"Lord Sasuke, it has been a long time."
When Genma led his team into the Senju clan's village, he found Sarutobi Sasuke serving as a greeter. Having someone who wasn't from the Senju clan handle this kind of task was an interesting approach.
Regardless, Sarutobi Sasuke was both famous and respected, so no one found it odd.
"Hello, Lord Genma. Welcome to Lord Hashirama's wedding. Please, follow me."
Sarutobi Sasuke personally led Genma toward the wedding venue. As they passed a certain area, he stopped and turned to Genma, saying, "If you have brought gifts, please leave them here for registration."
He felt compelled to say this because Genma and his group had already retrieved their gift from a sealing scroll. It was covered in red cloth and topped with a large red decorative ribbon, carried jointly by Nara Hideyuki and Hatake Sakumo.
Why wasn't the gift neatly placed inside a gift box? It went without saying that no one would hide such a wedding gift when presenting it. If Genma hadn't worried that his actions might seem too much like a tacky nouveau riche and cause people to dislike him, he would have loved to paraded the gift around the Senju village twice, just like a triumphant fisherman showing off his catch.
"It's Lord Genma! Welcome back to the Senju clan."
The few shinobi responsible for registering, categorizing, and organizing the gifts also appeared exceptionally delighted upon seeing Genma.
"Lord Genma, what kind of precious wedding gift have you brought?"
Genma maintained a polite smile and said, "Thank you for your hard work. This small gift is nothing but a token of my esteem; it hardly does justice to the depth of my blessings for Lord Hashirama."
The word "precious" was quite accurate, because Genma's gift was indeed both extremely valuable and remarkably heavy.
Nara Hideyuki and Hatake Sakumo carried the gift over to the Senju shinobi. Perhaps because Hideyuki was physically frail, when he set the gift down, he did so clumsily and fumbled in a brief moment of panic. In his carelessness, he accidentally ripped away the red decorative ribbon covering the gift.
Gasps—
Genma felt as though the entire room had suddenly turned into an array of malfunctioning water pumps, sucking in nothing but sharp breaths of cold air.
"Lord Genma, you... this... isn't this far too precious?"
"Our Land of Rivers is, after all, a remote place. Aside from this, we have nothing else truly fitting to present. My friendship with Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama goes without saying, but this also represents the deep admiration and joy felt by our Daimyo, Shimizu Kisuke, for the Senju clan and Lord Hashirama."
"Here is a personal letter from the Daimyo. Please ensure it is delivered to Lord Hashirama afterward."
Genma was diligently carrying out his duties for Daimyo Shimizu. Throwing out such a massive gold bar certainly wasn't done just to flaunt wealth.
True to its nature, this was a literal stepping stone.
After exchanging brief pleasantries, Sarutobi Sasuke guided the group further toward the wedding venue.
Left behind, the gold bar sat right in front of the Senju shinobi, causing their spirits to soar. It was truly bizarre; this thing couldn't be eaten or drunk, and it was simply glittering and heavy, yet for some reason, it never failed to make one's heart race.
"As expected of Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama's closest friend, the wedding gift Lord Genma brought is truly extraordinary."
"Indeed. A massive gold bar has far more visual impact than an equivalent weight in Ryo coins."
"To avoid appearing too vulgar, Lord Genma even went out of his way to carve... wait, what on earth is etched onto this?"
Inscribed into the surface of the gold bar was a carving done in the style of primitive cave paintings. The primary subject matter depicted a man, a woman, and a long string of children... Since it was modeled after cave art, the scenes of daily life, fishing, and hunting naturally featured very little clothing. After all, where would primitive people get clothes? Processing animal hides wasn't an easy task either, right?
"Uh... the underlying meaning is wonderful."
"Yes, its artistic value is exceptionally high."
From the perspective of a clan as a whole, the purpose of marriage was the continuation of the bloodline. And how did a bloodline continue? Naturally, it relied on the sacred act of procreation.
The men did their best to maintain straight faces, silently resolving to display this particular gift in the most prominent location possible.
Once Genma arrived at the venue, Sarutobi Sasuke attempted to guide them to the VIP seats at the front. However, Genma politely declined and simply found a spot on the outer perimeter to sit down.
"This doesn't seem like a traditional wedding. I thought the venue for an alliance between two ancient shinobi clans would be extraordinarily stiff and rigid," Nara Hideyuki remarked after taking his seat, observing the surroundings.
"It's normal. We are in the middle of a war, after all... A grand scale but a concise process actually aligns perfectly with my expectations," Genma replied, completely unbothered.
In an era like this, who had the patience to carry out ancient wedding rituals? It would be enough for Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Mito to show their faces at the venue. For the remaining time, everyone could mingle freely—those who wanted to talk business could talk business, and those who wanted to slip away could slip away.
At that moment, a Senju shinobi walked past Genma. Skillfully hiding his movements from the sight of others, he slipped a small note into Genma's hand.
