Chapter 3 – Jealousy

Sakura couldn't help but sigh as she looked around the laboratory of the hideout Hinata done battle with the missing nin in. It was a dirty place with all kinds of fluids scattered about and it smelled absolutely horrible. Poor Kiba couldn't even enter the room because the chemicals were bothering his enhanced sense of smell that badly, so he was currently exploring other parts of the hideout in search of any and all clues they could find. Shino, too, had split off to go searching the rest of the hideout in search of anything that might prove useful in curing his teammate of what was ailing her.

Shrugging that thought off, the pinkette walked over to one of the lab tables and picked up a small beaker full of a really smelly blue liquid. Lifting it up to eye level, she couldn't help but voice her question out loud, "What the hell is most of this stuff? Hinata's lucky she wasn't injected with something else judging by the looks, and the smell of things. Good lord."

Setting the beaker of fluid down, she went about searching for folders and files for notes on any and all experimental drugs that the missing nin might have been working on. Whatever she found, she would look over later once she was back in Konoha. For now, it was vital to find everything and anything that they could and simply retrieve it for later perusal.

As she worked, she couldn't help but wonder about the possibilities of what could have happened had Hinata been injected with anything else in the lab. She could have died or any number of horrible things could have happened to her that she didn't want to imagine. As it was, what Hinata was currently going through was a stroke of luck! Sure it wasn't a great situation, but it was the lesser of a great number of evils that could have been!

Thinking about Hinata also brought images of what she had seen in the hospital room a few days back into her mind. Blushing fiercely, Sakura shook her head in an attempt to will the thoughts away. Bad Sakura! Now is not the time to be thinking about your teammate's cock! Focus on the mission at hand! You can delve into fantasy land later when you're in the privacy of your own home. She scolded herself. Needless to say, it would be a long mission away from Konoha and she was not looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, back in Konoha

Two days had passed since the remaining members of Team 8 and Sakura Haruno had left on their important mission and we now find our blonde hero standing in the Yamanaka Flowers shop having a chat with one Ino Yamanaka.

"I'm not entirely sure if Sakura-chan told you everything that's going on right now Ino-chan, but I'm honestly kind of desperate here." Naruto started as he leaned against the counter with one arm resting on the counter. "That drug's affecting Hinata bad and I'm wondering if maybe there's some way to counter the effects of it with some of your family's plants in some way?"

Nodding along in understanding, Ino patted her friend's hand. "I'm not sure if we have any plants strong enough to deal with what your girlfriend's going through Naruto-kun." Seeing Naruto's disheartening expression, Ino gave his hand a gentle squeeze and smiled reassuringly at him. "I didn't say it wasn't worth a try. We'll just have to try everything we can to help Hinata through this. What exactly are you having the most trouble with Naruto-kun?"

Releasing a rather heavy sigh, Naruto ruffled his hair for a moment before glancing over his shoulder towards the door. Once he was sure that he hadn't been followed, he looked back into the blue-eyed woman's eyes spoke. "This is embarrassing, but Hinata's been in a kind of, erm…'heat' ever since the drug fully kicked in. I don't want to go into details about our sex life, but if things keep up at the rate they've been going, we're going to wear each other out and she's still going to want more. Is there anything at all that you can do?"

At hearing this, Ino blushed quite a bit but nodded slowly as the request registered in her mind. "Like I said, I don't know if anything I have will have any effect, but there are some plants here that, if mixed together into an herbal tea, can have a sort of 'calming' effect on a person's sex drive. I don't know if any of them are strong enough, but I'd say they're worth a shot." The beautiful young woman explained as she began to flip through a registry of all of the plants they currently had in stock.

"Right now, until Sakura-chan gets back with that guy's notes, I'll try anything you can come up with Ino-chan. I love Hinata-chan, I really do, but at the same time, I don't want to be so worn out that I can't keep her safe y'know? That and I'm sore…like really sore. I need a break!" Naruto exclaimed much to Ino's ever increasing embarrassment.

"O-Okay! I get it already Naruto-kun! Just please don't say anymore! I don't need the mental images you're putting there!" The Yamanaka heiress shouted out, desperately hoping to shut up the rambling man. Poor Ino had such a furious blush on her face at the moment and she was trying very hard not to glance at her friend for fear of chancing a glance at his crotch. Damn Forehead got me thinking about it the other day, and now he's here talking about having constant sex with his girlfriend…it's only natural for a girl to be curious. This is ridiculous!

Chuckling nervously, the blonde protagonist rubbed the back of his head and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry Ino-chan. I guess I wasn't really thinking, huh? I'm just a bit exhausted is all. Anything you can do to help would be much appreciated."

