Sorry for the long delay in updates everyone. With the censorship scare going on the past 2 months I didn't want to draw unfriendly attention to this story and have it removed. Now with the threat gone updates can resume.

When Naruto and Hinata were both able to stand up without support again, they made their way to Tsunade's office since she called for them both. Despite their attempt to look professional, Tsunade could see little signs that they had a lot of fun last night. Hinata's hair was poorly brushed and Naruto was even a little pale with a tilted hitai-ate.

Nevertheless, she smiled. "So glad to see you two could put your clothes back on long enough to show up."

Naruto chuckled nervously, uncomfortable with the closest thing he has to a mother talking about his sex life like that, and scratched the back of his head. Hinata just grinned warmly. "We would have been here sooner Hokage-sama, but we were exhausted. Last night we tried to see who has more stamina, the girl with the succubus or the boy who could outrun Anbu all day long."

Tsunade perked up a bit. "I might regret this, but... I still gotta ask. Who won that contest?"

Hinata giggled and grasped Naruto's hand. "Oh that's going to be our little secret Hokage-sama."

"What? No, you can't leave me hanging like that." The slug sannin responded, almost jolting from her seat.

"You really want to know about my sex life Baa-chan?" Naruto asked.

"No, but how long did it take you to find your pants?"

Naruto's face turned a bit red as he answered. "30 minutes. Estimated of course."

Groaning and looking a bit bothered and put on the spot, she sat back down. "Back on topic, you two are going to be assigned together on a mission that will begin tomorrow. Naruto, we're going to go check up on a spy for Akatsuki Sakura learned of, and there's a chance the group will encounter Orochimaru and/or Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto perked right up. "Really?"

Tsunade was actually quite surprised by the lack of excitement or enthusiasm in his voice. She expected him to be thrilled about having this chance, but here he asked like he was just trying to confirm what he heard. "Yes. Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No. Why do you ask?"

"Because I thought you'd be exuberant about this, saying 'We can finally get him back' or something like that. Did you stop wanting that?"

Naruto again shook his head. "No Baa-chan, I still want him back, but my reasons for it have changed. Hinata-chan revealed that him being here won't be like how it used to be, something I stupidly never stopped to think about these past few years. I'll bring him back because it's my duty to see traitors see justice, not so I can foolishly pretend my team never fell apart."

Tsunade was quite surprised and, she admitted to herself, impressed too with his declaration. "Not bad Naruto. Hinata is apparently just as helpful to you as you are to her."

"That actually brings up something we wanted to discuss with you Hokage-sama." Hinata stated, gaining the elder kunoichi's attention. "Because of my specific needs, Naruto-kun and I believe it would be best if the two of us were no longer assigned separate missions until such time as I no longer have those needs. At least for the reason I have them. I will always need Naruto-kun, but for the time being it's not completely optional."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair as she thought about it. "Initially a wise decision, but not a perfect solution. There's the matter of team set-ups and mission requirements to keep in mind. Not to mention your battlefield compatibility and ability to reason as well as expected. After all Hinata you did put a big black mark on your record with your recent stunt."

"I already told you why I did what I did." The Hyuuga heiress told the older woman.

"And that explanation is the only reason you haven't been punished for your illegal activity. I had to put down 'medical purposes' on your record to explain your behavior since we all know the true reason wasn't a good one to put down. But even so, medical purposes won't work being used over and over again."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade leaned forward, resting her chin on her clasped hands. "Naruto, Hinata, I understand your points of view perfectly. If I were in your shoes, I'd be requesting exactly the same thing. However, from my perspective, there are issues that must be covered first. I can't simply rearrange ninja on a permanent basis on mere whims or personal requests. There has to be legitimate legal reasons for it all, because the fact is someone is going to be curious about you two and try to find out why you would be paired up all the time if it does happen. And since the truth is not something we want known to just anyone, we need an alternative justification that can't be countered or proven wrong. And unfortunately finding such a justification is complicated."

