A/N: I added Boruto and Himawari to the character tags now because they play a role in this all which will get hinted at more as it goes along! (Also I just really enjoy writing NaruHina family scenes!)

Chapter 4: The Future

"Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting."

- Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance

Mountains Graveyard (Nightfall)

'Another vision is coming.'

He clenches his teeth, trying to push the blur of images away to no avail.

They're different each time they come, no particular trigger that tells them they are about to arrive save for a dull thrum in the back of his head. One thing never changes about them though, each and every time he will see her again...

Violet hair and pearl eyes.

And huddled by her legs or curled into her side never too far away out of sight are children that have the crystal blue eyes of him.

Naruto Uzumaki.

The images spin forward, slowly becoming clearer.

"Papa, read the one about the toads again!" A girl maybe no older than 3 or 4 pushes a book back into his hands. She sits up from her bed pushing dark curls out of her face, fighting against the sleep clearly tugging at her that makes her eyes droop and her head bob back and forth.

"No, you should go to sleep already! That way Papa can read me the book about ninjas!" Boruto mentions with a hint of growing impatience at Hima's insistence earning him a glare. He withers from Naruto's stare, but doesn't move from his clinging position at his legs to ensure he really does come to his room next.

Naruto pushes her gently back down into her mess of pillows and plushies. "Hima, you need to get some rest now. Your fever isn't going to go away by trying to stay up."

"Yeah! Listen to Papa!" Boruto agrees urgently.

"I'm fine!" She continues with a pout as she blows at her dark locks sticking to her cheeks. Again, she nudges the book further into Naruto's hands until he reluctantly accepts it, resting it gently on her bedside dresser.

"Lay back down and I'll tell you a story instead about one of my trips to Mount Myoboku, you remember that place; right?" Naruto decides.

Cerulean eyes brighten, nodding eagerly. "Yeah, that's where all the toads come from! They have toads as tall as buildings!" Himawari grins, he promised he would take them there hopefully in the summer, during the rainy season when most of the toads lounged in the downpours or feasted on the bugs drawn up out of the damp ground and leaves.

"That's right! And they have ones small enough to fit into your pocket too! They taught me a lot about nature, and eating bug soup." Naruto laughs.

Himawari wrinkles her nose then. "You ate bugs Papa?!"

Sometimes he doesn't even want to eat the vegetables Mama gives him, despite telling her and Bolt often to eat better than he does.

"It wasn't by my choice Hima." Naruto relates, toads after all have no use for eating things like ramen or sandwiches.

"Close your eyes so you can better picture it." He instructs.

He pats at Himawari's head until her eyes finally start to drift close, breathing evening out and he shifts back slowly out of her room careful to avoid a mess of toys and blocks she has yet to pick up properly.

He switches off her lights save for her night light, letting it cast a golden shadow in the corner if she needs the restroom later on.

Boruto eagerly grabs at his hand, pulling him towards my room. "Finally, it's my turn now you know!"

"Fast asleep now?" Hinata asks gently by the door poking her head in, Naruto giving her the thumbs up of a nod and kiss to her cheek before letting Boruto tug him along.

"Already covered! Going to get Boruto to bed now." He laughs.

But before he turns around he gives her a suggestive smile, the promise of what will come after and a blush burns at her face matching his grin.

He blinks away the image, but another will take it's place soon enough. For the past week they've been waking him in midst of the night or startling him during a late afternoon walk.

In around a year or two's time, Hinata will marry Naruto. They'll have two children; a boy and then a girl. This much he knows at how frequent the visions are getting, warnings of how his window of opportunity narrows with each passing day.

Eventually, his final chance will come and go.

And this sludge, this ache buried within his chest lurches, another knot forming and settling ready to burst if weighed down by one more piece of bad news.

"Where are they?" He mutters to himself.

He can tell by the stirring of the wind, the pale shine of moonlight overhead through the branches and leaves that midnight is near.

