But now, standing before Arata, Tsunade realized something shocking.
Under the premise of being controlled by him, she seemed to have only one remaining choice.
Uchiha Arata.
That realization startled her deeply.
The man before her was far younger than herself.
Tsunade glanced at him awkwardly.
Yet for the first time, she looked at Arata from a woman's perspective.
She noticed his tall and straight figure, towering over her. His handsome features, sharp yet refined, and especially those bright, profound eyes — even when the Sharingan was inactive — radiated a natural magnetism.
Her face grew hotter.
Everything about him was outstanding.
Except for one thing.
He was too young.
How could she possibly let him say such things so casually?
Arata paid no attention to her tangled emotions. After all, Tsunade was already under his control. Sooner or later, she would be his .... resistance was meaningless.
Seeing that everything had been explained, Arata decided to give her time to accept both the reality and himself.
"That's enough for today," he said calmly. "If we stay any longer, your little follower might completely lose her mind."
Tsunade froze for a moment before remembering Shizune. She panicked slightly.
"Ah—yes! Shizune must be worried sick! Let's go back first!"
A faint blush quietly crept onto her face.
Arata smiled. "For easier contact in the future, I need to leave a spatial mark on you. I originally planned to place it between your brows, but that spot already has your seal."
"You should choose a location convenient for chakra activation. That way, it will be easier for you to use later."
Tsunade blinked. "Spatial mark? Like the Flying Thunder God of the Second and Fourth Hokage?"
Arata nodded faintly.
Tsunade asked curiously, "What exactly is a spatial mark?"
After hearing Uchiha Arata's words, Tsunade asked curiously, "Spatial mark?"
With no choice, Arata explained the function of the spatial mark to her in detail. Tsunade was once again shocked. She never imagined that Arata was such a hidden treasure.
Not only did he possess time–space pupil techniques and his own private dimensional space, but he could also bestow spatial marks upon others.
Although the recipient could not directly use time–space ninjutsu, it would still allow them to escape at critical moments, which was nothing short of a life-saving trump card.
After thinking for a while, Tsunade's cheeks slowly turned red.
Under Arata's puzzled gaze, she hesitated for a moment before finally pointing toward her chest .... right between the two towering peaks.
Although the location was sensitive, it was indeed close to the central chakra point. Even though she felt shy, Tsunade knew that in emergencies, being able to activate chakra instantly there could truly save her life.
(Tanzhong point, Tanzhong point — don't overthink it.)
Following her finger, Arata saw the position she had chosen. His gaze froze slightly, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
To avoid provoking her, he said nothing, directly activating his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and carefully placing the spatial mark.
Fortunately, Tsunade's clothes had a relatively open collar — otherwise, it would have been extremely awkward.
Arata focused intently, meticulously imprinting the mark. When it was done, he let out a long breath.
Marking a spatial seal on a person was already difficult ..... and doing so at such a sensitive location made it even more troublesome.
Isn't this basically testing my self-control?
After Arata finished, Tsunade quickly adjusted her clothes, turned around, and said nervously, "Let's go back quickly. Otherwise, Shizune will panic."
Arata finally pulled himself away from the overwhelming scenery, coughed lightly, and nodded. "Alright, let's head back."
Placing his hand gently on Tsunade's shoulder, he activated the spatial mark and brought them to a secluded area near Tanshu Street.
Seeing Tsunade's puzzled look, Arata explained, "I didn't set a spatial mark directly inside Tanshu Street. I placed one nearby. Too many marks are hard to remember, and setting one in a crowded area could easily expose my abilities.
Tsunade nodded in understanding and hurried back toward their lodging.
As expected, they soon found Shizune anxiously running back and forth.
Because Tsunade had vanished so suddenly, and there was no one to rely on nearby, Shizune had waited at the tavern for a long time before finally returning to their lodging, planning to wait until dawn.
If Tsunade still hadn't appeared, she was prepared to urgently contact Konoha and Jiraiya.