"Tonight's the night..."

Naruto awoke in his bed and proceeded with his regular morning routine. Although the start of his day was looking pretty normal, he knew that the end of it would be anything but that.

A little after 09:30, Naruto was eating a bowl of cereal (ignoring the milk's very questionable expiration date) when he heard a knock on his door. It couldn't have been Hinata, since she wasn't supposed to be here until noon. Or... had she gotten bored and decided to come early?

"Good morning, Naruto."

"Kakashi Sensei! What brings you around?"

"I was hoping I could have a little chat with you. Mind if I come in? I won't take much of your time."

"Sure, come on in."

Kakashi entered Naruto's new apartment and walked into the kitchen. Naruto shut the door behind him and followed him inside.

"Can I get you anything?" Naruto said.

Kakashi noticed the milk on the table and politely declined. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I won't be long. It's good to see you again, Naruto, and in peaceful times. You've become quite the exceptional Shinobi, haven't you?"

"I... I guess."

Naruto hadn't quite gotten used to people commending him for his actions. The thought of being such an idol felt so odd when he had been considered the opposite not so long ago.

"Don't be so modest. War hero, tamer of the Nine Tailed Beasts, master of sage jutsu, the list goes on. You've accomplished quite a lot, and in a rather short period of time."

"I... Um, thank you, Kakashi Sensei."

"Even so, you still aspire to be Hokage some day, don't you?"

"Of course! Don't worry, I haven't given up on that."

"And, it would seem that you're well on track to achieving that as well... which brings me to why I came here."

Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Now that the war is over and the village is back on its feet... Lady Tsunade has decided to announce her retirement as Fifth Hokage."

"What? Really!? Granny's retiring?"

"Nothing has been made public, and I'm not really supposed to tell anyone, but I thought you should know."

"I see... So, I'm guessing you already know because you'll be the one taking her place?"

Kakashi let out a long sigh, clearly unamused about his answer.

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, that does make the most sense. I guess technically they already picked you before the war." Naruto said with a chuckle.

"I suppose that's true. But, the reason I'm telling you this is because when I retire from the position someday, I have every intention of passing it on to you. At this point, I'm sure that's no surprise. But with that being said, you and I have a lot of work to do until that happens."

"What kind of work?"

"As you've heard before, there's no shortcut to becoming Hokage. I'm afraid you have a lot of learning to do before you can take on such a position, and I'm not just talking about combat skills. Politics, diplomatics, economics... That's why, at some point, I'll be providing you with different material that you'll need to study. I'll also be personally working with you and giving you periodic exams to ensure you're actually learning something."

"Study!? Exams!? You mean I have to do homework!?"

"Something like that. It's entirely necessary if you're to continue pursuing your dream. I know it's not something you want to hear, and I don't blame you. But, I thought you should know what to expect. It's all in an effort to ensure you're ready when the time comes."

"Kakashi Sensei... do you really think I'll make a good Hokage?"

Kakashi gave Naruto a pat on the shoulder and started to walk back to the front door. When he got there, he stopped for a moment and spoke to Naruto before leaving.

"I have a feeling you'll be the best we've ever seen. But in the end, it's up to you to decide if that happens or not. I'm afraid your journey has only just begun, Naruto. I'll be seeing you very soon."

Later, Naruto and Hinata met up and walked to a clothes store together, both hoping to find a nice outfit to wear for the night. Naruto was already thanking himself for asking Hinata to come along, for he was really going to need the help in selecting his clothes.

"What do you think about this one?" Naruto asked while holding up an outfit. Nothing about it really stood out. It had cool colors, but that was about all he could make of it.

"Hmm... too bright. I always thought you looked better in darker clothes."

Hinata remembered when he returned to the village after his trip with Jiraiya, and the change of clothes he had brought with him. As young kids, Hinata had always had a genuine yet innocent crush on him. But when he returned after a couple years away, well, that was the first time she ever thought of him as hot.

After browsing for a while and picking out several different clothes to try on, they both made their way into the changing rooms. Naruto was up first, trying on multiple different outfits that just didn't quite feel right. Him and Hinata were both pretty consistent about deciding which ones were just okay and which ones were absolute rejects.

