When Arima saw Hiruzen approaching, he turned to him and asked, "Hiruzen, what exactly has been going on in the village lately?"
Hiruzen didn't respond directly. Instead, he turned to glare at Hiro and the others. "You're the ones who caused this mess, explain it to Arima yourselves!"
Hiro looked like he wanted to speak but hesitated. Under the intense pressure of the Third Hokage's gaze, his confidence quickly crumbled.
After a pause, he finally said, "Third... After your disappearance, a mysterious man approached me in secret. He spoke with such certainty about your whereabouts and recent movements.
I was manipulated by his words and acted on impulse… which led me to commit treason and consort with the enemy."
Arima's tone grew serious. "What did this man look like?"
Hiro replied, "He always carried the Uchiha fan on his back and was completely cloaked in black, revealing only his Mangekyo Sharingan. I couldn't see his actual face under the cloak."
Arima's voice suddenly turned lazy, his tone more casual. "Did he sound like this?"
Hiro listened carefully and shook his head. "No, that's not it."
Then Arima's voice dropped into a raspy, distorted register. "What about this?"
Hiro's body stiffened. He immediately nodded. "Yes, that's the voice. Low and hoarse, exactly like that!"
Arima nodded slowly. "I know who it is now. Ten years ago, he was active on the Konoha-Kumo front. Even I was ambushed by him once.
He's extremely mysterious and has a deep understanding of the shinobi world. It's no surprise you were deceived."
Noticing the bloody wound on Hiro's arm, Arima said, "Let go. I'll heal that for you."
As he treated the injury, Arima muttered to himself, "The shinobi world will soon be united.
There's no need to dwell on this rebellion. The Uchiha are, after all, an inseparable part of Konoha. I'll avenge this injustice for you."
He spoke with calm indifference, reclassifying the rebellion and effectively brushing it aside.
Arima's medical ninjutsu was second to none. Within mere minutes, the bleeding had stopped. With a few days of rest, the wound would fully heal.
Hiruzen listened quietly, realizing Arima had chosen to downplay the incident and avoid further punishment.
Though confused, he knew now wasn't the time for debate and pushed his doubts aside.
Arima looked at everyone and said apologetically, "As Hokage, I take full responsibility for this rebellion. Therefore, I'll be stepping down to teach for the next three months as self-punishment.
As for the foreign invaders, don't worry. I already sent a Wood Clone to handle them. News should arrive by morning."
At first, the crowd was shocked by the idea of their Hokage demoting himself to a teacher. But upon hearing he had already taken measures against the enemy, they finally relaxed.
'Lord Third acts swiftly and decisively. He alone can bring stability to the world. With him, Konoha will never fall,' they thought.
Gazing at the cold corpses strewn across the battlefield, Arima sighed in sorrow.
"The reason I strive to unite the shinobi world is to reduce meaningless bloodshed. For comrades to kill each other like this… it deeply disappoints me."
He turned to Hiro and the others and scolded them harshly, "Though I won't pursue your treason, you can't escape punishment entirely. Starting tomorrow, you'll teach alongside me."
Guilt-stricken and clearly in the wrong, Hiro and the others didn't dare argue.
Besides, in front of Arima, their strength was laughable. Even with Shin's Mangekyo Sharingan, he'd be instantly crushed by the Third Hokage. The power gap was simply too vast.
In the shinobi world, strength is authority.
Satisfied by their silence, Arima nodded, then turned to Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, come too. Being head instructor is actually quite enjoyable, and you can help supervise them."
Hiruzen agreed enthusiastically. He'd been running all over the village lately, and his stash of tobacco was almost gone.
On top of that, his wife was furious that he hadn't returned home in so long. Becoming a head instructor sounded like a perfect break.
Then Arima turned to Danzo.
"Danzo, I'll need you to lead a team to the capital and protect my granduncle."
Danzo nodded and immediately took his elite forces toward the Land of Fire's capital.
Arima then addressed Homura and Torifu.
"Homura, Torifu, over the next three months I plan to establish teleportation barriers throughout the Land of Fire.
I hope you can oversee the factions in each city and make sure nothing interferes with the construction."
Homura raised a brow. "Three months? Isn't that too rushed? In the past, setting up even one teleportation barrier took at least six months."
Torifu voiced his concerns too. "Arima, did something happen?"
Arima looked up at the full moon and said, "I've found a faster method. Three months is plenty.
But yes, I have a number of pressing matters I must resolve. Before I leave, I need to eliminate any potential obstacles."
Just then, Koharu quietly clasped his hand from behind, reluctant to let go. "Arima, you're leaving again?"
Arima turned to her with a gentle smile. "I know you're worried. But there are things I must face alone. Anyone who poses a threat to me is beyond what others can handle."
Koharu wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, anxiety in her voice. "I'm just afraid… afraid you won't come back."
Not wanting to push her away, Arima gently patted her back and said, "I promise, I'll come back as soon as I can. And if I'm late… I'll grant you one reasonable request."
It was the best way he could think of to comfort her.
Koharu held out her pinky and said quickly, "Pinky promise! No going back on your word!"
Arima chuckled and hooked his pinky with hers.
