The moon was high in the sky, occasional hidden by long streaks of cloud.

A number of couples strolled along the avenue, arm in arm, laughing or talking quietly. They exchanged pleasant greeting with passersby or any of the village guards they passed by.

One young pair, in contrast, hurried from one point of concealment to another, not wanting to be noticed by anyone. It had nothing to do with romance and privacy. Their reputations were at stake.

"I don't know why you needed to come along, Hinata."

Naruto scratched his head, keeping a wary look out. The last thing he wanted to do was come across Kakashi, Kurenei, or any of his friends. While he and Hinata had no intention of voluntarily telling any of them about the night's events, there was no telling what kind of verbal mishap might take place.

Hell, all anyone had to do was say 'Hello,' and they two of them would probably light up brighter than the midnight sun. That would lead to all sorts of questions, and who knows what their reactions might give away!

It was best to play things safe.

"I was the one who… you know…." Hinata blushed in the darkened recesses of a large weeping tree. "I was the one who… well… tried it on." She shivered a moment, and not from the chill breeze that blew over her. "So….. I… ummm… should apologize to her."

Hinata was very big on propriety. She had been raised as the heir at one point, and had been lectured countless times on manners and obligations. Given that, she marveled at the fact that she hadn't fainted and gone into a coma the moment she had mistakenly opened the wrong box.

Secretly, she also wondered if Naruto might simply throw the package away. He knew that she would never have the nerve to ask Tsunade about it.

"Well then, I don't know why I have to go then!" Naruto signaled for her to follow him, as soon as he saw that the road ahead was clear. He continued to speak as they ran for the next place of cover. "You can show it to her and apologize. Damn. I thought you were just trying to trick me…."

He was beginning to sweat again. Hinata could easily tell Tsunade what she had done. The Hokage might not ask her any embarrassing questions in that situation. But, if he showed up as well, who knows what thoughts might cross that woman's mind!

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata sounded a bit shocked. "It was your task to deliver the present."

"I did!" Naruto said, laughing. It was a lot easier to joke about things now, seeing that they were no longer on the Hyuuga estates.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata was trying to be serious. "You know what I mean!" She bit her lip. "And I was pretending at first. But then, I decided this really was the right thing to do."

"Yes… alright…." Naruto grudgingly admitted that Hinata had a good point. "But since you already wore the thing for me…." He smiled when he saw Hinata stumble. "We could just tell her what happened, and then leave real quickly, without actually showing her the thing." He whispered to himself after that. "And without answering any questions."

"It was our mistake, Naruto-kun." Hinata was adamant. "We're responsible."

"I didn't try it on," Naruto said, sounding somewhat cheeky. Then, he thought of something fun to say. "Though I will if you want me to!" He smiled seeing Hinata trip again. "Hmmmm, I'd probably look better in a thong…."

Hinata stopped. There had to be some way to get Naruto to behave a little more seriously now. Oh! That might do the trick. But, what if he actually did it?

"OK," Hinata said, taking the heart-shaped box out of the bag. "G-Go ahead. Fair's fair."

"Tsk tsk. It seems that I am a bad influence on you. No doubt Tsunade will say the same thing when she hears just how kinky you are. It's always the quiet ones!" Naruto grinned, enjoying the opportunity to tease Hinata.

Hinata dropped the box. It hit funny, and opened. The lingerie spilled out onto the road. "Oh" She felt as if the very darkness itself had a million eyes. Dropping to her knees, she scooped things back up again. "It was just a joke, Naruto-kun!"

"I know," Naruto said. "That's why we shouldn't need to go to all this trouble. Jiraiya just meant the damn thing as a joke." He sighed, rubbing his chin. He knew that wasn't the joke that Hinata was talking about. "You know that this will get us in trouble some way or another, right?"

"It's the right thing to do, Naruto-kun." Hinata had begun to feel very nervous for some reason. "She will probably think very highly of us." The white-eyed girl truly believed that. "Shinobi are expected to be honorable."

