The Kazekage and Mizukage were momentarily speechless, thoroughly stunned.
But the person with the biggest reaction was still Ichiryu. The towering pillar of clouds earlier had been shocking, but it was nowhere near a tenth as impressive as this palace! He now understood why Mifune was so insistent on cooperating with Konoha Village. If he had harbored even the slightest reservation before, it was now completely gone. As the strongest Samurai in the world, he had never feared anyone. But at this moment, Ichiryu's heart was filled with terror.
Torifu's power left him with no desire to fight whatsoever, because he knew he couldn't possibly win. This was the first time he had ever felt this way since birth. Previously, when he heard Mifune talk about the Hokage's formidable strength, he admitted it but remained unconvinced in his heart. But now, he was truly convinced. He had absolutely no remaining reservations about cooperating with Konoha Village.
If someone of this caliber truly coveted the Land of Iron's resources, there would be no need for any cooperation. Destroying the Land of Iron outright would be effortless. Yet, Torifu did not do that; instead, he cooperated politely with the Land of Iron. This was already a tremendous show of respect to the Land of Iron, and Ichiryu had no reason to refuse.
Konoha Village was currently silent; all the villagers stood with their mouths agape, too astonished to speak. Even Hashirama, in the Senju Clan compound, was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected his disciple to prepare a wedding in the sky! Young people truly had so many ideas.
Tsunade, meanwhile, was wondering if she could ask Torifu to lend her the palace when she got married. Perhaps it would be better to ask Sister Naori about it when the time came?
When Minato saw the massive palace in the sky from home, he instantly realized, "Oh my god... Big Brother is really holding the wedding in the sky." And then the thought dawned on him: Could this be the old Cloud Palace? His memory from four years ago resurfaced, and Minato finally dug up his impression of the Cloud Palace from the depths of his mind. It had ascended into the sky when Torifu became Hokage four years ago. He hadn't expected to see it again after so long.
Minato had witnessed the Cloud Palace's ascent, but Yahiko and Konan hadn't known. At this moment, they just felt that their Sensei was too extraordinary. He seemed to be strong to the point of being a freak! He had created a massive palace out of white clouds and was going to hold his wedding in the sky! They had truly never imagined anything like it. After all, flying around in the sky was achievable; their Sensei had taken them up there a month ago. But to hold a wedding in the sky that could hold thirty thousand people simultaneously! It was simply a fantasy! Their Sensei could even pull off something like this!
As the eyes of the entire village fixed upon the Cloud Palace, Torifu smiled slightly and announced, "Everyone, and all the guests and friends who have traveled from afar, this is my wedding hall. As you can see, my wedding is planned to be held in the sky."
At these words, everyone present erupted in an uproar.
Torifu spoke again, "The main purpose of coming up today is to arrange the food that will be needed tomorrow. Please forgive me, but food for thirty thousand people is simply too much to prepare as hot dishes, so we will have to substitute with fruits, nuts, and breads and cakes."
"Hokage-sama! Can all of us go?" a man shouted from the silent crowd.
Torifu smiled. "Yes, all villagers can attend. As for the village's defense, I will personally handle it."
With this assurance, the villagers were completely at ease! The Hokage was getting married tomorrow! They would be able to ascend to this palace in the clouds tomorrow. While they desperately wanted to go up and see it now, waiting one day wasn't difficult!
"Hokage-sama! We don't care about the food! We're satisfied just to attend your wedding!"
"That's right! He's right! We don't care about the food!"
The loud cheers from the villagers warmed Torifu's heart. Everyone was so understanding and considerate—this was what a united village should look like.
"Thank you, everyone. The ladder for the Cloud Palace will be descending shortly. Please step aside and make some space for it."
Naturally, no one wanted their curiosity to interfere with the normal execution of the Hokage's wedding. So, they cooperated and created a large empty space.
Next, Torifu waved his hand, and a white cloud ladder gradually descended from the palace's edge. It was as wide as an entire road, complete with guardrails on both sides to prevent accidental falls.
"Alright, the villagers responsible for the setup can now ascend the cloud ladder and enter the Cloud Palace."
The part-time workers were ecstatic! They hadn't expected to be setting up the wedding venue in the sky! This was an incredible blessing! As for fear of danger? They laughed at the thought. With the Hokage present, how could they possibly fear whether this thing was dangerous? The Hokage must have already thoroughly tested it to allow them to go up so confidently.
And so, under the envious gazes of all the surrounding villagers, over a thousand part-time workers, mighty and energetic, ascended the Cloud Palace one after another. Anyone who knew them understood they were part-time workers going up there to do work. Those who didn't would have thought they were great heroes about to receive an award! But in the hearts of Konoha's villagers, this was no less than receiving an award! Their desire to step forward and work had reached its peak! Many regretted not signing up; perhaps they would be among the people ascending to the wedding hall to work right now!
Torifu knew what the villagers were thinking; they all wanted to go up and take a look. But he had to be firm. It was uncertain how long it would take the people above to finish the setup. To avoid having to come down too early, they would definitely take their time. If he allowed other villagers to go up and sightsee, the setup would never be completed. Therefore, the villagers would only be allowed to go up tomorrow when they attended the wedding. At that point, their status wouldn't be as part-time workers or laborers. Instead, they would be honored guests, formally invited to attend the wedding of the Hokage of Konoha Village. The feeling conveyed by these two different statuses was entirely different.
"Alright, everyone. It's only one more day. If you don't have anything else to do, please disperse and avoid causing traffic congestion."
Torifu was becoming increasingly adept at giving official speeches, a skill he had honed over his years as Hokage. He wasn't like this before; he used to be kind and humble, nothing like his current self, which felt a little smooth-talking.
He jumped down from the rooftop, greeted a few of the Kage, and entered the barbecue shop. Just then, his phone suddenly rang. He pulled it out and saw it was a familiar contact.