Disclaimer: It is time! Okay guys, as you can probably already tell, I decided to break "The Date!" into parts because this last chapter was going to be massive when compared to all the others.

All that means is that you will now have 2 more parts and a quick epilogue tacked onto the end of the last one. So that's 10 chapters in total for the whole story.

So yay! You all have a good deal more story to look forward to! LOL!

Anyway, no more jokes or long-assed speeches. I own nothing, this is written solely for the love of all things powerful, heartbreaking, silly and over the top found in Naruto! Let's get right too it!

I am now pleased to present:

~The Date! (Part 1)~

Naruto checked himself over as he approached the Hyuga estate. "Okay, clothes, Check! Flower Scroll, Check! Breath-" the blond said as he then breathed into his hand. "Eh... better pop a mint to be safe."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a pack of mints, and stuck one into his mouth. "Okay," he mumbled as the candy dissolved. "Just play it cool, and all will go fine. … I'm only dating one of my best friends, and if it goes badly, I'll lose her forever as both a friend and girlfriend."

The blond laughed nervously as he choked down the rest of the mint over the lump in his throat. "Yeah, no pressure. None at all!"

With a tired sigh he tried to pat down his spiky-hair again and then exclaimed, "Alright, showtime!"

And with that, Naruto walked up to the gates of the Hyuga household.

As he neared the entrance, a guard suddenly appeared in front of the entryway. Naruto froze for a moment and stared at the man... he seemed familiar somehow.

"Halt, state your name and business," demanded the Hyuga as his eyes enlarged and his veins expanded.

Honestly, with the number of times Naruto visited over the years you'd think they'd have cut out the formalities by now. But the Hyuga clan as all about tradition, now wasn't it? "Uh- Uzumaki Naruto, I have an... appointment with Lady Hinata tonight," answered Naruto nervously.

"Hmm..." replied the guard as he's eyes returned to normal. Then with a quick nod, he walked off to the side and said, "Please, proceed."

Naruto straightened his back and held his head high as he walked toward the guard. Just as he was about to pass the man softly commented, "It would seem that you have finally returned the feelings that Lady Hinata bestowed upon you..."

Naruto froze for a moment and glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye.

"You know..." he continued with a reserved air, "during the Pain attack I ordered her not to engage him, that she would only be a hindrance..."

Naruto's fists tightened of their own accord.

"I was also the one who had whisked Hinata-sama away after you protected her from those children all those years ago," explained the man in a neutral tone.

The blond's eyes went wide for a moment and then settled into a cold glare. "I remember you, now, you're Ko."

"Hai," confirmed the man as he continued to stare straight ahead, not even glancing at Naruto as he spoke. "In her youth, I was Hinata-sama's protector."

The blond's fists began to shake as he tried his best to hold his emotions in check. He remembered this guy alright. He remembered him roughly grabbing Hinata and ordering her never to associate with him again. As Ko dragged her away, right before Naruto fell unconscious, he had seen her heartbroken tears as she tried to return to his side.

"But..." said Ko neutrally, "I believe that you did a far better job of that than I, over the years."

With that statement, the anger the blond had been holding back left him. His back straightened again as he confusedly glanced back at Ko.

"Repeatedly, I had to order her to stay away from you," stated the man as a slight grin spread across his stern face. "It was the only order of mine she ever disobeyed."

Ko then glanced at the blond and whispered, "And I'm very glad she did."

Before Naruto could say anything in response, Hanabi burst though the main doors and exclaimed, "There you are!"

She then quickly ran up and grabbed Naruto's hand. "We were wondering where you've been!"

"Come on!" she exclaimed and dragged him towards the door.

"I-oops! Sorry, Hanabi. Just a sec okay!" begged Naruto as he then stiffened and said, "Ko..."

The Hyuga turned and glanced at Naruto's back.

"You're wrong," countered the blond as he stared at Hanabi with a smile. "I wasn't her protector..."

He then turned his glowing smile toward Ko and stated, "She was mine."

And with that Naruto turned back and followed Hanabi into the compound.

"Uh... Hanabi?" questioned Naruto as the young kunoichi dragged him through the halls. "Isn't Hinata's room in the other direction?"

