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 Craftsmen (Takumi Village)—Yoshida Eiichi.
At this moment, his emotions were extremely complicated.
On one hand, he regretted missing the chance to obtain the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, which meant his long-planned Seven Great Ninja Tools might never come to fruition.
On the other hand, he felt deep admiration for Arata.
For craftsmen like them, nothing commanded more respect than a top-tier powerhouse. Being able to forge weapons for such a figure was an honor beyond measure.
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 meant that the Land of Craftsmen—also an island nation—had now become Kirigakure's next prime target for expansion.
Geographically speaking, the Land of Craftsmen 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 extremely close to the Land of Water, meaning an invasion from Kirigakure could come at any moment.
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 time, 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 mercy and eliminate them without hesitation.
Under such circumstances, having a powerful ally was absolutely essential.
But the Land of Craftsmen'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 Craftsmen, 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 overcame his fear and took that difficult step forward.
Behind him, the Land of Craftsmen'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, meanwhile, had been watching Yoshida Eiichi the entire time, 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 disarmed.
"Arata-sama, the Land of Craftsmen 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 meaning 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 Craftsmen.
An ordinary shinobi might immediately 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 movement of the lightning giant sent cold sweat pouring down Yoshida Eiichi's back.
Thankfully, Arata didn't strike. That alone gave Yoshida Eiichi a glimmer 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 moment before continuing,
"Arata-sama's strength is naturally unrivaled in the shinobi world… but your weapon is somewhat beneath you. The Land of Craftsmen may not be exceptional in other fields, but when it comes to forging ninja tools, we do have some 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 moment.
After all, it wasn't some legendary weapon—just something 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 immediately.
They were none other than Lightning Release: Fang, later wielded by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen 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 time. 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 immediately said,
"So… you're planning to give me a proper ninja tool as a meeting gift for this alliance?"
Seeing that Arata hadn't taken offense, Yoshida Eiichi finally exhaled in relief.
It seemed he had gambled correctly—Arata wasn't some bloodthirsty tyrant.
"This Lightning Blade shall be presented to you, my lord. I hope it demonstrates the sincerity of the Land of Craftsmen."
As he spoke, Yoshida Eiichi removed the twin blades from his body and respectfully offered them to Arata.
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