"Mar... mar... marriage!????" Naruto looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Are you sure you've got the right person!?" Ueno Kei, standing beside him, wore an equally strange expression.
Naruto? Getting married? To a female ninja from another village?
With a solemn expression, Tokiwa said, "Lord Naruto, that's right. You did not mishear. This is an agreement made between your master, Lord Jiraiya, and our former leader! It is an extremely important marriage arrangement! You are the most important candidate for groom!"
"Huh? But I've never even heard about this!" Naruto clutched his head and cried out in frustration. That was hardly surprising—anyone in his position would have been completely dumbfounded.
Of course, in the ninja world these days, getting married at fifteen or sixteen was perfectly normal. Even in Ueno Kei's previous life, among great clans, it was common for people to become engaged first and complete the actual wedding ceremony later. Not to mention that people in this world matured so early; getting married young did not seem entirely unacceptable.
A faint smile appeared on Ueno Kei's face. Naruto had already been cornered by the serious-faced female ninja and could only look at Ueno Kei with teary eyes, as though begging him to save him quickly.
But a mischievous thought suddenly flashed through Ueno Kei's mind. The corners of his lips curled upward, revealing the devilish smile Naruto feared most. Whenever Ueno Kei wore that smile, Naruto always felt a chill run down his spine.
Sure enough, Naruto's ominous premonition came true.
"Naruto, why don't you honor Senior Brother Jiraiya's agreement? Compete with her, then marry her," Ueno Kei said with a teasing expression.
The moment Naruto heard that, his face fell. He knew Brother Kei had to be up to no good, but he had not expected him