A childhood betrothal

Although Kagami Uchiha had refused Hashirama's proposal of a marriage alliance, Hashirama still took a keen interest in his marriage plans. He said he hoped Kagami would marry soon rather than keep his fiancée waiting too long. As he spoke, Hashirama turned his gaze toward Kazemori Masaki, whose heart gave a sudden jolt when he noticed.

The other clan heads glanced at Kazemori Masaki and smiled kindly. Although he was very young, he was still a clan head, which alone placed him somewhat above the heirs of the other ninja clans. They knew perfectly well that he had insisted on remaining unmarried. From the way Hashirama deliberately looked at him, it seemed he wanted Masaki to take this opportunity to marry soon as well.

Kazemori Masaki was stunned for only a moment before giving Hashirama a slight nod and promising to marry soon. They had already agreed on the marriage; Hashirama simply had yet to settle on a date. Now, the Uchiha's departure had made Hashirama somewhat anxious too.

Seeing Hashirama ask Kazemori Masaki to hold his wedding soon, Kagami Uchiha had an idea. He suggested to Hashirama that the two of them marry their fiancées on the same day.

Hashirama clapped his hands together and said happily, "What a good idea! Zhenghui, what do you think?"

Kazemori Masaki had not expected Kagami Uchiha to suggest something like that. He gave Kagami an amused look, but since he had no real objection, he nodded in agreement.

At last, Hashirama felt a weight lift from his heart. The meeting had been quite successful. Most importantly, it had shown the other clans that relations between the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan remained stable—though it was a shame that he had failed to arrange a marriage alliance with the Uchiha Clan. Now, the other clans would no longer need to worry that tensions between the Uchiha Clan and the village would escalate and tear the village apart.

After the meeting, the other clan heads left, talking among themselves. Kagami Uchiha walked over to Kazemori Masaki. They planned to take the same route, and both had things they wanted to say to the other.

Kazemori Masaki glanced at Kagami Uchiha and said, "Kagami, you really caught me off guard. I never expected you to suggest getting married on the same day."

"Isn't it perfect? Lord Hashirama wants both of us to marry soon anyway, so we might as well set our weddings for the same day and liven up the village." Kagami Uchiha smiled. "The mood in the village hasn't been very good lately. A little celebration should help lift everyone's spirits."

"Fair enough. I don't particularly mind," Kazemori Masaki said. "I was more surprised that you turned down Lord Hashirama. Were you really never tempted? You know, marrying his daughter would ensure that the Uchiha Clan's position in the village would be difficult to shake in the future."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted," Kagami Uchiha said earnestly. He understood perfectly well how much marrying Hashirama's daughter would benefit his clan. But just as he had said, he could not betray his fiancée.

"Back then, Lord Madara refused Lord Hashirama's marriage proposal and soon found me a fiancée. I was still young and didn't understand Lord Madara's resistance to the village. I only thought that, since she was my fiancée, I ought to treat her well." Kagami Uchiha's eyes softened. "After all this time, she's become part of my life. I could never abandon her. No matter how good Lord Hashirama's offer was, I could only refuse."

Kazemori Masaki knew that the Uchiha Clan placed enormous importance on love. The source of the Sharingan's power was the pain of losing a loved one, and for love, they could cast aside everything. Madara, for instance, had been willing to reconcile with Hashirama, yet after his younger brother died, he insisted on fighting Hashirama to the bitter end. In the future, after witnessing the death of the person he loved, Obito Uchiha would sooner overturn the entire world.

Kazemori Masaki fell silent for a moment, then said, "Kagami, I hope the two of you will have a happy life together." He sincerely hoped Kagami Uchiha would never lose the person he loved. Once he did, even someone as gentle as Kagami would surely become twisted.

Kagami Uchiha paused in surprise, then smiled. "Yes, and the same to you. I hope you and your wife will have a happy life together."

Kazemori Masaki smiled and accepted Kagami Uchiha's kind wishes.

After walking beside Kazemori Masaki for a while, Kagami Uchiha seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, may I just call you Masaki from now on?"

Previously, Kagami Uchiha had always addressed him as Masaki with an honorific. Dropping it meant that he now regarded Kazemori Masaki as a close friend.

Kazemori Masaki thought it over. They would be studying under the same teacher, after all, so there was no need to keep their distance. "Of course. Then may I just call you Kagami too?"

"Of course." Kagami Uchiha smiled, then continued, "Masaki, getting married on the same day must mean we have some connection. Why don't we make a promise?"

"What kind of promise?" Kazemori Masaki frowned slightly. What strange idea has he come up with now?

"I was thinking, if our wives have children and one is a boy and the other a girl, why don't we betroth them to each other?" Kagami Uchiha said.

Kazemori Masaki nearly stumbled. Kagami Uchiha actually wanted to arrange a childhood betrothal with him. Somewhat astonished, he said, "The children haven't even been born yet. We haven't even gotten married, and you're already making plans?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea." Kagami Uchiha genuinely admired Kazemori Masaki and had long since come to regard him as a friend. They were the same age and would be marrying on the same day, so arranging a betrothal between their children seemed perfectly reasonable to him.

"Leaving aside whether I agree, what about your clan?" Kazemori Masaki asked. "Surely they wouldn't be willing to accept the child of an outsider like me?"

At this time, clans with kekkei genkai generally married within the clan to preserve the purity of their bloodlines. Although the Uchiha Clan did not go as far as the Hyuga Clan, which even allowed the children of brothers to marry, it was still not open enough to accept a descendant of a small ninja clan like the Kazemori Clan.

"Isn't your fiancée from the Senju Clan? Your children will have Senju blood too. And if I remember correctly, she's fairly closely related to Lord Hashirama. She isn't a direct descendant, but she isn't far removed either. That should be enough to avoid any problems," Kagami Uchiha said.

"Then why not arrange a betrothal with one of Lord Hashirama's grandchildren? They'd be the right age, and their bloodline would be purer than my children's," Kazemori Masaki asked. "If you made that request, Lord Hashirama would agree."

Kagami Uchiha hesitated, then said slowly, "To be honest, Lord Madara's departure was a serious blow to me too. It caused Lord Hashirama so much trouble that I feel too ashamed to seek a marriage with one of his descendants..."

Kagami Uchiha did not continue, but Kazemori Masaki understood what he meant. Since he was unwilling to reach above his station by seeking a marriage with Hashirama's descendants, yet still thought it best to bring Senju blood into the Uchiha Clan, Kazemori Masaki, whom he regarded as a friend, was undoubtedly a suitable choice.

Kazemori Masaki quietly considered it for a moment. His mind had undergone tremendous changes. Not only had he become calmer and more receptive to natural energy, but he could even sense people's emotions. He could tell that Kagami Uchiha sincerely wished to become family through their children's marriage. Although his clan's interests played a part in it, that was only human nature and hardly something to condemn. In his place, Masaki might well have made the same decision.

Whether in terms of his clan's interests or their personal friendship, Kazemori Masaki felt it was not a bad thing. "I actually place more importance on what the children want. Deciding their future for them would be going too far. But our families could let them grow up together. Whether they truly want to spend their lives together will be up to them."

Kagami Uchiha smiled. "That sounds good too. Then it's settled."

Once they moved on from that topic, the atmosphere between them returned to how it usually was at the Konoha Academy. Perhaps because they had reached an agreement, they both felt a little closer to each other. They talked about their future training plans and what would happen after their children were born. Only when they reached the Kazemori home did Kagami Uchiha say goodbye and leave.

Kazemori Masaki watched Kagami Uchiha leave and shook his head. Quite a lot had happened today. Then he turned and pushed open the door to his home.

(End of chapter)