A/N

I should probably warn you...things get a little steamy up ahead. Not a lemon, or anything like that...but still...you're welcome. :D

I don't know if this warrants rating it M or anything...but still. Maybe rate it upper T? I don't even...

Enjoy! :D

Chapter 5

Naruto left his clones to do the paper work. Honestly, he had more important things to be doing. He'd just leave the running of the village to...himself. That couldn't really be deemed irresponsible, could it? Besides, it was much safer this way. For him. Shikamaru would totally buy that reason; he took his job way too seriously anyway.

Naruto snorted. Safety Shmafety. He could take care of himself.

Naruto stopped in the final tree, looking down into the clearing. Sure enough, Hinata was there, in the furthest training ground from the village proper, training.

Naruto grinned to himself. Found her first try.

Hinata was beating the living shit out of a training post. Just then, the post was crushed in the middle, her next strike to the top of the post sent the entire upper half flying backwards. The force of the chakra released from her palm sent it flying over 10 feet.

He jumped down from the tree, landing in the ground.

"Hey, Hinata!"

To his surprise, she didn't jump or squeak, but calmly turned to face him. That's when he saw that her Byakugan was on. No wonder she hadn't jumped; she'd seen him coming.

She bowed. "Naruto-sama."

He winced. "Hinata, I absolutely forbid you from calling me anything other than Naruto or Naruto-kun while I'm not wearing my coat."

Hinata opened her mouth.

He didn't let her speak. "Seriously, I won't allow it."

Hinata frowned, then slowly smiled. "Very well, Naruto-kun."

He grinned, that was better. "Training already? I thought I told you to take the day off."

Hinata looked down. "The kidnapping made it clear to me that I am nowhere near as strong as I wish to be."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Hinata was the only one who seemed to think she was still weak. Even her father, who was normally straightforward and blunt, watched his mouth around her these days, wary of provoking her.

"It was eight against one, Hinata. You did amazing, way better than anyone could possibly expect of you." Naruto said.

"Maybe better than others would expect. But I don't believe in realistic expectations for myself...I'm sure you can understand that." Hinata said stubbornly.

Naruto frowned; she had a point. It's not like he'd stopped training, either.

"Well if I can't stop you from training...maybe I can convince you to train me instead."

"T-train you?" Hinata stuttered in surprise. "What could I possibly teach you?" Then she stared in surprise. Was Naruto blushing?

He scratched his neck. "Errr...well... I heard there was going to be a dance tonight at the celebration. And I don't really know how to dance..." He chuckled sheepishly. "I never had a reason to learn, before."

Hinata blushed crimson when she realized what he meant. That he hadn't had a reason before her.

"I-I'd love to teach you, Naruto-kun." Hinata hold him, then paused. "I should probably take a shower first though..." She was sure she smelled like sweat and dirt.

"Why don't you just come over to my apartment. You can shower, and then teach me there. And it's much closer than the Hyuuga compound." Naruto said, trying to sound reasonable, while blushing.

Hinata tried very hard not to faint. First he wanted her to teach him how to dance, and then he was inviting her over to his place? Where they would be alone? She focused on taking deep breaths.

"O-Okay."

xxxx

Hinata had taken a very hot shower. Hopefully it would excuse the almost permanent blush on her face.

"It's...so clean." She said, looking around his apartment again.

Naruto laughed. "You should have seen it when I was twelve. Place was a total mess. But then I got shadow clones, and suddenly, keeping the place clean got really easy." He didn't mention that he'd had several clean it this very morning, after he got the idea to ask Hinata to teach him to dance.

Hinata smiled hesitantly. Shadow clones could certainly be useful.

Naruto's apartment was small...but it wasn't pitiful either. The walls were decorated with a large collection of pictures; his genin team, Naruto laughing with Ayame and Teuchi at Ichiraku's, the Third Hokage. There was even one of his parents, laughing, their hands on Kushina's very pregnant belly.

There was a rather spacious living room, a small kitchen, one bedroom and one bath. Windows covered one of the walls of the living room, rewarding the room with an abundance of sunlight, which naturally made the place feel warmer, happier.

One thing had changed however; Hinata noticed that all of Naruto's furniture in the living room had disappeared. When she asked him about it, he pointed to the kitchen counter, where four scrolls lay on the tabletop.