"Oh? And Just how would you know that Naruto?" teased Hanabi as Naruto blushed red.

"I- well I have been here before! Seriously, where are you taking me Hanabi?"

"Well Hinata nee-chan isn't ready yet," answered Hanabi with a wink as she dragged him through the second training hall, making branch and main members alike stare. "The Inseparable Kunoichi Quartet have their hooks deep in her."

"The who, what?" asked Naruto really confused.

Hanabi just merrily laughed, ducked behind him, and started pushing the boy from the back. "That's what my friends and I call nee-chan, Sakura, Tenten, and Ino. Those four really have a close friendship. They've been working all afternoon to make Hinata look perfect for your date."

"But- Hinata-chan's perfect the way she i-"

"Aww!" coed Hanabi as she came to a stop before an impressive looking door. "You two are just so cute!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Naruto as he glared at the young girl, "Hinata and I are two grown adults; we are not cute!"

The dark-haired girl simply giggled as she brushed off and straightened Naruto's leather jacket, "Please, the two of you in love is like the living embodiment of adorable. Now chin up, you want to look presentable for tou-chan."

"Wait? TOU-CHAN?!" exclaimed Naruto who was immediately frazzled just as Hanabi slid open the door and bowed. "Father, I have brought Uzumaki Naruto as you requested."

Hiashi looked up from the paperwork on his desk and said, "Ah, yes. Thank you, Hanabi. You are excused." As the man waved her off, she turned to Naruto with a quick wink, and made a hasty retreat back out the door.

"Hanabi, I don't care if you are Hinata-chan's little sis. I am so getting you back for this," thought Naruto as bullets of sweat ran down his face.

He then respectfully bowed and said, "Hiashi-sama, it is good to see you are well after your battle with the Ōtsutsuki clan's puppets."

"Indeed," answered Hiashi as he motioned for Naruto to sit in the chair in front of his desk. The blond quickly complied. "If it was not for your friend Sasuke, I do not believe I would still be alive."

"Hai," agreed Naruto readily. "He has become quite good at knowing right when he's most needed."

"Truly," said Hiashi with a nod, "but I must admit that it shall be a great length of time before I trust him again."

"Understandable," replied Naruto calmly, "Sasuke is very much aware of the effort it will take to regain the trust he has lost."

Hiashi nodded and reached for his tea.

"But he is willing to do so," insisted Naruto as the Hyuga raised the cup to his lips, "and I think that in and of itself says much."

Hiashi raised a inquisitive eyebrow at him. "You have been practicing your speech. I must admit I'm rather pleased, Kakashi-sama has taught you well."

The elder then took a sip and placed his teacup back on the table.

"But enough of this, that is not why you are here."

"No, Hiashi-sama," he answered respectfully, "I am here, to ask permission to date your daughter."

"Really?" asked Hiashi with a bit of a smirk, "And here I was under the impression that you were simply going to do so."

Naruto tried to swallow the nervous lump forming in his throat.

"It was my understanding that you were still under Lady Tsunade's care if-"

Hiashi waved his explanation away, "It's alright son, you needn't go through the trouble." And with that the Hyuga leader stiffly stood, and walked over to the window.

He stared out at the gardens for a few moments before he said, "I have had my eye on you for quite sometime, Uzumaki Naruto. And... I believe I owe you a great deal of thanks."

"I- me, sir?" questioned Naruto uncertainly.

"You saved my family... when I had nearly destroyed it," stated the stern man to the window.

"I- beg your pardon, Hiashi-sama," confessed Naruto in surprise. "I'm afraid I don't know how-"

"You cheered my daughter on when she fought Neji. It was you that gave her the support she truly needed all these years. You showed Neji that there was more to life than... this," he gestured around to the walls in disgust.

"When I was a young man, I swore I would do better than all heads that had come before me. But after I lost my brother and my wife I simply didn't have the will to fight the council any longer," admitted the man with a defeated sigh. "I always knew Hinata had it in her to be the clan head, but..."

"They convinced you otherwise," replied Naruto sadly. He knew Hinata was still deeply hurt over that.

