But Uzumaki Mito had not forgotten what Arata said earlier—
that from now on, she no longer needed to concern herself with Konoha's darkness.
Meaning that even if that Monkey Sage appeared…
Arata intended for her to stay out of it.
Thinking of this, Mito's face tightened with worry.
"Even so, your sensory power alone doesn't change everything. Don't forget—the Sarutobi clan's hidden trump card is that Monkey Sage!"
That Monkey Sage…
Even she wasn't certain she could defeat him.
Without using the Nine-Tails' power, Mito already possessed the chakra reserves of a peak Kage.
And with Kurama's support, she was unquestionably among the top tier of super-Kage.
Yet even then, against the Monkey Sage, she would be suppressed.
And Arata had only been in seclusion for two months.
Could he really have grown from Kage-level to super-Kage in such a short time?
Arata clearly understood what Mito was worried about.
He gently patted her hand.
"If I told you my strength is now on par with yours… would you believe it?"
Of course she didn't.
She assumed Arata was simply trying to console her.
Arata sighed inwardly.
If he didn't show her something today, this woman would never calm down.
He slowly stood up.
Seeing him rise, Mito looked puzzled.
Was he… planning to demonstrate his power here, inside the high tower?
If he lost control, the entire building might collapse.
But before she could speak, a swirling distortion of space erupted around them—
engulfing both of them instantly.
Just as she prepared to evade, Arata's calm voice sounded:
"Relax. This is my ability."
It was Kamui.
And this was the first time Arata had ever revealed it to someone else.
Mito recognized instantly that it was a space-time jutsu—
but it was utterly different from Flying Thunder God.
This made Arata seem even more unfathomable in her eyes.
His terrifying lightning bloodline was already incomprehensible.
And now he had an unknown, never-recorded spatial ninjutsu?
Just what else was this boy hiding?
Even more unsettling—
she had monitored Arata since childhood, yet never discovered the origin of these powers.
If even she didn't know… who in the world could?
The next moment, the two appeared in Kamui's pitch-black dimension.
Seeing the bizarre space around them, Mito immediately realized—
this place no longer belonged to the shinobi world.
Arata smiled.
"Let me show you my true strength."
Mito's expression finally shifted to anticipation.
Arata had too many secrets.
Even she didn't dare assert anymore whether he had reached super-Kage level.
Arata whispered:
"Lightning God Mode… Second Gear."
—
A moment later, Arata and Mito reappeared inside the tower.
But unlike before, Mito no longer had her usual composed expression.
Her eyes trembled with shock as she stared at Arata.
She had thought her expectations were already high.
She had thought she was prepared.
But Arata still managed to exceed them—by an overwhelming margin.
That pressure she just felt—
she had not experienced it in many years.
The last person who had made her feel that way…
was Uchiha Madara, Hashirama's eternal rival.
Arata laughed softly.
"Now you won't question me anymore, right?"
Mito didn't argue this time.
She nodded—firmly.
She now fully acknowledged Arata's strength.
The only thing left preventing him from earning her true recognition…
was the title of Hokage.
That title had been her emotional knot for decades.
Unless Arata reached that position, the reward she promised would never be granted.
Arata pressed his advantage.
"In that case, leave Konoha's darkness to me. You should focus on finding what you want to do."
Mito seriously contemplated his request.
Finally, she chose to face her own heart.
She nodded again—this time with a relieved smile.
"But… I still don't know what I want to do."
Arata shrugged.
"You'll figure it out.
Little by little."
Mito fell into a quiet contemplation as she gazed out the window.
But she still nodded gently in response.
After soothing Mito, Arata didn't linger.
He turned and left the tower.
As for when she would step outside again…
That would wait until after Arata ended the coming Shinobi World War.
—
Arata had barely taken two steps outside the tower when an earth-shaking bell rang through Konoha.
DONG—DONG—DONG—! … DOOOONG—!
Three quick tolls.
Followed by a long, echoing chime.
It was Konoha's highest alert signal.
The last time this bell rang—
the First Great Ninja War had erupted.
And the Second Hokage died in that conflict.
Immediately, the entire village shifted into full alert.
Civilians froze in horror, whispering prayers toward the carved face of Hashirama on the Hokage Rock.
Shinobi still stationed within the village all grew solemn.
As the military backbone of their nation, they already understood exactly what level of conflict approached.
In a war involving entire nations—
even Kage-level shinobi were not guaranteed survival.
Some fresh academy graduates trembled uncontrollably.
They hadn't even fought yet, and already their morale was crumbling.
Fortunately, Konoha still appeared overwhelmingly powerful.
Otherwise, morale would have collapsed before war even began.
And once this bell rang, every jōnin and above had to gather immediately.
Arata, of course, was among them.
When he reached the meeting hall, many were already present—
including Tsunade, whom he had just comforted earlier.
Arata sat beside her and gently squeezed her hand.
Only then did Tsunade manage a faint smile and regain some composure.
Once nearly everyone had arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped to the front.
His voice was grave:
"Report from the front lines—
Chiyo of Sunagakure and the current Kazekage, Shamon, are leading 7000 troops toward our border."