Unfortunately for him, the reward had already been given.
And it hadn't been done quietly either—it had been announced publicly at Arata's engagement ceremony. By now, everyone in Konoha knew about it. In fact, even beyond the Land of Fire, throughout the shinobi world, people had heard rumors of it one way or another.
If Arata's strength had been lacking, or if his recent performance had been mediocre, there might have been room to revoke that position.
But Arata's recent achievements could only be described as stunning.
Just in the Second Great Shinobi War alone, he had shattered record after record.
He had defeated the Third Raikage, becoming the fastest man in the ninja world.
He had single-handedly confronted the Allied Forces of the Land of Lightning, reversing the Land of Fire's collapsing war situation and turning a losing front into a stalemate.
It was no exaggeration to say that if Arata had not risen when he did, the entire Land of Fire would have been dragged into all-out warfare.
No matter how clever Sarutobi's strategies had been back then, none of it would have mattered if Arata lacked the strength to carry them out. Had Arata fallen early on, the Land of Lightning would have seized vast swaths of 'Land of Fire' territory without resistance.
They would never have been routed so badly—nor given the Land of Rivers and the Land of Iron the chance to strike their rear.
Then came the support of the Uzumaki clan.
That act alone pushed Arata's reputation to its absolute peak.
No matter how one looked at it, a man willing to go that far for an allied nation would inevitably earn overwhelming support within the Land of Fire.
And in the eyes of other nations, Arata would become the first choice for any future alliance.
A powerhouse with unmatched strength—and genuine concern for the lives of allies—was something every country dreamed of having.
By contrast, Sarutobi Hiruzen's standing took a severe hit.
Even if Konoha survived the Second Great Shinobi War intact, the damage to its image would linger. With the Third Hokage at the helm, other nations would grow bolder, pressure would increase—and another world war would not be far-fetched.
Under Hiruzen's rule, Konoha's strength had declined year after year. His own abilities were no longer enough to compensate, and his habit of favoring his inner circle only made things worse.
To other nations, Konoha was becoming easier—and easier—to look down upon.
Given Arata's current momentum, Hiruzen not only couldn't strip him of his ANBU Vice-Captain position—
He now had to seriously consider what kind of reward to give him next.
Yes. A reward.
After all, Arata had earned multiple top-tier war merits. Most shinobi would be lucky to earn even one in a lifetime—yet Arata had gained at least three in a single war.
And that didn't even include his clash with Uchiha Madara.
Hiruzen had no intention of making that battle public.
If the truth came out—that Arata had fought at the level of a Super-Kage at the peak—his prestige would skyrocket beyond control. At that point, no one would even bother acknowledging the Third Hokage anymore.
So no matter what, the truth of that battle—especially Madara's involvement—had to be buried.
However, now that things had reached this stage, Hiruzen knew one thing clearly:
The Uzumaki clan was no longer on his side.
But he hadn't forgotten that besides their manpower, the Uzumaki possessed something far more valuable.
"Since you're willing to join ANBU,"
Hiruzen said slowly,
"then the Uzumaki clan's sealing technique scrolls should be submitted to the village as well. As members of Konoha, you should understand this responsibility."
In principle, any clan's secret techniques could be requisitioned by the Hokage if deemed necessary.
Of course, there were exceptions.
The clans that had existed since Konoha's founding had taken advantage of Hashirama Senju's leniency, secretly retaining certain trump-card techniques. Those hidden arts were precisely why those clans had survived fierce internal competition to this day.
Had they surrendered everything back then, they would have faded into obscurity long ago.
But the Uzumaki were different.
They had just joined.
They were a clan whose country had already fallen.
They had no standing to negotiate.
And Hiruzen was no Hashirama.
If Uzumaki Yūki refused now, Hiruzen could immediately brand the clan as "defying village authority."
Once that label was applied, the lightest outcome would be imprisonment—the worst, total eradication.
Hiruzen's intentions were viciously clear.
If Yūki rejected him, blood would be spilled on the spot.
And from Konoha's perspective, Hiruzen would appear entirely justified.
He was betting that Arata would not dare oppose the village itself.
After all, standing against Konoha meant losing all moral legitimacy—and permanently forfeiting any chance at the Hokage position.
As expected, Uzumaki Yūki fell into a dilemma.
The sealing techniques still existed. They had already been retrieved from Uzumaki Suikyō's body and were now carried by Yūki himself.
But if they were handed over, the Uzumaki clan would lose its foundation.
From then on, even their own people would need to earn war merits just to access their ancestral arts.
That would cripple the clan's future.
Yet refusing meant risking immediate annihilation.
At that moment, Arata stepped forward without hesitation.
"The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques have already been entrusted to me,"
he said calmly.
"I'll report them when the time comes."
He didn't refuse.
But he also didn't hand them over.
He simply said: they would be reported later.
Which meant he could copy them first.
The Uzumaki themselves wouldn't be permitted to do so—but Arata was different.
He was a Konoha war hero with countless top-tier merits.
If someone like him wanted to duplicate a sealing scroll, no one could object.
After all, even Minato Namikaze—a civilian-born shinobi—had been granted access to the Flying Thunder God through talent and merit.
Hiruzen understood Arata's meaning instantly.
If he pressed further, Arata could openly cite his war merits, making Hiruzen appear petty and overbearing.
With a single move, Arata protected the Uzumaki clan's foundation.
No matter what Konoha gained, the Uzumaki would never lose their sealing techniques.