The second of my mini-chapter marathon! This new chapter picks up right from where the previous chapter ended. Quick recap - Naruto kisses Hinata, and things get heated from there ;) and then it gets even crazier from that point on!

Hinata was taken aback from the kiss Naruto gave her but didn't push him away. She reciprocated and putting her arms around him. He embraced her as well, pulling Hinata in nice and tight. Their tongues wounded up touching, steadily rubbing up against one another. Naruto got a heady sensation from the contact, and he could tell Hinata was experiencing something similar from her elicited moans. Hinata moaned from exhilaration, egging Naruto on further. He was not going to let anxiety get in the way this time. He was determined to go the distance as far as Hinata wanted to go. They ended up on the couch, nearly tumbling onto the floor below but refusing to break apart their embrace. Naruto was on top of his girlfriend, Hinata's hands were running through the golden locks of his hair. If the Hyūga had opened her eyes, she would have noticed the blonde's eyes scrunched up in intense concentration. The only thing running in Naruto's head was the fierce determination to please his woman.

Hinata tugged at Naruto's shirt to take it off, and he caught on. In one rapid motion, the blonde ripped his shirt off his body. Hinata fondled his abs, mesmerized by how physically fit Naruto was. It made her want him even more, and this time it seemed Naruto wasn't going to run away. Hinata started to take off her clothes as well. Naruto turned to lap at Hinata's neck, which made her mewl in pleasure.

It did not take long for the couple to get to the bedroom. By the time Naruto and Hinata haphazardly made their way there, the pair were completely naked, the pair's clothes scattered around the apartment. Naruto ended up on top of Hinata once again, on the bed this time, and their eyes met.

"Are you sure?" the blonde asked his girlfriend breathlessly.

"I am," Hinata asked in turn. "But what about you? I've said it before; we don't have to go this far. I can wait."

"I don't want you to wait anymore," Naruto replied. He positioned himself before her entrance and went inside her. He was not prepared for how tight she would be. It left the blonde winded. Naruto caught Hinata wince in pain at the breach, with her eyebrows furrowed as she winced.

"Did I hurt you?" Naruto asked out of concern.

"No," Hinata grit out. "I'll be fine. Keep going."

Naruto began to move in and out of her, repeating the motions. He began to feel something building up inside him, a feeling similar to all those lonely nights in his bed when he'd have to satisfy himself. Hinata's moans gradually got louder, higher in pitch, and more frantic. Her nails were on his sweaty back, and they scratched their way down the tender flesh. It was a mild sting compared to the heated sensations below. Naruto didn't want to pound into Hinata – this was her first time after all. He didn't want to hurt her. He wanted this to be a gratifying experience for her.

Hinata wrapped her thighs around Naruto's torso, bringing the couple even closer together. Their hot breaths were fanning each other's necks as the blonde eased himself in and out of Hinata.

"Harder," Hinata begged.

"Are you sure?" Naruto heaved out.

"Yes," Hinata urged. "Please!" Her pleas erased the restraint Naruto placed on himself. He fucked her with more force, thrusting into Hinata so hard the bed's headboards began to bang against the wall. If it was any indication, Hinata yelped in ecstasy as she tilted her head back and reveled in the sexual pleasure she was receiving. Naruto even thought to stimulate her further by rubbing her clit as he pumped in and out of her. The blonde felt the tension building inside him intensify, and when Hinata squeezed him more vigorously as the seconds ticked by until finally, something broke in each of the young lovers. They moaned as their release came, but Naruto quickly pulled out of and moved away from Hinata before cumming.

"Wow," Hinata exhaled as she came down from the high of her orgasm. She sounded pleased.

"Yeah," Naruto echoed tonelessly, but Hinata paid him no mind due to her exhaustion. "Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom, to you know, clean up. I'll go get you something to clean up with." He went and returned in a few minutes.

Hinata took the tissue the blonde offered her when he returned. "Thank you," she said. He nodded in acknowledgment as he began to dress. "Is it alright if I stayed the night?" she asked. "I'll leave just before dawn."

