Boom.
Arata appeared without warning. Even though Sarutobi Sasuke had sensed danger, he had no time to weave a single sign. For all his power, he was still only human — incapable of casting jutsu without seals.
Staring at the Thunder God Sphere practically pressed against his face, Sasuke knew it was over.
The sphere detonated instantly, swallowing the battlefield — already scarred by countless earlier blasts — beneath a fresh wave of destruction.
In the distance, Doell, who had stepped forward to stall Arata and buy his comrades a few precious seconds, realized he had no hope of escaping. His injuries were severe; the only reason he stayed behind was to slow Arata down, even slightly.
But in mere minutes, he had witnessed too much. Blue B fleeing in terror. The Fire Daimyō himself attempting to kill Arata. And Arata casually escaping that monstrous Reverse Four Symbols Seal as if it were nothing.
Doell finally understood: Arata wasn't merely stronger than elite shinobi. His power made strategies meaningless. Schemes that could topple Kage-level opponents were useless before someone like him.
Sasuke's plan would have easily killed the Third Raikage. But against Arata — a force closer to a natural disaster than a man — it was doomed from the start.
As the Thunder God Sphere's shockwave rolled toward him, Doell couldn't even lift a finger. Exhaustion had already drained the last of his strength.
Still… if his final moments meant witnessing a god descend upon the battlefield, perhaps he had no regrets left.
When the light finally faded, Doell was nothing but charred remains — impossible to identify.
At the center of the blast stood Arata, surrounded once more by a massive crater.
Looking down at the shattered armor in the pit, Arata couldn't help but acknowledge Sasuke Sarutobi's toughness. He lacked the Lightning Armor of the Raikage, yet his body was still worthy of a warrior from the Warring States era.
His armor was blown to dust, and his body drenched in blood, spasming under lingering arcs of electricity. But Arata could feel it — the old man was still alive. Barely.
On the brink of death, even a low-ranked genin could have finished him. Arata finally exhaled, tension easing. The crisis was over… mostly.
A pity Sarutobi Hiruzen had escaped. Arata had been a heartbeat too slow. And with Sasuke warning him at just the right moment, Hiruzen had slipped away using that inverse summoning technique.
Arata had heard of it — a reverse-summon variation of the standard jutsu. Essentially a spatial ninjutsu. No wonder he'd managed to evade even such a massive attack.
Sasuke's method was cleverer than the one Sasuke Uchiha once survived with. He'd pre-linked himself to a summoning scroll; the moment this battlefield triggered the signal, the partnered summon pulled him away.
It wasn't Flying Thunder God, but the principle was similar. Arata even suspected the legendary jutsu might have been inspired by summoning itself.
Of course, pulling someone of Hiruzen's chakra level required a summoning creature close to Kage-level. Otherwise, the jutsu simply wouldn't work.
Arata stepped up to the dying Sarutobi Sasuke.
"Your plan was impressive," he said calmly. "You really used your head. But unfortunately for you… my strength outmatched your schemes."
Sasuke couldn't answer. The overwhelming voltage had left his entire body numb. If he weren't built like a relic from the Warring States era, he would have passed out long ago.
Arata continued:
"Since you're nearly gone anyway, let me send you off without illusions. My sensory abilities are sharp — I know everything you plotted. Including what you did regarding Mito and the Uzumaki clan."
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock.
He'd been so careful, always avoiding Mito's crystal-ball surveillance. All his secret moves were conducted outside the village. Anything requiring Hiruzen's cooperation was done through letters — and never opened inside Konoha.
Yet Arata had seen it all.
Which meant his sensory range… surpassed the entire village.
At that realization, Sasuke no longer placed any hope on his son. This struggle could only end one way. Arata wasn't just stronger than a Kage — he understood his enemies fully. And no political schemer survives a foe who already knows every move.
He knew better than anyone what defeat meant in high-level shinobi politics. He himself had orchestrated the purge of the Senju clan.
"…Protect… Konoha…"
His final wish wasn't for his clan. Not for mercy.
But for the village.
In the end, even a man who spent his life clawing for power only realized what truly mattered when death finally took him.
He'd witnessed Konoha's founding beside the Uzumaki and the First Hokage. He'd seen the village's rise. And he didn't want its fall to begin with him.
Arata froze for a moment.
Then—
[Ding!]
Asystem prompt echoed in his mind.
[Due to the host's current situation, three choices are available!]
[Option 1: Accept the dying request. During the upcoming Second Great Ninja War, defeat the Mizukage, Tsuchikage, Raikage, Kazekage, and Hanzō, protecting Konoha against all threats. Reward: Full bloodline of Hashirama Senju.]
[Option 2: Ignore the request. Focus solely on the battlefield against Kumogakure. Reward: Mangekyō Sharingan.]
[Option 3: Reject the request and destroy Konoha. Reward: Mythical Zoan-type Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix ability!]
[The system will determine the awarded reward based on the host's subsequent actions.]