Arata had already sensed something strange before the system prompt appeared—but seeing the choices spelled out only deepened his confusion.
Based on everything so far, the system usually presented options tied to major canon figures—people with real weight in the world. The bigger the character, the better the reward.
But Sarutobi Sasuke?
A man who, in the original timeline, never even appeared on screen—only mentioned by others… and this guy was triggering some of the best rewards Arata had ever seen?
Was it because the "Sasuke" of canon—the deuteragonist—shared his name?
Arata dismissed the thought. More importantly: he needed to examine the three rewards.
The first option was the one that excited him most—the full bloodline of Hashirama Senju.
If he truly secured Uchiha Madara's lineage later, he'd be holding the twin legacies of Asura and Indra themselves.
He would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Sage of Six Paths—if not surpass him.
With both bloodlines, there was an overwhelming chance he'd awaken Wood Release and the Sharingan naturally. After all, the system didn't offer "powers"—it offered bloodline inheritance. And if the bloodline was real, the kekkei genkai would follow.
The second option?
Arata didn't even bother entertaining it. At his current power level, the Mangekyō Sharingan was barely an upgrade. His Second Gear form already rivaled—or exceeded—most Mangekyō Susano'o in raw force.
Sure, he'd gain two Mangekyō-level abilities… but what did that matter when he could level mountains with his bare hands?
The third option—the destruction of Konoha—was equally pointless. Why tear down the village when he'd already won the political war against Sarutobi Hiruzen?
The Hokage seat was practically guaranteed to be his. Why burn down the home he intended to lead?
No—Option 1 was the clear winner.
But its requirements were brutal: defeat all four Kage and Hanzō of the Salamander in the Second Great Ninja War. He'd already crushed the Raikage, so that box was checked. The others, though? The Tsuchikage and Kazekage were both guaranteed to converge in the Land of Rain.
Which meant Arata would need to go there next.
As for the Mizukage, Arata already knew from Sarutobi Sasuke's earlier schemes that the Kiri would move later. He could take his time with that one.
By the time Arata finished weighing everything, Sarutobi Sasuke was on his last breaths—barely inhaling, barely exhaling.
Arata stood over him silently.
"Konoha will reach a new peak under my rule," Arata said at last. "You can watch from the other side."
Hearing this, the dying warlord's tense expression finally loosened.
Relief—genuine relief—washed over his face before his eyes went empty.
A quick sweep with Observation Haki confirmed it:
Sarutobi Sasuke, once a shadow emperor of Land of Fire, was dead.
Out of respect for the man's final stand, Arata left the body untouched.
There were worse ways for a schemer like him to go.
Only now did Arata release his Lightning Armor Second Gear.
The sudden crash of exhaustion nearly buckled him—he dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
Two Lightning Armor shouldn't have drained him this badly, but the second had been heavily amped. And combined with all the high-output techniques he'd fired off today, he was dangerously close to empty.
At best, he had the strength of a normal Kage left. To recover, he'd need time.
But he couldn't rest yet.
Arata walked back to Sasuke's body, lifted a hand, and summoned a lightning clone.
The clone reached inside the elder's robes and retrieved a long, durable scroll—shockingly intact, even after surviving Raijin-level blasts.
Whatever was inside had been precious enough for Sasuke to protect with his life.
Arata didn't touch it himself—shinobi loved their trap seals—but the clone unrolled it safely.
No traps.
Inside were three jutsu.
First: Root of the Heart—a jutsu to implant a binding curse on a subordinate's heart, allowing the caster to kill them or rewrite their thoughts with a single impulse.
No wonder the Twelve Guardian charged into suicide seals without hesitation.
This was the foundation of Danzō's ROOT in the original timeline—Arata realized that immediately.
Second: Reverse Four Symbols Seal, complete with cultivation notes.
Third: Reaper Death Seal—the same jutsu the Third Hokage used in canon to take Orochimaru's arms, and the Fourth used to seal the full Nine-Tails.
A true top-tier sealing art—once it caught you, not even overwhelming power could save you.
Arata shivered slightly.
If he hadn't struck first, Sarutobi Sasuke definitely would've thrown this at him as a last resort.
Good thing he didn't get the chance.
Arata closed the scroll and scanned the battlefield with Observation Haki again.
Far away, he spotted the fallen body of Doell, the Kumo's elite jonin. Arata respected the man—charging the rear alone after witnessing Arata's overwhelming power had taken real courage.
But then Arata sensed something worrying.
Several kilometers out…
Someone from his own Konoha civilian corps—Shiyan—was sprinting toward the battlefield.
And in his path, hidden in the trees, was an ANBU squad—Sarutobi Hiruzen's, unmistakably.
If Shiyan ran straight into them, the ANBU would kill him instantly to hide today's events.
Arata didn't hesitate.
With a swirl of space, his Kamui activated—
and he vanished from the crater.