Normally I don't take requests, but someone asked for an AU where the Infinite Tsukuyomi works and how Chiyuki's existence affects people's dreams. I very much loved that idea, and before I realized it, the chapter wrote itself.

Keep in mind that if you'd like to request something, though, do consider buying me a coffee.

I do not own Naruto. I do, however, own Chiyuki, any original characters, and this story's plot.


lullabye

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Madara won.

If he's completely honest with himself, there was a time when he didn't think he'd make it. All of his carefully laid plans ruined one after the other by a single woman, a thorn in his side ever since she was a kid.

No matter. He's won, the Infinite Tsukuyomi is in place, and all around him, people dream of their perfect lives.

The world is at peace.

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Nara Shikaku is a simple man - as long as his family is safe and happy and he has a place to nap on, there's nothing else he'd want.

"Checkmate." Chiyuki's voice sounds quietly from the sitting room, a grin on her face.

Across from her, Shikamaru furrows his eyebrows, a pout on his lips. "One more."

"After dinner, kids." The Jounin Commander drawls, looking down at the shogi board on the floor. "There's plenty of time to try and beat your sister."

"She's always busy, though." The boy visibly sulks, and his father narrows his eyes playfully at him. Maybe Yoshino's right and Chiyuki's spoiling him too much-

"Maa, I'll try to come by more often, mhm? There's no need to pout, Shika." The blonde woman pats her brother's head, an obviously fond smile on her lips.

The Nara clan head is about to open his mouth to say something, but then she directs her smile at him. "Right, dad?"

Oh, who's Shikaku trying to fool? The current Hokage has both father and son wrapped around her pinky - and honestly, he can't say he'd rather have it any other way.

"I'd be good if you managed to come home more often." The man concedes with a mumble, ignoring the look his son sends him. "Now let's go eat dinner before your mom decides to come here."

The four of them sit down to eat, smiling and joking around, and Shikaku thinks life is honestly pretty good right now.

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"Chiyuki-hime, thank you for coming. Please come in." Uchiha Fugaku and his family bow in greeting to their leader, who answers with an easy smile.

"Aa, thank you for having me. I brought dessert." Chiyuki raises the container full of strawberry daifuku as an offering, and a spell is broken. Sasuke runs up to his godmother and hugs her around the waist, talking a mile a minute.

"Oneechama, it's been so long since you came to my house! Did you know I learned the Great Fireball Technique yesterday? Father taught me! And niichan's been teaching me how to throw shuriken-"

"Sasuke, be a dear and take the dessert to the kitchen, will you? Itachi, show Chiyuki-chan to the dining room, yes? Dinner will be ready in a few." Mikoto says smoothly, easily taking control of the situation before the Hokage can indulge her godson - as she is prone to doing.

"Yes, mother." Both sons chorus in unison, and the Uchiha clan heir bows once again respectfully to his teacher.

"Chiyuki-shishou, thank you for accepting our invitation to dinner."

"Of course, Itachi."

Averting his eyes bashfully at the soft smile on her face, the Hokage's apprentice wordlessly guides the Godaime to the dining room.

Fugaku watches from the sidelines as Chiyuki makes herself at home, a fond expression on his face.

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Senju Tsunade has never considered herself particularly motherly, even with her little brother. She's never considered having children of her own, for a myriad of reasons - but now, as she watches her husband hold her teacher's newborn daughter, something in her starts to wonder.

"She's so tiny." Dan whispers, awe on his voice and face. His deep green eyes sparkle with curiosity as he holds the Sandaime's youngest with the utmost care and gentleness, and Tsunade grins inwardly.

"She's a newborn." The medic-nin says matter-of-factly, but the sarcasm in her voice is softened by her low tone of voice.

"She kind of looks like you." Nawaki jokes, peering down at the sleeping baby. The woman scoffs at the same time her husband pauses, and she shoots him an incredulous look.

"You can't possibly agree with that." She crosses her arms defensively, glancing down at the sleeping child.

"Why not? She's got blond hair and brown eyes." The blue-haired shinobi says, a small grin on his face.

"Exactly. She looks exactly like her mother." The slug summoner counters, but it sounds weak even to her ears. She feels her ears warming up and scowls at her husband and little brother.

Both men look at each other with identical grins and shrug, Dan looking particularly smug.

"I'm just saying."

Tsunade rolls her eyes, but there's a smile on her lips as well.

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Nagato opens his eyes in the middle of the night, lying still for a few moments and relishing in the quiet breathing of his lovers.

Konan and Yahiko continue to sleep soundly next to him, faces relaxed and worry-free. His gray eyes soften, and he has to resist the urge to run his fingers through their hair, lest he wakes them. It's not that they really need the rest, since Ame has become one of the richest and strongest ninja villages in a little under ten years, but he does like to let them sleep as much as they can.

The three of them aren't known to take things easily, after all.

His ears start to tingle lightly as his piercings receive a message in morse code, and a small smile plays on his lips. The redhead sits up slowly so as to not to wake his lovers, and flash steps from the bedroom they share to the balcony.

The rain falls lightly, almost softly, and the man breathes in the humid air. Ame sleeps soundly, its residents relishing in a good night's sleep after another great day at the ever-growing village. It's the end of summer, one of the busiest times of the year as everyone's busy preparing for the harvest season, but people wake up and go to sleep with a content smile on their faces, and honestly, that's all he's ever wanted.

"Sorry for waking you up."

A voice he knows very well speaks up behind him, and Nagato turns around with a smile already playing on his lips.

"To what do I owe a visit to at this time, esteemed Hokage?"

Chiyuki waves one hand in the air dismissively, a mischievous grin on her face. "Oh, you know. Today's the day someone extremely dear to me was born, and I simply could not miss it."

