Hearing Kushina's choice, Arata felt deeply gratified.
It seemed he truly hadn't misjudged her. This little girl possessed a remarkably resolute heart, and her aspirations were astonishingly lofty. Even knowing how difficult the path would be, she had still chosen the third option without hesitation.
At the very least, if Arata ever grew tired of sitting in the Hokage's seat, there would be no concern about a lack of successors.
Although Shizune was also one of Arata's carefully nurtured disciples, her innate talent simply couldn't compare to Kushina's. Since Kushina was willing to walk the third path, Arata naturally intended to spare no effort in training her.
Even the Nine-Tails in the distance brightened at this moment, a trace of approval flickering in its eyes as it looked at Kushina.
Her choice had clearly earned the recognition of the proud tailed beast.
This recognition would become a tremendous advantage once she became a jinchūriki. After all, merely borrowing a tailed beast's chakra was never enough to unleash its full power. To truly reach the pinnacle, one had to become a genuine partner—mutually acknowledged and perfectly coordinated.
And Kushina had already drawn the Nine-Tails' attention before even becoming a jinchūriki. As long as she didn't recklessly throw her life away, her future path would be remarkably smooth.
Just as Arata was about to speak, the system interface suddenly appeared before his eyes once more.
[Ding! Based on the host's current circumstances, the system presents the following three choices]
[Option 1]
[Do not allow Kushina to become a jinchūriki. Let her grow up happily as an ordinary girl.
Reward: Tenseigan Bloodline.]
[Option 2]
[Allow Kushina to become a jinchūriki, but do not fully train her—limit her growth to Kage-level.
Reward: Rinnegan Bloodline.]
[Option 3]
[Allow Kushina to become the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and cultivate her to Super-Kage Peak, making her the Fifth Hokage.
Reward: System Upgrade.]
[The system will determine the reward based on the host's actions. Please choose carefully.]
The system's sudden appearance caught Arata completely off guard.
What truly stunned him, however, were the options and rewards themselves. They were on an entirely different level compared to previous choices.
Previously, even Black Zetsu's options had offered Six Paths–tier rewards across the board.
Yet now—just the first two options alone carried the potential to elevate Arata to Six Paths–level strength.
Option One was the simplest: do nothing, let Kushina grow up happily. And yet the reward was astonishing—the Tenseigan, a power not inferior to the Rinnegan, and in terms of combat potential, possibly even superior.
In canon, the Tenseigan appeared through Ōtsutsuki Toneri, a descendant of Ōtsutsuki Hamura. By forcibly gathering the Byakugan of his clan, he awakened the Tenseigan and unleashed terrifying power. His jutsu, Golden Wheel Rebirth Explosion, cleaved the moon in half—an unmistakable Six Paths–tier feat.
That moon was no ordinary construct. It had been created by the Sage of Six Paths himself using Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei. To split it with a single strike was proof enough of the Tenseigan's absolute might.
Option Two wasn't difficult either. Once Kushina became the jinchūriki, Arata could simply refrain from investing serious effort in her growth. The sealing itself wouldn't even require his involvement—Uzumaki Yūki could handle it, while Arata merely suppressed the Nine-Tails.
And the reward—the Rinnegan—was the real deal.
Though Nagato wielded it only to Super-Kage early or mid-tier levels, that was due to his diluted bloodline. With true Indra and Asura lineage, the Rinnegan's potential was unquestionably Six Paths–tier.
Even Obito, who wasn't Indra's reincarnation, had demonstrated greater control over it than Nagato.
Both options were perfectly viable for Arata. With Madara's bloodline already in him—effectively making him Indra's reincarnation—and Senju power soon within reach, he would possess both halves required to wield either the Tenseigan or the Rinnegan without restriction.
Yet despite all this, Arata's gaze lingered on Option Three.
The difficulty was enormous.
Kushina would need to become the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, reach Super-Kage Peak, and even ascend to the position of Fifth Hokage.
Fortunately, the system didn't demand she become the Fourth Hokage—otherwise, Arata wouldn't even consider competing for the position in the near future. The Fifth Hokage role could wait. Once Arata became the Fourth, elevating someone from his own faction would be effortless.
Training Kushina to Super-Kage Peak, however, would likely take at least ten to twenty years.
And yet…
The reward was simply listed as "System Upgrade."
Those two words carried an irresistible allure.
Everything Arata possessed—his strength, his reputation, his path toward the Hokage's seat—had all been built atop system rewards. Even something as seemingly trivial as the attribute-inspection function had proven invaluable.
This time, the system wasn't offering a new feature.
It was offering to evolve itself.
More importantly, the system had added a warning it had never given before:
Please choose carefully.
Not even during Six Paths–tier rewards had such a warning appeared.
Which meant this choice would have consequences far beyond mere power—perhaps even more profound than Six Paths abilities themselves.
And that could only mean one thing.
The warning… was for Option Three.