"Oh," Naruto said, almost distractedly. "Sure, of course." He got into his bed, and once Hinata put on her clothes, she curled up beside him. Her head was on his chest, her arm wrapping around him as she closed her eyes to nap. Naruto lay on his back, resting under his head as he stared up into the ceiling. Since he satisfied his girlfriend and the lustful spell vacated his mind after fulfilling his short-sighted desires, the cold pit in his stomach returned.

Naruto couldn't help but shake the feeling he made a mistake tonight. And he regretted his choice. Now he had to live with it.

Upon waking up, Sasuke felt somewhat disoriented. The sun shone through the drawn curtains of his bedroom as the Uchiha groggily blinked his eyes open. He became aware of feeling warmth at his side. He turned to look and see Yumi, who was blissfully asleep. The blankets wrapped around the curves of her body. Her long dark tresses rested upon the pillows in a manner that compelled Sasuke to watch her breathe softly. The Uchiha realized that the two of them were still naked underneath the sheets.

Yumi and Sasuke spent the rest of the previous night and, most of the early morning, exploring each other's bodies. Yumi taught him a great deal in pleasuring a woman and pleasuring himself. Despite being up all night, Sasuke felt rejuvenated. He didn't think sex could be like this. He had to be honest. He had a great time last night—more than he expected to. He thought he'd get uncomfortable at some point, but Yumi didn't make him feel that way once. She didn't judge him or give him any funny looks at all during their activities. He felt free to explore and experiment since he never dared to before. The territory he was treading on was all so new. Honestly, it was ridiculous how stiff he was about this sort of thing beforehand. Maybe it was because all the other people he met in his life who had a sexual interest in him were just so unappealing to him.

He went to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

"Mind if I join you in there?" Yumi asked coyly. His movements must have awakened her earlier just moments ago.

"You know damn well if you get in here with me, we'll never get out," Sasuke said back.

"You say it like it's a bad thing," Yumi replied in a flirtatious tone.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Sasuke said as he scrubbed himself. He couldn't see her due to the shower curtain, but he knew that's what was happening.

"Make me, shinobi," Yumi teased. Sasuke shook his head while lathering some more soap onto his body.

"Will I see you later tonight?" Yumi asked as she finished touching up before heading outside.

"Sure, you will," Sasuke answered when he stepped out of the shower after he finished showering.

"Alright then," Yumi marched over to give the raven-haired ninja a quick peck before leaving. She took in the appealing view of the wet Uchiha wrapped in a towel, making a show of licking her lips and trembling in admiration of how sexy he was. "Bye then."

"Bye," Sasuke said as he shook his head once more while she exited.

Sasuke had to meet with Kakashi about yesterday's mission. Neji, being the leader, was the one who did the debrief, but since this was Sasuke's first mission back as an active shinobi, he had to check in with the Hokage personally.

The Uchiha promptly arrived at the Hokage's office as scheduled.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi greeted him. "Good morning." It never failed to amaze the former missing-nin how chipper Kakashi would be. Sasuke could never get used to it. But this particular morning, the buoyancy in the Sixth Hokage's voice sounded different than usual.

"Hokage-sama," Sasuke addressed him courteously.

"Why so stiff?" Kakashi said mirthfully. "Want some tea?"

"No, thank you," Sasuke stood before his former sensei, arms at his back.

"It's always strictly business with you," Kakashi remarked. "And to think you were once my favorite pupil…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, refusing to engage. Yet that didn't seem to deter Kakashi today.

"You know I heard you made quite a splash last night," Kakashi said, his one eye studying Sasuke's face. The Uchiha's expression remained aloof.

"I heard," Kakashi's voice quieted down to a whisper, but one audible enough for Sasuke to hear from his position. "that you kissed a girl."

"Why are you whispering?" Sasuke said.

"You're not even going to deny it?"

"Why would I?"

"So it is true? You kissed a girl. You of all people? Wow," Kakashi said. "I figured you didn't like girls." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Then again," the Sixth Hokage continued. "I figured you didn't like anyone at all."