"I sealed them up, to give us more room." He said, scratching his neck.

"Oh. Perfect." She said.

She moved towards him.

Naruto was starting to look really nervous. "I-I've never done anything like this before, so I'll probably be really horrible and..."

He stopped as Hinata placed her pointer finger on his lips. "You'll do great." She told him, looking into his eyes to assure him.

Prompted by some unknown instinct, Naruto kissed her finger.

Hinata jumped back, as if burned.

"Sorry." He said quickly. His heart dropped. Why did he always have to mess thing up?

"No, it's okay." Hinata told him, moving closer again, smiling slightly.

Blushing, she put her left hand on his shoulder. She held out her right hand, and he took it in his left, blushing as he did so. He put his other hand on her waist, and Hinata was slightly relieved. At least he knew that much.

Naruto looked at her again, blue eyes nervous.

"Just relax, and do what I do. We'll start easy, and you'll be a natural, I promise."

Slowly, they started to dance, Hinata gently pulling him back. Then she pulled him right, then pushed him forwards, then back left to where they started.

Hinata was unable to keep the smile off her face as they danced. Her finger still burned, and she could swear that she could still feel his lips against her skin.

xxxx

"Well... I guess I'll see you later." Naruto said, leaning against the door.

"Yeah." Hinata said, tucking a slightly sweaty strand of hair behind her ear.

"Thank you, by the way. For teaching me."

"Don't mention it. I..I enjoyed myself." Hinata said, standing awkwardly outside his door.

"Me too. Well...bye."

"Bye." Hinata said, turning and walking off.

Gods, but she didn't want to leave. She really did have a few errands to run, then she had to eat dinner, then she had to get dressed, so she really did have to go. But she hadn't wanted to leave. Not when being with Naruto made her so happy, gave her an emotional high, a high she couldn't get anywhere else.

Naruto frowned too, and didn't close the door till she was around the corner.

A few memories from a shadow clone filtered into his thoughts, and his frown deepened. He made a couple shadow clones, which promptly exited through his open window.

xxxx

Naruto checked his reflection one last time in the mirror. He was wearing a black dress shirt, black dress pants, a black belt, and his Hokage coat. He ran a hand through his hair, then tried to decide if it looked any better afterwards. Then he shrugged. Oh well, at least my tie is cool. It was diagonally striped black, silver, and a blue that made his eyes really stand out in the mirror.

He thought he looked pretty damn good, but then again, what did he know?

He grabbed his keys, shoving them in his pocket, and had to mentally restrain himself from reaching back for his kunai pouch. It felt so weird, leaving his house without the thing. But whatever.

He walked purposefully out his door, listening for the door to close. When it slammed shut, he took a deep breath, and forced himself into action.

Hopefully he could catch Hinata still at her house.

xxxx

Hinata stared at herself in the mirror, butterflies churning in her stomach. She didn't look perfect... but she looked okay. It would have to do, because she really needed to leave. But she couldn't seem to lift her feet from where they were glued to the floor.

It was true that when she was with Naruto, she never wanted to leave. But it was also true that she was still nervous around him, and now she was quite scared of his reaction. She didn't usually dress like this, and in her dress she felt...vulnerable. If Naruto had anything less than the perfect reaction...she would probably fall to pieces.

So she couldn't seem to make herself move.

Just then, Hanabi burst into her room, wearing a backless red dress that looped around her neck.

"Come on Sis-" She broke off, staring at Hinata.

Hinata was wearing a shimmering violet dress that looked like silk. It clung to her body, outlining every curve and every smooth muscle. It ended above her knees, since Hinata didn't think she could keep from feinting in anything shorter.

"Oh my god, Sis. You look drop-dead gorgeous!" She exclaimed. "Are you trying to give Naruto-sensei a heart attack?"

Hinata was about to respond, but Hanabi cut her off. "Well, it doesn't matter, we need to go!" She said, grabbing Hinata's arm and dragging her out the door, ignoring Hinata's weak protest.

xxxx

"S-slow down!" Hinata giggled for the third time, as Hanabi pulled her through the corridor.

