"Admit it. It was a good idea."
"It was foolhardy and dangerous. The political repercussions alone are giving me a mountain of paperwork to deal with when the formal ceremony is over."
"A few snubbed nobles and clan leaders? You're telling me the 5th Hokage of Konoha is running scared from some bruised egos?" Tsunade's brow furrowed, and a small vein bulged out over her left eye.
"Listen you big-haired pervert," she snapped at the Sannin lounging in the couch next to her desk, "Those snubbed nobles and clan leaders make up the majority of our income. Konoha may be one of the strongest ninja villages in the world, but it depends upon a steady source of their patronage to keep up its military power."
"Alright, alright," Jiraiya replied, with his hands raised up defensively, "My solution was a bit inelegant, but admit it… you were happy I did it." Tsunade tossed her former teammate a dirty look and stood up from her desk, walking over to a small cabinet which contained a generous supply of sake. To Jiraiya's surprise, she pulled out two saucers, tossing him one.
She made her way over to him, uncorked a flagon of rice liquor and poured a generous portion for him before sitting down next to him. She proceeded to pour herself a drink, took a long gulp, and sat back with a sigh. She set her saucer down and poured Jiraiya another drink. There was a long silence between the two. Finally, when Tsunade spoke again, her voice was unusually soft.
"Marrying those two in secret was your finest action to date. Of course, I've always wanted to help Hinata deal with her clan problems, but even more important to me was making sure Naruto found his happiness. The brat deserves something good in his life." After taking another deep gulp of sake, Tsunade glared at Jiraiya before planting a quick kiss on his cheek, eliciting a deep blush from the Frog Hermit.
"Thanks," she murmured, her eyes glancing everywhere but at him. Jiraiya coughed embarrassedly, and grunted his acknowledgement, trying to keep his face neutral, but still looked inordinately pleased with himself.
"No problem."
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"Oi, Shikamaru!" Ino shouted impatiently, "Hurry up already! You're the best man, how can you even consider being late?"
"Geez Ino," Shikamaru groused as he stepped out of his apartment, "We have another five hours before the ceremony starts and it's only a ten minute walk from here. How could we possibly be late?"
"Give him some time, Ino," Choji added supportively, "This will be the first time Shikamaru has seen Temari in two months. For once, he's actually concerned about his appearance." Ino narrowed her eyes, eliciting a groan from the lanky Jounin with the top-knot.
"So, all of the times we've gone out together, you've never been concerned about how you look?"
"Ino, come on…" Shikamaru replied warily, "What do you want me to say?"
"That you consider the friendship of your teammates at least half as valuable as the regard of some hussy from the Hidden Sand." Ino spat waspishly. Choji snorted softly.
"Don't worry about it Shikamaru," he offered didactically, "Ino's been feeling a bit lonely ever since she broke up with her boyfriend a few weeks ago."
"Choji!"
"The tall guy with the long hair from Hidden Cloud?" Shikamaru asked with raised eyebrows, "You never told me."
"You never asked," Ino mumbled softly, "I figured you were too busy with Temari to be bothered." Choji cleared his throat, nudging Shikamaru with his sizable shoulder. Shikamaru nodded irritably. He walked over to his blonde teammate and grunted at her. She glanced up at him, a wary expression on her face.
"Ino," Shikamaru started slowly, "I never asked about the guy 'cause I never liked him." Ino stared at her teammate with surprise, causing him to blush slightly before growling with irritation.
"Geez! This is why I hate having conversations with women," he snarled to no one in particular, "Everything has to be about feelings and emotions. It's such a damn bother."
"Shikamaru," Ino interrupted quietly, "You never told me."
"You never asked," he replied angrily, "Listen, Ino… We're teammates, and more important than that, we're friends. I don't think you understand how seriously I take our friendship, but I would never try and tell you who you can or cannot date."
"What kind of friend are you, then?" Ino hissed back, "The kind of friend who never listens or shares?"
"Ino…" Choji began warningly, but was silenced as she glared at him. Turning back to her other teammate, she brought a finger in front of his face.
"A true friend would have had the time to talk with me while I was going through a hard time. A true friend would have been there to support me. But I suppose all of that would have been too bothersome for you. After spending several hard missions with Temari, the lazy Nara genius was too selfish to spend one meaningful moment with his teammate of nine years!"
"I saw what he did to you," Shikamaru replied bluntly, "I don't understand why you didn't end it with him right there."
"What are you talking about?" Ino asked nervously.
