There's really no point in talking about Haseo and Tsunade's so-called "pre-marital" or "post-marital" assets—they both had nothing to their names anyway.
Besides, even talking about Haseo's "pre-Kage" and "post-Kage" assets wasn't worth it. Being the Kage was never about getting rich. Konoha's funds were tight enough as it was—there was no way any of that money was going into Haseo's pocket.
Sure, it was a joke. But truth be told, Haseo actually really liked his little place. No way was he moving anytime soon.
Konoha had already been generous enough. Because of public expectations, Haseo and Tsunade's wedding had to be held before his official Hokage succession ceremony. In other words, when Haseo got married, he wasn't technically Hokage yet—but Konoha had already taken full responsibility for covering all the costs…
Technically, you could even call it skimming off the village's coffers.
But there was no helping it—if they'd left it up to Haseo himself, who knows how cheap things might have turned out. The granddaughter of the First Hokage marrying the future Fourth Hokage… Konoha couldn't afford to look bad.
Weddings were never just about love—they were definitely a kind of performance. Haseo would bet anything most of the guests wouldn't even be people he knew well.
The wedding was held right in the Hokage's office building—the same spot where the succession ceremony would follow. There was no alternative. While it might seem like reusing the same location, this building was the most solemn and representative site in all of Konoha.
Kohei Sarutobi was organizing people to decorate the venue.
After the death of the Third Hokage, Kohei, as the eldest son of Sarutobi, had been relieved from his duties as one of the Twelve Elite Guardians and had started taking on various odd jobs around the village.
Although much of what he did was essentially errand-running, it still helped maintain visibility—
That is, the presence of the Sarutobi clan.
Both the higher-ups and regular ninja welcomed this situation. Although the influence of the Sarutobi clan had waned somewhat after the Third Hokage, with Kohei Sarutobi stepping up, a sense of continuity was already evident.
Haseo probably hadn't thought through all of that deeply, but his appointment of Kohei did carry multiple layers of meaning.
Opportunity existed—but how far one could rise depended entirely on personal effort.
At least currently, Kohei Sarutobi's performance had been highly satisfactory.
"Shimao, where are you? This area has way too many flowers. I know they add to the atmosphere, but… although it's a wedding, everyone already knows Lord Haseo and Lady Tsunade's relationship. So this ceremony inevitably carries a bit of a 'making-up-for-lost-time' vibe. We should keep things relatively solemn."
Judging from his tone, Kohei was already starting to act differently… Luckily, Haseo or Tsunade hadn't heard him say it.
Only a few days ago, what a promising kid he'd been—and now look at him. Gone, just like that.
"Lord Sarutobi, please wait a moment… Let us finish arranging first, then you can decide whether to make changes based on the final effect."
Shimao gave a brief explanation, and with Kohei Sarutobi's permission, continued working on his current task.
When he finished decorating the venue with flowers, Kohei Sarutobi was satisfied.
It had a great ambiance without being overly extravagant.
Kohei Sarutobi nodded involuntarily. Now *that* was a real pro.
Still, he felt it was somewhat wasteful.
"Alright, Shimao, try to maintain these flowers so they last for a few more days. They might come in handy during Lord Haseo's Hokage succession ceremony."
"...Um, yeah..."
One decoration, two events—cost-effective and eco-friendly. Kohei Sarutobi really knew his stuff. Lord Haseo had truly lucked out by finding such a gem.
...
Haseo himself didn't realize that somewhere within Konoha, one of the things he personally despised most was happening—someone was trying to save money on public expenses... and what's worse, it was being done at *his* own expense.
Unbelievable! Fortunately for everyone involved, Haseo remained unaware; otherwise, he'd surely paralyze every responsible party from the waist down.
Yet this could be considered a form of "karma." In the past, Haseo had recklessly squandered Konoha's resources without hesitation, and now all those extravagances would return to him as frugality—such is the cycle of cosmic justice.
Under Tsunade's guidance and adjustments, the wedding plans quickly solidified and were soon presented before Haseo.