"This is the last one. It's nothing special." Naruto said, a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Try it on, let's see how it looks on you."

Taking Hinata's advice, Naruto had picked a darker outfit with no outstanding colors. After fully changing, he stood in front of the mirror wearing a black suit vest on top of a white undershirt, with black dress pants and dark brown shoes. And to top it off, an orange tie, of course. Looking at himself in the mirror, he had to admit, he cleaned up pretty nice.

What he didn't notice was Hinata almost drooling at the sight of him. She had never seen him in a suit before, and this one fit him flawlessly. It was perfect for his build, exhibiting his muscularity in just the right way. Even if it was simple dress attire, she couldn't have imagined a sexier Naruto.

"I actually kinda like this one. What do you think?" He asked, turning around to face her.

"You look... wow... it's perfect!"

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely! That's definitely the one for you."

Naruto took one last look at himself in the mirror before making his decision.

"Alright then, I'm set! Now, let's see what you picked out."

Naruto sat down on the small bench in the room and watched as Hinata stripped her regular clothes off to reveal his favorite matching underwear set, undoubtedly planned by her as a way to tease him throughout the day. He bit his lip in frustration, fighting the urge to tear it off of her so soon.

He watched as she tried on several different dresses, and while each one looked great on her, there seemed to be something missing. Naruto could've happily walked out with her in any of the ones she tried on, but Hinata just couldn't quite make up her mind.

"Here, let me try a black one. Maybe we can match."

Hinata removed her current dress and replaced it with a satin black one. Naruto instantly locked his eyes on the way the dress hugged her slim waist just before her hips widened. The silky fabric fit against her curves beautifully, running most of the way down her thigh but not quite reaching her knee. Looking back up, Naruto noticed how it cut down into her chest, showing off just a little bit of her cleavage but not being overly ambitious. She looked incredible, even the sleek black color of the dress matching well with her dark and silky hair.

Perfection.

"I think I like it. What do you think, Naruto?"

"You look like a goddess, Hinata."

"N-Naruto..."

There was that cute little blush again that always drove him wild.

"I mean it." Naruto said before standing up from the bench and walking up to her, taking her hand in his. "You look absolutely beautiful, even without the dress. But to answer your question, I think it's the perfect one for you."

"R-Really? You're sure?"

Naruto gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face the mirror again. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, both of them checking themselves out in the mirror. Even Hinata had to admit, she looked fantastic in this dress, but she felt even more beautiful standing next to him.

"Oh yeah, definitely. Ya know, I think we look pretty damn good together." Naruto said.

"Hell yeah we do. I bet we'll make a lot of others jealous." Hinata replied, eliciting a laugh from Naruto.

"You're already making me jealous, just knowing that other people get to see you in that dress tonight."

"Maybe so, but unlike you... they don't get to see what's underneath." Hinata said, turning to look him in the eye.

That look... did she even know exactly what it did to him?

"You look so sexy, Hina. I don't know how I'm gonna be able to keep my hands off of you tonight." Naruto replied, grabbing hold of her waist and pulling her close to him.

Then, Hinata decided to do something very bold. She grabbed his hand and brought it underneath her dress, placing it inside her underwear. Not even bothering to ask permission, Naruto slipped a finger inside of her... fuck, she was already soaking.

"Then don't keep your hands off of me. I know I'm not gonna keep mine off of you." She said, using her hand to caress his member through his pants (that he technically hadn't actually purchased yet).

Naruto let out a devilish chuckle.

"And what about all the people there?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can sneak a few touches here and there. And don't forget, we still a lot of time to kill before we have to be there. Or... we could just wait until tonight." Hinata said teasingly.

Naruto gently grabbed her and pressed her firmly against the wall, his finger still inside her.

"Or... I could make you mine right here and now."

"I'd let you. But, I know you're bluffing." Hinata said, a sly grin on her still pink face.

Naruto let out another laugh, this one even more wicked than the last.

"As much as I'd love to, I'm afraid I'm only teasing for now. But next time... who knows..."

"You're gonna make me crazy, you know that?"

"You already make me crazy, Hina, and we still have all night. I'm just getting started."

It was true, they had more than enough time to kill after purchasing their clothes, so before getting to the nightclub, Naruto and Hinata walked all over town together, their hands interlocked the whole time. They got a lot of looks from people who seemed rather impressed by their dress attire. Others seemed to simply adore the sight of young love.