"Can we please get to the matter at hand?" Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes and pinching his nose.

"Just one more question, for my own sanity," Kakashi pleaded. "Is that girl your girlfriend?"

Sasuke simply stared at his leader, arching his eyebrow.

"Really, she's your girlfriend!" Kakashi exclaimed in glee.

"I didn't even say anything," Sasuke spoke exasperatedly.

"You didn't have to," Kakashi chuckled. "Wow, first Naruto and now you. They grow up so fast." He mocked a motion of wiping a tear from his eye. Kakashi coughed curtly before his voice got serious. "Now, the matter at hand."

Finally, Sasuke thought irately.

"I received yesterday's mission report. You executed your role adequately. There was a small part of it that went astray," Kakashi smiled before quickly coughing once more to continue, "but no one was hurt, nobody stole from anyone or committed any other crimes that endangered the people, not under your watch. So well done."

"So?" Sasuke inquired. "I can go back to work full time?"

"Not just yet," Kakashi replied. "There's a few more missions you need to do beforehand and depending on how well you perform in them."

"So it'll be just like when I first became a genin," Sasuke said.

"More or less," Kakashi confirmed. "You can't expect just to jump back in, all things considered."

"God forbid," Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you think your skills are being wasted. But to be honest, times are peaceful now for the first time in a very long time. And I don't say that lightly," Kakashi spoke. "There's currently not much of a need for your particular talents. Not yet, anyway. Besides, your time will come again. Why don't you just focus on being with your little girlfriend?" Kakashi jested.

Sasuke sucked his teeth and turned away to leave the office.

"Hang on," Kakashi said. "There will be another mission for you next week. Stay posted. Come back this time six days from now so I can assign it to you." The copy ninja grabbed something from within his desk and threw it at his former protégé, "Heads up." Sasuke caught it with ease. It was a heavy bag filled with coins.

"Your pay for the mission you completed," Kakashi explained. "Enjoy it. See you next week."

When Sasuke returned home, he sensed someone waiting for him inside. From the familiar chakra emanating from within the apartment, he already knew who it was. The Uchiha came to find Naruto sitting with his legs crossed, perched on the couch in the living room. The blonde's tan face was set hard; he was pissed off.

Great, let's get this over with, Sasuke thought as he walked into the room further to face the blonde. Yet Naruto neglected to say anything. He just sat there, glaring at Sasuke with great hostility.

"What?" Sasuke spoke harshly. "You've got nothing to say for once? Not going to try to talk out of your ass this time?"

Naruto sharply got up and walked straight to Sasuke, invading his personal space. "Oh, so now you're finally tired of talking," Sasuke continued menacingly. "Go on then," the Uchiha goaded, "hit me." But Naruto made no move to strike Sasuke yet. He just kept staring at Sasuke, breathing intensely in Sasuke's face.

"Go on!" Sasuke repeated, shouting in the blonde's face. The raven shoved Naruto away, but again the blonde didn't strike back, his gaze fixed on Sasuke. Naruto shook his head at Sasuke.

"You were with her," Naruto accused, his body trembling from bubbling rage. "I saw you together here last night."

"You were stalking me?" Sasuke alleged in response.

"Did you fuck her?" the blonde demanded quietly.

Sasuke scoffed. "What business is that of yours?"

"Did you fuck her or not?!" Naruto shouted out suddenly. Any louder and the walls would have shaken at the sound of the blonde's voice.

Unshaken, Sasuke sneered, "Yeah, I did. What of it?"

Naruto sharply backed away as if he were stung. His eyes were unusually moist as they glistened in the light of the living room.

"You know," Sasuke spoke harshly, "you're like this leech in my life. You just drain me, and you never stop, no matter how hard I try to rip you away, you refuse to let go. You don't want me to be with Yumi, and you don't give a damn about my feelings."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Naruto said, outraged. "You're the one who never gives a flying fuck about how anyone else feels. Me, Sakura, Kakashi, everyone in your life! Everyone else has to tiptoe around you not to set you the fuck off because God forbid anyone pisses you the fuck off! God forbid anyone doesn't reach your unreachable standards."