"Before either of you ask, the last thing we want to say is it's good for your relationship." Tsunade declared. "While romances between teammates are not forbidden, they are not encouraged either, and no set-up in any team is done specifically to give boyfriend-girlfriend or husband-wife time together on a mission. Such a set-up usually distracts the operatives from the mission objective. If I were to do that, it would basically be telling everyone you two are going to be intimate on the job and some people may not like that."

"So what can we do?" Naruto asked.

"We have to say that somehow one of you is good for the other in a way no one else is, in a way no one else could contest. I do have some ideas that you two could speculate on."

"Go on." Hinata replied.

Tsunade nodded. "Okay, one idea is that you Hinata are good support for Naruto, saying you're quite talented at keeping him controlled and focused which he still needs on missions. Problem is you'd still be replaceable by mission standards by others deemed just as suitable for that need and it would pretty much prevent any chance of him being promoted, as he'd be working 'supervised' all the time like an ordinary genin. Another idea is that Naruto is good for Hinata in getting her to work outside a tracking unit and he provides an ideal sparring partner for her given his proven resistance to juuken methods. Problem there is her team could legitimately counter such an arrangement if they wish not to lose her, and so could the Hyuuga if they believe you're not good company for her."

Naruto frowned. "Now hold on, the Hyuuga have no right doing something like that."

Tsunade just gazed harder at him. "To a point, they do Naruto. If they believe nothing good would come of you being around her on the job, they can petition to ensure the two of you are never assigned together. All clans have this right but they can't exercise it easily since prohibiting ninja work can only be done for professional reasons and most cases started are simply acts of bias. And when you're involved Naruto people are very hard-pressed to prove they aren't biased in what they say about you."

Naruto nodded. "So then only her team could complain and make it a problem? What if we go to them and talk to them about it?"

"You're welcome to try, but unless you tell the truth you're going to have a hard time convincing them Hinata's better off in your hands than theirs." Tsunade answered. "The only other alternative is saying Hinata is in training to become a lace-agent."

"Lace-agent?" Naruto and Hinata repeated.

Tsunade nodded. "It's a division we don't mention to most ninja, especially ones your ages. In fact, usually the entire division is on a need-to-know basis, and those that do know of it do not like talking about it. But it does serve a necessary role, just not one we like to admit we need shinobi for."

Both teens knew this wasn't ordinary ninja work from the almost shameful tone the slug sannin talked in. She sounded like someone trying to explain something that wasn't easy to talk about, like a parent giving their first children the sex talk.

"As you two already know, we use shinobi for virtually everything." Tsunade started. "Transportation, defense, offense, retrieval of stolen property, construction, even medical help and assassinations. And not just here, outside Konoha too for our clients. Most of our shinobi can handle any of these, some are just more qualified for some jobs and some, like medic nin, have to be specifically trained to these kind of jobs."

"However, there is one more need for shinobi that no one really likes to think about. A specific role for kunoichi." The hokage added.

Lilith caught on right away. "Oh wow, I get where she's going with this." Hinata was confused but for the sake of the briefing said nothing to either women.

Tsunade took a deep breath with closed eyes, then continued. "A kunoichi has one weapon no male shinobi could ever hope to compete with. Sex appeal. Sure, men can be sexy in their own way, but they can't use it the same way women can. And sometimes a mission comes up that requires a kunoichi trained in the art of seduction to accomplish it."

Naruto paled and looked like he was about ready to erupt in a mixture of emotion. "Wait a minute! You're telling me you actually order girls to go out and have sex with people?"

Hinata meanwhile just blushed and looked greatly bothered by the thought. 'Wait, is she bringing this up because...?'

Tsunade opened her eyes and looked at her favorite genin with sorrow. "Yes Naruto. It's not something I enjoy but at times it must be done."

"How can you do this horrible thing? You're pimping out girls like they're prostitutes! What kind of horrible Hokage are you?" He yelled.

