The next day, on a street in Konoha, a middle-aged man had dressed himself up quite handsomely, holding a bouquet of roses in his hands. He walked with his head held high, striding confidently and flamboyantly in a certain direction.
His behavior drew a lot of attention from passersby. Some busybodies even decided to follow him, curious to see who this middle-aged man was planning to confess to. When the moment came, they planned to cheer him on and offer their blessings.
In front of an old teahouse, the man with the roses stopped walking. He looked up at the second floor, his face filled with nervousness. Many people gathered around the teahouse, eager to witness this romantic scene unfold.
"Are you going to confess to someone you love?" someone nearby asked.
"Yes, but I'm really nervous right now. I hope you guys can give me a bit of courage," the middle-aged man said nervously.
"You got this!"
"You can do it!"
"Don't worry, we'll support you. Your confession is sure to succeed."
"True love will always find a way, don't be afraid, go for it!"
Many people began encouraging him enthusiastically. Everyone enjoyed this kind of public excitement. But the middle-aged man was still extremely nervous, frozen in place and unable to take a step forward.
"Don't be scared. Confess boldly, we're right behind you."
"Yeah, we've got your back!"
At that moment, on the second floor of the teahouse, Biwako was having tea and chatting with her close friend. Though no one knew what they were talking about, the frequent bursts of laughter suggested they were enjoying themselves immensely.
Even though she was already middle-aged, she remained dignified and elegant, with a sweet demeanor and a warm smile that made her seem easy to approach. However, the commotion outside interrupted her peaceful tea time.
Slightly annoyed, she walked over to the window and frowned as she looked down.
When the middle-aged man saw her suddenly appear at the window, his face lit up with joy, and a huge smile broke out. Then, he suddenly shouted, "Biwako, I love you! Will you divorce the Hokage and marry me instead?"
The entire street went completely silent. Everyone who heard him was petrified on the spot, stunned, staring at the middle-aged man in utter disbelief. Once they processed what had just happened, an uproar of shocked gasps erupted from the crowd. Especially those who had just been cheering him on, they nearly swore out loud.
You said you were going to confess… but to the Hokage's wife?!
What the hell is going on?!
Many people instinctively wanted to flee.
After all, this involved the Hokage's wife, if this angered him, they could end up in serious trouble. But their damn curiosity rooted them to the spot. Everyone wanted to see what would happen next.
They all had a bit of wishful thinking.
We're just onlookers, watching the drama unfold. The Hokage is known for loving his people, surely he wouldn't blame us, right?
Even if someone were to get in trouble, it would probably be this reckless guy, not them.
At this point, the middle-aged man continued to shout. "All these years, I've loved you deeply, but I never had the courage to say it. It was the Hokage who gave me that courage. What he said to Lady Tsunade was absolutely right, liking someone is everyone's right. There's nothing wrong with that. He said that even if you're married, if you realize the person you chose wasn't right, shouldn't you be allowed to reconsider your future? So, Biwako, leave the Hokage and marry me. I'll treat you well, and I'll love your son as if he were my own."
Biwako, completely stunned by what she had just witnessed, was frozen in place, her mind blank. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect that coming out for tea would lead to such an utterly absurd scene.
Absolutely ridiculous.
After a long moment, she finally snapped out of her shock and shouted, "You… you're outrageous!"
Her friend beside her also shouted, "You can't just accost people like this in public. What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" the middle-aged man retorted angrily upon hearing Biwako's friend's words. "I'm simply expressing my feelings honestly, just as the Hokage suggested people should do. He said we shouldn't bottle up our emotions, didn't he? Everyone heard it, he believes in open communication and honest expression of one's thoughts."
"That's not what he meant, and you know it," Biwako's friend protested, clearly flustered.
"So you disagree with the Hokage's philosophy? Or do you think his advice only applies to certain people?" The middle-aged man asked.
"You're deliberately misinterpreting—" Biwako began, but the man cut her off.
But the middle-aged man persisted, "The Hokage said it himself: If someone doesn't agree with something, they should just say so. There's no need to get angry. A person should have a broader perspective."
At this moment, everyone around was stunned speechless. But then they quickly understood what this man was really doing.
He was standing up for Tsunade.
Originally, many people didn't think what Hiruzen had said to Tsunade was that big of a deal. After all, it hadn't happened to them, it was hard to relate.
Some even agreed with the Hokage: If you don't like it, just refuse. Why get angry?
But now, seeing it play out in front of them, they realized, how could someone not be angry in this situation?
To not want to punch the guy already showed incredible self-control.
"Biwako, you still haven't said whether you agree or not. No matter what, at least give me an answer!" The man continued shouting loudly.
"This is absurd." Biwako was practically losing her mind. "Arrest this man immediately. I want to know who put him up to this and what they're really trying to accomplish."
In all her life, she had never suffered such a public display of disrespect. Especially after becoming the Hokage's wife, everywhere she went, she was treated with utmost respect. No one was even slightly disrespectful to her. And now someone was publicly confessing love to her, asking her to divorce Hiruzen?
Unforgivable.
With her order, members of the Uchiha clan who had come along with the Police Force immediately stepped forward to arrest the man.
Seeing this, the man panicked and began backing away, shouting: "Everything I did was backed by the Hokage! Everything I said were his exact intent! On what grounds are you arresting me? Are you saying his words are just nonsense?"
"Stop!" Fukuyama, seeing that his subordinates were about to take action without hesitation, quickly ordered them to halt. Because he had just realized something: the man was under a genjutsu. Normally, it was hard for others to detect if someone had fallen under genjutsu. Whoever used it clearly wasn't trying to hide it, almost as if they wanted the entire world to know.
Even more, he could unmistakably sense that the genjutsu came from within the Uchiha clan. Just yesterday, Tsunade had been cornered with unreasonable demands in the Hokage's office. And today, someone under Uchiha genjutsu publicly confessed to Biwako in a way that exposed the flawed logic behind that approach.
Did they even need to guess who was behind this?
At that moment, he felt that the moment he had long been waiting for had finally arrived.