Disclamer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. Naruto is a manga/anime series that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

The engagement

Chapter 1: The blessings

Naruto was sweating bullets and he stood just outside the Hyuuga compound. He has been here before but the estate just look so intimidating for some reason.

He knew why though. Inside was Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuuga, one of the strictest and most stoic men in the entire village. Naruto knew that Hiashi seemed to have loosen up over the years and he, Hinata and Hanabi have been closer than ever and he was happy about that.

Naruto couldn't believe it, he faced Orochimaru, Pain and even freaking Kaguya without a second thought and right now he was nervous about talking to his girlfriends father.

Naruto only met him a few times since he started dating Hinata, when Hinata announced they were dating, Hiashi was silent for a long time that it made him very uncomfortable until voiced his approval and left. Naruto wondered if he was really thinking it over or if he did it on purpose to bug him, he would probably never know.

Naruto knew he needed to talk to the man today, his girlfriend was on a mission in Suna and won't be back for a few days and he probably wouldn't get another chance to ask him.

Naruto was going to ask his beautiful and wonderful Hinata to marry him and tradition states he needed to ask the father permission before he proposed. Naruto hated those stuffy customs and wanted to just falt out ask Hinata but even he knew that the Hyuuga's were very traditional and old fashion and while he knew Hinata would likely agree to marry him, she would rather do it by the book.

So that's why he was here, he was planning on taking Hinata on a special date when she got back from her mission, he's been saving up and planning it for weeks now, but he still had to ask Hiashi.

"Kami give me strength"...Naruto muttered as he found his nerve and approached the estate where a servant greeted him, it was a branch member name Madoka, she was very nice and was more of a friend to him and Hinata, though she still insisted with honorifics

"Naruto-sama, it's a pleasure to see you once more"...Madoka greeted as she invited him inside

"Is Hinata's...I mean...is...is Hiashi-Sama here?"...Naruto asked nervously, surprising Madoka in the process

"Why yes, he's in his office right now, do you wish to see him?"….Madoka asked and Naruto nodded almost too fast.

"I'll inform him that your here"...Madoka left, leaving Naruto alone in the Courtyard. Several others members of the Hyuuga clan saw and greeted him and some children ran up to him

"Naruto-Sama!"...Some of the children surrounded him and greeted him, asking him about his latest missions and how he was doing. While he has received this kind of attention since the war, and while the Hyuuga clan did respect him for his actions, him saving Hinata and Hanabi, along with the world during the moon crisis made most of the clan, particularly the younger generations more receptive to him and they were all thrilled when it was announced he and Hinata were dating.

One child, a girl named Youko asked if he was going to marry Hinata when Naruto came over to help Hinata spar, needless to say it embarrassed the young couple until her mother apologized for the child's bluntness.

"Now now children, settle down, Naruto-sama is busy"...Madoka said as she came back

"Hiashi-Sama will see you now"...Madoka said as she guided the blonde until he reached the office

"Thank you Madoka, that will be all"...Hiashi said as he dismissed his maid

Naruto was now alone with Hiashi, there was no turning back now.

"Good afternoon Uzumaki-san, how have you been?"...Hiashi said politely to the blonde

"F-Fine"...Naruto said which caused Hiashi to raise an eyebrow at his behavior

"He's nervous about something"...Hiashi thought as he studied the boys body language

"What brings you here, you know my daughter won't be back for a few more days"...Hiashi said while he had his suspicions for this surprise visit

"I know, I actually came here to talk to you, dattebayo!...sir"...Naruto said looking down, trying hard to remember his manners and not blow his chance.

"What is it that you want to talk about?"...Hiashi asked, thought he had a feeling he knew what this was about, It didn't take a genius to figure out why a young man would set a meeting with his girlfriends father, especially when she wasn't home at the moment.

"It's about Hinata"...Naruto said trying hard not to ruin this

"What about my daughter?"...Hiashi asked

"Your daughter, Hinata, she's really important to me, the most important person in my life...and I love her with all my heart, dattebayo!"...Naruto said as he was careful with his words

"She's...she's very precious to me, she's beautiful, gentle, amazing, kind, smart and...she's just wonderful...Naruto was starting to ramble a bit

"I...I can't say I can't imagine my life without her, I know what it would be like and it would be horrible, too horrible to bear"….Naruto said honestly, recalling the pain he felt when Hinata left with Toneri and fought it back

"Are you trying to make a point or did you just come here to sing praises of my daughter?"...Hiashi said with a ghost of a smirk causing the blonde to flinch a bit

"The reason I came here...is because...I want to marry your daughter"...Naruto finally managed to say.

Hiashi wasn't surprise, he actually had been expecting this for some time.

