Shikamaru was at his wits end. Things had been going downhill ever since the chunin exams blew up in everyone's face. Why Sakura had to wake him up for that mess was beyond him. Being made a chunin straight after wasn't supposed to happen either. Shikamaru didn't want the added responsibility, or the workload. But here he was, silly flak jacket and all, regretting ever becoming a shinobi in the first place. The mission to retrieve Sasuke had been, for a lack of a better word, a disaster. For his first mission in charge, it was also a giant stain on his record. No one blamed him. They all made that very clear. But it didn't matter. He had failed, and he knew it. He had failed his friends, his village, his Kage, his rank. For Shikamaru, that was enough to make him question himself. Perhaps if he had trained more, not slacked off so much in class, actually pushed himself to be the best he could be… maybe he could have avoided all of this.

He supposed none of that mattered now. What was done was done. There was no changing the past, only preparing for the future. Hence his newfound dilemma. Shikamaru wasn't sure if he could trust himself anymore. He knew now how much could go wrong, how much he could lose if even a single move was made incorrectly. Even if he started now, there was no guarantee that he could improve himself enough to ensure nothing like that happened again. No guarantee that he could think ahead of everything and keep everyone safe. No one had died this time, thankfully. Not that it brought much comfort. It had come too close for that. Too many of his friends had barely scraped by in their survival. Had it not been for Temari, Shikamaru knew he would have died. And Naruto…

The Nara had felt sick once he read the medical reports. He wasn't a fool. He knew there was information redacted from Naruto's charts. Figuring out Naruto was the nine-tails jinchuuriki had been an easy enough puzzle, as was understanding why it was being kept a secret. He never uttered his discovery to anyone, not even to Ino once she developed a strange obsession with the boy. Shikamaru didn't care what Naruto was. Naruto was his friend, and that was all that mattered. That fact alone had made what he read so much worse. Naruto had nearly died trying to bring Sasuke back. He should have died. No one could have survived those injuries by any normal means. Just imagining a fist sized hole through Naruto's chest had made Shikamaru physically ill. And for what? For a pompous Uchiha who didn't even want to be saved. How would he have faced Ino if Naruto had died under his command?

"…It's like he doesn't even realise how infuriating he's being. Every time I think he's going to ask me out, he just says something sweet and leaves it at that. And every time I try to tell him I like him, he's oblivious," Ino complained. "Are you even listening, Shikamaru?"

"Huh?"

"Argh! Why are all you boys the same?" Ino said.

Shikamaru groaned. He hadn't even kept track of how many times Ino had hunted him down for the sole purpose of whinging and complaining to him. It was like she expected him to miraculously come up with the answer to all her problems. Which he had, and she had completely ignored. For nearly two weeks this had been going on, and it didn't stop there. Naruto was also to blame for the headache. The rambunctious boy had come to Shikamaru, albeit with far more courtesy and manners, to ask for help in how to confess his feelings for Ino. He too, had not listened to the advice given. That both of the annoying blonds had come to him for the same thing was far too troublesome for a singular Nara. Even his father had turned tail and ran away when Shikamaru tried to ask him how to help the situation. Relationships were not a logical problem that could simply be solves it seemed, and he was stuck in the middle of it.

"I've already told you. Naruto likes you. Just spell it out to him clear as day that you like him too and everything will be fine," Shikamaru said. He was starting to feel like a broken record.

"But how do you know that?" Ino asked incredulously.

"Call it a hunch," he said. For obvious reasons he wasn't going to just tell Ino that Naruto had come to him for advice as well. The less he meddled, the better in his opinion. Besides, if he admitted that, then who knows how long Ino would stick around grilling him for every piece of information he had. It wasn't worth the trouble.

Ino pouted. "I can't work with a hunch," she said. "I need to be sure, Shika. What if I ask him, and he says no?"

'He won't' the Nara thought.

"And what if he doesn't like me the way I like him?"

'He does."

"I don't want to wreck what we have; you know."

'You won't."

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Ino. Trust me, the only wrong move you can make here, is no move at all," he said. "Now, do you really like him? Truly?"

Ino blushed and nodded. "Yes," she answered meekly. It was still weird to admit, out loud anyway. A year ago, she would have laughed at the very idea of liking Naruto, but now, well, now she knew better.

"Then go and tell him, to his face, plain and simple," he said. "It doesn't have to be this complicated."

"Yeah right," Ino said. "Says the guy who can't keep his eyes of Temari. The poor girl was practically begging for you to talk to her the whole time her team were in Konoha, and you managed to be more awkward than Naruto."

Shikamaru's eye twitched. "Then why are you asking me for advice?"

"Because you're the smartest guy I know, and you know Naruto better than most people."

"Heh, I think you know him better than anyone by now, Ino," he said, making her blush again. "You know, you'll have to figure it out soon. I heard my dad talking about the last clan meeting. Apparently, Jiraiya is taking Naruto on as his apprentice. They'll be leaving the village any day now."

"What?! For how long?" Ino asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "No idea. A while I guess," he said. "Jiraiya is known for disappearing for years at a time and… where are you going?"

"To find that idiot and make him pay," Ino yelled, quickly disappearing as she went off to hunt Naruto down.

Shikamaru sighed in relief as he laid down and stared up at the clouds. He should have said something about that an hour ago. He just hoped the two figured out their feelings before Naruto left or he was going to be stuck with a very pent up and annoying Ino for who knows how long. Just the thought sent a shiver down his spine. 'Don't screw this up, Naruto,' he thought. In all honesty, he wished them luck. He knew Naruto would be good to Ino, and Naruto deserved someone like Ino. At the very least, it would get the two of them more focused on each other and leave Shikamaru with all the more time to do what he did best.

Nothing.

"Naruto!"

Ino pounded on the door, internally fuming that she had left her key for his apartment at home. After the incident at the hospital, she hadn't needed to use it. Neither of them had left the village, and they had been spending a questionable amount of time together even by their standards, so he was always with her to let her in when they eventually made their way back.

"Naruto Uzumaki, open this door right now."

"What the hell, Ino?" Naruto asked tiredly, opening the door only to be pushed inside and the door slammed shut behind them. "What have I done now? I swear, whatever I said, I'm sorry."

"You haven't said anything, and that's the whole problem," she said crossly, aiming a pointed stare at the boy and waiting for him to catch up.

"I haven't said… what?" Naruto was at a loss. Ino could be confusing at the best of times, but now was a particularly bad moment.

Ino frowned. "When were you going to tell me that you're leaving the village with Jiraiya?" she asked.

"Oh…" Naruto had the decency to look ashamed while he nervously scratched his head. "Yeah, that. Jiraiya only told me about that yesterday."

"And you didn't come and tell me straight away, why?"

"I tried. You were asleep. Your dad said you had a bad day with Anko. Remember the last time I woke you up after your training?" Naruto said defensively.

