That purple-haired youth was Iwagakure's greatest prodigy in recent years, so he had naturally heard the rumors about Arata long ago.
Someone his own age reaching the legendary "super-Kage" level—how could a mere early-Kage-level shinobi like him not be shocked?
The purple-haired youth's true identity was none other than Iwagakure's Four-Tails jinchūriki, Rōshi.
At this time, he was far from the elderly man he would become decades later. Most people still called him "Little Rōshi," rather than the "Old Rōshi" of later years.
After becoming the Four-Tails' jinchūriki, his strength had grown rapidly. He also got along well with the Four-Tails' temperament, allowing him to manifest up to four tails while cloaked in tailed-beast chakra and still retain his own consciousness.
Because of this, he had become one of Iwagakure's top combat assets—second only to Ōnoki, and in some respects not inferior to him.
Though he still couldn't fully transform into the tailed beast, those results alone proved he was a competent jinchūriki. Without that achievement, he wouldn't have been so bold and arrogant.
Arata's sudden rise had finally given him a true rival. Previously, he had treated Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, as his benchmark. But compared to Arata's terrifying strength and record, Sakumo's feats now seemed somewhat overshadowed.
He had once wondered why Arata disappeared after fighting the Land of Lightning. Now he understood—Arata had gone to support Uzushiogakure.
Realizing that Arata's strength was at least at the super-Kage tier, Rōshi finally reined in his arrogance. Facing someone an entire realm above him, he no longer acted brashly. He quietly sat back down and waited for the village leaders to discuss countermeasures.
His combat talent was impressive, but politics and grand strategy were not his strengths. He was mostly here to listen. If there was another reason for his presence, it was likely that Ōnoki wanted him to understand Arata's true power—so he wouldn't recklessly challenge Arata alone and force Ōnoki to clean up the aftermath.
At that moment, the man who had remained silent all along—the one in strange red armor and a conical hat—finally spoke. Though he looked young, his voice was hoarse, as if his throat had once been injured.
"If that's all, then Arata's threat level just rises to super-Kage. That alone shouldn't be enough to make you rush back personally, right?"
Rōshi glanced at him and nodded in agreement.
A super-Kage was powerful, yes—but every great nation had ways to deal with such figures. The allied forces that failed at Uzushio might simply have lacked proper strategy and been caught off guard.
Even the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, who mastered the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, had still been killed by the Gold and Silver Brothers of the Land of Lightning.
The previously stunned officials quickly regained their composure after hearing the armored man's reasoning and began nodding.
Fujisaki, however, looked at the man with even greater respect. This was, after all, the person he respected most in the village besides Ōnoki. He spoke respectfully:
"Han-sama is right. If it were only that, I wouldn't have returned in person. The reason I came back… is because after driving off the allied army, Arata fought a mysterious man."
The room lit up with attention.
Arata was already a monster—lightning-fast and possessing super-Kage power, a foe as troublesome as Tobirama himself. Everyone had been worried about how to deal with him in the future.
But now Fujisaki said Arata had fought a mysterious figure afterward.
Could it be that this peerless genius had been ambushed and killed after battling the alliance? If the news were that serious, it would indeed justify Fujisaki's personal report.
Rōshi immediately thought along those lines and was about to ask if Arata had died—
—but the red-armored man, Han, spoke first.
"How strong was this mysterious person? Also super-Kage?"
This red-armored man was Iwagakure's second-strongest combatant. Not only was he a mid-Kage-level shinobi, he was also the Five-Tails jinchūriki.
Yes—he was Han, the jinchūriki of the Five-Tails, Kokuō.
Though the original records never clearly stated his age, his old-fashioned attire suggested he wasn't young. Now it was clear—he had already been active since the Second Shinobi War.
His demeanor had always been calm and composed. Even against the Akatsuki, he rarely showed openings. Among jinchūriki, his strength ranked near the top.
By using the Five-Tails' Boil Release, he developed a unique steam-powered armor, earning the title of a "steam shinobi" and greatly enhancing his taijutsu through pressurized vapor.
Later, when the Akatsuki hunted him, Nagato personally deployed the Six Paths of Pain—something he rarely did when capturing tailed beasts. That alone showed how seriously Nagato regarded him.
Hearing Han's words, everyone was startled. In their minds, Arata already represented super-Kage power.
Han's question implied something else: Fujisaki hadn't rushed back because Arata died—but because the mysterious figure was unimaginably powerful.
Fujisaki looked at Han with renewed admiration, then said gravely:
"I can't even rate that battle. In my entire life, I've never seen a fight of that level. All I can tell you is this—Uzushio Island sank into the sea from a single slash by Arata. And the battle between Arata and that mysterious man submerged over a dozen kilometers of the Land of Fire territory beneath the ocean."
The room had already been shaken by Arata's strength—but upon hearing this, everyone, including the usually composed Han, sucked in a cold breath.