The patrolling members of the Senju cn had spotted them well before they arrived.

  By the time they reached the gates, a small crowd had already come out to welcome them—among them, the current head of the Senju cn and father of Hashirama and Tobirama: Senju Butsuma.

  “Father, we were ambushed on the road by the Uchiha. Three of our uncles were injured. If not for the help of the Uzumaki cn’s Great-Uncle Masahiko, we wouldn’t have been able to drive them off,” Tobirama reported before Butsuma could even ask.

  Gasps and murmurs rippled through the gathered crowd.

  “The Uchiha?! How dare they!”

  “Cn Head! Give the order! Let’s teach the Uchiha a lesson!”

  “Cn Head, please—”

  “Enough!” Butsuma cut in sharply. “Today is Hashirama and Mito’s wedding day. As for the Uchiha… we’ll deal with them in due time.”

  “You there—take our injured cnsmen and tend to them properly. Now, where’s Hashirama? The sun’s almost down. Go get him. Let’s begin the ceremony!”

  He turned to Mito, his voice softening. “It’s a bit rushed—sorry to trouble you, niece. And this is Masahiko of the Uzumaki cn… Great-Uncle, was it? We’re in your debt today.”

  “There’s no need for formality, Cn Head. Just call me Masahiko,” the red-haired man replied respectfully.

  Standing before the leader of the most powerful cn in this Warring States era, Masahiko could feel the immense chakra radiating from Butsuma—several times greater than his own. He certainly wouldn’t presume to call himself anyone’s elder here.

  This chakra... no wonder he’s the Senju cn head. Compared to him, even the elders of my own cn fall short. He’s likely at the peak of cn leader level strength. In this era, maybe only future legends like Hashirama and Madara could surpass him, Masahiko mused.

  At that moment, two figures emerged from the cn estate—one was Elder Senju Unken, and the other…

  Hashirama.

  Masahiko spotted him from afar—the future God of Shinobi—and couldn’t help but smirk a little as he caught Hashirama sneaking gnces at Mito like a nervous teenager. So this was the goofy side of that man.

  “Hashirama’s here. Is the hall ready?” Butsuma asked.

  “All set, Cn Head,” Elder Unken replied.

  Hashirama, however, was too busy blushing to speak.

  “In that case, everyone, let’s head inside,” Butsuma decred.

  “Ahem…” Masahiko cleared his throat and gave Tobirama a subtle look.

  Tobirama caught on immediately. “Father, the Uzumaki cn would like the wedding to follow their traditional customs.”

  That’s right. This was part of the “dirty deal” Masahiko had struck with Tobirama earlier on the road, using a Shuriken Substitution Jutsu as leverage.

  But Masahiko wasn’t the only Uzumaki present.

  Mito shot her unreliable great-uncle a sideways gnce and instantly figured out what was going on.

  “I agree,” she said calmly. “I’d prefer a wedding in the Uzumaki style as well.”

  Butsuma gave her a surprised look, then chuckled. “If that’s what you want, Mito, then so be it. Tobirama, you know the customs—why don’t you officiate your brother’s wedding?”

  “Yes, Father,” Tobirama replied smoothly.

  Once inside the grand hall, Tobirama continued, “Father, Great-Uncle, please take the seats of honor as representatives of the two families.”

  “Hashirama, Mito—step forward.”

  He led the bride and groom to the center of the hall. His expression twitched as he tried to recall the lines, but he pushed through.

  “First part of the ceremony—sharing an apple!”

  He hung a single apple on a string between the two.

  “Big Brother, Sister-in-w, you can only use your mouths—no hands allowed.”

  The less said about how that went, the better. Suffice to say, by the end of it, Hashirama’s face was beet red, while Mito simply looked at him with an amused smile.

  Tobirama couldn’t hold back a snort of ughter. Rarely did he get to see his overly heroic brother flustered like this. No wonder Masahiko insisted on doing things this way.

  “Next, the vow of love and loyalty,” Tobirama announced, inwardly groaning.

  “Mito Uzumaki, do you take this man to be your husband, to join with him in marriage, to love him in sickness and in health, to care for him, honor him, accept him, and be faithful to him for all the days of your life?”

  Mito blinked, then replied, “I do.”

  Before Tobirama could even finish asking Hashirama the same, the man blurted out, “I do!” loud and proud, causing the whole room to erupt in ughter.

  Tobirama chuckled along, then continued. “Third part—bow to Heaven and Earth!”

  “Turn around—first bow, to the heavens!”

  They bowed solemnly.

  “Second bow, to your elders!”

  They turned back and bowed to Butsuma and Masahiko.

  “Third bow—to each other!”

  Bride and groom shared a smile and bowed deeply.

  “Ceremony complete—off to the bridal chamber!”

  “All right, Brother, Sister-in-w, that’s it for today. It’s getting te—you should go rest,” Tobirama teased.

  This time, even Mito’s face turned red. The newlyweds exchanged a gnce, then turned to the elders.

  “Father, Great-Uncle, Elders—please excuse us.”

  “Go on,” Butsuma nodded.

  As the couple left, the rest of the gathered cnsmen also dispersed, ughing and chatting among themselves.

  Only Masahiko, Butsuma, Tobirama, the three household elders, and the two battlefield elders remained behind.

  Butsuma turned to Elder Unken. “Masahiko’s had a long day. Tobirama, take him to the guest quarters.”

  “Appreciate it,” Masahiko said with a tired smile, following Tobirama out.

  Once they were gone, Butsuma’s face darkened.

  “What in the hell was that wedding? That’s a Uzumaki tradition?”

  Elder Unken snorted. “Probably Masahiko’s idea. I’ve heard he’s a bit… eccentric. But this? This is something else.”

  Butsuma sighed. “Let it go. A ceremony is just a ceremony. What matters is that Hashirama and Mito are married. This strengthens our alliance with the Uzumaki.”

  The Eastern Elder added, “Exactly. With their support, the pressure on the eastern front will ease. Damn Kaguya cn needs a proper lesson.”

  “But we can’t rely on the Uzumaki too much,” Butsuma warned. “They’ve always kept neutral in this war. No guarantee they’ll fight beside us. Here’s what we’ll do—give Hashirama two weeks to rest, then send him and Tobirama to reinforce the eastern front.”

  “Even better. Those taijutsu lunatics are no match for Hashirama’s Wood Release,” said the Northern Elder.

  …

  While the meeting continued, Masahiko had already reached the guest quarters.

  Today’s fusion of ancient eastern customs and western-style romance fulfilled a little dream from his past life.

  Of course, he’d never admit that the whole thing was just an excuse to make Hashirama bow to him, the “elder.”

  After Tobirama left, Masahiko colpsed onto the bed from exhaustion—only to sit up straight the next second.

  A familiar line of glowing Chinese text fshed through his mind:

  “You have participated in and witnessed a major event in the world of Naruto: the wedding of Hashirama and Mito. Witness Points +20.”

  <><><><><>

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