Nodding her head absentmindedly, Ino muttered, "I gotcha. Just gimme a sec." and walked off to mix together a few large bags of the herbal tea she mentioned to her friend earlier. When she came back about twenty minutes later with two bags full of the stuff, she placed them on the counter and looked into her friend's eyes. "Okay Naruto-kun, I'm not sure if this tea will help any, but it's worth a shot. Don't expect any immediate results either. Give it a few days to see if there are any changes in her behavior. If you start to notice a decrease in her sexual 'appetite', so to speak, then we can assume it's working. If not, just try to give it a bit more time as it could take up to two weeks for something like this to take effect, perhaps even longer than that given how much this drug is affecting her." Ino explained with a deep frown etched into her face.

Nodding in understanding, Naruto grasped one of Ino's hands in both of his and shook it eagerly a couple of times. "Thank you so much Ino-chan! You're a real lifesaver! How much do I owe you?" He asked with an excited grin on his face.

It was at this point that Ino donned a wicked little grin on her face. With a shrug of her shoulders, she sealed the bags away in a small sealing scroll before handing it over to Naruto and spoke her price. "Consider this a favor Naruto-kun. But in exchange for this favor, I want a favor from you. Deal?"

Naruto quirked a brow and nodded his head slowly, cautiously. "O-Okay. What exactly does this favor entail?" He questioned, feeling a tad nervous about what she was about to ask of him in exchange for giving this herbal remedy to him.

With an ever widening grin on her face, Ino clasped her hands together in front of her and spoke her price. "I want you to take me out on a date! Today you're going to be my boyfriend Naruto-kun and I'm going to get to experience what it feels like to be Hinata. And since you've already agreed to exchange a favor for a favor, you can't say no. Got it big boy?" Smirking at him, she skipped around the counter and flipped the sign in the window to 'Closed' before spinning around and smiling happily at her friend. "I'm going to go get changed and then we can go have some fun together! I hope you're ready to show me a good time Naruto-kun!"

Before Naruto could even offer a word in protest, Ino had already rushed off to her room upstairs. As he lowered his hand, Naruto opened and closed his mouth repeatedly in shock at what had just happened. A date? But I have a girlfriend! I know what my mom's letter said, and I know that as the last Uzumaki male I could probably get away with having multiple wives, but…if I ever decided to do such a thing, I would talk with Hinata about it first! She has to approve of the woman first! This isn't right! The order is all wrong! Just what the hell is going on?!

When Ino returned a short while later clad in a beautiful violet-colored dress, Naruto couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked. Ino didn't even have to put on any makeup or jewelry to look absolutely radiant to him at this moment, though the small studded earrings she currently wore in her ears and the light shade of lipstick she wore certainly accentuated her already stunning beauty. Before he could stop himself, he said aloud, "Wow Ino-chan, you look absolutely beautiful."

Blushing brightly, Ino stared down at her feet and shuffled them nervously as she folded her hands behind her back. "Y-You really think so Naruto-kun? I'm glad."

Blushing himself, Naruto nodded slowly and extended his hand to her. "I-If we're going to do this, I might as well be a gentleman about it. But before we do…"

Before he could continue, Ino looked into his eyes and smiled a small, understanding smile at him. "I understand Naruto-kun. You're with Hinata and you don't want to betray her. No kissing, but that doesn't mean you can't treat me as if I'm your girlfriend for the day. I expect you to treat me like I'm your princess today. Just…just one date okay?"

Sighing softly, the ninja clad in a white and light orange t-shirt and tan pants nodded his head slowly. "Alright Ino-chan, one date. But I will be telling Hinata about it later, okay? I don't want to lie to her about this. A relationship must be built on trust after all."

Smiling softly at this, Ino walked over and shook Naruto's hand before she wrapped her arms around his left arm and kissed his cheek. "I understand Naruto-kun. I completely agree with you. You're a great person and a wonderful man. Hinata's very lucky to have you."

Blushing worse than he did before, the spiky-haired young man couldn't help but rub the back of his head with his free hand in embarrassment. "Thank you Ino-chan. You're very sweet." Receiving a blush in response, Naruto moved his free hand to one of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "So, where did you want to go first? I assume you have our date all planned out?"

Smiling at her boyfriend for the day, Ino nodded her head excitedly and quickly pulled Naruto out of the store with her. "Yep! First, I want to go to your favorite restaurant for lunch. We can enjoy a good meal there and talk for a while over good food. Then afterwards, well, I'll tell you then. Got it Mister Uzumaki?"

Chuckling to himself, Naruto nodded his head in agreement and walked off with Ino Yamanaka, the two of them making their way towards Ramen Ichiraku.

