The long clustered branches of the mighty tree formed a natural arbor, supporting large masses of clinging vines.

Grapes hung heavily from the vines, and a large plush carpet of moss spread ever outward from the shady spot. It was a rare site, something poets and playwrights would give anything to see.

"Would you hear some music, my sweet love?" Tsunade smiled, looking over at Shino. He had been ordered by Yugao to stay with the Hokage, as a way to make certain that she didn't continue to wander throughout the forest. Genma had left to bring back Shizune. The other jounin patrolled the area, or stayed close to the Fifth to make certain that nothing happened to her.

Shino just shook his head. He knew the other shinobi were there to keep Tsunade safe. But, who was there to keep him safe? The Hokage kept sliding closer and closer to him. They had spent a good amount of time searching for just the right place. Was that the calm before the storm, or a short stay of execution?

"You there!" Tsunade clapped her hands. "Fly, and bring back the finest musicians in the land. My love and I would hear music." She motioned to Hagane Kotetsu.

"Certainly!" Kotetsu said, running off, only to double back outside of the Hokage's filed of vision. He cringed, hearing the way that Konoha's greatest ninja spoke. What had happened to her? Was it something that the Aburame boy did? Had some enemy slipped past their guard, and done something to the Fifth?

"Come, sit down upon this mossy bed. There's no reason to be coy. I wish to caress your sleek smooth head, and kiss your hidden chin, my gentle joy." Tsunade used a large grape leaf to fan herself.

"Ma'am…" Shino swallowed hard. His hands were actually trembling. "I shouldn't do that. You're not yourself at the moment. It would be bad."

"If I'm not me, who am I?" The Hokage's giddy laughter had Kotetsu and Izumo looking at one another, concerned looks on their faces. ""They say, the best men are molded out of faults. Most become much more the better for being a little bad." Tsunade licked her lips. "One half of me is yours, the other half yours too…" She unbuttoned her blouse down to her navel. After that, she closed her eyes and rubbed her thighs.
"It's all mine. But, if it's mine, it's yours too!"

"Yikes!" That exclamation burst forth from Shino's lips. He was never one for sudden loud words, or for any that crass. But, this was no normal situation. "Ma'am… it's all too…" He needed to find some words to stop her, or at least slow her down. "It's all too sudden. I am told that men and women should be in love before they say such words."

"Words?" Tsunade said, fluffing her hair. "Women speak two languages, only one of which is verbal." She gazed at Shino as if he were the most beautiful sight that she had ever seen. "I love you. I love but you, with a love that shall not die till the sun grows cold and the stars grow old." She held out her hands, causing her blouse to spread open further. "Come, give me a taste of your quality."

"Wait!" Shino scooted back some. Knocking loose a mound of moss, he exposed a small number of rare bugs that he had quested after for years. He took no note of them. "Ma'am… you know…" Come on Shino, think! "I'm… I'm not looking for love."

"Oh?" Tsunade smiled. "Love sought is good, but given unsought is better." She played with the snap at the front of her custom made brassiere. "And when love speaks, the voice of all the gods makes heaven drowsy with the harmony." She undid the snap. "Don't be afraid of my feelings for you. Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once."

"Stop!" Shino's eyes widened before he closed them. "I'm not the one for you!" He thought frantically. Just how strong was the Hokage? Could he use the chakra bugs to drain away enough energy, so that she might fall asleep or lose interest? "You're the Hokage. I'm just a chuunin. It would be wrong!"

"Mmmmmm." Tsunade leaned closer to Shino. "A woman would run through fire and water for such a kind and thoughtful heart." She frowned prettily. "Do you doubt my love? Doubt thou the stars are fire… doubt the sun never moves… doubt truth to be a liar… but never doubt my love." She laughed happily. "Here, with you, I am not Hokage. I am woman and nothing more."

"But…" Shino readied himself. It might be considered treasonous to use his bugs against the Fifth. He had to hold her off as long as possible. Why weren't the jounin helping more? Probably because she had swatted them like flies earlier, when they tried to convince her to return to the village. The three were content to wait, since they weren't the object of the woman's affection. "I am too weak with hunger to even think…" That might do it.

"That is easily overcome," Tsunade said. "Servants! Attend to me!" She clapped her hands again. In a few moments, Izumo and had Kotetsu answered her summons, giving Shino a look of pity. They nodded, signaling him to be strong and hold out as best he could. "Someone search the woods for food. The other hurry to the village, and bring back the finest sweets you can find." She gave no sign that she remembered sending Kotetsu off before.