Occasionally, when nobody was around... or at least, when there wasn't a lot of people around, they would sneak off behind the corner of a building, or perhaps behind a large tree. From there, they would let their hands roam freely as they made out passionately, driving each other absolutely mad with lust as they did so. This would go on for some time, until they felt the need to change locations as to not draw any attention.

Eventually, they decided it was time to go meet their friends.

"Good, you made it. You two look nice."

Naruto and Hinata looked around and noticed that Shikamaru seemed to be the only one of their group that was waiting outside for them.

"Hey Shikamaru. Where is everyone?"

"Already inside. It's pretty hectic in there so I thought I'd meet you out here and lead you to our room."

"Room? What room?"

Shikamaru simply chuckled.

"Just follow me. I think you're gonna like this."

As soon as the door opened, Naruto and Hinata were met with a booming wave of loud music. There were people everywhere, some dancing, some drinking, some both. Hand in hand, they followed Shikamaru through a bustling crowd of people to the back of the dance floor and through a door.

Upon entering the room, everyone's faces lit up as they saw Naruto and Hinata walk in together holding hands... especially the girls. The two lovers could only smile as a wave of their friends ran up to greet them.

"Hey guys! Damn girl, you look gorgeous!" One of the girls said.

"Naruto! Good to see you again!" Said one of the guys.

"Hinata, come here! We want to ask you some questions!"

The girls wasted little time in practically ripping Hinata from Naruto's grasp and bringing her over to a large booth that seemed to be the designated spot for gossiping.

She looked back at Naruto awkwardly and mouthed "Sorry!"

Naruto simply laughed and shook his head.

"I guess I should've seen that coming."

Once the greetings died down, everyone continued on with whatever conversations they were having before. Looking around, Naruto saw a bar to the left with some of the guys having drinks together. To the right was the booth where all the girls sat. He noticed that Hinata already had a very red hue on her face. No doubt, the girls were probably already torturing her with spicy questions.

Naruto stood there awkwardly until Shikamaru gave him a slight nudge.

"Well? Go have fun!"

"I... I don't really know what to do."

"How 'bout we grab a drink?"

"Never had one before. I guess there's a first time for everything."

"Oh, really? This should be fun."

The two friends walked over to the bar and sat down as Shikamaru ordered two drinks for them.

"So, how did you guys manage this?" Naruto asked.

"Everyone chipped in enough for us to get a private room for the whole group before we go out to the dance floor. We can't stay too long, but it gives everyone time to catch up for a moment without having to worry about the crowd."

"That's awesome! How much do I owe for my part?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you don't owe anything. We did this for you, Naruto."

"That's really thoughtful of you guys. I can't thank you enough."

"Don't mention it." Shikamaru said with a smile. "So, I'm sure I'll hear plenty from Temari later, but... speaking of first times, how are you and Hinata?"

Naruto thought of exactly what to say as the bartender placed two shot glasses in front of them.

"Shikamaru... I can tell you things, right? You know, private things?"

"Of course." Shikamaru said as he threw back his shot.

"Our first time... is going to be tonight, once we're done here."

"Oh shit, in that case, I'll be taking that."

Shikamaru snatched Naruto's drink from him and downed it.

"Huh? What'd you do that for?"

"Trust me, you do not want to be drunk for your first time. I'd keep an eye on Hinata too if I were you."

Naruto glanced over to Hinata again and saw that the girls were attempting to get her to try some kind of beverage. He chuckled to himself as he watched her awkwardly take a small sip and make a face that was clearly in disgust.

"I guess you're right. I'll do that."

"Good on you. Don't worry, we can get you shitfaced another time. So... Chunin, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Kinda silly, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Naruto. You're way overqualified for that. I think everyone would agree that you earned Jonin rank a long time ago."

"Maybe, but you know I can't just skip steps. When I left the village, I knew I'd be missing out on future Chunin exams. I'm not really worried about it."

"If you say so. I still think they could've made an exception, but as long as you're happy."

The two sat and talked for a while longer, Shikamaru continuing to swallow drink after drink. Naruto noticed that Shikamaru seemed to grow more social as he drank more. He was normally rather quiet and collected.