"I'm not going to apologize about being honest about my feelings," Sasuke fumed.

"And I'm not going to apologize for being with Hinata. It's not my fault you fucking hate her."

"I don't care if you date her!" Sasuke roared. "I never did! You just won't accept the reality of everything. Like I'm supposed to be beholden to you after all you've done for my sake. I never asked for your help! I never wanted your help. I never asked for it, not once." Sasuke paced around the room like a man possessed as he went on his tirade. "I'm just speeding everything up to its inevitable conclusion. Eventually, you'll just move on to bigger and better things," Sasuke's voice got cold on the word better. "But no, you just want to hang on to this stupid 'bond,'" Sasuke spat mockingly. "It's maddening, and I can't take it anymore. I hate it, I always have. I hate you."

"Well, I hate you too!" Naruto shouted back miserably; his voice cracked with emotion. "I hate how you always run, how you always push away, how fucking stubborn you are. You ungrateful," The veins on Naruto's neck popped out of his skin as his face got red and his eyes scarlet with beast-like pupils, "spiteful motherfucker! I'm tired of fighting with you over this, of chasing after you! About all of it."

"I don't know what you want," Sasuke shook his head. "But I'll be damned if I cater to what you want me to be. That's never been who I am, and I'm not going to start now, not for the likes of you. You want to have everything your way because poor little Naruto was an orphaned little boy that no one ever wanted."

"Fuck you!" Naruto roared out, his voice sounding nearly demonic. Beside himself, Sasuke punched him in the face. Naruto fell back, blood spilling out of his nose. Pure fury bloomed on Naruto's. Suddenly, the Uchiha felt a sharp sting in his forehead as Naruto head-butted Sasuke in his face. Sasuke falls back against the wall behind him, temporarily disoriented but makes a quick recovery as the raven charges towards Naruto in full force, so quick the two slammed against the table behind the couch in the living room. The table buckled under their combined weight. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's midsection and used his strength to lift and flip Sasuke over onto the couch. Just when Naruto threw a punch, Sasuke evaded and jumped over Naruto, spinning around to land a kick on Naruto's side. Naruto found himself falling to the floor but recovered with a side flip and quickly blocked Sasuke's next attack. The Uchiha was relentless afterward with his fists flying towards Naruto – his head, chest, and gut. But Naruto matched him blow for blow. Neither shinobi could get a devastating hit in on the other's body.

Meanwhile, Sasuke's apartment suffered the devastation from their violence. There was broken furniture throughout the living room. The two feuding friends reached the kitchen and broke countless cookware. Knives were thrown at one another, but luckily only minor cuts ensued.

Just when Naruto and Sasuke were about to start using ninjutsu Yamato burst into the apartment with two ANBU masked ninjas. Yamato used his wood style to separate the two rivals from one another, slamming each young man against the apartment's walls. The wood that shot out of Yamato's body kept Naruto and Sasuke at bay, even as they writhed to get at each other.

"That's enough, you two," the captain spoke. Yamato wordlessly signaled one of the ANBU to vacate the premises, undoubtedly alerting the Hokage of the current situation. Yamato had the subtle look of disappointment etched on his face. Naruto felt a slight pang of guilt for that but was too cross at Sasuke to give a damn. All the two shinobi could focus on was each other. Naruto and Sasuke couldn't stop glowering at one another.

"I can't say I'm surprised that this happened. Nor can I say that I'm disappointed," Kakashi said when his former students were brought into his office later that same day. The Sixth Hokage looked from one to the other as the two were bound by wood that Yamato placed around each young man. He sighed. "I hoped that you two would have finally grown out of this animosity after the last time you fought."

Naruto's leg was bouncing rapidly, still reeling from the fury seething in his heart. Sasuke was staring off into the view of the village behind Kakashi.

"I take it neither one of you is willing to apologize to the other or explain yourselves," the copy ninja spoke. When neither the Hokage-in-training nor the Uchiha volunteered, Kakashi nodded.