A red eyebrow goes up, although the smile does not fade. "It's four in the morning."

The young Hokage remains unashamed. "I wanted to be the first one to give you your present."

The rinnegan user huffs out a laugh, and shakes his head at his student's antics. He accepts the important looking scroll from her, and chooses to ignore the Uzumaki seal on it for now.

"Happy birthday, Nagato-sensei." The blonde woman smiles, and he can't help but reciprocate with his entire heart.

"Thank you, Chiyuki."

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"Give us something more exciting than D-ranks, Auntie!" Naruto blurts out as soon as he steps inside her office, and gets a pinch from Sakura and an elbow in the ribs from Sasuke.

"Show some respect, Naruto!"

"Watch the way you talk."

Before the blonde boy can open his mouth to complain, Kakashi's hand grips his head and squeezes, and the student clicks his mouth shut at the narrowed eyes of his teacher.

"Pardon our intrusion, Hokage-sama. Now, Naruto; I'm sure we talked about treating your Hokage with due respect. It seems we'll have to go over it again, mhm?"

Chiyuki watches the scene with deeply amused eyes and laced fingers, legs crossed underneath the table. The hum of iron of her ANBU guard for the day, Genma feels just as entertained as hers, if not more.

'He really is his mother's son.' Chou comments dryly inside her head, and the woman's smile widens.

"Hello, Team 7. It's good to see you all in good health." The Godaime speaks, and the four ninja standing before her desk bow in respect.

"Team 7 reporting in, Hokage-sama. We've come for the monthly report." The silver-haired man's eyes soften as he looks at his childhood friend, although his hand remains on Naruto's head, much to the boy's chagrin.

"Ah, yes. I see that you've completed all your assigned missions, although with a small number of complaints." The Hokage lowers the report in her hands and grins at the genin in front of her, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Well, it's good that you're healthy and well, but remember to not be too naughty, mhm?"

The three children immediately stand with their back ramrod straight, nodding their heads frantically. As she turns to look down at another report, she sees Sasuke give Naruto a scathing look, and hides her fond smile behind her sleeve.

"Well, you're in capable hands, so I suppose it's fine." The blonde adds as an afterthought, and is thoroughly amused as Kakashi scratches his head almost sheepishly and the three genin give their teacher identical looks of disbelief.

"That being said," She continues, and the children perk up, "I do think you're ready for a C rank."

The blonde fiddles with some papers on her desk, watching as the children try to contain their excitement, and before their teacher can open his mouth to protest, she speaks up again.

"After another month of D-ranks, of course." The genin very nearly fall down in a typically comical way, and Genma almost gives away his hiding spot trying to hold in his laughter.

"Eeehh?! Auntie- ouch, I mean, Hokage-sama-!"

"Keep up the good work, Team 7. You're dismissed."

"Understood, Hokage-sama. We'll be taking our leave." The team leader swiftly grabs Naruto by the collar and drags the boy out, his two teammates following behind with disgruntled expressions. Just before they're out the door, Sasuke turns his head to look at his godmother with a pout on his lips. Chiyuki, however, winks at him and waves, and the black-haired boy quickly turns back around to follow his team, the tips of his ears red.

With half a mind on her work and another on the images Chou's all-seeing eyes bring to her brain, she sees Shisui crossing the border between Ame and Fire country, apparently done with his mission, and her gaze softens.

Chiyuki isn't left to her own devices for very long. A few minutes after Team 7 leaves, another knock sounds at the door, and she smiles at the four familiar chakras on the other side.

"Come in." The blonde woman calls out, and the members of Team 8 slowly fill her office. Ino looks at her with deep respect in her blue eyes, while Shikamaru meets her gaze with an embarrassed look and hands hanging awkwardly at his sides. Choji, bless his heart, actually looks happy to see her, and Asuma just looks done with this entire thing.

"Hello, Team 8." There's a grin on her face and affection in her eyes, and in some way or another, the four of them return her smile.

"Hokage-sama." Her brother greets her with a bow, and his students follow suit. "We've come for the monthly report."

"Aa. I have seen and heard great things from you this month. Well done in completing your assigned D-ranks, Team 8. You've come a long way since you graduated from the Academy six months ago, and I am proud of you." The Hokage watches with deep mirth in her gaze as the genin seem to preen under her praise, and shares an amused glance with their teacher.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. They've been trying hard." Her brother has the hint of a proud smile, although he does look quite tired, and the Sarutobi Princess wonders if the Nara heir is being too much for him to handle.

Who would've thought that his rivalry with Sasuke would result in him actually putting effort in his studies and training?

"I see that. In fact, I'd say they're ready for the next step, wouldn't you?" Although Ino looks quite excited and Choji furrows his eyebrows in worry, Shikamaru's eyes narrow in anticipation, a smug smirk on his face, and she knows he's gonna hold this over the Uchiha's head forever.

Oh, well. A healthy rivalry never hurt anyone.

"A C-rank, Hokage-sama?" Team 8's leader seems to wilt in exhaustion when faced with her grin, resigning himself to his fate.

"Why, yes. Please come in." The Godaime says loudly enough to be heard from the other side of the door, and the three children watch with varying degrees of anticipation as a middle-aged man enters the room.

"Hokage-sama." The man greets her hesitantly, eyes flying across the room.

"Ah, Tazuna-san, good to see you. These are your escorts." Tazuna sends over a dubious look to Team 8, and receives unimpressed glares in return.

"Team 8, this gentleman is Tazuna-san, and he's building an important bridge in Kiri. Your mission is to safely escort him back, and I'd like you to treat this C-rank with its due seriousness."

"Understood!"

"And do say hi to Mei for me, will you?"

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Who would've thought that writing this without spoiling too much would be this hard.