"Well, it's your funeral too! You don't know Old Lady Tsunade the way that I do." Naruto shook his head. "For all I know, she might get really pissed at Jiraiya's little game, but take out her anger on us." He tensed up. "Or just me!" He pictured Tsunade holding up one finger again, as she had when he challenged her for the necklace.

As the two ninjas finally reached the broad and well lit stretch of the avenue leading to the Hospital Center, they tried to walk very sedately, acting as nonchalant as they possibly could. That by itself made them look somewhat suspicious.

"Hey guys!"

Both Naruto and Hinata froze. It was Sakura. She was reporting for her shift at the medical center. Neither said anything. Hinata tried to hide the bag behind her back. Naruto tried to look like his usual self, failing miserably. His one eyelid kept twitching.

Sakura scowled. She wondered if the two of them were purposefully ignoring her. Before she took offense, she caught sight of Hinata's pin. Seeing that, she smiled. "Hinata! That's beautiful!" She ran over to look at the jewelry more closely, not noticing the tremor in her friend's hands. "I can't believe he gave you something so wonderful. I would have expected him to screw things up somehow."

"Ummm…" Hinata had to clear her throat. "Ummm… yes… he did a wonderful job."

"Yeh! No mistakes at all. Not a one! Ha ha ha hah!" Naruto put on a crooked smile. "Things couldn't have gone any better. Hinata got what she wanted, and I…." That hadn't come out right.

The open ended comment had Hinata twitching. She dropped the bag, but quickly stepped in front of it.

"You know…." Sakura looked at Hinata, and then back at Naruto. "Both of you guys are acting kind of funny." She put her hands on her hips. "Are you sure that Naruto didn't do anything weird?"

"Not me. It was…." Naruto just managed to keep from flinching. He almost blurted out something about Jiraiya and the present. "I was a perfect gentleman."

Hinata nodded. She could agree to that statement without lying. But, Sakura wasn't convinced. "Did he try to kiss you without your permission, Hinata?" The pink haired medical ninja scrutinized Hinata's face. Her eyebrows went up when she saw Hinata blush.

"N-N-No…." Hinata managed an even voice, barely. "W-W-We didn't kiss." The stuttering made Sakura even more suspicious, even though it wasn't an uncommon thing for the shy white-eyed girl.

"Uh huh." Sakura shrugged, looking into the building and seeing one of her compatriots signal for her to hurry up. There must be a case coming in. Or, Tsunade was in one of her moods. "Well, we'll talk later, Hinata." Sakura said. Bending over, she whispered into the smaller girl's ear. "We'll do it when he's not around. You can tell me the full story." As she left, Sakura looked down at the bag. She opened her mouth, but shook her head and ran into the hospital facilities.

"Damn!" Naruto clenched his fists. That had been much too close. "Didn't I tell you we could run into all sorts of trouble? Are you going to be able to keep the secret from her, Hinata?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun." Hinata squared her shoulders, trying to strike one of Naruto's poses. It had him grinning. "It's my Ninja Way!" She bit her lip, not able to keep the stance too long without feeling too ridiculous.

"It better be!" Naruto laughed. "Maybe I'm having a good influence on you after all." He was glad to see Hinata trying to loosen up some. "Well, then, let's…"

"Hey, Naruto. Hi, Hinata."

It was Shikamaru, accompanied by Choji. Naruto was usually glad to see his two friends. But, not at that moment.

Hey… yeh… Shikamaru… Choji…" Naruto tensed up. "Uhhh… good to see you guys…" He was not in the mood to deal with the self-proclaimed genius. But, since Shikamaru would probably consider questions to be bothersome, things would probably be fine. He would ask the questions, taking the focus off of Hinata and himself. "Coming back from seeing your lady friends?"

Choji simply nodded his head, munching away on a large bag of chips. Now that he had a girlfriend, he bought jumbo-sized snacks, not the small personal-size ones. For a moment, he stopped chewing. Something had caught his attention.