Anko had, much to everyone's shock, taken a liking to Ino and offered to train her whenever possible. Ino had eagerly agreed, what with her chakra control now being shot to hell, but she wasn't prepared for just how much of a dedicated teacher Anko was. Training someone into a coma wasn't unheard of before, but the snake lady was on her way to perfecting it as an art form, and poor Ino was the canvas. The results couldn't be ignored. Even Naruto noticed that their sparing sessions were now much more fun and not boringly one sided, and Ino was finally taking a significant interest in her development as a shinobi. It did, however, leave the Yamanaka extremely worn out and moody, as Naruto discovered one fateful morning when he had woken her up. He had never run so fast in his life before, or since.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. I barely even touched you," Ino said.

"Not for lack of trying…" Naruto mumbled under his breath.

"You wanna go for round two, smart guy?"

Naruto paled. "Please, god no," he said pleadingly. "I'm sorry okay. I was going to tell you, I swear; I was just waiting to see you is all."

Ino took a deep breath. It was hard to stay mad at Naruto when she knew that he only ever meant well. Honestly, it was so frustrating. No matter what happened, she would always end up feeling guilty for being mad at him. He was just so sincere, so infuriatingly honest. Truth be told, she should have known better by now than to come barging in like this and not expect Naruto to have a legitimate excuse. She just couldn't win with him.

"When are you leaving?" she asked. Hopefully it wouldn't be too soon. She still needed time.

"In a couple days," Naruto said.

'Crap!' "And how long are you going to be gone?"

Naruto laughed nervously. He had been dreading this moment ever since Jiraiya had dropped the news on him. He knew Ino wasn't going to take it well. "Uhh, three years, maybe four," he said, waiting patiently for the girl to explode, only it didn't happen. Instead, she just stood there, a strange expression on her face as if she was trying to think of what to do. "Ino? You okay?"

Ino blinked and smiled half-heartedly. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she said, her tone not reassuring at all. "I just… wow. That's… so soon."

"Tell me about it," Naruto groaned. "But pervy-sage wants to get a head start on my training. There's, uh… some stuff I need to be ready for."

Ino narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Naruto was apprehensive to answer straight away. He trusted Ino, maybe more so than he trusted anyone. She knew him better than even his team now, and she knew about the Kyuubi. There was nothing he felt he couldn't tell her. But he wasn't sure if telling her this would be worth it if it got her in any kind of trouble. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt because of him. "They are called Akatsuki," he said vaguely. "They are… hunting the jinchuuriki. Two of them tried to get me when I went to help find Tsunade. Pervy-sage says they won't stop, so I have to be ready for next time."

"…oh." Ino wasn't sure what to say to that. It never occurred to her that Naruto's jinchuuriki status would present more of an issue outside of people learning about it and having an issue with it. For people to actively be hunting them though, that was a scary thought. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked gently.

"I didn't want you to worry," he said. "Stupid, I know. You would have found out anyway. You're smart like that. But if people are coming after me, I didn't want you getting caught up in it. You're my best friend, Ino. I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

Ino walked up to him and punched him in the arm, hard. "That's for being an idiot."

"Yeah, I deserve that," Naruto said with a smile, rubbing his arm. Ino was much stronger than he remembered.

"Well, I guess we better do something before you go running off," Ino said. "How about dinner? Get all the rookies together to see you off. Yeah, that's a plan. What do you think?"

Naruto hummed thoughtfully. "I dunno. I don't want people to come out just for me," he said. "It'll feel… weird. Can't just me and you go? You and Sakura are the only ones I have to really say goodbye to anyway."

Ino had gotten pretty good at forcing herself not to blush whenever Naruto said something silly like that. She knew he didn't mean it the way she wanted him to, but that didn't mean each and every moment he slipped up wasn't now burnt into her mind forever. Sometimes she wondered if he was playing it safe and knew what he was saying, but then she remembered who she was talking about. Naruto was many things, but safe and forward thinking with his words was never going to be one of them. Were it not for Ino knowing full well that she wasn't ready to go out on a date with him, she would have taken him up on his offer. But she wasn't brave enough just yet. Making herself look like a fool in public could wait until he got back from his training.

"No, no, no. They will all be happy to see you and say goodbye. Trust me," Ino said. "Now, where should we have… don't you dare say Ichiraku's."

"Aww, why not? It's the best."

"Because you always eat there. Besides, I'm organising it, and I need to watch my figure. I can't afford to stuff my face with ramen if I'll have to spend the next week working it off," Ino said.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I don't see what the big deal is. You look great. One night of ramen isn't going to change that," he said, clearly not thinking as he spoke.

'This boy is going to be the death of me,' Ino fumed internally. Why did he have to compliment her without even realising it? "Because I said so," she said sternly.

"And who made you the boss?"

"I did. About twenty seconds ago. Any complaints?" she asked smugly. "And before you ask, no, nothing you say will change it."

Naruto pouted. "You suck sometimes."

Ino laughed. She loved winning. "Don't be such a sad sack," she said. "If you behave, I'll make you some ramen after the dinner. I know you always have room for ramen, and it can be my little treat before you go. After all, who knows how long you'll have to go without my specially made ramen. You'll have to savour it."

"Ugh, okay. I'll do the stupid dinner. But you better not hold back on that ramen, or I'll tell Anko about how it was you that put the dye in her dango," he said.

"You wouldn't dare," Ino said. Anko still hadn't let go of that prank. She swore to murder whoever it was that had left her with a bright orange stained mouth for two days.

"Ino. You know me. You know I would."

How Ino wished she could wipe that smug look off his face… with her foot. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?" she said.

Naruto smiled. "I wonder who I learnt that from."

"You trying to say something, smart guy?"

"I thought I was an idiot?"

"You are!"

"Nuh uh."

"Well, well, well, isn't this cute," Anko said, grinning from ear to ear in the biggest failed attempt at innocence she could accomplish. How she managed to slip into the apartment without either of the two noticing was scary enough without her expression. "Little Ino's got herself a boyfriend. Wouldn't have been my first guess, but I guess this does explain why you kept running off to the hospital all the time."

Ino laughed nervously. "Anko-sensei, what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing in my apartment, crazy snake lady?" Naruto asked. "And how did you get in here?"

Anko pointed a thumb at the window. "You have a thing called a window. Which you, one; don't lock, and two; don't seem to be constantly aware of," she said. "I have my hands full teaching one blonde idiot how to be a half decent shinobi, I don't need to be dropping in here to give you any lessons. And if for whatever reason I feel the need, and if get back in here, I will make it the most painful lesson of your life."

Naruto grinned menacingly. The evil glint in his eyes making the hair on the back of Anko's neck stand on end. "If you get back in here…" he began ominously. "I'll make sure the whole village remembers what happens to you."

Anko's eye twitched. "That's a pretty fucked up thing to say to me," she said, quickly turning her attention to an equally unnerved Ino. "Just what kind of boys are you into, piggy? Couldn't you have found a normal boyfriend?"

"He is not my boyfriend," Ino seethed, blushing furiously. "And don't call me that!"

