Most of the shinobi below were deeply grateful to Arata, and a smaller portion—worried for his safety—were prepared to follow him without fear of death.
But Arata stopped each and every one of them.
What a joke—his "option" required that not a single person die.
If even one of these people got themselves killed, wouldn't his Uchiha Madara–lineage reward be ruined, leaving him with nothing but a Mangekyō Sharingan?
Seeing Arata's firm attitude, their respect for him only grew.
In their hearts, they already regarded Arata as the true Hokage—
as the hero of Konoha.
From their perspective, Arata was sacrificing his own life
to buy survival for three thousand low-born civilian shinobi.
That was practically the act of a saint.
With just this single move,
Arata completely won the hearts of these three thousand civilian-nin.
But just as he was about to leave, the 10 civilian jōnin stepped forward.
One of them, the oldest—his hair already graying, close to fifty—spoke.
For a civilian shinobi to reach jōnin level was already one in a thousand.
"Arata-sama, why don't we send a few people with you? Even if something happens, at least someone will be there to support you!"
Arata had rejected their offer to join the battle,
but what they were suggesting now wasn't fighting—
only to hide in the shadows and provide backup if needed.
But even so, Arata couldn't accept.
Their strength was simply too average.
Against Kumogakure shinobi—experts in Lightning Release and terrifying speed—
they could be killed instantly before even reacting.
"I appreciate your goodwill," Arata told them,
"but your most important task right now is to protect this defense line and make sure Kumogakure cannot break through into Konoha's interior!"
The old jōnin still couldn't rest easy. He blurted out emotionally:
"Arata-sama, you are the hope of all civilian shinobi! Is it really worth throwing your life away like this?"
No one present truly believed Arata could come back alive.
That was why they were so unwilling to let him go.
But Arata answered with absolute confidence:
"Have you forgotten my title? I am Konoha's Blue Lightning. If I want to leave, no one can stop me!"
With those last words, Arata's body erupted into blue lightning.
With a thunderous crack, he vanished from sight.
The old jōnin could only sigh helplessly.
"May Arata-sama return safely…"
...
As soon as Arata departed, he sensed something unusual through his Mind Net.
He turned his gaze westward.
From his position, all he could see were endless towering trees—
no sign of human presence.
Arata said nothing, only let out a cold smile,
then continued heading toward Kumogakure's army.
Meanwhile, more than ten kilometers to the west,
an old man sat under a tree, eyes closed, resting.
The old man's hair and beard were completely white,
his face deeply lined with age—he looked nearly seventy.
Yet sitting there, he radiated a natural authority,
the unmistakable aura of someone long accustomed to power.
He wore a black suit of armor—
the armor alone was priceless,
and judging by the material,
it was made of chakra metal.
Suddenly, a figure appeared before him, kneeling respectfully.
"Sasuke-sama, everything is proceeding according to plan…"
Only then did the old man slowly open his eyes.
That old man was none other than the current Daimyō of the Land of Fire—
a legendary figure from before Konoha was even founded—
Sarutobi Sasuke.
He had lived from the Warring States Era to the present.
He had fought Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi,
and even the "Shinobi Demon" Uchiha Madara had spoken highly of him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had become Hokage largely thanks to the immense prestige of his father.
And now, as the Daimyō,
anyone who knew his true identity couldn't help but feel awe.
"I hope that Raikage brat can perform properly," Sarutobi Sasuke muttered.
"Don't make this old man work at my age."
Hearing this, the messenger froze nervously.
Though this man had held a political position for many years,
his strength had barely diminished.
If it came to an actual fight…
even Sarutobi Hiruzen might not be a match for his father.
The messenger quickly began giving details:
"Kumogakure sent ten thousand troops. The Third Raikage himself is there, along with the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails. Two Kage-level shinobi and one at the peak of the Kage level. They should be able to handle Arata Itsuki… right?"
Sarutobi Sasuke did not relax.
He answered cautiously:
"It's better to be safe. Inform the Land of Fields and the Land of Iron—they may begin preparations. Regardless of whether Kumogakure succeeds, I will make my move. We'll block the Land of Lightning's retreat together."
His meaning was unmistakable—
Sarutobi Sasuke had already formed an alliance
with the Land of Fields and the Land of Iron.
Between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning lay several small nations—
the Land of Fields and the Land of Iron were two of them,
and each barely had two thousand troops at best.
They existed only as buffer zones,
battlefields for the great nations—
no different from the Land of Rain.
The Land of Iron was a samurai nation—its elite forces were all warriors without chakra.
So when Kumogakure borrowed their land to invade Konoha,
they didn't dare protest.
But as long-oppressed nations,
how could they not harbor resentment?
Even without Otogakure,
the Land of Fields still had its own leader and shinobi.
With Sarutobi Sasuke's provocation,
the Lands of Fields and Iron mustered a joint force of 4000, blocking Kumogakure's path home.
Once Kumogakure finished dealing with Arata, Sarutobi Sasuke and Sarutobi Hiruzen would attack together.
Combined with Konoha's fresh forces and the allied army, they could very well wipe out Kumogakure's elite entirely.
In raw strength, the Raikage was strong—
but in schemes?
Compared to this "old monster" Sarutobi Sasuke, he was far inferior.
The Raikage's plans had been fully predicted.
Sarutobi Sasuke let out a cold smile.
"A mere second-rate Land of Lightning, and they dare encroach upon the territory of the shinobi world's strongest—the Land of Fire.
Truly ignorant of their place."
Watching him casually decide the fate of nearly ten thousand elite soldiers,
the messenger couldn't help but tremble…
...
Kumogakure's forces, unaware they were already being outmaneuvered, were preparing to march into the Land of Fire.
But suddenly, the road ahead was struck by a descending pillar of blue lightning from the sky!
The lightning fell like divine punishment—
in an instant, it annihilated every tree within a hundred-meter radius,
leaving behind a bottomless crater.
As the blazing light faded, a single man hovered in the air above—staring down at the entire Kumogakure army.
***************************
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