At Namikaze Minato's wedding venue, Sora and Hyuga Hizashi verbally agreed that Hyuga Neji would become Sora's disciple.
Uzumaki Kushina pinched Hyuga Neji's little cheek and said, "It seems from now on, Neji will have to call me master's wife just like Kakashi does."
Meanwhile, Kakashi was patrolling the streets of Konoha.
Although Namikaze Minato had invited Kakashi to the wedding, he chose not to attend.
Kakashi was unhappy with Namikaze Minato because, despite being the Yellow Flash with incredible speed, Minato had never been able to save his teammates. Minato's words about forgiving others had also upset Kakashi deeply.
So Kakashi didn't want to attend Namikaze Minato's wedding at all. He used patrolling as an excuse to avoid going.
Sora and Hyuga Hizashi hadn't lowered their voices during their conversation, so many people overheard that Sora planned to accept Hyuga Hizashi's son as his second disciple. Everyone looked surprised.
Hyuga Neji was still very young, less than one year old, and nobody could tell how talented he might be. Many wondered why Sora would accept Hyuga Neji so readily. What if Neji's talent turned out to be poor in the future?
Many eyes turned toward Sora and Hyuga Hizashi, including those of Hyuga Hizashi's brother, Hyuga Hiashi.
Hyuga Hiashi frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied that Hyuga Hizashi and Sora had confirmed a master-disciple relationship without consulting him first.
If someone else had been chosen as Hyuga Neji's master, Hyuga Hiashi wouldn't have cared much. But since it was Sora, Hiashi couldn't ignore the matter.
After all, Sora's status in Konoha was too sensitive.
Sora was associated with Danzo, and Hyuga Hiashi, as the clan leader, knew very well that Sora had been positioned by Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and other senior officials to keep watch over the Uchiha clan.
If the Hyuga clan became too close to Sora, it might bring unnecessary trouble to the Hyuga clan.
Originally, if few people had known about it and Hyuga Hiashi hadn't agreed yet, then Hyuga Hiashi could have privately asked his brother to reject Sora's offer to take Hyuga Neji as an apprentice.
But now many people had heard about it, and Hyuga Hizashi had already agreed. If Hyuga Hizashi rejected Sora later, he would likely make an enemy of Sora.
Being at odds with Sora was something Hyuga Hiashi really didn't want to see happen.
After all, no one present wanted to go against Sora. Anyone who earned Sora's hatred would be targeted relentlessly.
Hyuga Hiashi picked up his teacup and took a sip, maintaining an expressionless face.
Although he was Hyuga Hizashi's elder brother, he was also the head of the clan and leader of the Hyuga family.
As clan head, Hyuga Hiashi had to consider what was best for the entire clan.
Uzumaki Kushina held Hyuga Neji for a while, and after he fell asleep, she returned him to Hyuga Hizashi.
The wedding was scheduled to start in 10 minutes, and Danzo finally arrived at the venue.
Danzo wore a stern expression, as if everyone owed him money.
Sora nodded slightly toward Danzo as a greeting.
Danzo returned the nod and took his seat.
The wedding of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Miyuki was officiated by Minato's master, Jiraiya.
When the time came, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina stood on the stage in their wedding attire.
They each spoke about their understanding of one another and their love, then expressed their promises and hopes for the future.
Jiraiya guided the process step by step until the wedding ceremony was complete.
Uzumaki Kushina looked confused and said, "Why does this wedding ceremony feel different from ours? It feels too ordinary with nothing special about it."
Sora explained to Uzumaki Kushina, "This is a public wedding. There's no complicated process in a public wedding. It's more like signing a marriage contract in front of relatives and friends. Once the contract is signed, it's done.
Our traditional wedding ceremony follows customs and traditions. A wedding is an important milestone in a person's life and is a kind of ritual. That's why our process and rules are very elaborate, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.
The Fourth Hokage could only choose a wedding ceremony that could be held in Konoha, so a public wedding was his only option."
Uzumaki Kushina nodded in understanding and sighed, "Well, a wedding happens only once in a lifetime. It's a pity they couldn't choose how to celebrate it."
Sora looked at Namikaze Minato on the stage, smiled and said, "How do you know they feel it's a pity? Maybe they're very happy with this kind of wedding ceremony. Anyway, the banquet is finally starting. Let's leave after we eat."
After the wedding ceremony, everyone knew what would happen next.
Since Namikaze Minato had recently become Hokage, his wedding was also a good opportunity for him to socialise with the heads of ninja families in Konoha.
This kind of social interaction was completely meaningless to Sora, so they decided to leave early.
After Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina made their toast, Danzo was the first to leave. No one was surprised by this; it seemed perfectly normal.
After staying for a while longer, Sora also prepared to leave with Uzumaki Kushina.
Before leaving, Sora said goodbye to Hyuga Hizashi: "Master Hizashi, please excuse us. Kushina and I will leave first."
Hyuga Hizashi stood up and replied, "Neji and I will visit you in two days."
Hyuga Hizashi actually wanted to leave too and have a proper conversation with Sora, but he couldn't leave if Hyuga Hiashi was still there.
After Sora and Uzumaki Kushina left, they met Kakashi on their way home. He was leaning against a telephone pole, staring blankly with lifeless eyes.
"Hey, isn't this Kakashi!" Kushina called out.
Kakashi, who had been lost in thought, came back to his senses. Seeing Sora and Uzumaki Kushina, he immediately approached them and said, "Sensei, Master's wife."
Sora asked, "How are you? Have you eaten? If not, why don't you join Kushina and me for a bowl of ramen?"
Kakashi looked confused and asked, "But shouldn't you and Master's wife have eaten at the Fourth Hokage's wedding?"
Sora patted his stomach and said, "I'm not full. I'm definitely not full. And Kushina must not be full either."
Uzumaki Kushina jabbed Sora hard in the side with her elbow and said angrily, "Are you trying to say I eat too much?"
Sora raised his hands in surrender and said, "No way, I didn't say that. Come on, let's go. I'll have tonkotsu ramen, a large portion!"
So Sora, Uzumaki Kushina, and Kakashi headed to Ichiraku Ramen together.
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