The Kamui space, which had already been packed with people, suddenly saw two more figures appear. Instinctively, everyone turned to look.
Those farther away couldn't see clearly, but among the people standing close to the two, it took only a single glance for them to recognize Arata.
"It's Arata-sama!"
"Thank God— Arata-sama has finally returned safely!"
"Arata-sama is our savior!"
"Arata-sama, I'm willing to work like an ox or a horse for you for the rest of my life to repay you for saving me!"
"Move aside—if anyone's becoming Arata-sama's subordinate, it should be us first! Kazama City was the very first to be rescued!"
"Oh my— Arata-sama is so handsome… If only I could marry him!"
The girl who said that was clearly smitten.
Someone immediately jumped in to refute her:
"Stop dreaming! Arata-sama's wife is the princess of the Senju clan— Tsunade-hime!"
"And Tsunade-hime herself is a renowned beauty of the shinobi world. The two of them are a perfect match!"
...
Arata had barely returned to the Kamui space when the noisy chatter around him startled him.
But after hearing what everyone was saying, even he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.
They were practically praising him like a saint. In truth, while Arata had indeed planned to rescue people from the start, part of it was also because he feared that too many deaths in the Land of Fire would hinder its future development under his eventual rule.
There was also the incentive of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan reward.
Of course, if Arata truly lacked even a trace of compassion, then no matter how great the reward, he would never have gone out of his way to save ordinary civilians with whom he had no connection.
At the end of the day, Arata came from the twenty-first century. He wasn't a saint, but neither could he be completely cold-blooded toward everyone.
After those closest to Arata spread the word, the news rippled outward at once. Soon, all several hundred thousand people knew that Arata had arrived in this mysterious space.
Toward their savior, they were filled with overwhelming gratitude, to the point that many wanted to squeeze forward just to personally thank him.
Arata's appearance also eased the hearts of those who had been praying nonstop. At last, they could be sure—he hadn't been swallowed by that terrifying tsunami.
It was no wonder they were so anxious. Ever since the rescue began, Arata had only been transporting refugees into the Kamui space. He himself had never once entered it.
Seeing how emotional everyone was, Arata felt a headache coming on. He hadn't come into the Kamui space for this—he had important business to attend to.
Off to the side, Uzumaki Yūki, who had just arrived, was captivated by the bizarre surroundings. As an elite jōnin, he immediately recognized this as a space–time ninjutsu.
Moreover, this place clearly wasn't part of the shinobi world at all.
There were no flowers, no grass, no trees—nothing resembling the natural environment of the shinobi world. Even the sky lacked sun, moon, or stars. In the shinobi world, even in broad daylight, a few particularly bright stars could sometimes still be seen.
But here, the sky was nothing but pitch-black emptiness.
As he stood there in shock, the voices of the refugees around him reached his ears. Only then did Yūki realize that there were actually several hundred thousand people gathered in this space.
That realization truly startled him. And hearing the refugees' words made him admire Arata even more.
Shinobi like them were used to living above others. To put it bluntly, most of them treated civilian lives like ants—expendable. Even among the Uzumaki clan, the majority were no different.
Yet Arata, after fighting Uchiha Madara, had still gone on to save these refugees.
Yūki had seen that tsunami with his own eyes. Its scale was utterly terrifying. Even if an entire hidden village's worth of shinobi had been dispatched, it wouldn't necessarily have been possible to save everyone.
And yet Arata alone had rescued several hundred thousand people—and in such a short time.
On one hand, Yūki respected Arata's kindness and greatness. On the other, he once again realized just how terrifying Arata's strength truly was. Compared to him, elite jōnin and even Kage-level shinobi were clearly no longer on the same plane of existence.
At that moment, Arata raised his right hand high. A blinding bolt of lightning burst forth, followed by a deafening peal of thunder.
In the vast Kamui space, the sound exploded in the ears of hundreds of thousands of people. Instantly, all chatter ceased, and many instinctively shut their eyes.
Even Uzumaki Yūki, an elite jōnin, reflexively covered his ears and closed his eyes.
Seeing that his method had worked, Arata nodded in satisfaction. At last, the Kamui world had grown quiet.
He then addressed the refugees:
"I accept your gratitude. If you truly wish to repay me, then when the time comes, devote yourselves to rebuilding your homes."
Talk of working like beasts of burden or becoming his spouse held no interest for Arata. What he truly needed was manpower for post-disaster reconstruction.
With these words, he was also reminding them that although they had survived, their homes were gone. Life still had to go on.
Besides, with Arata's status in Konoha already approaching that of the Hokage himself, getting people to do hard labor would be as simple as giving an order.
As for those girls' requests—having Tsunade, that fierce tigress, already at home, Arata truly didn't dare flirt around anymore. If he angered her, his days would be unbearable.
He never expected that a single decision that day would end up costing him even the chance to flirt. Truly, it was self-inflicted misery.
Hearing Arata's words, the refugees gradually came back to their senses. Only then did they remember that their homes had been destroyed, and many had lost the means by which they made a living.
The days ahead would be difficult. Those who had always been poor might endure it more easily, but for those who once had some assets, it meant losing everything overnight.
Seeing their dejection, Arata quickly added in reassurance:
"You don't need to worry too much. When the time comes to rebuild, I'll send shinobi units to assist. I guarantee that you'll return to your former lives as soon as possible."
At this, gratitude surged once more through the crowd. But Arata already had a solution prepared—this time, all it took was a simple lift of his hand, and everyone instinctively shut their eyes and covered their ears again.
After calming the refugees, Arata led Uzumaki Yūki and began walking toward the Nine-Tails' location.