Later, Yugao performed The Dance of the Crescent Moon for him.....a sight as beautiful as moonlight gliding over still water.
While watching her graceful swordplay, Arata quietly activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and copied the entire technique.
After all, a shinobi could never have too many skills.
He didn't hide it, either.
He let her see as he mirrored her movements, and soon the two began to spar together on the road.
Whether their swordsmanship improved was uncertain...but their relationship certainly did.
Arata had a faint feeling that once they returned to the village and reported their mission, something interesting might happen between them.
After all, ever since Lady Mikoto's pregnancy, he hadn't… tasted meat for quite some time.
Though the team didn't rush, Arata and Yugao both felt that time flew by too quickly.
Along the road, Yugao taught him sword techniques, while he guided her in genjutsu.
Their lessons intertwined—teacher and student, challenger and friend.
By the time they realized it, the gates of Konoha stood before them.
During their slow and steady journey home, Karin and her mother had also regained much of their strength.....enough to resume the simple rhythms of ordinary life once more.
Before long, Uchiha Arata and his team passed through Konoha's great gates and made their way straight to the Hokage Tower, where the Third Hokage awaited them.
The elderly Hokage greeted the Uzumaki mother and daughter warmly, his tone kind and reassuring.
After calming their nerves, he summoned attendants to escort them to a temporary residence, ensuring they had a place to rest and recover.
Then, turning to Arata's team, the Third Hokage praised them for their efforts and asked for a report.
Arata and Kakashi took turns explaining the events in detail, earning several approving nods from the old man.
When the briefing concluded, the Hokage instructed Kakashi and Uzuki Yugao to go home and rest.....but he stopped Arata from leaving.
Arata immediately understood what was going on.
He caught Yugao's worried gaze and gave her a small, reassuring smile.
"I'll be fine," his eyes seemed to say. Reluctantly, she nodded and departed.
Once Kakashi and Yugao were gone, the Third Hokage waved off the hidden ANBU guards as well.
Only after the office was truly empty did he lift his pipe, take a slow puff of smoke, and speak in a low tone.
"Arata… how should we arrange the Uzumaki mother and daughter?"
Arata thought for a moment before replying, "Just give them a normal arrangement. Nothing special.
I already promised them that they wouldn't be forced to become shinobi.....it'll depend on their own wishes.
"Also, place them somewhere near Uzumaki Naruto.
Karin's mother is technically Naruto's aunt.
Considering that Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's son, I think it's time Konoha stopped neglecting him.
If you arrange for Karin and her mother to live nearby, they can look after him.
"And even if they find out he's a jinchūriki, they won't discriminate against him.
That way, at least we can say we did something right by the Fourth."
The Third Hokage froze mid-draw of his pipe, his lips parting slightly.
He wanted to argue.
After all, his carefully designed plan for Naruto depended on the boy's isolation.
By letting the village ostracize him, Hiruzen ensured that Naruto would rely on him alone....the kind, guiding grandfather figure.
That bond of dependence was his insurance for the future, his way to control the jinchūriki when he grew up.
If Karin's family lived close by, that plan would fall apart. They were Uzumaki too.....Kushina's kin, no less.
Karin's mother would likely shower Naruto with the maternal care he'd been denied all his life.
Once that happened, she would quickly replace Hiruzen in Naruto's heart.
But the Third Hokage didn't dare say any of this aloud.
After all, his life now hung entirely on Uchiha Arata's mercy.
To expose his selfish, manipulative schemes would be to hand Arata a perfect excuse to kill him.
So, he swallowed the words forming in his throat, forcing out a weak, "...Understood."
Arata glanced at him briefly, eyes cold with knowing amusement.
Of course he'd seen through Hiruzen's little manipulations long ago.....but he didn't bother exposing them.
Naruto's miserable childhood genuinely angered him.
The son of the Fourth Hokage....Konoha's greatest hero.....should have grown up cherished.
Instead, Hiruzen and Danzo had twisted his life into one long nightmare.
Even a hero's child was treated worse than a criminal.
His meals were leftovers, his home barely livable, and the villagers hated him for a burden he never asked to carry.
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