14 hours later - Tsubaki's POV

"She is sleeping like the dead, just how much work has she been involved in. It's dinner time for pete sakes."

I open my eyes, half asleep, but awake now. "What's going on?" I whisper confused.

"Oh you poor thing. Are you feeling better? Have you gotten enough rest?" Mrs. Amano asks me as she sits beside me, moving the hair from my face.

I stare up at her for a long moment, extremely confused but I sit up. "Thank you for the hospitality. But I had things to do today." I say to Mrs. Amano as I rub my eyes.

"Nonsense, you have to take in account of your well being, because what good are you if your exhausted and unable to function properly?" Mrs. Amano scolds me for a few minutes before I get up. "Now go sit at the dinner table, the twins are waiting for you." Mrs. Amano orders.

I nod and I leave the guest room only to see the twins waiting outside the door for me.

"Adorable." Hiroko whispers when he sees me.

"Good morning sleepy head. You feeling more refreshed after your 14 hour sleep?" Hiroto asks me.

I nod. "Thank you, both of you, for forcing me to get some rest, I probably would have worked all day if you guys hadn't stopped me." I say to the twins with a nervous smile.

The twins grin and fist bump each other. "It was nothing, you were getting irritable, so we could tell you haven't had enough sleep since your usually so collected and cool headed." Hiroto says to me with a grin.

"And from now on, if you keep working yourself like that, we're going to keep forcing you to go to bed." Hiroko says to me.

"We can't have our cool headed Tsubaki about to blow up at everything, now can we?" Hiroto asks me.

"We can not, because your the one who thinks rationally on this team, we can't have your irritation getting the better of you." Hiroko says to me.

I watch the two of them go back an forth, and their concern for me makes me want to cry. I haven't had anyone express concern for me for a while. I tear up as I watch them.

"Ah! She's tearing up! That's not what we planned on!" Hiroto and Hiroko say nervously and worried.

I wipe the tears from my eyes but they don't stop. "I'm sorry for tearing up like this." I say softly as I try to stop the tears from falling.

"Hey, Tsubaki, why are you crying?" Hiroko asks me more gently.

"No one has expressed concern like this for me in ages. I'm sorry." I say softly as more tears well in my eyes.

"Not even your sister?" Hiroto asks surprised.

"I'm the strong one between us, she never has to worry or be concerned about me." I whisper as I try to wipe the tears away.

"Hey, that's what a team is for. To look out for each other and be there for each other." Hiroko says to me worried and he steps forward towards me. Hiroko pulls me into a tight hug as Hiroto pats my head. I cry quietly into Hiroko's shoulder, not sure what to say to this.

"Your okay to cry with us Tsubaki." Hiroto says to me softly.

My emotions that I've bottled up for so long, just boil over as I cry quietly into Hiroko's shoulder.

"I'm so proud to have these students, they're bonding so well." Sensei says proudly.

It's a little bit later, but when I finally pull back, I feel really refreshed emotionally too.

"A good sleep resets the body and a good cry now and then helps release any pent up emotions and gives a good refresh to the systems." Mrs. Amano says amused. "Go wash your face Tsubaki and come sit down and eat." Mrs. Amano says to me softly.

I nod and I go wash my face. I go and sit down after a few minutes with everyone at the dinner table.

"You look ten times better than this morning Tsubaki, which is good, you needed to rest. Lady Tsunade tries to call you in earlier, but I declined her, saying you were busy. The same with your Father." Sensei says to me as he ruffles my hair.

"Oh no." I say softly.

"What's wrong?" Hiroko asks me worried.

I feel dread in the pit of my stomach. "I had a lot of stuff scheduled for today and I slept instead. I'm gonna get lectured big time by Lady Tsunade and Father." I say softly.

"Then just quit your clan duties." Hiroto says to me.

"It's not that easy Hiroto. This was sprung on Tsubaki and she doesn't have a way out right now, and being the clan heir, there's a lot of responsibility and she's forced to keep up with those responsibilities." Mrs. Amano says to Hiroto.

"And if I quit, I bring shame upon myself again, though at this point it's almost worth it, if it were anybody else except for my sisters forced to take my place." I say as I rest my forehead on the table, not liking my position.

"Then just tell your father that he can suck it and deal without an heir to the household until you or your sisters are ready for that responsibility." Hiroto says to me.

"If it were that easy, don't you think I," I pause thinking for a moment. "Actually, that's a deal I can strike, Hiroto, your a genius." I say to Hiroto and he looks at me surprised.

"What?" Everyone, including Hiroto asks me.

"If I propose the idea of letting me and my sisters choose when we're ready for the responsibilities of the clan, he might agree, if I can propose a time. I set the rules and what not and if I can get the details worked out, he'll get off my back." I say as I sit back. "If I can work that out, then I won't have nearly as many problems." I say surprised by that.

"But that doesn't benefit him." Sensei says to me.

"He wants and Heir, we want freedom, we can work out the details. If I propose, once a week lessons to him for me and Hanabi, and we go to certain clan meetings, in exchange for him to stop breathing down our necks all the time and letting us do what we want. It benefits him in training us to be clan heirs, and gives us freedom." I say to Sensei who looks surprised by that.

