Dreams & Nightmares

Let's get the chapter started.


Jiraiya and Tsunade had been out of Uzushiogakure for an extended period of time given the important roles they needed to fulfill. That is why Naruto was ecstatic to see them return.

"Hinata, I would like for you to meet my grandparents." Naruto introduced Jiraiya and Tsunade to her for the first time. "Despite the initial impressions you may have gotten, they're both very precious to me and I spent a large part of my childhood with the two of them."

Kushina decided to explain a little bit more in regards to Naruto's childhood. "As a kid he would pester his grandparents to play with him all the time. Since Minato was so busy, he would always get his grandma to spar with him in his father's stead given how strong she is. In that regard he learned much of his taijutsu from her. As for his grandfather, the two of them journeyed across the world for several years when Naruto grew a bit older and he learned much of his sage arts under his grandfather's tutelage. That is why the two of them are very close to Naruto, just as much us, his parents."

Hinata realised the importance that that these two elderly people held in Naruto's life and as such she greeted them hastily, not wanting to make a bad first impression. "I-It's very nice to meet you both."

"You don't have to be so uptight." Tsunade gently told her with a smile. "And I'm glad we got to meet as well."

"The pleasure is all mine!" Hinata replied sincerely with all her heart. "I hope you will accept me as his wife."

"Interesting, I had quite a different impression of the Hyuga before, but you seem like a very nice girl Hinata." Tsunade gently patted her on the head. "If Naruto is happy with you, then so am I. You have my support."

"A marriage between an Uzumaki and a Hyuga…I never thought I'd see this day." Jiraiya said once he learned of the arrangements. "But perhaps it is a good thing for the clan. Not that I'm the person to give any kind of verdict on the matter."

Tsunade seemed irritated by his response. "When have you ever cared about anything to do with the Uzumaki clan?"

"I suppose that is true. As long as Naruto's happy with it, I really wouldn't bother thinking too much about the clan. It can become quite a headache if you think too much about it." He replied casually.

Tsunade now looked visibly angry at Jiraiya.

"Now now, mother, father, the two of you just returned. Let's not start this again." Minato quickly came in between his parents in an attempt to stop them. "I think everything has worked out well in regards to the Uzumaki and Hyuga thus far."

Hiashi on the other hand was interested in the identity of Minato's parents. "I knew that your mother was Tsunade, one of the greatest medics to have ever lived, and your father was the legendary Toad Sage Jiraiya. As such I would have assumed that he would have been the previous Uzumaki clan leader, but there were no such records."

"Ah yes well that's because my father never did become the clan leader." Minato was a little embarrassed to explain the situation.

Hiashi looked back at him questioningly.

"Jiraiya never could be bothered to take responsibility of the clan as its leader, so he waited long enough until Minato's grandfather could no longer hold that position and then passed that responsibility directly onto Minato at the age of 14." Tsunade explained angrily to the rest. "He then ran off to travel the world in order to do some stupid "research". The nerve of this man!"

"That's because Minato was a genius from his very childhood. Becoming the clan leader at the age of 14, getting married at 18, having his son at 20 and finally taking the position of the Kazekage at only 22, he was beset by one massive responsibility after another. Yet he handled them all with great aplomb." Jiraiya proudly placed his hand on top of his son's head in his own defence. "I'm sorry for burdening you with so many of my own duties Minato."

"You are as irresponsible as always father, coming and going as you please, but ultimately I'm still thankful to you for setting me up for whatever success I may have had." Minato replied happily. Thus the two shared a form of appreciation towards each other, one that could only come with age.

"I was wondering if the legendary Toad Sage Jiraiya is indeed an Uzumaki, why doesn't he have blonde hair like the rest of the clan?" Harumi asked curiously.

"I used to have blonde hair as well until I got old, at which point all my hair turned white." Jiraiya explained. "That's pretty common right?"

"Oh yes that's very true. How silly of me to not realise. Perhaps I'm just too used to the idea of an Uzumaki having blonde hair that the thought of old age did not cross me at all."

Jiraiya now looked at Hinata for a moment, analysing something before turning to his grandson and bringing him close so that he could whisper directly into his ears. "Let me tell you, that is one fine girl you landed yourself. She might even be Tsunade's legendary levels in certain parts if you know what I mean. You lucky son of a mother duck."

"What do you mean?" Naruto was confused as to what his grandfather was saying. "She can become a big time medic ninja someday?"