Shikamaru sighed, and then rolled his eyes. Putting both arms out in near supplication, he shook his head. "You are very fortunate, Naruto. You have a girlfriend who is quiet and well-behaved. You would never see Hinata doing anything that wasn't lady-like."

Both Naruto and Hinata swallowed hard.

Choji walked around Hinata, staring in her bag. He recognized that red color. It was used on heart-shaped boxes. They usually contained candy.

"She is also not the demanding type." Shikamaru sighed again. "Ino is so loud, and so persistent. She's also very…"

"Troublesome," Choji said for his friend. He looked at the partially concealed box… then at Hinata… then at the box again.

"Yes, troublesome. It was a nice gift. She liked it. That should have been enough. But then…" Shikamaru shrugged.

"Temari," Choji said.

"Exactly. It was 'Temari' this and'Temari' that. So bothersome. Ino tried to make me choose between the two of them tonight. She said that if it would make any difference, she would put on something 'naughty' for me." He ran his hand over his hair. "How many girls that we know would do that?"

Hinata almost tripped over her bag. Her heartbeat picked up.

"Is that chocolate, Hinata?" Choji asked. He pointed at the box containing the nightie. "Could I see…."

The white-eyed girl froze. But, Naruto came to her rescue. "Sorry, Choji. That's why we're here. It's for the Hokage." He then spoke in a stage whisper. "It's from Jiraiya. I don't think it would be a good idea to sneak anything out of that box!"

The rotund shinobi looked torn. He certainly didn't want to be on the bad side of one of the Legendary Sannin. Then again, he really liked sweets. "If I came with you to the Hokage, do you think…" Choji looked hopeful.

"NO!" Both Naruto and Hinata shouted at the same time, and then tried to look unconcerned. "No," Naruto said in a calmer voice. You're my friend, Choji. I know what kind of moods Old Lady Tsunade can get in. I won't let you risk that. Tomorrow, if you run into me, I'll buy you some chocolate!"

That had Choji slapping Naruto on the back, a huge grin on his face. Shikamaru simply rubbed his chin, a crafty look in his eyes. He looked at the box, and then took note of his friends' reactions.

"Let's go, Hinata!" Naruto recognized Shikamaru's look. The only thing that would have been worse, would be if his friend held his two hands together in the way he did when contemplating things. "Tsuande will be off shift, and will probably be heading to bed. We need to make our delivery as quickly as possible."

"Bye," Hinata said, as Naruto tugged her towards the entryway.

"Maybe just one piece?" Choji asked, eyes awash with disappointment.

That had Hinata and Naruto sprinting for the door.

Safely inside the first of the large buildings making up the complex, Hinata took a moment to get her wits about her.

Looking down at her face, Naruto grinned. His mischievous nature rose to the fore again. "Hinata, let me see the box." He tried to sound very serious. "We should check to make certain that the red frilly object is still in place. You know what I'm talking about. The…"

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata turned bright pink. "Shush…." She looked around her to make certain no one was listening.

"Still want to come along?" Naruto asked. "If that embarrassed you, wait until you see what happens when we bring the thing to a tired and pissed off Hokage."

"Naruto!"

It was Shizune. She was dressed in a pair of light medical robes. Her eyelids drooped. It must be near her quitting time.

"Uhhh… Shizune!" Naruto tensed a slight bit, but he was beginning to get used to these unexpected run-ins. "How's it going?"

Shizune smiled. She was very fond of Naruto. Her eyes widened, and her smile grew, when she looked over at Hinata. "Hinata. Aren't you a sight to see!" The dark-haired medical ninja admired the nice outfit that Hinata was wearing.

Naruto coughed hard, hearing that. Hinata blushed and brought her hand to her mouth.

"The both of you look so nice!" Shizune rubbed her eyes, then yawned. "And that pin is exquisite." That had Naruto puffing out his chest. "And Naruto, you still have your necklace, I notice." The medical ninja pointed to Naruto's winnings from his bet with Tsunade. "I hope you two had a memorable night."

"Ummm…..yes." Hinata's hands twitched. The bag rubbed against her legs, feeling one hundred times heavier than it actually was.