"That could work." Sensei says to me.

Me and Sensei continue to work out the details of the proposal through out dinner.

"Depending on how this goes, I might be back later." I say to Mrs. Amano after dinner.

"Good luck." Mrs. Amano says to me worried.

I nod and Sensei walks with me to the compound. "Do you want me to come in with you?" Sensei asks me.

"I'll be okay on my own. But thank you Sensei." I say to Sensei who nods.

I go inside the house, taking my sandals off. I go get Hanabi and I bring her to Father's meeting room.

"Father, may we speak to you?" I ask.

"Come in." Father gives us permission to enter, so we go inside.

We sit across from him and I look at Father in the eyes directly. "I have a proposal for you Father." I say to him and Father looks mildly surprised.

"What is it Tsubaki?" Father asks me.

"We want to have the freedom that comes with no clan responsibilities." I say to Father.

"Oh yeah? And what makes you think I'd allow that?" Father asks me.

"You wouldn't, that's why, I propose that in 10 years, we come up with a time and place to decide who is more fit for the clan, until then, me and Hanabi get once a week lessons in clan responsibilities and attend the occasional clan meeting. But that doesn't benefit us quiet yet, so until those 10 years are up, you get off our backs and stop pressuring us to be perfect and do everything perfectly. You let us have the freedom to make our own decisions and do whatever we want, in exchange for once a week lessons and the occasional clan meetings. In 10 years, on Hanabi's 18th Birthday and when I'm 22, we decide then and there on who is better fit, whether it be by a spar or a debate, or even a simple conversation. We could even let the clan decide on who would be a better fit." I say to Father.

"That actually sounds reasonable." Hanabi says surprised.

Father stares at me for a long moment. "It benefits both of us, I get an heir, you get your freedom. Alright then, you win Tsubaki." Father says to me. "Our classes are on Monday morning until Monday night. I assume I can teach you whatever I want on those days, correct?" Father asks me.

"Exactly, Hanabi will start after School though, and I'll start in the morning." I say to Father.

"Reasonable. You win Tsubaki, you get your freedom." Father says to me.

"Now if you'll excuse us, I have some plans for tonight." I say to Father.

"Your both dismissed." Father says to us.

We leave and Hanabi is shocked.

"Go get some rest Hanabi, it is late." I say to her and she nods.

"Okay, goodnight Tsubaki!" Hanabi cheers and she goes to her room.

I head outside as I put my sandals on.

"How did it go?" Sensei asks me.

"I win." I say to him with a smirk and he grins.

"Good job." Sensei says to me and ruffles my hair, to which I smile.

We go back to the Amano's and I tell everyone what happened.

"I win." I cheer quietly.

"Your amazing." The twins cheer loud enough for me as well.

I want to go back to sleep now and the twins can tell.

"You can't go back to bed yet Tsubaki, we have to celebrate." The twins say to me simultaneously.

"No, I think everyone should get some rest, you guys can celebrate tomorrow." Mrs. Amano says to us.

"Yay." I say and Mrs. Amano smiles amused by that.

"We really need to turn that guest room into another bedroom, so Tsubaki has a comfortable place to sleep." Hiroko says to Mrs. Amano.

"That's a good idea, since Tsubaki sleeps over quite a bit, she should have what she needs here too." Mrs. Amano says to us. "We go shopping tomorrow." Mrs. Amano says to me.

I relax quietly and I nod to Mrs. Amano. Me and the twins get sent to bed and I curl up, falling asleep easily.

The next morning

I follow Mrs. Amano and we shop around for a bit, but we get everything needed for the room, a new bed set, and a few clothes along with toiletries and what not.

We go back to the house and we set up my room.

"Over time, you can make it yours, add new things and do what you want with it." Mrs. Amano says to me with a smile.

"Thank you." I say to her and she smiles.

I then get called in by Lady Tsunade.

I get trained in Medical Nin-Jutsu for hours.

"Your getting better. So what was so important that you were so busy doing yesterday that you didn't come in?" Lady Tsunade asks me.

I scratch my cheek. "The twins have been on a mission for a while with Sensei, so they wanted me to hang out with them yesterday. And they wouldn't let me leave." I say to Lady Tsunade who nods.

"Well I guess that's understandable, you guys are a team." Lady Tsunade says as she sits back. "Here." She says as she tosses me the chunin coat which I just barely catch. "Your a chunin now, you should have your coat." Lady Tsunade says to me with a smirk.

"Thank you." I say to her.

Lady Tsunade smirks. "Your in a better mood, your collected. Was it the twins?" Lady Tsunade asks me.

"Yeah." I say to Lady Tsunade and she smiles.

"Alright now here's your second assignment as a Chunin." Lady Tsunade says as the Sand Siblings enter.

"We want an official tour of your village, we're allies after all." Temari says to me with a smirk.

I look at the siblings for a moment and then at Lady Tsunade, clearly confused and then I hear rustling above me in the ceiling. "Naruto, get out of the ceiling." I say to him with a sigh and he falls through, landing on his face next to me.

