Was Naruto nervous? Well, he was practically shaking and quivering in his boots, so perhaps the better question should be, "how nervous was Naruto"?

He should've gotten used to dating Sakura. Oh, he was absolutely thrilled to get a chance to finally date her after she'd given up on Sasuke. She'd realized that a "relationship" between the two of them was only doomed to misery in more than one way. Not only did he never once care for her so much as a friend, it was a mutually toxic relationship.

Okay, getting back to him and Sakura; they'd gone on a couple dates before, but he got nervous each time. Didn't mean he didn't enjoy them!

But where was she? He's not that stupid to recognize she didn't have a busy schedule at the hospital. But he got the messenger hawk about ten minutes ago telling him that her afternoon shift had ended-the sun was sinking below the horizon-and she'd be there right on time. What if something had happened to her? What if she'd fallen into some giant chasm, swallowed up by vengeful spirits of all the people Konoha had-

"Sorry I'm late!"

He sighed in relief. The fellow 18-year-old and war veteran jogged up to him, carrying a bag in her right hand. "Ino needed some help!"

"W-what kind of help?" the Hokage-in-training asked.

"She just needed me to get a flower for her shop she wanted," Sakura replied, holding the bag itself. "She gave me this in return." Naruto took the bag and looked inside. He smiled from ear-to-ear at the instant ramen inside. "SHe thought you might like it."

"Tell her I said thanks!" Naruto replied. But when he reached in, he pulled out a-oh, dear. The note from Ino threatening him with death if he got either knocked her up or gave her some nasty bug.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Just fine," he said nervously. "So where are we going again?"

"Barbeque," Sakura replied. "It's a nice summer night, and I know a place that serves good barbeque and has outdoor seating! Let's go!"

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"I missed barbecue," Naruto said whilst rubbing his stomach with silly tears running down his cheeks while he and Sakura walked away from another good date that lasted longer than they expected. It was nighttime now, and the waxing moon shone in the night sky.

"Anything but ramen," Sakura chuckled. "If you're not careful, you could get sick from eating nothing but the stuff."

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"I'm a med student, stupid!" she replied, elbowing him.

"Oh, uh, right!" he said, rubbing the back of his head.

The both of them kept walking and talking until they reach Sakura's family's apartment. She was saving up some money to buy her own place but until then, she had to live with her folks. At least they helped Naruto move into a better apartment than the trash heap he called an apartment.

"So, I had a nice night tonight," she said with a sigh. "You're a great conversation."

"Oh, uh, thanks!" he said with a blush. "You're a great conversation, too. I, uh, hope you'll be proud of me when I become Hokage!"

"Oh, Naruto," she said, rolling her eyes. He was still the same doofus he'd always been, but she still loved him because of that. "I'l see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Um, okay!" he said. "I'm gonna make you proud of me! I'm gonna fix this place, and I'm going to ensure peace-"

"I'm sure you will," she interrupted. "But for now, shut up and kiss me, idiot."

She didn't have to ask twice, because he grabbed her, pulled her up to him and smooched her lips like a cartoon character.

They stopped when Mebuki, who'd been watching them approach, playfully cleared her throat, embarrassing the both of them. Blushing madly, Sakura bowed and said goodbye, rushing into the house in mortified embarrassment. Though Naruto was also embarrassed, Mebuki's reassuring smile was more than enough to reassure him that she knew he was the right person for her daughter.

He walked away with a skip in his step and a plan to fix the world in the coming future.