"Ha! Of course it was memorable," Naruto said, striking a pose he didn't quite feel. "That's my Ninja Way! After all, I am going to be Hokage some day." He put on a large grin. That ought to end the subject.

"So, why are you two here? You don't look sick, and I don't detect any sense of injury…." Shizune yawned again, hearing a bed calling her name.

"We have… we have something to deliver to Tsunade…." Hinata said, swallowing hard.

"From Jiraiya," Naruto added.

"Oh!" Shizune suddenly looked like she had been stung by a bee or shocked by a live wire. "My, oh my. I can only imagine…." She shook her head. "I can bring it to her if you like. She is in a rather…well… let's just say that she's not in the happiest of moods."

Naruto and Hinata looked at one another. "Well… we could come back at a better time… after all it's the thought that counts… not the exact time when the gift is received…." Naruto gave Hinata a hopeful look.

"Naruto gave the Sannin his word to deliver the present after the Hokage left her shift," Hinata said. "It's his Ninja way." She took a deep breath, sticking with her convictions.

"Well, I know how that is," Shizune said, grinning at Naruto. He had grown a lot, but he still had that wild look about him. She wouldn't be surprised if the young man did indeed become Hokage some day. "Hinata, you can sit and talk with me a while, if you like. The village can't afford to loose the both of you. The two of us can use the time to get the bandages ready."

"Ummm… I should go too…." Hinata tried to think of an honest and convincing explanation. "Maybe if I'm there, the Hokage won't be so angry."

Shizune yawned and stretched. "OK. If that's what you want. Tsunade was still in her office when I walked past." She looked at Hinata a moment, suspicious that there was something more at the root of all this. But, she was too exhausted to follow up that thought. "Good night you guys!"

With that she left.

The two young shinobi made their way through the building, stopping just in front of a set of double doors leading into Tsunade's office. The doors swung open before they reached them, as a pair of medical ninjas to hurry out. "Hey, you forgot the duty roster!" One ninja said.

"You want to go back for it? After that?" The other was clearly sweating. "I sure as hell don't!"

"No way!We don't need it until tomorrow morning." She and her companion disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto looked at Hinata, who was busy looking at her feet. He waved arms in a grand flourish. "Uhhh… ladies first…." He put his hand on the door knob.

Hinata looked up at him.

"I was just being a gentleman!" Naruto protested, moving the door open a bit.

Hinata stood staring at him.

"WELL, ARE YOU GOING TO ANNOY ME BY PLAYING WITH MY DOORS, OR DISTURB ME BY ACTUALLY COMING IN?"

Naruto squared his shoulders, and then put on his most care-free persona. He marched in under the ornate archway with high steps. Stopping, he held out his hand and snapped his fingers. Hinata followed timidly behind him and placed the bag in his hand.

Tsunade sat at her desk, hands steepled in front of her. She had that face, the one which reminded Naruto of towering thunderclouds.

"Uzumaki Naruto, completing his dangerous mission, Mam!" Naruto tried to sound flippant, but sweat drops began sprouting up all over his face.

"Why me?" The Hokage closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she raised an eyebrow. "And why Hinata?" Her eyes narrowed. Why was the usually quiet and considerate Hyuuga girl here at this hour?

"Ummm…." Hinata tried to imitate Naruto, by standing tall and strong. "It's my mission too, Mam!"

"I see." Tsunade shook her head, wondering just what was going on. "The Leaf's most unpredictable ninja, and one of the most respectable and peaceful shinobi, together. Wonderful. I just can't wait to hear what's on your minds." She looked at the bag Naruto held. "What's that? It better not…" She was distracted, when Hinata's jeweled pin caught the light just so. "Is that new jewelry, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes, Mam."

Naruto took the red heart-shaped box out and held it in front of him. He took one step towards Tsunade. That was simple enough. He took two more.

"Be brave, Naruto-kun…." Hinata whispered. She watched as Naruto squared his shoulders and marched onward, his arms swinging.

