After all, even if the Uzumaki clan really joined Konoha, their long-standing resentment toward the village—and the way many Konoha shinobi look down on them—would eventually breed something similar to the Uchiha Rebellion.
If Arata mishandled things, then even if the Uzumaki weren't wiped out in this crisis, they would eventually be devoured by the political struggles within the village.
But with this favorability boost, things would be different. At the very least, this generation of Uzumaki would never betray Arata easily.
As for the next generation, Arata was confident: with his "21st-century advanced education methods," he wasn't worried about future Uzumaki failing to develop a true sense of belonging to Konoha.
Since Arata intended to unite the shinobi world under Konoha, the Uzumaki clan would be the perfect beginning. With the Uzumaki as a model, the resistance that other nations offered after being conquered would be greatly reduced.
Having made up his mind, Arata decided—this time, he absolutely had to act. The Uzumaki would survive.
The only thing weighing on him… was the group of three thousand civilian shinobi under his command. This was still a battlefield border—something could go wrong at any moment.
And as for asking the Third Hokage to take them back? That old fox would never agree. They were political enemies now.
But before Arata could continue worrying, the system chimed again.
[Ding! Detected: host has led three thousand civilian shinobi into battle; no casualties have occurred. Option requirement fulfilled.
Reward: Complete Uchiha Madara Bloodline. Please accept!]
Arata, who had been frustrated moments earlier, lit up instantly.
It seemed the system had determined that these three thousand were now officially out of mortal danger—meaning even without Arata hovering over them, none of them would die in the Second Great War.
And that made sense. The Kumo forces had already retreated. Would the Land of Fields dare launch an offensive now?
During their pursuit earlier, the Land of Fields lost a large number of shinobi. They were probably too busy licking their wounds to cause new trouble.
Delighted, Arata opened the system inventory.
[Uchiha Madara's Bloodline: Upon use, the user obtains the exact bloodline of Uchiha Madara. All bloodline traits, chakra quality, and innate talent will match his.]
One look was enough. Arata knew this was the key—his path to the Six Paths level began here.
With Madara's bloodline, and the Senju Hashirama bloodline he expected to obtain later, he would hold the two greatest bloodlines in ninja history. From there, all he needed was training—Six Paths level would be inevitable.
He might not even need to become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
Madara awakened the Rinnegan from just a scrap of Hashirama's cells—pure regression-to-ancestor talent.
But Arata could potentially perfectly fuse both bloodlines. His bloodline density might reach the level of the Sage of Six Paths himself.
Arata didn't hesitate.
"Use: Uchiha Madara's Bloodline."
Confirming with Mind Net that no one was near his tent, Arata immediately activated the bloodline.
[Madara Bloodline usage confirmed. Bloodline transmission beginning…]
A moment later, agonizing pain tore through his body—his blood felt like it was being drained and replaced in an instant.
Fortunately, the pain came quickly and went just as fast. Within minutes, Arata was back to normal.
He rushed to a mirror and immediately noticed his skin had become a shade paler.
A classic Uchiha trait: refined looks and unfairly perfect skin.
Then a thought struck him—
Would this overwrite his Rumble-Rumble Fruit lightning powers?
He raised his right hand—
BOOM!
Dark blue lightning exploded from his palm.
"Good—my Rumble Fruit is still here."
Not only was it still there—Arata could feel it. His Devil Fruit power had strengthened. He was a step closer to awakening—maybe only one final breakthrough remained.
Then another surge—his Sharingan activated on its own, spinning into a perfect three-tomoe Sharingan.
This was expected. With his level of chakra and combat experience, unlocking three tomoe was trivial.
The Mangekyō, however… that would be tricky. He had no close relatives to suffer grief over—and he definitely wasn't about to kill his future wife for an eye boost.
But with the system, he wasn't worried. There would be a method eventually.
Madara's bloodline also brought another benefit: raw physical prowess. In the Fourth Shinobi War, Madara fought an entire army alone—proof that Uchiha elite bloodlines excelled in taijutsu far beyond ordinary shinobi.
Arata instantly noticed the difference. His previous physical limits probably topped out at peak "super-Kage level"…
But now, if he focused purely on physical training, reaching the Six Paths tier through taijutsu alone didn't seem impossible.
Power surging, morale high, and with the system reward in hand, Arata no longer saw any reason to remain at the northern border.
He didn't want his men stuck here either—they deserved safety. He would take them back to Konoha personally.
As for the Third Hokage's orders? Arata didn't care anymore. His power had just risen again—if Hiruzen wanted to pick a fight, Arata wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson.
Besides, Arata needed to return to Konoha for a more important reason: Uzumaki Mito was about to face her crisis.
If his memory was correct, Hiruzen's plan regarding Mito would be enacted soon.
Mito might not die—but her power would drop sharply. She might even lose the Yin Seal and its stored chakra.
Arata couldn't allow that.
...
Meanwhile, Konoha Village remained peaceful despite the Second Great Ninja War raging across the world. As the strongest of the Five Great Nations, life in Konoha stayed relatively stable; at worst, the villagers felt uneasy. Compared to the terrified citizens in smaller nations, they were fortunate.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was speaking to a young man.
"From now on, the daimyō position will be yours. Remember—don't expose anything. For now, the fact that the Sarutobi clan controls all political power must remain hidden from the people."
The young man nodded obediently.
"Understood… Father."
This was Sarutobi Masao, Hiruzen's eldest son—an eighteen-year-old jōnin rising star.