A crack pierces the air a minute later, the careful pattering of footsteps approaching and he sits up off the branch.

"You're late." Toneri scowls, Keiichiro getting the brunt of his glare as the three approach. He can feel the distance throb of his migraine getting worse at their grim expressions, each of them refusing to fully look his way.

"If you have bad news, get it over with already." He finally says when no one speaks in the ensuing minutes.

"The photos, they've been sent but they haven't replied back to any of them." Keiichiro starts.

Toneri sighs, well that is to be expected. The ryo wouldn't have mattered to Hinata, not when the Hyuga clan is financially stable and Naruto is a nationwide known name at this point.

'Her sister though, those would've caused a reaction.' He knows.

Yashima's stare is the sharpest, features the most frustrated of them all. A part of him can't blame him since it seems Keiichiro hasn't been fully honest with his supposed crew, hair and clothes damp from the falling snow they tramped through just to get here.

"This plan of yours to somehow break apart the Hyuga Princess and the Nine Tails Jinchuriki isn't working, we could easily drop this assignment and take up one that isn't worth all these risks and pays out the same!" He growls.

"You won't, not with what I know about you all." Toneri responds easily, ignoring his acerbic tone.

But perhaps he should have his puppets dispose of them at how slow they're moving. Make a move on his own and approach the Hyuga sisters to see how they'll react to all his information.

Setsuko arches a brow, unsure what to make of the meaning behind his words.

They all have pasts they've ran away from, pasts they've buried down securely that shouldn't be so easy to dig up...

'Just what kind of man has Keiichiro gotten us into business with?' He frowns, but stays silent for now.

"Deliver the ones of Hanabi discreetly to Hinata alone, the ones of her out at the night market and lantern festival before the week is over." Toneri states with a note of dismissal.

Because he knows more than anything Hinata will react when it comes to matters regarding her sister.

Matters that the Hyuga clan won't want to be in the public's eye.

There is still time, enough that he can still prevent that future...

He thinks of his clan counting on him to get this done before it is too late to continue the Otsutsuki name, of the anger that makes his chest constrict each time Naruto's beaming grin enters one of his visions, of what it will mean to call Hinata Hyuga his alone once this all comes to pass.

He has but one lone photograph of her in the Hyuga manor garden near twilight watering the plants, orange and scarlet rays shining on her violet hair and cream skin. A small smile had crossed her face then, reserved only for the gardenias and hydrangeas.

The reminder crosses his thoughts again and he nods to himself, readying for the next phase of his journey.

'Soon.'

Naruto (Hokage Tower)

"Long night?" Shikamaru guesses at Naruto's 3rd yawn over the past hour. Dark bags linger under his bloodshot eyes, blue eyes dull with an unusual amount of sleepiness.

He checks his watch again: 8:00 am.

Tsunade will be in shortly with her old team of advisors, none of this forebodes well for either of them if they see the current state he's in.

"Naruto, do you need a break?" Kakashi-sensei questions, already closing up the files and textbooks he'd been reviewing.

"Sort of, let me just rest my eyes for...5 minutes max." Naruto mumbles, holding up 1 finger instead of 5. He'd hoped the shot of coffee he took an hour ago would jolt his system by now, but the bitter drink only leaves a dry taste in his mouth and his stomach in knots.

'I should've gone with Hinata's suggestion of the lemon and honey tea!' He bemoans himself.

"That and you shouldn't have spent so much of night trying to put a face to these blackmailers when you still have no lead." Kurama adds in.

"I can't just ignore it!" Naruto argues back.

He can barely keep his eyes open though despite this being one of the more interesting topics discussing small perks the Hokage gets when it comes to foreign travel and discounts at the local stores.

'Well, there's always one way to wake him up.' Shikamaru decides when it seems Naruto is about faceplant straight into the table.

"Kiba said he saw you and Hinata walk home together after his birthday party." He mentions casually.

