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When news of the daimyo arranging his daughter's marriage spread throughout Konoha, sparking lively discussions, the villagers remained unaware that their Hokage was going through a rough time.
At the Akimichi clan's barbecue restaurant, Hashirama was treating Akio to a rare meal.
Seeing Hashirama's hesitant expression, Akio chuckled. "What's the matter? The last time you treated me to barbecue, it was to convince me about making Madara Uchiha the Hokage. What's troubling you this time?"
At the mention of Madara, Hashirama's mood visibly dropped. He let out a long sigh but said nothing.
Akio laughed and said, "I understand last time was tricky, but you know you can trust me, Second Grandpa. Just tell me what's going on, and I'll help you figure it out."
Hashirama glanced at Akio, then at the pile of empty plates on the table. This barbecue isn't going to pay for itselfā¦ After a moment of thought, he said, "It's about Kenji's marriage."
"Six years ago, I arranged an engagement between Kenji and the daimyo's daughter. You were there too, Second Grandpa. I thought Tobirama would tell Mito about it, butā¦"
"One thing led to another, and I completely forgot. Now that the wedding is approaching, Mito and Kenji just found out about it. These past few daysā¦" He sighed again.
Akio shook his head with a smile. "I was wondering why you hadn't told Mito. How could you forget something that important?"
Hashirama looked confused. "Waitā¦ you knew I hadn't told her? Why didn't you remind me?"
"Ahā¦ ha haā¦" Akio laughed awkwardly. "I figured you just didn't want to bring it up."
Hashirama shook his head and sighed once more.
Akio patted him on the shoulder. "Don't look so down. You've still got me, haven't you? I'll go talk to Mito and smooth things over."
With that, Akio turned and left, and Hashirama finally let out a breath of relief. Howeverā¦ when it came time to pay the billā¦
No matter how much the Hokage cherished his wallet, he wasn't the type to dine and dashāespecially not at the Akimichi clan's barbecue place.
While Hashirama was still standing there with a pained expression, settling the bill, Akio was already strolling into the Senju clan compoundāHashirama's home.
He knocked, and Mito welcomed him in. Though she had just turned 40, Mito still had the appearance of a young maiden. The diamond seal on her forehead had grown darker in hue, but her gentle smile remained unchanged.
Before Akio could speak, she said, "Second Grandpa, I know you're here on Hashirama's behalf. Honestly, I'm not that angry about it."
"It's justā¦ as Kenji's mother, I was the last to know he's getting marriedā¦"
Akio scratched his head. Hashirama really had handled this poorly. Still, since he'd already eaten, he had to help out. Just as he was about to speak, Mito interrupted him again.
"Thankfully, Kenji doesn't have a girl he likes yet, or this could've been a real mess. Please tell Hashirama this: Just this onceāI won't allow it to happen again." With that, she saw Akio out.
Standing outside the now-closed door, Akio gave a bitter smile. When did Mito get so formidable? Hashirama's had it rough these past few yearsā¦
"I didn't even say a word and already got kicked out?" Akio shook his head with a rueful laugh, but moments later, a wide grin spread across his face.
"Well, that was a free barbecue for meā¦ maybe there's more to gain from this."
Ten minutes later, Akio found Hashirama, who was still sulking over the bill. Grinning, he said, "What's wrong? Still upset about your wallet? That wasn't a free mealāI worked hard to convince Mito. She's forgiven you! She said this is a one-time thingādon't let it happen again!"
Hashirama was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly, completely missing the mischievous glint in Akio's eyes.
With the Hokage's domestic issue resolved, preparations for Kenji's marriage to the daimyo's daughter officially began.
Even in a world ruled by ninja, being the son of the Hokage was still a prestigious status.
Howeverā¦ in some ways, the shinobi world wasn't so different from the modern oneāfor instanceā¦ money talks.
Although Konoha had been founded for over six years and the civilian population and missions were growing steadily, the village still wasn't fully self-sufficient. Each year, they relied on a generous sum from the daimyo.
So, this wedding carried political and economic weight. However, Akio found himself oddly left out of the preparations.
"Kenji's weddingā¦ and I'm not involved at all?" he muttered to himself. "I am his great-grandfatherā¦"
When he found Tobirama busy at work, the increasingly serious Second Hokage gave him an exasperated look. "Second Grandpa, you really want to be involved? We still remember the last wedding you plannedāfor Big Brotherā¦"
Akio's face twitched in embarrassment. No wonder no one invited himāthat's why.
"It's been over twenty years! Are you all still holding a grudge? I was young and immature back thenā¦" Akio was willing to throw away his pride just to stir things up.
In the end, though, he was still excluded from the planning. All he could do was grumble, "Tobiramaā¦ you've changedā¦"
The wedding took place in early June of Konoha Year Seven. The daimyo once again made a personal visit to the village, though the eighteen guardian ninja by his side were a completely new batch.
Akio sat helplessly in his seat, watching what he considered an ancient, dull wedding ceremony. The backdrop was nothing more than a few cherry blossom trees, and Tobirama's officiating was dry and by-the-bookānone of the flair Akio had once taught him.
Twenty-year-old Kenji was every bit the dashing young man, and the daimyo's daughter, just sixteen, was a beautiful blonde-haired maiden.
"A perfect matchānoble and lovely on both sides. But this weddingā¦"
Still not quite resigned, Akio glanced toward the front where Hashirama and the daimyo were seated. He shuffled over and patted Hashirama on the shoulder. "Isn't this wedding boring? Why'd you let Tobirama officiate instead of me, your dear Second Grandpa?"
Hashirama gave a wry smile. The daimyo, seated nearby, looked Akio over and said, "I remember youā¦ You're one of the 108 Generals! You haven't aged a bit all these years. What's your secret?"
Now over 50, the daimyo looked noticeably older than Akio and assumed he had some sort of youth-preserving technique.
Akio glanced at him and muttered darkly, "Hehā¦" Then turned and stormed back to his seat.
Hashirama hurriedly apologized to the daimyo and explained the situation.
"One of the 108 Generalsā¦ Is that title going to haunt me for life? That damned daimyo!"
While Akio found the wedding dull and lacking his signature "creative touch," the civilians of Konoha were full of excitement and chatter.
Even ninja longed for peace, and civilians, naturally, desired it even more.
"With the Hokage's son marrying the daimyo's daughter, the Land of Fire and Konoha should become even more stableā¦" many sighed with hope.
"When will this boring wedding end alreadyā¦" Akio sighed with resignation.
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