In other words, this system upgrade was likely far more powerful than any reward Arata had received up to now.
After all, throughout his journey so far, Arata had already obtained countless rewards. Including the beginner's gift pack alone, he had received enough benefits to push himself to the super–Kage tier more times than he could count—let alone the previous occasion when Six Paths–level options had appeared.
And yet now, even those rewards paled in comparison to the system upgrade before him. That alone was enough to make Arata curious about what this reward would ultimately bring.
Judging from the wording alone, a "system upgrade" most likely meant an upgrade to the system's functions themselves.
Up to this point, the system could only be described as extremely bare-bones. True, it had given Arata an abundance of powerful rewards, but aside from the choice-based mechanism, it only provided a simple temporary inventory to store those rewards.
Even that inventory was limited—it couldn't extract items directly into the real world, items could only be used inside the inventory itself, and it couldn't store anything new.
Beyond those two features, the system only had one unrewarded function left: attribute inspection. No matter how Arata looked at it, he couldn't imagine that ability being overwhelmingly powerful.
Compared to those systems others had—complete with shops full of god-tier pills, techniques, and artifacts—his system was laughably modest.
That was precisely why Arata was so eager for this upgrade.
He didn't even ask for much. As long as the system could give him power beyond the Six Paths level, that would be enough. Because while the shinobi world looked simple on the surface, hidden behind it was the terrifying existence of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
Even Ōtsutsuki Kaguya herself had feared that clan. There was even a theory that the reason she cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi and created so many White Zetsu was to prepare for the inevitable retaliation from the Ōtsutsuki main family after she stole the chakra fruit.
Kaguya's strength had very likely reached the very peak of the Six Paths tier, yet even she felt fear. That alone meant there were beings within the Ōtsutsuki clan who surpassed her.
Even by the time Arata had transmigrated, the original story had yet to reveal a character definitively stronger than Kaguya—but several Six Paths–level Ōtsutsuki had already appeared. There was even an ancient Ōtsutsuki who had arrived in the shinobi world alongside Kaguya herself.
None of those beings were simple opponents. In their eyes, even super–Kage-level fighters were nothing more than ants. Some had already touched upon time-based laws—freezing space-time itself, or even traveling back into the past.
As for the Sage of Six Paths, that old man might not have been as benevolent as he appeared in the original story either. The waters behind the shinobi world ran far deeper than most imagined.
He spoke endlessly about peace, yet during eras of endless warfare, he never stepped forward. He watched silently as everything unfolded—even when his own two sons turned against each other. He claimed he had passed on all his power to them, yet did nothing to stop their conflict.
If not for the final arc—when he suddenly appeared to bestow power upon Naruto and Sasuke—Arata might truly have been fooled by him.
Creating two Six Paths–level existences with a wave of his hand, yet claiming he couldn't stop his sons from fighting?
On top of that, there were also the Three Great Sage Lands—existences Arata deeply feared. After encountering the Monkey Sage, he dared not underestimate them in the slightest.
While most of the summoned beasts in those lands were only around Kage level, the three ancient sages who had lived for countless years were anything but ordinary.
Take Mount Myōboku's Great Toad Sage, for example—his true name was Gamamaru. It was he who had taught the Sage of Six Paths senjutsu, allowing Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's power to skyrocket and ultimately giving him the means to defeat his own mother.
If Gamamaru could live for such an unfathomable length of time, then the White Snake Sage and the Slug Sage—his peers—were certainly no weaker.
Faced with all these potential enemies, Arata knew one thing for certain: mere super–Kage peak strength was nowhere near enough.
That was why he had been eagerly anticipating a system upgrade for so long.
In the end, Arata chose Option Three.
Compared to the first two, the third option was simply more tempting. Even if it required more time, as long as it could push him beyond the Six Paths level, that price was acceptable.
Even if it took ten years—twenty years—it would still be worth it. As long as the system could upgrade, the growth it brought him would be nothing short of a fundamental transformation.
With that decision made, Arata turned to Uzumaki Kushina and said,
"Your choice is a good one. I didn't misjudge you. I believe your future achievements will surpass both your grandmother and Mito-hime."
Kushina had seen Arata fall silent for a long while and thought her words had disappointed him. She felt a brief pang of unease, even considering whether she should change her choice to avoid upsetting him.
She did want to become strong like Arata—but deep down, she had already grown accustomed to following his lead. Even if it meant abandoning her own wish, she wouldn't have hesitated.
Yet Arata's response made her face light up instantly.
So she had been overthinking it. He wasn't disappointed at all—he truly approved of her decision.
No matter how mature she seemed, she was still a child at heart. Having her wish acknowledged by Arata filled her with joy.
"Really, Arata-niisan? I can truly surpass my grandmother and Mito-hime?!"
Seeing Kushina bounce with excitement and stare at him with shining eyes, Arata smiled and gently patted her head.
"You definitely will. But when the time comes, I'll put you through devilish training—so you'd better be mentally prepared."
Instead of fear, Kushina's face lit up with anticipation.
"That's great! I'll become a ninja as strong as you, Arata-niisan!"
Off to the side, the Nine-Tails listened to their conversation and grudgingly acknowledged Kushina. Still, it couldn't help feeling curious—just how exactly did Arata plan to turn this girl into a true pinnacle of the shinobi world?
Reaching that so-called pinnacle wasn't just a matter of words. Without at least super–Kage peak strength, it was nothing but an empty title.
Uzumaki Mito had once been a false "pinnacle"—strong on the surface, yet utterly helpless when faced with a true monster like Uchiha Madara.
To reach Madara's level meant facing dangers and hardships unlike anything else in the shinobi world. And above all else, it required talent.
If anyone else had claimed they could raise an Uzumaki to super–Kage peak, the Nine-Tails would have scoffed. But the one saying it was Arata—a man born of ordinary blood who had fought Madara to a standstill.
When such a monster spoke those words, even the Nine-Tails couldn't help but believe them a little.
Still, it had already made up its mind.
Once sealed inside Kushina, it would keep a close eye on Arata—just to see what kind of "medicine" this brat had taken to reach his current strength.
There was no way Arata would hide his secrets when training Kushina.
At least, the Nine-Tails refused to believe that.