Uchiha Clan Head Mansion, the lights in the study room were off all night.
The large Japanese-style desk was covered with various lists, drawings, draft invitations, and sample books sent from various stores. The air was filled with the faint smell of ink and paper.
Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha sat opposite each other. The stack of documents between them almost blocked each other's sight, but the pens in their hands never stopped. They occasionally exchanged opinions in a low voice. The atmosphere was busy but not anxious.
Their daughter was finally getting married - this knowledge filled the parents' hearts with unspeakable complex emotions.
Mikoto's feelings were particularly direct. Joy couldn't help but surge up from the bottom of her heart, moistening her eyebrows and lips. She wore a gentle and excited smile throughout the whole process. She had been waiting for this day for too long.
From Satsuki stubbornly wielding Kunai when she was a child, to burying her attachment to Naruto deep in her heart as a girl and gradually revealing it, and now finally cultivating it... As a mother, she has witnessed all the emotional tracks of her daughter along the way. How can she not be overwhelmed by this grand completion now?
Thinking of that day, when Satsuki showed himself the pure and flawless White Bridal Robe custom-made by Naruto and the exquisitely designed gold and sapphire wedding ring with a rare shyness and happiness that could not be concealed, Mikoto's heart almost jumped with joy.
Those objects, no matter the materials, workmanship or the thoughts contained in them, are far better than the ones Fugaku chose when she got married. Although she and Fugaku were also in a free love relationship, Clan Head Fugaku, who acts as E, inevitably brings a bit of Uchiha's old-fashionedness and stylization into the selection of wedding items, emphasizing inheritance and symbolism more than personal romantic interest.
Like Naruto, incorporating a color that represents a certain meaning into the wedding ring design really touched the soft and longing corner of Mikoto's heart, making her feel extremely happy for her daughter, but she couldn't help but feel a touch of envy for the past, without any complaints.
There are countless preparations, including determining the final guest list and classifying seat levels, planning the security plan from the shrine to the banquet venue on the wedding day, selecting the bride's matching accessories, the flowers and styles for the venue decoration, finalizing the banquet menu and drinks, and even arranging entertainment performances...
Everything needs to be carefully considered and decided by the elders. This is only the part that Uchiha Clan needs to worry about. On the other side of the family, Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze are equally busy - writing invitations, planning the specific route and arrangement of the honeymoon trip, discussing the details of the wedding room decoration...
The two parents worked hard to make the wedding as perfect as possible.
Although busy, everyone seems to be enjoying it except Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku sat behind the desk, his back straight, and there was still no obvious expression on his face. There was no sadness and reluctance of a married woman, and no obvious excitement and excitement. There was only a faint emotion after years of accumulation.
He was currently drawing up the most important guest list for the main table. The main table symbolized the core connection and recognition of a family. He wrote down the names meticulously.
Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki.
The pen tip paused here, and then he solemnly added another name, Iruka Umino.
This is Naruto's teacher when he was a student. During the difficult years when Kushina and Minato both "passed away", he gave Naruto care like a teacher and a father.
...Satsuki is getting married.
This thought resurfaced, causing Fugaku's fingers holding the pen to tighten slightly.
The little daughter who has been stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat since she was a child has finally found her own destination. She is leaving the "Uchiha" home where she was born and grew up to build a new family for her and Naruto.
Suddenly, Fugaku's brows wrinkled a little more out of habit, and he thought of a more practical question. After getting married, should Satsuki... should change his surname to "Uzumaki"?
According to secular tradition, it is a common practice for a woman to take her husband's surname after getting married. With the current relationship between Naruto and Satsuki, and Satsuki's unabashed and paranoid possession and following of Naruto, I am afraid she will not have the slightest resistance to this, and may even be impatient.
Ask Satsuki to keep the surname "Uchiha"? Fugaku thinks this is unrealistic and may not be in line with his daughter's wishes.
Uchiha's bloodline and pride are not just tied to one surname. But... the thought of inheritance still lingers in his heart.
He pondered, and decided to find an opportunity later to tactfully mention to Naruto that if he had children in the future, could he consider letting one of them inherit the surname "Uchiha"?
Suppressing this thought for the time being, Fugaku continued writing. After the main table, there was the "Teacher's Best Friend Table" next to it. He wrote smoothly.
Jiraiya (Master of Naruto, Fifth Hokage), Hatake Kakashi (Mentor of Team 7), Sakura Haruno (Team 7's companion,), Gaara (Naruto's best friend, Fifth Kazekage).
Afterwards, there is the "Special VIP Seat", the list is longer, covering many of the same students, partners and teachers who had an important influence on their growth when Naruto and Satsuki were students, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Asuma Sarutobi, Sarutobi Konohamaru (and accompanying Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi), Rock Lee, Might Guy...
The tip of the pen wanders, and names fall on the paper one by one.
"Husband..."
Suddenly, Mikoto's soft voice interrupted Fugaku's thoughts. He raised his head and found that the previously bright and joyful smile on his wife's face had faded a bit at some point, and was covered with a slight layer of anxiety and sadness. She stopped the pen in her hand, and her eyes wandered somewhere in the void.
"Satsuki She... probably won't allow it."
Mikoto's voice carried a hint of uncertain hope, mixed with the sadness of having already predicted the answer.
Fugaku was silent for a moment, put down the pen, "...Satsuki will not allow it." He spoke slowly and in a calm tone, "There is nothing we can do about this."
Of course he knew what Mikoto was talking about. It was the name of their other child—Itachi Uchiha—that was always vacant in the guest list that was getting longer and longer at the upcoming wedding that was destined to be full of laughter and blessings.
The eldest daughter who chose to betray her family, kill her relatives, and was eventually forced to settle abroad.
"Yeah..." Mikoto lowered his head and his voice became even lower, "She... has never forgiven Itachi."
This is a consensus that needs no explanation. Inviting Itachi Uchiha to the wedding? The idea itself carries a kind of cruel innocence.
Regardless of where Itachi is now, there is no way Satsuki can pass that level alone. At the most important and happy moment in Satsuki's life, mentioning that name, even if it is just a tentative inquiry, is tantamount to adding salt to a wound that has not yet fully healed, and is a taboo that will never be accepted.
Fugaku looked at his wife's depressed expression, and felt a throbbing pain in his heart. Why didn't he miss the eldest daughter who was once so outstanding that he was proud of, but finally embarked on a path that he could not fully understand?
But the reality is like this. The tragedy of the family, the choice of the child, and the gap of time have already cut off many possibilities.
"... Also... she has never forgiven Itachi." Mikoto repeated this sentence, as if to convince himself to accept this helpless reality.
She took a gentle breath, trying to suppress the disappointment in her heart. When she raised her head again, she tried to put a gentle but slightly forced smile on her face.
"However," her eyes became firm and full of motherly glory again, "It doesn't matter. I will take more videos and take more photos... record every detail, the way Satsuki wears White Bridal Robe, the way Naruto puts the ring on her, the way they exchange vows, and everyone's smiling faces at the banquet... all are clearly recorded."
"Wait until later... maybe one day, the situation will be different... I can show these to her. Let her know that her sister is finally happy. Our Satsuki is married."
Mikoto said, with crystal tears in her eyes, but behind the tears was all-embracing maternal love and expectation. She knew that the road ahead might be long and the hope might be slim, but she was willing to preserve this complete joy, leaving a gentle window for the absent child and for the impossible reconciliation in the future.
Fugaku looked at his wife quietly, without saying anything. He just stretched out his hand and gently shook Mikoto's hand across the desktop filled with documents.