"And throughout these last few years, I have come to the conclusion that if you could change Hinata and Neji for the better- then maybe, just maybe you might be able to do so for this broken clan as well."

"I- Hiashi-sama-"

"So my answer is yes, Naruto, you may date my daughter," declared Hiashi with an air of finality as he turned back to stared at the blond haired man. "Not just for the clan's sake though... she has loved you for more years than I can count..."

"Hai," answered Naruto bashfully with a small grin. "And before you ask, yes, Hiashi-sama. I do return it. For... the longest time, I didn't know what it was. But now that I do, I'm quite determined to never lose it."

Hiashi then activated his eyes, "You had better son, because it is not wise to test my restraint where my daughters are concerned."

"Duly noted," affirmed Naruto with a sweatdrop. "And just so you know, it's been thanks to Hinata helping me with my formal speech over the last year that I've come so far."

"Indeed?" asked Hiashi with pride, "She truly can make miracles then."

A rapid knock at the door interrupted them as a high pitched voice sang out, "Tou-chan! If you haven't killed him yet, nee-chan's ready for her date!"

Hiashi let out an irritated huff and made his way toward the door. "Hanabi! What did I tell you about speaking like that in front of guests?"

"Oh, please, tou-chan, it's just Naruto," declared Hanabi as she skirted around her father and went to grab Naruto's hand.

"Come on!" she said excitedly, "She looks amazing!" and quickly dragged him from the room.

"Hanabi! Uh- bye Hiashi-sama!" exclaimed Naruto as he let the insane young girl drag him off into the household again.

Hiashi simply watched their backs as a wisp of a grin graced his lips.

Hanabi spoke a mile a minute as she dragged Naruto off toward the girls.

"She looks incredible. I told her if she had only started dressing more fashionably she might of caught your eye quicker."

"Wait, what? Hanabi that's just-"

"We're here!" she called merrily as Sakura came through the sliding screen doors.

"About time you got here!" growled the woman brandishing her fist at him.

"Sakura, chill!" pleaded Naruto with raised hands, "I was just talking to Hiashi-sama, I was on time! Beside Hanabi said you girls weren't ready yeah."

"Okay, fine," huffed out Sakura as she turned a discerning eye upon Naruto. "Uh-huh, uh-huh," she said as she critically reviewed his outfit.

After a few moments she said, "Well Naruto, I must admit I'm impressed. You actually did a good job!"

"You don't have to sound so surprised," he grumbled in response.

"Anyway, well pulled out all the stops!" said Sakura excitedly as Ino and Tenten came out and stood in front of the sliding doors.

"You look great Naruto, don't be nervous," whispered Tenten as she muffled a laugh behind her hand.

"Not bad," said Ino critically, "It'll do. Just remember the mountains Naruto!"

"Hai," agreed Naruto nervously as he discreetly protected his crotch.

"Oh, would you give it a rest with that!" snapped Sakura in disgust as she gave Ino a smack to the back of the head. "What kind of girl do you think Hinata is? They are no where near ready for that!"

"I meant later like in a few months," explained Ino as she rubbed at the sore spot. "Not now, jeeze! And you say I'm the horny pervert."

"You are the horny pervert, Ino-pig!" yelled Sakura as she got up into Ino's face. Luckily, as usual Tenten was the voice of reason. "Girls! Girls! Calm down this is Hinata's night, remember? Truce?"

The two glared at each other for a moment and then sighed and agreed, "Truce."

"Can I see Hinata, now?" whined Naruto. He was getting really sick of all these interruptions.

"Oh! Oh yeah, duh!" exclaimed Sakura as smacked her head and quickly ducked behind Naruto and started pushing him toward the sliding doors.

"Ready, ladies?" asked Sakura as Ino and Tenten each grabbed a side. "On three!"

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

The doors dramatically slid open to reveal, an enchantress.

Hinata's long dark hair was pulled up in a loose bun with interwoven flower accents. Her dress was a short, simple cut that was a shade of dark lavender that contrasted her eyes. Around her waist was a lavender belt of a lighter shade, with a few small flora accents added that matched the ones in her hair. To cover her arms, she wore a shimmering violet shawl, the same color as her hair. Around her neck, she wore a simple amber pendant on a silver chain and on her feet, were a pair of white heels.

