The next day, Hinata took in the familiar surrounding as her and Naruto approached a clearing in the forest that they both commonly used as a training ground. As a young girl, she had come here on several occasions to watch him, a secret she was still too embarrassed to share. It was odd that she no longer had to hide behind a tree while he trained. She would get to watch him up close and even train with him from now on.

"So, is there anything specific you needed practice with?" She asked.

"I think I mostly want to work on my taijutsu skills. I've always felt like I could do better in that area. Besides, when I get to Amegakure, I want to try my best not to use jutsu that can be destructive. The village is already in rough shape, I'd rather not destroy what's left of it if I can help it."

He knew he was limiting a large portion of his abilities, given that most of his moves were powerful blows capable of mass destruction but he figured it was about time to expand his skill set anyway.

"Lucky for you, taijutsu is my specialty. I may not be as good as Lee but I can kick your butt at least." Hinata replied.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Probably not. Anyway, let's see just how rusty you really are."

They engaged in a light sparring match just so Hinata could read his skills. He was a talented Shinobi, no doubt about that, but he could use some work.

"So, how'd I do?" Naruto asked.

"Not bad at all, but I think you could do better. You have good form and you move quickly, but you're too aggressive."

"Too aggressive? Um... we're fighting..."

"You focus a little too much on offense. I think you should work on counter attacking. Remember, every time a strike is made, an opening appears. That goes for every person and every fight. If you fight too aggressively, sooner or later your opponent will find an opening and take advantage of it."

"Is that how you beat me so easily in that competition?"

"Yes, actually. You threw a punch with your good arm and I grabbed it and used it to flip you over me and onto the ground. That's a good example of counter attacking."

"So if every attack creates an opening for the opponent, how am I supposed to fight without getting countered?"

"A combination of speed, which you already have, with a good balance of offense and defense. Those openings are harder to see and take advantage of when they happen quickly. But even if you're fast, multiple attacks in succession can provide several opportunities for a counter, especially if the enemy can read the patterns of your attacks. If you mix defense with offense, those patterns become harder to predict because they happen less often."

"That makes sense. So, how exactly does someone fight defensively?"

"Don't think of it as fighting. Think of it as what it sounds like... defending. Instead of striking, let your opponent strike instead. Focus on blocking and dodging their attacks until they make a move that you can anticipate."

"Okay, so, wait for the enemy to make a strike I know I can use as an opening for a counter attack. How can I spot openings? What do they look like?"

"Anything that you can use to your advantage. For example, when Kakashi threw a punch at you during the competition, you dodged it and then followed up with a kick to his liver. With his arm extended into the punch, his body was left exposed. That was a very good counter attack."

"I think I just got lucky. Sorry, I'm listening."

"There's endless ways to use counter attacks. If I tried to kick you in the face, that leaves me with one foot on the ground. You could do a leg sweep and knock me down, or kick the back of my knee to make me collapse. You could even catch my kick and swing me into the ground, like your finishing move against Kakashi. It's all about turning their attack into yours."

"I think I get it now. If I don't attack as much, it'll be harder for them to counter attack me. And if I let them attack, it'll be easier for me to counter them."

"Exactly! It's not really that complicated. The hard part is being quick enough to spot an opening and actually use it to counter an attack. Like I said, you're pretty fast. I think if you practice more defense, you'll fight much better."

"Wanna give it another go?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." She said sweetly.

They had another sparring match, this one being a bit more intense. Naruto found that he held his own against her much better this time. He remembered to not attack so frequently and to try and anticipate her moves. Still, Hinata was a very skilled fighter and ultimately ended up as the winner. After their match they sat down for a break and ate some lunch that Hinata had packed for them.

"Damn, I still can't beat you! I don't know how I was able to beat Kakashi..."

"Kakashi's like you. His taijutsu is very fast and unforgiving. You beat him because your own fighting style is similar to his. Most Shinobi are taught how to fight aggressively. In the Hyuuga clan, we're taught a little differently."

"That explains why I've gotten my ass kicked twice now."

"You did much better the second time! I've been doing this for a while, though. If you want to beat me some day, you're gonna have to keep practicing." She said as she planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

"I can work with that, as long as you're willing to keep helping me." Naruto said with a sincere smile. She matched his smile before answering.

"What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't help?" She blushed as she said this. Sometimes she still couldn't believe she was able to call herself his girlfriend. It was a precious feeling she had yet to get used to.

They trained a while longer until Naruto finally decided it was time to start assembling his mission squad. He had been thinking about it all day until it had eaten away at him so much that he needed to take action.

"I think I'm a bit rusty too. I'm exhausted." Hinata said as they walked back into town. She too had gone a while without any training and her endurance was not as impressive as it once was. Surely all the other Shinobi were experiencing the same lack of strength.

"Want a piggyback ride?"

"W-What? Really?" Hinata's eyes widened as she imagined Naruto carrying her on his back through the streets of the village with everyone watching.

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't take care of you when you're tired? Hop on!" Naruto said as he knelt down.

