What? The Hokage also went!? (Seeking follow-up reading, collection)

Early morning, Uchiha compound, Naka River Shrine.

A group of Uchiha were busy here, moving tables, setting up chairs, and arranging bouquets.

##DONE##

When Yashiro changed into his black kimono and arrived, he was stunned. He quickly ran to Fugaku, who was directing the setup, and nervously asked, "Director Fugaku, what exactly is going on?"

Fugaku turned around, saw Yashiro in his wedding attire, and smiled, patting his shoulder. "Aren't we setting up your wedding venue?"

"But this… this is too grand!"

"I'm just getting married!"

"Sigh!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"This isn't just your and Akiya's wedding; it's the first wedding between an Uchiha and a ninja from another clan. We have to make a statement. What if other ninja clans laugh at us if it's not grand enough?"

"You go to the back for now. The bride hasn't arrived yet." Fugaku finished and continued directing.

"But this…"

"Tsk, are you done yet? Someone, take the groom to the shrine to rest."

Hikari and Yakumi appeared beside Yashiro, smiling. "Yashiro, just wait honestly for your bride."

"Let's go!"

The two directly grabbed Yashiro's arms and walked him towards the shrine's main hall.

Meanwhile, within Konohagakure.

Whether in the center of the village or on its outskirts, the places the Police Department usually used for posting announcements were now displaying an invitation.

It invited all the villagers of Konohagakure to attend this wedding.

Many villagers stopped in front of these invitations.

"Hiss… The wedding of Uchiha Yashiro and Inuzuka Akiya. Is a wedding really this big of a deal?"

"That's a ninja's wedding, an Uchiha's wedding at that. I wouldn't dare go."

"But hasn't the Police Department been much better recently? They're openly posting invitations, why not go?"

"Sigh, how many Uchiha are there in the Police Department? My child told me the other day that an Uchiha in his class got into a fight again. The Police Department is good now, but with so many Uchiha, people understand."

In the crowd, many who had just considered joining the excitement were silenced by others' words.

However, some brave villagers couldn't suppress their curiosity and still wanted to attend. Though not many, with the population of Konohagakure, there were still about a hundred or so.

They began tidying up and dressing up at home, preparing to come and see.

The sun slowly rose, and by nine o'clock, all the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the decorations were magnificent and tidy.

The flowers were even personally purchased from the Yamanaka family's flower shop by Kurama Saiun, fresh and elegant, their fragrance refreshing without being overpowering.

"Aunt Saiyun, thank you," Qingguang said.

"It's nothing."

"Wait, what did you call me?" Saiyun realized belatedly, her lips trembling slightly.

"Aunt Saiyun, please go rest over there. The wedding doesn't start until noon; there's still some time."

Saiyun looked at Qingguang in his black formal wear, her eyes slightly moist, and smiled, nodding.

"Okay."

As the witness for Yashiro and Akiya today, he naturally had to dress formally.

Even though he found the outfit a bit troublesome himself…

Nearly a hundred villagers arrived one after another and were immediately intimidated by the extravagant setup and scale.

Even from outside the shrine, they could see makeshift cooking stations set up in the park. Dozens of village chefs had been invited here to rush their culinary preparations.

"No wonder so many restaurants in the village are closed today; they were all invited here."

"Huh? Isn't that the owner of Ichiraku Ramen?"

At this moment, Teuchi wasn't making ramen but rather preparing small bowls of cold noodles, one after another, with exquisite plating and decoration, like works of art.

This scene greatly shocked the villagers who arrived.

In the crowd, a few children carrying flowers skipped through, rushing into the shrine.

A little boy, recognizing someone, ran up behind him.

"Big brother, candy!"

Hikari turned around and looked down, seeing the familiar little fellow, his face instantly breaking into a smile as he crouched down.

"How did you little guy end up joining the fun?"

"You treated me last time; this time, it's my turn to treat you." Hikari grabbed a handful of wedding candies from his pocket and placed them in the little boy's hand, affectionately ruffling his hair.

"Go play over there for now. I still need to maintain order here."

The little boy politely nodded, then returned to the crowd of his friends.

"Here, this is candy the big brother from the Police Department gave me. Let's all eat it together."

People continued to arrive at the shrine one after another.

When the clan head of the Inuzuka Clan, Inuzuka Gou, arrived, he widened his eyes and stared at the figure walking in front of him, completely stunned.

He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes hard.

Wait, why is the Hokage here?

And this whole setup, isn't it a bit too much?

Even the Great Daimyo's daughter's wedding wasn't this grand.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't wearing his Kage robes, but a very ordinary dark brown kimono, looking like a kind, average middle-aged man.

Because of his attire, hardly any villagers recognized Hiruzen Sarutobi.

However, at this moment, it wasn't just Inuzuka Gou who saw Hiruzen Sarutobi; many other ninja from various clans, disguised as civilians, also saw him.

A young man with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle pretended to have a stomachache and needed to go to the restroom. He immediately left the Naka Shrine, changed his clothes in the restroom, and hurried to the home of the Nara Clan head, Shikajiro Nara.

At this time, Shikajiro Nara, Torifu Akimichi, and Jinichi Yamanaka were all together, drinking morning tea.

Torifu, meanwhile, was constantly eating tea snacks.

"Shikajiro, Jinichi, there are so many excellent chefs at the Naka Shrine. There will surely be many delicious dishes later. Do you want to go with me?" Torifu Akimichi asked.

As ninja of the Akimichi Clan, eating was their greatest pleasure.

This was a rare opportunity to taste so many delicious dishes at once.

Shikajiro held his teacup, his face calm: "Torifu, as clan heads, it wouldn't be appropriate for us to go at this time."

Jinichi Yamanaka also agreed: "The Pig-Deer-Butterfly formation has always been led by the Sarutobi Clan."

"Anyone with eyes can see the recent changes in the Uchiha. But whether they are for better or worse, or if they will revert to their old ways, no one can guarantee."

"After all, it's only happened once in the ninja world that a clan head defected and launched a coup. That was the Uchiha."

Hearing Jinichi say this, Shikajiro nodded slightly in deep agreement.

Just then, Shikajiro's son, Shikaku Nara, rushed to the three of them.

"Dad, the Hokage is at the Naka Shrine in plain clothes. You should hurry over."

Upon hearing his son's words, the calmness on Shikajiro's face instantly vanished: "What? The Hokage is there too!?"