"Piggy?" Naruto laughed. "I thought only Sakura got away with calling you names. Oh crap." He ducked, narrowly avoiding a small pot plant aimed for his head. "Hey! That one was a present from you. Go ruin your own plants."

"Don't ever say that around me again, or I swear, I'll…" Ino let the threat hang in the air.

"Or you'll what? Break more stuff that you paid for?"

"You guys are adorable," Anko said, happily watching her new favourite form of entertainment. "But sadly, I am here on business. You'll have to cut it short."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ino asked.

Anko pointed at Naruto. "I gotta steal your boyfriend for a little while," she said. "Lady Tsunade wants to talk to you about something. And before you ask, I don't know, and I don't wanna know. So don't try and drag me into anything."

"Aww man. Do I have to?" Naruto whined. "I was supposed to go and have ramen with Iruka-sensei today."

"Iruka, you say?" Anko said. "Is he still single?"

Naruto and Ino gawked at the woman. "You can't be serious?" Ino said.

Anko shrugged. "He's cute, and good with kids too. If he can put up with you two for all those years, imagine what else he could put up with. Of course, I'd reward him for putting up with me," she said, a slightly dazed expression on her face.

"You stay away from Iruka-sensei. He's a good man," Naruto said.

"Oh god, I'm gonna be sick," Ino said. "It's just… so wrong."

"Well screw you two. I don't need to take this from two little twirps like you," Anko said. "Come on, brat. I don't want to have to drag you kicking and screaming, but I promise I will if you make me."

"Argh, fine. Ino, can you lock up for me?" Naruto said, heading out the door with Anko following behind.

"Oh, and piggy," Anko said, turning back to give Ino a deceivingly innocent smile. "Don't think we're done here. I look forward to your next training session."

Ino grimaced as Anko left, slamming the door behind her. No matter how much she appreciated the noticeable improvements in her skills since starting with Anko, she couldn't bring herself to enjoy it. It churned her stomach to imagine just what the snake summoner had in mind for their next session. If Ino was lucky, she would die before that day came to be. But such things could wait. Ino had to get started immediately. There was no time to properly plan something by herself, so she took off quickly in search of help. It wasn't until she was halfway down the street that she realised she had no idea who to go for help.

Naruto wasn't exactly disliked by the rest of the rookies, but Ino also wasn't sure how many of them would actively assist her in setting up the farewell. Shikamaru would, if he wasn't so damn lazy. Choji was definitely on the list, if only to help find the absolute best place to eat for everyone. Everyone else would be a guessing game, depending on who was even available. Sakura would have been a good option but… well, the girl still hadn't quite gotten over Sasuke leaving the village. For obvious reasons it had put a wedge between the two of them for the time being. Ino could understand Sakura being upset, but she couldn't stand to hear anyone say Sasuke's name out loud. Even just thinking about him made her angry.

As she rounded a corner, lost in her internal frustrations, Ino didn't have time to stop herself from running into someone. The two of them tumbled to the ground in a mess of limbs and dirt, and Ino just hoped she hadn't barrelled over some poor old woman. There were only so many mistakes she could make in one year before she concluded she was cursed.

"I am so sorry, please for… oh, Hinata. Are you okay?" Ino asked, jumping to her feet and helping the other girl up, taking the time to pat the dirt from her clothes. "I really am sorry. I wasn't paying attention. It won't happen again."

Hinata smiled. "It's alright," she said. "I should also have been more aware. Please, d-don't let me keep you."

"Don't worry. It's nothing really. I've just gotta find some people to help me…" Ino paused as a lightbulb lit up in her head. "Hey, Hinata. You like Naruto, don't you?"

"U-u-um, what do you m-m-mean?" Hinata stuttered nervously as her cheeks burned.

Ino grinned. Hinata would be perfect. She was always so sweet and kind-hearted. There was no doubt she would help. "Naruto is going on a training trip," she explained. "He's going to be gone for a while, so I need to find some people to help me put together a little farewell. Can you help?"

"Naruto is leaving?" Hinata asked, her blush almost immediately gone as it was replaced by a look of sadness.

"I know, right," Ino said. "He didn't even tell me until today. I mean, me, his best friend. I honestly don't know why he chooses to hurt me like this."

Hinata blinked curiously. "You are Naruto's best friend?" she asked.

In a twisted joke, Ino was for once the one blushing and speechless in front of the Hyuuga heiress, something that didn't go unnoticed by Hinata. "Uhh… yeah. Yes. Definitely. At least… I hope so." She shook her head. There was no time to be questioning things. "It doesn't matter. Do you want to help?"

"O-okay, sure," Hinata said. "What c-can I do?"

"You're the best, Hinata," Ino exclaimed, giving the girl a quick hug. "Can you run around and see who else can come to the dinner? I need numbers. It'll have to be tomorrow night. I'll get back to you on the exact time. I gotta go find Choji. Thank you."

Hinata stood there awkwardly as Ino ran away, nervously touching her fingers together as she realised what she had just heard. Naruto was leaving, and soon. Her heart sunk as she realised what that meant. There was no way she could work up the courage in such a short span of time to confess how she felt about him. Sadly, there was now also another issue. Hinata wasn't unaware of Naruto and Ino's newfound friendship. In fact, she probably knew better than most how close the two had gotten. It didn't bother her. She was happy to see someone finally treating Naruto how he deserved. She was happy he had someone. If anything, Hinata had only wished she had the confidence to be like Ino.

Now, however, she wondered if even that would help her. Ino was getting too close too quickly. Hinata had no chance in catching up. She already knew that though, ever since the chunin exams. She had seen how Ino had cheered for Naruto during his fight with Kiba, how she had rushed to his side after he had won. It was clear something had brought the two together over the past months. Hinata wasn't sure what it could have been, but she was glad things were turning around for Naruto. Even if it wasn't her doing it, someone was making him happier.

With a smile on her face, Hinata headed towards the training ground her team frequented. She wasn't about to let Ino down, and she knew it wouldn't be hard to strongarm Kiba and Shino into helping as well. They all owed Naruto a decent farewell.

Naruto toyed with his food, stirring the noodles endlessly with his chopsticks. The very image of him, Naruto Uzumaki, not enthusiastically inhaling any bowl of ramen put before him, would have made most think he was an imposter. If only it were that simple. Naruto was still Naruto, but his appetite had taken a backseat for the time being. In its place sat a sinking feeling in his stomach, an uncomfortable combination of dread and butterflies. He knew why. How could he not. Even someone as thick as him could figure it out.

He was scared.

Not of leaving with Jiraiya of course. That was exciting. Just the thought of journeying around the world and learning from the pervy sage had him giddy in ways he had never been before. It wasn't even anxiety about the farewell dinner Ino was planning. He had no concerns about who would and wouldn't show up to see him off. Any negative opinions any of his old classmates may have had about him would just be added to the list of minds he would change when he finally became Hokage. It was Ino he was scared of. Not of her directly… well, maybe a little of that too actually, but for now he was just scared of what to do regarding her.