Jiraiya facepalmed, but continued whispering into his grandson's ears. "I worry about your upcoming life Naruto. You are seriously so dense about matters regarding women. I only hope this girl can rectify that issue someday, which even I couldn't teach you about despite our journeys together. Make sure you pay attention to her properly. As much as women carry men's hopes and dreams, they can also be a handful sometimes. Just take Tsunade and your mother as examples."

Naruto looked at both of his mother and grandmother carefully and even though he loved them both, he could definitely agree that both of them could be very difficult to handle if you got on their bad side. However, he knew that Hinata was different from them somehow.

"Don't worry about it pervy sage. I may not know anything about women, but I'll get Hinata to teach me every single explicit detail about herself, inside and out. Believe it!" Naruto gave a pretty straightforward and innocent reply, not realising what he had just said out loud could be interpreted in some very questionable ways, leaving a lot of people in shock.

"He wants me to teach him every single detail about myself, inside and out." Hinata repeated that thought before her mind started to spin around like a gyrating top, almost about to lose consciousness.

"JIRAIYA! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TEACHING HIM?!" Tsunade yelled while cracking her fist.

"I didn't say anything weird. I'm serious." Jiraiya came to his own defence as quickly as he could.

"Did I say anything wrong?" Naruto asked nonchalantly with not a single clue in the world.

All of his family members sighed. They understood that he unintentionally said something suggestive while in reality his intentions were innocent.

"In any case, we should get this marriage ceremony started." Minato suggested to the rest before turning to his wife. "Kushina, please hand Naruto the ring."

Kushina grabbed her son's right hand and placed on his palm a small rectangular black box.

"What's this?" He asked his mother.

"This is your wedding ring. We've had it prepared for a long time just for this day." Kushina replied. "It is customary within the Uzumaki clan to gift a ring to start the marriage ceremony. It is a symbol that Hinata, as your wife, from this day forward is part of the Uzumaki clan."

Naruto opened the box and within it was a ring with an emerald coloured stone that had the Uzumaki clan's symbol engraved on top. The stone was somewhat transparent and looked extremely rare, light refracting within it. He hadn't seen anything quite like it. Nonetheless, Naruto now held the ring within his palm resolutely.

"If you would, please do the same." Hiashi instructed his wife.

Harumi also walked up to Hinata and placed within her hand another small box. "This is the marriage ring we've had made for you as well. Once you put it on Naruto, he will also become a part of the Hyuga clan."

Hinata opened the box to find a ring with a transparent, aquamarine coloured stone with the Hyuga clan's symbol engraved on top. The light that entered the stone split up into the seven colours of the rainbow, making for a very mesmerising sight. She hadn't seen anything quite like it either. Nonetheless, Hinata held the ring within her palm as gently as possible.

Both Naruto and Hinata both stepped up towards one another, surrounded by their families. They had a light red tinge to their cheeks, but at the same time both of them felt incredibly happy inside. This happiness was unlike anything either of them had ever felt before.

Naruto raised his left towards Hinata and asked for her hand. She obliged and placed her right hand gently on top of his. The warmth from their joined hands marked the first step towards their marriage, as it was the same warmth they hoped to share for the rest of their lives.

Naruto inserted the Uzumaki's ring into Hinata's ring finger.

"Welcome to the Uzumaki clan Hinata." He greeted her with one of his largest grins.

Now it was Hinata's turn as she raised her left hand towards Naruto and he placed his right hand gently on top of it.

Hinata inserted the Hyuga's ring into Naruto's ring finger.

"Welcome to the Hyuga clan Naruto-kun." This time she greeted him with one of her most heartfelt smiles.

With the exchange complete, both Naruto and Hinata became a part of each other's clans and with them their clans united as well. Their childhood dream was finally coming true.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Everyone in the room shouted at once as they clapped happily at the union. Minato and Hiashi both smiled proudly to see their children all grown up while Kushina and Harumi couldn't help but shed tears of joy

"Let's go outside to announce this union and complete the marriage ceremony." Minato told the rest, making Naruto, Hinata, Kushina and Harumi exit the room first in order to share the momentous occasion with the rest of their clans and guests.

But Minato stayed behind, as did Jiraiya. Hiashi also remained in the room since he had caught Minato's glance towards him just moments earlier. There was something important they needed to discuss.

