"Thank you all for coming today."
"I'm not good with words. Back when I was at the Ninja Academy, Teacher Iruka asked me to give a speech on stage. I talked for ages, but other than saying I wanted to become Hokage, I couldn't come up with anything else."
Laughter immediately broke out.
Iruka wiped away a tear below the stage.
"Even today, I still can't say anything fancy."
"So I'll only say three things."
"First, thank you. To every person who came here today, thank you. The Shinobi Nation is what it is today because of everyone's strength, not mine alone."
"Second, I have a lot of flaws. I may have offended quite a few people before, and I probably still will in the future. But I'll walk this road to the end and lead the Shinobi Nation toward a truly peaceful and fair future."
As he spoke, Naruto's gaze fell on the three women beside him.
"Third, thank you."
"Hinata, Karin, Ino."
"Having you willing to stay by my side is the best thing that has ever happened to me."
"From now on, I'll walk through life with you."
For a moment, the space beneath the platform fell silent.
Then thunderous applause and cheers erupted.
Kushina cried as she repeatedly punched Minato Namikaze's shoulder.
Sasuke stood among the crowd and watched Naruto. Sakura stood beside him, tugged lightly at his sleeve, and whispered,
"It'd be great if you could be this good with words someday too, Sasuke!"
The tips of Sasuke's ears reddened, but he did not retort.
Then Naruto took each of the three girls' hands and led them down from the platform beneath the gaze of thousands.
Flower petals drifted in from every direction, covering them from head to toe.
The wedding banquet lasted the entire