Turning his gaze away from the three and to the right, Kakashi felt the signatures of Shino, Ino, Shikamaru, and a familiar one that he had felt before, but had yet to meet.
'They're near the shore,' Kakashi hummed before looking back to Tsunade, who still hadn't said anything yet. "Shino, Ino, and Shikamaru are on a mission with another ninja, and Sakura, Hinata, and Karin are on their own mission in a nearby village; they all seem to be fine. But what happened? Why is the village so destroyed?"
"The Sky Ninja," Tsunade stated, her voice heavy with a mixture of exhaustion and lingering anger. "They caught us completely off guard with a massive aerial raid, raining explosives down across the entire village. It was a coordinated strike likely meant to cause panic. But they were not ready for how quickly the leaf went from the evacuation phase to the counterattack phase; they were forced to retreat due to low chakra reserves and a combination of the younger generation and veteran ninja fighting back." Tsuande said with a sense of pride.
"Sky ninja," Kakashi hummed, the name sounding familiar, but he didn't dwell on it for long. He had no doubt the village would have handled them. Instead, his mind shifted to Naruto, the most pressing concern right now. Kakashi could feel immense changes within the boy. Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't much of a surprise; the reward Kakashi had received already spoiled that for him.
"Naruto, Sasuke, you two have changed a great deal; I can feel it."
"We could say the same to you."
Naruto replied, Sasuke giving a simple 'Hn,' in agreement.
Kakashi just smirked, mirroring the looks on Naruto and Sasuke's faces before Tsunade coughed into her hand to get his attention.
"It's good that you're awake; you almost missed your own wedding," Tsunade said. "I didn't inform the Mizukage yet, but if you had stayed asleep for just a day or two longer…"
Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous sweat drop forming behind his head as he let out an awkward laugh. "Ah, right. That would have been... difficult to explain to Mei. I appreciate you holding off on that message, Lady Tsunade…. So, what day is it today?"
"It's Tuesday," Tsunade replied, crossing her arms and giving him a pointed look. "Which means your wedding is exactly five days away. You have everything ready, right?"
Tsunade's eye twitched when Kakashi shifted awkwardly, even as he continued to levitate a few feet above the gate.
"You no doubt have Flying Raijin marks placed in various areas," Tsunade spoke with a hint of exasperation. However, her tone softened as she offered advice based on what she knew of the Mizukage, having grown closer to her fellow Kage recently. "Go. Get a suit, a kimono, or whatever you need. Just make sure it matches subtly with Mei; she'd appreciate that."
"Wait, take me too!" Naruto spoke up before Kakashi could disappear.
"Maa, I wasn't going to leave yet," Kakashi replied to Naruto before looking back at Tsunade.
Tsunade tapped her foot impatiently. "You… You have another question, don't you?"
"Uhh, yeah," Kakashi answered. "Well, you see… The last time Mei and I spoke, she hadn't quite decided on a color; you wouldn't happen to—"
Tsunade pulled out a card with a shade of blue on it and flicked it to Kakashi, Kakashi catching it between his index and middle fingers.
"That shade of blue. Whatever you decide on, MAKE SURE IT'S THAT EXACT SHADE OF BLUE," Tsunade emphasized, speaking like a woman completely used to men who don't pay attention to things like this.
Kakashi nodded, making sure she understood that he was listening, before he looked over at Sasuke. "Would you like to come along?"
Sasuke looked away, his expression entirely neutral. "I have nothing better to do," he muttered. It was a classic, indifferent response, but coming from Sasuke, it was his way of saying yes.
Kakashi chuckled, handing a kunai over to Tsunade. "Use that to call me back once Karin and Sakura get into the village; I want to bring them along too."
Naruto and Sasuke each placed a hand on his shoulder, and in the next blink, Kakashi vanished alongside them.
Appearing in the alley of a bustling village, Naruto looked around before speaking up.
"Where did you bring us, Sensei?"
"Tanzaku Quarters," Kakashi replied, stepping out of the shadows of the alleyway. "It's famous for its high-end shops, festivals, and tailoring.
Naruto nodded. "That's why it looked familiar," Naruto said, looking at the familiar sights of the shops and gambling places, having been here with Jiraiya when looking for Tsuande.
Kakashi hummed. A traditional wedding kimono would take too long to be custom-made or altered with only five days left, and he honestly preferred a Western-style suit anyway.
They spent the next couple of hours moving from one tailor to another. They checked three separate high-end boutiques, but none of them had what Kakashi was looking for. One shop only dealt in heavy silk robes, the second didn't carry the modern cuts he preferred, and the third didn't have the shade of blue he was looking for.