"He was an abusive prick," Shikamaru snarled, "And you were an idiot for staying with him!" For a moment, Ino's eyes blazed with azure fire, and she looked as if she was going to slap her teammate. Choji cringed with anticipation. Her clenched fists trembled along with the rest of her body, but Shikamaru stood his ground implacably.
Abruptly, the fire in Ino's eyes died down, and the energy seemed to leave her body. Sighing, she nodded and placed a hand on his left arm.
"You're right," she murmured, "I was an idiot. I suppose it was something I needed to learn on my own." She nodded once, and turned to leave.
"Ino…"
"Sorry for dumping on you like that," the kunoichi said without looking back, "I wasn't being much of a friend either."
"Ino!" Choji growled, stamping his foot on the gravel road. Ino turned back to face him, a stunned expression on her face.
"What is it?"
"Shikamaru is too stubborn to tell you, so I will," he said with a defiant glare at his taller teammate.
"Choji…"
"No! She needs to hear this."
Shikamaru shrugged angrily and brooded near the side of the road as they made their way to the wedding grounds.
"Shikamaru was concerned about you," Choji insisted forcefully, "Probably more than anyone else. He followed you and Inazuma one night after you got in a fight. He saw what that jerk did to you. You kept telling us the marks were from missions, but we all knew how weak of an excuse that was. Shikamaru needed proof."
Ino stared at her sullen teammate with surprise. He glanced up at her long enough to scowl before looking back down at the road.
"Then you mean…"
"I have no business telling you who you can or cannot date," Shikamaru growled softly, "But I can tell an asshole when he needs to move on. I had a few words with your man."
"Shikamaru used Kagemane no Jutsu and beat the jerk within an inch of his life," Choji corrected matter-of-factly, "He was only stopped because Asuma-sensei and I had followed him. I believe his exact words were…"
"Choji!" Shikamaru snarled, "Is that part really necessary?"
"His exact words," Choji continued on as if he hadn't been interrupted, "His exact words were, 'The next time I see you in Konoha, your life is forfeit.' "
"Shikamaru…"
The Nara Jounin shrugged, his blush mirroring the one on Ino's cheeks. He pointed at the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.
"So troublesome Ino - you're the maid of honor. If you let dust in your eyes, the ceremony's gonna get held up." Ino smiled at her teammate, swiping at her eyes.
"Shut it Nara. You're the one who took so long getting ready for your Hidden Sand lover."
"What kind of food do you think Naruto catered for the reception?" Choji asked happily. Ino and Shikamaru both cringed at his question before answering simultaneously:
"Ramen."
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"Oh Neji! You look so handsome! I wish we had more formal gatherings to attend." Neji mumbled something incoherent, which his girlfriend pointedly ignored. Konoha's number one weapons master smoothed the creases out of the Hyuuga heir's robes and took a step back to admire her work. Neji's stomach chose to grumble angrily at that moment, causing Ten Ten to frown with concern.
"I made breakfast this morning after we finished drilling. Didn't you see it on the counter?"
"Yes, um… Well I've been very preoccupied with clan business, and perhaps I forgot to…" Neji trailed off, sweat forming on his brow. Ten Ten gave him a scathing glare and took off down the road away from their apartment, her nose up in the air. Neji took off after her, ignoring the giggles and jokes from the passing villagers.
"Ten Ten, please wait up a moment," he managed to get out without yelling. It was most undignified for a future clan head to yell in public. His lithe teammate continued on, heedless of his admonitions.
"Ten Ten! I'm sorry! I know how hard you've been working on your cooking!" Neji practically bellowed, much to the amusement of the Konoha villagers. Neji mentally shrugged to himself. A future clan head must be undignified when the situation demands it. The graceful kunoichi came to a stop, her posture suggesting great displeasure. Tentatively, the Hyuuga Jounin placed his hands on the tense shoulders of his girlfriend. Ten Ten stiffened up, but did not shrug his hands off; it was rare for Neji to show much affection in public.
"I've been unappreciative of your hard work, and for that, I apologize," Neji said solemnly, "I don't know the rudiments of cooking myself, and I have no right to pass judgment on yours. Please don't be angry Ten Ten. Today should be a joyous occasion. Think about how sad Hinata-sama would be, knowing we brought a disagreement to her wedding." Slowly, the tension melted from her shoulders, and she leaned into his chest, a playful scowl on her face.
"You sure have a way with words," she commented as she placed a kiss on his cheek. Neji turned a brilliant shade of crimson, eliciting laughter from Ten Ten.