Now Tsunade frowned and rose from her seat. She walked from behind her desk, stood right in front of Naruto, and both he and Hinata could feel the killer intent coming off of her. Then with lightning speed, she grabbed the blonde by his ear and twisted it tightly. "Uzumaki Naruto! Don't you dare talk to me like that again! I told you I don't like it anymore than you do, but the fact of the matter is we live in an unkind world and sometimes the only way to get things done is to do something we're not proud of! This has been done as long as there have even been kunoichi. Heck historically it's one of the major reasons women were even allowed to be trained as shinobi in the past! And every hokage before me had to approve these kind of orders! The First, the Second, even your beloved Third and Fourth issued these kind of commands when there was no other way to fulfill the mission! And if you ever become Hokage like you want so badly, so will you someday!"

Despite being in pain with his ear being twisted in her vice grip, Naruto lost a lot of his resolve at hearing that. "No I won't. I'd destroy any program like this and-"

"NARUTO!" Tsunade yelled. "As Hokage I am ordering you not to say another word unless spoken to. Failure to comply will result in me going to Ichiraku's and forbidding them from serving you so much as a single noodle until New Years. Is that clear?" She said as she twisted his ear even more.

His nod was so vigorous she was almost certain he'd get whiplash from it. "Yes, yes yes, please just stop twisting my ear off."

Tsunade held him like that for a moment longer and then released him, and while he rubbed his now ruby-colored ear, she walked back over and sat in her chair.

"Now, I imagine that you're assuming this program pretty much turns women into the shinobi equivalent of whores in a whorehouse. But rest assured, it is not. It is similar, that I cannot deny, but this program allows them to have a bit more dignity and a greater sense of accomplishment than mere prostitutes would feel." Tsunade explained.

"The sad truth is Naruto, Hinata, that sometimes things don't work out so well and they need a woman's touch to make right. Like a supplier of something the village needs but he isn't interested in money. Or a target for assassination who's well guarded or also trained to fight. Or a guy who knows something but needs his lips loosened before he'll speak. Such things do come up, and regular shinobi tactics won't do any good to change things. These are times when a subtle or indirect approach does more than a forceful or direct approach. That's where the lace-agents come in."

"Lace-agents are the kunoichi who are trained to use sex appeal on a professional level to get the job done. They pay for what money won't buy. They sneak around guards and traps to get right next to the target at his most vulnerable and unaware. They make the target vulnerable and compliant, and either kill the target before he even realizes he's in danger or strip him of his assets and escape before the guards can stop them. It's a dark side of the shinobi world, but the sad truth is sometimes these jobs do need to be done. And rather than just assign any kunoichi to that role, we have a program of kunoichi trained specifically for these jobs. They know what they're doing, they accept the work, they know how to do it without endangering themselves. They are the lace-agents, beautiful and seemingly harmless kunoichi who sex you up then rob you blind."

"Are you asking me to be one of these Hokage-sama?" Hinata carefully asked. Naruto gave a pleading look at the blonde woman for her to say no.

"I just wanted to let you know the option's available Hinata. As host of a succubus, you have possibly the greatest potential of all kunoichi in this field, and the work would ensure you are never deprived of energy." Tsunade told her, and held up her hand in a silencing manner when it was clear Hinata was about to interject. "Hinata, I am well aware of your desire to remain committed to Naruto here, which is why I saved it for last. Besides, I never intended you to become an official lace-agent anyway. If you accepted, it would be only on paper and you would be assigned to Naruto on a full-time basis anyway."

Hinata and Naruto were both confused. "What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"Lace-agent trainees are assigned to a single male at first in order for them to practice what they learn. Let's say hypothetically you became one, you would be assigned to test out your new seduction skills on him to see how effective you are at them. You'd have to learn from a designated sensei too, which could benefit the both of you. Unfortunately, after you succeed in sexing up Naruto, you'd be reassigned to another boy to ensure you've got the skills learned and can use them on more than one target. I could possibly work around that by assigning you to solely Naruto, saying I suspect a lace-agent accompanying him will keep him docile and much less of a threat to others here, but it's a risky move and I can't just pull you out of the program if someone pushes the issue of you being with another."