"Sorry to keep you here Hyuga-san. I feel you should know this information that we're going to speak of." Minato now assumed a very serious tone as he shifted his gaze towards Jiraiya. "Father, I cannot wait any longer. I need to know. Please tell me what happened during your spying mission in Kumogakure. You went completely dark for a while and I actually got quite worried. Now you suddenly show up once I sent you a message about Naruto's wedding. What happened?"

"You were spying on Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning?" Hiashi asked inquisitively.

"Indeed, that's what I've been up to recently." Jiraiya replied. "What's up? You look like you have something on your mind."

"I just found it curious since I've also got a spy stationed in Kumogakure as well."

"I see. I'm not surprised, especially given the potential threat of Kumogakure right now. That being said, I must ask, is your spy any good?"

"Yes, he is my nephew and one of the Hyuga's most elite fighters. I fully trust him to retrieve some valuable information. Why do you ask?"

"I hope for your sake that your trust is well placed because for the very first time in my life I was caught by the enemy while carrying out my reconnaissance." Jiraiya held his head down in shame.

"WHAT?!" Both Minato and Hiashi shouted in unison.

"How can that be?" Hiashi was still in disbelief. "You are the Jiraiya, the master of stealth and espionage; the one who could never be captured. How did this happen?"

"The one who caught me was none other than Sasuke Uchiha, the son of the raikage and the heir to the Uchiha clan of Kumogakure. That child is truly dangerous, his eyes a source of nightmare. I had heard many tales of his horrific eyes while spying in Kumogakure, but one cannot truly understand how deadly they are without facing him. When he caught on to my presence I was forced into combat with him. During that encounter, just for a brief moment I was caught in his eye's genjutsu. Luckily I had the two great toad sages in battle with me and they launched a counter-genjutsu of their own, which forced Sasuke to break his genjutsu and allowed me the opportunity to make my escape before the situation escalated. But the brief moment I was caught in that Uchiha's genjutsu left me shaken for weeks, which is why I went dark. In fact I still have nightmares of that terrifying experience. I don't know if I'll ever fully recover from it. When Tsunade found out that my life was at risk, she was furious. I think she's still mad at me for it." Jiraiya explained in a sad tone before looking over to Hiashi. "That is why I hope for your nephew's sake that he is as good as you say he is. Otherwise you may have just sent him to his final mission."

Jiraiya's words sent a chill up Hiashi's spine. He had a horrible sense of foreboding that left him very uncomfortable.

"Are you okay now? Should I take you to the hospital?" Minato asked, showing tremendous concern towards his father. "I'm truly sorry for asking you to go to Kumogakure despite how dangerous that place is."

"I'm just fine." Jiraiya shrugged off his son's concern like it was nothing. "Plus I chose to go there myself and I came back in one piece, so it's all good.

"But…" Minato was about to say something but Jiraiya cut him off.

"No buts. Everything's fine. That being said there is a lot we need to discuss about what I found in Kumogakure. We need more time."

Minato nodded. "It was my initial plan to sit down with all the other clan leaders later on tonight to talk about Uzushiogakure and Kirigakure's alliance. I think we can discuss it after that. We have the whole night for that matter."

"Sounds good." Jiraiya nodded. "Now, let's get on with the marriage ceremony before they come looking for us."

Both Minato and Hiashi agreed as they all exited the room together to continue on with Naruto and Hinata's marriage.


Elsewhere in Uzushiogakure, atop its largest building, a man wearing a spiral shaped mask looked down upon the events that were currently transpiring.

"So it has finally happened – the union between Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga." Tobi whispered to himself, his eyes transforming as he watched his enemies closely.

"Don't think you're the only ones that are spying on us. As they say, keep your friends close but your enemies closer." Tobi said with a smirk that would go hidden behind his mask. "I'm watching you."

With that last statement he disappeared within a black void created by his eye.


At the same time, far away in the Land of Lightning in the Hidden Cloud Village, Kumogakure…

The leader of Kumogakure, Fugaku Uchiha, was sitting in his office in anticipation of someone important, and just on cue that person arrived. His son, Sasuke Uchiha now stood in front of his desk.

"What's the matter? You called?" Sasuke asked his father in a disengaged manner.

"My spy in Uzushiogakure has reported back and it would appear that a marriage between Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga is being negotiated. In other words, an alliance between Uzumaki and Hyuga clans and their respective villages is about to be formed."

Sasuke was now somewhat intrigued. "This is the same Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki from ten years ago?"