After going through them, Haseo saw no major issues... Tsunade clearly understood him quite well. Overall, the ceremony was both grand yet simple. Considering they were in the middle of a war, minor departures from tradition were still acceptable.
The ceremony was scheduled for the morning. According to Haseo's understanding, all he needed to do was wake up on time with Tsunade, change into nice clothes, then walk downstairs and proceed directly toward the Hokage office building, obediently following the master of ceremonies like a puppet on strings.
Admittedly, Haseo's understanding wasn't entirely correct—but overall, not too far off.
Actually, the preparation time was somewhat tight; the third day after Tsunade returned to Konoha was set as the wedding date itself.
So on this day, Haseo woke up according to plan, okay—so far, so good. Immediately afterward, though, he realized there'd been a slight misunderstanding... Changing clothes took surprisingly long, requiring detailed dressing from head to toe.
Tsunade changed first into her wedding outfit—a traditional white kimono known as a *shiromuku*, symbolizing purity in Japanese ceremonies.
But this tradition was different from what Haseo expected—the white outfit reminded him more of mourning clothes than wedding attire. Fortunately, today his common sense was functioning properly, and wisely, he kept his mouth shut.
Sometimes it's better to keep quiet than to open your mouth and prove you're clueless. Avoiding gossip, superstition, and baseless rumors—that's just basic human wisdom.
Then it was Haseo's turn to change, and Tsunade helped him with it… Nobody could possibly expect Haseo to understand the internal structure, function, or usage method of this elaborate ceremonial attire.
He just wasn't the type to get into the nitty-gritty of ceremonial outfits.
Logically, assistants like Tony the stylist or lady servants should've been around to help tidy everything up, but in reality, neither of them used any external help throughout the process... From this perspective, theirs was genuinely an ordinary, simple, and heartfelt wedding.
Tsunade finished adjusting every detail of Haseo's outfit before the two started heading toward the door. As they passed through the entrance, Haseo instinctively reached for his twin long blades to tuck them behind him.
Fortunately, Tsunade was quick enough to place her hand firmly over his wrist before he could.
"Haseo," she asked, "what do you think you're doing?"
He scratched his head, "Guess we don't need the blades today?"
"…Theoretically speaking, no."
It was just a habit—after all, it made little difference to Haseo whether he had weapons or not. If someone dared to cause trouble at the wedding, he'd take them down bare-handed if needed… and secretly, part of him actually wished someone would crash the party.
They made their way downstairs and crossed the wooden arch bridge, then strolled arm-in-arm along the northern bank of the Hot Spring River. Walking like that wasn't exactly proper by etiquette standards.
But Haseo didn't give a damn about etiquette or formalities.
All the spectators had gathered on the south bank—it was definitely set up by those "troublemakers" who loved a good show.
"Shut up."
Before Haseo could say another word, Tsunade cut him off with one decisive whisper. It was hard to believe she could produce such a clear voice without moving her lips at all.
Ah, when pushed to desperation, she could pull off ventriloquism like a pro—impressive stuff.
Haseo had no choice but to stay quiet.
Here, only two people walked in silence, while cheers, applause, and fluttering ribbons filled the air across the river. Children ran alongside them, yet this nearby scene felt strangely distant and hazy.
For once, Haseo felt surprisingly calm inside, now thinking how absurd it was that he'd secretly hoped someone would stir up trouble at the wedding.
As Haseo reflected on this, he suddenly felt Tsunade's grip tighten slightly around his hand.
Looking over in surprise, he noticed tears forming in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" he whispered gently.
Tsunade turned her head sideways and directed her gaze toward a spot on the opposite side of the river. "It's Mother's... Chief Guard."
Following her line of sight, Haseo spotted an elderly man standing quietly among the crowd on the other shore. He looked like an ordinary Konoha citizen—aged, but smiling warmly. Haseo didn't recognize the person, but he trusted that Tsunade hadn't mistaken him; she must have known who he was the moment she saw him.
So Haseo smiled back and waved in their direction.
Immediately, the cheers from across the river erupted even louder—even though nobody really knew what Haseo was expressing.
I haven't seen you in ages, Senju…
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