Hinata thought it over and took a deep breath. "So what you're saying essentially Hokage-sama, is that ultimately my dismissal from my team depends largely on their approval, and if they don't give it, I may have to resort to being one of these agents in order to be with Naruto-kun but it's a riskier venture. Am I right?"

Tsunade nodded. "In a word, yes."

Hinata then stood up. "Then it's obvious. I'm going to find my team... and make them approve. Naruto-kun," She looked at him and he jumped up on his feet. "Let's go find them."

"Before you go, remember you're both needed for a mission tomorrow. If you run into Sakura try and discuss what you may do on the mission. And Naruto, Kakashi will not be able to accompany you on this so I've got a replacement lined up. Try not to piss him off." Tsunade added. The whiskered blonde nodded. "Oh, and Naruto, I completely understand why the idea of the lace-agents bothers you. One word of advice: If you really want to be hokage, sometimes you will have to handle missions that make you and the ninja working on them uncomfortable. You can't just pretend that dirty work doesn't need to be done just because you don't like thinking about what needs to be done to accomplish it."

Naruto nodded again, and then followed Hinata out the door.

Tsunade sighed and looked out the window, wishing she had some sake on her just for a moment. "Hinata, I only hope you don't end up regretting what you did for the sake of love."

Surprisingly, they didn't even have to leave the building before they found Kurenai. And the genjutsu expert looked quite ambivalent at seeing her student after over a week of nothing, happy to see her and upset at her lack of information about the whole situation.

"Where on earth have you been Hinata?" Kurenai all but yelled at her student.

Hinata was a bit ashamed at making her sensei worry, but she just told herself she had more than enough reason to do so. "I apologize for making you worry Kurenai-sensei, but if you really want to know, please gather Kiba and Shino and meet me at-"

"No. You tell me now!" Kurenai interrupted.

"I will, but I don't want to repeat myself and Kiba and Shino need to hear this too. I'd rather wait until all of you are together to hear what I have to tell you."

Kurenai was strongly tempted to say 'Too bad' and order Hinata to answer her right then and there no matter what. But the part of her that was professional saw the wisdom in Hinata's words. "Fine, but it better be quick and your explanation better be good." She then turned towards Naruto and gave him a look that could kill a lesser man. "If I find out you're in some way responsible for this-"

"Kurenai-sensei, shut the hell up." Hinata told the only positive female influence she had in her life. Needless to say, the genjutsu mistress was more than a little shocked to hear such words coming from the former shy girl.

"Hinata?"

"No Kurenai-sensei, no. Say what you will about me, but if you so much as threaten my Naruto-kun I will attack you without mercy. Sensei or not, I will not have you try to harm him."

"I was just looking out for you." Kurenai told her student.

"I hardly think you need to protect me from my boyfriend. Now, go get Kiba and Shino if you really want to know where I've been." Without waiting for a dismissal, Hinata left and pulled Naruto by the arm with her.

It didn't take long for Team Eight to get together, though Kurenai personally would have preferred Naruto not accompany Hinata when she and her two male students got to their standard training ground. 'But I just know he's involved somehow, and if he's here that makes questioning him all that easier. And if he or Hinata don't like how I do it, I'll just pull rank over them. I'm concerned and tough love might be the answer this problem needs.'

"Hinata, where the heck were you this past week? We missed out on a mission because you weren't here." Kiba started.

"I was busy attending to some personal business and assisting in another mission." Hinata answered.

Kurenai was far from convinced. "We would have been told if you were assigned to another mission. Instead we were told nothing and no one knew where you were."

