A spontaneous sleepover

"So you have a photographic memory? I feel like this needs to be tested" Kankuro said after they left the office, Natsuko locking up the office for the night.

"Yep. Sorry again about the inn, with everything I forgot it was under reconstruction." Natsuko said, before stopping a moment

"Well, more… I spaced it.. Anyway. It's this way." She said her arms out at her sides,

"Photographic memory and you forgot about the inn." Temari teased and Natsuko looked back over,

"Ironic ain't it." she said scratching the back of her head as she laughed, before turning her head away.

"Welp… it's down this way." She said

"When we met, I thought you were strange." Kankuro said and Natsuko looked over,

"Are you saying I'm not, cause that's rude. I take pride in weirding people out." She said

"I mean, Naruto and Sakura's faces at the second part of the chunin exams. I wish I had a picture." She said grinning,

"Still can't believe you were a proctor, I fully expected you to kick us from the test once we made it through to the second round." Temari said and Natsuko hummed, before leading them to an apartment.

"I still have no idea how I was the proctor. Actually, I found out that day I was gonna be a proctor. Gramps 3rd was like 'Natsuko Uzumaki, you will be a proctor with Anko Mitarashi.' I wonder who signed me up for that." Natsuko said, a finger on her chin as they made it to an oddly shaped apartment building,

"Top floor." She said

You guys live here?" Kankuro said and Natsuko nodded,

"All our lives." She said, before jumping up the stairs,

"Fair warning… all we have are instant cups." Natsuko said, as they made it to a green door. Finding a note taped to it. Reading it, before crumpling it, putting it in her kunai pouch,

"Welp… Mi casa es su casa… or something?" she said opening the door, allowing the sand siblings to enter, they were only going to be in town for the next two days, so, Natsuko offered to host them, since the inn was currently… recovering from Orochimaru's summoning, then from Naruto's summoning when it landed on the building… so it was going to take some time to rebuild. Currently they had a frame. That was it.

"Sis…. don't come to the kitchen…" Naruto said,

"What did you do." She said, slipping off her shoes as the others did the same, looking at the name plate on the wall,

"I… hey gaara, Kankuro, Temari. What are… what are you doing here?" Naruto said,

"They're in town for a few days, the Inn is still destroyed from someone's summoning, so I offered to let them room here." Natsuko said

"I said I was sorry…" Naruto said as Natsuko walked directly into the kitchen,

"My Curry!!" Natsuko said, looking at the curry sitting open on the table

"Naruto, what did you do. To my. curry" NAtsuko said as she walked over to the living room where Naruto had sat as sweat ran down the back of his head,

"So that's what that was…" Naruto said and Natsuko looked over

"Your a dead man." She said, Naruto putting his hands up, laughing embarrassed,

"Come on sis… It's just cu…" Naruto started before falling to the ground, groaning, Kankuro and Gaara's eyes widening a moment, Natsuko having tossed, a cup of noodles at Naruto's forehead, knocking him off of his feet, sending him crashing to the ground, leaving a circular marking on his forehead where it connected.

"Why the ramen?" Temari said and Natsuko hummed,

"It was either ramen or our tea kettle… I didn't want to break the tea kettle." Natsuko said,

"You guys don't have pans?" Temari said

"What are you trying to give her more ideas?!" Naruto said from the floor, still rubbing his forehead,

"What? No… I don't think she needs help with that, I meant for cooking." Temari said and the twins went pink, both scratching

their chins, before putting their hands behind their heads

"Uh actually.. We only know how to make instant ramen… and curry, so we only have the teakettle." She said, Kankuro and Temari looking over at them

"Is that all you eat?" She said and Natsuko looked over

"No, theres the bbQ and other shops, uh… and ichiraku…" Natsuko said

"I did it, I did, I jumped I stepped right off that cliff without a parachute. I looked over the edge and saw the view, of something I could never do. And no part of me knew how, but the moment came and it had to be now so… I did it I did, I jumped I stepped right off that cliff without a para…chute." Natsuko sang softly as she stared out the window, she wore a gray short sleeve cropped pajama shirt that stopped right above her belly button paired with pajama shorts, , her and Temari were sharing her room, while Kankuro, Gaara, and Naruto discussed… about their sleeping arrangements, Natsuko's hair was down around her thighs, some of the strands falling in front of her face as she brushed it.