Hinata wasn't nearly as graceful in heels as she normally was. If Hanabi kept up this speed they'd probably both crash into a wall. Although, as the butterflies vanished from her stomach, Hinata found herself not caring as much as she probably should.

Hanabi dragged her out of the compound, with a brief, and very informal, "Hey!" to the guard at the gate.

Hinata noticed three guys leaning against the wall, and she and Hanabi tottered to a halt. Hinata stared for a moment, before a wall of Hanabi's silky hair obscured her vision.

"God, we Hyuuga girls are so lucky!" Hanabi whispered in her ear, covering it with her hand to make sure Naruto and Ken didn't hear. "How'd I manage to get in a team with the two hottest chunin in Konoha?"

Hanabi whirled back around, and left her sister in the dust as she went to join her teammates.

Ken and Ryuu leaned off the wall, moving to join her as she walked past, ignoring Naruto-sensei, who probably wouldn't have noticed her anyway.

The two Chunin appeared to have picked up some of their Sensei's tastes; both of them were wearing all black. Ken's tie was a deep red that perfectly matched Hanabi's dress, which made her smile. It looked good on him too; made him look more confident, more there. Ryuu was wearing a dark green and silver tie, that made his deep green eyes jump out at her in a way that almost made her stumble.

Hanabi noticed as they drew up beside her that their dress pants and shoes looked almost identical. She spent a brief moment to wonder if they had gone shopping together. For some reason, that image made her blush, and she wished she could have been there to see that. Either to laugh her ass off, or to rush to the bathroom for paper towels to stop her nosebleed.

She reached up slightly to put an arm around each of their shoulders, once again thanking her luck for the best team a girl could ask for.

She smiled widely. "Shall we?"

xxxx

Naruto didn't seem to be able to move. On the porch of the house to the side of the street, several lanterns swayed lightly in the breeze. The light from the lanterns cast across Hinata's dress, making it shimmer even more than normal.

Naruto found himself completely mesmerized as she walked forward slowly, the slow roll of her hips drawing his eyes and keeping them there.

An idle part of his mind noted that this would be the perfect time for an assassination. Or maybe it was just the Kyuubi.

She smiled slightly, and Naruto was shocked back into awareness in time to realize that she had walked up to him, where he had yet to leave the wall.

He cleared his throat, feeling as if his heart was in his throat. He leaned forward off the wall to take the couple steps that put him right in front of her.

Hinata tried not to faint as he neared her, unable to keep her eyes off him. His tie made his eyes stand out in a way that she couldn't believe, and she couldn't stop herself from staring into them.

"You look...amazing." He told her, his voice slightly hoarse in a way that made her shiver. He wanted her, and she knew it.

Unable to stop himself, Naruto lightly took her hand in his, bringing it up to his mouth to plant a kiss on the back of her hand. Feeling slightly more in control, he brought it back down to his side, and forced himself to turn away.

Hinata's heart swelled in her chest, the back of her hand on fire.

He cleared his throat again. "Shall we?" He asked, his voice more normal, flashing a quick grin in her direction.

"Definitely." She told him, feeling as light on her feet as she always did around Naruto. She smiled at him, and they began to walk, hand in hand.

xxxx

It was a large building, a huge open space, with hardwood floors. Several large round tables were gathered near the entrance, with a bar on the left side. On the right, several tables had been stood up, loaded with punch and food of all kinds.

Behind the tables there was a large open area, behind which there was a small stage, where the band was setting up. On either side of the stage, hallways led towards respective restrooms, and presumably had emergency exits.

Naruto's shinobi training had him mapping out the entire building in less than a couple seconds.

Conversation slowly dwindled down as people realized that the Hokage had entered, and was staring at the crowd.

Naruto's first thought was that this was supposed to be a party for people he knew.

Then, as he looked around, he realized that he did know everyone there.

In a corner at the back, Gaara was standing with his two students in front of him. Off to the side, Temari and Kankuro stood, talking to Baki. Naruto noticed idly that Kankuro wasn't wearing his normal makeup, just black kohl around his eyes.

Off to the side, at the bar, Tsunade and Shizune sat next to Sakura and Ino, Tsunade already tossing back sake.

Sasuke and Sai sat in the corner with Juugo, discussing something quietly. Naruto could guess what they were talking about.