Naruto wasn't an emotionally complex person, he knew that. But he also knew that when he felt something, he meant it with every fibre of his being. And for the past week, he had been dealing with the realisation that he felt something stronger than ever before. He liked Ino. He really liked Ino. Sure, he liked her a lot before, but it was different now, or maybe it had always been different. She had become his best friend so quickly that he hadn't even really thought about it until it was too late. It was a terrifying thought for the poor boy. Even his crush on Sakura didn't hold a candle to how he felt about Ino now. It was frustrating.

"Naruto, you've barely touched your food. Is everything okay?" Iruka asked. In the back of his mind, he was secretly hoping that this would be their first outing where Naruto didn't eat him out of a week's pay. Sometimes he wondered if Naruto was eating for the Kyuubi as well.

"I guess…" Naruto mumbled. "I just… can I ask you something? And please don't laugh."

"You can ask me anything," Iruka said.

"So, like, if you're friends with someone… and you find out you like them as more than a friend… how do you figure out if they like you back in the same way?" Naruto asked, looking at Iruka with wide desperate eyes, pleading for an answer.

"Is this about Sakura?" Iruka asked, internally shaking his head. The young Haruno had been exceptionally clear in her refusals of Naruto's advances before. If the boy couldn't figure that out by now, then there was going to be problems.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Aha, no," he said. "Sakura is still cool, and super pretty, but… umm, it's Ino actually."

Iruka quirked his brow. This was going to be one of those headache inducing nights, he could feel it. "Ino? As in Ino Yamanaka?" he asked sceptically. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. He had run into the young clan heiress a couple of times while going to visit Naruto in the hospital. She was always there, and always coming and going from Naruto's room. He really should have put two and two together.

"Yeah. I told you we were friends now, didn't I?" Naruto said cheerfully. "She helped me sort out my apartment, and I have a bunch of new plants she showed me. She even helped me find a type of flower that smells nice for my room. We train together all the time, well, we did. It's been a bit hard to find time lately, but we hang out whenever we can. She's awesome, and pretty, and she doesn't treat me like dirt, and she's super smart. She's been teaching me stuff that I missed back when I ditched classes. Sorry about that by the way. And she's pretty, and… I already said that didn't I?"

"I think I get the point," Iruka said, chuckling. "Why are you unsure if she likes you back the same way? You said it yourself, the two of you are spending a lot of time together. I don't think Ino is the kind of girl to take so much time helping and teaching someone she didn't like. Maybe you should just ask her."

Naruto shook his head. "No. Too risky. I need to figure it out first," he said. "Ino is… complicated. If she doesn't like me back, I could wreck everything. And I don't wanna wreck what we have. She's my best friend."

Iruka nodded sagely. "Girls can me complicated."

"Girls aren't complicated, Naruto," Ayame said, chiming in from over the counter. Neither Naruto nor Iruka seemed to mind that she had been eavesdropping. "Take it from me. If Ino is the type of girl I think she is, she will appreciate you being honest and up front. Don't overthink it. Just tell her how you feel. You might find yourself surprised by just how much she does like you."

"But what if she doesn't?"

Ayame deadpanned at Naruto. The only person Ino's feelings weren't clear as day to, was the one said feelings were directed at. The poor girl. She was fighting the worlds cruellest uphill battle when it came to the density of Naruto's skull. Watching the two of them drop in more and more often of the past few months had been the cutest and most torturous experience for the young ramen chef. She wanted so desperately to beat Naruto over the head with a pot, not that she thought it would help him. There was no hope that he would actually notice the way that Ino would watch him enthusiastically demolish every bowl of ramen. But Ayame had noticed, and she knew what the goofy smile on the girl meant straight away.

"Trust me on this one," Ayame said.

"Okay, but that still doesn't help me," Naruto groaned. "I still don't know how I'm meant to tell her how I feel without making a fool of myself."

"I don't see why this is such an issue, Naruto," Iruka said. "There is plenty of time to worry about this. What's the rush?"

"I leave the day after tomorrow. I have no idea when I'll be back, and who knows what could happen in that time. What if she forgets about me, what if something happens to me. What if Sasuke come's back and confesses his feelings for her…"

Iruka sighed. Naruto was clearly overthinking everything. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Naruto," he said. "If you're really worried about something happening before you can tell her how you feel, then why not tell her tomorrow night at the farewell she is organising for you?"

"In front of everyone? No way."

"Aww, come on, Naruto," Ayame cooed. "It would be so cute."

"Oh no. Not happening. Ino would kill me if I embarrassed her like that in front of everyone," Naruto said.

"Well, at least you're smart enough to take her feelings into account. That's a big step in the right direction," Iruka said. "But no, I didn't mean do it in front of everyone. She's your best friend, right? Surely you can find a reason to have a moment to say goodbye to her personally, then you can tell her without fear of judgement."

Naruto pursed his lips in thought. "I could walk her home from the dinner…"

"Now you're thinking."

"But what do I say?" Naruto asked.

"Oh no you don't," Ayame interrupted. "If you're going to tell a girl you like her you better use your own words. If you say something from someone else, she will know it, and then she will think you didn't care enough to come up with it yourself. Just be honest and say it how you would. Understand?"

"Ayame is right," Iruka said. "If you truly like Ino, you won't pull any tricks to try and make her like you back. She has to like you for you, just as you like her for who she is."

Naruto smiled. "Yeah, that makes sense. I knew you were the right person to ask about this sort of stuff. You too, Ayame," he said cheerfully. "But, uh, if I could trouble you for one more thing?"

"Of course. What is it?" Iruka asked.

"Can you, uh… help me shop for some better clothes tomorrow. Before the dinner," Naruto asked sheepishly. "I don't really have any good clothes for going out, and I wanna try and look decent or something if I'm going to tell Ino how I feel. I think she would appreciate that."

Iruka laughed. "Wow, you really do like Ino," he said. "If I'd have known she would be the one to get you to take better care of yourself I would have sat the two of you together in class years ago."

Naruto crossed his arms and huffed. "You said you wouldn't laugh."

"You're right, you're right," Iruka said, holding his hands up in defeat. "I'll tell you what, I'll even buy you an outfit for tomorrow night. Then you can use your money to buy Ino a gift. Something for her to remember you by while you're gone."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "That's an awesome idea, Iruka-sensei," he said. "What should I get her?"

"You'll have to figure that out yourself. Do you know what she likes? What she's interested in? Try and make it a gift suited to her. Something thoughtful."

"Hmmm, something suited for Ino. Okay. I think I can do that," Naruto muttered to himself. "Hey, Iruka-sensei, if you know so much about all this stuff, why don't you have a girlfriend?"

Iruka blushed. "Well… it's not… I uh… I'm very busy and… I'm waiting, you know… for the right time," he stammered. "Why don't you run off and try figure out what you're going to get Ino. The more time you take to choose the better chances it'll be the right thing."

