Chapter 34: Kakashi, can you see me?

So, who have you been spending time with?" Oden asked.

"I... Spent time with Might guy, Asuma and Kurenai, and two close friends from Anbu. I also spent time with Sasuke and Sakura..." Kakashi continued describing what he had done the last few days.

It's not that he hadn't met his friends before, it's just that this time his purpose was different from before, it was to understand the value of their friendship.

All his friends had detected that he seemed different as he visited them, but they couldn't deduce what was so different exactly.

Oden listened on as Kakashi gave his report.

"Good, you've understood what you mean to the people close to you then I'll give the last part of your assignment. Go to the graves of those you've lost and say your goodbyes... for real this time." Oden said as Kakashi showed emotion in his eyes.

"You have two days to do this. In two days I'll have my wedding, at that time, if you have succeeded, come to my wedding as my friend, If you failed... then don't come, leave your headband at my office and never dress in the shinobi uniform ever again." Oden instructed.

Oden wanted to end the discussion here, but seeing the desperation in Kakashis's eyes, he decided to give a last push.

"I don't need friends who can't value the present," Oden said.

Kakashi turned around and left.

"Tenzo!" Oden spoke, and as soon as he said that codename, an Anbu arrived in front of him.

"Yes, Hokage-Sama," Tenzo spoke while on one knee.

"I think it's time for you to retire from the Anbu, from now on I'm promoting you to a Jonin Shinobi. Do you accept?" Oden asked leaving Tenzo confused.

"Hokage-sama are you displeased with me?" Yamato asked, he had worked hard to be appreciated and he worried that he had failed the expectations of the acting Hokage.

"No, not at all. I just think that you've spent most of your time in the dark, it's time to grow in the light. My order for you is to make friends, I'm putting you on Kakashis's team as his assistant unless he fails his assignment, then you'll take over his place as the Jonin teacher of team 7." Oden said.

"Yes, Hokage-Sama"

"One last thing... you're friends with Kakashi, right?" Oden asked.

"Yes, Hokage-Sama"

"Good, go and support him, his going through a hard time right now, you'll go by the name Yamato from now on." Oden instructed Tenzo.

"Yes, Hokage-Sama" Yamato said and stood up, then left.

Oden felt tired of being the Hokage always caring for everyone. So he decided to take a stroll in the village to relax.

He left the post with two clones, and as he stepped outside his body changed into an average middle-aged old man. Oden was so familiar with the E-rank academy jutsus that he could do them without hand signs, although it was much faster with hand signs.

As he walked through the village, enjoying the atmosphere, he couldn't help but think that it would be nicer if Hinata also was with him.

He walked up to a stall and bought a cookie.

"Do you really think he won't stay as Hokage?" A civilian asked his friend.

"He's just an acting Hokage, which means that he's just filling in until the real one is selected." The friend explained.

"Hmm, then why can't he keep being Hokage?" The other asked, he wasn't so interested in politics and had no idea what was going on.

"As I told you, I have a friend that is a chunin, he told me that the acting Kage doesn't want to be Kage, he was forced into the role because he was the best choice." The other explained, annoyed at his friend for being so slow.

"That doesn't seem...right, who wouldn't want to be Hokage?" The two civilians discussed as they walked by.

Oden sighed and continued walking.

"I'm telling you, it's the day after tomorrow, only the most noble are invited...!!!" A lady walked by, speaking to her friend.

"NO WAY NOWAY! He's my prince charming, who dares to steal him from me!" The other almost cried.

"Lady, you're already 39 years old and have two young children. Stop dreaming already!" Her friend said.

"AHH Oden-Sama... is getting married huh, wait a second don't those nobles always marry multiple wives?" The 39-year-old friend said as she lit up.

"Keep dreaming!" The other said and kept walking.

Oden's eyelid twitched.

In the Saratobi clan, Hiruzen sat in his office, and in front of him stood a 15-year-old girl. She had short, dark brown hair, black eyes, and a petite figure.

"what do you say Ayako-chan?" Hiruzen asked with a smile.

Ayako was the granddaughter of his dead cousin. She had great talents and could easily one day become elite Jonin, sadly she lost most of her teammates during a mission so she quit the life of Shinobi.

Her ambition was to become a great medic and is under the tutelage of doctors in the Konoha hospital.

"Isn't he about to get married to a Hyuga princess, would it be appropriate to send a marriage proposal to him at this point?" Ayako asked with a hint of shame.

"We can wait for a bit if you feel like you can make a good match." Hiruzen said.

In the last few months, Oden had impressed him so much that he wanted Oden to have connections to the Saratobi clan, sadly their genes mostly produced males.

There was one good fit amongst the younger generation and Hirzen had called for her to see if she was interested in marriage with the acting Hokage.

Unknown to both of them, Ayako was already on Oden's list of potential wives.

As for Ayako, she had always dreamt of finding true love, but to her disappointment, she couldn't find a prince charming.

And then she finally found someone by accident when she was walking home from work, she was mesmerized by how handsome he was, and he had that mysterious look to him. So she followed him slightly, to find out his identity.

When she found him going into the Homage building she was filled with happiness that her grandfather, the Homage at the time, might know him.

this was right before the Chunnin exams and that's when she found out his identity and got to know that he was just about to get married.

She then buried her feeling in her chest and decided to just keep her sights on her ambition to become a great doctor... Until the patriarch brought up the subject again. At first, she was reluctant but when Hiruzen mentioned Oden, she showed interest, albeit she tried to hide that she was interested.

But she still felt reluctant, she wasn't willing to send a marriage proposal just around the time Oden would get married to his first wife...

Seeing that she wasn't answering, Hiruzen at least wanted her to meet him and decide then.

"How about this, to congratulate him on his marriage, I'll invite him here for tea. At that time I'll introduce you as my granddaughter. Just think of it as meeting a new friend, and then when you meet him you can give me an answer." Hiruzen cooked up a plan while smoking his tobacco.

Ayako nodded, then hurriedly turned around to hide her face as she got shy.

"Okay... Let's invite him."She said as she hurried away.

Maybe her dreams of romance weren't totally dead just yet?