The rest of the Konoha 13 sat at a round table, now looking at Naruto.

Naruto's chunin and Hinata's genin sat at a nearby table, probably discussing how insane Lee was.

Speaking of Lee, his sensei was sitting across from Kakashi, challenging the scarecrow to a blackjack competition.

Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi stood to the side, and Akatsuchi appeared to already be eating from the bar. Kurotsuchi was scowling, appearing to be a split second away from pulverizing something.

The young swordsman from the mist, whose name Naruto couldn't remember, was talking to Suigetsu, while Karin stood awkwardly beside him.

To his immediate left, Darui stood, chewing on a senbon, talking to Genma and Iruka.

Scattered throughout the rest of the room were various other Konoha and allied shinobi who Naruto had gotten to know well in recent years.

Damn. He had forgotten how popular he was.

The conversation had mostly ceased, and people were started to bow to him.

He held up a hand, "Stop! Stop that!" He let go of Hinata's hand, the immediate flash of disappointment making him grin as he took off his coat, tossing it over a chair next to Kiba.

"You must not know me very well." He told the room. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I don't care much for formalities. Let's start the party already!"

The assembled shinobi laughed and cheered, and the musicians stroke up a song, immediately causing Naruto to start bobbing his head with the music.

He stretched his hand out to Hinata. "Wanna dance?" He asked, grinning, completely disregarding the fact that most of the room was still looking at them.

She blushed and took his hand, and Naruto led her out onto the dance floor.

xxxx

"This is such a drag." Ino said.

Chouji wondered idly if she realized she was using one of Shikamaru's favorite sayings.

"Neither Naruto nor Hinata have said anything to us this entire time." She complained, watching them dance, smiles on their faces.

Sakura had her eyes on the corner where Sasuke was still in deep discussion. "They haven't said much to anyone else either, so don't feel too slighted." She wanted to walk over, and sit next to Sasuke, to talk with him. But something in the intensity of his gaze told her it wasn't the right time.

"Who even knew Naruto could dance?" Ino asked.

"Honestly, nothing Naruto does could surprise me anymore." Sakura said, her eyes flashing briefly to where Naruto was spinning Hinata in a circle.

"And I don't even get to dance." Ino said crossly, flicking her gaze at Kiba, then folding her arms over her chest.

"Oh, shut up. It's not like any of us are dancing either." Sakura said, exasperated.

Chouji watched, a smirk on his face, as Sakura got up to get some space. Ino's dramatics used to irritate him, but over time it had just become amusing.

xxxx

Hinata felt like she was the inexperienced dancer, now. Naruto was, as she had expected, a natural. And he improvised, a huge smile on his face, not caring if he didn't really know what he was doing. He just moved with the music, forcing Hinata to go along with him.

And she was having trouble concentrating. She had thought he had looked good earlier, but when he took his coat off it had gotten even better. A few of his golden locks were framed perfectly against his black collar, and more than anything she wanted to run her hands through them.

"I...I meant...to tell you...earlier." She gasped, still dancing. She swallowed, "You...you look amazing too."

Naruto's grin grew to a full-blown smile right as the music sped up. They danced faster and faster, Naruto spinning them around as the song built towards its climax.

Hinata was starting to get dizzy when the song finally ended on a single resounding note, and Naruto picked her up and spun her around, causing her to blush and giggle. And then, because she was so happy, she leaned down and put her hands on his face and kissed him.

The shock of the heat of his mouth on hers brought her out of her daze, and she drew back to apologize, but Naruto silenced her by closing his mouth over hers again.

Hinata was shocked at first, but then she kissed back, sliding her hands around to the back of his neck, sliding her hands through the hair on the back of his neck like she had wanted to all night. She moaned slightly, and wrapped her legs around his lower back, pulling him closer, angling her face to deepen the kiss even better.

Naruto slid his hands down to underneath her thighs, in order to hold her better, and Hinata moaned as his hands slid across her body.

Naruto felt as if his whole body was vibrating. When Hinata moaned softly against his mouth, it drove him crazy. He wanted to drop her on the floor and kiss her again and again and then...he didn't know what. Well, he did know, but it's not like they could do that here. Or anywhere really. Unless she wanted him to...and then even if she wanted him to..