However, as the two of them walked off, neither of them noticed a certain Hyuga woman watching them from some distance behind them. As she watched her boyfriend and the Yamanaka woman walked off arm in arm with him, she couldn't help but clench her fists angrily. Just what does she think she's doing with my man? That fucking skank!

As Hinata proceeded to stalk the two of them, she didn't notice how her pheromones began to affect the couple nearby that was on a date of their own. After Hinata had disappeared down the road, the curly, brown-haired woman turned to her boyfriend with a fierce glare on her face and punched him hard in the face, knocking him to the ground. "You fucking man whore! You've been seeing another woman behind my back, haven't you?! I can't believe you'd betray me like that! What the hell were you thinking? Did you think I wouldn't find out?!"

Blinking in shock, the green-eyed man stared in horror at his girlfriend and tried to calm her down. "What on Earth are you talking about sweetheart? I've been faithful to you for all these years. I've never so much as looked at another woman! You know that! What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"Don't you lie to me! I know you! I thought I could trust you, but you're nothing but a stupid, cheating jerk face! We're through, do you hear me?! I'm filing for divorce!" And with that being said, the woman stormed off, leaving her distraught, sobbing husband behind.

Ramen Ichiraku

Ayame couldn't help but frown in disappointment as she saw her little brother figure walk in with a woman other than his girlfriend on what appeared to be a date. When they sat at the counter to order their food, the ramen waitress couldn't help but voice her thoughts. "Naruto, what are you doing on a date with someone else other than Hinata-chan? Are you cheating on her already?"

Ino frowned at this and decided to speak up on behalf of her precious friend and love interest. "Please don't be upset with him Ayame-san. I'm the one that pressured him into this. Besides, it's only for one day. He's still with Hinata and very loyal to her. And…he's going to talk to Hinata after the date anyways, so you don't need to worry. Okay? Now please calm down and let us order our food?"

Naruto decided to add his two cents as well, just to try and calm his dear sister figure's mind and nerves a bit more. "The situation's just a bit complicated Ayame. Don't be upset with Ino-chan either, okay? I promise nothing bad is going on and everything will be okay. Just trust me okay?"

Releasing a heavy sigh, Ayame nodded slowly before whipping out a notepad and asking them what they wanted. After placing their orders, she nodded and went off to prepare their food. After she left, Ino turned to Naruto with a frown. "I'm sorry for getting you in trouble with Ayame-san, Naruto-kun. I wasn't thinking…"

Shaking his head from left to right and back again a few times, Naruto placed his hand on hers and smiled at her. "Don't be ridiculous. Everything's fine Ino-chan. Now, why don't we get to talking? How have things been for you since the war? Have you been well?"

Giggling a bit, Ino nodded her head in thanks for the change of topic. "You're sweet Naru-kun." Leaning closer, she kissed him on the cheek again before leaning back and smiling at him. "Things have been going really well actually, though it has been a bit boring. There haven't been as many missions due to how peaceful it's been. Sure there's the occasional missing nin that needs to be dealt with and there's escort missions and the like still, but really it's been pretty dull. Still, I can't complain. But…"

"But? What's the matter Ino-chan?" Naruto asked as he looked at her in concern. But's were never good. At least from his experiences.

Sighing heavily, Ino slumped over and looked at her hands that were currently resting in her lap. "I'm lonely Naru-kun. I'm eighteen years-old and I'm without a boyfriend. The guy I used to want is dead and now…"

Naruto winced and glanced away from her as he thought about the past and who she was talking about. When their food came moments later, he glanced into his bowl and spoke. "Ino-chan…I'm sorry for killing the guy you and Sakura-chan loved. He…didn't give me much of a choice, he really didn't. I tried to talk him out of the path he had chosen, but he had gone off the deep end and there was no changing him for the better. I did what I had to do and I don't regret my decision to end him as I did. Still…I know it must hurt to have lost him the way you did."

Shaking her head in response to this, Ino reached over and placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Sakura and I got over Sasuke ages ago. Way before the Fourth War even began actually." Seeing him turn to her in shock, the platinum blonde smiled softly at him and nodded her head. "Not only did he leave Konoha to join a traitor, but he turned into a monster that did such terrible things. Hell, he even joined the Akatsuki, a group that was out to capture and kill the jinchuriki. That…he would've killed you given the chance Naru-kun."

Frowning at this, Naruto reached up and absentmindedly rubbed at his chest where his old Chidori wound was located. "Heh, when Sasuke left Konoha years ago to join Orochimaru, he plunged a couple of his Chidori's through my chest. He nearly killed me then. I wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for Kurama." After a moment, Naruto broke apart his chopsticks, said his thanks for the meal, and dug into his meal in a quick, yet polite pace.