"This is for you," Naruto said, when he stopped in front of the Hokage's cluttered desk.

"How sweet," Tsunade said, sitting up straighter. "But, I prefer my men a little bit older." She chuckled, seeing the look on Naruto's face. "Unless the gift is part of Hinata's plan. Maybe she wants me to think it's from you… so she can pass an unwanted boyfriend off on someone else…."

Naruto threw his chin out, scowling.

"No!" Hinata said, taking a step forward. She blushed, realizing that she had spoken rather loudly.

Tsunade smiled, but her sour look soon returned. She was tired, and not in the mood for shenanigans. "Let me guess," she said. "Jiraiya."

"That's why they made her Hokage," Naruto said to Hinata. He tossed the box on Tsunade's desk, and then turned to leave. "Later, Old Lady!"

"Not… one… more… step…" Tsunade stood up, stretched,and then cracked her fingers. "I have some questions for such an excellent delivery boy."

"Questions?"Naruto swallowed hard. Questions usually called for answers. Answers might end up getting him or Hinata in hot water. "The perverted old hermit gave me a task. I completed the damn task. Now…." Naruto staged a yawn, "Now I need to get some sleep."

The Hokage walked over towards Naruto, stopping to admire Hinata's gift from Naruto. "That's truly lovely, Hinata. Who gave it to you? It couldn't have been Naruto!" She had a nasty look in her eye. "I would have expected a noodle bowl with your name on it… a new kunei, or…." Tsunade turned to look Naruto straight in the eyes. "Or, given the amount of time he spent with that hairy old reprobate, I wouldn't have been surprised if he gave you something… inappropriate…."

"N-Not me…." Naruto held his hands up. "That's not my Ninja Way!"

Hinata shook her head. Naruto hadn't actually given her the red box.

"Good…" Tsunade said, clenching a fist. "I don't know just what I might do if a certain young man tried to corrupt a certain young lady."

Naruto twitched.

"Now Naruto, just what did Jiraiya offer you, to make you risk life and limb." Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "I hope it was something special. Because if that box holds what I think it does…."

"Well, I…" Naruto swallowed hard. She wouldn't really take out her anger on him, would she? "I accepted his offer to learn a powerful new technique. His words were 'I will teach you a really powerful jutsu when I get back in town. I think you may finally be ready for it. Few could actually hope to master it. All I ask is that you bring the gift to her tonight, after she gets off shift at the Medical Center'." Naruto thumbed his nose, an irreverent look on his face. "Akatsuki may be gone, but the Leaf still has powerful enemies." Ha. Let her think that he was being altruistic about things!

"I see. I should have known. No doubt he tempted you with noodles, first." Tsunade grimaced. "You're predictable. Very predictable. Not the most advantageous trait in a ninja."

"I didn't accept, Old lady! I mean, not just for noodles!" Naruto replied, defensively. "He said 'What if I buy you a week's worth of noodles, putting it on account for you?' But, I simply shook my head."

"Good," Tsunade rubbed her hands together. "I doubt even a week of noodles is worth ending up in Intensive Care." Tsunade hid a grin when Hinata stepped between her and Naruto. "So, what else did he offer?"

"Nothing, really. I mean…." Damn. That was a very unfortunate slip of the tongue.

"What was it?" The Hokage asked, sounding deceptively sweet. For those who knew Tsunade well, that was a particularly ominous tone of voice.

"I…" Naruto froze. He looked at Hinata, then Tsunade, and finally the box. He clamped his mouth shut.

"Hmmmm…." Tsunade walked over to her desk. "They left the duty roster here. I have been thinking that each and every shinobi should come to appreciate the hard work that the medical staff does. It might teach them some humilty, making them do some of the scutt work for a while." She picked up a pen. "Who can I give orderly duty? You know. Cleaning bed pans… changing dressings… mopping up vomit… the fun stuff…."

Naruto sighed. He was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't.