That pinky promise eased her worries. To her, Arima was warmth personified.
When he was with Koharu, Arima was always open and composed. He never intended for their relationship to evolve into romance; the bond of senior and junior was enough.
But to Koharu, her heart was already set. Every move Arima made tugged at her feelings. The intimacy of that pinky swear would only deepen her hopes.
As the two made their promise, the others around them couldn't help but glance over, eyes filled with curiosity and amusement.
'I wonder what Tsunade will do when she finds out. Are we about to witness a Konoha soap opera love triangle?' they thought.
Clearly, they too had misunderstood Arima's actions.
The moon hung high in the sky. It was now midnight. Arima led everyone back to the village safely from the Naka River. Soon after, they all went their separate ways.
Even Koharu had to bid Arima a reluctant farewell.
To her, today was a day worth celebrating, though she knew that might sound insensitive to the fallen Uchiha.
When Arima returned home, his mother was deep in a private conversation with Tsunade. The two had always shared endless topics over the years.
Naomi, seeing her son return safe and sound, finally let go of the anxiety she'd carried for days. She rushed over and gave him a warm hug.
"Mother, I'm home," Arima said cheerfully.
Naomi looked him over with loving eyes. Then she noticed his unusual right eye. Alarmed, she asked, "Arima, your eye…?"
Before she could finish, Arima explained, "It's a Tenseigan. Pretty amazing, right?"
Hearing this, Tsunade's heart clenched. She was sure he hadn't chosen this path willingly. But with her aunt present, she couldn't ask for details and risk worrying her.
Naomi asked with concern, "Does it harm your body?"
Arima shook his head. "Not at all. See how healthy I look? This eye's been nothing but helpful."
Naomi knew her son was always resolute. Since it was already done, she said no more, only gently reminding, "Make sure you take care of yourself."
Arima nodded obediently, as he always did with his mother.
Then he turned to Tsunade, gaze full of affection. "Tsunade, I'm home."
Hearing his voice again, Tsunade's heart raced. She longed to run into his arms, but the rumors she'd heard stirred up waves of jealousy.
She glanced at Arima, pouted, and turned her head away with a little huff.
Though jealousy filled her chest, her heart ached when she saw his changed right eye. She wanted to forgive him, if only he'd give her a reason.
Tsunade's feelings were a tangled mess of longing and resentment.
Arima, unaware of all this, simply found her jealous expression adorably rare.
Naomi, sensing their tension, smiled and said, "I'll leave you two to talk. Don't stay up too late."
With that, she slipped out, leaving the matter to the younger generation.
Once she left, the room fell into silence.
Arima sat beside Tsunade and teased, "Who upset my little princess Tsunade? Tell me, I'll make sure they regret it."
She was tickled by his tone but pretended to pout, saying, "Arima, someone bullied me. You have to teach him a lesson, kick him flat if you must!"
Arima laughed. "What does he look like?"
"Handsome at first glance, but the more you look, the more ordinary he seems," she replied.
"And what did he do to upset you?" Arima asked.
"Hmph! He's a two-timing scoundrel." she snapped.
Arima blinked. "What are you talking about?"
Tsunade glared at him. "Don't play dumb! You're the scoundrel! How soft are Koharu's hands? How warm is her embrace?"
Only then did Arima realize she'd misunderstood the earlier scene.
He pulled her into his arms, smiling. "You've never been this jealous before, have you?"
She wanted to pull away, but the familiar warmth of his embrace melted her resistance.
"I'm so pathetic…" she murmured, burying her face in his chest.
Looking into his pure, sky-blue right eye, tears welled in her own. "Arima… did someone force you to get that eye?"
He gently wiped her tears. "No. This eye is the Tenseigan, the final evolution of the Byakugan. It's powerful."
To reassure her, he activated his Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
Instantly, his body was cloaked in a shimmering green robe of chakra, and six black Truth-Seeking Orbs hovered behind him.
Tsunade gasped in awe. She couldn't even sense his presence, it was as if he had become one with nature.
She reached toward the orbs, but Arima stopped her.
Without further explanation, he used gravitational force to pull over a teacup and let it touch one of the orbs. The cup instantly disintegrated into ash.
Tsunade was speechless.
Returning to normal, Arima finally explained, "Those orbs are called Truth-Seeking Balls, formed by combining all seven chakra natures.
They far surpass both Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tota. Anything they touch turns to ash."
Realizing how powerful his eye was, Tsunade's worries finally eased.
She hugged him tightly. "Arima… I haven't been able to eat or sleep these past days. I was so afraid I'd never see you again."
Arima gently stroked her golden hair. "I'm sorry, Tsunade. I won't let that happen again."
She gave a soft hum and said nothing more, just held him close, cherishing the moment.
After a long silence, Arima said, "It's late. You should rest."
Tsunade asked, "What about you?"
"I've slept for half a month. I'm full of energy, not sleepy at all," Arima replied.
Tsunade clung tighter. "Then tonight… stay with me. Hold me. I want to fall asleep in your arms. That's your punishment."
Knowing he was in the wrong, Arima agreed. That night, he held her close, the two of them drifting into sleep, fully clothed, yet fully at peace.
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