"Thats a different song." Temari commented as she walked in her ash blond hair around her shoulders, as she wore a violet spaghetti strap romper pajama. Natsuko glancing over,

"You look like a different person with your hair down." Natsuko commented, as Temari scoffed, before sitting on her bed,

"Your hair is longer than I thought." Temari commented and Natsuko hummed as she attempted to pull the brush through a knot, before yelping as she fell from the bed. Temari laughing,

"A blessing and a curse." She said before standing, pulling at the brush,

"I wonder if they've decided yet…" Natsuko said as she walked towards the door, still pulling at the brush,

"Shall we go see?" Temari said, pulling the brush free from Natsuko's hair for her and passing it back,

"Thank youuu, also yes." Natsuko said following Temari back out to the living room

"You guys figure out who's sleeping where?" Natsuko asked as she walked through, still brushing her hair,

"Yep. Do you guys wanna play cards?" Naruto said

"I'll just watch." Natsuko said

"Your hair is a lot longer than I thought it was." Kankuro said and Natsuko looked over,

"It's a pain." she said

"Why not cut it?" Temari said and Natsuko looked over

"Cant bring myself to." She said shrugging, before looking out the window, Walking over, pulling the curtains closed,

"Freaking AnBu…" She grumbled under her breath,

"Why's the AnBu here sis?" Naruto said and Natsuko glanced over, before sighing,

"There is still… mistrust, towards the sand…" Natsuko said

"If I thought you guys were a threat I would've taken you out last year, *shrugs* they'll come around." Natsuko said before wheezing, Naruto having thrown a box of cards at her,

"I thought you were a sensory shinobi. You were taken out by a box of cards, kinda lame." Naruto said, before falling as Natsuko threw the box of cards back at him, knocking him off his feet.

"So what game?" Kankuro said, and Natsuko looked over,

"If you guys know of any we're open to em, we only know goldfish and war. I'm pretty sure that's what the other one was

Called" Natsuko said and Temari looked over

"Do you mean the one where you have to make matches?" She asked and Natsuko nodded

"Go Fish, it's called Go Fish." Kankuro said and Natsuko shrugged

"Goldfish, go fish, same thing." Natsuko said, before looking over

"I have an idea for the cards, Naruto pass em." Natsuko said catching the cards as they were thrown, Natsuko shuffling,

"What is it?" Gaara said and Natsuko looked over,

"It's like… truth or dare, I played it in the AnBu, you'd be surprised how much downtime I had on some missions. We each draw one card from the deck, I took out the aces, and jokers. The biggest card gets to ask the person with the lowest card a question, and so on. We called it Truth or die. Since your only asking questions, not sure what the die part was about" Natsuko said

"Isn't that game usually played without cards?" Kankuro said and Natsuko hummed

"Well… we played it with cards… and a sword… so this is less deadly." Natsuko said, going significantly further pale,

"Where'd you even play this the first time?" Naruto said and Natsuko hummed,

"Right before my first mission under big brother Itachi." Natsuko said before drawing a card, Naruto doing the same, the sand siblings following, Natsuko holding out her hand with a 10 on it, Naruto holding a 1, Temari 6, Kankuro 9, and Gaara 7.

"Looks like it's you two right off the bat, the Uzumaki twins." Kankuro said and Natsuko laughed, looking over,

"Okay, well, there is something I've been wanting to know, Naruto. What happened to my curry?" She said and Naruto paled,

"I may have… eaten it… I thought it was my ramen." He said

"How… how do you even… they… I… one is a gold package of goodness, the other is a cup of noodles. They look completely different you uncultured swine." She said, before they put their cards in the bottom, Natsuko holding out a 2, Gaara a queen, Temari a 10, Naruto a 5, and Kankuro a 9

"Gaara and Natsuko, your turn." Naruto said and Natsuko looked over

"Why allow us into your home, are you not worried we'll attack again?" Gaara said and Natsuko hummed,

"Nope. not in the slightest. I think. If everyone could just listen to eachother, try to relate to eachother. We would get peace, true peace among the villages. That's my goal anyway. Ending the wars between the five great nations. Can't do that without rebuilding some bridges." Natsuko said as they put the cards back

"Your goal is peace, hmm.. That would be nice" Kankuro said and Naruto nodded,

"If we could just get the Tsuchikage and Raikage to agree, we'd be golden. You know, oh and the Mizukage" Natsuko said

"Aren't we on good terms with the mist village?" Naruto said and Natsuko nodded,

"We are…" Natsuko said not saying anything further. Next round Temari held a two with naruto holding a king.

