figuring it was probably a smart move if his sister was really intending to go to sleep. She had a hard enough time sleeping regularly; he knew the flickering of lights wouldn't help her.

Stretching out, Shikamaru laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling. After several minutes, Shikamaru turned onto his side to face his sister's back. Shikamaru stared at her long brown hair for several more minutes. Reaching out to play with the ends of her hair with his fingertips, Shikamaru spoke softly and quietly, "I know I didn't say it when I came home, but… I really missed you. As troublesome as you are… You're my sister – my twin sister. The person I know will always be there for me, just as I'll always be there for you. So just…" Shikamaru paused, his eyes dropping and a small yawn escaping, "Just… Let me be your big brother sometimes and let me know what's going on. Let me help you, even if it's something as simple as chasing off some idiot who doesn't know the meaning of boundaries."

Shikamaru paused to wait for his sister's reply. When the sound of shallow breathing hit his ears, he sighed softly.

Closing his eyes, Shikamaru yawned again – this time a little loud and longer – before speaking one last time, "I'll always love you, little sis… No matter what..."

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Author's Note: As of Wednesday, my work has allowed me to go back to my normal hours! Which means I'll actually have time to write! Yay!

I actually wrote this chapter out last week, but didn't like the direction or theme, so I completely rewrote it this week. Sorry about that! Hopefully I'll stop being so picky!

Please forgive the rawness of this chapter. I really wanted to get this out to you guys, but was unable to get it to my beta due to my stupid work schedule!

Huge shout out to FREELANCEBUM (my beta) for continuing to put up with my difficultness!