She looked up shyly at Naruto's eyes with a tomato red blush.

He simply stared back at her in slack-jawed wonder. Hinata was always pretty, but tonight she was freaking gorgeous!

"And... she really wants to go out with, me?" asked the little voice of uncertainty in Naruto's head.

"Well, I think we did well ladies," said Sakura as she unsuccessfully tried to hide a snort of laughter behind her hand.

"Yeah, maybe a little too well," whispered Tenten dramatically, "I think we broke him!"

"Naruto," grunted Ino as she nudged the man in the gut, "Flowers."

"Uh... what?" asked Naruto with a goofy grin as he started to snap out of his daze.

"Ugh! The flowers you moron!" hissed Ino angrily, "Give Hinata the flowers now!"

"Oh, oh yeah!" exclaimed Naruto as his brain finally kicked in. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the blue scroll. "So I got something for you, Hinata!" declared Naruto shakily as he tried to undo the seal.

It was then that Ino noticed it. "No! Naruto that's-"

But it was too late. He had already undone the seal. And with a mighty POOF! A bunch of sunflower seeds and Iris bulbs flew out into Naruto face.

He stood there for a stunned moment and blinked at Hinata before he shook the seeds out of his hair.

"Oops," said Naruto while bashfully scratching the back of his head. "That was the wrong scroll."

"Seriously, Naruto? I can't even believe the things you do sometimes!" exclaimed Sakura with a smack to her forehead.

"You idiot!" berated Ino as she slapped his shoulder, "I knew you were going to screw it up!"

Hanabi was rolling on the floor in laughter as Tenten added, "And I think you need a refresher on how to unseal things Naruto, jeeze!"

All while Hinata laughed breathlessly into her hand and smiled lovingly at him.

This made Naruto feel better, because it seemed that the only woman in the room he really wanted to impress didn't appear to be mad at him.

He pushed past the other girls and went up to Hinata. Naruto then pulled out the red scroll and unsealed it properly.

"Sorry, about that," he apologized with a blush and handed Hinata the bouquet.

"Oh!" gasped Hinata in surprise as she beheld the beautiful arrangement, "Naruto, they're beautiful. Arigato!"

"Oooo! Aww!" said Sakura and Tenten as they saw the bouquet. "Nice!" exclaimed Hanabi as well.

"And it was mostly Naruto's work," interjected Ino with an impressed air.

"Really?" asked Sakura with a disbelieving tone.

"Hai," confirmed Ino proudly, "he said the Iris reminded him of Hinata-chan..."

This made both Naruto and Hinata blush and shyly look away.

"Did- did you really say that, Naruto?" stuttered out Hinata nervously.

"I-I uh... hai," he answered in the same embarrassed manner.

Sakura snickered as she discreetly checked her watch.

"Oh, man! It's getting late," she exclaimed running up to Hinata. Sakura then took the flowers out of her hands and gave them to Hanabi while Tenten and Ino helped Hinata on with her coat.

"The girls and I will put these in water. But you two better get going!" insisted pink-haired woman as she gestured toward the door.

And with that the four kunoichi proceeded to push and shove the unlucky couple through the Hyuga household back out the main doors.

The four girls then stood in the entrance and wave the pair good-bye. "Have a great date!" "Tell us everything when you get back!" "Remember your manners!" "See you later!"

Hinata and Naruto gave each other a confused glance and shrugged. Naruto then offered Hinata his hand, that she willingly took. And the two walked off into the night.

As Ino waved good-bye, she whispered out of the side of her mouth to Sakura, "We're going to follow them, right?"

"Oh hell's yeah," was the pink-haired woman's emphatic reply.

"So..." said Naruto awkwardly as he tried to think up a conversation starter. "You uh- really do look very nice, Hinata-chan..."

Hinata turned and gave him one of her shy smiles.