And like he expects not a minute later, Naruto straightens his posture just slightly.

"Kiba also had over 10 shots of mixes of sake and rum that night; Tamaki had to help bring him back home. How good is his memory?" Naruto snorts.

Shikamaru shrugs, amused at hint of red to his face that betrays him.

"Maybe not his memory, but his nose has been working just fine. At least apparently it is considering he kept rambling on about the scents he's picked up on after the talk of missions and war repatriations died down." He emphasizes.

At his silence Shikamaru decides to carry on, motioning towards the door.

"Let's get some fresh air, at least before the next set of meetings begin." He suggests, Naruto shrugging before following his lead out.

The air is damp as soon as they step out onto the deck, sky a blend of milky gray and whites. At this time of year it's early enough to not feel as humid and he's reminded of long summer days that feel like only yesterday. Often he tried to sleep those days away to avoid the heat before being dragged out of bed by Ino or his Mom, hated the stickiness of sweat beading down his neck as Asuma-sensei drilled them on formations, and of course there was always the buzz of cicadas ringing in his ears all afternoon after finishing said training in the forests.

'A lot has changed.' He muses.

Shikamaru eyes Naruto then from the corner of his eye, considering the best way to go about this subject they leave hanging in air and shadows out of sight.

He pulls out his usual pack of cigarettes before he can think about it, Naruto taking to studying the morning crowds at the market and awakening neighborhoods.

"Mind if I smoke?" Shikamaru asks, flicking with his lighter and a half-smile etches Naruto's lips when he glances back to him.

"Well, it's a bad hobby you've picked up you know, what would Temari say?" He teases and Shikamaru rolls his eyes.

"That's it's a troublesome habit that makes my breath stink." He retorts.

Naruto's grin widens and part of him realizes he's said too much, but Naruto nods his understanding before his attention focuses once more on the people below.

"So, what's going on with you?" Shikamaru asks, following his gaze around. It doesn't seem like Naruto is looking for anyone in particular, though his cobalt orbs are finally alert and roaming.

Naruto doesn't answer for a minute, eyes still narrowed and gazing about before sighing.

"It's...embarrassing a bit." He admits.

Shikamaru takes a long drag of his cigarette, gray smoke wafting upwards in a thin stream. "Well, it's bad enough to be bothering you. Come on, it's too troublesome for me to gossip about things like Ino. Besides, you need to get used to telling me things weighing on your mind if I'm going to be a proper advisor to you."

'That's a good point.' Naruto considers.

Shikamaru, despite the differences in the way they grew up understand each other well. Perhaps most so at the lost of both of their sensei's...

"Fine, well Kiba's nose is right as much as it isn't his business! Hinata and I are dating; granted, we haven't told anyone really and now someone or some group is using that against us." He states in a rush.

Shikamaru arches a brow, skeptical and curious. "In what way?"

Naruto waves it off, shoulders slumping. "Through blackmail...they have compromising photos of us they're threatening to leak out and they have some interest in Hanabi too. Ugh, it's a mess really you know! It distracts me at night and I hate the idea they saw Hinata that way."

Shikamaru nods along, it explains why Kakashi-sensei had said he and Hinata would be going on those supposed 'diplomatic missions'. This was the true reason behind that.

He rubs his chin thoughtfully, Naruto isn't the type to stay still once he gets a lead.

"Based on how you explained this maybe you should check into where Hanabi goes in her downtime, I'm sure she doesn't have a Hyuga attendant with her 24-7 and that could be the key to finding whose been watching you guys from a distance."

Naruto perks up, brightening at the suggestion. "Great idea!"

Though he pauses after a second, scrunching his nose in thought. "Wait, I don't know where Hanabi likes to hang out!"

Shikamaru chuckles, stubbing out the rest of his cigarette beneath his shoe. At least he wasn't the only one terrible when it came to the topic of women.

