The moment Arata heard this, he instantly began thinking back—had he done anything too shocking?
The last thing he wanted was for anyone to notice that he was a transmigrator… or that he had a system.
Fortunately, after replaying his recent actions in his head, he found nothing particularly outrageous.
Even the system had only awakened recently, and Arata had been extremely careful with its use.
But even so, Uzumaki Mito's ability shocked him to the core.
If she truly saw everything so clearly, then this unassuming old woman was the one person who understood all of Konoha's secrets.
She had married Senju Hashirama before the village was even founded, and now, 28 years after Konoha's establishment, she was practically a living history book.
Seeing that Arata needed a moment to process this, Mito waited before continuing:
"Like I said, with this next war coming, every clan will try to weaken the others to increase their chances at the Hokage seat. And because you're also a potential competitor… every clan will soon start showing you goodwill. Uchiha Tsuki was simply the first to make his move."
Arata suddenly understood.
"So the friendly approach is only a front. After that, they'll quietly leak my information to other villages, hoping I 'accidentally' die on the battlefield… right?"
Mito nodded, pleased that he caught on.
"You're not wrong. That's the first layer of their plan.
As for the second—once they've already acted friendly, even if you happen to survive, you'd never suspect they were the ones who plotted against you. They lose nothing and remain your 'allies.'"
Arata clicked his tongue.
"These people really are beasts who'll devour others down to the bone…"
Now he fully understood: marrying Tsunade wouldn't just draw opposition from Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō—it meant going against almost every major clan in Konoha.
But Arata felt no fear.
With his system, his future achievements could easily approach the Sage of Six Paths himself. Why would he be intimidated by a bunch of Kage-level schemers?
Mito laughed softly at his description.
"Pretty accurate. If Hashirama were still alive, Konoha would be the strongest shinobi village in the world—no one could challenge it. Unifying the shinobi world would only be a matter of time.
But after his death, the village scattered like sand. With no one willing to submit, internal strife has gone on for over ten years. At this rate, Konoha is headed toward true decline…"
Arata couldn't help sighing. If Hashirama had lived a few more years, maybe none of these disasters would've happened.
Then, recalling Sarutobi and Danzō's dirty tricks, he said disdainfully:
"It's still the Third Hokage and Danzō's fault. Those two old bastards hoard power for themselves instead of managing the clans properly. No wonder everyone schemes against each other."
This time Mito didn't entirely agree.
"They're hateful, yes… but the true culprit behind Konoha's downfall is the Senju clan."
Arata froze.
Seeing his confusion, Mito explained:
"Before the First Shinobi War, the village was already unstable after Hashirama's death.
The clan causing the most trouble wasn't the Uchiha—it was the Hatake clan, whose strength back then was second only to the Senju and Uchiha.
Tobirama was Hokage at the time, and you've seen what became of the Hatake clan, haven't you?"
Arata fell silent.
The Hatake clan had vanished mysteriously, despite their clearly strong bloodline. Only Sakumo's branch remained.
"And it wasn't just the Hatake. Many mid-tier clans disappeared entirely during the war—wiped out to the last member. Tobirama's methods stabilized Konoha temporarily, but they also poisoned the village's culture…"
Finally, Mito asked the question she'd been leading to:
"Knowing all this… do you still want to marry Tsunade?"
Arata didn't hesitate.
"No matter how difficult it is, I will marry Tsunade."
Satisfied, Mito nodded and asked her final question:
"In that case… answer me this:
Are you willing to shoulder Tsunade's responsibility?
To take the Hokage's seat and lead Konoha back to its peak?"
Just as she finished speaking—
[Ding! System Notice: Host's current situation detected. New options available.]
[Option 1: Accept Uzumaki Mito's proposal and become Hokage.
Reward: "Enemy/Ally Attribute Scan" (System Function)]
[Option 2: Reject her proposal and continue living a lazy salted-fish life.
Reward: Mangekyō Sharingan]
[Option 3: Persuade Uzumaki Mito to defect with Tsunade and rebel against Konoha.
Reward: Improved "Kotoamatsukami" (No Cooldown)]