Genma unrolled it within his palm. There was nothing particularly special written on the note; it was merely a reminder for him to remain cautious and vigilant... While the entirety of the Senju clan's focus was glued to the wedding, and no one had noticed anything amiss, someone had apparently detected a strange undercurrent in the atmosphere.
Genma crumpled the note into his palm. He had a feeling that there was more to this. The political marriage between the Senju and Uzumaki was meant to take their relationship to the next level. Even the most stubborn fool wouldn't allow bloodshed to occur at the wedding, as that would be a direct insult to the Uzumaki clan.
Furthermore, although the ranks of the "Five Senju Elites" had expanded slightly by now, Genma always felt that someone had already infiltrated this group that was supposed to be filled with purity, camaraderie, and light... While it might have been hard to say at the beginning, after so much time had passed, he felt that Senju Tobirama must have noticed something.
Knowing Tobirama's shrewd and calculating personality, once he noticed it, he certainly wouldn't choose to expose it outright. Instead, he would choose to blend in with them... Putting himself in Tobirama's shoes, Genma knew he would do the exact same thing.
Sigh, a single rotten apple...
Once the guests filled the venue, Senju Butsuma made his appearance first, followed by the newlyweds. At that moment, the atmosphere in the venue grew increasingly lively.
Looking at Senju Hashirama, well, the "God of Shinobi" looked as stiff as a literal marionette. Looking at the bride, she, on the contrary, appeared entirely graceful and poised. Even her elaborate headpieces and veils could hardly obscure her deep crimson hair.
There wasn't much to see regarding the two of them. Genma had already sent a gift symbolizing fertility ahead of time, which counted as his ultimate blessing to the couple.
His gaze fixed onto Senju Butsuma, silently calculating whether Uchiha Madara could step up his game and make this clan head exit the stage a bit sooner... There was no stage for Butsuma at this wedding, and there was no longer a stage for him in the shinobi world.
Speaking of Uchiha Madara, it was impossible for him to be entirely unaware of such a massive event.
What he cared about wasn't the wedding itself, but rather the trend of various powerful shinobi clans aligning themselves with the Senju... To an ordinary Uchiha shinobi, this trend was extremely disadvantageous to their side.
But Madara was different. He minded it, yet he didn't care as much as one might imagine.
"Brother, while they are all gathered together, should we try to launch a surprise attack?" Uchiha Izuna said as he stepped up to Madara's side.
Despite offering such a suggestion, deep down, Izuna also knew that making a decision and taking action at this point was already a bit too late. If Madara had intended to launch a surprise attack beforehand, they would already be inside the Senju village by now.
Madara shook his head. "They will definitely be heavily guarded today. Consider Senju Tobirama's personality and way of doing things; at the very least, he won't allow any blunders to happen today."
Why did Madara dislike Tobirama? If Tobirama were a piece of trash, Madara wouldn't give him a second thought. It was precisely because he wasn't trash that he was so utterly obnoxious... In Madara's book, this man's dislike index was second only to Genma's.
That being said, Madara's reluctance to act today also stemmed from his refusal to do something so classless... A fight could be picked at any time, but choosing to cause a ruckus at someone's wedding was just petty and distasteful.
Izuna's face darkened with worry. "But after today, once the gathered shinobi reach some sort of agreement, the Senju clan's influence will expand rapidly. When that happens, the state of the war will become heavily unfavorable to us Uchiha."
Madara glanced at his younger brother, shook his head, and said, "You're worrying over nothing, Izuna. You still haven't seen through the essence and the turning point of our war with the Senju. No matter how many factions the Senju ally themselves with, what the two of us brothers need to do will not change..."
"I will deal with Senju Hashirama, and you will deal with Senju Tobirama. After that, the high tower built by the Senju clan will collapse in an instant."
Izuna was, after all, Izuna. At his very core lay the typical Uchiha arrogance and optimism. Upon hearing his older brother's words, a look of sudden realization immediately washed over his face... It really did seem to be the case. His brother's words were entirely flawless. It turned out he had simply been narrow-minded.
From this perspective, Madara's view was actually quite similar to Genma's; both believed that the core of the Senju rested entirely on the two brothers... The real question was, could the two Uchiha brothers truly achieve a "weak-point breakdown" against the Senju clan?
For some reason, as they spoke of dealing with the Senju brothers, Madara's heart suddenly skipped a beat, as if a faint, ominous premonition had surfaced. But when he tried to carefully dissect what exactly was going on, the sensation vanished without a trace.
Although Madara fancied himself completely unbothered by what Sasuke had once said to him, that hidden anxiety had actually woven itself into his subconscious.
However, Izuna's next words completely shifted Madara's attention. "I just wonder what era Orinami drifted off to. When will the three of us brothers finally meet again..."
Madara remained silent for a moment before speaking softly, "The three of us will always find our way back to one another."