Naruto then quickly back tracked thinking he had maybe said something wrong, "I-I not that you don't always look incredible I just meant-"

She let out another of her breathy laughs and replied, "It's okay, Naruto-kun. I know what you meant. Thank you for the compliment."

The blond simply blushed and croaked out, "Oh, okay, good. Good."

This just made Hinata laugh harder as she and Naruto continued their walk.

After a few moments of silence, Hinata asked with a soft cough, "So... I was wondering Naruto..."

"Yeah?"

"The first scroll you had opened... what was all that?"

"Oh, that?" he repeated with an awkward crack in his voice, "That was... just some supplies for... uh- you know a project I was thinking of starting."

"Really?" inquired Hinata with sincere interest, "were you thinking of trying to start your garden again?"

"I-" stated Naruto when he suddenly froze, "You know about my garden?" he questioned back in shock. He was pretty sure that none of his friends had known about his little hobby when he was younger. There was a secret spot near one of the lakes where he liked to try and plant flowers and herbs. But eventually some of the villagers' children had caught wind of it and well... it didn't last long.

Now it was Hinata's turn to be flustered, "I- well... I would see you from time to time go there and I um- knew how heartbreaking it was for you when those kids destroyed it. I... had hoped the plant I left at your apartment would cheer you up-"

Naruto's eyes went wide, "Whoa! Stop, rewind- you... you were the one who gave me Mr. Ukki?!" he said completely stunned.

"I had always thought Old Man Third had left that on my doorstep all those years ago," thought Naruto in amazement.

"I- well yes..." stuttered Hinata uncertainly as she played with her fingers. "I was um... nervous about whether or not it would be well received so I- um... d-didn't leave a note."

"I- oh... I see," replied Naruto as he internally thought, "That's most likely because of Sasuke-teme. Screw you and your damn fireballs! I could have befriended her a whole lot sooner if it wasn't for you!"

Hinata bashfully blushed and averted her eyes. Naruto then coughed gently into his hand to regain her attention, "I- arigato, Hinata-chan. Mr. Ukki helped me get through a lot of hard times over the years..."

Hinata's head snapped to attention at hearing that, "Oh, really? T-that's wonderful, Naruto-kun. I'm so very glad you liked it."

"I- uh yeah, so the bulbs and seeds," explained Naruto finally getting back to Hinata's original question, "I was going to plant them in this new place I found, and well I k-kinda thought it might be nice to go there and pick them together. You know, for Neji's grave."

"Oh, Naruto," whispered Hinata clearly touched, "That's so thoughtful. Of course, I would love to join you."

"Really? That's great!" exclaimed Naruto in relief. He hadn't been planning to ask her about the idea just yet, but it seemed like it had turned out well.

Naruto gripped her hand a little tighter as he felt the need to ask, "S-so you, don't think it's silly; I mean, me having a garden?"

Hinata saw the clear vulnerability apparent on the blond's face as he asked.

"Oh Naruto, of course not," she answered sincerely. "I think it's a wonderful hobby to have! I... actually love to press flowers so it's something we could both do together."

"R-really?" he questioned with a touch of insecure hope.

"Hai," confirmed the dark-haired woman as she snuggled closer to Naruto's warm body in the frigid winter air. Naruto let out a sigh of content at her closeness. So... she really didn't think it was stupid? The very thought made him smile. And he wished this feeling of inner peace would last his entire lifetime.

Meanwhile behind a discreetly hidden genjutsu'd bush, (curtsey of Kurenai-sensei) half of Konoha's ninja population waited on bated breath.

"Oh my god! The suspense is killing me!" exclaimed Ino dramatically as she tried to peer at the couple from their hiding place.

"Hai," agreed Sai as he frantically jotted down notes in his book.

"You two do realize we are just following them to make sure nothing bad happens, right?" stressed Sakura clearly annoyed. "They still deserve a little privacy!"

"Oh, please! You're just as curious as we are forehead!" snapped Ino back at Sakura.

"Watch it Ino-pig or I'm gonna-!" she growled advancing on the long-haired blond.