Hinata didn't look bothered in the least. "Who said I was assigned to another mission? And who said anyone here had been told where I went?"

The rest of Team Eight looked surprised at the implication, but Kurenai looked practically mortified. "YOU WHAT? You went on a mission without Hokage-approval? And without giving anyone prior notice? What in Kami-sama's name were you thinking? This is not like you Hinata."

"Good, because the old me wouldn't be where I am today anyway." The Hyuuga heiress told her sensei.

"If we may stay on topic here, would you please inform us on what you wished to tell us?" Shino asked, trying to keep the conversation on track.

Hinata took a deep breath and looked to Naruto momentarily before returning her attention back to her team. "Kurenai-sensei, Kiba, Shino, I would like to be granted leave of the team."

As expected, the other members of Team Eight were blindsided by this. "What did you say?"

"I wish to be granted leave of Team Eight so I can have the freedom necessary to work with Naruto-kun the way we have been working." She repeated.

"You know it might work so much easier if you came clean about me." Lilith told her host.

'Maybe, but I'll save that for a last resort.' Hinata told herself.

"Exactly what work have you been doing with Naruto that is so important you'd ask for something like this?" Kurenai asked.

Kiba frowned at the whiskered blonde. "First you get her to walk around naked for you, then you take her from her team?"

Kurenai's eyes widened then narrowed in extreme anger at the aforementioned genin. "NARUTO!" She then started a very tormenting genjutsu to scar him for life.

Or at least she would have had Hinata not rushed forward and juukened Kurenai's arms to the point of uselessness. "I told you not to threaten Naruto-kun!"

The red-eyed jounin's arms hung limp at her sides. "What? Why did you-?"

"Because you were about to do something incredibly stupid Kurenai-sensei." Hinata interjected, anger evident all over her face. It was an expression her team had never before seen on her.

"Hinata! Why did you attack me?" Kurenai asked, still not understanding this action. Kiba and Shino were too surprised to even comment on it.

"You were about to attack my boyfriend for absolutely no reason."

"No reason? He was-"

"Don't talk like you know the truth Kurenai-sensei. As a jounin I'd expect better of you." Hinata chastised. "Yes, like Kiba said I have walked around naked for Naruto-kun, but who said it was involuntary? For your information, I did it of my own free will and will continue to do so whenever either one of us desire it."

"But why would you do that? It's not like you Hinata." Kiba asked.

"Maybe I'm tired of being the way I used to be." She countered. "Maybe I'm tired of being shy and quiet and unable to show Naruto-kun my love and appreciation for him. Did you ever consider that?"

"I believe we are here to discuss team arrangements, not our personal lives." Shino stated, trying to keep them on their original purpose for this meeting.

"Right. I want... no, I need to be teamed up with Naruto-kun on all future missions, and the best way to make that real is to be released from any obligations to this team. Hokage-sama agrees it is wise but wanted me to approach you all first. What say you?" Hinata explained yet again.

"Why would Hokage-sama approve?" Kiba asked. "Shouldn't she know this would offset our team?"

"Of course she knows that. But it's a manageable change." Hinata replied.

"Even so, why would she feel such a change is necessary? Until you tell us exactly why Hinata, I'm going to refuse to let you walk out on us like this." Kurenai declared.

Naruto looked at his girlfriend, sensing her stress at avoiding the true answer. "Hinata-chan, why don't we just tell them?"

She looked up at him and spoke quietly. "Remember how you worried about your own situation? I think I now understand how that felt for you."

Naruto silently 'ahhed'. "Yeah, this is kinda tough to admit to people."

"What are you two talking about?" Kiba asked.

Hinata sighed. "This!" Very suddenly the succubus wings and the long tail burst thru her clothing.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" Kiba said jumping back.

Shino's shades popped right of his face, he did not even bend down to pick them up.

