"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.
"Hello, Kagami, what's wrong?"
Kagami's voice came through the phone. "Torifu, what is that thing in the sky? Don't tell me that's your and Naori's wedding hall?"
Torifu chuckled and snapped his fingers. "Of course. You guessed correctly. That is the wedding hall."
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"Hello? Kagami? Are you still there?"
"Cough, cough... I... I'm here. I just never thought I'd see something like this. Holding a wedding in the sky is just too crazy."
Hearing Kagami's slight stammer, Torifu knew just how surprised he was.
"Don't worry about it. This is the Cloud Palace that ascended into the sky years ago, which I've modified. I've reinforced it extensively, so there won't be any unsafe situations."
Kagami wasn't worried about safety. How could the security be low if the Hokage was allowing all the villagers to go up? He was just slightly emotional that his brother-in-law's ability was too earth-shattering. It made him, the older brother, feel a bit overshadowed. With Torifu setting such an example, no matter what gift Kagami prepared, no one would pay attention to it. But there was no helping it; whose fault was it that Torifu was so capable? Even the Sage of Six Paths or anyone else had never held a wedding in the sky. This was simply too astonishing.
"You'll see the interior of the palace tomorrow. Naori and I decorated it together."
"Eh?" Kagami's confused voice came through again. "Naori knew? This wasn't a surprise for her?"
Torifu smiled. "I originally planned for it to be a surprise, but then I realized it would be more satisfying for Naori to personally be involved."
Kagami sighed heavily upon hearing this. "Oh, my wife is going to see this tomorrow and I don't know how many times she's going to scold me! You've really done a disservice to us all!" He then ended the call.
Torifu felt a little helpless, but Kagami wasn't wrong. Not just Kagami's wife, but perhaps the wives of half of Konoha Village would feel their own weddings weren't perfect tomorrow. But this couldn't be helped.
If it weren't for the Cloud Palace, Torifu couldn't have created a white cloud palace suspended in the sky. Even if he could create one, it definitely couldn't withstand thirty thousand people. After all, the Cloud Palace didn't require Torifu's Chakra for support, while a palace he made himself would. Even though Torifu had a massive amount of Chakra, supporting the weight of thirty thousand people would still be too taxing. Thus, the Cloud Palace was much better—saving time and effort, and being both convenient and fast.
Inside the barbecue shop, Torifu looked through the glass at the Cloud Palace hovering over Konoha Village.
By this time, the hired part-time workers, led by the owner, had entered the hall. The first thing that caught their eyes was the brilliant red crystal path. The sun's rays shone through the windows onto the crystal path, reflecting a red glow that made the entire hall dazzling. It looked like red roses were embedded in the walls. The flowers used for decoration around the area were also all made of crystal.
The part-time workers were momentarily overwhelmed. But they didn't break order and stood by the entrance, waiting for the owner's instructions.
"Everyone, you should already know the mission; it's relatively simple. However, I have two conditions you must follow."
The part-time workers focused intently on the owner.
"The first is that no one is allowed to step on this red crystal path, because the first person to walk down it must be Naori-sama! The second is that you must not damage any of the decorations here! If you violate these rules and ruin the Hokage-sama's wedding, I don't need to tell you the consequences."
The villagers understood that if their carelessness ruined the perfection of the wedding, they would be criticized by the other villagers for the rest of their lives. Even if the Hokage didn't pursue charges, it would be difficult for the other villagers to forgive them.
"Don't worry, Boss, we will strictly comply," over a thousand people said in unison. The echo in the hall gave the owner temporary ringing in his ears.
"Excellent. Then let the work begin."
Just as everyone was about to ask the owner where the food ingredients were, Torifu flew up from the ground, entered the hall, and placed all the ingredients in a spacious location.
"Thank you all for your help. I assume the owner has already told you my two conditions?"
"Those are my only two requirements. There's nothing else, but please make sure the arrangement is meticulous."
The villagers nodded repeatedly. The Hokage had said it personally; how could they not be meticulous? Soon, everyone got to work. They each found the three tables they were responsible for and took the necessary ingredients from the piles.
From one of the bags, a continuous chill emanated. Opening it, they found it was full of ice covers. Inside was a cake, already cut into ten portions. They estimated there were over three thousand of these, one for each table. This must be intended as the main food; otherwise, there was nothing substantial to fill their stomachs. Fruits and nuts could only be used as light refreshments.
Torifu watched for a while and was very pleased to see that the villagers were all very careful and worked quickly.
"I'll leave this to you. If the villagers want to look around after they're finished, let them stay for a little while."
"Yes, Hokage-sama, please rest assured and head back."
The owner was always so reassuring.
After Torifu flew down from the Cloud Palace, there were far fewer curious villagers around. However, a large number still remained, though they had not blocked traffic, leaving a path for pedestrians. Otherwise, Torifu would have had to tell them to leave. It wasn't about being embarrassed, but about avoiding the hassle.
The Kage had already left. Torifu wondered what they felt earlier—had they felt the pressure? Torifu's other purpose for today was to show these Kage the strength of Konoha Village, lest they harbor any ill intentions. After this display of deterrence, they shouldn't dare to cause trouble, especially the Land of Water. This time, no one had informed or invited them, yet Kirigakure had come on their own accord. While Torifu had let their past slip, he still had to guard against any small tricks or schemes they might have.