"Ask your secret girlfriend."

Hinata (Hyuga Household)

"Hanabi, are you up yet?" Hinata questions outside Hanabi's door.

A low groan greets her in return.

'It's already close to noon, it's not like her to skip coming down to breakfast.' She frowns, turning at her knob relieved that it starts to twist open.

She peers around her room, blinds and curtains shut tight only letting thin slips of sunlight in. Hanabi's taken to burying herself beneath a pile of blankets and pillows, brown hair sticking out at an angle when Hinata steps closer.

"Are you not feeling well? I don't think I've seen you sleep this late in months." Hinata regards, going about opening her blinds and windows letting a stream of warm air in.

Hanabi shifts herself up out of her mini cavern, squinting as her eyes adjust to the new brightness in the room.

And it's then Hinata sees her attire are the same clothes she saw her in last night, her favorite burnt orange kimono now a mess of wrinkles.

"Father asked me to check in on you when you said you wanted your breakfast in bed. Is everything alright?" Hinata pursues at watching Hanabi stretch and curl her body out much like a cat. She looks towards her breakfast plate nestled off to the side of her pillows, mostly of the eggs, toast and fruit eaten or bitten into. Good, at least that meant she had woken up at some point.

Hanabi fixes her with a smile, tossing her messy chestnut hair out of her eyes.

And she isn't acting too different from usual either.

"I stayed out late last night checking out the week of summer festivals is all. They had floats and lanterns in golds, reds, pinks, and whites to celebrate the regrowth of Konoha and the neighboring villages! People of the Land of Waves performed a water puppet/dragon performance in the central square of the market, oh and they had all these sweets and cakes coated in milk chocolate and frosting!" She babbles excitedly, heading over to her dresser pulling out a scarlet fan and an emerald dragon she must've bought from one of the concession stands.

Indeed it seems like she's collected an item from at least every festival, event, or fair Konoha has had since the war's end and Hinata can't bring herself to think of a proper retort for why she shouldn't being going Both civilian and shinobi alike want to celebrate this new period of peace, remember those that gave their lives on the battlefield weren't in vain.

But people are using said festivities for trouble; a perfect cover.

'No, I can't let my guard down.' Hinata reinforces to herself.

"You've been going out quite often though, are you sure you're not overdoing it?" She mentions lightly because this is perhaps the 3rd or 4th night in a row Hanabi's taken to going to one of the night festivals or one of the markets that stay open well past midnight. Ko has been with her attendance more often than not, but even he can't keep an eye on her if she chooses to disappear into the market stalls without him.

Even more so as Hanabi feels she shouldn't need Ko's presence or any guard now that she is more into her teen years.

'That could be where one of the photos was taken.' But Hinata bites the inside of the cheek to not berate or scold her any further at the slip of her smile.

"They're fun Big Sis, you should come with me! You could bring along Naruto too even!" She smirks and Hinata feels her face redden, looking down silently.

Hanabi leans close to her then, nudging at her ribs just slightly. "Don't act so surprised, everyone's seen how close you guys have been as of late! Wait, you two are still talking to each other, right?"

Hinata nods, shifting herself back. It'd be so easy to divulge all that's happened with her and Naruto since that first trip in Taki, perhaps it may help put Hanabi at ease to reveal what's truly been going on in her own life as well.

Though the words become lodged in her throat, because there is always the chance that once she reveals she's gotten these photos of Hanabi she may believe they aren't real or that perhaps she is babying her by worrying so much...

"Is there another event tonight you plan to go to?" Hinata asks instead, changing the topic.

Hanabi nods, turning back around to dig through her top drawer pulling out a blue and white flyer decorated in the symbols of Konoha's neighboring nations.

"There's a cultural food festival from 6:00 pm to 1:00 am tonight! They'll have vendors from the Land of Waves, Kumo, Kiri, and Taki bringing their specialty cuisine along with music and competitions." She relates, practically hopping up and down.