Kurenai simply stood there and stared, her mouth slightly open as if trying to summon words to express how she was feeling. "What... what the heck is this?" She asked. "It's not a genjutsu since you know that's pointless to show to me."

"You're right, it's not an illusion. It's me, and the reason why I must always be around Naruto-kun." The Hyuuga heiress replied, still trying to somewhat delay the admittance. "Remember how I recently went on a solo mission to Wave Country?" They nodded, aware of that. Kurenai hadn't been enthusiast about it, but did see the value in the experience she needed. "On the way back, I encountered a trapped demon. One not like the Kyuubi, one called a succubus."

"A succubus?" Team Eight asked, all of them aware of what the demon was.

Hinata nodded and withdrew her wings and tail. "I was surprised, but she couldn't do anything to me and I had nowhere to go at the time so we ended up conversing for a little bit. She told me her name and said she could help me with my crippling problems, and after checking for any drawbacks to it, I decided that it was a bargain worth making."

"Wait a minute, you bargained with a demon?" Kiba asked.

Hinata nodded, but before she could explain further, Kurenai interjected. "What in Kami-sama's name were you thinking Hinata?"

The Hyuuga heiress sighed in exasperation and turned to her blonde boyfriend. "It is so frustrating trying to talk to people who need to be told something more than once."

He nodded. "Or people that are afraid of what you tell them."

Kurenai saw their calm interactions and arched an eyebrow. 'Wait, does she know about his demonic connection?'

Hinata looked back to her team. "Everyone, please just let me finish my explanation uninterrupted. Then I'll be happy to answer your questions." Everyone reluctantly nodded. "The succubus's name is Lilith. She told me that if I really wanted to be stronger and more confident around others, I would need to change who I currently was. I was getting there, but I wasn't where I was supposed to be, like my growth was stunted or something. She offered to give me a sort of boast in that, a way to become more vibrant and effective in what I did. After careful consideration, I decided to accept the offer."

"Want me to explain it for them?" Llith asked.

"No, it'll mean more coming from me than you." Hinata told her inner demon, this time not bothering to cover it up in front of others. "Lilith gave me everything she promised. I am stronger, better skilled, and no longer afraid to show Naruto-kun how much he means to me. And yes, there was something I had to do for Lilith in return. What I gave her was escape from her prison by residing in myself. Kurenai-sensei, I am now exactly like Naruto-kun is, just on a volunteer basis."

"Why Hinata? Just... why?" Kurenai asked.

"I TOLD YOU WHY! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?" Hinata screamed.

"Hinata, as interesting as all this is, why exactly must you be in Naruto's presence on a permanent basis?" Shino inquired. 'Does it have something to do with her statement that she is like him?'

Hinata calmed down before answering. "I am a host to a succubus. Her power is my power for as long as she is inside me. However, I must energize myself the same way a succubus does. To maintain my own health, I must be free to bond with Naruto-kun at any time. So I request leave of the team under reason of necessity."

"What necessity?" Kurenai asked, wanting to be completely clear on this.

"Like I said, to maintain my strength and health, I need to be free to bond with a man of my choosing."

"So this new condition of yours needs a sort of chakra boast from someone else to maintain your own health? Hinata, why did you accept such a risky thing?" The genjutsu mistress asked.

"Because I'm tired of being seen as the weakling here. You all see me as someone who needs to be treated with kid gloves even if none of you will admit it. I wanted to break free of my old self and become a better woman, and this was the best way I knew how."

"It's still incredibly stupid." Kurenai added.

Hinata frowned. "What's done is done Sensei. Accept it. This isn't going to change or be undone anytime soon, though someday Lilith will leave me. If you care about me at all, you'll help me manage being like this for the time she is in me. So just let me be with Naruto-kun full time rather than this team."

"If I may, you said you need to bond with a man of your choosing." Shino stated. "Exactly why is this necessary?"

"Yeah! And why not one of us? You know we would be more than willing to help you out Hinata. You're our teammate." Kiba added.