"But you never know what to say when I do that."
Neji sputtered in vain as he attempted to come up with an appropriate reply, but was quickly spared further humiliation as a thunderous crash and a huge, billowing cloud of dust announced the presence of former-Team Gai's mascot. Rock Lee stood in front of them, dressed smartly in a Chinese style jacket of dark green silk. Ten Ten whistled with approval, while Neji smirked with grudging respect.
"No weights, Lee?" he asked in an innocent voice. Ten Ten scowled angrily, but Lee simply grinned in return. Surreptitiously, he lifted the front of his jacket, to reveal an undercoat of nearly a cubic ton of training weights. His teammates sighed wearily. Lee had just returned from an S-Class mission after sustaining injuries which had left him in the recovery ward of the hospital for two days. The medical ninjas had been adamant about the need for his body to recover before returning to strenuous training. Naturally, Lee had ignored them until he ran into Sakura during her rounds one morning.
"The road to glory waits for no shinobi, Neji-kun… not even injured ones."
"What's this about 'gory roads?' " A pleasant female voice inquired politely, causing Lee to jump with surprise. Clad in a formal black kimono splashed with bright pink cherry blossoms, Sakura regarded her date with mild suspicion. Lee began to sweat profusely.
"N- nothing, my radiantly exquisite Sakura-san," he replied with a forced laugh, "I was merely sharing an old parable Gai-sensei imparted to me many years ago during our training."
"Oh?" Sakura replied with narrowed eyes that made her a dead ringer for the 5th Hokage, "I hope Gai's pearl of wisdom didn't have anything to do with extra training. If I recall correctly, you were in the hospital ward just yesterday, and I made it explicitly clear that your body needed to rest."
"Of course, Sakura-san!" Lee replied with just a shade too much enthusiasm, "Gai-sensei's genius extended into matters beyond mere training!"
"Is that so?" Sakura replied, her green eyes glinting with predatory anticipation, "What was the quote Gai shared with you again?" Her voice was pleasant enough, but the steel behind Sakura's voice caused Lee to tremble. Neji cleared his throat loudly.
"Gai said a lot of things while we trained. He said a lot of things while we rested. He would even sometimes stop by our homes and say things while we slept. I would prefer it if Lee didn't repeat the parable, if you don't mind Sakura-san…" Sakura regarded her white-eyed friend sourly, then smiled. Neji had blunted her inquisition, and she decided to drop the matter. Lee surreptitiously flashed Neji a grateful thumbs-up and proceeded to escort the pink-haired kunoichi next to his two teammates.
"Sakura-san has kindly agreed to accompany me to the wedding today!" Lee declared with a pride that bordered on smug. Neji nodded politely, while Ten Ten let out an amused giggle.
"A good thing too, Sakura… if you had turned him down, Lee had vowed to walk to the Hidden Sand Village on his palms," Ten Ten commented mischievously. Sakura laughed appreciatively, causing Lee to stick his chest out. Neji merely sighed, and walked on in silence.
"It's true Sakura-san! I would never go back on my word."
"I believe you," Sakura replied gently, "Naruto's Ninja Way seems to have infected the entire village."
"That is hardly a bad thing," Neji commented sagely, "It looks like the guests are arriving." The other three Jounin turned to look at what Neji was pointing at. A veritable ocean of people had begun to pour into the village from the main gates, much to the dismay of the Jounin and Chuunin assigned to security detail. Dignitaries, diplomats, shinobi, and all manner of well-wishers had managed to clog up most of downtown Konoha as the hour of Naruto and Hinata's wedding continued to draw closer. Hundreds of individuals from more far-flung regions had already arrived several days ago, contributing to an extremely cosmopolitan flavor around the market and trade districts.
ANBU and Hidden Sand shinobi patrolled the streets at regular intervals to maintain the peace and to guard against threats inside or outside the village walls. In addition, hundreds of summoned ninja animals had been enlisted as guides for the multitudes that had never been to Konoha before. Vendors and merchants set up stalls along the main roads, selling wedding gifts for lazy guests, and various souvenirs to commemorate the wedding of Konoha's (in)famous shinobi. Several enterprising merchants had crafted forehead protectors bearing the seal of an orange fox chasing its tail. Naruto had grumbled about the theft of his family crest, but had secretly placed an order for an entire crate's worth of 'Uzumaki Forehead Protectors.'