"In that case, I think it's best if you two just keep some distance from the other," Kakashi stated. "Both of you are put on inactive duty for two weeks." That got their attention as Naruto and Sasuke's heads whipped to gape at their old sensei in indignation.

"Are you serious?"

"Kaka-sensei what the –"

"I don't want to hear it," Kakashi sternly cut them off. "You know you both messed up today. You had to have known there'd be consequences for your actions today. As far as I'm concerned, I'm going easy on you two. You're dismissed, for now."

Yamato moved to escort the two young men out of the office.

"One more thing – Sasuke, you and I will be speaking further about your behavior. This was a step back for you that I cannot ignore," Kakashi's words were said in a stern tone.

Later, Naruto sat in his apartment. He ran a hand through his hair. The blonde was exhausted from the day's events. His life was becoming a constant rollercoaster and having sex with his girlfriend, fighting intensely with his best friend, being punished by his old sensei, and all in the span of twenty-four hours. Naruto was still reeling from his first time with Hinata, and he'll have to deal with Kakashi's discontent. But worst of all was now he didn't even know where he stood with Sasuke. The Uchiha's comments wounded Naruto deeply. One of the many talents the raven seemed to have was wielding words like weapons. Sasuke always knew how to hurt. Naruto wasn't so willing to forgive the former rogue ninja this time.

Maybe the imposed suspension would be a good thing. It had been a while since Naruto had some time off. That or the blonde would lose his mind from boredom. He never did well in prolonged periods of solitude.

There was a knock outside. Hinata was at the door once again. Naruto wasn't sure how he felt about the woman frequenting his place so much. She was his girlfriend, but at the same time, it felt somewhat… invasive. It was also awkward to consider the activity the pair engaged in the previous evening. The Hyūga heiress was almost glowing with joy. The regret Naruto felt in his heart resurfaced as he looked at her.

"Hi," Hinata breathed happily.

"Hey," Naruto replied, a faint smile on his lips.

"I wanted to talk to you," Hinata said.

"Oh?" Naruto said, nerves on edge. He didn't want to jump the gun, so he elected to wait for what she had to say.

"I've just been assigned a month-long mission with my squad," Hinata informed. "I'll be out of the country the whole time."

"Oh," Naruto repeated, with relief creeping into his chest. "That's…I mean, I'll miss you."

"That's sweet of you to say," Hinata said, a little color flushing her cheeks. "I wish it wouldn't have to happen so soon."

"When do you leave?" Naruto asked.

"First light tomorrow," Hinata answered.

"Wow," Naruto said.

"You'll see me off at the gate?" Hinata requested in a slightly expectant and hopeful voice.

"Of course," Naruto acquiesced.

"Great," Hinata beamed. "I wanted to tell you right away, but now I have to run off and prepare for the mission, make sure I have everything I need." She gave Naruto a quick peck. "See you tomorrow." She waved Naruto goodbye as she ran out of the door.

"Bye," Naruto said as she left. Hinata leaving for a month meant he wouldn't be able to tell her how he felt about their first time. It's not like it was a conversation he was looking forward to having with the girl, but he should be honest with her. He definitely shouldn't lead her own more than he had already. Hinata was a nice girl, and reasonable too. She'd understand if he was honest about his feelings. He didn't want to dump her either. It was just too soon. But if he told her now, or tomorrow morning when she leaves, it would hurt her. As selfish as Naruto has been up to this point, he didn't want to do that to her. It could wait.

After all, nothing worse would happen while she was gone, right?

True to his word, Sasuke went to speak with Kakashi. By the end of the week, Sasuke already had a place of his own. He worked out some agreement with the Sixth Hokage to make it happen. Neither the Uchiha nor the copy-ninja would divulge what the deal was to Naruto. Begrudgingly the blonde relented to keep demanding information about it. He chose to put faith in Kakashi having the best intentions for Sasuke.