When he had finished this first bowl, Naruto looked into his good friend's eyes and smiled softly. "Sasuke tried to kill me a number of times after that, as well as other Konoha ninja as well, even Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei. The damn teme had gone off the deep end in his never-ending quest for revenge. It didn't matter who he sought revenge against, he would find any flimsy reason he could just to keep on seeking revenge against anybody. I'm…glad you and Sakura-chan got over him Ino-chan."

The blue-eyed blonde woman nodded her head in turn and, after finishing her own bowl, giggled a bit. "Same here Naruto-kun. I still wonder why the heck the two of us even chased after Mr. Dark and Broody in the first place. He never paid any attention to any of the girls that sought after him and his affection. I think he might have been gay."

"Pfft!" Naruto began to choke on his second bowl of ramen as he tried to contain his laughter. Feeling a few hard slaps on his back, he swallowed and quickly thanked Ino for her help. "Oh Kami, that's hilarious Ino-chan! I wonder if he was. Can you imagine him giving his virginity to Orochimaru in exchange for new jutsu? Wait…don't imagine that. Disturbing mental images. Oh Kami!" Naruto began scratching at his head in an attempt to erase the horrifying mental images he had just given himself. When he didn't succeed, he began to shake and quiver in his seat until Ino wrapped him in a tight hug and kissed his cheek. "Thank you Ino-chan. Oh Kami that was bad."

Giggling to herself, Ino couldn't help but smile sweetly at him. "You're welcome Naruto-kun. I'm glad I could make you laugh. But really, enough talking about Sasuke, okay? That's over and done with, and I think we're all better off with him gone. Sakura's in agreement with me and I think the others would be as well." After saying this, the both of them motioned for seconds before they turned back to face one another. "Besides, there's another guy I'm interested in now, even though he doesn't know I'm interested in him just yet."

Blinking at this, Naruto couldn't help but find himself feeling rather curious about who Ino might be talking about. "Oh really? Who might this lucky guy be? Whoever it is is really lucky to have earned your affections Ino-chan. You're a wonderful woman and I think this guy would be a fool to turn you down, y'know? I mean…you're beautiful, smart, kind…you're…well…you're an amazing person." Naruto admitted with a deep blush painting his cheeks.

Blushing quite badly herself, Ino found herself nodding slowly before she began fidgeting a bit. "I…I'd rather not say just yet Naruto-kun. I'm sorry. I'll tell you later though, I promise. For now, let's just enjoy our food and then be on our way, okay?" Receiving a nod in response, the two of them resumed their meal and proceeded to continue on with some rather simple small talk.

Meanwhile, the entire time they had been talking, Hinata had been outside the stand, keeping herself hidden from the duo. She had to admit to herself, albeit slightly reluctantly, that the talk about Sasuke being gay had been pretty amusing and she found herself giggling quietly in response to that. However, just remembering Naruto's state after the battle with Sasuke at the Valley of the End had angered Hinata to the point she had to take long, deep breaths in an effort to calm herself down so she wouldn't be discovered by the two.

However, right now she was feeling such an overwhelming feeling of jealousy towards Ino that she couldn't help but grind her teeth just slightly. Oh Naruto-kun, how can you be so dense sometimes? Ino is talking about you! She's fallen in love with you, you dummy! I love you so much, but sometimes I wonder about you my silly Naru-kun. She thought to herself as she continued to listen in on their conversation.

After a moment, Hinata, Ayame, and the couple of the day began to hear a loud commotion coming from a short distance away from the ramen stand. As the three inside the stand exited the restaurant to see what was going on, Hinata proceeded to hide herself further in the shadows while also trying to keep an eye on what was taking place away from them.

"I saw you making eyes at that woman just a moment ago! She's not even that attractive you stupid asshole! If you are that hungry for sex, why didn't you just tell me?! Why do you need to go looking for it elsewhere?!" A woman was shouting at her younger boyfriend.

"What the hell are you talking about? All I did was offer her a polite smile and a good day. It was a polite greeting. You know I love you honey! We've been dating for almost two years now! Why would I risk screwing that up now?" The man replied, honestly confused about what had gotten into his girlfriend. She had never acted like this before and it was starting to scare him.

"Don't you go feeding me that bullshit. You've been sleeping around behind my back because I haven't been giving you any lately, haven't you?! You're such a man slut! Go on, go to that girl and ask her out on a date because you and I are through, do you hear me?! I don't want to see you ever again!" The woman shouted as she ran off with tears in her eyes.