"Good idea," Naruto said, quickly slurping down the bowl of ramen with inhuman speed. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Iruka-sensei."

With a quick thanks to both Iruka and Ayame, Naruto took off down the street. Iruka sighed in relief as he was left to finish his meal in peace. Naruto meant well, but dammit if he didn't somehow find himself in the strangest situations. Ino Yamanaka, of all people, seriously? The boy was stubborn enough without someone like Ino challenging him. Why couldn't he find a nice quiet girl that would calm him down? Not that it mattered. Iruka would be happy as long as Naruto found someone who treated him right. But Ino? That was going to take some time for him to wrap his head around.

"He really looks up to you. You know that right?" Ayame said with a smile. "He never shut up about you after you gave him your headband when he graduated."

Iruka chuckled nervously. "Oh? Is that so? Well, I'm flattered."

Ayame's smile quickly shifted to a mischievous smirk as she eyed the man up and down. "So… how does someone so knowledgeable in the ways of romance not find himself tied down?" she asked cheekily. "No one catch your eye? Or are you scared?"

"I think I'm starting to see where Naruto got some of his influence from," Iruka said.

"You're avoiding the question," Ayame said in a sing song voice.

"Thank you for the meal," Iruka said with a smile, before disappearing in a swirl of leaves, a small pile of money left neatly on the bench next to a now empty bowl.

"Awww, no fair," Ayame whined, crossing her arms with a huff. "It's always the cute ones that run the fastest."

"Ayame, stop flirting the customers away. We've talked about this," her father said from the back.

"But daaaad…"

Naruto fidgeted nervously, his fingers constantly tugging at the collar of his new button up shirt. In his opinion it hugged to closely to his neck for comfort, but Iruka assured him it made him look both tidy and presentable without overdoing it. Naruto was just glad it was orange. Not quite as bright a shade as his normal jacket and pants, but that was okay. He was now also sporting a nice new pair of black pants, and Iruka had gone so far as to buy him a new pair of sandals as his old ones were on their way out. As uncomfortable as he may have been, Naruto wasn't about to refuse any of the generosity.

Even without the gifts, Naruto was happy. Just getting to spend the day with Iruka was quite the event as far as he was concerned. It did help that the villagers often forwent their usual distasteful stares and murmurs when someone else was with him. Not a single store had asked him to leave the entire day, it was awesome. But of course, all good things had to end eventually, and as the afternoon began to die down, the two of them slowly made their way towards Naruto's apartment.

"Feeling ready, Naruto?" Iruka asked.

Naruto smiled nervously. "I think so," he said.

Iruka laughed and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Who would have thought. The great Naruto Uzumaki, self-proclaimed future Hokage, trembling at the thought of telling a girl he likes her," he said, earning a pouty glare from the boy. "Oh, come on, it's funny."

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto whined. "This is serious. I'm leaving tomorrow. If tonight goes bad then I won't get a chance to make it better for who knows how long. What if Ino holds a grudge?"

"Hmm, good point. Ino can definitely hold a grudge," Iruka said thoughtfully. "All the more reason to not mess it up then."

Naruto deadpanned at him. "You aren't helping."

Iruka shrugged. "I've done all I can. Thanks to me you look the part. Now, do you remember my other advice?"

"Don't talk with my mouth full. Always keep eye contact when she's talking to me. Small compliments go a long way. Just be myself," Naruto rattled off as if perfectly rehearsed. "Oh, and make sure to thank her for setting up the dinner. That's a big one."

"Very good. You may just survive this evening after all," Iruka said. "Did you manage to find Ino a gift?"

Naruto smiled wide and gently patted the pouch hanging at his waist. "Yep," he said. "It's nothing fancy. I didn't have much left after pervy-sage spent all my money. But I think she will like it."

Iruka frowned at the mention of Jiraiya spending all of Naruto's money. If it weren't for the Sannin's rank, and the fact that the man was taking Naruto on as his apprentice, Iruka would have half a mind to give the sage a stern talking to. "I think Ino will appreciate a smaller gift anyway," he said reassuringly. "Much like with complimenting, you don't want to go overboard with gifts. It can make people uncomfortable."

"How will I know if everything is going okay?" Naruto asked.

"You'll know," Iruka said. "Ino isn't the kind of girl to keep her thoughts unknown after all. As long as she seems happy by the end of the night, I'm sure it'll all be fine."

Naruto wanted to feel reassured by his sensei's words, but his nerves didn't want to calm down. There was too much at stake for him to not overthink tonight. Ino was more than just his best friend. Feelings aside, she was also the only person who currently knew about the Kyuubi. She was the one he knew he could trust the most of all his comrades. That alone meant running the risk of upsetting her or pushing her away was a terrifying thought. Deep down, Naruto knew he shouldn't be worried. Ino was, as he had found out firsthand, an incredibly kind and caring person. No matter how badly he might screw things up, there was always the hope that she would find it in her heart to forgive and forget. Well, forgive him maybe, but Naruto knew she would never forget, and she would make sure he never forgot either.

Quicker than Naruto would have liked, the two of them arrived at his apartment. He didn't want today to end. Both to continue enjoying his time and to avoid the potential chaos of the evening's events.

"Is this a bad idea?" Naruto asked. "Do you think I should just leave things as they are?"

"Do you want to leave things?" Iruka asked. "Regret is a… complicated thing. In our line of work, playing it safe is admirable, but it can lead to other problems down the line."

"What does that mean?"

Iruka knelt down and smiled. "It means don't get caught up on what could happen. You have the rest of your life to fix things if they go wrong, but you only have right now to see if they can go right," he said. "If you don't tell Ino you like her, then you'll never know if she likes you back, and you'll spend more time than you'll be proud of sulking about what could have been. Being a shinobi is about putting everything on the line for what you believe in. You've already risked your life for the village several times, I think you can risk your feelings for Ino, don't you?"

Naruto nodded, and before Iruka could stand back up, he lunged forward and caught the man in a hug. "Thank you, sensei. I… really appreciate this. Everything. You."

Iruka gently wrapped his arms around Naruto and returned the hug. "Well, it wouldn't do me any good if I didn't stay on the future Hokage's good side, now would it?" he said with a laugh. Pulling back from the hug, he patted Naruto on the shoulders and straightened his shirt back out. "So, where are you off to?"

Naruto blinked. "I uhhh… I don't know," he said. "Ino just said she was going to organise a dinner. No idea what she came up with."

"In that case, it might be wise to just stay here. I'm sure Ino will come and find you." Iruka stood up and gave Naruto a thumbs up. "You got this."

To say Naruto was nervous would be a hilarious understatement. As soon as Iruka left him to his own thoughts he became an internal rambling mess. The only upside was that he could practically feel the irritation emanating from the Kyuubi within him. Apparently, a giant immortal fox wasn't all that hard to annoy. He was too afraid to do anything out of fear of messing up his new clothes. Despite his growing hunger he didn't even dare to make a quick bowl of instant ramen. Something told him that Ino would know if he did, and he didn't want to seem rude by not eating wherever she had planned to go. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long.