"You know, people are gonna see us..." She said as she climbed onto him.

"Let them. I've got nothing to hide."

"Me either." She said with a warmly blushing smile.

Naruto carried her all the way back into town, eliciting several looks from the villagers. Some looked in confusion, some looked in adoration. But nobody objected. Most people had known about Hinata's feelings and were glad to see the two finally together.

"What are you going to do while I'm out?" Naruto asked.

"Not sure. My father should be gone by now so I can pretty much do whatever I want."

"You could always hang out at my place. I know it's not as fun without me, but it's quiet."

"That's a good idea. Maybe I'll have dinner ready when you get home."

"How did I get so lucky?"

"Ugh... Naruto, I just got back from a mission."

"Please?"

Shikamaru let out another dramatic groan before reluctantly accepting defeat.

"You're lucky Temari isn't here, or it'd be a definite no. I guess I'll be your advisor for this mission, but you're gonna owe me for it being such short notice."

"I can work with that! All right, we're in business!"

"Have you thought about who else you're bringing?"

"Eh... no. Was kinda hoping you'd help me out with that."

"Alright, let's take a walk before my mom gives me a chore or something." Shikamaru said as they walked away from his front door and into town.

"So, including me, you get to take three people. That leaves us with two more spots."

"Any ideas?"

"This is the way I usually look at it when I get to pick my squad. First priority, a Shinobi specializing in reconnaissance, usually a sensory type, but doesn't have to be. Let's see... Kiba, Shino, Sai, and of course, Hinata. All decent options."

"Actually... Granny Tsunade said I can't bring Hinata this time."

"No offense but that's probably a good thing for now. The less distractions the better. Well then, you've got three choices."

"I think I'm gonna go with Sai. That way we can use his bird-drawing-things to scout and to travel. We'll get to the hidden rain village much faster that way."

"That's actually a pretty great idea. Good thinking. Next pick is what I like to call the powerhouse. Someone that has strong jutsu and a lot of chakra for when shit hits the fan. In this case, I think you qualify for that."

"Okay, so one more."

"The medic. Someone who is pretty decent with healing jutsu. I know this isn't supposed to be too tough of a mission, but anything can happen. That leaves... Sakura and Ino."

"Easy pick, Sakura. She's been training in healing for a while now. Nothing against Ino."

"Although Ino is my teammate, I have to agree with you on that one. All that's left now is to get everyone on board."

With a plan in mind, they both made their way to Sai's residence first and had an easy time recruiting him for the team. Sai was known for not being very expressive but Naruto and Shikamaru could both tell that he was slowly coming out of his shell. He eagerly accepted his role in the mission, seemingly happy just to be included.

Next was Sakura.

"You guys are just in time. I was just about to go ask Tsunade if she had any missions available." Sakura responded after hearing the mission details.

"Looks like we're set then." Shikamaru said.

Sakura turned to Naruto with a questioning look on her face.

"Naruto, are you nervous about leading a squad for the first time? I know I would be."

"A little bit, but it's something I've gotta learn how to do. I'm trying to keep an open mind about it."

"I'm sure you'll do fine! If you had asked me a few years ago I probably would've said differently, but I know you can do this."

"Thanks, Sakura. That means a lot to me."

Naruto was glad to see his teammate being supportive of him. Although he had long since forgiven her for her harsh treatment of him, he hadn't forgotten. Her change of heart was happily welcomed.

Naruto and Shikamaru continued their walk into town after they were done with Sakura.

"Any other advice you can give me?" Naruto asked.

"Honestly, most leadership advice is learned, not given. People will tell you different things but not everything works the same for everybody. It all comes with practice and experience."

"Man, I feel really unprepared for this."

"I promise you'll do fine. There are certainly worse people who have been given leadership positions. They turned out okay. The best thing I can tell you is to not place yourself over your team. Yeah, you're in charge, but don't let it get to your head. Being power hungry is one of the quickest ways to make your team abandon you."

"Right. Even if I'm leading the team, I'm still a part of the team."

"Exactly. See? You're doing great already. You've got nothing to worry about."

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help. I'm slowly feeling a little better about this. Really, I can't thank you enough."

"You can thank me when we finish the mission. I'm sure I'll be helping you more before we get it done. That reminds me..."

"Yes?"

"I don't mean this in a bad way, but I can't help you with everything. I can give you pointers, sure, but at some point you have to figure it out for yourself, even if that means making the wrong choices and learning from them."

"Yeah... I know. You're right. I was thinking the same thing. I really want to learn this stuff. I'm thinking more and more about the future and everything I want. I don't just want to be an errand boy. I want to be a leader. I want to be somebody that others look up to."

"People do look up to you, Naruto."

"You know what I mean. I want to be more than I am now. I want to be the best Hokage, and the best protector this village has ever seen."

"And I'm sure you will be, in time. Who knows, maybe that time is now, maybe it's years from now. Either way, you won't know until you test yourself. Baby steps, Naruto."