"Alright, Granny." If he was going to have to give in, there was no way he was going to do so with good grace. "Ero-Sennin said 'Tell you what. Just hang around after Tsunade opens the gift. Tell her to make certain that it's to her liking." He stopped, his mouth wide open. He blinked repeatedly.

"There's more, isn't there?" Tsunade scowled. She had heard more than enough already

"Just more of the same," Naruto managed to get out, his mouth going dry. "N-Nothing important, really." He walked over to Hinata. "Can we go now? Hinata's family might be worried if she stays out too long."

"Ever give someone an enema before?" The Hokage asked.

Naruto hung his head. "Ero-Sennin said 'If you feel brave enough, ask her if she might like to share it with you." He couldn't help stuttering when he finished up. "Th-Th-That alone ought to m-m-make it worth your wh-wh-while'…."

Hinata's mouth fell open. She scowled at Tsunade, and then blushed when she saw the Hokage catch wind of that glare. Her eyes went wide when the older ninja's face took on an appearance more befitting an Oni than a lovely woman.

"Is that the reason you decided to deliver the present, Naruto?" Tsunades eyes flashed.

"No!" Naruto almost took up a fighting stance. "I thought it contained chocolate!"

"Thought?" The Hokage held up one finger. Naruto would know what that meant. "Does that mean that you peaked? You know that there's something other than candy inside?"

"NO WAY!" Naruto almost suffered whiplash, shaking his head so fast. He blushed, thinking about peaking. But, he had told the truth. He never looked in the box.

Hinata turned as red as a girl possibly could. That drew Tsunade's attention to her. "Hinata, is there something bothering you?" The Hokage walked over and stood in front of the white-eyed girl, trying to look less fearsome. Hinata didn't need the same kind of treatment that Naruto usually did. "I still don't understand why you are here. It's easy enough for me to believe that Naruto had the poor judgment to follow through on this delivery. But, I never would have guessed that you'd get involved with something like that…."

"Ummm…." Hinata looked down at her feet.

"Well, you know Hinata." Naruto spoke up loudly. "She's always looking out for other people, when she should be more worried about herself. She probably thought that I would just toss the present away, after I had given my word to deliver it. She thought that you should receive a gift that someone bought for you. She's a pretty special girl."

"I see," Tsunade said, her suspicion growing even more. "Hinata?"

"I… ummm… you see….I…." Hinata started rubbing her fingers together.

"I'm willing to accept whatever punishment I have earned," Naruto said, angry that Tsunade was carrying on the Third Degree even without opening the package. No one had actually done anything worthy of scolding. "Old lady, just because you are Hokage doesn't mean that you should keep Hinata here too. Let me tell you…"

Naruto began trembling, unable to use his muscles correctly. He couldn't use his tongue. Tsunade had used a tame version of the Chuusuusei Biribiri on him.

"I'll teach you how to do that one day, Hinata. With that boy's mouth, it might come in handy." The Hokage sighed. "Now, go on…."

Hinata fought to maintain her composure. She knew the best and easiest way was just to come out and say things. "I apologize. I did not realize that it was your gift. I opened the box by mistake. I tried it on."

Tsunade stood dead still. She didn't even blink. For all Hinata or Naruto knew, she could have been a statue. "I could have…." Tsunade cleared her throat. "I could have sworn that you said you tried it on." She quickly moved over to her desk and opened the heart-shaped box. The nightie hung suspended from her finger. "You… this…."

Hinata nodded, and then bowed her head.

"For… him…." The Hokage stared at Naruto.

"Ummm… I told him to stay down in the yard…." Hinata fought to get the words out.

Tsunade stood ramrod stiff again. Finally shaking her head, she walked over to a cabinet and unlocked it. She reached for a glass and a bottle of the hard stuff. Looking at the glass, she tossed it back in, opened the bottle, and took a long drink.

"I've been working way too hard. This must be a dream." Tsunade actually pinched herself. "So… you tried that on… in your father's house, I presume… and Naruto just happened to see you…."

Hinata nodded.

Tsunade sighed. Kids would be kids. But, if Hyuuga Hiashi ever got wind of this, innocent or not…Geez!

