Seramu clung tightly to Arima as he soared effortlessly between the rooftops.
A gentle breeze brushed against her delicate face, and for the first time in her life, she felt completely enveloped in a profound sense of safety. Her heart swelled with warmth.
Emboldened, she wrapped her arms around his broad chest.
Turning her head, she stared blankly at his face, inhaling the clean, pleasant scent that clung to him.
At that moment, the world seemed to stand still, only the two of them existed. Emotions long dormant stirred awake inside her.
To her, this tall, imposing man had granted her a second life, and along with it, etched an indelible mark upon her heart.
Arima, holding Seramu in his arms, quickly departed the underground chamber. His mind was focused solely on how to completely crush the Sky Shinobi forces.
He was entirely unaware of the deep affection blooming in the queen's gaze.
The moment Arima laid eyes on that strange man, he immediately guessed his identity, clearly, the leader of the Sky Shinobi, Miyaderai.
Arima could have easily subdued him earlier, but had instead chosen to let him go.
He suspected that the Sky Shinobi were being manipulated by the same mysterious hand that had pulled strings from the shadows a decade ago.
Since he had yet to find a way to deal with that hidden force, it was better not to act rashly.
More importantly, he believed that many civilians were likely imprisoned within the Sky Shinobi base.
His top priority was to locate it and then uproot the entire faction, along with the power behind it, once and for all.
On his way here, Arima had received urgent updates from Kata and Iwa.
The tone of their messages conveyed the severity of their situation, prompting him to race toward Roran without pause.
Using the Flying Thunder God formula he had previously left on Dodai, Arima successfully rescued the critically injured Dodai and Kata, relocating them to a safe oasis.
But neither of them knew Iwa's current status. With her life or death still unknown, Arima wasted no time in heading to Roran in search of her.
To his surprise, instead of finding Iwa, he first sensed a wave of dark chakra, belonging to the Zero-Tails.
Following the trail of that chakra, he was led to a chamber deep underground where the Dragon Vein was buried.
There, he managed to rescue Seramu.
During his brief contact with the mysterious man, Arima had successfully planted a Flying Thunder God formula on him, laying the groundwork for the net he would later cast.
Seeing that Miyadera hadn't followed him, Arima landed atop a nearby tower with Seramu still in his arms. He needed a moment to activate his chakra-sensing technique to locate Iwa.
Meanwhile, Seramu remained motionless in his embrace, listening to the powerful rhythm of his heartbeat. She quietly savored the peace in her heart.
Gone was the regal dominance she displayed when commanding her court, now, she looked like a gentle, demure young woman.
Using his chakra sensing, Arima soon locked onto Iwa's chakra signature, and much of his anxiety was lifted.
What he feared most was finding her too late. Thankfully, she was safe, for now. Had she been harmed, there was no telling how he would have vented his fury on her attackers.
However, just as he pinpointed Iwa's location, a sudden wave of confusion swept over him.
Had he fallen asleep without realizing it? How else could he explain sensing the chakra of the Nine-Tails and Two-Tails jinchūriki in this place?
Even more puzzling were the two strangers accompanying Iwa, both of whom bore his Flying Thunder God mark.
He was certain he hadn't placed his formula on any strangers, unless they were enemies.
But judging by their chakra levels, they didn't seem remotely powerful enough to be considered threats.
Clearly, his intel was far too limited. Rather than speculate, it was better to go find out for himself.
With that, he leapt toward Iwa's location. As for Seramu, he barely registered her presence, her weight was less than the gear he carried in daily training.
As he neared the royal chambers, Arima didn't bother concealing his chakra. On the contrary, he intentionally released a wave of pressure.
He had already sensed numerous elite shinobi lurking near the palace, now that he had arrived, he wasn't about to let these rats cause trouble.
Back near the palace, Iwa had just been preparing to escort Seramu to the Dragon Vein alongside Minato and the others when she suddenly felt a very familiar chakra signature approaching.
She immediately realized the Third Hokage had arrived in Roran.
His safe arrival was the best news she could have hoped for. At last, she could relax a little.
Minato and Kushina also sensed the Third's chakra. To them, he was a living legend, someone they had admired since childhood.
Now that they were about to meet a younger version of him, one close to their own age, both couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement.
Minato, as Jiraiya's student, had often received the Third's guidance. Though there was a significant age gap, the Third's warmth and humility had left a lasting impression.
To Minato, he was more like an older brother than a distant elder.
Kushina had been close to the "Arima-nii" since she was little.
In fact, before she met Minato, she'd always declared she wanted to marry the Third, something Tsunade constantly teased her about.
It was only after Mito explained the difference between admiration and love that Kushina realized her feelings for the Third were purely platonic.
And eventually, she met the one who truly held her heart.
Elsewhere, the other six genin in the squad also sensed an overwhelmingly powerful chakra drawing near.
Obito and Rin were visibly shaken by the aura, while Kakashi first looked grim, then relaxed slightly. He cast a sideways glance at the trembling duo, inwardly exasperated.
The Two-Tails jinchuriki was especially familiar with the Third Hokage and had long been a recipient of his special care.
She was truly grateful for the way he had changed her life, and now she eagerly anticipated meeting this younger version of him.
Arata, too, felt an unusual surge of emotion. Nervousness crept in, something rare for him, and his normally calm demeanor vanished.
He didn't know how to face this father who, at present, wasn't his father yet.
Meanwhile, Yuna beamed with joy.
Reunited with her father and free of her mother's supervision, she was more than ready to throw herself into his arms and act like a spoiled child again.
The elite ninja stationed around the palace, sensing Arima's overwhelming presence, quickly withdrew.
The situation clearly required higher-level intervention, only Kage-tier shinobi could deal with what was unfolding now.
These hidden forces had experienced more twists than they anticipated.
Originally, they had aimed to quietly capture the Konoha and Kumogakure shinobi, but the targets had split and broken out of their encirclement.
The squad sent to pursue the two male Jonin had vanished without a trace.
And though they'd been keeping tabs on the female Jonin, now more and more unknown Konoha and Kumogakure shinobi were appearing.
Their ambush on the Third Hokage was effectively a failure.
Soon, Arima arrived at the queen's chambers with Seramu still in his arms, and there he finally saw Iwa again.
Though her expression was a little weary, she was otherwise unharmed. Relief washed over him.
But then his gaze shifted to the eight individuals beside her, and what he saw nearly shattered his understanding of the world.
Two children who looked strikingly similar to himself and Tsunade stood among them, appearing to be around eleven or twelve years old.
He could feel a strong, inexplicable bloodline connection, leaving him utterly baffled, even shocked.
He was sure he hadn't fathered children that young.
Yet both bore his Flying Thunder God formula, and astonishingly, he could sense his dojutsu power lingering in their eyes.
Moreover, the two jinchuriki standing nearby were strangers to him. The Nine-Tails jinchuriki clearly bore the Uzumaki clan's traits, but she certainly wasn't Mito.
The blond Jonin also bore a Flying Thunder God formula, but with subtle differences.
Other than himself and his granduncle, Arima couldn't recall anyone else in the village capable of using that technique.
Then his gaze fell on the white-haired boy carrying a short blade. Everything about him screamed a younger version of Sakumo's student.
That dead-eyed look behind the mask was unmistakable, just like a miniature Kakashi, only less spirited than Sakumo himself.
Arima's head was spinning. The information overload was overwhelming, and for a long moment, he stood there stunned before them all, completely forgetting to put Seramu down.
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