2. Chapter 2 The Wedding Procession
The next morning, Masahiko, sporting dark circles under his eyes, stepped out of his room and headed to the clan's reception hall. Along the way, the younger members who were doing their morning exercises secretly glanced at him, but Masahiko, in high spirits, ignored them.
Upon arriving at the hall, he realized he had been too excited and arrived too early; apart from a few clan members responsible for cleaning, none of the expected attendees were present. The wedding procession wouldn't arrive until noon, so there were still three hours to go, and two hours until the assembly. His excitement wore off, and he felt tired. Since there was still plenty of time, he sat down and fell asleep.
Two hours passed quickly, and the clan members who could participate gradually arrived. These were the clan's true elites, each at least an elite Jonin; in other words, everyone here was stronger than Masahiko. They all noticed the sleeping Masahiko, smiled slightly, and said nothing, or perhaps they were already used to it. Soon after, the clan chief and three elders entered and took their seats at the head of the table. The clan chief coughed lightly, and the hall immediately fell silent. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Masahiko fast asleep and could only say,
"Second Uncle, wake up, don't sleep."
"Hmm..." Masahiko opened his eyes, revealing his dark circles.
"Pfft!" One of the clansmen couldn't help but laugh, which triggered everyone's laughter, and the hall erupted in laughter.
Masahiko looked around, looking bewildered.
"Alright, alright, everyone stop laughing, let's discuss serious matters!" At this crucial moment, the clan leader had to speak.
"In a little while, the Senju wedding procession will arrive. Let's welcome them and give Mito a grand and glorious wedding."
"That's right, Princess Mito's marriage will strengthen our relationship with the Senju clan. In this chaotic Warring States period, we can better protect our clansmen. Everyone must take this seriously." The First Elder continued.
At this moment, the Second Elder glanced at Masahiko and said, "Clan Chief, since this marriage alliance is so important, isn't it a bit unsafe for only Masahiko to accompany the clan?"
"It's alright. The Senju faction will be responsible for safety on the journey; we don't need to worry. Sending Second Uncle along is just to have him look after Mito. Once Mito is settled, it will be at least half a month, maybe a month, before Second Uncle returns," the Clan Chief replied calmly, pretending not to notice the sarcasm in the Second Elder's words.
At this moment, the Third Elder slightly opened his eyes, wanting to say something, but seeing the First Elder give him a wink, he closed his eyes again and said nothing more.
"It seems the three elders have nothing more to say. Does anyone else have anything to add?" the Clan Chief continued.
Masahiko looked up, then lowered his head again, as if their discussion had nothing to do with him. He muttered to himself, "Damn that Uzumaki Masahiro (Second Elder), all I did was bully you a few times when we were kids, is it really worth holding a grudge for 40 years?"
Just then, a young voice rang out, "Clan Chief, please allow me to join the group. Lady Mito's safety must be ensured with utmost care." This person was named Uzumaki Kurehito, only one character different from the protagonist Naruto. In Masahiro's eyes, this was another guy with a protagonist's halo; at only 20 years old, he already possessed strength surpassing most elite Jonin. Because the clan chief only had one daughter, Mito, everyone used to joke that Kurehito might marry Mito, become the next clan chief, and reach the pinnacle of life. But now it seemed his protagonist's halo had run out…
"No need, Kurehito, leave it to your second uncle. Although you're strong, these things still require the elders; he has a wealth of experience," the clan chief replied.
"Hey, nephew, the way you put it, it makes me sound like a weak old man… uh, it seems that's true," Masahiro said.
At this point, the atmosphere eased again, and everyone smiled. At that moment, a clan guard pushed open the gate and entered. "Clan leader, the Senju clan's wedding procession has arrived!"
"So soon? Everyone, follow me to greet them!" the clan leader ordered.
A group of people filed out and arrived at the clan's gate. Sure enough, a group of people were waiting outside. At a glance, they spotted three peak-level Jonin and seven or eight elite Jonin. As expected of the Senju clan.
"This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. There are palanquins in the Naruto world? And the palanquin bearers are actually four ordinary Jonin. This makes me feel utterly ashamed," Masahiko muttered. "
What's wrong, Uncle? What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing."
At this moment, a person with three blue paint marks on his cheeks and chin stepped out from behind the palanquin. It was none other than the young Tobirama Senju.
"This is a familiar stranger. I've finally met you, Second Hokage." Masahiko went back to muttering.
The clan leader glanced at him but said nothing, perhaps used to his often goofy uncle. "Tobirama, you don't mind me calling you that, do you? You must be tired from your journey. Please come in, sit down, and have some tea."
"No trouble at all, Clan Chief Uzumaki. We'll set off as soon as my sister-in-law is ready. We need to get back to the clan before dark for the wedding ceremony," Tobirama replied.
"Surprisingly polite." Lost in thought, the man was completely unaware that everyone present was a sharp-witted ninja, and that his words could be heard.
Sure enough, Tobirama's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything. After all, judging by Masahiko's age, he was, after all, an elder. Seeing this, the First Elder quickly said, "Someone, go and invite Mito out. Is her luggage all packed?"
The Second Elder followed closely, saying, "Come, Tobirama, let me introduce you. This is our clan's 'famous' Uzumaki Masahiko. He'll be accompanying the team to take care of Mito this time."
Tobirama's lips twitched, thinking to himself, "It really is him!" He immediately declined, "No need. We have three peak Jonin and eight elite Jonin on this trip, plus myself. Elders, you don't need to worry about safety on the road."
"It's not that I'm worried about your protection. I only have one daughter, and it's inconvenient for me to go alone. Let my second uncle go with her. When he returns, I'll have him describe the scene of my daughter's wedding to me, so that I, as her father, can also be happy." The clan head then replied.
"Then why not have someone else describe it..." Thinking this to himself, Tobirama ultimately didn't dare to say it aloud.
At this moment, Mito came out accompanied by two female ninjas, bowed to the clan head and the three elders, nodded slightly to Tobirama, and turned to get into the palanquin.
"In that case, let's set off as soon as possible, Clan Chief Uzumaki."
"Alright, be careful on the road. Second Uncle, please take good care of Mito." the clan chief said.
"Don't worry, my nephew!" Before them came Masahiko's slightly aged smiling face.
"Let's go!" Tobirama gave the order, and the group slowly left the Uzumaki clan's territory.
Masahiko began a new journey…