Seeing this, Arata couldn't help but feel impressed.
At first glance, Yoshida Eiichi had seemed rather reckless during the battle—but his judgment was undeniably sharp.
Arata had only glanced once at the Lightning Blade: Kiba, and Yoshida Eiichi immediately understood his interest, decisively handing it over on the spot.
No matter how one looked at it, this Kiba was clearly the Land of Craftsmen's finest divine weapon. Something of this caliber had to be Yoshida Eiichi's most treasured possession. Yet he had given it away without hesitation—this breadth of spirit alone was worthy of recognition.
Naturally, Yoshida Eiichi had noticed Arata's fondness for the Kiba.
The reason he was willing to part with it was twofold. On one hand, it was simply a waste for a weapon of this level to remain in his hands. Only a Super-Kage-level powerhouse like Arata could truly bring out its full potential.
On the other hand, once Arata's name spread throughout the shinobi world, the status of this blade would rise along with him.
By then, the entire shinobi world would know that such a top-tier ninja tool had been forged by Yoshida Eiichi himself. His lifelong dream—becoming famous across the shinobi world through his craftsmanship—would finally be realized.
More importantly, the Seven Ninja Swords were never meant to be just one weapon.
The remaining six were no ordinary pieces either. As long as he maintained a good relationship with Arata and found a way to acquire the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques—or even just some of the techniques he needed—he could forge the rest.
From Yoshida Eiichi's perspective, every bit of this investment was worth it.
At this moment, Arata stopped being coy and directly dismissed his Lightning Armor.
To be honest, this battle hadn't been particularly satisfying. A so-called allied force of twenty thousand had failed to produce even a single opponent worth fighting.
Even Hōzuki Gengetsu, the Mizukage from earlier, hadn't pushed Arata to use Lightning Armor in earnest. In the end, Lightning Armor had become nothing more than a tool for intimidation, never truly showcased in combat.
Still, being able to repel the allied forces so easily was enough to satisfy him.
After all, he had just fought the Monkey Sage earlier. Even though he had only used a single slash, it had still drained him more than expected.
Now that he had only just broken through, many of his techniques were still under development. Most of what he used today had been improvised, and his control wasn't yet perfect. If he truly encountered an opponent of equal strength, things wouldn't be resolved so easily.
When Arata withdrew the terrifying Lightning Armor, all of the Land of Craftsmen's shinobi finally relaxed. It was clear now—he had no intention of attacking further.
Yoshida Eiichi immediately waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to retreat.
There were serious matters to discuss now. Ordinary shinobi weren't qualified to listen in.
Seeing this signal, the others fled the area as if granted a pardon, quickly distancing themselves from Arata and Yoshida Eiichi.
Even with Lightning Armor dismissed, Arata's Super-Kage-level presence remained overwhelming. Merely standing near him made ordinary shinobi feel stiff and constrained.
Once everyone had moved away, Yoshida Eiichi carried the Kiba and approached Arata.
The moment Arata took the twin blades into his hands, he felt an incredible sense of compatibility—as if the weapon were an extension of his own body.
The Kiba seemed to resonate in response, instantly erupting with dazzling arcs of electricity.
Arata's eyes lit up with delight.
"As expected of a fine blade," he said. "Are you certain you're giving this to me?"
Though phrased as a question, his hands were already gripping the blade as he casually swung it a few times, clearly unwilling to let go.
Judging by his demeanor, even if Yoshida Eiichi tried to retract the offer now, Arata would seize the blade without hesitation.
Yoshida Eiichi wasn't foolish. He saw this clearly and immediately said respectfully,
"As long as you're pleased, Arata-sama, the Land of Craftsmen's ninja tools are yours to choose from at will."
That was a bold statement.
The Land of Craftsmen was famous for its ninja tools. If Arata truly became greedy and demanded them all, Yoshida Eiichi would probably be left with a frozen expression.
Fortunately, Arata wasn't that kind of person. After securing the Lightning Blade: Kiba, his interest in other tools waned considerably.
"Speak," Arata said calmly. "What do you want that made you so eager to ally with me?"
He understood well enough—nothing came free. Offering a nation's finest weapon right away meant there was definitely something being asked in return.
Yoshida Eiichi had spoken of an alliance, but it was clearly a personal alliance with Arata alone. Given Arata's current position as merely a deputy captain in Konoha's Anbu, this could only be about his personal strength.
In Arata's estimation, Yoshida Eiichi either had a troublesome enemy—or wanted something valuable that only Konoha possessed.
At this moment, Yoshida Eiichi hesitated.
He wasn't sure whether to tell the truth. After all, Arata had just saved the Uzumaki clan. His relationship with them was clearly not shallow.
Asking for Uzumaki sealing techniques now might be tantamount to courting death.
Seeing Yoshida Eiichi remain silent for so long, Arata grew impatient.
"Say it," he said coldly. "Or I'm leaving."
Arata still had the Uzumaki clan to deal with. If not for how impressive the Kiba was, he wouldn't bother wasting time with this old man at all.
Finally, Yoshida Eiichi steeled himself and spoke:
"I hope Arata-sama can provide me with some of the sealing techniques I need. Most of them are recorded within the Uzumaki clan. With these techniques, I can forge the remaining six weapons—each on par with the Kiba"
After saying this, Yoshida Eiichi closed his eyes.
He was gambling—betting on the depth of Arata's relationship with the Uzumaki clan. If they were truly close, Arata would likely refuse outright… or even attack him.
But if their relationship was merely cordial, there was still hope.
Arata instinctively wanted to refuse—but then a key detail caught his attention.
Six weapons.
At that moment, realization dawned on him.
These six weapons, together with the Lightning Blade: Kiba, were none other than the future Seven Ninja Swords of Kirigakure.
Each blade possessed unique traits. The most notable among them, Samehada, would later reach terrifying heights in Kisame Hoshigaki's hands—earning him the title of the Tailed Beast without a Tail.
With these seven blades, a nation could effectively field at least seven elite jōnin. With sufficient talent, the wielders could even reach Kage level.
Take Shizune, for example. Even under ideal circumstances, her ceiling would likely be elite jōnin. With Arata's guidance, perhaps she could reach peak Kage level—but that would be the limit.
However, with the Seven Ninja Swords, she might barely step into Super-Kage territory.
That was a different matter entirely.
With this in mind, Arata was tempted to agree.
After all, the Uzumaki clan was destined to be absorbed into Konoha anyway. Once he became Hokage, using his own village's techniques for a fair exchange was hardly an issue.
And as for the Land of Craftsmen—if they truly forged all seven blades, Arata was confident he could reclaim them all later.
In the end, it would simply mean that Yoshida Eiichi was working for him.