As a result of Sasuke moving out, Naruto saw less of his best friend. It hurt not having the raven-haired teme around. The old sting of loneliness began to creep inside Naruto's soul. There were more nights than Naruto cared to admit where the blonde would lay awake in his bed, thinking of Sasuke. It was reminiscent of the days when Sasuke was a rogue ninja consumed by vengeance, on the warpath to settle scores. But the Uchiha wanted his space, and to avoid having a major blowout with his friend, Naruto chose to honor Sasuke's wishes for once.

Setting aside his issues with Sasuke allowed his time to be spent elsewhere. Naruto went on his date with Hinata. She wore a flattering dress, and her face had a faint pink hue to it. She was shyly smiling the whole time. On the way to Ichiraku, many passersby stopped to observe the young Hokage in training walking beside the Hyūga heiress. All the people around them had smiles on their faces, as if they were all in on some pleasant secret Naruto missed out on. It annoyed him, but Naruto chose to ignore it since Hinata didn't seem offended by it. Even old man Teuchi had a beamed at the pair as they entered his little restaurant. Ayame knowingly smirked as she tended to them.

Since it was Naruto's first real date with a woman, he was unsure of what to say. Yet Hinata appeared not to mind the silence. The young lady looked perfectly content with their outing so far. She initiated a conversation about ramen that piqued Naruto's interest. Nobody in his life seemed to hold ramen in high regard. Still, Hinata engaged him from talking about broth flavor to its thickness to the noodles, meat, and the other ingredients featured in miso ramen and other ramen dishes.

The night flew by as the two young people finished their meals and headed out for the evening, leaving behind a hefty tip. As the pair walked around Konoha's streets, there were considerably fewer people around. Fireflies were buzzing about, illuminating the area surrounding them.

Naruto whistled at the tranquil ambiance. "It's real quiet around here," he commented.

"Like we're the only people left in the entire village," Hinata added.

"Yeah, it's weird," Naruto chuckled nervously. There was a small pause of silence that crept up between the two.

"I'm having a very wonderful time," Hinata said.

"Oh? Good, I'm glad," Naruto replied. The young couple found themselves staring into each other's eyes as fireflies began to fly around them. It's like a spell was cast upon the two as they drifted closer to one another.

A kiss was not what Naruto intended tonight, but it would be one of innocence. What was the worst that could happen anyhow? It was high time he kissed a girl anyway. He's always wanted to, and he was undoubtedly curious now since Hinata was so eager to oblige.

Her lips were as plush as rose petals on a fresh spring day, yet firm and warm. Her hair was silky and overflowing. She moaned lightly in elation. While the embrace felt nice for Naruto, he felt like something was missing. The thought was a pestering little feeling nagging at his mind when he pondered over it late at night. But for the moment of their shared kiss, he repressed his disappointment not to ruin it for Hinata. It was the right thing to do as when the two finally separated, Hinata had pure bliss etched on her face. It was as if her dreams finally came true. It made Naruto happy, so he smiled at the prospect of making someone so content. It almost made him forget about his lingering regret.

"C'mon, let me walk you home," Naruto said, extending his arm to his date.

Off in the distance, unbeknownst to the new couple, lurked a certain raven-haired shinobi. The former missing-nin watched the young Hokage in training kiss the Hyūga heiress in disgust. It made his heart blaze in silent fury and aching sorrow. His lungs grew cold as the kiss continued. When the pair finally ended their shared embrace and smiles were exchanged, it confirmed what Sasuke already feared to be true. Naruto was forging a path that Sasuke could no longer follow. It was nice for Naruto to have done as much as he did for Sasuke's sake, but that was over. Of course, the Uchiha couldn't just cut ties with the blonde. Naruto wouldn't let that happen; he made that clear the past couple of years. But soon, with his new girlfriend and his guaranteed future position as a leader of the village, Sasuke would be the last thing on Naruto's mind. When that day would come, Sasuke will stand aside, and the cord will finally be cut between them once and for all. Sasuke snorted bitterly at the thought. What cruel irony that after everything was said and done, this was how their 'precious' bond would end.

Just wait until you see what happens in the next chapter!