At this, the man collapsed to his knees in stunned horror and simply began to stare blankly ahead, unable to quite comprehend what had just happened. After a brief moment, tears began to stream down his face and he pulled out a small box from an inner pocket of his jacket and opened it up. "And…and I was going to ask her to marry me today…I…I…"

"Oh that poor man. I feel so sorry for him." Ino said as she watched the man break down into tears as the box fell from his hands. "I don't think he was going to do anything. I think he was telling the truth. What about you Naruto-kun?"

Frowning at this, Naruto walked over to the man and picked up the small box before placing it gently into the man's hands. Helping him to his feet, Naruto brushed some imaginary dirt off the man's clothes and smiled kindly at him. "If you were really going to ask her to marry you sir, I suggest you chase after her and try to reason with her. Tell her how much you love her and don't you dare let her get away. I can tell your feelings for her run deep, so do your best. Got it?"

Nodding at this, the man did his best to wipe the tears out of his eyes before quickly thanking the Hero of Konoha and rushed off to hunt down his girlfriend and try to talk some sense into her. Hopefully she'll have calmed down by the time he found her.

Seeing this, Ino walked over, wrapped her arms around Naruto's left arm and rested her head on his shoulder. "You're such a sweetheart Naruto-kun. That was a good thing you did. I'm proud of you." She said with a softhearted smile on her face.

Smiling down at her, Naruto nodded slowly and turned with her to go and pay for their meal. "I couldn't bear to see their relationship end just because of a terrible misunderstanding like that. Besides, that kind of behavior just wasn't natural. It was almost like something was affecting her, but I'm not sure what it could be. I just hope she'll have calmed down by the time he finds her. I could tell he really loves her."

Smiling to herself, Ino nodded her head slowly and looked up into her good friend's face as she reached up and gently began to stroke his whiskers. When he began to purr, she giggled a bit and kissed his cheek again. I really love you Naruto-kun. I wish I could have gotten to you first, I really do.

Meanwhile, outside of the restaurant, Hinata couldn't help but stare at where the couple had been arguing in shock. Oh dear. Is my jealousy affecting the pheromones in some way? Are couples going to keep arguing like this as long as I'm like this? She couldn't help but wonder to herself. As she glanced back inside to see what Ino and her boyfriend were up to, Hinata's jealousy spiked again and she couldn't help but snarl inwardly in rage. That fucking skank just can't keep her hands to herself can she?! Wait…Hinata, jealousy. Try to keep it in check…nope. Easier said than done, she's petting his whiskers. Those are mine to play with damn it!

The Crown Ice Cream Shop

We now find our dear couple for the day seated outside The Crown ice cream shop eating ice cream. Naruto was enjoying a double scoop helping of butterscotch ice cream while Ino had chosen to get a combination of a scoop of mint chocolate chip and a scoop of vanilla. So far they had been simply enjoying the other's company while enjoying their ice cream, but they couldn't help but notice that things were odd between the other couples in the ice cream parlor.

For instance, two of them had already started to argue while a brother/sister pair had begun to break down into tears together as they talked about their failed love lives and how they were never going to find their one, true loves. They even went on to say that if things continued on as they were, they might just kill themselves, which was honestly kind of frightening for the blonde couple.

After taking some time to think about the odd behavior they had seen today, Naruto looked into Ino's eyes and frowned. "Ino-chan, I think I know what's going on, but you're not going to like it." He stated, already feeling terrible about what he felt to be a certainty already. If he was right, he was worried about the possible repercussions he would be facing later after this date was over.

Ino frowned and nodded her head, already understanding where he was going with this. "I know what you're thinking Naruto-kun. I think Hinata's been spying on our date. If I had to guess, I'd say she's feeling jealous and that's affecting the pheromones she's releasing in a really negative way. These poor people."

Nodding his head, Naruto was about to say something in response, but then a thought popped into his head. Deciding to voice it aloud, he tilted his head just slightly and looked Ino hard in the eyes. "How come you haven't been affected by the pheromones then Ino-chan? If Hinata-hime's been following us all day, shouldn't they have affected you as well?"

Blinking a few times, Ino couldn't help but realize the truth in Naruto's words. He was right; she should have been feeling the full effects of Hinata's pheromones as well. In fact, she should've already acted out in some way and verbally lashed out at Naruto just like the other women had to their men.

