The wind stirred softly as the Uzumaki palanquin came to a gentle stop.

Hashirama straightened immediately, hands suddenly too big for his lap, and tried—failed—to sit still. His legs were bouncing again. Tobirama groaned audibly beside him.

“Would you stop fidgeting?” Tobirama muttered, sharp and low. “You're not twelve.”

“I feel twelve,” Hashirama whispered back, breathless with nerves and excitement. “I'm getting married, Tobi! What if she's terrifying? What if she's beautiful? What if—oh no, what if she hates gambling?!”

Tobirama pinched the bridge of his nose.

But then Hashirama froze.

The palanquin door was drawn aside with regal grace.

And you stepped out.

Your presence was like a burst of chakra through his chest—vivid, unmistakable, electric.

You wore rich, traditional Uzumaki colors—crimson and ivory layered with delicate symbols of vitality and sealcraft. Your posture was graceful, your chin lifted just so, neither haughty nor shy, but measured. You moved like someone who knew the weight of her lineage and wore it with quiet certainty. Hair gleaming under the sun, eyes as sharp as a kunai’s edge, you looked directly at Hashirama.

He forgot how to breathe.

“...She’s beautiful,” he whispered, almost reverently.

Tobirama made a noise of grudging agreement, but Hashirama wasn’t listening. His world had narrowed to your slow, composed walk toward him—your footsteps like thunder to his overactive heart. A thousand things rushed through his mind:

Did you know he snored when he was excited?

That he liked spicy food and cried at dog stories?

That he was not always calm—not always wise—but tried so hard to be?

Would you laugh at his jokes?

Would you yell at him when he lost all their savings on a bad dice roll?

Would you sit beside him at the Hokage’s desk while he wrote long, dull policies and offer him candy just because?

Hashirama stood when you reached him—tall, awkward, smiling like the sun cracked open inside him.

“I—uh—hello,” he said, eyes soft and impossibly fond already. “I’m Hashirama. Your... husband.”

Then, with zero hesitation and full sincerity, he added: “Please don’t be alarmed if I cry a little. I just think you’re the most incredible person I’ve ever seen.”