How bizarre. For some unknown reason, while Senju Hashirama was getting married over there, Uchiha Madara over here felt a deep sense of profound loneliness and isolation.
The waves of cheering in the venue snapped a dazing Genma back to reality.
"What is it? What happened?" he asked Nara Hideyuki beside him.
"The crowd is heckling. They want Hashirama to put on a bit of a show for entertainment," Hideyuki replied.
Shinobi spent their days fighting to the death, which was incredibly depressing. Having a rare opportunity to let off some steam made it entirely understandable that they wanted to stir up some fun.
If one wanted to talk about a show, Genma bringing Lan—a shinobi who originated from the Uchiha—to attend a Senju wedding was already quite a performance. Fortunately, after losing his Sharingan, Lan possessed virtually no Uchiha traits. If someone looking like Uchiha Sasuke or Izuna had shown up here, without a single question, beating them to death on the spot would definitely not be falsely accusing an innocent person.
Genma looked at Senju Butsuma, who was sitting near the front with a forced smile while clapping. He felt that he couldn't let this old man ruin a situation that had been brought about through the arduous efforts of so many parties... Those negative sparks needed to be nipped in the bud.
Thus, without any warning, Genma stood up and addressed the crowd:
"Everyone, let's not make things difficult for him. Lord Hashirama isn't suited for this sort of thing. How about I perform a bit of a farce for everyone instead?"
Many people recognized Genma. Frankly, in a setting like this, it was easy for people to be governed by their inner sense of mischief. They didn't care which specific high-status figure made a fool of themselves; as long as an influential figure did, it brought them joy—and without a doubt, the leader of Hotaru Village was a figure of great importance.
"Great! Wonderful! Let's see what Lord Genma has for us!"
"Lord Genma, don't lose face!"
Genma walked up to the wedding stage at the front and waved his hand to shoo the newlyweds down... Hashirama looked absolutely moved to tears. In ordinary times, Hashirama was perfectly capable of putting on a show, but today was different; his heart was filled with uncertainty, and he couldn't bring himself to be lively.
"Next, I'll play a game with everyone. The name of the game is 'Always Right Behind You.' As long as anyone calls out a position, I will appear right behind that person before they can even turn their head..."
"Lord Genma, what happens if you fail?"
"If I fail, it means I lose. And if I lose, I will present everyone with a secret technique of the highest caliber!"
"Alright!"
The crowd roared in approval. They hadn't expected to get a potential windfall while just watching a performance.
"Then... let's begin!"
"Table 25, Seat 3."
Just as the shout fell, the person sitting in that seat blanked out for a moment before realizing that he was the target. He spun around rapidly, only to find that Genma was already standing right behind him.
At this moment, Genma's entire body was bathed in a brilliant blue lightning, completely silent like a phantom.
Utilizing the traits of White Zetsu to conceal his presence, the Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Jutsu made Genma incredibly weightless, and Storm Release served as the propulsion mechanism to unleash the highest tier of efficiency. Combined, these attributes granted Genma a speed that felt identical to instantaneous teleportation.
Storm Release differed from Lightning Release; Storm Release possessed exceptional controllability. If Genma wanted to stimulate the cells in his hands, he stimulated his hands; if he wanted chakra to explode within his legs, it exploded in his legs. Even given the high water content of blood, Genma could not only make the lightning course through his pathways, but he could also make it race through his blood vessels.
The surrounding shinobi all widened their eyes. They couldn't comprehend why Genma's "Lightning Release" produced absolutely no noise. At this very moment, a collective sensation washed over them—a feeling of hearing a clap of thunder from absolute silence. Or rather, it was like the lightning from a distant sky cascading upon the earth like a waterfall, yet for some reason, it was entirely soundless... It was profoundly eerie.
"Incredible!"
"Table 16, Seat 6."
"Table 21, Seat 5."
"Table 11, Seat 1."
To witness this bizarre speed, some people began to call out their own seat numbers. Yet, even with preparation, the moment they yelled out their positions and turned their heads without any delay, their necks still couldn't twist faster than Genma's speed.
"Table 1, Seat 2."
Genma hadn't arranged for any plants in the crowd, but finally, someone who just wanted to see the world burn spoke up.
Table 1 was occupied by the important "family members" of both the bride and groom. Seat 1 was occupied by Uzumaki Ashina. On one hand, he was an honored guest from the bride's side, and on the other, he was the eldest; even if one only considered respecting the elderly, he had to be seated in the primary spot.
So, who was sitting in Seat 2? It went without saying.
Senju Butsuma instinctively turned his head, and then he saw Genma's figure already standing perfectly still behind him.
Butsuma only felt his throat go dry and his neck itch slightly, as cold sweat instantly poured down from both sides of his temples.
He suddenly recalled the scene of Genma calmly holding the severed head of Uchiha Tajima. For some unknown reason, the face on that head in his memory suddenly morphed into his own lineaments.
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