In the blink of an eye, a week had quickly passed.
Minato Namikaze's wedding was held as scheduled.
Since Minato and Kushina Uzumaki had no remaining family members, the ceremony was hosted by Minato's mentor, Jiraiya, along with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Biwako Sarutobi. Nara Shikaku and other close friends of Minato also assisted at the wedding.
Meanwhile, Shindai, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin Nohara were each assigned specific roles as well.
Their duty was to welcome guests at the doorstep.
Shindai was in charge of collecting gift money, Obito collected congratulatory gifts, Kakashi took down the names of the guests, and Rin Nohara's role was to guide the guests through the purification ritual—a traditional act of respect before entering the ceremony hall.
The purification ritual meant that before entering the venue, guests needed to rinse their mouths and wash their hands, showing reverence for the occasion.
Collecting the gift money left Shindai feeling bittersweet.
So much money~
And none of it belonged to him.
Plus, Shindai—who often felt socially awkward around strangers—wasn't thrilled about this task at first. However, he couldn't refuse because this was Minato and Kushina's wedding after all.
But now, after greeting so many people, Shindai had practically become numb to it all, his social anxiety temporarily fading away.
Shindai called out to Pakura, who was already seated waiting for the ceremony to start. "Pakura, I'm dying of thirst~"
"Coming right up."
Pakura poured a glass of water and passed it to Shindai.
Shindai drank it all in one go.
After all, he had to personally greet every guest, and his mouth was already dry from constant talking.
At that moment, Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha arrived at the wedding with their son Itachi Uchiha, who was only about three or four years old.
"Welcome, please perform the purification ritual before taking your seats."
After collecting their gift money, Shindai greeted Fugaku Uchiha's family while glancing curiously at young Itachi.
Tch, pretty cute.
As if sensing Shindai's gaze, young Itachi looked up at him.
Shindai couldn't help himself. "Aww, you're just too adorable~"
Without thinking, Shindai leaned down and gently squeezed Itachi's soft cheeks.
Startled, the young Itachi immediately hid behind Mikoto Uchiha.
Seeing her child receive such affection, Mikoto smiled warmly at Shindai and said, "Thank you for the compliment."
Fugaku Uchiha studied Shindai carefully.
By now, everyone in Konoha knew who Shindai was.
A former ninja from Sunagakure, he possessed the Magnet Release kekkei genkai and had become Minato Namikaze's trusted confidant. He had strong relationships with both Orochimaru and Jiraiya, and was also Obito's closest friend.
Obito greeted the clan leader respectfully. "Lord Fugaku."
"
Fugaku Uchiha, normally stern and reserved, managed a faint smile as he gave Shindai and Obito a nod. "You've worked hard."
"Not at all," said Obito quickly.
But Shindai immediately began complaining, "Oh yes it was—so exhausting! I had to wake up before dawn, stand here at the doorstep as a welcoming attendant for hours with a smile glued on my face. My face is practically locked in a smile!"
Fugaku tilted his head slightly. This Shindai… seems a bit off today~
Kakashi stepped forward. "Clan Leader Fugaku, please complete the purification ritual before taking your seat. The wedding will begin shortly."
"Alright."
Fugaku led his wife and children to their assigned seats.
Kakashi glanced sideways at Shindai. "Didn't you say you were socially awkward around strangers? Then why are you so outgoing now?"
Shindai blinked in surprise. "Oh right~ Honestly, my whole body's gone numb. Who even cares about being shy now?"
Obito added, "It'll be over soon anyway. Almost all guests have arrived. Seems like Orochimaru-sama's the only one missing. The ceremony is about to begin."
Just talking about him—Orochimaru arrived.
With both hands tucked into his sleeves, Orochimaru strolled in slowly, handing over the gift money and presents separately to Shindai and Obito.
After accepting the gift money, Shindai muttered under his breath, "Took you long enough, Orochimaru-sama."
Orochimaru looked puzzled. "Is something wrong? Did I miss anything?"
"Nope. It's just that all other guests were already here except you."
Orochimaru twitched his eyes slightly. But the time hadn't even come yet—hadn't he arrived early?
After finishing the purification ritual, Orochimaru took a seat beside Tsunade who was also attending the wedding.
Tsunade shot a lazy glance at Orochimaru and said casually, "You should really get out more often. Your skin's gotten downright corpse-like."
Orochimaru shrugged. "This color has been mine since childhood. You know that already."
He sipped tea from the table and asked, "I heard you're leaving Konoha soon. When exactly are you going?"
Tsunade replied, "Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after. Within these few days anyway. Why? Don't tell me you're leaving Konoha too."
Orochimaru placed his teacup back onto the table. "No, I'm staying. Just asking. We were teammates, after all."
Tsunade chuckled. "Man, you've changed quite a bit lately. Actually caring about teammates now."
Orochimaru responded calmly, "People change according to their environment. I can't deny that."
All the guests were finally gathered.
Shindai also sat down, leaning against Pakura's shoulder as he sighed, "Pakura, I'm completely worn out! Why am I working like a pack mule at Sister Kushina and Minato's wedding?"
Yekura said helplessly, "Because this is something you should do. Kushina-neesan is your older sister, and Minato-sama has taken such good care of you all along. It would be unreasonable not to help out at their wedding. Alright, the wedding is about to begin, and later there will be the big meal you've been looking forward to."
Shindai leaned on Pakura's shoulder, resting while glancing around casually.
Although the wedding of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki followed a minimalist style with only friends and family invited, nearly all the clan leaders from Konoha's ninja clans were present. Minato was on good terms with all the clan leaders—if he invited one, it would have been awkward not to invite the rest.
Shindai began identifying them one by one.
Well... Fugaku Uchiha goes without saying. That's Hiashi Hyuga, Choza Akimichi, Yamanaka Inoichi...
They were fairly easy to recognize thanks to their distinctive appearances.
After waiting for about ten minutes, the ceremony was finally set to begin.
Jiraiya, serving as the wedding emcee, stepped forward to deliver the opening speech, announcing the official start of the ceremony.
Moments later, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki walked out hand in hand wearing wedding attire, both showing bright, happy smiles.
All the guests clapped joyfully, and Shindai joined in while whistling cheerfully.
Pakura immediately covered Shindai's mouth to stop the whistling, "Can't you act serious just for once? Clapping is enough!"
Shindai pulled Pakura's hand away, "But we're supposed to be happy! Why be serious?"
"Look around you, idiot!"
Shindai glanced around and realized he was the only one whistling—the attention it drew made everyone stare toward him.
His socially awkward nature around strangers instantly kicked in. Shindai quickly hid his head behind Pakura, acting like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
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