Chapter 421: A New Organization
"Dad, the ceremony is starting! Let's hurry over."
Tobitake Keigo, dressed in an adorable formal boy's suit, held the hand of a little bald boy as he spoke to his parents standing arm-in-arm beside him. His eyes shone with eager anticipation.
It was his older brother and sister's wedding!
"Wedding! Wedding!"
Beside him, little Saitama cheered along, as if he had just spotted the most entertaining thing ever.
"Let's go," Tobitake Tonbo said with a warm, gentle smile. "After today, the future belongs to you kids."
Woo-hoo!
Everything was absolute perfection. His heart swelled with pure satisfaction, and the bright smile on his face hadn't faded for even a single second today.
This would go down as one of the happiest days of his life, standing right alongside his own wedding day and the births of his sons and daughters. In his past life, people spoke of the Four Great Joys of life. Though he couldn't recall every single detail, enjoying a peaceful old age surrounded by children and grandchildren certainly belonged on that list.
In his late thirties—approaching forty—his eldest son was getting married, and grandchildren would surely follow before long.
The couple, accompanied by their two younger sons, stepped forward pace by pace toward the center of the wedding plaza, taking their places as the parents of the family.
As Tonbo made his entrance, the crowd erupted into enthusiastic cheers. Tonbo didn't try to steal the spotlight today; he left all the grand flair to the newlywed brides and grooms. Today, he was here simply as a father, waiting patiently to witness his children complete their vows.
"Big brother! Big sister! So cool!"
Saitama looked up at his older brother and sister, cheering once again.
"Little bro, don't act so goofy," Keigo scolded gently.
"Mm-hmm!"
Though Saitama wasn't quite as exceptionally sharp as his older siblings, he was thoroughly obedient and sweet.
...
As the wedding unfolded, joy radiated through hosts and guests alike.
The entire venue dissolved into a sea of merriment—lively discussions among the adults mingling with the bright laughter of children. Up above, the performers dressed as heavenly soldiers descended to join the festivities as guests.
"What a thoroughly mortal mindset. If we had that amount of resources, wouldn't it be far better spent on research? Good grief!" Orochimaru sat at a banquet table, swirling a high-stemmed glass before sipping the fine red wine within.
Kabuto ignored his commentary, busying himself with serving choice cuts of meat to the children seated at the table.
"Lord Orochimaru, a mortal mindset isn't necessarily a bad thing," Kabuto remarked gently. "Over the past few years, I've come to realize that perhaps experiencing more of this side of life could offer fresh perspectives—it might even prove useful for your research."
The children from the orphanage happily devoured the food Kabuto served them. After all, this spread was crafted by the premier chefs in the entire Land of Fire—it tasted far superior to their daily meals.
"Perhaps you have a point," Orochimaru conceded. He glanced around the table before frowning slightly. "Speaking of which, where did that boy Mitsuki wander off to? Make sure he doesn't get lost."
"Uncle Orochimaru, Mitsuki said he spotted an interesting person and walked over that way," one of the young children piped up.
Hearing the child's words, a faint smirk tugged at the corners of Orochimaru's mouth. "Uncle," is it? That title actually sounds surprisingly pleasant. Kabuto, you've never once called me Uncle—no wonder I never got to experience that sensation before.
"Er..." Kabuto felt utterly speechless. Given the circumstances under which they had first met, when would he have ever had the occasion to call him "Uncle"? What era did he think they were living in?
"Forget it. If Mitsuki found something he likes, let him play. Leave him be," Orochimaru mused, deciding not to micromanage.
...
"Your name is Boruto? Hello, I'm Mitsuki."
Beside an array of play equipment, Mitsuki extended a warm greeting to Boruto.
"Mitsuki? What do you want? Do you want to play on this too? There's another one over there," Boruto said, rocking back and forth on a wooden spring horse before pointing off in a direction.
He found this blue-haired boy a bit unusual—and his smile felt rather peculiar too. As Mitsuki drew closer, Boruto felt a strange sensation, almost as if something unseen were quietly observing him.