After taking some time to think on a possible answer to this puzzle, Ino smiled to herself and nodded her head, quite certain of the answer she was about to give. Looking back up into her boyfriend for the day's eyes, Ino reached over and placed her hand gently atop his. "Naruto, I think I'm unaffected because I have complete trust in you. I know you would never do anything to hurt me. In fact, I feel safer than I ever have before when I'm with you. It's…well, it's quite honestly an amazing feeling. I just wish I could describe it properly, it feels that good when I'm with you. I think that's probably the reason I'm unaffected right now. Or at least, that's my best guess." She explained, feeling quite confident that her answer was the right one. If it wasn't, she didn't even care. Ino was just that happy to be in Naruto's care right now.

Blushing profusely at this, Naruto chuckled a bit and nodded his head. "Well, I suppose that's as good an answer as any. Either way, I'm really glad you're alright Ino-chan. What do you say we finish our cones and continue on our way, hm? I know Hina-chan's going to be really upset with me by the time this is over, but I'll explain everything to her once this is over. I just hope she understands and doesn't choose to try and take out her frustrations on you. You haven't really done anything wrong after all. You've actually been really good company today Ino-chan."

The platinum blonde smiled happily and nodded excitedly. "I'm really glad you think so Naruto-kun. And that sounds great Naru-kun. But…are you sure you want to continue the date? I mean, now that we know Hinata's been following us, I don't want to make things worse for you. If…if it's too much, we can end the date now and you can be on your way." Despite saying this, Ino looked heartbroken and couldn't help but place a hand over her heart and squeeze her dress in that place. She could feel tears brimming at her eyes from a mixture of things: the thought of her love getting in trouble with his girlfriend and the thought of this date ending early being the most prominent reasons.

Sighing softly, Naruto reached over and lightly flicked Ino in the forehead. "Calm down Ino-chan. We'll finish this date. I said I'd go on a date with you today, and you know I keep my promises. Besides, I'll talk to Hinata later and sort everything out. You don't need to worry about my relationship with Hinata-chan, I promise. Now," here, Naruto took a moment to finish off his ice cream cone before smiling broadly at his date, "what was the next thing you had in mind for the day?"

Giggling to herself, Ino finished off her ice cream cone as well and walked around the table to hug Naruto Uzumaki tightly, being extra sure to press her breasts against him. When she saw him blushing, the Yamanaka heiress smirked in victory before telling him what she had in mind. "Wellll, I was planning to go dancing with you, but considering that we have Hinata following us, I don't think that's a good idea. There's no telling what could happen at the nightclub I had planned to take us to with her pheromones going wild like they are."

Frowning at this, Naruto gently squeezed her hand and gave her a gentle hug. "Is there anything else you would like to do Ino-chan? Today is all about you after all. So long as you're happy, that's all that matters to me right now." He said seriously.

Blushing in response, Ino nodded slowly and proceeded to tell him what she had in mind. "Well, how about an evening stroll through the park? I'd like to watch the setting sun with you and even stargaze for a while. If…if that's alright with you Naruto-kun? I promise that afterwards I'll tell you the answer to the question you asked earlier too." The beautiful violet-clad woman said.

Smiling at her, Naruto nodded and proceeded to stand up from his chair, taking Ino's hand in his. Afterwards, he left the ice cream parlor with her and they began their trek towards the Konoha Park.

At the park

The blonde couple for the day was currently sitting on a bench together watching the setting sun, simply relishing in the company of one another as they had been doing all day. They were wearing content smiles on their faces, and Naruto really had to admit to himself that Ino made for really excellent company. Before he could stop himself, he found himself speaking his mind once again. "Ino-chan?"

"Hm? What is it Naruto-kun? Are you okay?" Ino asked as she looked towards him with a curious gaze. She currently had a light blush on her face as the two of them were holding hands. Truth be told, her heart was racing just as it had been all day.

Smiling at the Yamanaka woman, Naruto couldn't help but admit to himself that she was a true beauty in every sense of the word. "I think that the man you've fallen for is a truly lucky person. You're a really beautiful woman and I have to admit I'm kind of envious. I've really enjoyed your company today. Whoever he is, I just hope that he treats you right. If he ever hurts you, I want you to tell me okay? I'll be sure to pummel the crap out of him for making you cry."

Hearing this, Ino couldn't help but start giggling. Leaning in, she kissed Naruto's nose and wrapped her arms around him. Hugging herself to him tightly, she began to cry and sob silently. "You beautiful blonde dummy." She said quietly.

Blinking in shock from this, Naruto couldn't help the question that passed his lips. "Huh? Why are you calling me a dummy Ino-chan?"

Ino clung to him tighter and couldn't help but cry a bit harder. After a moment, she pulled back just enough so she could look up into Naruto's eyes and began to wipe at her eyes to try and clear away her tears. "It's you sweetheart. I'm…I'm in love with you Naruto-kun. There's never going to be anyone else for me. But…but you're in love with Hinata. There's no room in your heart for me and it hurts. It hurts so much. I want to be with you too." Ino admitted as tears just continued to pour down her cheeks.