"How come you use a fan for your jutsu? Wouldn't it be easier not to?" Naruto said and Temari looked over,

"Not really, it helps broaden the range of my attack." she said the next round Kankuro having the top card of King and both twins drawing a two

"Well that hasnt happened before. I guess we both can answer this time.." Natsuko said and Kankuro hummed

"Whats your favorite thing to do, why?" Kankuro asked and Natsuko looked over

"Train. Cause then I know I'm getting stronger. So I can get closer to my goal to be hokage. That way the village will stop disrespecting me so much and treat me like I'm somebody. Somebody important. It'll happen someday, believe it." Naruto said and Natsuko hummed

"How unexpectedly philosophical of you, Naruto" she said before humming

"My favorite thing to do… hmm.. sleep. Or maybe writing music?" Natsuko said

"Why sleep?" Temari said and Natsuko hummed

"Cause it's peaceful, there's no fighting. And, I don't get hungry you know" Natsuko said grinning

"What about writing music?" Kankuro asked and Natsuko hummed

"It's relaxing. It's like I travel to another world when I write music. You know. Like I disappear… that sounded morbid." Natsuko said hanging her head

"I get it." Gaara said Natsuko grinning, Temari holding a king the next round with Kankuro holding a two

"Why do you wear the hood with the cat ears vs a reglar hood." Temari asked and Kankuro looked over shrugging

"I dunno" He said the round after the next saw Naruto holding a queen and Natsuko holding a two.

"Oh no…" Natsuko said as Naruto looked over at her,

"You know since you spoke about music in your last answer… Have you written any recently? What was it?" Naruto said and Natsuko looked over,

"Yep. Cost of the Crown. (Mercedes Lackey)" Natsuko said

"Can we hear it?" Naruto said,

"Sure, after the game, I need some sounding boards anyway, I don't know if it sounds good or not" She said, shrugging The game continued back and forth for another ten minutes, each asking eachother questions, helping them learn about eachother, before Natsuko looked towards the window, walking over to it, as a tap was heard, in a sort of pattern

"What's up?" She said opening the window,

"Lady Hokage, I'm sorry to bother you at your home, but we've just received word back from one of the scouts." The black ops said and Natsuko looked over

"Is it urgent?" She asked and the black ops nodded, before whispering in her ear, Natsuko's eyes widened

"This is confirmed information?" She asked and the anbu nodded, Natsuko nodded, before whispering over to the AnBu,

"Right… continue surveillance from a distance, I'll call a council meeting in the morning. This is surveillance only, avoid combat if at all possible. Do we have any word from Itachi?" She asked and the AnBu shook his head, Natsuko tsked, putting a hand on her chin,

"Yeah for now continue surveillance, if it is the masked man that's running things, we are going to need every bit of information we can get our hands on." Natsuko whispered and the AnBu nodded,

"Was that everything?" Natsuko asked and the AnBu nodded,

"Have a good night, you should make sure you get some rest as well," Natsuko said,

"Ma'am." The AnBu said before jumping away, Natsuko closing the window, putting a hand on her chin, walking over to the bookshelf she grabbed out a book with a blue spiral,

"What's happened?" Naruto said and Natsuko looked over, before biting her lip,

"It was something bad wasn't it. You're biting your lip." Naruto continued, and Natsuko looked over

"Well it wasn't good. But until the information is completely confirmed, I can't tell you blabbermouth." She said as she looked through the notebook, before putting it away. Putting her hands behind her head, a couple of minutes later the game ended and Natsuko grabbed out her other notebook,

"So what's cost of the crown sound like?" Naruto said, and Natsuko dusted a light pink,

"Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, did you guys want to hear it too?" She asked, Gaara looking rather invested as did Kankuro and Temari

"It's about, becoming hokage. Well, more than that, but essentially, um. You know." Natsuko said standing,

"Sure. lets here it." Kankuro said and Natsuko nodded looking at the notebook, standing near the window as she opened the curtains, looking out at the village, instead of facing the couch.