They took a brief break at a nearby dango stall to regroup. Kakashi ordered a few skewers for the three of them before turning to the elderly stall owner.
"Excuse me," Kakashi said as the elderly man turned to walk away, giving them privacy. "We've been hunting for a suit that matches this exact shade of blue, but the main tailors in the area don't seem to have it. Do you know anyone around here who could help us?"
The old man squinted at the card, wiping his hands on his apron as he thought it over.
"You'll want to head down the narrow alley right past the gambling hall," the old man said, pointing a finger toward the edge of the district. "Look for a small shop with a brass scissors sign. There's a young woman named Shiori running the place. She's an eccentric perfectionist and isn't cheap, but she's the best tailor in the area, even if her shop isn't as well-known as the big ones on the main street."
"Thank you, we've been trying to find one for a while now."
Kakashi thanked him, planning to leave the old man more money than the 3 skewers of dango were worth.
The old man waved it off, smiling. Though he couldn't read the three in front of him, he had a gut feeling that only someone with life experience could guess.
"So, it's a wedding then. Shiori will make sure you're all taken care of."
"Thank you again; I'd have been in big trouble if not for you."
Kakashi held out his hand, the old man giving it a firm shake with a look of understanding and a bittersweet smile.
"Well, go on, time waits for no one."
The old man waved as if shooing them off before he turned and walked away from them.
Kakashi nodded, throwing away his empty skewer alongside Naruto and Sasuke, quickly making their way through the bustling streets and into the narrow alley past the large gambling hall, walking into a small shop with a sign of scissors above it, a bell above the door ringing when it closed.
"I'll be right there!"
A feminine voice called out from a back area of the shop, walking to the front of the shop and stopping at the sight of three handsome guys. "Look, I've already said this to the last group. I don't do skimpy outfits for male hosts."
Kakashi laughed briefly, crossing his hands in front of him in an 'x'
"Maa, we're not male hosts," he calmly explained. "We're actually just looking for a suit."
He reached into his vest and pulled out the color card Tsunade had given him, holding it up so the tailor could see it clearly. "Specifically, one that matches this exact shade of blue."
"And I'll need two more suits for these two as well," Kakashi added, gesturing to Naruto and Sasuke.
Before Shiori could answer, Kakashi began stacking heavy bundles of ryo onto the counter. The sheer volume of the currency made the wooden counter give a faint, audible groan under the sudden weight.
"I have more if that's not enough," Kakashi said. "But it has to be done soon. I have a wedding in five days. Can you do it?"
Shiori stared at the mountain of cash, an intense fire igniting in her eyes. "Five days? Consider it done."
Just then, Kakashi felt the call from his kunai. He vanished and reappeared a moment later, this time bringing Sakura and Karin back with him.
"These two need dresses as well," Kakashi said as soon as he returned with Sakura and Karin.
Shiori didn't care about the sudden arrival. She pulled a tape measure out of nowhere and went to work, measuring them all in a blur while jotting down notes and muttering rapidly to herself.
"I have some dresses that can have that color added on in subtle parts. Would you like that?"
Shiori asked, Karin and Sakura quickly agreeing before Kakashi could speak, not wanting him to spend more than he had to on them.
"Alright, I have all your measurements, but give me just a second; I'll be right back with two reference books on the styles I have."
Shiori rushed to the back area of the shop. The sounds of her frantically digging through drawers echoed out into the front, followed by a triumphant shout as she finally found what she was looking for. She rounded the corner carrying two large, self-made reference books packed with pages upon pages of different styles, ranging from modern suits to traditional kimonos. The book she handed over to Sakura was filled with nothing but female designs, and it was noticeably five times heavier than the other.
The group ended up staying in the boutique for a couple of hours. Shiori proved to be incredibly particular about matching the absolute perfect style to each of their body types and personalities. Despite her eccentric nature, they all eventually decided on exactly what they wanted. Knowing how tight their deadline was, Kakashi paid Shiori a massive bonus on top of her regular fee, aware that he had made things difficult for her.
Shiori confidently promised to have all outfits fully completed in just two days. The moment the group walked out the front door, she flipped the sign on the glass to closed, locking herself inside to get straight to work with a passionate, fiery gleam in her eyes.
With their wedding attire secured, Kakashi led the teenagers down the street toward a nearby hotel, where they booked a few rooms to rest and unwind for a couple of nights.
- Chapter End -