"Perhaps you should rest, Ma'am." Shino said. "I will do my part in guarding you, while you sleep. You look as if you have been through difficult times." Please take that suggestion! Please. "When the food arrives, I promise to wake you." He couldn't be banished from the village for one little lie.

"I will rest indeed, if you are entwined in my arms." Tsunade moved swiftly, wrapping her arms around Shino. "My bounty is as deep as the sea, as is my love. The more I give to you, the more I have, for both are infinite." Pulling him to her, she thrust his face deep within her cleavage.

"Mrrrphhh…" Shino couldn't breath. Jerking, he prematurely released his chakra bugs, which spread out across the mossy area without sufficient commands. Fighting against the Hokage's enormous strength, he managed briefly to come up for air. "H-E-L-P!"

Tsunade began planting a serious of kisses on the struggling Shino's forehead. She wouldn't budge when Kotetsu and Izumo tugged at her arms. Even with help from Yugoa they had no effect. Frantically, they sought ways to assist Shino, whose face was turning blue.

Izumo jumped up, grasped a large cluster of wild grapes, and fell back down to earth. Getting down on his knees, he held the fruit out to Tsunade. "Your food, Ma'am! Your love seems to be dying… of hunger…"

"What a way to go," Kotetsu said, before flinching. The look that Yugao gave him could have sliced through steel.

"Gahhh-h-h-h…" Shino took a deep breath of air, his lungs feeling as if they were on fire. His glasses were still trapped between the Hokages breasts. "Thank you…" His thanks was directed to the worried jounin.

"You have no need to thank me, sweet chick!" Tsunade handed Shino his dark glasses. "Instead, I will go down on my knees, and thank Heaven, fasting, for a good man's love." She stared at Shino's lap, smiled a wicked smile, and looked up into his eyes. He dropped the glasses before he was able to hook them over his ears.

"No!" Shino stood up, sweating profusely. He held his hands in front of his crotch.

"The horn, the horn, the lusty horn, is not a thing to laugh to scorn." Tsunade smiled. "Don't let your modesty hold you back. While I may woo you in haste, I mean to wed you at leisure." She laughed. "So, there's no harm in getting a head start on our nuptial night."

Shino stepped backwards, quickly, but tripped over a large stump. "I can't. Not like this…" He looked for a good excuse. "Not with all of these people watching…" He looked up at the sky. "And not in broad daylight."

"Hmmmmm," Tsunade sucked on one of her fingers, staring at Shino. "Are you embarrassed? Small things make base men proud. But you are not base. And, if you are small, you need only be more skilled." Her lusty look had the watching jounin catching their breath. Even at the risk of their own lives, they had to stop the Fifth before she did something immoral. "What was that phrase? Great floods have flown from simple sources…"

"Ma'm… no… wait…" Shino would try one last thing. If that failed, he would run, whether or not it was the cowardly thing to do. He didn't acre if it took longer for Shizune and the other medical personnel to find the Hokage. "Please ! Wait until it's dark…"

"Oh bashful boy," Tsunade smiled. "You'll be mine from dusk to dawn." She looked up at the sky, seeing clouds that were painted by the setting sun. "Gallop quickly, you fiery-footed steeds, and bring in cloudy night immediately. Spread your curtain, love-performing night, so that my lover will leap into these arms, and we can see too our amorous rites. Come night! Come Shino!"

The jounin all turned to face in the direction behind the bower. Two flashed into concealment, while Kotetsu remained in the open, determined to draw the attention of any intruder away from the Hokage.

"Relax!" Jiraiya held his hands up as he walked from behind a group of white birch trees. "I'm here to see to the stricken Tsunade." He kept a straight face, knowing that he was the reason that she was so stricken. "Ahhh. Tsunade! I've never seen you so radiant. Have you found true love at last?" He looked over at Anko, who had trailed behind him after they had given Naruto the antidote and explained things to the four shinobi. Sasuke had asked that the Frog Hermit wait to remove the effects of the love elixir.

"Yes!" Tsunade tossed her hair. "You can be as jealous as you want; it bothers me not. My heart's desire is more man than you could ever hope to be." She looked over at Shino. The boy was vehemently shaking his head.

"It's such a sweet sight!" Jiraiya laughed, seeing the look on the jounin faces. "I begin to pity her in her dotage. Imagine, seeking favors from this poor fool." He shook his finger at Shino, as if the boy had done something wrong. "I heard rumors that she fell in love with you in a slightly different form…"

"I…" Shino didn't know what to say. The word rumors had him feeling queasy. It would have been bad enough, had only the jounin witnessed what had happened here. But, if Jiraiya and Anko knew what happened, word might be all over town by morning!

