Naori gently squeezed Torifu's hand, her smile happy and bright. "Torifu, we've been a family for a long time now."
Torifu paused, turning to look at Naori. As if sensing his movement, Naori turned her head as well, and they looked into each other's eyes. Then, for no reason they could pinpoint, they both suddenly laughed.
"Hurry up, or we'll run out of time!"
With that, the two quickened their pace. The entire Konoha Village belonged to just the two of them, and it felt wonderfully strange. For as long as Torifu and Naori could remember, Konoha had always been lively and prosperous. Today was the first time everyone was in the sky, leaving just the two of them in the entire village.
Their feet didn't stop, and they soon reached the cloud ladder. Torifu could have flown Naori straight up, but that would have robbed the moment of its solemnity. So, the couple chose to walk up step by step, though their pace was quite quick since they were pressed for time.
The moment Torifu and Naori stepped onto the cloud ladder, the entire Cloud Palace began to slowly move away from Konoha Village, steadily ascending into the sky.
The people standing on the platform noticed the change and immediately rushed back inside to call others out.
"Look, everyone! We're going up to the sky!"
The people who came out of the hall were incredibly astonished, but they didn't forget Torifu and Naori—the stars of the day!
"Look! Torifu-sama and Naori-sama are on the cloud ladder!"
"Enough! Everyone can see! This is such an important occasion, keep your voice down!"
After being scolded, the platform crowd's volume dropped from a chaotic din to whispers. The villagers inside the hall, sensing something, suddenly fell silent!
"What's going on? Have the Hokage-sama and Naori-sama arrived?"
The villagers inside the hall kept their voices very low, afraid of disturbing others, a complete change from moments before.
In the guest seating, the Kage realized the hall had suddenly gone quiet, and seeing the white clouds outside the windows, they knew the Cloud Palace was ascending. They understood that the protagonists were making their entrance.
"The Hokage-sama is coming!"
The other Kage immediately stood up, looking toward the entrance.
The clock hanging in the hall now read eleven fifty-nine. At this time, all the villagers who were outside returned to the hall and quietly took their seats. The entire hall was silent.
As the second hand completed one more rotation, a long, melodious piece of music suddenly filled the hall. Accompanied by the music, Torifu and Naori stepped into the great hall.
Instantly, the hall erupted in thunderous applause. All the villagers cheered for Torifu and Naori.
Torifu and Naori, arm in arm, slowly stepped onto the red crystal path and walked toward the rose wall ahead.
"Eh? Did Naori-sama not wear a traditional white attire? And Torifu-sama's clothes don't seem like the traditional Konoha attire either." The villagers noticed the difference in Naori and Torifu's wedding clothes; they weren't the traditional attire of Konoha Village.
"Hmph, you old-fashioned fool! Torifu-sama is wearing the thousand-year-old attire passed down by the Kumotsuru Clan! It's practically from the age of the Sage of Six Paths!" said a woman nearby. "The attire Naori-sama is wearing is the same. The birds embroidered on their backs are the Phoenix, the King of Birds recorded in the Kumotsuru Clan's history. It is a symbol of nobility and sanctity!"
The man scratched his head awkwardly. "How do you know so much? Did the Hokage-sama tell you?"
"Of course not! Madam Beni told me. I work in the embroidery shop."
All the villagers noticed the unique wedding attire of Torifu and Naori. Almost ninety percent of the villagers didn't understand the significance. Only the seamstresses from the embroidery shop knew and were eagerly explaining its meaning.
Just then, a loud, clear phoenix cry rang out with extreme penetration, heard by every villager and distinguished guest in the hall. Before they could locate the source of the sound, the main doors of the hall suddenly swung open!
A Phoenix shimmering with multi-colored light flew in! Its posture was utterly sacred. The villagers who had just been paying attention to Torifu and Naori's wedding attire instantly recognized it as the Phoenix from the embroidery!
"Look! That! That's the one from the Hokage-sama's wedding robe!"
In an instant, all the villagers pointed their hands toward the multi-colored Phoenix. But few could call it by its name.
The Phoenix circled the room once, then spread its wings and let out another cry! After that, it beat its wings and flew away, leaving only shimmering light in the hall. Everything happened too quickly; the villagers didn't even have time to record it on their phones before the Phoenix was gone.
Some villagers, who had heard the seamstress's explanation about the Phoenix, began saying that a Phoenix had appeared, signifying great fortune for the Hokage's wedding. These claims quickly gained acceptance. After all, at such an event, and having witnessed a never-before-seen 'Divine Bird,' how could they not believe it?
However, this was only true for those who were unaware.
At Minato and Amado's table, they were dumbfounded. "Second Brother, that was Auntie Snowflake, wasn't it?"
Amado nodded. "It was Auntie Snowflake. Honestly, Big Brother sure knows how to make a spectacle."
Many people in the village knew Snowflake, such as Hashirama and Mito, the adjacent Katō family, and those who frequently visited Torifu's house. They had all seen Snowflake a few times. However, today's Snowflake was enhanced with a sacred aura, shimmering with multi-colored light, making it difficult to recognize her immediately unless one spent time with her daily.
As Torifu and Naori walked down the crystal path, they warmly greeted the surrounding villagers.
"Well, Torifu, you even got Snowflake to fly a circle at our wedding! That's just like you!" Naori said.
Torifu chuckled. "It's nothing. It's all about setting the mood. Look how happy the villagers are."
"Are you happy?"
Naori's smile became even brighter. "Of course, I'm happy. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time, but the wedding you've given me is ten thousand times better than anything I could have imagined." Naori had never dreamed of having a wedding in the sky. As the first woman in history to do so, Naori was incredibly happy and proud. There was no woman in the world who could be as happy as she was today.