But, she should probably try to look on the bright side of things. If there was a bright side. This was an opportunity, in a sense. She didn't like to interfere in personal matters; but, if Naruto had behaved wrongly, it might be best if she ordered him to stay away from Hinata for her own good. On the other hand, knowing what she did now, if Naruto and Hinata had behaved properly, this whole event might actually do them some good.

It also gave her something to hold over their heads.

"What did he do when he saw you?" Tsunade asked Hinata.

"He came into my room saying 'Hinata… are you OK… did you hurt yourself?' When he saw me, I squeaked." The young girl blushed again, remembering. "He placed his hand firmly over his nose. He stepped backwards, falling heavily into a chair. The loud noise had my father check on me, threatening to come in the room."

Tsunade just shook her head. She looked over at Naruto and sighed. What would happen to Konoha if he really did become Hokage some day?

"Then he said 'Wrong box. That one was for Tsunade. I was just going to deliver it for that stupid perverted hermit!' I had… I had thought… I almost thought that he had gotten it for you…." Hinata looked way.

"What?" The Hokage furrowed her brow, causing Hinata to take a couple of steps backwards. "Well, with Naruto…." She shrugged. "The pin was your present. But you opened the heart-shaped box by mistake. OK."

"Yes," Hinata said, smiling, despite her thumping heart. "He said that he wanted things to be perfect." She lowered her eyes. "I opened the box meant for you… I didn't see the small box at first…." Hinata had the urge to add something important. "He left the room while I got dressed. When I came outside on the balcony I opened my present. I didn't open it while I when I was…. ummm…."

"I'm going to kill Jiraiya!" Tsunade slammed her hand down hard on her desk. All four legs cracked, and then broke off, letting the furniture slam heavy to the floor. "Neither of you will tell him what happened… if you know what's good for you! That kind of story would please him no end."

Hinata gulped, and then nodded.

"Y-Y-Yes…." Naruto had control of his tongue again.

"So Hinata, are you sure you want to go out with that scraggly trouble-maker after all this?" Tsunade nodded towards Naruto. "Who knows what might happen next!."

Hinata walked over to Naruto and put her hand around his arm. That was answer enough.

"And I take it you are not going to be kind to Hinata, by choosing someone else?" Tsunade failed to keep a grin off of her face when she saw Hinata squeeze Naruto's arm harder.

"No way, Old Lady. Not after what I saw. I mean…." Naruto closed his eyes. His mouth would be the end of him.

Tsunade sighed. "See?""

"He… he wasn't really… he wasn't really a good ninja once." Hinata ignored Naruto's mumbled cursing. "But he tried very hard… he was always practicing…" She nodded her head. "He probably just… ummm… needs some work in this too…."

"That's an understatement," the Hokage said.

"Shit!" Naruto said.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said, a disapproving tone in her voice.

"Huh? Oh. OK." Naruto scratched his head. "Crap, then…."

It was Hinata's turn to sigh.

"It's a start, any way. You're a very brave woman, Hyuuga Hinata. Probably the bravest I know." Even though the older woman was about to collapse from exhaustion, her mischievous streak demanded some attention. "Before I fall asleep at my desk, I ought to try the damn thing on. It's only fitting, so to speak." She doubted that the one-size-fits-all lingerie would actually fit her. That didn't matter, since she wasn't really going to try the thing on. "Now, who wants to stay and watch?"

Hinata began walking quickly to the door.

Naruto stood still, staring. His tongue worked, but he didn't have normal control of his major muscles yet. He closed his eyes when Tsunade reached for her top button, even though he was fairly certain she was teasing him.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata came walking back, her footsteps sounding heavy for such a small girl. "What are you doing?"

"I… you know… that jutsu… my muscles won't move right…." Trying to move his right leg, he swung his left arm around instead, leaving his hand resting on Hinata's chest. "Honest!"

Hinata took Naruto by the arm, and then dragged him slowly from the room.

"Those two" Tsunade said, falling into her chair. "What next?"

END