But it was already fifty to sixty meters above the ground. From this height, looking down at Konoha Village gave a distinctly different feeling. Almost none of the villagers had ever observed Konoha Village from this angle before. Today was a first for them.
"It's truly magnificent." Ichiryu couldn't think of a better word to describe it.
"This is a first in a lifetime. We truly have the Hokage-sama to thank for this," Ōnoki, who had arrived earlier, said with a chuckle as he approached Ichiryu. "Ichiryu-sama, what do you feel?"
Ichiryu cupped his hands in a respectful greeting to Ōnoki. "Such great power—it's not something an ordinary person could achieve."
Ōnoki nodded, a trace of awe in his expression. "Indeed. While I can fly and have looked down on the world from this angle many times, I certainly couldn't create a palace like this."
"The Hokage-sama's strength is truly unfathomable. If you also intend to cooperate with Konoha Village, it's best not to provoke the Hokage-sama. He's quite easy to talk to when he's calm."
Ichiryu nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, Tsuchikage-sama. I will remember that."
After chatting with the Tsuchikage for a while, as more villagers ascended, the two decided it was time to go inside and find a seat.
"Tsuchikage-sama, have you been inside yet?"
The Tsuchikage shook his head. "No. I've been observing this Cloud Palace from the outside, but I haven't been able to figure it out. It truly seems like a mass of white clouds, without any Chakra fluctuation. It's unnerving." He had pondered for a long time, unable to understand how it was made. It was so solid, suspended in mid-air without Chakra driving it, and yet it could bear the weight of thirty thousand people. But having thought about it fruitlessly, he decided to give up and go inside. He had already seen the Kazekage and Mizukage enter.
Ichiryu and Ōnoki walked into the great hall side-by-side.
The moment they entered, they were greeted by the long path paved with red crystal. The various surrounding flowers were all composed of brilliant, multi-colored crystals, though red was the dominant color. The windowpanes carried a faint tint, coloring the sunlight that shone into the room. However, the main illumination inside came from the crystal lamps on the ceiling. The stage background was a wall entirely built from vivid red crystal roses. In Torifu's view, the overall stage design somewhat resembled a church, but Naori had said she loved the setting from the day he proposed to her. That's why Torifu designed it this way. It was fortunate that the villagers of Konoha didn't fully grasp this style and simply thought it looked beautiful. Otherwise, they might have called it unconventional.
"Greetings, respected Tsuchikage-sama, Ichiryu-sama. Please proceed to the VIP seating area at the front, to my left. You are esteemed guests of Konoha Village and deserve the best view for the ceremony."
Ōnoki and Ichiryu looked over and saw that the Kazekage and Mizukage were already seated, along with members of the Uzumaki Clan and the Great Prince of the Land of Fire. It was indeed the distinguished guests' section. Ichiryu even caught sight of Senju Hashirama. He had paid his respects to Hashirama yesterday, and they had chatted for a long time, but there likely wouldn't be a chance to talk today.
"Let's go, Tsuchikage-sama."
"Please."
The two walked in the direction indicated by the young man. This Uchiha Clan youth was Uchiha Fugaku, Naori's student. He had been given Naori's strict order not to allow anyone to step on the red crystal path.
Time flew by, and soon the hall was almost completely filled with villagers. The entire hall was bustling with activity; after all, thirty thousand people were in one space simultaneously. It was bound to be loud. As soon as one person spoke, others would follow suit. However, the ceremony hadn't officially started yet, so no one was managing the noise.
Senju Hashirama was looking at the time on his phone, feeling a little anxious. "Do you think Torifu and Naori have finished getting ready yet?"
Mito leaned in and whispered into his ear. "At this hour, they must be finished. The moment it hits noon, they'll surely enter the Cloud Palace."
"You know Torifu—that child places great importance on these rituals. Naori is the same. You see her normally, not caring much about anything."
"But look, she's sent that boy, Uchiha Fugaku, to guard the path, afraid someone will step on her wedding aisle."
Hashirama burst into laughter. "Hahaha, they're girls, after all. They only get married once in their lives, so they certainly can't have any regrets. When we got married, I made sure you had a grand wedding, too."
Mito reminisced for a moment, a smile appearing on her face. "It was quite adequate. I was satisfied, at least."
Hashirama laughed heartily. Although their marriage had an element of arrangement, Hashirama genuinely loved Mito. Furthermore, as the princess of the Uzumaki Clan with a noble status, he naturally had to give her sufficient respect.
The smile faded from Mito's face when she saw the worry still lingering on Hashirama's face. She said, "Alright, the young couple surely takes their own wedding seriously; they won't be late."
"Stop worrying needlessly."
Hashirama wanted to say more but eventually swallowed his words. "Hmph, fine. I won't worry, then. Shouldn't they be leaving already? It's almost 11:50..."
"Let's go, Naori. We should leave now."
Torifu extended his hand in front of Naori.
Naori smiled, placing her hand onto his.
Torifu gently took hold, helping Naori to her feet. He leaned over to help her arrange the hem of her dress, then smiled. "The entire Konoha Village is waiting for the two of us."
Naori gave a shy chuckle. "Haha, we seem to be cutting it a bit close."
Hand-in-hand, the two left the room and the Uchiha Clan compound. The sunlight shone on the golden phoenixes embroidered on their backs, reflecting a dazzling brilliance.
"Naori, we are about to become a family." Torifu looked straight ahead as he spoke the words.
From his tone, the sentence sounded quite calm. However, the sweat on Torifu's palm let Naori feel his nervousness. She was nervous too, but the moment she thought about the person she was marrying was Torifu, all her tension vanished. They had lived together for so long; their fate seemed to have been sealed since they were six years old.
Naori gently squeezed Torifu's hand, her smile happy and bright. "Torifu, we've been a family for a long time now."