The moment the lone man appeared—hovering in midair—
the entire Kumogakure force fell into chaos.
Even without saying a word, the sheer way he arrived demanded attention.
"Is that Arata Itsuki!?"
"He can fly!? Did he steal that jutsu from Iwagakure?"
"Figures—he's infamous for stealing jutsu. Not just from us—did he rob Iwa too?"
"That Lightning Style of his is terrifying. That blast just now… no jōnin could survive that!"
…...
Hearing the chatter, the Third Raikage strode forward and barked:
"Quiet!"
His authority in the village was absolute.
One shout from him, and the entire army fell silent.
His expression, however, was no longer relaxed.
Arata's entrance alone was enough to make him take this seriously.
Arata's speed—appearing in an instant—was something even he couldn't fully track.
He couldn't say with confidence whether he was faster…
or if Arata was.
And Arata's mastery of ninjutsu wasn't simple either.
Where the Third Raikage specialized solely in power and speed,
Arata possessed a far more versatile arsenal.
Add his swordsmanship—clearly noted in the intelligence reports—
and the moment he appeared, the Third Raikage marked him as a top-tier threat.
As the Raikage studied Arata, Arata studied him as well.
Judging by his age, the Third Raikage was around Sarutobi Hiruzen's age—mid-30, maybe pushing forty.
Black headband, an immense chakra presence—
Arata felt he might actually be stronger than Hiruzen.
After all, in the Third Great Shinobi War, this man would become famous for standing alone against 10,000.
Without massive chakra reserves, no one could accomplish that.
If Arata had to estimate, he'd say the Third Raikage was at the peak of Kage level—
likely held back from surpassing that only by his bloodline.
In a world where power was tied to lineage,
only those with traces of the Sage of Six Paths' blood could step beyond the Kage level.
Even the Six Paths level required multiple inherited bloodlines combined and awakened in a specific way.
But while a peak-Kage was formidable,
Arata assessed his own power as at least early super-Kage tier—
a whole level higher.
Seeing Arata arrive alone, the Third Raikage frowned.
"Hmph. Has Konoha run out of shinobi? They sent only you?"
Despite his words, he turned to the silver-haired sensor behind him.
"Doell? What do you sense?"
Kumogakure naturally had talented sensory shinobi.
Doell—dark-skinned, silver-haired, and carrying elite-jōnin-level chakra—closed his eyes.
"There's no trace of other Konoha shinobi within a kilometer."
Even the fastest ninja needed time to cover that distance.
If Arata had no allies within that radius,
he truly had come alone.
Otherwise, if he got into trouble, reinforcements wouldn't reach him in time.
The Third Raikage couldn't understand it.
The reports clearly said Arata had brought 3000 thousand troops.
Why was he alone now?
Did something happen internally in Konoha?
But Arata simply smiled and said:
"10,000 opponents? I don't need support. I'm enough on my own."
His voice wasn't loud—
but to Kumogakure's troops, it struck like thunder straight to the chest.
"What? 10,000 is 'not much'!?"
"He's insane! He thinks the Lightning Armor makes him untouchable?"
"Let him brag. The Third Raikage's armor is the strongest in the world!"
"He's Kage level at best—and this arrogant? Ridiculous."
"Raikage-sama, just give the word-I'll crush him!"
…...
Their outrage was understandable.
Arata's statement outright dismissed their lives.
The shinobi world hadn't seen a super-Kage in many years.
The idea of one man fighting an entire nation
was practically myth now.
Even the Third Raikage—at the height of peak-Kage power—
couldn't guarantee he'd walk out unscathed from a 10,000-man siege.
Arata wasn't a madman.
If he dared to say such words, he must have the power to back them.
The Third Raikage suddenly thought:
Could Arata be… super-Kage level?
But he quickly shook his head.
Super-Kage shinobi were rarer than legends—
and those who reached it were at least in their thirties.
A 19-year-old achieving that level?
Unheard of.
Even so, he quickly ordered the elite jōnin behind him:
"Have Blue B and Yugito Nii circle around and cut off his retreat. This one is no ordinary opponent."
As a sensor, Doell could feel more clearly than anyone—
Arata's chakra was vast, like an ocean,
even greater than the Third Raikage's.
"Raikage-sama… be careful. His body is unusual. His energy… is more than double yours."
The Third Raikage's expression hardened.
Even if Arata wasn't a super-Kage,
he was at least on the same tier as him.
Fortunately, they had brought both the Eight-Tails' and Two-Tails' Jinchūriki.
Without them, the outcome truly was uncertain.
At this level, jōnin and chūnin were little more than background noise.
The Third Raikage himself could confidently take on thousands of them alone.
Arata heard every word through his Mind Net.
So the old brute wasn't entirely reckless—
he knew how to prepare contingencies.
But Arata had his own goal.
He wanted this battle to prove himself—
to show the entire shinobi world what level he truly stood at.
Killing one Kage—like Zōshirō earlier—meant little to the great nations.
Their own Kage could do the same.
But one man versus 10,000—
that was something only a handful in history had ever achieved.
That was a feat that would shake nations.
With that thought, Arata didn't hesitate.
In a blink, he vanished—
and reappeared at the very center of Kumogakure's 10,000-man formation.
Seeing him suddenly appear in the middle of his troops,
the Third Raikage exclaimed:
"Not good!"