Seeing this, Arata nodded in satisfaction.
He had genuinely been worried that his opponents might turn out to be a bunch of hot-headed fools, stubbornly insisting on fighting him to the bitter end.
If that had happened, he would have had no choice but to steel himself and reap the lives of over ten thousand people.
Fortunately, these people still had their wits about them. When faced with a choice between uncertain gains and their own lives, they wisely chose survival.
Before long, the allied forces at the scene had completely dispersed.
The only one still standing in place was the leader of the Land of Craftsn (Takumi Village)—Yoshida Eiichi.
At this mont, his emotions were extrely complicated.
On one hand, he regretted missing the chance to obtain the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, which ant his long-planned Seven Great Ninja Tools might never co to fruition.
On the other hand, he felt deep admiration for Arata.
For craftsn like them, nothing commanded more respect than a top-tier powerhouse. Being able to forge weapons for such a figure was an honor beyond asure.
Because of this, Yoshida Eiichi wanted to speak with Arata about forming an alliance—but he didn't dare approach lightly.
Arata's killing intent was simply too overwhelming. That terrifying Lightning Armor made it impossible for him to take even a single step forward. He feared that Arata might casually swing his blade and cut him down on the spot.
More importantly, the failure of the plan to annihilate the Uzumaki clan ant that the Land of Craftsn—also an island nation—had now beco Kirigakure's next pri target for expansion.
Geographically speaking, the Land of Craftsn was isolated far out at sea, quite distant from the shinobi continent, and unlike the Land of Hot Water, it lacked a large landmass.
Worse still, it lay extrely close to the Land of Water, aning an invasion from Kirigakure could co at any mont.
That was precisely why Yoshida Eiichi had been so desperate to complete the Seven Ninja Tools—to use them to elevate the nation's overall strength and defend against a potential Kirigakure assault.
Although they had outwardly cooperated with Kirigakure this ti, both sides had been wary of each other from the start. If Kirigakure showed the slightest weakness, the Land of Iron would not hesitate to strike.
Likewise, Yoshida Eiichi knew that if his side exposed any vulnerability, Hōzuki Gengetsu would show no rcy and eliminate them without hesitation.
Under such circumstances, having a powerful ally was absolutely essential.
But the Land of Craftsn's geographic position was awkward—it bordered no one. Even the Land of Fire was quite far away.
Coupled with the fact that Sarutobi Hiruzen had always looked down on the Land of Craftsn, an alliance with the Land of Fire had never materialized.
Arata, however, was different.
Yoshida Eiichi could tell that Arata's breadth of mind far surpassed Hiruzen's. Otherwise, he would never have allowed over thirteen thousand enemy shinobi to withdraw unscathed.
This wasn't just generosity or composure—it showed long-term vision.
Combined with Arata's terrifying strength, as well as the rumors that he and Hiruzen were secretly contending for the position of Hokage, Yoshida Eiichi decided to place his bet on Arata.
With Arata's solid Super-Kage-level power, what could Hiruzen possibly use to compete?
At mid-Kage level at best, Hiruzen would probably be killed by Arata in a single move.
Even Yoshida Eiichi himself was confident he could fight Hiruzen to a draw.
In the end, Yoshida Eiichi overca his fear and took that difficult step forward.
Behind him, the Land of Craftsn's shinobi—still awaiting orders—felt their hearts rise into their throats. They couldn't imagine that their leader, at this point, might actually intend to oppose Arata head-on.
Arata, anwhile, had been watching Yoshida Eiichi the entire ti, curious to see what he would eventually do.
If this man truly failed to recognize the situation, Arata wouldn't mind erasing the Land of Iron from the annals of shinobi history a little earlier than planned.
But what Yoshida Eiichi said next left Arata feeling strangely disard.
"Arata-sama, the Land of Craftsn is willing to withdraw. May I ask whether you'd be interested in discussing an alliance with us? Not with Konoha—just with you personally."
The aning was crystal clear.
Not an alliance with Konoha.
In other words, nothing to do with the Third Hokage—only between Arata and the Land of Craftsn.
An ordinary shinobi might imdiately reject such an offer out of fear of being accused of treason. But Arata relied on his own strength and didn't refuse outright. Instead, he asked calmly,
"An alliance? With my strength, do you really think I need allies?"
As he spoke, Arata was still maintaining Lightning Armor. Every movent of the lightning giant sent cold sweat pouring down Yoshida Eiichi's back.
Thankfully, Arata didn't strike. That alone gave Yoshida Eiichi a glimr of hope.
His subordinates also finally let out long-held breaths—at least their leader hadn't gone mad and chosen to fight Arata to the death.
Hearing the question, Yoshida Eiichi pondered for a mont before continuing,
"Arata-sama's strength is naturally unrivaled in the shinobi world… but your weapon is sowhat beneath you. The Land of Craftsn may not be exceptional in other fields, but when it cos to forging ninja tools, we do have so expertise…"
That was a dangerous way to put it.
The implication was clear: your strength is incredible, but your weapon is trash.
If Arata had been short-tempered, he might have attacked on the spot. Fortunately, he wasn't that reckless.
His feelings toward the short blade in his hand were complicated. It had accompanied him through countless battles and could be considered an old companion—but it truly was starting to fall behind his current combat level.
If he ever faced another Super-Kage-level opponent, even if he was strong enough, the blade itself might shatter at any mont.
After all, it wasn't so legendary weapon—just sothing forged at a slightly above-average ninja tool shop in Konoha.
With that in mind, Arata glanced at the twin blades in Yoshida Eiichi's hands.
He recognized them imdiately.
They were none other than Lightning Release: Fang, later wielded by the Seven Ninja Swordsn of the Mist.
Even in the hands of a Kirigakure shinobi not particularly skilled in Lightning Release, the blade could manipulate lightning—and its sharpness ranked first among the seven swords.
That alone proved how exquisitely it had been forged.
More importantly, the blade suited Arata perfectly.
With his Devil Fruit already awakened, adding this weapon would easily boost his overall combat power by another ten percent.
At his current level—Super-Kage peak—even a one-percent increase would normally take an absurd amount of ti. A ten-percent boost was beyond worthwhile.
After all, even figures like Uchiha Madara and the Sage of Six Paths relied on powerful ninja tools.
Arata imdiately said,
"So… you're planning to give a proper ninja tool as a eting gift for this alliance?"
Seeing that Arata hadn't taken offense, Yoshida Eiichi finally exhaled in relief.
It seed he had gambled correctly—Arata wasn't so bloodthirsty tyrant.
"This Lightning Blade shall be presented to you, my lord. I hope it demonstrates the sincerity of the Land of Craftsn."
As he spoke, Yoshida Eiichi removed the twin blades from his body and respectfully offered them to Arata.
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