"Indeed." Fugaku nodded. "She is the same girl whose eyes we tried to capture all those years ago, and he is the same boy who foiled our plans back then. However, this time there is no room for failure. Her eyes are more valuable now than ever before."

Sasuke now looked at his father with a growing interest.

"The reason why I called you here is to assign your next mission, and this mission is of the utmost importance, one that must be completed successfully." Fugaku assumed a very heavy tone in order to deliver the briefing for this highly important assignment. "Your task is to capture Hinata Hyuga and extract her Ascendant Byakugan. I'm allocating this mission an S-Rank. In other words we're expecting a large scale conflict to break out in the wake of this mission's completion. But given our ulterior motives, such an outcome is inevitable regardless. Therefore, use any means necessary. All resources are open for use under your discretion. Success is an absolute must. Achieve it and we will have the upper hand from the very beginning. I believe you of all people will be able to get it done, for you are arguably the strongest shinobi under my command. Hence I've chosen you for this critical mission."

Sasuke had a very slight but noticeable smile on his face. "Finally…perhaps a mission worthy of my time. I shall get it done."

"I know you will, but remember that Naruto Uzumaki will once again be the largest obstacle in our path, even more so now than he was before. He will do his very best to protect his wife. Therefore, do be prepared to deal with him as well besides your direct target. I believe both of them will prove to be challenging."

"I welcome Naruto Uzumaki's involvement in this so that Hinata Hyuga can feel safe, because I want to turn the very thing that makes her feel safe to her final downfall. Naruto Uzumaki will be the one who will ultimately lead me to Hinata Hyuga. I will make it as such…" Sasuke's smile morphed into a truly sadistic one as he started to formulate some highly nefarious plans within his mind.

"Always thinking outside the box, your mind is as twisted as ever. I expect to see a favourable outcome, but that goes without saying for you. In any case, I've prepared a small lead to get you started." Fugaku snapped his fingers and on cue several high ranking ninjas under his command brought in a broken and chained up man into the room and pushed him into the ground. "We found a spy from Kirigakure sneaking around trying to gather intel. A little research has unveiled that he is Neji Hyuga, the cousin of Hinata Hyuga. I think you may be able extract some information out of him, so I'll leave the interrogation up to you. You seem to enjoy it quite a bit, not to mention you're very effective at it."

"You'll get nothing out of me. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!" Even though Neji could barely even move, he was still adamant in his stance of defending his village's secrets.

Sasuke now had a sinister smile on his face. "I'm going to take my time forcefully prying out every bit of information you hold . So then, why don't you tell me everything you know about Hinata Hyuga?"

"I won't tell you ANYTHING!" Neji shouted in defiance even in his highly vulnerable state.

"That is what they all say, until I break their minds beyond repair." Sasuke's smile only got wider and wider. He was truly starting to enjoy watching his next victim resist. He grabbed Neji by the collar and brought his face up so that they were now both in eye contact.

"GENJUTSU: MANGEKYOU SHARINGAN!" Sasuke's eyes, the Sharingan, which consisted of three interconnected circles with a black pupil at the centre, now changed to show a very complex star-like pattern, and using it he trapped Neji inside the illusionary world created within these highly advanced eyes, a world that was shrouded in darkness and despair. "Now then, let us begin this nightmare that never ends."


If you equate marriage to happily ever after then this story will change that outlook. Naruto and Hinata's trials and tribulations are only just beginning.

The Uchiha clan and their powers will also have their own back story here that is separate from canon, just like most other things. That being said their eyes have been reworked and are more genjutsu focused. Sasuke in particular will play a major role throughout. I mean where would a story be without antagonists?

From last time it was awesome to see all the guesses about Naruto's relationship with Jiraiya and Tsunade. YamiChaos27, Ayrmed, grimreaper40045, NaruHinaRyu, , DarkManta, Otaku of Anime, RC 1138 and ENavarro1 all guessed it correctly. Since we are on this topic, I wanted to give a quick timeline of the generations:

Naruto was born when Minato was 20 years old. Since Naruto is now 19, Minato is 39. In this story Jiraiya and Tsunade are in their early 60s, so Minato was born when they were in their early 20s.

Other than that I hope to see you all next time where the marriage is finally complete. Before I go I have to get this out of my chest though. The person from last time who used the username Nyaruto with a picture of a fat yellow cat...DARN YOU! Because of you I now constantly have the urge to type in "Nyaruto" in place of "Naruto" all the time. So if you notice that mistake you know who to blame. That is all. PEACE!