"Naruto, you here?" Ino asked, letting herself in.

"Coming," Naruto called out, quickly leaping from his bed and rushing to the door. "I was worried you might have been waiting for me somewhere." He froze as he finally caught sight of the blonde, his jaw dropping. "Wow."

Ino blushed, both because of Naruto being stunned by her appearance and because she couldn't help but return the gesture. Since when did Naruto have nice clothes? "What are those?" she asked, gesturing to all of him. "I have been through your wardrobe. Those were not in there."

Naruto snapped out of his stupor. "Oh, Iruka helped me pick out some clothes for the dinner. Do they look alright?" he asked, spinning around to give her a full look. He wasn't sure if that was necessary, but Ino had always done a little spin when showing off new clothes, so he figured it was appropriate.

'I knew he would clean up well' Ino yelled inside her head as she smiled. The little spin was also adorable. "Quite good," she said. "Iruka huh? I guess even he couldn't pry you away from wearing orange, but at least he chose a good shade. Really suits you."

"It was a fair compromise," Naruto said with a laugh.

Ino smirked as she took a step forward. "And what about me?" she asked, taking far too much joy in the fear quickly appearing in Naruto's eyes. "How do I look?"

She gave him the same courtesy, spinning around on the spot to give him a full view. The only difference was she knew what she was doing. Her spin was slow, graceful, and devilishly intended to catch Naruto off guard. Ino was proud of her appearance, even in the more casual outfit she had chosen for the night. A black knee length skirt that billowed around her as she spun and a dark purple top with one loose fitting sleeve on her left arm, all brought together with her somewhat shorter blonde hair that she had chosen to let hand down for the night. At least it was growing back now. It had been difficult for her to allow herself such a laid-back look, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't need it. She wanted as much comfort for tonight as she could get. Besides, if Naruto's blush was anything to go by, then Ino was happy with her decision.

"Well?"

Naruto gulped and repeated all of Iruka's advice over and over in his head. "You look great," he said, grinning as wide as he could to hide the fear. He hoped that was the correct answer.

Ino rolled her eyes and smiled. "Naruto, when a girl asks you how they look, you're supposed to say beautiful or pretty. Something along those lines," she explained. "But you didn't say something stupid, so I guess there is improvement."

"Huh? You're always really pretty though. I thought you were talking about your clothes," Naruto said, scratching his head thoughtfully. He would have to be more careful in his responses if he wanted tonight to go well.

"Time to go," Ino said quickly, grabbing Naruto's hand and dragging him behind her as she left. There was no way she was letting him see how red her face was right now. Even someone as thick as him wouldn't be able to ignore such a blush.

As the two of them walked Naruto was all too happy to recount his day spent with Iruka, making sure to leave out the advice and gift side of things. Ino, for her part, finally got to vent her frustrations about how difficult the rest of the rookies could be when trying to organise something. Choji had been the easiest of all; as soon as food was mentioned, he was on board. Strangely enough, things only seemed to start coming together smoothly once Hinata got properly involved. Ino wasn't sure what that girl did, but she had never seen Shikamaru and Kiba so keen to help out before. Everyone else fell into place naturally, and much to Ino's delight, no one gave the slightest inkling of not wanting to attend due to some sort of dislike of Naruto. The only person who couldn't be accounted for was Sakura.

Ino had tried to find Sakura, albeit half-heartedly. It wasn't that she didn't want the girl there, it was just that Ino knew Sakura wasn't quite over Sasuke leaving. She had taken their comrades betrayal worse than anyone. Ino wasn't sure if inviting her would have been a good idea even if she had found her. Seeing her last teammate off while still coming to terms with the loss of the other might be too much. As such, Ino had opted to leave an invitation with Sakura's parents. She hoped Sakura would attend, if only for Naruto's sake, but she doubted anyone would blame the girl if she didn't make an appearance.

"Naruto!"

Naruto couldn't help but grin as everyone greeted him when he and Ino entered the restaurant. Apparently Ino had planned for everyone to already be here before him. "Uh, hey guys. Thanks for coming."

"Like some of us had a choice…" Shikamaru said, ignoring Ino's glare as he smiled at Naruto.

"Yeah, some of us could have found better things to do with our time, ya know," Kiba said with a grin.

"Don't listen to them, Naruto. Nothing is more important than celebrating the progress of our comrades," Rock Lee said loudly. "To be training under one of the great Sannin is an honour that you should undertake with the full extent of your youth."

Everyone sighed.

"Thanks Lee. I'll try my best," Naruto said, he and Ino taking their seats next to each other before being barraged by everyone.

"Please keep an eye out for any strange insects during your travels."

"Bring back some cool weapons from the other countries if you can."

"Don't let us down."

"Be s-safe out there."

"Make sure to try all the different food."

Eventually everyone got a turn to congratulate Naruto and make some sort of request of him during his journey. The mood never dulled as everyone enjoyed each other's company, eating and drinking to their hearts content. Choji had gone above and beyond, making sure that there was at least one of everyone's favourite dishes available at some point through the night. The only thing that stood out as strange the whole time was the fact that Naruto and Ino were dressed up while the rest of the rookies had all shown up in their usual gear. Not that anyone was game enough to comment on that. Until…

"Hey, what's with the getups?" Kiba asked, eyeing the two blonds suspiciously. "Why're you two dressed up like… ow! Hinata?"

"Don't be r-rude, Kiba," Hinata said.

Naruto snickered at the boy. "I thought there might be a dress code or something," he said. "I'm still surprised they even let you in looking like that, dog-breath."

"My breath is not that bad!" Kiba exclaimed, only to shrink back as everyone gave him a knowing look. "Well, what's your excuse, Ino? Got a date after this or something?"

Ino smirked. "Why, are you jealous?" she asked, earning a chuckle from the group.

Kiba, not even slightly wounded by her words, puffed his chest out proudly and grinned cockily. "Me? Jealous? Hah, don't be silly," he said, leaning back in his chair and resting his head back on his interlocked hands. "What with the Uchiha gone, I'm officially the next in line for best looking of the rookies."

The silence that followed his words was palpable. Everyone took turns either looking cautiously at Naruto or glaring at Kiba. The idiot should have known that Sasuke was an off-limits topic for tonight. It wasn't a secret that Naruto felt like a failure for not being able to bring his teammate back, and no one needed to remind him of that. For several tense seconds, everyone waited in fear, expecting the blond to have an outburst or excuse himself under some lame excuse. By the time Kiba caught on to what he had done wrong, even he was beginning to worry about what was going to happen.

"Hey, Kiba…" Naruto said, immediately getting everyone's attention. His face was blank, unreadable, his eyes seeming to peer into Kiba's very soul. "Are you admitting to us that you find Sasuke attractive?"