"The stars are very beautiful, above the palace walls… they shine with equal splendor high above far humbler halls, I'd watch them from my windows, but their bright entrancing glow, reminds me of the freedoms I gave up so long ago. The royale circlit of bright gold rests lightly on my brow. I once thought only of the rights, this circlit would endow, but once I took the crown to which I had been schooled and bred. I found it heavy on the heart, though light upon the head. Although I am the head of state, in truth I am the least. The true kage knows their people fed before they sit to feast. The good kage knows their people safe, before they take their rest. Thinks twice and thrice and yet again… before they make request. For they are all my children all that I swore to defend. It is my duty to become both kage and trusted friend. And of my children high and low, from beggars to above, the dearest are the jonin who return my care with love (PLATONIC YOU SICKOS SHES A CHILD MOST JONIN ARE LIKE TWENTY OR SO). The dearest are the jonin, swift to swing to my command. Who give me aid and fellowship, who always understand. The land and people both have needs that I may not deny. So I must send my dearest friends, to danger… and… to die. *a tear slipped past Natsuko's eye, she wiped it away, looking out the window* A friend, a love, a child, it matters not I know indeed. That I must sacrifice them all if there should be the need, They know and they forgive me, doing more than I require. With willing minds and loving hearts, go straight to grasp the fire. These tears that burn my eyes are all the tears that I can't shed. The tears I weap in silence as I mourn the jonin dead. O gods that dwell beyond the stars if you can hear my cry… and if you have compassion… let me send no more to die!" she said, everyone looking shocked for a moment

"Fully was not expecting you to be able to sing. That songs a heavy one." Kankuro said and Natsuko threw a pillow at his face,

"You wrote it after that anbu mission, that went south. Didn't you" Naruto said and Natsuko nodded,

"I did." She said,

"One of the first missions I assigned to a mix of three anbu and three recently promoted jonin, it was supposed to just be a recon mission on one of Orochimaru's supposed hideouts. We got the information we needed, but at the cost of the entire team. But I also wrote the song for you Naruto. You want to be hokage but do you truly know and understand what being a kage means." She said

"Anyway, what'dya think?" She said with her hands behind her head,

"Well written." Gaara said

Temari and Natsuko shared her room, while Kankuro and Gaara shared Naruto's room.

"Are you okay?" Temari said and Natsuko hummed nodding as she walked into the room,

"Yeah, you?" She asked, the tatami mat was already rolled out for Temari as Natsuko got into her bed, sitting up a moment, laying on her stomach,

"Yeah, I'm fine." Temari said and Natsuko grinned as her face lay against the pillow,

"Good. I'm glad" She said before leaning closer a minute

""I heard that friends give out nicknames to each other, you know. So can I call you Tem. Cause we're friends right? Or I can find a different one, Ive never had friends, so what do you think?" Natsuko said as the 12 and 15 yr old sat in her room, Temari looked over, her ash blonde hair falling around her shoulders as she hummed

"Sure, Suko. But Naruto can't call me that, swear it" She said holding out her pinky Natsuko looking at her finger a moment

"Have you and Naruto never done a Pinky swear? It's only the most sacred" temari said laughing it off as she grabbed Natsuko's hand, showing her how to do a Pinky promise

"A Pinky promise means forever right? We'll be friends always and forever, right Tem?" Natsuko said looking into Temari's green eyes with her violet

"Always and Forever Nats. Always and forever. Thats a promise." Temari said the two grinning at each other, before Natsuko lay down on her stomach, holding onto a ripped teal bunny.

"You sleep with a bunny?" Temari said and Natsuko looked over,

"I've had it since I was an infant, it was a gift from my parents I think, so, yep." She said the bunny had definitely seen better days, with a few tears in the ears and the white belly a light tan, with the teal fur also having a few rips and tears in it

"Hey Gaara" Naruto said looking at the red haired boy, who glanced over

"What's up?" He asked and Naruto looked at him

"Our sisters get along too well." He said and Gaara snorted,

"They do get along don't they." Gaara said,

"No you don't understand, they get along too well. If they teamed up.. Oh man We're all done for." Naruto said Gaara looking over,

"Hey he's got a point. Temari's scary enough on her own, but if you add Natsuko.." Kankuro said paling, as Naruto did the same, the two imaging the horrors Temari and Natsuko could do, especially when it came to getting back at them.

"Sounds like you two've got an issue." Gaara said the girls having rarely gone for Gaara in particular,

"Oh gee, throw us to the wolves.." Kankuro said before looking over wear Naruto had since fallen asleep his leg hanging over the bed, with his arms starfished out, his cap sitting on his hair, with a small frog in his hand, the frog having a few tears and rips in the fabric, while it was also missing an eye.

"That is one loved stuffed animal." Kankuro said looking at it,

"He's gonna fall of the bed laying like that." Gaara said moving his friend with sand before laying on the tatami mat, Kankuro doing the same

The next morning Temari woke earlier than Natsuko, the older girl looking at Natsuko's sleeping figure, her right arm hung over the bed, the bunny held loosely in her grip, before falling to the floor with a light thump, Natsuko's hand searching for it, Temari passing it back to the girl, it was at least an hour before Natsuko actually needed to be awake, so Temari wanted to try and let her sleep. In Naruto's room, Gaara looked over at Kankuro, Naruto's upper half off his bed, with his torso laying on the tatami mat between the two brothers,

"How is he still asleep?" Kankuro whispered, Naruto's arms were above his head, as his shirt rode up, his belly peering through. Before a crash was heard in the next room, followed by a groan.

