Torifu had prepared the mannequins, so the outfit appeared in Naori's room along with the stand. The moment the bright crimson color appeared, the entire room instantly felt transformed. A sliver of sunlight filtering through the window illuminated the golden-threaded phoenix embroidery, making it dazzling. Under the backdrop of the countless flying birds embroidered on the dress, it looked incomparably noble. Naori immediately covered her mouth in surprise, unable to believe what she was seeing was real.
"What... what is this? It's so beautiful!" Naori immediately walked around the rack, admiring her red wedding dress. She touched the gold Phoenix on the back. Its tail feathers extended down to the train. This was the first time Naori had seen a style like this. She hadn't even seen anything like it in the Kumotsuru Clan's clothing collection.
"Well? Do you like the dress?"
Naori didn't have to think, nodding almost instinctively. "Of course I do! I love it so much!" After realizing the implications, she looked at Torifu with surprise, whose face was full of smiles. Naori understood then.
"Is... is this dress my wedding attire?"
Torifu nodded. "It is. I thought you might not be able to accept this style, so I didn't tell you right away."
"How could that be! I love it!" Naori wanted to hug the mannequin and feel her wedding dress, but she was afraid of moving too much and damaging it. In the end, she gently rested her cheek against it.
"Is this Madam Beni's work? She can make clothes like this?"
"That's right. I provided a rough outline, and we worked on the design together." Naori was eager to try it on but held back her excitement, afraid of spoiling the fresh feeling.
"What is the meaning of this large bird on the back? I don't quite understand. Could you explain it to me?"
Torifu waved his hand, and the other outfit flew out of his Space Ring, landing beside Naori's wedding dress. Naori looked closely and saw it was the male version. This must be Torifu's. Though the colors were so vibrant, it didn't look tacky at all. Instead, it gave Naori a feeling of grandeur.
"These two birds are called the Phoenix. The male is Fèng, and the female is Huáng. They are the Emperors of the Birds. They are a type of Divine Beast recorded in our Kumotsuru Clan. The combination of male and female is called the Phoenix. Our wedding attire uses the Phoenix as the main element in its design, which also carries the meaning of Fèng Qiú Huáng (The Phoenix seeks its Mate)."
Naori naturally understood and couldn't help but marvel that the Kumotsuru Clan had so many things she had never heard of. However, since the Kumotsuru Clan had been an extremely powerful and secretive family throughout history, it was probably normal for them to have unknown customs and myths.
"It really is beautiful. I can't even imagine how stunning I'll look wearing this on our wedding day."
Torifu stroked Naori's hair and kissed her forehead. "This is just the wedding attire. I haven't shown you the matching jewelry yet. I'll leave that as a suspense for you."
"On our wedding day, you will be the most radiant woman in the world."
Naori was naturally full of anticipation. After all this time, she only knew they were getting married, and Torifu hadn't revealed the wedding venue. Today, he finally revealed the wedding attire, only to immediately hide the matching jewelry. Still, Naori rather enjoyed this feeling.
"We're getting married in half a month. I'm really looking forward to it. By the way, have you even started preparing the wedding venue? All the villagers in Konoha Village are waiting." Naori seemed a little anxious because people had been asking her about it constantly these days. As the host of the wedding, she couldn't possibly say, I have no idea, right? She could only respond that a perfect plan was in place. But she had no idea what Torifu had actually set up, so the pressure was getting to her.
Torifu actually had another reason for visiting today: he planned to take Naori to see the wedding venue tonight. He had been too fixated on the surprise, wanting to handle everything himself. But he had forgotten that Naori might not necessarily like all these things. A person only gets married once, and he had to ensure Naori had a satisfactory wedding. So, Torifu decided to bring Naori along tonight to help design the stage and setting. Yesterday, he only prepared tables and chairs, which was innocuous enough. Tonight's work, however, was the main event. It was a good thing he hadn't gotten stuck in a rut; otherwise, if Naori wasn't happy, wouldn't all his effort be wasted? Designing it with Naori would also give them a greater sense of happiness and accomplishment.
"The wedding venue has been decided. I've finished setting up the tables and chairs. They can seat around thirty thousand people. I plan to invite you to help me decorate the stage and setting tonight."
Good heavens, Naori thought. Thirty thousand tables and chairs meant the villagers wouldn't have to worry—everyone could be seated.
"Where is the location? It's not in the forest, is it?"
Torifu laughed. "Of course not. How could I make the villagers attend the wedding banquet in a forest? We're not wild people." Naori was amused by Torifu's remark and continued to press for the location. Torifu didn't elaborate, only leaving her with the hint that she would find out tonight. This was his old habit, leaving things as a suspense. However, since she only had to wait a few hours to find out, Naori wasn't too anxious.
"Let's go. We should go have lunch. And we can visit the Boss there."
Naori nodded. If they were going to see the Boss, it could only mean they were going for barbecue. It had been a few days since she last had it, so it was a good chance to have a small feast. Naori's diet had been very light recently, rarely eating greasy or spicy food. She had to prepare for the wedding, which meant managing her figure and skin. Seeing such a beautiful wedding dress intensified this feeling.
The two quickly left the Uchiha Clan Compound and headed straight for the barbecue restaurant. To save trouble, they both activated their Concealment Jutsu. This allowed them to walk all the way to the barbecue restaurant without being noticed by anyone. Only after entering the restaurant and going up to the second floor did the two dispel their Concealment Jutsu.
The owner, whose office was nearby, heard movement in the private room next door and immediately walked over. "Oh! Hokage-sama and Naori-sama! It's been a while since either of you last visited."
Naori smiled. "Hehe, we haven't been eating out much lately."
The owner nodded with an understanding expression. "I understand. You're both busy preparing for the wedding and don't have much time."
Torifu also smiled. "Let's stick to the usual. Bring up twenty plates first, and we'll see. We'll order more if we're still hungry."
"Will do, Hokage-sama. The food will be right up."
[T/N: Fèng and Huáng are the original Chinese terms for the male and female halves of the Phoenix, a detail the single English word can't capture. Author has been using those terms all the way, and I had been keeping it as Phoenix. To keep the original meaning in that paragraph, I had to keep the terms intact there. Luan, Feng, Huang, i don't know how many terms they have for a phoenix bird. A crow is a crow whether female or male, right?]