'It's an international event, perhaps that means our blackmailers will be in attendance considering we haven't heard from them in a while.' Hinata considers.

"So, let's go! And invite Naruto too, you have no excuses!" Hanabi decides for her, switching to discussing which kimonos they should wear and if they should leave their hair up or down.

"Alright, I need to make sure Naruto doesn't already have plans." Hinata muses, heading back out of her room.

Just before she shuts back her door though she can hear Hanabi call out to her once more.

"He wont, and if he does he'll definitely drop it when it comes to you!"

Naruto & Hinata (Konoha Central Square)

"Welcome, Welcome to our first of many International Food Market Festivals! We're happy to be the first nation hosting this event and have invited chefs and merchants from our neighboring regions to give us a taste of their cuisine and goods!" Kakashi announces to the rising groups entering the area.

Already the area has taken on a smell of spices and sauces not known to Konoha's markets, the grilling of fishes best caught near Kiri and the aroma of sweets made further north in Kumo. Colorful lights of yellows, reds, and whites align the pathways, people young and old mingling about taking in the décor in awe.

Naruto stifles a chuckle, Kakashi-sensei looking utterly stiff and uncomfortable upon the stage. 'Sounds like he's been forced to memorize that from a script.' Shizune stands beside him, eyeing him every few seconds to make sure he doesn't stray from his lines.

He wishes he brought his camera along, if just to capture this rare look of his pained expression.

'I can't risk being distracted taking pictures tonight.' He reminds himself.

He glances back down to Hinata then, squeezing at her hand taking in the dark blue of her kimono decorated with pink and purple petals along the edges. She grips his hand back, cheeks matching the designs of her dress.

"What do you want to check out first?" She asks.

He nods to Hanabi, already weaving her way towards a Takoyaki and Ikayaki stand a man from Kiri is apparently setting up along with a row of carnival games. She glances back to them before her face gets swallowed by the crowds of people, pointing eastward.

"A fireworks show will be happening that way around 9:00 pm, let's meet back there!" She yells out before fully disappearing.

Hinata frowns and Naruto distinctly feels her squeeze tighten. "I don't want her to stray too far out of sight."

Naruto smiles, gesturing to a clone who nods back in a mini salute. "Don't worry, I have three of my clones keeping an eye on her and everyone she interacts with! We can't treat Hanabi like a child when she's a shinobi too."

Hinata's lips flatten, nodding slowly as she studies her sisters winding path. "I know...though she wasn't there on the battlefield during the war with us. Father sees it too, how easily excited she gets, so naïve at times about the other dangers of life."

But she musters back on a smile a moment later, looking up towards to Naruto. "I'm glad you have extra You's watching her. I know she's old enough to manage herself, however it's best to play it safe."

Naruto grins, wrapping Hinata close in a way that makes her skin further flush. They're bound to see some of their friends here along with people that just recognize them in general, however it's crowded enough anyone could bump into each here and not think it strange. Hinata leans up towards him, lips brushing his cheek just as giddy from the energy surrounding them.

He feels his own face redden, feeling stranger's eyes briefly send them amused smiles and thumbs up.

They head first to a pop the balloon game, Naruto startling at seeing pink and blonde hair already near the stands. It may be too late to turn back around, Hinata squirming a bit unsure what they should do as well.

Sakura and Ino won't make it easy with pressuring questions.

'Come on already Pig, you're going to be wasting all your ryo and we haven't even checked out the stalls on the north side! Anyways, I thought you wanted Sai to draw a picture of you at his booth?" Sakura huffs with an impatient tap of her foot.

Ino shoots her a glare with a nod to the blue-gray teddy bear in her arms before her attention turns back to the rotating targets. "You're only saying that because you already won a prize!"

Sakura shrugs, stepping back from the stall only to catch sight of Naruto and Hinata.

Verdant orbs widen, frustrating melting into amusement.