Hinata shook her head. "Shino, Kiba, like a succubus I have to bond with a man in an intimate manner, and I have no interest in doing such a thing with either of you. Only Naruto-kun can give me what I need because he is the only one I have these desires for."

Kurenai silently gasped, then frowned deeply. "Hinata, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Hinata took a deep breath before she answered. "Kurenai-sensei, I need to have sex with Naruto-kun on a near daily basis for an indeterminate amount of time. If you refuse to let me, you will be killing me."

In her mind, Kurenai's protectiveness of Hinata combined with her anti-pervert preferences and got fueled by her dislike of this change, and overall somehow equated Hinata's words to be no different than her saying 'Naruto is forced me to have sex with him'. Her rational side knew better, but the rest of her didn't care. Hinata wasn't a virgin anymore and Naruto was the one to make that happen.

"Uzumaki Naruto...!" She started, looking ready to make him see Hell and not with a genjutsu. Hinata stood in front of her sensei to defend him. "Get out of my way Hinata."

"No."

"I'm ordering you to get out of my way."

"I said no. Haven't you heard a word I've been saying?"

"He deflowered you and made you his sex slave. That's all I need to-" She was cut off by a clawed slap to her face, which left scratches on her cheek.

"How dare you claim to act in my best interest if what I say to you goes thru a mental filter?" Hinata yelled. "It was MY choice to become a demon host! It was MY choice to approach Naruto-kun! It was MY choice to give him my first time! It was MY choice to go out and join him the past week. And it's OUR choice to remain together! Don't you DARE act like he's some kind of monster to me!"

"Hinata, don't you think maybe something might be wrong with you? This isn't like you at all." Kiba asked, making sure to keep his distance.

"I said I'm tired of being what I used to be. I wanted to be someone better, someone I could respect. I am that now. I can do my job with confidence and show Naruto-kun my love without fear. Why would that be a bad thing?"

"It shouldn't, but the fact that a demon's involved does give us reason for alarm and suspicion." Shino replied, having picked up his glasses now and put them back in place.

"Well get used to it. I have no intention of going back to the shy quiet Hinata I was. I like being bold and open to my man, and I'm going to stay this way."

"Hinata, we still can't just let you go. We can protect you better than he can." Kurenai told her student, pointing to Naruto.

Hinata scoffed. "I don't need to be protected anymore Kurenai-sensei. Maybe you haven't noticed, but the little girl who joined this team three years ago has grown up. It's time you started treating me as an adult and not a child."

Kurenai fumed and crossed her arms. "Even so, give me one good reason why I should let you leave the team."

"Oh come on! She gave you a reason several times already!" Naruto complained.

Kurenai turned angry red eyes towards him. "You shut up."

Hinata stepped closer to her sensei. "No Kurenai-sensei, you shut up. He's right. I already told you more than once that I need to be with him or else my health suffers from withdrawal. My survival is reason enough, and if that's not good enough for you, then nothing is."

Kurenai still looked angry, then looked like she got a great idea and turned to the whiskered blonde. "Naruto, I challenge you to a spar."

"Huh?"

"It's simple. I will not let Hinata go until I'm certain she's going to be in good hands. Spar with me and I'll see if you're deserving of what she's asking."

"Kurenai-sensei-"

"Hinata this is my legal right. I am entitled to ensure that you're not going to be endangered before you go off on your own if I have doubts otherwise. You want to be with him, I have to be certain he can do everything you trust him to do."

Hinata didn't respond. 'In a way, she's testing my trust in him. If I trust him, I should have confidence he'll win or do well enough. If I refuse, I'm showing a lack of trust and thus lose my moral ground here.'

As if sensing her dilemma, Naruto came up to her and wrapped her in a hug. "Don't worry Hinata-chan, I'll be fine. I've faced worse."

She nuzzled into him, enjoying the feel of his body. "I never thought I'd say this, but... kick her ass Naruto-kun."