Naruto's eyebrow raised when the bartender brought him an entire platter of shot glasses. Was he trying to drink himself to death?

"I'm no expert, but don't you think you've had a lot to drink?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, maybe. But these aren't all for me, and I know my limit, so don't worry. I got room for one more..."

Shikamaru got up from his seat and walked around the room, handing a shot to each one of their friends before making his way back over to Naruto and throwing his arm around his shoulder.

"You ready?" Shikamaru asked as he handed Naruto the last shot.

"I thought you said I shouldn't drink?"

"One won't kill you. But seriously, don't overdo it. Alright, everyone! We don't have a lot of time left in here, so let's remember why we came here in the first place!"

Shikamaru raised his glass up high.

"To Naruto, we congratulate you!"

"To Naruto!" They all said in unison.

"Cheers!"

Naruto locked eyes with Hinata for a moment. She blew him a kiss and gave him a wink before taking her shot along with everyone else. She made that same cringing face afterward but quickly laughed it off as the girls continued pestering her. Seeing her come out of her shell a little more every day was wonderful.

Naruto looked down at the strange liquid in his glass and hesitantly brought it to his lips. He then felt a ball of heat in his chest slowly sliding down into his stomach, shuddering as it did so.

"Atta boy." Shikamaru said. "Hey, what do you say we go talk to the girls for a bit?"

They walked over to the booth and slid into it, Shikamaru next to Temari and Naruto next to Hinata.

"Hey ladies. Whatcha talkin' about over here?" Shikamaru asked the group of girls, clearly walking a fine line between drunk and too drunk.

"Hey babe. None of your business." Temari said with a laugh. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Oh, just enough." He said.

Under the table, Naruto placed his hand on Hinata's thigh, just as he did once before when they all went out for barbecue. Glancing down at her, she gave him another wink and placed her hand on his leg as well. Maybe it was just the alcohol flowing, but Hinata now seemed completely absent of nervousness or embarrassment.

"What about you? How much have you had to drink?" Naruto said, leaning down and whispering into her ear.

"Just the one from the toast. And a tiny sip of... whatever that stuff is." She whispered back before motioning toward a glass of mystery liquid on the table.

"Good, wouldn't want you to have too much now, would we?" He said, bringing his hand further up her thigh.

"Mm, no we wouldn't."

Naruto's eyes widened as he felt her hand rest on his member.

"What's wrong, love? Everything okay?" She whispered, her falsely innocent eyes locked with his as she started to caress him.

"I'm so ready to-"

"Hey, what're you two talking about over there? Care to share with the rest of us?" Temari asked with a grin.

"Actually, I think it's about time for us to head out to the dance floor. Let's go, everyone!" Shikamaru said, flashing Naruto a look that said, "You're welcome."

The entire group of friends made their way out of the room and onto the dance floor, most of the couples splitting off to dance together while the singles danced as a group.

Naruto and Hinata stood awkwardly next to each other until Naruto spoke over the loud music.

"Um, did you want to dance?" He asked.

Had it been a slow song, Hinata would have accepted in a heartbeat. A slow dance with Naruto was definitely still something on her bucket list. But the current song playing was loud, bassy, and definitely not her style. Another time, perhaps.

"I'm not much of a dancer, but don't let me stop you!"

"Oh trust me, I'm not either! Actually... I was wondering if you'd like to take this party somewhere else? Somewhere a little more private?"

Hinata said nothing, smiling wider than ever before and grabbing Naruto's hand before practically dragging him out of the nightclub. Next stop, Hokage Rock.

"Holy shit... we're really about to do this."

Author's Notes:

As much as I would've loved to make it happen this chapter, I'm afraid I didn't have nearly enough room for it. But next chapter, I have a feeling it'll be worth it.

I hope you're looking forward to the next chapter as much as I look forward to writing it. Regarding sex, I understand that I've built up some expectations and have certainly tested your patience, but I sincerely hope you'll find that the wait was worth it.

Who knew Shikamaru could be such a drinker!? Lol. I believe that in the manga, he's a smoker, so I kinda branched off of that. I'm NOT making him an alcoholic, just seemed like a fun idea.

Until next time!