"Natsuko, are you okay?" Temari asked trying not to laugh, the girl had rolled in her sleep followed by her falling off of the bed completely, and was now laying on the floor tangled in the sheets and her hair, looking completely done with life.

"Ow…" she said blandly, before attempting to untangle herself from the sheets and her hair, before giving up and using flying raijin, jumping to her door, before walking back, moving the blankets back onto her bed.

"Naruto still sleeping?" Natsuko asked after they'd all moved to the living room all dressed for the day,

"Yep.." Gaara said and Natsuko hummed,

"We've tried almost everything to wake him, I think it might be impossible." Kankuro said and

Natsuko hummed as she zipped up her jonin vest, before smirking,

"Not for long… Watch… Ichiraku ramen sucks!" Natsuko said into the hallway, her hands cupped under her chin to amplify her voice, immediately a thump was heard from Naruto's room, the boy coming out a moment later, wearing a white teeshit paired with his orange ninja pants, grabbing Natsuko's collar

"You take that back" He said and Natsuko laughed, putting her hands up in surrender

"It's like magic." Kankuro said looking towards Naruto who was now fully dressed as Natsuko laughed.

"Whatever, your up now, after breakfast meet me at the hokage office." Natsuko said putting her hands behind her head,

"You're not staying for breakfast?" Gaara said and Natsuko shrugged,

"I grab fruit from the market on my way in, I don't have time to sit down, with the news that came in. But Naruto'll be your escort for today, make sure you all stop by the office though after eating" NAtsuko said as she put her hokage cloak over her light blue jogging jacket, her hair in a french braid going down her back, she pulled it out of her cloak so it rested overtop the red 5th hokage kanji on her back. Tying her ninja headband around her forehead and slipping on her black ninja sandals, she stepped out the door.

"She says that like she ever has time…" Naruto said looking at the door before shrugging,

"So we've confirmed that Yagura encountered the masked man of the Akatsuki, and that he's being controlled?" Natsuko said as she sat behind her desk and the scout nodded, the team having returned early the morning, and Natsuko hummed, putting a finger on her chin

"Send for Granny Tsunade, Pervy Sage, team 7 and the sand siblings. If they've gotten to Yagura we may have less time than I thought. I'll inform the elders after." Natsuko said and Shisui nodded,

"Does this mean our peace treaty with the mist village is at stake?" Shisui said and Natsuko looked over,

"It very well could be." she replied as she read through the mission reports, messages, as well as first hand accounts of the masked man being within the mist village. Yagura, was 18, so older than Natsuko, and was the first jinchuriki to hold the Kage title. Natsuko being the second, while he wasn't the best at ruling he was very kind, and cared deeply for his village. Natsuko

considered him a friend, sighing she stood and walked over to the window. As a knock sounded from the door,

"Lady 5th." Tsunade said as she and the group walked in,

"Hey… I promised to give updates when I could, and last night I received a… troubling one regarding the Akatsuki. The scouts arrived this morning to confirm the information." Natsuko said as she walked over to the desk

"What's happened?" Gaara asked and NAtsuko looked over,

"The fourth mizukage. Yagura. Encountered the masked man, during which the masked man seems to have taken control of his body." Natsuko said

"My scouts were sent there to deliver a message to him, ended up seeing the tail end with byakugan. If they've gone after Yagura, it's very likely the group will start heading after jinchuriki sooner than I or Itachi anticipated." NAtsuko said

"Why do you say that sis?" Naruto asked and Natsuko hummed

"Because, I consider Yagura a friend. He's older, around 17 or 18 I think. And Yagura, is also a jinchuriki. He holds the three tail, Isobu. So if they've taken control of him…" Natsuko said and the group seemed to harden their faces,

"Right, we'll have to train even harder than before. Right, Naruto." Sasuke said, and Naruto grinned, holding his fist up,

"If they've only taken control of him, does that mean they haven't extracted his tailed beast?"

Temari asked and Natsuko hummed, nodding,

"Exactly. We don't know why they've only controlling him, instead of taking his tailed beast, but I can say that it's not good either way." Natsuko said

The sand siblings left that day after helping out at the academy, going to inform Baki of the information Natsuko shared with them, as well as train even harder.