Old grudges and political squabbles were postponed as representatives from every major ninja village gathered together to celebrate a most auspicious occasion. Over the five years he had spent battling against the forces of Akatsuki and Orochimaru, Naruto had traveled far and wide – forging friendships with thousands of people and earning the respect of entire nations for his indomitable spirit. A particularly large contingent of well-wishers from the Wave Country had arrived a week ago, led by a tall, handsome young fisherman named Imari. Following the completion of the Great Naruto Bridge, the Wave Country grew financially prosperous, and had become staunch allies of the Leaf during its war with the Sound Village.
"I hope your uncle is ready to pick up the tab, Neji," Sakura teased, "At this rate, he won't have any money to help with your wedding." She winked at slyly at Ten Ten, and laughed at the blush on her friends' faces. Neji cleared his throat loudly and coughed a few times to compose himself.
"Hiashi-sama anticipated the financial strain a wedding reception of the magnitude planned for today would cause our clan, so he opened the catering duties to the general public."
"In other words," Ten Ten put in wryly, "The reception is a potluck party."
"I made a giant pot of my special 'Curry of Life!' " Lee declared happily, "Gai-sensei also sent along at least twelve dozen of his Medicinal Dumplings."
"Are you talking about those putrid balls of sweat he tried to poison us with last week?" Neji growled with a shudder, "I vomited for three straight days."
"Lee," Ten Ten scolded reprovingly, "Those dumplings were terrible! I had to visit Neji for three days to fix him meals while he was sick." The look on Neji's face suggested his sickness may have in fact, been aggravated by his girlfriend's cooking. Luckily for him, the weapons master was busy chiding her other teammate to notice. Sakura covered her grin and walked on in silence. Silently, she thought about the young man who had become the heart and soul of Team 7.
You were the loudest, most obnoxious irritant that ever stumbled over the face of this planet. You craved the title of Hokage as a means of gaining recognition from those around you because of how desperately you wanted friendship. Now, the whole world has come to acknowledge you as one of the greatest shinobi that ever lived. Naruto… I wonder if this moment is everything you dreamed it was…?
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"This has got to be the single most irritating day of my life!" Naruto groused loudly as his tailor made some final adjustments to the black hakama that billowed around his feet. It was still too baggy, but due to his duties as an elite Jounin, the blonde ninja had found no time to get his fitting finished.
"The two billion uninvited guests that crashed my wedding have been crowding me out of my favorite ramen shops; Tsunade, Sakura, Kurenai, Ino, Ten Ten, and just about every nosy kunoichi are breathing down my neck to make sure I get my wedding vows correct; Hiashi and his Hyuuga cronies keep insisting that Hinata and I make appearances at these stuffy functions; and finally, my stupid hakama won't stop tripping me up every time I try to take a step forward!"
Next to him, Shikamaru heaved a martyr's sigh and adjusted his own formal kimono.
"Yes, Naruto. It truly is the best day of your life… People from every country and ninja village in the world have come to pay tribute to you on the day you marry the woman you love… All the females in the village that used to despise you now love you so much, that they want to make sure you succeed in your most important endeavor to date… Hiashi has finally given you his full acceptance, and the Hyuuga clan has been reformed thanks to your actions…" Shikamaru smirked to himself as his friend considered his words. "And last but not least," The lazy genius added amiably, "Your ill-fitting hakama serves as a wonderful opportunity to train your footwork technique."
Naruto grinned at his shorter friend before giving him a powerful thump on the back.
"I guess that's why Temari likes a slouching, underachieving slacker like you… You have that big, sexy brain to flaunt."
"She also said I have 'dreamy eyes,' " Shikamaru retorted with dead pan humor.
"What?"
"Nevermind. Inside joke."
The old woman that had been meticulously attacking Naruto's hakama with a needle, thread, and shears, took step back to admire the fruit of her labor and smiled appreciatively. Naruto bowed to her, offering her several coins from his wallet as payment for her services.
"Well, this damn costume finally fits," Naruto commented under his breath after the tailor stepped out, "Now it's time to get down to business."
"What a lovely phrase," Shikamaru commented in a droll voice, "Are you referring to the ceremony or the consummation of your marriage?"
"Oh," Naruto added as if Shikamaru hadn't said anything, "I almost forgot the finishing touch."
With a buffoonish grin that belonged on a misbehaving ten year old, Konoha's most powerful shinobi donned a forehead protector bearing the seal of an orange fox chasing its own tail. Shikamaru groaned.
"So begins the chronicles of the Uzumaki Clan," he declared with a smile, "May they be less irritating than the man who started it."