Staring at Ino with mouth agape, Naruto was having the hardest time forming any coherent thoughts. His facial expression was one of shock and he couldn't help but blush at the thought of this lovely woman being in love with him of all people! When he could finally think again, he pulled Ino up against him and began using one of his fingers to wipe away her tears. "Ino-chan, please stop crying. Please. I don't want to see you cry anymore okay? You're somebody dear to me. Just…let me talk to Hinata, alright? I didn't know, and I'm not sure how I feel about this, but allow me to talk to Hinata about this. I won't do anything behind her back or without her consent. But if she agrees to share me with you, then I'll be more than happy to give you a chance. Okay Ino-chan?"

Nodding her head just slightly, Ino held onto Naruto tightly and found herself smiling. Naruto wasn't rejecting her! With a grin on her face, she leaned up and kissed his cheek again. "You're a real sweetheart Naruto-kun. But…there's something else I need to tell you."

Blinking a few times, Naruto couldn't help but wonder what else she had to reveal to him. She had already dropped one huge bombshell on him when she admitted to being in love with him! What else could she possibly say that might top such a thing? "Okay? What's up Ino-chan?"

Smiling awkwardly at this point, Ino glanced sideways and rubbed at the back of her head. "I really shouldn't be saying this without her permission, but I don't think Forehead would ever come out and say it on her own." Sighing heavily, she continued rubbing at her head in the same nervous gesture for a moment before looking into her love's eyes. "Sakura's in love with you too and has been for even longer than I have been. But she's too afraid of you rejecting her that she won't say anything to you. So…when you talk to Hinata about my confession, you might want to talk about the possibility of sharing with Sakura as well. She's my best friend and I hate seeing her so lonely."

Once again, Naruto's face became one of shock and all thought processes ceased for a good, long while. When his brain finally rebooted about three minutes later, the only thing he could think of was, Sakura-chan's in love with me too? When the hell did this happen?! I thought she was lying when she confessed to me before!

Seeing that Naruto was stuck in a state of shock, Ino worried that she had broken him. Reaching up, she began to gently pet the whiskers on his right cheek until he finally calmed down and came back into the land of the living. "Naruto-kun? Are you okay sweetheart?"

Nodding slowly as a low purr sounded from him from Ino's ministrations on his cheek, Naruto breathed out a small sigh of air as he began to calm down. After a moment, he began to speak. "I'm just shocked Ino-chan. I didn't think either of you would fall for somebody like me. I mean, I'm nothing special."

Frowning at this, Ino bonked him atop the head and began to scold him. "Don't you go saying something like that Naruto-kun! You're an amazing, wonderful human being! You've saved all of our lives not just once, but numerous times! You're also so kind and sweet, you're funny, and you're just an all around good person! I could list so many things about you that I love to death, but I think you get the picture. There's nobody else that even comes close to how great a guy you are. Well, at least that's how I feel." Ino proclaimed before blushing badly when she realized just how much she had been rambling.

Blushing furiously at the praise, Naruto could only nod slowly before hugging Ino close once again and thanking her quietly. "Th-Thank you Ino-chan. I appreciate that. Umm…how about we get you home now and I'll head home with Hinata so I can get to talking to her? Umm…is that okay? Or did you want to stay and stargaze some more?"

Ino smiled and shook her head. "No, I should get home. I'm probably in a bit of trouble as it is for closing the shop so early today. I don't care though; I had a wonderful day with my big hunk of a man." The blonde woman giggled a bit before placing a hand on Naruto's chest and kissing his whiskered cheek once again. "So let's get me home and you can go talk to your pretty girlfriend mister."

Nodding in agreement, Naruto stood up and lifted Ino into his arms in a bridal carry, a large grin on his face. "Then hold on tight Ino-chan, we're travelling in style." Laughing a bit as Ino giggled along, Naruto hopped off, carrying Ino on his way to the Yamanaka Flowers shop.

Later – Naruto & Hinata's Home

Once Naruto walked through the door, he saw his beautiful blue-haired girlfriend waiting for him in the living room with a deep frown on her face. With a heavy sigh, the blonde hero closed the door behind him, locked it, and then walked over to sit beside her. "Hi sweetheart. I know you're upset with me, but if you'll let me speak, I would like to talk with you about the events of the day. Okay?"

Hinata nodded slowly before looking her boyfriend in the eyes. "Why were you on a date with Ino-san? Are you already bored of me Naruto-kun? I thought you loved me."