"NARUTO!" Lady Tsunade yells at him.

"GRANNY TSUNADE! WHY WAS SHE MADE CHUNIN AND GETS MISSIONS WHILE I DON'T GET MISSIONS?" Naruto yells jumping to his feet next to me.

"Because the proctors of the exams and the sensei's of the village said Tsubaki showed excellent leadership skills and the ability to carry out what she was given despite her circumstances. You Naruto, are an impudent brat." Lady Tsunade says to him.

The two argue on either side of me and I wonder why I got stuck here.

"TSUBAKI!" The two yell and I ignore them.

"Shall we get started with the tour?" I ask the siblings.

"Yes." Gaara says to me with a nod.

I lead them out of the Hokage office and I show them around for a while.

"BIG SIS!" I hear Hanabi yell.

I look over and I see Hanabi running over to me, bullies from the looks of it, behind her. "Hey Hanabi." I say to her as she hides behind me.

"Hiding behind your older sister? Pathetic." A kid says to her and I stare at the kid.

I pick the kid up easily and he looks instantly nervous. "Are you bullying my sister?" I ask him calmly.

He stutters out a no but I don't believe him.

"What do you want me to do Hanabi? Tell him mom, or scare him off?" I ask her.

Hanabi is absolutely terrified behind me. "I don't know." She says to me.

"Well then." I say and I pull the kid closer to my face. "Leave my little sister alone, or next time, I won't be as nice as I am now, because nobody hurts my sisters and gets away with it. Whether it's verbal or physical." I say to him lowly.

"Yes Ma'am." He says nervously and I let him down. The kids run off and I smirk, quite amused.

I kneel in front of Hanabi and she looks at me nervously. I pat her head and I heal her scrapes. "No need to be scared Hanabi. They're going nowhere in life with that bullying attitude." I say to her with a soft smile.

"Can you teach me how to not have bullies?" Hanabi asks me.

I smile amused by that. "Unfortunately kids are gonna be kids. But if you show enough disinterest and ignore them, they'll get bored and leave." I say to Hanabi who nods. "And if that doesn't work, I'm always gonna be around somewhere." I say to her as I pat her head gently.

"AHHHHHHHH! TSUBAKKKKIIIIII!" I hear the twins yell and I freeze, not liking this.

"Alright Hanabi, run home. Quickly. The twins are coming." I say to her and she giggles at that.

"Ok! See you later big sis!" Hanabi cheers and runs off.

I stand up and I hear the twins getting closer. "Ok, continuing on." I say to the sand siblings.

"Isn't that your team calling your name?" Kankuro asks me.

"Yes. Ignore them." I say to him.

I continue with the tour and after a few minutes, I move out of the way and the twins go rolling on the ground.

"You idiots." I say to them.

"Tsubaki!" The two cry as they sit up.

"Your team is lively." Temari says to me with a sly grin.

"What are you doing with them?" Hiroto whines.

"She's giving us a tour pipsqueak." Kankuro says to him with a smirk.

"Hey! Don't call me a pipsqueak! Tsubaki he's mean!" Hiroto whines.

I get caught in between an argument between Kankuro and the twins.

I look up at the clouds, quietly wondering why this is the pattern of the day.

I sigh heavily. "In Shikamaru's words, what a drag." I say and Temari cracks up quietly at that.

"DON'T GO COPYING THAT GUY! HE'S LAZY!" The twins yell at me.

"Then stop yelling in my ear." I say to the two and they shut up but they pout. "Jeez you two." I say to them.

"So, since your taking us around the village, why don't you join me for dinner tonight?" Kankuro asks me with a smirk.

"Tsubaki is joining us for dinner tonight. Not you clowns." Hiroko says as he pulls me to their side.

"Well then why not tomorrow night then?" Kankuro asks me.

I get stuck between another argument and I don't know what to do.

I see Hinata and I go hide behind her almost instantly. "Hina!" I whine quietly as I hug her.

Hina giggles quietly. "What's wrong Tsubaki?" Hina asks me.

"Them! They're trying to make me choose and I'm a neutral person." I say to Hina who looks forward at the group.

"It's ok Tsubaki." Hina whispers. "Why are they so scary though?" Hina asks me quietly.

"We aren't scary." Kankuro growls.

I stare him dead in the eye as Hina freezes. "Don't take that tone with my sister. You may be in an alliance with the Leaf now, but no one talks to my sister like that." I say lowly and Kankuro freezes.

"She's so protective of her twin." Temari says surprised.

Hina hides behind me nervously. "It's ok Hina, where's your team?" I ask her at I pat her head.

"I was on my way to meet them." Hina whispers.

"Makes sense." I say to her and she looks up at me nervously. "Be careful." I say to her and she nods and leaves.

"So, dinner?" Kankuro asks me.

"Unfortunately for you, she won't be joining you." Hiroko says to him defensively.

I stare at the two as they argue. "Guys, quit it." I say to them finally. "I'll be eating alone if you keep it up." I say to them.

Temari smirks at that and that quiets the two.

Once the tour ends, I head back to the Hokage office where I put in my report and leave.
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