He broke those dangerous thoughts off, and decided to end the kiss before he did something stupid. They were in the middle of a crowded room, anyway. Hinata moaned softly in disappointment as he drew his head back, but she didn't follow.

He set her down gently, and she slowly met his eyes, her eyes slowly focusing, a slight blush on her cheeks. Suddenly she seemed to realize what they had been doing, and where they were, and she blushed even deeper, jumping forward to bury her head in his chest.

Naruto laughed, staggering backwards. She mumbled something into his chest.

"What was that?" He asked, blushing slightly, wrapping his arms gently around her.

"Are they staring at us?" She repeated, muffled. Naruto's keen hearing could barely make out the words.

He looked up, and saw that, in fact, half the room was staring at them.

"Nah. They're too busy grinding on each other." He told her, laughing gently.

"Liar." She mumbled.

"Wanna go get some punch?" Naruto asked.

She nodded against his chest, and pulled back. He took her hand and led her over to the punch bowl, well aware that she stared at the floor the entire way, a deep blush on her cheeks.

xxxx

Naruto rolled up his sleeves, aware of a presence approaching behind him.

"Hey, Sasuke." He said, turning around from where he'd been standing with Hinata.

"Yo." Sasuke said, his eyes dark. "I'll take the job."

"I knew you would." Naruto said warmly. "Come to my office tommorow morning. 7 am. Bring Sai."

Sasuke gave a sharp, short nod, and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Sasuke?" Naruto asked. Sasuke turned around slightly. "I know I've given you a lot to think about...but you should ask Sakura to dance."

Sasuke opened his mouth to tell Naruto that he didn't need dating advice, especially from Naruto, but the blonde interrupted him. "Before she kills you." He clarified.

Sasuke closed his mouth. Then opened it again. Then smiled. "Perhaps I should." He walked away.

xxxx

Ino sighed loudly. She cut her eyes over to where Kiba was sitting, apparently determined not to look at her. Chouji was still sitting across from her, still eating with his steady pace.

"I wish someone would ask me to dance." She said, staring purposefully at Kiba. Honestly, if he didn't get the hint soon... she didn't know what she'd do. Find someone else to dance with I guess...

Kiba scowled, turning to look at her. "Look, I don't know how to dance, okay?" He said, his neck red, turning back around to pet Akamaru, who whined.

Ino sighed again. "I mean, even Shikamaru's dancing...with that Sand chick. I bet you Shikamaru doesn't know how to dance either..." She said to Chouji.

"I don't want to hear anything else about Shikamaru." Kiba said coldly, still not looking at her.

Ino smirked. Jealous much? She got up slowly, stealthily, using her kunoichi training to keep from making even the slightest noise. She crept up to him slowly, being sure not to make any sound over the music.

Kiba smirked, his head turned away from her. Did she think she was being sneaky? Even if he couldn't hear her, he would always be able to smell her. And her strong scent was unmistakably drawing near.

Ino was always easy to smell. She smelled like her family's flower shop; a mix of different flowers that made him want to breathe deeply like he was taking a breath before diving into a lake.

But he didn't; he didn't want to let her know that he knew she was sneaking up on him. If she tried to scare him or something, the joke would be on her.

Ino leaned down behind him carefully, until her mouth was right next to his ear.

"I know you can't resist me, Kiba." She whispered softly into his ear.

Kiba, while drunk, had once made the mistake of telling them all that out of all of them, Ino smelled the best.

Kiba shivered, Ino's warm breath tickling his ear. Akamaru's tail was wagging furiously on the floor; giving Ino the courage to do what she did next.

She grabbed his chair, and spun it around, to make him face her. She leaned across him, to whisper in his other ear.

Kiba stayed frozen as Ino's neck and collarbone were exposed to him, dragging across his vision. Ino's scent washed over him, and suddenly he couldn't resist anymore. His head darted forward, and he buried a kiss on Ino's collarbone, making sure not to expose his fangs, and inhaled deeply.

Ino moaned softly as his hot lips pressed on her collarbone, sending shivers down her body. Her legs were starting to give out, so she collapsed on to Kiba's lap, straddling him, forgetting all about what she had been about to whisper.

