Tsunade didn't expect Arata to suddenly speak with such sincerity, and she couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.
Arata remembered what he had promised before leaving. Smiling at her, he said:
"Remember what I told you before I left? You're not planning to take it back, right?"
Tsunade finally recalled it—
when he left for the front, he said that once he returned, the two of them would get married.
And she hadn't refused back then.
Konoha didn't have a strict marriage age. As long as both people agreed, even 16-year-olds could marry.
So, for the two of them to marry at 18 wasn't strange at all.
"I… I'm not going back on it… I just don't know what Grandma will say…"
Arata was happy she agreed. What she said next reminded him of someone important.
Although the Senju clan had declined to almost nothing, leaving only Tsunade and her younger brother Nawaki,
there was still one person who held the clan together:
Tsunade's grandmother—Uzumaki Mito, the strongest person in Konoha.
As the First Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, Mito had almost perfect control over it. Her strength was definitely not something ordinary shinobi could compare to.
In the original history, she was praised as the woman who assisted Hashirama Senju in ending the Warring States Era.
She might not be as strong as Uchiha Madara,
but she was absolutely someone no shinobi wanted to provoke.
The Nine-Tails alone made her dangerous enough.
Combined with the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, huge chakra reserves, and strong vitality,
Mito was most likely the strongest active ninja in this era,
now that Hashirama was dead and Madara had disappeared.
Arata said:
"Then let's go see Mito-hime. I'm sure she'll agree to our marriage."
Mito had always appeared kind in the original story and cared a lot for younger Uzumaki like Kushina.
Arata had also treated Tsunade and Nawaki well over the years,
so convincing her shouldn't be too difficult.
Tsunade didn't object. Her grandmother had just said a few days earlier that she wanted to meet Arata.
"But… if you want to see Grandma, you'll have to talk to Sensei first. Grandma is being protected outside the village right now…"
Arata was confused.
"Oh? Mito-hime isn't in the village? Why is she living outside?"
Tsunade's grandmother should logically be living with the Senju,
and considering her age, living outside the village sounded extremely inconvenient.
Tsunade's expression darkened, and the hand Arata was holding tightened into a fist.
"Grandma is old… Sensei worries the Nine-Tails might act up, so for the village's safety, she was moved outside. No one can see her easily."
Arata's impression of Hiruzen Sarutobi dropped even lower.
This old man really was something else.
Uzumaki Mito was the wife of his own teacher,
yet he treated her like this?
Claiming it was for "safety" was just an excuse.
Mito was the original Jinchūriki, and at barely over 60 years old,
with Uzumaki longevity, she shouldn't have any issue maintaining the seal.
This wasn't protection—it was practically imprisonment.
Thinking about the sudden disappearance of the Senju clan,
Arata felt the answer was becoming clearer.
Tsunade's reaction also showed that she had long been unhappy with how her grandmother was treated,
even if she never said it aloud.
Her eventual departure from Konoha in the original story probably wasn't only because of losing loved ones—
the village itself must have disappointed her deeply.
Arata gently patted her hand.
"Don't worry. With me here, Mito-hime will return to Konoha someday."
If Arata had said this before, Tsunade would never have believed it.
Standing against the Hokage wasn't something just anyone could do.
But Arata now had the strength to kill a Kage-level enemy
and was being recognized by the shinobi world as Konoha's Blue Lightning.
His influence was already stronger than hers.
"…Yeah. I believe you."
Having someone to rely on made Tsunade feel warm.
They were only one step away from being husband and wife, after all.
After another day of rest, Arata recovered enough to move.
He didn't waste time and went directly to find Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Tsunade wanted to go with him,
but Arata refused—he already had a feeling that this meeting would not be simple.
He was right.
The moment Hiruzen heard Arata wanted to see him, he immediately agreed to meet—
But sitting beside him was Danzō.
Knowing the nature of these two old men,
Arata instantly felt that something was wrong.