Naruto chuckled to himself as he remembered the inside joke that him and Hinata shared about their private interactions.

"Ya know, if I do become Hokage some day, you should be my advisor."

"You mean, do this full time? I don't know about that." Shikamaru spoke confidently, but he couldn't quite hide the small grin that seemed to force itself onto his face.

"Ahhh see? You like the idea too!"

"Whatever. I'll think about it."

"Uh huh, I'm sure you will."

Naruto caught himself running scenarios through his head as he approached his front door. Once he walked in, there was no going back. Him and Hinata had both talked about taking their physical relationship further tonight, when they'd be all alone with no regards to when Hinata had to be home. With the amount of teasing and foreplay they had done lately, Naruto couldn't help but wonder how far they might go tonight. He knew it was still a little too soon for them to have actual sex, but he was curious about the other things they could do.

He hoped he hadn't taken too much time. It was already dark outside. The door swung open before he could even turn the key he had inserted into the lock.

"Hey you. You're just in time!" Hinata said.

"Hey beautiful... something smells good!" Naruto responded as he entered his apartment, his compliments bringing a blush to her cheeks.

As he followed her into the house, he took the time to check her out as she walked in front of him. His imagination had been running wild merely seconds ago, and the swing of her hips only made him want to bring those thoughts to life.

Thankfully, food was a good distraction.

Naruto stepped into the kitchen to find a rather large bowl of rice and chicken curry. It looked and smelled, well, perfect.

"Woah... that looks so good." Naruto said as he gawked at the enormous volume of deliciousness that sat before him.

"I haven't even tried it yet. Shall we taste test it together?" Hinata said as she offered him a spoon.

"How could you not have already tried it? I wouldn't be able to help myself."

They both eagerly tasted a spoonful, and after silently agreeing that they immediately needed more, they both grabbed a full bowl and took their seats on the couch once again. Hinata watched as Naruto practically attacked his bowl. She was happy to see that he was more willing to accept acts of kindness from her without feeling that he didn't deserve it.

As usual, Naruto finished his bowl first. And then another, and another, and so on.

"Man, I really want some more, but I'm so full!"

"I made a lot so you can have some later. You can even bring some with you on your mission!"

"Seriously, you're awesome, Hinata. I need to learn how to cook so I can make meals for you too. I'll probably never be as good as you, but I want to try to repay you somehow."

"You don't have to repay me, Naruto. I told you before, I want to cook for you."

"I know, I know. Still, I'd like to do the same for you some day."

Hinata finished what was left of her bowl of food and set it on the coffee table in front of her.

"Tell you what, when you come back from your mission, I promise I will teach you how to cook."

"I'd like that."

They sat in an awkward silence for some time, not knowing what to do next. They hadn't said anything about it yet, but they both knew what the other person was thinking about.

Sex.

Well, kind of. More so, what they would do before sex. If they were taking baby steps, what exactly was the next step? Hinata herself had thought of a couple ideas, but none of them seemed like the "right" answer. How were they going to figure this out? And more importantly, how would they instigate it?

Naruto finally broke the silence. "So, what do you wanna do?"

She decided to start off a little bit slow. They had all night, there was no reason to jump in head first when they really didn't even know what they were doing. She left his question unanswered as she leaned over to him and kissed him gently on the lips. Nothing too sensual, nothing too crazy.

That lasted about a minute.

It was all thanks to Naruto, who decided to place his hand on her inner thigh while he slipped his tongue into her mouth. He had done the latter a time or two before and Hinata had really enjoyed it. This time was even better, because it was completely unexpected. She assumed Naruto was just as nervous as she was, and because of this, she had every intention of starting slow and bringing themselves into the next step together.

Naruto seemed to have a different mindset this time around. She could tell that he was ready to get things going, and she quickly decided that she was ready as well.

Naruto suddenly pulled away and used her chin to point her face up to his, looking her in the eye with a lustful gaze.

"I asked you a question." Naruto had several ideas of what she was wanting to do, but he wanted to hear her say it. He wanted to see the blush form when she told him what she wanted.

He had spoken softly but firmly. Hinata loved when he was like this. He felt so dominating, like he might take her however he wanted at a moment's notice.

She stood up off of the couch and walked toward the hallway that led to his room. Naruto almost panicked, thinking he had upset her or turned her off somehow and made her run away. He then remembered that wasn't quite her style. No, she was walking away so she could tease him from a distance and make him chase after her. And he would, because she was simply irresistible.

He once again watched her hips swing as she walked away from him until she stopped just barely into the hallway. She turned around and met his stare with one that was equally as radiant with desire.

"There's a lot of things I want to do, Naruto. But if you want to know what they are, you're gonna have to come see for yourself."

She then turned back away from him and walked down the hall and into his room. As soon as Naruto recollected himself from her boldness, he shot up from the couch and quickly began making his way to his room, eager to see where things were about to go.

This is it, they were really about to do this, and the most exciting part was that neither of them really knew what "this" was yet.