"I see"...Hiashi said in an even tone, which somehow made Naruto more nervous

"I...I'd like to ask your permeation to marry Hinata-chan"...Naruto said quickly, realizing he didn't say it right

Hiashi just stood there for a moment, like he was really thinking it over. But he already knew his answer. He accepted the fact that the boy would someday become his son-in-law, even before he and Hinata officially started dating.

"Very well, you have my blessings"...Hiashi said suddenly surprising the blonde boy, at how quick he answered

"R-Really?!"….Naruto stuttered and Hiashi was laughing on the inside at how the boy looked now

"Were you expecting me to say no?"...Hiashi asked, toying with the boy who shook his head fervently

"No!...well...I was hoping you said yes and all...but...I...".Naruto was rambling again and Hiashi decided to stop the boy before he hurt himself

"Uzumaki-san, me and my clan, as well as the entire nation owe a great debt to you and I know you'll make a fine husband for my daughter"...Hiashi said, causing Naruto to blink a bit and Hiashi decided it was time to spell it out for him.

"You're the son of the 4th Hokage and Kushina-sama rest their souls, you're also the hero of the 4th shinobi world war, you saved the village from Pain, you united the elemental nations, also you saved both my daughters as well as the entire world from that wreched Toneri, not to mention you plan on becoming Hokage some day, am I right?"...Hiashi listed and Naruto nodded

"Then I believe your credentials are more than up to my clan's standards, politically speaking of course"..Hiashi said diplomatically, before adding "There's also something much more important than all that"...Hiashi suddenly said

'What's that?"...Naruto asked

"You make my daughter happy"...Hiashi said, showing a real smile on his face, the first one Naruto has ever seen

"Thank you Hiashi..-Sama, you have no idea how much this means to me and you won't regret this, dattebayo"...Naruto said beaming with his usual cheerfulness, still getting used to honorifics.

"I better not"...Hiashi said in a stern tone and gave Naruto a look that shut him up

"Just remember one thing...Uzumaki-san, I expect that you will take care of my daughter and treat her right, if I discover that you hurt her in someway, there won't even be a body left to bury"...Hiashi said in a cold tone, scaring the younger male and making him paler than a ghost

"I..I promise that it will never come to that, Hinata is my most precious person and I'll always treasure her"...Naruto said nervously, still feeling intimidated by the older man

"I'm glad to here that",,,Hiashi said in a more normal tone and seemed to calmed down, starling the boy with his "mood swings".

"Is he bipolar or something?"...Naruto thought to himself before deciding it was time to leave

"So when will the proposal take place?"...Hiashi asked out suddenly

"Oh...I was planning on asking her after she comes back from her mission"...Naruto said

"So in less than a weeks time"...Hiashi said, and Naruto nodded

"If there is nothing else you need to tell me, you can leave Uzumaki-san"...Hiashi said, causing the younger man to blink

"O-Okay, uh...thanks again Hiashi-s-sama"...Naruto said before he finally left

Hiashi used his byakugan to see he was finally out of hearing range. Hiashi smirked to himself, before it melted into a content smile

"To think, my eldest daughter is getting married"...Hiashi mused as he look to a framed photo on his right.

It was a picture of himself, his late wife Hikari and their two girls. Hinata was five and Hanabi was still a newborn when the picture was taken. He stared at the image of his beautiful Hikari, it was almost startling to see how Hinata resembled her in looks. It's been almost 13 years since she passed away.

Her death was the darkest time Hiashi faced in his life, seeing his beloved ill and getting worse each passing day until the shinigami finally claimed her, leaving a great pain in his family, that while it never quite healed, it was at least bearable now. Hiashi nearly experienced that pain again when he nearly lost both of his daughters to that dreaded Toneri and there was literally nothing he could do about it since he was hospitalize, it was only thanks to Naruto and his friends that he still had his daughters, especially Hinata.

He thought back to his eldest and felt a pang a guilt. He knew he wasn't the best of fathers and he made many mistakes and both his daughters answered for them. He considered himself fortunate that they were willing to forgive and give him a chance to make up for his past errors, not only to them but for their entire clan, including the branch members, he owed it to his brother and nephew

"If only you were all here to see this"...Hiashi thought to himself and he recalled memories of his wife, brother and nephew, good people who were taken long before their time but still lived on in their hearts and spirit. His one regret was that they wouldn't be there to watch the special day.

Hiashi shook his head, he needed to get back to work, there was a lot to prepare for, and he was not talking about the wedding but the announcement to the elders. His problem wasn't that he thought the elders would reject the proposal, far from it, they would be thrilled that Hinata would be married to a ninja of Naruto-san's caliber and the future seventh Hokage of the village.

Everyone knew that Naruto-san becoming the seventh Hokage, was only a matter of when Kakashi-sama decided to step down but there was no doubt about it that the boy would one day lead the village and the elders would enjoy the benefits of being allied to the seventh.

Hiashi shook his head, as he was preparing himself for that day and what the future had in store for his family.

-To be continued-

Next time on The engagement

The proposal

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