Five years had passed, and with the defeat of the Akatsuki, Tsunade decided to step down from her Kageship to concentrate on her medical career, as well as to make room for the Leaf Village’s new hero, Rokudaime Hokage Uzumaki. Having defeated his brother Itachi, Sasuke Uchiha returned to the village, pardoned from his previous crimes due to his assassination of Orochimaru, as well as his aid in the destruction of the Akatsuki.

In celebration, all of the old Genin groups, now Jounin, gathered at the Konoha Bar for a few drinks. Hinata shakily congratulated Naruto on fulfilling his dream, Ino was yelling at Sai for a sexist comment, Choji was chowing down at the far end of the bar, and Sasuke stood in the corner with his arms crossed. Lee began to order a shot of sake, but was immediately restrained and silenced by Neji and Tenten. Sakura and Tsunade were swaying in their seats, as Sakura had inherited her teacher’s love of good drink. Jiraiya lay unconscious on the floor next to Tsunade, having annoyed her while she was drinking.

Gai had challenged Kakashi to a drinking game and lost. “Fairly won Kakashi… That makes 94 to 93, your lead. You are truly a fitting rival!” he exclaimed after he was done sputtering. Kakashi just shook his head. Back at the bar sat Shikamaru, Kiba, and Shino, who had been idly watching the two and their game. “Hey Shino, we’re having a match.” Kiba stated, ordering up rounds of sake. “You in Shikamaru?” Shikamaru shook his head. “Hangovers are too troublesome, and I’ve got a mission tomorrow.” Shino would have rather avoided it as well, but he knew that Kiba wouldn’t let him out so easily. Sighing, he grabbed a glass.

A couple hours a few rounds later, Kiba was trashed. He swayed back and forth, a huge goofy grin plastered on his face. His cheeks flushed bright red from the alcohol, and he slurred his words. “Damnit Shino… you can really hold yer… sake…” He said, almost falling from his barstool. Shino just sat silently, only a glimmer of red in his cheeks peeking up above his collar.

Noticing this, Kiba reached out. “Why the hell d’you always keep your damn face covered anyway?” This time, Kiba did not regain his balance. Falling, he quickly grasped Shino’s collar, pulling it open. Because of the sudden jerk, Shino fell as well. Shikamaru stopped trying to light his cigarette long enough to look down at the two. “I knew it’d be troublesome.”

Kiba looked up to see Shino on top of him, his face in plain view for the first time since they had met. The alcohol going to his head, he smiled. “You really shouldn’t cover up so much… you’re kinda cute…” Shino hurriedly tried to close up his collar, but Kiba’s hand grasped his wrist. Shino paused, and they looked at each other for a second. Shikamaru started to tell them that the alcohol was getting to them, but by then a few others had begun to view the scene. Ino was one, and she cupped a hand over Shikamaru’s mouth. “Shut up Shikamaru, this could get interesting!”

Suddenly, Kiba, still gripping Shino’s wrist firmly, pulled him down quickly, and their lips met. A mix of laughter, cries of disgust, and squeals of excitement filled the air. Hinata, just having turned to see what was going on, was in shock. “K…Kiba-kun? Sh…Shino-kun?” Her face glowed bright red, and she fainted. Naruto attempted to catch her, but at that moment noticed the interlocked pair himself, and missed her in his own shock. Sai tilted his head awkwardly. “I think I read about this in a book once.”

“Kage Mane no Jutsu!” Shikamaru said, linking his shadow with Shino’s and forcing him to stand. “You guys are drunk. Don’t do anything you’d regret later.” Looking dazed, Shino nodded. Kiba’s eyes drooped as he attempted to stand, but it was useless. Passing out, he fell back to the ground. Lee walked over and picked him up, carrying him on his back. Starting to walk away, he turned back to say “I’ll have Akamaru take him home. He’s right outside.” Releasing his jutsu, Shikamaru nodded. “I’ll take Shino. I should be going anyway. Congrats again, Hokage-sama.” Naruto smiled slightly, still a little in awe. Neji picked up Hinata. “I’ll take her back as well. It looks like this was all a bit much for her.”

