Thanks to Tsunade's blood contract, Arima was finally and miraculously released from the seal.
It was an incredible coincidence, or perhaps something predestined by fate.
The first thing Arima saw upon awakening was Mito, still cloaked in her Nine-Tails mode, and in her arms, a stunned little Tsunade, too shocked to speak, her wide eyes full of disbelief.
Mito radiated golden chakra like roaring flames, and to Arima, her current state felt every bit as powerful as his own Sage Mode.
Tsunade, still reeling from having just summoned her brother, stared up with her mouth slightly open, baby teeth showing in awe and wonder, unable to believe what had just happened.
Seeing his family again, Arima felt a rush of relief. He was grateful he'd left behind a contingency plan, and even more humbled by the fragile miracle of life.
Back when he had been trapped in darkness, an unspeakable fear had seized him, he feared he might never be unsealed again.
That would mean a complete farewell to everything and everyone he held dear. He had struggled deeply with the thought of leaving behind those who had shaped his life.
If it weren't for how much he cared about them, he might've faced the end with more acceptance.
He stepped forward and pulled the two of them tightly into his arms. His heart was still pounding with residual fear; the ordeal had been nothing short of a nightmare.
Holding Arima in her arms, Mito felt his trembling. She could sense his lingering fear of death, the trauma of surviving a brush with it, and her heart ached for him.
She gently patted his back, her voice soothing as she whispered.
"Poor child... Grandma's here now. Don't be afraid, alright? Don't worry, Grandma's going to call your soul back for you."
Then she began to softly hum an old lullaby, repeating his name over and over, like a chant.
Tsunade, who had never seen her older brother so fragile before, felt her own heart ache. She wanted to hug him too, to comfort him in her arms.
Hearing her grandmother sing that familiar tune, Tsunade quietly joined in, her voice barely a whisper.
To her, this vulnerable side of Arima made him feel even closer, more human. He wasn't some invincible protector anymore. He needed her warmth too. He needed her strength.
In front of his family, Arima allowed himself to be weak. There was no need to worry about appearances, his family was his truest support.
As the lullaby filled his ears, his chaotic heart began to settle. The tremors that had wracked his body gradually ceased.
Mito's embrace brought back a flood of memories. When he was little, she often held him like this while they played in the courtyard. Back then, even Hashirama was still alive.
Thinking of his grandfather, strength and conviction returned to him. For the sake of peace in Konoha, he would hunt down every lurking threat.
He would protect the village with his own hands.
Sensing the old determination returning to the boy in her arms, Mito felt a weight lift from her chest.
She had feared Arima might become consumed by negative emotions.
As Tobirama had mentioned before, Arima carried a trace of Uchiha blood. If his emotions spiraled, it could lead to unpredictable consequences.
So she patiently comforted him, staying by his side until his spirit had stabilized.
Finally, Arima released them from his embrace and stepped back, taking a long look at their familiar faces. The reunion filled him with unspeakable joy.
Mito also examined him closely, eager to understand what had happened during his absence.
"What happened, Arima?" she asked gently.
The joy on his face faded, and after a moment's thought, he replied with seriousness.
"I encountered a being... entirely pitch black. It can possess people, control their actions. It used Kinkaku and Ginkaku as bait to lure me into its trap.
The worst part is, I arrogantly believed that nothing in the shinobi world could threaten me anymore. I was wrong... I was too naive."
As he spoke, a wry smile crept onto his face.
He felt deeply ashamed. Back on the battlefield, when he had crushed all opposition, he truly believed he was untouchable, above all laws of the shinobi world.
Mito sensed his guilt and gently reassured him.
"Alright now, Arima. You don't need to feel ashamed. Your grandfather and I are proud of you.
Don't let your guilt trample on the expectations we've placed in you. Tsunade doesn't want to see you falter either."
As she spoke, she looked down at the little girl in her arms and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
Catching her grandmother's hint, Tsunade quickly chimed in, "Arima-nii, you're my role model. I know you'll protect our family, right?"
Arima realized then that his mindset had shifted. He was becoming overly sentimental, his conviction beginning to waver. Taking a deep breath, he centered himself again.
With a renewed smile, he said, "You're right. I've been overthinking it. Konoha still needs my strength. I can't show weakness and bring shame to Grandpa's legacy."
Mito smiled in satisfaction. Seeing Arima's confidence restored finally put her heart at ease.
In her experience, those with Uchiha blood were particularly prone to obsession. Madara was like that too.