Everyone froze. Kiba's face twisted into an expression best described as what happens when disgust meets horror in a dark alleyway behind a brothel. "What? No! That's not what I said!"

Naruto was now trying his best to hold back his laughter, a toothy grin slowly worming its way onto his face. "It's okay. We accept you for whoever you are and however you may be. We're your comrades, Kiba. We're here for you. We support your romantic interest in Sasuke," he said, almost real warmth in his words. Truly a performance worthy of praise. "I just wish you'd have said something sooner. I could have put in a good word."

"I… no… that's not… why're you all looking at me like that? That's not what I meant!" Kiba spluttered out desperately. "Hinata, back me up here."

Hinata hummed thoughtfully. "Well, y-you did spend a lot of t-time glowering at Sasuke in the academy," she said softly, taking a special kind of glee in her teammate's expression only sinking further and further into despair. Payback, she thought, for all the times she was forced to listen to him badmouth Naruto after the chunin exams. "And you really wanted to f-fight him during the exams…"

"Hinata… not you too…"

Shikamaru nudged Kiba with his arm. "I would stop digging this particular hole if I were you and just admit defeat," he said. To be honest, he expected his advice to fall on deaf ears. Dogs would do as dogs did best, dig.

Eventually, Kiba did concede, slumping in his chair and muttering miserably about blondes being too mean for their own good as the night continued on without a hitch. Sadly, much like the day Naruto had had with Iruka, tonight too had to end before he wanted it to. Slowly, everyone took turns and bid their farewells, offering Naruto one last goodbye as they all made their way out onto the open street. The gentle cool breeze of the night welcoming them all. Naruto couldn't stop smiling as everyone began slowly departing… everyone except Ino.

"You have a good night?" she asked, staring at him hopefully as she awaited his answer.

"It was great," Naruto said. "Thanks, Ino. This was amazing. You're amazing."

Ino blushed. "It was nothing, really," she said. "If I had more time, I could have pulled off something really cool."

Naruto shook his head. "No. This was perfect. I don't think I would have liked a big send off or anything," he said, taking a moment to admire the girl standing in front of him. She was one of the smartest, kindest, and prettiest girls he had known, and here she was, throwing a get together for his sake. How did he deserve someone like her in his life? "Hey, Ino… can I umm, walk you home? If that's okay?"

"You saying I can't look after myself?" Ino asked cheekily.

"No. What? Of course not. I'm sorry, I just…" his words were cut off as Ino quickly stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his and hugged it close to her.

"I think I can allow you the honour this one time," she said softly, giving the poor boy a mischievous smirk. "Don't waste it." As far as Ino was concerned, tonight was her last chance to confess her feelings. There was no telling what could interfere with her intentions once he left the village, so no one would blame her for coming on a little strong. The boy was dense at the best of times, so she was really just helping him.

Naruto laughed nervously as the two went to begin their walk back to Ino's house, only to be stopped suddenly by Kiba landing in front of them, an accusing finger pointed at them and an all too confident grin on his face.

"Ahah! I knew it!" he shouted victoriously. "You two are so da…"

The Inuzuka's words died in his throat as he fell face first to the ground, a paralysed groan being all he could muster. Much to both Ino and Naruto's surprise, standing behind where Kiba had just been, was Hinata. Sweet, quiet, innocent little Hinata, calmly stepping out of her gentle fist stance and bowing apologetically to the two. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop him in time," she said, looking up in shame only to look down quickly from the sight before her with a blush.

Ino wanted to die. She was sure everyone had cleared off before she wrapped herself around Naruto's arm so blatantly. Not that she cared if anyone saw at this point, but Hinata wasn't just anyone. The Hyuuga's fondness of Naruto was the worst kept secret in Konoha, right next to Naruto's fondness for ramen. In fact, Ino was pretty sure Naruto was the only person who wasn't aware of the poor girl's crush. Ino looked down in shame but didn't let go of Naruto. As much as she hated that this was how Hinata was finding out that they were competing for the same thing, she also didn't want to just throw away what chance she had. She just wished she had of taken the time to talk to the Hyuuga before this kind of thing happened.

"Hiiwwannnnaaa!" Kiba drooled into the dirt, glaring at his teammate as best he could.

"Is he going to be okay?" Naruto asked, prodding Kiba with his foot.

Hinata nodded. "He will be f-fine," she said. "I'll take him home. He w-wont bother you again."

Naruto frowned. "Do you need help? I can carry him back if you'd like and walk you home."

Hinata's eyes lit up for a moment at the prospect of Naruto walking her home, yet as quickly as her expression had lifted had it dropped, her eyes locking onto the saddened look of Ino. She was no fool. A stammering disappointment to her family, a shy pathetic thing with a ridiculous crush, those things she was, but not a fool. Hinata knew what was going on, what Ino was aiming at, and sadly, she knew she had already lost this particular fight. The whole night she had watched the two blondes, how they talked, interacted, looked at each other, smiled. They were so happy together, so pure. Everyone had noticed it. Hinata couldn't in good conscience get in the way of that. Her crush aside, Naruto was happy, and that was all that truly mattered to her. It would hurt watching someone else give him that happiness, but not nearly as much as it would hurt knowing that she sabotaged said happiness in any way.

"I've got him," a new voice said, Shikamaru lazily walking up to the downed boy and making some hand seals. His shadow merged into Kiba's, the boy slowly stood up, wobbly and flailing like a weird human puppet until he took the exact stance of the Nara. "I can walk you home Hinata." Shikamaru ignored Ino as she gave him a look that said 'thankyou' with her eyes. He wasn't doing this for her. He was doing this for him. If the two blondes could just hurry up and admit they liked each other then they could stop tormenting him for advice and interrupting his cloud watching.

Hinata smiled and nodded, turning once more to the blondes. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll be okay," she said, aiming a knowing but kind look at Ino. "You two enjoy the rest of your night."

Ino couldn't help but watch on in shock as Hinata trailed off, Shikamaru and a puppeteered Kiba in tow. What did that exchange mean? Obviously Hinata was aware of Ino's intentions, but did this mean she approved, or at the very least, wasn't going to interfere? Ino had no idea, but that was okay. She could sort things out with Hinata later, girl to girl. For now, she finally had Naruto to herself, and there were still a few hours left of the night.

"Still hungry?" Ino asked. "I did promise you ramen after dinner." She was a woman of her word. No one could question that.

Naruto chuckled. "Uhh, maybe a little. But that can wait," he said, gently grabbing her hand and leading her away. "I wanted to show you something."

Ino didn't protest, allowing herself to be led along by the boy. It could have been a prank waiting to happen, but she figured it was worth the risk. They walked through the streets of Konoha silently, finding just each other's company to be more than enough for the moment. That, and the two of them were both far too afraid to say something yet as the realisation of how they appeared finally set in. Two young blondes, dressed up for a night out, hand in hand as they strolled through the village. Needless to say, they were astutely aware of all the stares they were receiving. Eventually that issue resolved itself as they ventured away from the populated areas and past the Hokage tower until they arrived at the foot of the Hokage monument, which, for safety reasons, was locked off to the public during the night. Naruto was quick to assure Ino that they technically didn't count as 'the public', but that didn't make her feel any better about jumping the fence.