"Ladies, ladies!" called Choji as he got between the two in order to calm the tension. "Remember why we're here-"

"And just why are we all here exactly?" asked Tenten with a tired huff. "I think we should just let them be-"

"No way!" exclaimed Kiba as Akamaru growled menacingly next to him. "I want to know if he starts making any dirty moves on Hinata. She's not ready for that kind of level yet!"

"Hai," agreed Shino in the shadows, "She is our most valued teammate and friend. It is because of this that- "

"Hey, now!" interrupted Lee hotheadedly. "That is most unfair of you to automatically judge Naruto's intentions to be impure! They are both simply enjoying their springtime of youth and-"

"Oh dear god, if I have to hear about the 'springtime of youth' one more time I'm going to send you flying leotard boy," grumbled Temari as she tried to hold off a headache. "Damn it Shikamaru, why did you have to be bring me here?"

"Me?!" asked Shikamaru incredulously, "You're the one who insisted I bring you to this troublesome thing!"

"Would all of you kids please can it," mumbled Kakashi next to Sai. "We can't make out anything because of all your insensate whining!"

"They are currently not speaking of anything of great importance," stated Shino with complete certainty. "How do I know this? That is because-"

"Shino bugged Hinata before she left," laughed Kiba as he cut off the Bug-user for the millionth time.

"WHAT?!" yelled both Ino and Sakura as they pounced upon Shino demanding to know what the hell was going on.

"Uh... Kakashi?" asked Kurenai as she sweatdropped at the scene. "Shouldn't we do something to break this get-together up?"

"Hell's no," replied the peeping hokage, "Gai and I have too much riding on this! I'm not letting him get ahead of me in our Rivalry Battle just because Naruto doesn't know what to do with his dick."

"Uh... okay," Kurenai answered uncertainly as her sweatdrop simply doubled in size.

Naruto and Hinata then walked by one of Konoha's waterfalls.

"Oh! Would you look at that!" gasped Hinata as she took in the sight. The entire thing appeared to be frozen solid, do to the deep freeze the night before. A few spotlights that had been installed lit up the crystallize fixture with dazzling colors to make quite the enchanting scene.

"Yeah, it sure is..." whispered Naruto not even paying attention to the display. His eyes were far more entranced by Hinata herself.

"You know what?" she questioned with a breathless gasp. "Come on."

Hinata pulled on Naruto's hand and brought him to the edge of the ice. She giggled for a moment and then reached down to take off her shoes.

"Hinata! What on earth are you doing? You could get frostbite!" exclaimed Naruto as he snapped out of his daze.

"Oh hush," she scolded while gliding out across the ice. "I've done this tons of times before. My chakra will keep that from happening."

"Now come on," Hinata encouraged with a breathless tone, "trust me."

"Always," sighed Naruto as he then readily followed her lead.

"Okay, so this is just like walking on water," she explained excitedly. "Except instead of exerting chakra to keep yourself up, you use it to propel yourself forward."

"Uh... Hinata," confessed Naruto nervously. "Even after all these years... I honestly don't think my control's good enough to do something this precise on the fly."

"Oh, it's okay," she said confidently, "I've done this a couple of times with Kiba and Shino. All you have to do is use the same amount you usually would to walk on water and I'll push us both until you get the hang of it."

"A-Alright," stuttered Naruto as he awkwardly placed one hand on Hinata's hip and the other in her right hand. "Is this okay?"

It was at that moment, Hinata suddenly realized just how bold she was acting and where precisely Naruto had placed his hands.

"H-Hai," she answered back just as nervously, a crimson blush once again adoring her face. And with a deep breath, Hinata drew together all her courage and pushed off.

The two started out slow, but it wasn't very long until Naruto started to feel secure. They spun and twirled around, laughing merrily as they went. Naruto slipped and fell a few times, but with a lighthearted laugh Hinata would help him back onto his feet and the pair would start up gain. Across the ice covered river they swirled and glided under the twinkling lights of the night sky. The brisk winter air transformed their warm breath into ethereal trails of mist that dance along with them across the illuminated ice. Faster and faster they both went until finally Naruto's spectacular wipeout took Hinata down as well. The two laughed and brushed the frost and dirt out of each others hair.