Mitsuki smiled gently. "No, I just wanted to introduce myself and become friends with you."
"Friends? Sure! My dad told me I should make plenty of friends," Boruto said, tilting his little head before letting out a bright smile.
...
With the ceremony concluded, Tianyu and Hinoko, alongside Maki and Wataru, officially tied the knot.
The double wedding of the two couples became the envy of every shinobi in Konoha. At the same time, their names spread far and wide as they received an official certificate from a newly established organization—the World Record Association—commemorating their celebration as the most lavish wedding in history.
Naturally, this association was yet another organization founded under the Tobitake family umbrella.
Virtually overnight, the Tobitake family came into sharp focus across the commercial landscape. Or rather, while major corporations had already been keeping close tabs on them, this event firmly confirmed that the Tobitake family's accumulated background and influence had reached extraordinary heights. After all, hosting a celebration of this magnitude without immense backing and resource reserves would have been utterly impossible.
Yet beyond the handful of publicly visible enterprises, Tonbo had kept the vast majority of his business holdings carefully concealed. He was the sole individual who knew the true extent of his corporate empire—after all, he was practically a one-man syndicate.
"It's over now. Moving forward, you're all officially part of our family household. Work hard and hurry up and give us some healthy grandchildren," Tonbo said as he sat in the main hall following the event, looking across at his sons, daughters, and their spouses.
As a man, he no longer harbored any grand personal ambitions; all he wanted was to enjoy a tranquil life. His primary goals were fulfilled, and he felt his world was complete. All that remained was executing the long-term defensive preparations against the Otsutsuki and enjoying his golden years.
Naturally, he was eager to see his children give him a few chubby grandchildren. As for him and Ayame, they had no plans for more children—four was more than enough.
As Ayame grew older, his main priority was letting her fully enjoy the comfortable life of a matriarch. Given their wealth, they didn't face the daily pressures of ordinary households anyway; they could easily hire full-time domestic staff or rely on ninjutsu and advanced scientific shinobi tools to handle daily chores effortlessly. That was the perk of being wealthy.
"Dad... aren't you rushing things a bit too much?" Tenyu said, looking a little exasperated. "We just got married! We haven't even gone on our honeymoon yet!"
"I don't care," Tonbo huffed with a smug grin. "Your mother, your grandfathers, and I are all eagerly awaiting the good news. Marriage is merely the starting line of life, after all."
"Yes, we understand," the four young adults replied in unison, unable to argue further.
"Alright, off you go. I'm going to spend some quality time chatting with your mother," Tonbo waved them off.
The two couples bowed and departed paired up.
"Wife, today is their big joyous occasion—it's time we attend to our own 'business' as well," Tonbo murmured smoothly.
Ayame's face flushed deep crimson. "Oh, stop it! At our age, you're still so... Ah~!"
Tonbo scooped her up in a bridal carry and vanished in a blur of motion. When they reappeared, they were already inside their private bedchamber.
...
More than ten days had passed since the grand wedding.
Inside the Hokage's Office.
"An urgent mission, Sai. I need you to lead an ANBU squad straight to the Valley Kingdom to investigate the whereabouts of the Fifth Hokage," Kakashi said in a heavy tone, handing an intelligence scroll to Sai.
Sai took the scroll and read through the details meticulously.
"Someone actually dared to move against Konoha? Has the world been peaceful for far too long?"
That was the Fifth Hokage they were talking about—and someone had actually dared to launch an attack against her. Sai hadn't encountered anyone this brazen in years. What kind of hidden faction possessed the audacity to target a former Hokage?
"That's not all," Kakashi added grimly. "Keep a close eye on newly emerging corporations and secretive organizations. I suspect many of them are linked to a single, overarching entity."
As Hokage, Kakashi's intelligence network was exceptionally thorough. He was well aware that numerous shadow factions had bubbled up across the globe recently, and his sharp intuition told him that many of these threads pointed back to one underlying syndicate—much like the Akatsuki back in the day.
However, this new organization was hidden extraordinarily deep, and he had yet to uncover its true roots.
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