"Aha! So you two are dating!" She states loud enough to get Ino's attention away from the game.

"We just ran into each other here." Naruto lies, though at Sakura's long stare of disbelief he chooses not to elaborate.

Ino snorts, cheshire smirk in place as she sidles up beside Sakura; game completely forgotten now.

"You guys can stop lying about it, I know who's dating who easily from all the details old ladies Misaki and Etsuko give me each time they come into the Flower shop for their weekly pick up of seeds. Misaki in fact said she's seen you two at park more than once this past month or near the training grounds and right now you two are giving off couple vibes!"

"Maybe Misaki thought it was me, but it was actually one of my clones! After all, her and Etsuko aren't always using their glasses to see!" Naruto suggests, because even he knows these gossipy old women Ino is referring to. He's more than once noticed them whenever he walked around with Hinata during a grocery run as if they were tailing them.

Ino gives him a bored stare, turning towards Hinata.

"Etsuko said you two looked just like young lovers, reminded her of her late husband in fact. Kiba was blabbering during his birthday party he smelled you two on each other which I said at the time to him was gross, however now he might've been on to something indeed."

Sakura pushes Ino along before she can start a barrage of questions, sending the pair a wink.

"Enjoy the rest of your night!" She calls out behind them.

"Let's go see all the prize stalls nearby Ichiraku's stand! Teuchi said they were going to have a ramen competition and the winner gets a weekend stay at one of the new hotels in the Hot Springs District." Hinata mentions after a moment and Naruto blinks as she twists them in said direction, gathering himself before patting at his stomach.

"I think I'm ready to take you on this time and not lose you know; I've been training!" He exclaims proudly.

Hinata giggles, tapping at his gut when they both know he snacked on some fruit and chips before they headed out.

"We'll see, but I doubt it!" She teases, walking ahead.

And indeed she proves him wrong nearly matching her old record much to the shock of patrons and guests unfamiliar with Hinata's past account of eating over 40 bowls in an hour.

"Naruto, I think the fireworks are about to begin towards the East side as Hanabi mentioned, we should get heading over there." Hinata mentions, taking note that it's already near 8:45 pm.

"Give me a minute, let...let me just get my bearings together!" Naruto remarks, waiting for the area to stop spinning. An overload of noodles and salt swirl about his gut in waves, clearing his voice to keep from letting the storm of broth come back up.

'I still don't know how she ate so many when she was behind me for most the part!' He considers before pausing as a ripple of alarm threads through him, sitting up.

Two of his clones abruptly stand before him with teeth grinding together, blue eyes equally dark with concern.

"The second clone and I were following Hanabi as instructed from the trees and shadows, she was near the ring toss and a yakisoba noodle stand when she became distracted by a group of men, one with distinct white hair." The first clone explains quickly.

"The third clone followed after them from a distance, but this seems like something that could get messy because he was immediately detected. The second one jumps in.

Naruto nods, dispersing the duo.

"We should hurry, before we lose them in the crowd." Hinata mentions behind him.

And when Naruto looks up to her hands are already balling into fists, byakugan activated scouring the area.

They sharpen to near the river, heading for the rooftops not a second later to keep track of them.

'That must be him.' Hinata clicks her tongue as Hanabi comes into view with the man, taking in white hair that shines silver in the moonlight to the matching white robes neither she or Naruto recognize from any clan.

Naruto motions for Hinata to get down to avoid detection, leaning closer to the rails picking up on the ends of his conversation, the softness of his voice as if he is serenading her.

"Hanabi Hyuga, it's nice to finally meet you."

-x-

I'm sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the other ones, I'm not 100% recovered, but I've been feeling well enough to write. Congrats to NaruHina05 and NarHina (along with dandadan on AO3) who correctly guessed Toneri is behind this all! Get ready for his continued visions and behavior moving forward! I look forward to your thoughts as well!

Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!