Naruto led Ino up the stairs to a point, and then off the designated trail. He did his best to ignore her protests for breaking the rules and disrespecting the Hokage monument. He figured that if she truly cared about it, she would have backed out by now. Instead, with very little persuasion on his part, she continued with him until they both stood precariously atop the head of the fourth Hokage. The village beneath them was still alive, albeit with a slightly lessoned hustle and bustle of street life. The great five shinobi villages never truly slept in this time of peace. Between traders and shopkeepers, shinobi and civilian night lives, there was a never-ending overlap of activity for anyone to enjoy. From up here, above it all, Naruto had found comfort as a child. A way to watch on without fear of scrutiny. A way for him to feel connected with his village without the fear of being rejected.

For him, this was what it meant to become Hokage. To watch over everyone, even if they never bothered looking at you until they needed you. To look at Konoha with the same eyes as the great Hokage of the past now did, was something he would never grow tired of. This was the one place in the village he never felt alone, the one place he could truly appreciate his dream and what it would mean for him. This view, this place, it was everything to him. And now, Ino was a part of it too.

"It's pretty," Ino said, admiring the view herself, still clinging to Naruto's arm.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, though his eyes had long since drifted to another view. "This is where I go to think sometimes."

Ino snorted. "You? think?"

"Hey!"

"You were wide open for that one." The goofy grin on Naruto's face was all Ino needed to see to know he appreciated her joke.

"I'll let that one slide," he said, quickly fishing into his pouch and retrieving a small box with a ribbon tied around it. "I… well, I thought it might be nice… ya know, to get you something. To remember me by while I'm gone." Holding the gift out to Ino, he was actually rather proud to notice that she was surprised by the gesture.

"What? That's not fair! I didn't get you anything to remember me by," Ino said, eyeing the small box. How dare he put her on the spot like this.

"I don't need anything," Naruto said, smiling ear to ear. "You're uh… kinda hard to forget."

The blush on Ino's face was priceless. "Stop saying stuff like that!"

Naruto blinked. "Stuff like what?"

"Shut up. Give me that," she said, snatching the gift out of his hand and quickly undoing the ribbon. Taking a deep breath before opening the box, she gave Naruto a side-eyed stare and pouted. "I swear, if this is something expensive, I will make you return it." She understood Naruto had more than enough money. His frugal life style left much to be saved from his mission income. But that didn't mean she needed him to go wasting any of it on her. That was not the kind of woman she wanted to be, and he would have to respect that.

With a deep sigh, Ino finally gave into temptation and opened the box, taking the contents gently into her hand. She wanted to scream. The only thing that was currently keeping Naruto alive right now was the shock factor keeping Ino locked in place. Naruto was dead. There was no changing that fact. As soon as her body responded to her command again, he would be a pig to slaughter. But until then, she was too caught up, staring in awe at what she had just been given. Perhaps, somewhere along the line, Ino had truly underestimated Naruto's ability to think. He was clever, and kind, but this… just what level of thought had he invested into this?

"Took me a bit to find someone who could make it on such short notice," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I remembered how you told me once that your favourite flower was the same as your clan's symbol. I had to ask your dad about that one, that was awkward. But I wanted to get you something you would like. Do you… do you like it?"

Ino blinked. Like it? What a stupid question. He would have known by now if she didn't. Many boys had tried to give her gifts to try and win her affection. All of them had learnt the hard way that she didn't care about such things. Actions and thoughtfulness were the true key to her attention, or rather they must have been with how quickly Naruto had wormed his way into her heart. And now the idiot had gone too far. In her hand, Ino held a small delicate pin. A beautiful twisting of thin shimmering steel, adorned with an array of tiny green leaves and bright purple flowers made of glass. The flower of the bush clover. It was perfect. Not too big, not too small. Not made of anything that she knew was absurdly expensive. And it was tailored specifically to her.

"Naruto… this is… this is beautiful?" she said softly. "I love it."

Naruto let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. "That's a relief," he said. "I thought for sure I'd screwed it up somehow."

Ino shook her head and quickly pinned the brooch just under her collar. "How does it look?" she asked.

"Beautiful," Naruto said with a smile.

"You aren't even looking at it."

"I know." He was looking at her.

Ino blushed. She knew that comment had to be intentional. As smooth as Naruto accidentally could be, it was obvious he wasn't relying on dumb luck right now. "You didn't bring me up here just to give me this, did you?" she asked. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Did he like her too? Would he say it first? This was a dream come true.

"No…" Naruto said, looking down nervously. "I… I've been wanting to tell you something for a while. Things just kinda kept happening, and I didn't have time, and I got nervous every time I wanted to say it, and I thought for sure you'd yell at me or something if I told you, and now I'm rambling and…" He paused to take a deep breath, too nervous to even notice the smile on Ino's face. "I like you, Ino. Like, really like you. More than a friend. At least, I think I do. I don't know. I'm not good at this sort of stuff. But I was thinking that maybe, if you'd like, we could, err, go on a date… when I get back, I mean."

"Naruto…"

He laughed awkwardly. "It's okay if you don't want to. I'll understand. We can just stay friends. I'd be happy with that," he said quickly. "I just… I wanted to be honest with you… about everything. You're… my most precious person and…" His words were silenced by a soft hand clasping over his mouth.

Ino smiled. Bringing her other hand up, she cupped Naruto's face, gently stroking the whisker marks on his cheek with her thumb and staring into his deep blue eyes. "You're my most precious person too," she said, earning the widest grin she had ever seen. Right now, she was the luckiest girl in the world. Who knew Naruto could be such a romantic, not that she was complaining. "You promise then, to take me on a proper date when you get back?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "I promise."

"Good. Then you don't have a choice but to come back to me safe and sound. Because Naruto Uzumaki doesn't break his promises, right?"

"Believe it."

"Now, shut up and hold me."

"Yes ma'am."

A/N:

Well, another chapter is here. To be honest, writing this story has been the most fun I've had in a while. I've even gotten back into writing my older fics that are long overdue for some love. I hope this chapter was pleasing to all of you. The mushyness is ever growing. And I know, I know, that ending would have been perfect for a first kiss scene, but these two are still kids. Awkward and adorable kids. I felt it was best to just maintain the innocence for this stage of the story, for Naruto's sake anyway.

I think I'll write one small chapter to cover some character interactions during the time skip period, but after that it'll be Naruto and Ino as older, and incredibly more awkward, teenagers. Should be fun.

As I said when I started this fic, I have no idea how big it will be, or what exact moments of the story it will cover. Any recommendations on notable moments in canon that would be interesting to see these two goofballs deal with will be taken under consideration.

Reviews have been amazing. Any and all feedback is much appreciated.

Till next time guys.