He brought his head up, and she bent hers forward to meet him in a fiery kiss. Ino parted his lips with her tongue, sliding it inside his mouth to curl curiously around one of his long fangs.

Kiba moaned huskily against her mouth, and the sound made Ino press even closer, as close as she could possibly get.

Suddenly, the chair tilted, and Ino withdrew her face quickly as the chair fell over backwards. By some miracle, she managed to keep from cracking their skulls together. She stayed on the ground, frozen for a second, with Kiba underneath her until a sound startled her.

Apparently Chouji had choked on something, and was now coughing furiously. Kiba started laughing underneath her, his chest vibrating against hers, and she found herself joining in until they had both ran out of laughter. Still smiling, she kicked the chair away from them, before crawling forward slightly to plant another, less passionate, kiss on Kiba's lips.

She grabbed his hand, and stood, dragging him to his feet.

"Come on, dog boy, we're dancing." She ordered.

Kiba, by some miracle, didn't even protest, allowing himself to be led out onto the floor.

Chouji sat in his seat, absolutely dumbfounded. Did he know a single normal person? He shrugged, and got up for more barbecue.

xxxx

No sooner had Sasuke walked away than Naruto felt an even stronger presence approaching.

"Hey, Gaara." He said.

"Naruto." The redhead replied evenly. "Congratulations on finally achieving your dream." His mouth twitched upwards slightly, in what amounted to a smile from Gaara. "I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise." Naruto grinned.

"Normally the Kage do not enter another village unless they receive an invitation. I would therefore like to extend a permanent invitation. While I am Kazekage, you will always be welcome in Suna, whatever the reason."

Naruto smiled. "Thank you. I'd like to offer you a similar invitation. You will always be welcome in Konoha...but if you could warn me before you pop in that would be nice. And I will try to do the same for you."

Gaara's mouth twitched again, then he bowed slightly. "Thank you. Congratulations again, Naruto."

"Thanks."

Gaara walked away, and as someone else approached, Naruto leaned over to whisper in Hinata's ear.

"If everyone in this room comes to congratulate me, this is going to be a seriously long night."

Hinata smiled.

xxxx

"Thanks for your patience, Hinata. I know that was exhausting." Naruto said, holding the door open for her.

Finally, the long line of people waiting to talk to him had ended, and they had managed to escape.

"No...I enjoyed it." Hinata told him.

Naruto laughed. "Well I thought it was exhausting." He took her hand, and started walking beside her.

Hinata tried to hide her happiness, but she couldn't keep the small smile off her face.

Almost against her will, her mouth moved, "You don't have to walk me home, Naruto-sama."

Naruto scowled at her, and she felt the need to point out that he was, in fact, wearing his coat.

"Fine. I forbid you from calling me Naruto-sama when we're alone, as well." Naruto said.

Hinata smiled slightly, and she bumped him with their clasped hands.

"I know I don't have to walk you home." Naruto told her, slightly disgruntled. "But I want to, okay?"

A full smile bloomed across her face, "Okay." She said, laughing slightly.

Before she even knew what had happened, they had arrived at the Hyuuga compound. Hinata turned to Naruto, and before he could react, she leaned up and kissed him.

She drew back, but Naruto followed again, this time pressing her against him, trapping her in a deeper kiss.

The guard at the gate cleared his throat, and the two separated, Hinata laughing softly.

"I'll see you tommorow, Naruto-kun." She told him, and retreated, turning back to wave at him after entering the gates.

Then she was gone, and Naruto was left staring after her in the road.

He shook his head, clearing his mind, and dashed back to his apartment. Then he took a long, hot shower, trying to clear the memory of her lips on his from his mind.

He needed his sleep, after all. Tommorow was just around the corner, and he needed as much sleep as possible.

Tommorow was going to be a hell of a day, he could already tell.

A/N

Man, that was so fun to write. I felt like Jiraiya, giggling like a little girl while I wrote the chapter.

Is it just me, or do Kiba and Ino make a hilarious couple? I randomly became a fan of that pairing while writing the last chapter, when I just randomly realized:

Hey! Kiba and Ino would make a perfect couple!

From there it was history.

I have full, unconditional love for people who write me reviews. Not that I'm hinting at anything.

~protossfire