After checking everyone into their rooms, Kakashi vanished and reappeared directly in the Hokage's office. The sudden pop startled Tsunade so badly that she jumped, nearly spilling out of her top.
"Can you not do that?" Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples to catch her breath before looking up at him. "How went the shopping? I hope you found what you were looking for."
Kakashi gave a casual thumbs up, completely ignoring the near-accident he had just caused as he leaned back against the office wall. "Yes, I got myself one and everyone else something. They should be done in two days. I came back to invite who I want most at my wedding personally."
"Makes sense, go on then." Tsunade leaned back into her chair as Kakashi opened the window and stepped out. "You're invited, of course."
Tsunade laughed. "I'd have shown up regardless; Mei invited me already."
Kakashi nodded. Flickering off, he landed on a tall building, where twelve shadow clones appeared and scattered to invite everyone else. Meanwhile, the real Kakashi headed toward someone he wanted to ask a very important question.
- Training Ground 3 -
"Oh hey, Kakashi-sensei!" Tenten waved as Kakashi appeared at the edge of their training ground and started to walk up to them.
"Tenten, Lee, Neji," Kakashi waved at the three before walking up to Gai with a serious look on his face. "I'm assuming that you've heard of my engagement with the Mizukage."
Gai, who was about to challenge his eternal rival to another contest loudly, paused mid-sentence. "Of course. Everyone in our generation knows about it."
Kakashi placed a hand on Gai's shoulder and smiled. "Well, I need a best man; how about it, Gai?"
Gai's eyes immediately went wide, and within seconds, thick, comical tears of youth began pouring down his face like twin waterfalls. "KAKASHI!" Gai roared, his voice echoing across the entire training ground as he snatched his eternal rival into a bone-crushing embrace that nearly lifted Kakashi off his feet.
"To think... to think you would choose me for such a youthful and sacred duty! My heart is burning with the fires of a thousand suns! This is the ultimate honor!" Gai shook Kakashi after every word.
Lee instantly dropped to his knees right beside them, clutching his hands together as tears welled up in his own eyes. "Gai-sensei! This is the most beautiful display of friendship I have ever witnessed! The power of youth is truly boundless!"
Neji just let out a heavy, long-suffering sigh and looked away, while Tenten stood by with a nervous grin, rubbing the back of her neck as she watched the display.
"Gai, stop shaking me." Kakashi looked green in the face; his brain felt like it was bouncing off the inside of his skull with every shake.
Gai instantly froze, letting go of his grip and stepping back with an apologetic, yet still incredibly intense, look on his face. He slammed a fist over his heart, striking a flawless pose as the sunlight caught his teeth in a dramatic glint. "Forgive me, Kakashi! My youthful spirit overrode my physical control!" Gai declared, his voice full of absolute conviction. "I swear upon my life, I will fulfill this sacred duty with the maximum power of my youth!"
Lee nodded furiously from the ground, tears still streaming. "Amazing, Gai-sensei! Your apology carries the true depth of a man's soul! SO YOUTHFUL!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
Gai and Lee hugged tightly before separating, Guy's fist pumping into the air alongside Lee's. Both of their eyes were squeezed closed as if they had gazed directly into the sun. "I swear upon our friendship to make your wedding the best!"
"Uhh, Guy-sensei, Kakashi-sensei already left," Tenten informed them.
Kakashi had already personally invited them all before vanishing.
---
*Knock Knock*
Asuma Sarutobi opened the door, seeing Kakashi standing outside.
"Well, if it isn't the hero," Asuma teased lightly, offering Kakashi a cigarette.
Kakashi refused it with a slight shake of his head before Asuma lit his own up, stepping out of the house to join his friend on the porch. "So, what brings you to see me? Not a mission; you wouldn't need me when you have such strong students."
Kakashi chuckled. "Your own students are strong themselves."
Asuma waved it off. "Because of you, but let's get back to why you're here."
"I wanted to invite you to my wedding; it'll be in five days in the Land of Waves."
Asuma took a drag from his cigarette, nodding as he already pictured himself fishing his old formal suit out from the back of his closet. "The Land of Waves, not bad. I heard they've really turned things around since that mission you led. Should be a great place for a wedding."
"Yeah, Mei thought so too. It's definitely a special place for us."
Kakashi looked up. For about five minutes, the two of them just stood there quietly staring at the clouds like a couple of Naras. Finally, Kakashi turned back to Asuma with a teasing grin, waiting precisely for his friend to take another deep drag before speaking up. "So, I didn't interrupt anything with Kurenai, did I?" Kakashi wiggled his eyebrows.
Asuma instantly choked, coughing hard as the smoke went down the wrong pipe. He turned to Kakashi with his eyes slightly watering. "No, no, you didn't interrupt anything… we weren't doing anything like that."
"Anything like that, huh?" Kakashi chuckled. "I don't remember asking what I could have interrupted. It's pretty interesting to see where your mind went right away."
Asuma rubbed the back of his neck, grumbling as he exhaled the last of the smoke. Realizing there was no point in lying, he just let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, fine. You caught me," Asuma muttered, a slight blush hitting his cheeks. "We've been seeing each other for a while now. I was actually going to bring her along to the wedding anyway, assuming she got an invite too."
Kakashi just smiled, thoroughly amused by the whole thing. Asuma had harbored a massive crush on Kurenai since their days back in the academy; it wasn't exactly a secret to anyone in their generation. "Maa, of course she's invited," Kakashi said, his smile warm and clear. "I just wanted to tease you about it in person."
"Haha," Asuma laughed dryly before speaking up again. "What should we prepare as a gift?" Asuma hadn't thought about it until now, but the wedding was very soon, and he didn't have a clue about what Kakashi would want.
"I don't want anything, but if you feel that you absolutely need to, just some nice sake."
Asuma nodded, having a fine collection of high-quality sake. It had belonged to his dad at one point, but Asuma might have stolen a large portion of it before leaving for the Fire Capital to become one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it, and who knows, maybe you'll be the one inviting me to a wedding before long," Kakashi said before vanishing.
He spent the rest of the afternoon going around to invite everyone else in his generation to the wedding. The ultimate plan for the big day would be for Naruto to use his shadow clones and Flying Raijin to teleport people to the venue in coordinated groups, ensuring that everyone could be there to celebrate without ever leaving the village defenses completely vulnerable.
- Chapter End -