"Ah well," Jiraiya said with a grand flourish. "Be as you want to be… see as you want to see…" With quick motions, he threw antidote into Tsunade's eyes as his arms swept past her face.

"Wh-Wh-What…" Tsunade blinked rapidly, shaking her head. She looked all around her, her love-crazed memories crowding in on her. "How…" She rubbed her eyes. Looking over at Shino, her mouth fell open.

"First, a crush on Kakashi…" Jiraiya put his hand over his mouth. "Ooops… that slipped out…" His eyes sparkled in the colored evening light. "Now, trying to take advantage of a poor innocent lad…"

Anko flinched when Tsunade looked over at her, wondering why she was out in the forest at this hour. The Hokage looked back at Shino, wondering why he was there as well. "It must have been a dream…"

"Really?" Jiraiya grinned. "You, what did you overhear?" He pointed at Izumo.

"Well… she said…" He swallowed, seeing the look on the Hokage's face. "'It's all mine. But, if it's mine, it's yours too!' She was talking about…" He shook his head, unable to continue.

"Hmmmm. Sounds more like a nightmare than a dream," the Frog Hermit said. "How about you?" he nodded to Kotetsu.

"I…" The jounin closed his mouth. He saw the Fifth clenching her fists.

"Go ahead," Jiraiya prompted. "We need to hear the truth of the matter."

"She… the Hokage said 'Come, give me a taste of your quality'." Kotetsu coughed. He shivered for a moment. "She also said 'I will go down on my knees, and thank Heaven for a good man's love'."

"On her knees?" Jiraiya shook his head in mock disapproval. "Tempting and corrupting a frightened innocent youth. Tragic!" He smiled, seeing the look on Tsunade's face. "What else did she say?" He looked over at Yugao.

Yugoa shook her head. "No. I don't…" She swallowed hard when Jiraiya furrowed his brow and stood with the setting sun at his back. For a moment, he looked like an Oni out of legend. "I'm sorry, Ma'am." She looked apologetically at the Hokage. "She said 'The horn, the horn, the lusty horn, is not a thing to laugh to scorn'." She repeated what she said at the Frog Hermit's insistence. He chuckled as he wrote things down on a small notepad.

"It's OK, Shino. You did nothing wrong here." Jiraiya looked over at the chuunin. "It's probably a very good time for you to head home." He smiled as the by took off, moving faster than he usually would. The jouinin all called out praise to the retreating form, saying that he had been braver than many a ninja they knew.

"But… I don't…" Tsunade bit her lip, drawing blood. "This doesn't make any sense at all!" She narrowed her eyes. "Unless you had something to do with it…" She looked over at Anko, who nodded until Jiraiya turned to look at her. "It looks like you have a lot of explaining to do." She flexed one arm, and then the other.

Elsewhere with the wooded area, a new group of travelers had arrived from the village. Ahead of them, dogs of all shapes and sizes ran and sniffed, trying to track down someone they all sought.

"This doesn't count as our night out, you know." Kakashi spoke to Kurenai, who strolled at his side.

"That's what you think," Kurenai said, watching as the hounds that Kakashi summoned did their thing.

"The dogs' behavior must mean that my daughter is indeed within this forest!" Hiashi walked along with Kurenai and Kakashi, his face a mask of anger. He had heard word that Hinata and Naruto had been spotted outside of the Great Wall of Konoha.

"Yes, but she is not the only one." Kakashi frowned. He had not wanted to be bothered by Hyuuga Hiashi again so soon. But, he couldn't refuse the man's request for his aid. Had he done so, there was no doubt that he would have used his own men to hunt for Hinata. No doubt they would find her. That was not the issue. The question was what they would do when they found her… and whoever she was with. "Pakkun!"

"I smell the girl who uses the same shampoo as me," Pakkun said. Kakashi knew that meant Sakura. "Some of the others have caught scent of Naruto. " He listened to a series of barks from different dogs. "It seems the Uchiha boy is here as well. The Hokage, too. And Jiraiya!"

"Are they all together?" Hiashi's voice grew husky. Was this some kind of conspiracy against him? If it was, they would find out that is was not wise to try and conspire against the great families!

"There's no way to know," Kakashi said, sighing. Just what had they stumbled upon? "We'll know when we come across them." He exchanged looks with Kurenai. They didn't know whether to have hope, or to run for the hills.