Whenever he got stuck in his own thoughts, it took a long and patient talk from Hashirama to bring him back.
She silently thanked fate, 'At least Arima can hold on to who he is.'
Then Arima continued, "I did learn some critical information from the one behind all this. He's working on some kind of plan.
Everything he's done so far seems aimed at paving the way for Indra's chakra reincarnate. I suspect the recent upheavals in the shinobi world might also be part of his manipulation."
Mito was shaken by his words. From the Uzumaki clan's ancient texts, she had gleaned fragmented knowledge of Indra's origins.
Linking that with the being capable of unsealing the shrine, she came to a chilling conclusion.
The Sage of Six Paths might never have died.
If Indra's chakra could reincarnate, then surely his brother Asura's could too. And perhaps the Sage's own chakra still lingered somewhere in the shinobi world.
She turned to Arima and said solemnly.
"There are secrets in this world you don't yet know.
Uzumaki and Senju are descendants of Asura, the brother of Indra, both sons of the Sage of Six Paths.
This has been a closely guarded secret of our clan. Long ago, our ancestors chose seclusion to preserve this knowledge."
This revelation struck Arima like a bolt of lightning.
It was both terrifying and affirming, confirming his suspicion that the ultimate truth of the shinobi world would always circle back to the Sage of Six Paths.
Then he asked, "Grandma Mito, what do you think, where did the Tailed Beasts come from? Is it possible they could be merged into one entity?"
Mito's eyes suddenly shifted into beast-like pupils.
Her voice dropped to a guttural growl. "Brat, what are you trying to do?"
Arima froze. He immediately realized it was the Nine-Tails speaking through Mito.
So he casually tested the waters.
"That figure behind the scenes knows about the Yin-Yang Release. And he also knew about Indra. Everything I learned was from his own mouth."
There was a pause. Then the Nine-Tails finally responded.
"Boy, I don't care what he knows. Just don't start entertaining dangerous ideas. Our origins run deep, don't go digging where you don't belong."
With that warning, the Nine-Tails retreated from Mito's consciousness, and the beastly glow faded from her eyes.
Mito gave Arima an apologetic smile.
"The Nine-Tails felt very uneasy about what we were discussing. It has a strong aversion to the idea of the Tailed Beasts merging."
Arima listened quietly, but his mind was now even more fixated on the notion.
'If even the idea of merging causes such a visceral reaction from them, then it must pose a genuine threat to their existence.
If all the Tailed Beasts come from the same origin... then what would you call their union?
Zero-Tails? No-Tails? Or... the Ten-Tails?
Could a quantitative change in chakra give rise to a qualitative one?'
Mito saw Arima deep in thought and gently pulled him back to the present.
"Alright now, don't overthink it. Without hard evidence, it's all just theory. Worrying about it will only wear you down."
Arima nodded and temporarily set his questions aside. For now, he resolved to investigate further, perhaps at the Uchiha or Hyuga clan shrines. Maybe they held the answers he sought.
Soon after, under the pretense of a family visit, Mito took Arima, her grandson and also her formal student, to meet with the clan elders.
Only then was Arima officially recognized as a direct heir of the Uzumaki bloodline.
That night, Arima carried Tsunade on his back and set off for the frontlines with his grandmother.
There was still much to be done, starting with ending the war between Kumo and Konoha.
In addition, intelligence Mito had sent to the front would soon reach Tobirama.
Now that Arima had been safely rescued, they had to stop Tobirama from acting recklessly against Kumo in anger.
When Arima had traveled to Uzushiogakure, he had laid Flying Thunder God marks along the way, allowing him to now warp toward the battlefield at top speed.
Meanwhile, at the Kumo frontlines, the Gold and Silver Brothers had returned. They appeared lucid, yet something about them had changed, they moved with an unfamiliar calmness.
Striding into the command tent, they bowed before the Second Raikage.
Raikage was fuming over the disastrous loss caused by Arima's unstoppable rampage. Seeing the two brothers return shocked him, he thought they were prisoners of Konoha.
Before he could voice his doubts, Kinkaku spoke first, his voice low and hoarse.
"Arima is dead. I can disrupt the Flying Thunder God. Together, we can take down the Second Hokage."
This voice wasn't of the Kinkaku, Raikage A remembered, it wasn't the usual reckless brute.
A's eyes narrowed, lightning crackling around him as he activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Staring him down, he said, "You're not Kinkaku... Who are you?"
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