To help Kiyosuke deal with his pre-wedding anxiety, Obito made him a cup of Sleeping Red Tea.
As soon as Kiyosuke drank it, he fell into a deep sleep.
Obito and Asuma decided to just let him rest for a while. After all, there were still two days left until the wedding. The invitations had already been sent out, and most of the preparations were nearly complete.
The next day, the wedding suit Kiyosuke would be wearing was delivered for a fitting.
Still drowsy and drained, Kiyosuke wobbled to his feet and put it on. It fit perfectly—ready for the big day.
Thankfully, Obito's worst fear didn't come true—Kiyosuke didn't kill him in a fit of panic. Instead, he even thanked Obito for curing his pre-wedding jitters.
Now, Kiyosuke felt completely at ease, free of any anxiety.
"You're happy, then that's all that matters." Obito sighed in relief with a smile.
He'd been terrified that this guy might oversleep and miss his own wedding. That would've been a disaster.
If that happened, Obito wouldn't die, but he'd definitely lose a layer of skin. Thankfully, everything turned out fine.
"Alright then, you should all get ready too. Tomorrow morning, we depart."
"Got it."
...
At dawn the next day—
Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, and Obito all arrived at the Konoha gates, dressed in their formal attire. A crowd had already gathered outside, there to celebrate Kiyosuke's wedding and send him off with their blessings.
With her hands on her hips, Tsunade said,
"Picking up the bride is a serious matter, Kiyosuke. Don't you dare cause trouble."
"This is my own wedding—I promise I'll behave." Kiyosuke smiled.
"Hmm. I just hope you do. But if they give you a hard time, go ahead and fight back! No problem!" Tsunade nodded. By "don't cause trouble," she meant don't kill anyone. Everything else was fair game.
"Haha." Kiyosuke wiped the sweat off his brow. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.
"Kiyosuke-sama! Bring back the Mizukage-sama!"
"Good luck, Kiyosuke-sama!"
"Yeah! You're finally getting married! Be happy!"
"Kiyosuke-sama! My beloved Kiyosuke-sama!"
"..."
Cheers and shouts of encouragement echoed one after another. Kiyosuke's popularity in Konoha was sky-high—it was a grand send-off indeed.
"Thank you, everyone! I will!" Kiyosuke waved with a grin. "Alright then, let's go."
Kakashi and the others nodded, lifting the bridal palanquin.
"Kamui," Obito said.
Space twisted, and in an instant, the five of them—along with the palanquin—were sucked into the Kamui dimension. Using it as a jump point, they reappeared in the forest not far from the gates of Kirigakure.
"Alright, this is good. Let's move!"
"Let's go!" Guy shouted excitedly, looking like he was the one getting married.
"Move out!" Obito led the group alongside Kakashi, and the five of them sprinted toward the Mist Village.
At the village gates, decorations hung everywhere. Lanterns glowed and streamers fluttered—it was clear the place was ready for a celebration.
The gate guards spotted Kiyosuke and immediately blocked the way, grinning.
"Sorry, Kiyosuke-sama, but if you want to pass, you'll need to hand over a red envelope."
"Alright, alright." Well, they were technically the bride's side, after all.
Kiyosuke pulled out a red envelope and handed it to them.
The two guards accepted it with smiles, then whispered quietly,
"Kiyosuke-sama, we heard the setup inside is pretty intense. Some of Mizukage-sama's admirers are planning to give you a little… trouble."
How popular was Terumī Mei in Kirigakure?
The village's most beautiful woman—gentle, elegant, and kind. Her reputation was flawless. She had so many admirers that, if they lined up, the queue would probably stretch all the way from Kirigakure to Konoha.
Now that she was getting married, a few of them clearly couldn't accept it.
"Thanks for the heads-up. But if they've got the guts, they can come." Kiyosuke smirked. With the four people he brought along, if they lost to a bunch of jealous suitors, there'd be no point in even having a Fourth Great Ninja War.
If someone like Guy, who nearly kicked the series into its finale, could lose, then sure—those guys might as well go start the war themselves.
Still, Kiyosuke took the warning seriously. He nodded and slipped the guards another red envelope—money was no issue.
After years as a ninja, especially one like Kiyosuke who never bought ninja tools, it was easy to save up. The payout for a single A-rank mission wasn't small, and after the massive haul from looting the Exchange House—not just by Konoha, but by his shadow clones too—he'd made a fortune. More than enough for wedding expenses.
The five of them entered the village. The villagers they passed by greeted them warmly, many offering blessings for Kiyosuke and Mei.
But just as they neared their destination, a group of masked ninja appeared, blocking their path.
"Stop right there! Konoha ninja! Entering Kirigakure without permission—are you trying to provoke us?"
Kiyosuke raised an eyebrow.
Just then, Ao rushed over with a furious expression.
"You idiots! Today's the Mizukage-sama's wedding! And you dare cause trouble now?!"
He knew exactly who these people were—but seriously? Did they have any idea who the man in front of them was?
Even if they all fought together, they wouldn't stand a chance. Were they brain-dead?
"Ao! Shut your mouth!" the leader barked. "You're the Mizukage-sama's bodyguard! How dare you take their side? You're a man of Kirigakure!"
Kiyosuke patted Ao on the shoulder and smiled.
"Sorry for the trouble, Ao. Seems they came for me. In that case, I'll handle them."
Ao hesitated for a moment before saying, "Leave them alive."
"Don't worry. It's my wedding day—I won't spill any blood."
"Need a hand?" Guy asked.
"No. You hit too hard," Kiyosuke said, rolling his shoulders. "These guys aren't even enough for a warm-up."
"Such arrogance!" one of the masked men shouted—but before he could finish, Kiyosuke appeared behind him in a flash.
"Broad daylight, and you're still covering your face like some shy maiden. What, too ugly to show yourself?" Kiyosuke teased.
"What?! So fast!"
The man leapt to the rooftop in panic, drenched in cold sweat.
This speed… impossible! Was this truly Konoha's strongest man?
Damn it...
He tried to come up with a counterattack—but Kiyosuke vanished again. A voice whispered from behind him, calm and amused.
"You're too weak. If you want to cause trouble, at least get stronger by, oh… a few billion times."
Kiyosuke kicked the man across the street and landed gracefully.
"Today's my wedding day. I'm in a good mood. Normally, I'd break at least a dozen of your bones. But for now, I'll let you go. If you don't want to die, get lost."
"Hmph! We're not afraid! For Mei-sama!"
One of them screamed and charged forward, stirring the others to follow.
Ao couldn't bear to watch what came next.
After a series of thuds and crashes, Kiyosuke and his team stepped over the groaning, crumpled heap of would-be challengers and continued on toward the Terumī estate.
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