Seeing his girlfriend about to break into tears, the blue-eyed blonde sighed and hugged her close. Placing a kiss atop her head, Naruto sighed again and began to speak. "I went to Ino earlier today to speak with her about the possibility of using some plants to help with your affliction sweetheart. After she put together an herbal tea mix for us to try, she asked me for a favor in exchange for a favor. In other words, she asked for one date in exchange for trying to help you. Okay?"

Nodding slowly, Hinata looked into her boyfriend's eyes and wiped at her eyes to try and remove the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. "She was all over you today though. How do you explain that?"

Sighing heavily once more, Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I can't. My condition was no kissing on the lips, but otherwise I promised to give her the full date experience. After some time, we realized you were following us because of the way your pheromones were affecting the people around us. At least now we know how jealousy affects your pheromones, and it sure isn't pretty." Naruto chuckled a bit at this before hugging his girlfriend just a bit closer.

Blushing in embarrassment, Hinata looked down at her hands and began to poke her index fingers together. "I didn't mean to cause so many problems for those couples. I just…I couldn't help it. I was so jealous Naruto-kun! I still am!"

Kissing his girlfriend atop the head again, he pulled his girlfriend flush against him and chuckled softly. "It's okay honey. It really is. I don't blame you for getting jealous; I probably would be as well. But I do have to talk to you about something."

Taking a deep breath in and then letting it out slowly, Naruto looked into his sweetie's eyes and began to speak. "Hinata-chan, you know I'm the last male member of the Uzumaki clan right? There's a chance I could be inducted into the CRA, even though we've been lucky so far that that hasn't been the case thus far." Shrugging slightly, he continued on. "The point I'm trying to make is this: I might need to take on multiple wives depending on how things go and I don't want to do that if you aren't comfortable with it. I'm willing to fight it if you aren't comfortable with the idea of sharing me. But…I found out earlier that both Ino-chan and Sakura-chan are in love with me. I promised Ino-chan that I would talk with you about this because I'm not going to keep secrets from you, nor am I going to go behind your back and do anything without your permission. I love you far too much to betray your trust."

Hinata smiled at her boyfriend and held him close before kissing his lips passionately. "I love you Naruto-kun. I'm…really glad you're being so considerate of my feelings. I'll admit that I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of sharing you, but at the same time…" Blushing fiercely at this point, Hinata began to poke her fingers together again and started to giggle perversely. "The idea of having some threesomes and maybe even a foursome is so kinky that I can't help but want to try it out! And…I know how it feels to go without the one you love. I missed you for years and I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to be with you. Besides, you fawned over Sakura-san for years and I never thought you'd notice me. So…"

Releasing a heavy sigh of her own, Hinata looked into her boyfriend's eyes and kissed him on the lips once again. "Sweetheart, it's okay for you to date them. The three of us love you dearly and I can't find it in my heart to deny them your love. So if you're okay with sharing your love with all three of us, then I'll learn to share as well." Hinata stated determinedly.

Holding his girlfriend close, Naruto smiled softly at her and kissed her passionately. When they pulled apart, he couldn't help but feel so much closer to her than he ever had before. "What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful woman Hina-chan?"

Giggling to herself, Hinata shook her head before kissing him again. "You were just yourself Naru-kun. You didn't have to do a thing to earn my love. Now, what do you say we get to bed? We can try that herbal tea later. I'm feeling pretty tired right now after today's events." She admitted as she stretched her arms above her head and yawned.

Chuckling a bit, Naruto nodded and rose from the couch. "I know the feeling. I'm honestly feeling pretty beat myself. Let's get to bed and get some rest." Helping his girlfriend up off the couch, Naruto kissed her once more and smiled sweetly at her once more. "I love you so much sweetheart. I really do."

Smiling happily at him, Hinata kissed him back and walked with him up the stairs. "And I love you my handsome prince. Now let's get to bed."


A/N - Okay, not really sure if this chapter's any good, but I hope you liked it. :P

Now, as you can see, the pheromones don't affect everybody, but they do affect a great many people around Hinata. It's hard to explain and I'm too damn tired to go into it. Just know that nobody's COMPLETELY safe besides Naruto. Everyone else is at risk of succumbing to the pheromones depending on Hinata's mood really.

Anyways, been feeling like absolute crap lately, so I'm not sure the quality of my chapters have been any good. Still, I'll continue working on them and trying to get them out to ya. :P If I'm a little slow though, I do apologize. Still, there is information on my profile explaining my situation, sooo...meh. *shrugs*

Anywho, I'm dead tired and I can't think of anything else to say. So blah blah blah, nighty-o! lol.