After Hiruzen Sarutobi's burial, the wedding ceremony immediately began, combined with the inauguration of the Fifth Hokage.
Under the blessings of the entire village and Hashirama and Tobirama, Natsuhane and Tsunade officially became husband and wife.
Initially, this wedding was expected to be grand, but due to the sudden nature and lack of preparation, coupled with their impatience, after a few toasts to their close ones, Tsunade and Natsuhane hurried off to consummate their marriage.
"Grandfather, Uncle, don't worry. Natsuhane and I will revive the glory of the Uchiha and Senju clans!" Tsunade declared.
"No, now we should say 'the same clan'..."
"For the revival of the Uchiha-Senju lineage, we will start by having as many children as possible!"
Two people did not attend the wedding.
One was Asuma Sarutobi.
After learning of his father's suicide, Asuma quietly left Konoha with some members of the Sarutobi clan and ANBU.
He was filled with hatred.
Even though he knew his father's actions were oppressing other clans, he understood it was all to ensure the Sarutobi clan's strength and control within Konoha.
His girlfriend, Kurenai Yuhi, had been taken by Natsuhane. Since Natsuhane was willing to take responsibility, it was clear Kurenai was carrying his child. Otherwise, who would marry a pregnant woman?
Now his father was dead, forced into it.
"Uchiha Natsuhane, one day, I will take back everything the Sarutobi clan has lost!"
Asuma had a plan.
He would seek out his former allies, gather a formidable force, and seek revenge on Konoha.
The other person who didn't attend the wedding was Shizune.
Usually, Shizune was always by her mentor Tsunade's side whenever they were in the village.
But this time, she wasn't.
Shizune was hiding in a secluded alley, crying quietly.
She had been happy when she heard that her mentor Tsunade was becoming the Fifth Hokage and getting married.
But when she found out that Tsunade's fiancé, Uchiha Natsuhane, was the handsome young man from the hospital, she was heartbroken.
The feeling of having her heart shattered.
She felt like she was going crazy.
She didn't know why she was so infatuated with Natsuhane. They had only met once, but she couldn't control herself. He filled her thoughts.
The idea of Tsunade and Natsuhane being intimate in their wedding chamber made her feel even worse.
Shizune even considered barging into their wedding chamber.
She wanted to take Natsuhane away.
If she couldn't succeed, she'd join them.
Even if Tsunade disagreed, she would still join them.
As the saying goes, "Three's a crowd, one of whom should be a teacher."
She couldn't imagine living without Natsuhane for even a day. It felt like there were thousands of slugs wriggling inside her, making her feel uncomfortable.
"Oh, I never thought I'd be this obsessed. Is this the real me? Or... is this what love is...?"
Shizune had lost her rationality.
The only cure was Natsuhane.
She wiped her tears, stood up with determination, and looked towards the wedding chamber where Natsuhane and Tsunade were.
"I'm going in! Right now!"
Just as Shizune decided to leave the alley, she was so eager that she didn't notice her surroundings and accidentally bumped into someone.
"Ouch!"
The person she collided with was Kurenai Yuhi.
Fortunately, it wasn't a hard collision, and Kurenai didn't fall.
Seeing Kurenai's slightly swollen belly, Shizune was shocked and quickly helped her up. "Kurenai, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Kurenai touched her belly and smiled, "I'm fine, thanks to my reflexes. I stepped back instinctively before the impact."
"No, you must sit down. Let me use medical ninjutsu to check on you."
Shizune helped Kurenai to a nearby bench, where she carefully checked her with her chakra-infused hands. Only after confirming that everything was fine did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Kurenai comforted her, "Shizune, you don't need to be so nervous. I'm a ninja, after all. I'm not that fragile."
Shizune felt guilty, "I still needed to check just to be sure. I'm sorry for bumping into you..."
"I'm fine. But you seem to have something on your mind. What's bothering you? You can talk to me."
"Sigh..." Shizune sighed deeply, "The person I like got married today, and the bride isn't me."
Kurenai was surprised, "Oh? You have someone you like?"
"Yes..." Shizune's face turned red with embarrassment as she nodded.
Kurenai and Shizune were the same age and had been good friends as children. Although Tsunade took Shizune away for training after the Second Shinobi War, their friendship remained strong.
"Wait... you said the person you like got married today. Could it be...?"
"Yes, his name is Uchiha Natsuhane. It's embarrassing to admit, but we only met once. It's just a one-sided crush on my part."
"As I thought..." Kurenai laughed softly, "Shizune, guess who my husband is. He also got married today."
"What? Don't tell me it's also Uchiha Natsuhane?"
"Who else could it be? Natsuhane is an exceptional man. It's normal for you to like him. What woman wouldn't?"
Hearing this, hope reignited in Shizune's eyes, "Kurenai, can I ask you a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Could you introduce me to Natsuhane? I thought about asking my mentor, Lady Tsunade, but I know her temper and fear she won't agree..."
"Heh..." Kurenai chuckled, "You don't need to go through all that trouble. It's understandable since you just returned to the village and may not know this, but you can directly go to the Uchiha clan grounds and apply to be Natsuhane's wife."
"What?" Shizune was stunned, "Apply? Is that really possible?"
"Of course... the Uchiha clan is focused on revival. Natsuhane uses this public recruitment method to take wives and concubines. Do you think he met and wooed all his thousands of wives through conventional means? That would be exhausting..."
"And you don't need to worry about Lady Tsunade's opinion. If she was willing to marry a man who already has a family, she surely won't mind others joining."
Overjoyed by this revelation, Shizune eagerly got up and ran off.
"Hey? Wait! Where are you going, Shizune?"
"I'm going to the Uchiha compound to apply! Thank you, Kurenai! We'll soon go from best friends to family!"
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