Naruto then dusted off his pants and offered her a hand up. She gladly took it. Hinata stared loving into Naruto's eyes for a breathless minute as she regained her footing. The pair then stood there, staring at one another. Both rather unsure of how to proceed.

"So..." said Naruto bashfully after awhile.

"Ah- well-" they then awkwardly said at the same time. The couple snickered at their antics and turned toward the waterfall.

"You know," confessed Hinata as she stared at the frozen wonder, "I've always loved waterfalls. In fact, not long after we learned to walk on water, I used to dance across the surface and manipulate the particles to increase my chakra control."

"Oh, oh really?" croaked Naruto as felt a little blood seep from his nose as he once again pictured Hinata naked. He quickly reached up and pinched it, desperately trying to stop the flow.

Hinata turned and raised a curious eyebrow at his reaction, "Naruto-kun? What's wrong? A-are you alright?"

"W-What?! Oh yeah. Fine, totally fine," he frantically nodded and waved off her concern.

She frowned a bit, wondering what had gotten him so worked up. But after a moment she shrugged it off and turned back toward waterfall.

Naruto let out a sigh of complete and utter relief.

"Crises averted," thought Naruto as he once regained control over his stupid hormones.

"You know... seeing this place reminds me a little bit of that lake we camped out next to on the moon..." whispered Hinata in remembrance.

"You mean the one with those glowing butterflies?" asked Naruto. "Yeah... I guess it was pretty, but I was kinda distracted at the time so I really hadn't noticed."

Naruto looked pointedly at Hinata when he said this, making her blush bashfully in return.

"I kinda wish I had collected a few of them," admitted Hinata sadly. "Shino would have loved them."

It was then that Naruto noticed something small resting on Hinata's shoulder.

"Huh, that's odd," said Naruto as he pointed at the tiny creature. "Speaking of bugs, there's one on your shoulder. I would have thought it'd be way too cold for it out here."

"What?" asked Hinata startled. She then glanced down at her tiny companion.

"Oh no," the dark-haired woman groaned once she got a good look. "It's a ladybug."

"Really? What's wrong with that?" questioned Naruto as Hinata coaxed the insect to crawl onto the tip of her finger.

"Shino is the problem, this is one of his bugs," she grumbled clearly annoyed.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Naruto as he reared back in shock. "How can you tell?"

"Because it's the kind he always uses to track me on missions," explained Hinata as she stared at the little lady.

"Well... at least that proves Shino has a little bit taste. I think it suits you quite well," confessed Naruto as he moved closer to Hinata's side.

"I suppose..." she said, glaring one last time at the insect, "Now Naruto, make a wish."

"Oh, I've got the perfect one," cackled Naruto menacingly. "Buzz off!"

And with that the two blew on the offending bug and it flew away.

"I have failed," declared Shino as he dejectedly stood away from the rest of the group with dark shame lines coming off of him.

"Aw... don't be like that buddy," comforted Kiba with a sweatdrop. "At least you tried." Akamaru barked in agreement as well.

"Now, what do we do?" inquired Ino with a sigh of defeat as Sai closed his notebook with a sharp snap.

"Simple," answered the dark-haired man confidently. "We just reconvene at the barbeque restaurant where I have already set up surveillance equipment at their reserved table."

"SAI!" gasped Ino dramatically and kissed him full on the mouth. "You're a genius as well as an amazing lover! Come on everybody, it's stalking time!"

"Ugh..." groaned Sakura as she ran to keep up with the rest of the group. "Why do I get the feeling we're going to end up causing more problems than preventing tonight?"

"Because you most likely are," a snide voice answered from the tree next to her.

"No one," growled Sakura as she punched it with all her might, "asked you!"

The unsuspecting tree burst into splinters and snow as Sasuke toppled out and fell flat on his face.

"And you say I have anger issues!" growled the last Uchiha angrily at the medical ninja's quickly retreating back.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Well there's Part 1 for you folks! There were so many great moments and with all the others I still have planned I felt posting the whole thing as one chapter would have been way too much. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it. I'm actually quite proud of these romantic scenes. I think they turned out well.

Part 2 coming soon coming next Friday!

Please remember to read, fav, and review!