This was mainly due to Yahiko's optimistic and generous nature, which made it easy for him to make friends. The two children returned home with smiles on their faces every day after school. This was much better than just staying home and only training every day.
At their age, they needed to make some reliable friends—at least one or two. Torifu trusted that they could handle this themselves, so he didn't worry about it. After all, his own wedding preparations were keeping him busy enough.
"Hurry up and start training. You can have free time after two hours of practice. You can go play with anyone you want then."
Yahiko and Konan immediately cheered and began to train seriously. Now, they no longer needed constant supervision; they could endure the monotony of training on their own. This was a form of progress that pleased Torifu. Their lives were about continuous progress, breaking through, and surpassing themselves to become stronger and stronger.
Just then, Torifu's phone suddenly rang. Torifu saw the number belonged to Madam Beni. He put his game away and answered the call.
"Hello, is this Hokage-sama?" Madam Beni's voice came from the other end of the line, sounding somewhat tired.
"It is. Is the wedding dress finished?" Torifu's face broke into a smile. Madam Beni calling him at this time likely meant this was the topic.
"I really can't hide anything from you. Yes, it's finished. Please come and pick it up this afternoon. I just need to make some final detail adjustments now." Madam Beni couldn't help but yawn. She must have stayed up all night.
"Thank you for your hard work, Madam Beni. That outfit really took a lot of your effort."
The wedding dress Torifu had commissioned took Madam Beni two months to complete, a whole month longer than originally expected. The main reason was the gold thread embroidery Torifu requested, which was incredibly difficult and consumed most of the time. Fortunately, the mission was fulfilled successfully.
After chatting for a while, Madam Beni ended the call. Torifu no longer had any mood for playing games; he was highly anticipating how his wedding outfit would turn out.
The news of his impending marriage, which was announced last week, shook the entire village of Konoha! It was even more bustling than the day Torifu took office as Hokage. Even at midnight, Konoha Village was brightly lit. People had previously speculated that the Hokage might be getting married, but it was just a guess. No one expected him to actually get married so soon!
Immediately, the entire village of Konoha sent their blessings. Torifu also set the wedding date for half a month later. Virtually everyone in Konoha wanted to attend the Hokage's wedding! Even watching from afar would be enough!
However, they also knew that there was no venue in Konoha Village that could accommodate tens of thousands of people simultaneously. It was simply not realistic. Therefore, some people who didn't have much connection with Torifu but greatly admired him were a bit disappointed and sad.
Torifu was naturally aware of this and had started preparing for it two months ago. Now, the preparations were almost complete. He just hadn't told the villagers yet, thinking he would inform them in a couple of days. He didn't want their emotions to experience too much drastic up and down.
"Torifu, are you home?" Just as Torifu was closing his eyes and enjoying his sunbath, Mamiko's voice suddenly came from outside the gate.
Torifu immediately got up and walked to the door. "Aunt Mamiko, why did you come? Please come in quickly."
Mamiko was now in her early forties, almost fifty, with noticeable wrinkles around her eyes. She said with a beaming smile to Torifu, "Well, you're getting married, and your uncle and I couldn't think of what to give you. You don't lack food or money."
She then pulled out two very small outfits, clearly for a baby. "I knitted a couple of children's outfits myself. They'll be perfect for your little baby when the time comes." Mamiko's smile didn't fade as she said this. She was ecstatic that Torifu was getting married. After all, she had always viewed Torifu as her own son. She thought of Torifu for everything. Torifu's parents died young, and Mamiko had been there to care for Torifu and help him through the darkest period of his life. In Torifu's heart, Mamiko's status was not much lower than Hashirama's; she was also an elder he greatly respected.
"Thank you for your effort, Aunt Mamiko. I really love this gift. I'm sure my future children will love it too."
Mamiko's smile deepened. "Hahaha, I'm glad you like it. Oh, I've been thinking about what to give you all these days, so it's wonderful that you like this gift."
"Where is Uncle? Why didn't he come?"
Mamiko waved her hand. "That old man, you know he doesn't like these kinds of scenes. But he did put in a lot of effort for this gift, constantly telling me what to do."
Torifu could already picture Uncle Katō's demeanor in his mind. He was always giving orders at home.
"By the way, Torifu, have you decided on the wedding venue yet? Quite a few neighbors asked me to check with you. They all really want to attend your wedding, but will there be space?" Mamiko added, "If there's not enough space, just tell me, and I'll find an excuse to politely decline them." Although Mamiko was entrusted by the neighbors, she didn't want to make things difficult for Torifu. If there really wasn't enough space, she would have to apologize.
Torifu waved his hand. "It's fine, Aunt Mamiko. Just tell them not to worry. I have already decided on the wedding location, but I can't tell the villagers yet. I need to test it out first."
Hearing this, Mamiko nodded. She didn't understand these things, but everything was up to Torifu. Her job was just to offer blessings.
"Alright, I'll tell them that for now. They are just anxious, afraid they won't be able to witness your and Naori's love."
Torifu smiled. "I know, Aunt Mamiko. Just reassure them. There shouldn't be any surprises."
Torifu chose a venue this time that no one would have guessed. Many people in the village probably overlooked and forgot about this location. Even Torifu himself hadn't expected it could be used for such a purpose.
"Good job, Torifu. I'll head back now. If you don't have lunch, come over to my place, okay?"
Torifu nodded. "Okay, Auntie, you don't need to trouble yourself. We'll just have some Ramen or something."