The barking grew louder. When they all walked into a clearing near a noisy brook, the forms of four shinobi were visible in the waning light.

"Kakashi-sensei!" That shout came from Naruto, of course. "Oh crap. Why is he here?" He was not too pleased to see Hinata's father.

"F-Father…" Hinata wondered if her father was going to force her to make her choice early.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" Hiashi ignored Hinata and Naruto. He looked over at Sasuke, who stood near Sakura. "What are you doing here? Have you come to get my daughter to see the rightness in your troth?"

"That's what brought me out here, Sir." Sasuke looked puzzled, but not unhappy. "Sakura had told me that Naruto and Hinata would be meeting here, today. So, I came to make them see reason. But…" He rubbed his neck, filled with a sense of wonder. "But, by some strange means, my desire to marry your daughter seemed to melt away faster than snow could." He looked over at Sakura. "It was like tasting a food I once hated. But, finding that I love the taste after all, I know that I will never long for something else."

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura blushed. She knew it was the potion talking; but, she couldn't help but smile anyway. She wasn't going to clue Hinata's father into that fact. Whether or not sasuke would ever care about her, his confession would effectively destroy Hyuuga Hiashi's plans.

"P-P-Preposterous!" The veins at Hiashi's temples bulged, as if he were preparing to use Byakugan. "How will that common girl help you restore the honor and dignity of your clan?"

"She won't," Sasuke said. "But, there are things that are more important than clans and honor." He shrugged. "Why should there even be clans and families, if they don't care for the people who are part of them?" Staring at Sakura's face, he spoke the next words without pain or rancor. "I always wondered how my brother could destroy a whole clan. Isn't it just as bad, to have a clan destroy a whole person?" He looked over at Hinata.

"Yeh! I know how that feels," Naruto said, reaching out to take Hinata's hand in defiance, knowing that it would piss Hiashi off. "Except it was more than a clan. It's a whole village!" He frowned. "I'll tell you something. It sucks!" He smirked a moment. "Want me to tell you what it sucks?"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata shook her head.

"This all means nothing," Hiashi said. "I'm certain Sasuke will come to his senses in time. Even if he doesn't, it's just a matter of time before I find Hinata another suitor who will serve the Hyuugas well."

"Naruto…" Kakashi spoke quickly before Naruto could say something that would get him in serious trouble. "Have you seen Jitaiya? The dogs say that he was out in this forest. The Hokage, too."

"Yeh! Ero-Sennin was out here." Naruto folded his arms over his chest. He was not going to tell anyone about the potion. "We didn't see Old Lady Tsunade, though."

"What was the Legendary Sannin up to?" Hiashi asked, suspicious. "Did he force you to change your mind, Sasuke. If he did, I will stand behind you, with the entire weight of my clan. I am certain that the other great families will do the same, if they think that the Leaf's strongest shinobi are playing unfair favorites."

"He did not force me to do anything," Sasuke answered. It was essentially true. If anything, it had been Anko who placed him under the influence of the Frog Hermit's elixir. "There is nothing he could do to threaten me that I would fear. If I can withstand the threats of Orochimaru and my brother, I have little to worry about from some who has the Leaf's best interests in mind."

"Since you came to me for help today," Kakashi said. "And, since you approached me earlier for my assistance on this entire matter…" He winked at Kurenai, without Hiashi being able to see that. "I hope you will take my council on things."

"What council?" Hiashi made a sour face. "Are you going to tell me what I should or should not do?"

"No. That would be presumptuous." Kakashi held up his hands. "It's growing late. And, it's getting dark." He send the dogs back in the direction from whence they came. "While there may be no enemy agents roaming these wood at night, this is still not the safest place to discuss matters."

"Perhaps we should all get together and talk things out tomorrow," Kurenai offered. "After everyone has a chance to sleep on things, and when we are all fresh." She looked over at Hinata and the others. "No doubt there are tales to hear." She also wondered just what Tsunade had been up to. Would the morning bring with it the knowledge that Hinata no longer had to fear her father's plans for her?

Hiashi stood still a while, his eyes going from one person to another. He sneered looking at Naruto, and looked as if he had an upset stomach when he looked at Sasuke. His glance passed over Sakura and Hinata, settling on Kakashi's face, covered as it was by his mask and tilted forehead protector.

"I certainly can't find anything to fault with your suggestion" He looked over at Hinata. "My daughter will stay with me."

"Tomorrow, then." Kakashi said.