“WHAT?!” Sakura exclaimed after listening to Ino retell the events of the previous night. Ino smiled as she continued. “Yeah, you were out cold. The alcohol knocked you out before all this happened. Tsunade-sama had to carry you and Jiraiya out of the bar. You really can’t hold your sake.” Sakura shook her head in disbelief. “How could I miss that? Chances of something like that happening again are slim to none, and I missed it!”

Kiba had woken up with a pounding headache, and had gone to see Tsunade. She gave him some pills to help with the hangover, and he was feeling a lot better now. He saw Hinata at the end of an alley, but as soon as she saw him, she blushed and ran around the corner. “What’s up with her?” he muttered, but stopped cold as he remembered the events of the previous night at the bar. “Oh shit, Shino!”

Having run through most of the village, Kiba finally caught a familiar scent. Turning down an alley, he saw Shino leaning casually against a fence, hands in his pockets. Breathing heavily, Kiba approached his old teammate. “Look, Shino, about last night…” “It’s okay.” Shino interjected. Kiba continued. “We were drunk, and…” “YOU were drunk.” He put in. Kiba looked at him, confused. “What?” Shino explained calmly. “The insects in my body negate any harmful substances that enter it, including poison, and depressants that would slow down my functions. That includes alcohol. I am incapable of becoming drunk.”

Kiba took a step back. “So through all that… You… You were…” “I was sober, yes.” Shino said, calmly approaching Kiba. “So you’re…” “Yes. And why shouldn’t I be? Is there really any reason males should be with females, other than other people assuming that that’s how it should be?” Shino explained, placing a hand on Kiba’s cheek. “I… I was drunk!” Kiba said nervously. Shino opened up his collar, revealing the lower half of his face. He pulled back his hood as well, and removed his sunglasses. His eyes seemed to pierce Kiba, and he felt uneasy, unsure about how he felt himself. “You were drunk, but it was not Hinata you kissed, nor Ino, Sakura, or Tenten to whom you paid your compliments.” “But… I… I…” Kiba could no longer gather his own thoughts. His stammering was hushed by Shino. “I have made my decision.” As he said this, Shino quickly pulled Kiba in, once more pressing his lips to Kiba’s. Kiba started to struggle, but soon gave into the emotions he had hastily worked to bury. He let himself get lost in the passionate kiss. Parting for a moment, Shino stated “It seems your mind is made up as well.”

As this was going on, the four kunoichi were walking along an alley, talking amongst themselves. Hinata had told them about her encounter with Kiba earlier that day. “I don’t know why you’re so worked up Hinata, I thought it was hot.” Ino said, reliving the moment in her mind. “I’m going to side with Hinata on this one Ino, that was disturbing.” Tenten said, shivering. Sakura sighed. “At least you saw it! I missed the whole thing!” Turning the corner, everyone stopped dead. Sakura looked at each of them. “What?” she asked, unsure about why they had stopped so suddenly. Hinata’s face flushed red, and she began to stutter. “K…Kiba…kun… and… and…” Before finishing, she wavered and fell, having fainted again.

Looking up, Sakura’s eyes fell upon the two locked tightly together. In unison, Sakura and Ino let out squeals of delight as Tenten blushed, shielding her eyes. Kiba and Shino had become aware of the kunoichi after their outburst, but for the moment, they didn’t care. This time, it was Kiba who parted, smiling. “Well, you always were the strategist in the group, and you’ve managed to get me right where you want me.” Shino smirked. “But how about we go somewhere more… private.” He said, looking back at Ino and Sakura, who smiled, taking the hint. “Come on Tenten, pick up Hinata. We’ll let her rest at the hospital until she comes to.” With that, they left. With arms around each other, Kiba and Shino started to walk. “I wonder how long it’ll take for Hinata to stop fainting around us?” Shino asked. “I don’t know…” Kiba replied, grinning. “But we should take advantage of it while it lasts!”

The next couple of days, people slowly came to accept the pair. As Kiba walked along, Shino in tow, he scratched irritably and gnawed lightly on his hand. Sasuke and Sai approached, and Sasuke asked him what he was doing. “Fleas.” He said quickly, resuming his scratching. Shino smirked. “It’s natural to happen when a dog lies down with bugs.” Sai was about to ask how Akamaru came into the conversation, but Sasuke shivered and dragged him away. “It was kinda cute at first, but now its just annoying. Get these damned things off of me!” Kiba spat, but Shino just chuckled.