He believed that once he awakened the Rinnegan, he would be able to truly reach it.
Lowering his gaze, he found Tsunade watching him with undisguised concern.
He smiled softly, pulled her into his arms, and gently comforted her.
"It's fine. Whatever is hidden above can only benefit me. It won't harm me."
Tsunade allowed herself to be held, but still muttered stubbornly, "I'm not worried about you. I'm worried that if something happens and you disappear, who am I supposed to find then?"
Arata chuckled lightly, coaxing her like a child.
"Alright, alright. Let's finish our mission first, okay?"
Before Tsunade could respond, he tightened his arms around her and activated the spatial mark.
In the blink of an eye, they appeared inside the villa bedroom where they had stayed before.
Only then did Tsunade realize what had happened.
"Wait—wait! I wasn't finished speaking yet—!"
Before she could finish, Arata leaned down and sealed her lips, cutting off all further protests.
Not long after, Tsunade slowly responded, and familiar soft sounds once again echoed throughout the room, mixed occasionally with her breathless protests and muffled murmurs of surrender.
As dawn approached, Arata finally sent the thoroughly exhausted Tsunade back to her room through the spatial mark.
Releasing her shadow clone, Tsunade collapsed into deep sleep, ignoring Shizune's morning visit entirely. She slept until noon before finally waking.
For over a week, life continued this way.
Yet Shizune couldn't help but notice Tsunade's strange changes.
Tsunade had been unusually tired these days, constantly sleepy, and often lacking energy. Worried, Shizune asked her several times if something was wrong.
Each time, Tsunade shot a subtle glare toward the true culprit.....Uchiha Arata....before calmly explaining that she had been practicing a secret technique and was simply overexerted.
Only then did Shizune feel reassured.
Meanwhile, Arata, watching from the side, nearly burst out laughing.
However, during this period, Arata did not neglect his other responsibilities.
He frequently returned to Konoha to visit Mikoto, who was pregnant, to comfort Yugao, and to discreetly copy the chakra of Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto—the reincarnations of Indra and Asura.
With that, the countdown to the evolution of his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan officially began.
Fortunately, the system did not seal his ocular abilities during the evolution process, ensuring that his combat power remained unaffected.
And just as Arata enjoyed more than a week of peaceful days beside Tsunade, news finally arrived.
Uchiha Fugaku, whom Arata had sent to the Land of Earth, had made a significant discovery.
Uchiha Arata had just lifted his wine glass to his lips while drinking with Tsunade when he suddenly sensed a gentle fluctuation from one of the spatial marks he had placed earlier.
This was the signal he had set.
As long as someone lightly stimulated the spatial imprint according to the agreed pattern, Arata would immediately sense it and be able to rush over.
Focusing his perception, Arata quickly identified the source.
It was Uchiha Fugaku—the man he had sent to the Land of Earth.
Judging by the time, Fugaku should have already arrived near Iwagakure Village.
Without hesitation, Arata finished the wine in his glass in one gulp.
He turned toward Tsunade, who was leaning against his shoulder, smiled softly, and said, "Tsunade, I suddenly remembered something urgent I need to handle. You drink first. I'll come back once I'm done."
Tsunade's body stiffened slightly before quickly relaxing.
She sat up straight, acting indifferent as she replied, "If you have something to do, then go take care of it."
After saying that, she didn't even look at him, instead focusing on her wine.
Shizune, sitting nearby, didn't dare say a word.
After observing them for over a week, she had long realized that something unusual was going on between Tsunade-sama and Uchiha Arata.
When the two were together, there were countless subtle but intimate gestures. Whenever Tsunade-sama drank, she would unconsciously lean against Arata.
And more than once, Shizune had seen Arata's hand resting in rather delicate places.....yet Tsunade-sama never resisted.
By now, Shizune had already figured out their relationship.
But since Tsunade-sama hadn't said anything, she naturally pretended to know nothing.
Seeing Tsunade's faintly sulky expression, Arata smiled indulgently, ignoring Shizune's knowing gaze. He reached out and gently rubbed Tsunade's soft blonde hair.
"I'll be back soon. Let my clone stay with you."
Unlock 500+ Chapters via My Patreon Collection
✨ Available in Shop Now
patreon.com/HeavenlyYinYang