When Arata heard Kushina's words, he froze for a moment. Then he immediately understood—she was leaving the decision to him.
Although this was their first meeting, Arata quickly realized that his own experiences, combined with the favorability granted by the system, had made Kushina trust him so completely.
After all, Arata was only the second person in the ninja world capable of fighting Uchiha Madara head-on.
Someone that powerful was naturally an object of admiration for everyone. And for Arata to have grown to this level of strength meant he clearly possessed exceptional judgment.
So it was only natural that Kushina would hand the choice over to him. Besides, no matter how precocious she was, she was still just a little girl.
There were limits to what she could truly think through. A decision of this magnitude—one that would shape her entire life—wasn't something she could reasonably resolve on her own. Arata therefore didn't overthink it, simply treating it as a child relying on an elder to help guide her choice.
Meanwhile, after its initial outburst, the Nine-Tails fell silent and fixed its gaze on Arata once it saw Kushina's reaction.
If Kushina herself decided to become a jinchūriki, the Nine-Tails could still try to intimidate her—frighten her into backing down.
But now, it was obvious that this troublesome girl would obey Arata without question.
If Arata nodded, she would agree immediately.
And at that point, anything the Nine-Tails said would be meaningless.
Yet Arata's strength was terrifying. The Nine-Tails didn't dare roar at him the way it did at Kushina. If Arata casually released another bolt of lightning, it would probably lose half its life again.
At this moment, Arata began to seriously consider whether he should let Kushina become the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
If the goal was simply to make her a powerful ninja, Arata had many options.
The Hawk-Eye swordsmanship he possessed, along with Garp's physical training methods alone, were enough to mass-produce warriors at early super-Kage level.
With the power of Observation Haki, the ninja trained this way would have almost no weaknesses. In combat, they would wield devastating sword strikes and overwhelming taijutsu, supported by techniques akin to the Six Powers—no less lethal than ninjutsu.
Genjutsu would also be largely ineffective against such strong mental perception.
If he chose this path, it would be more than sufficient for training Kushina.
What's more, Arata's perspective on chakra control and ninjutsu development far surpassed that of the current shinobi world by decades. Tsunade's medical ninjutsu, for example, had been improved with his help.
So if all he wanted was to nurture a powerful ninja, there was no need for Kushina to become the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
But if he wanted her to become a true pinnacle existence of the shinobi world—
Then the Nine-Tails became almost essential.
Even after Uzumaki Mito activated Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, her strength had only reached mid super-Kage level. That was because she had never truly synchronized with the Nine-Tails.
She also hadn't mastered Sage Mode, preventing Nine-Tails Mode from reaching its full potential.
If Kushina aimed to reach super-Kage peak—or even Six Paths–level power—then becoming the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was practically necessary.
At the very least, it would greatly raise her future growth ceiling.
The power system Arata brought from another world allowed rapid growth, but the shinobi world's system undeniably had a much higher ultimate limit.
So the real question was not ability—it was what kind of ninja Kushina wanted to become.
With that in mind, Arata crouched down, bringing himself closer to her eye level, and said:
"Then you need to tell me what kind of ninja you want to be.
"The first option is an ordinary girl—free to live, free to love, living her life as she chooses.
"The second is a powerful kunoichi, someone admired by many—but when facing the true pinnacle of the shinobi world, she would still be helpless.
"And the third… is a true apex combatant of the shinobi world. This path is unimaginably difficult. The effort required will be dozens of times greater than the first two—but it grants power that forces everyone to look up to you."
It was a long explanation, but Kushina listened patiently, thinking carefully.
Compared to simply asking whether she wanted to become a jinchūriki, this framing was far easier to understand.
The first option was clearly abandoning the path of being a jinchūriki—living as an ordinary ninja with freedom and few burdens. With Arata around, she could practically do whatever she wanted.
The second option sounded powerful on the surface, but was ultimately hollow.
When faced with someone truly at the top of the shinobi world, there would be no chance to fight back.
Kushina immediately thought of Mito.
She realized that Mito had likely belonged to this category—possessing early super-Kage strength, yet utterly insignificant before a monster like Uchiha Madara.
That wasn't the kind of kunoichi Kushina truly wanted to be.
As for the third option—
It was exactly what she desired most.
She wanted to rely on her own strength to reach the very summit of the shinobi world—to stand on the same level as Uchiha Madara.
She knew Madara was terrifyingly strong, but she refused to accept defeat.
Whether for revenge for her grandmother and Mito, or simply due to her fierce competitive spirit, what she truly wanted was to become someone like the man standing before her—
A genuine pinnacle existence of the shinobi world.
Only a kunoichi with that level of power could say with confidence that she was inferior to no man.
Not far away, the Nine-Tails' eyes lit up as it listened to Arata's words.
For the first time, it felt a trace of curiosity toward this little girl. To earn such regard from a monster like Arata—perhaps she truly possessed extraordinary potential.
And judging by Arata's confidence, it almost seemed like he believed he could mold Kushina into a powerhouse no weaker than himself.
That made even the Nine-Tails feel a hint of anticipation.
Perhaps this child really did have talent comparable to Mito's?
In any case, it would eventually be sealed within a human. If that person turned out to be this girl -who reminded it faintly of Mito-then perhaps the outcome wouldn't be so unacceptable.
Still, it kept silent, watching Kushina closely.
If she chose either of the first two paths, then even death wouldn't make the Nine-Tails accept her as its jinchūriki.
Kushina's final choice did not disappoint it.
She looked straight at Arata, her gaze unwavering, and declared:
"I choose the third path.
I want to stand at the very top of the shinobi world!."