Of course, these were merely the thoughts of the various ANBU operatives. As for what the leaders of those nations would ultimately think, that would likely take several more days to become clear—after all, they didn't move with lightning-like speed the way Arata did.
From the easternmost coastline of the Land of Fire, returning to their respective countries would take at least several days.
And after they departed, the towering tsunami finally swept across the entire battlefield.
The remaining Wood Style roots left behind on the ground did manage to neutralize part of the impact the moment the waves struck—but Madara had only used Deep Forest Emergence once. It was nowhere near enough to compensate for the massive crater carved out by the battle between Arata and Madara.
Thunderous roars echoed without end.
At this moment, the entire Land of Fire—along with several neighboring small nations—was plunged into panic. This earthquake was even more terrifying than the previous ones.
Although Arata and Madara's battle had been overwhelming and its aftershocks devastating, it still had not reached the level of a Sage. As such, it could not truly rival the forces of nature itself.
But this tsunami—
This was a genuine natural disaster, a response from the world itself.
Wherever the waves passed, countless towns and villages were swallowed whole. The finely built, traditional wooden houses were no sturdier than paper before the onslaught—collapsing the moment the water hit them. Civilians who failed to evacuate in time were instantly engulfed.
Once caught in a tsunami of this scale, survival was almost impossible.
Ironically, the battlefield created by Arata and Madara suffered the least damage—because by then, there was nothing left alive there.
As Arata retreated, he noticed all of this.
At that point, he could no longer stand by and do nothing.
After all, the areas being submerged were still part of the Land of Fire. The people living there would one day be his people.
If he allowed the disaster to run rampant, losing territory might be one thing—but if the population was wiped out, what meaning would there be in becoming Hokage? Was he supposed to rule over empty land as a commander without troops?
That might sound exaggerated, but the tsunami's range was anything but small.
From Arata's estimation, the first wave alone would submerge at least half of the eastern coastline of the Land of Fire and surge more than ten kilometers inland.
This region was densely populated.
Many fishermen who depended entirely on the sea lived along the coast.
Waiting for Konoha to send aid would be far too slow.
There was only one option left—he had to do it himself.
Fortunately, his speed was extraordinary. Covering a radius of ten-plus kilometers was nearly instantaneous for him. And with Kamui at his disposal, rescuing people was simple—just send them into the Kamui dimension and release them once the waters receded.
With his decision made, Arata stopped retreating. In a flash, he changed direction, racing toward the nearest village detected by his enhanced perception.
Thanks to his Devil Fruit awakening, his sensory range had expanded once again. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to cover such a vast area—nor rescue everyone in time.
After all, no matter how fast you are, speed is useless if you don't know where the people in danger are.
Just as Arata took his first step—
The system's notification rang out once more.
[Ding! Based on the host's current situation, the system presents three choices.]
[Option 1: Ignore the civilians and return directly to the village.
Reward: Eight Gates Formation.]
[Option 2: Rescue civilians, keeping the death toll below 500.
Reward: Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.]
[Option 3: Confront the tsunami directly and neutralize it, keeping the death toll below 100.
Reward: Wood Style Kekkei Genkai.]
[The system will determine the reward based on the host's actions.]
Seeing the system appear again, Arata carefully examined the options this time.
Earlier, while fighting Madara, he hadn't had the luxury to properly consider the choice involving Black Zetsu.
But now, even doing nothing still yielded a passable reward—so this time, he analyzed everything thoroughly.
Option One required no action at all. The reward—the Eight Gates—was decent.
However, Arata felt that he still hadn't pushed his own physical techniques to their limit yet. With Madara's bloodline already enhancing his body, his ceiling for taijutsu had risen considerably.
And once he acquired Hashirama's bloodline in the future, that ceiling would rise even higher—after all, Hashirama was the one who truly perfected monstrous physical strength.
Unless absolutely necessary, Arata had no intention of choosing the first option.
Option Two was far more straightforward—and aligned perfectly with what he already planned to do: rescue civilians.
Keeping deaths under 500 was easy. The tsunami had only just begun, and casualties were still limited to a few dozen.
If Arata started now, the death toll wouldn't rise any further.
And the reward—Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—was extremely attractive.
It solved a long-standing problem Arata had faced ever since acquiring Madara's bloodline.
In this world, he had no real family left. The people he cared about were limited to Tsunade, Shizune, and a few younger companions he had taken under his wing.
To awaken the Mangekyō through loss… would mean killing them.
And what meaning would such power have?
If he could obtain it directly as a reward, that was unquestionably the best solution.
Even though Arata had already unlocked Lightning Armor: Third Gear, the Mangekyō was still essential.
With it—combined with Hashirama's bloodline—he could potentially grow into Six Paths–level power naturally, without relying on further system rewards.
Because of that, Option Two had already won him over.
Option Three was technically achievable. If Arata truly committed, a few powerful slashes could flatten the tsunami entirely. Keeping casualties under 100 wouldn't be difficult either.
But the reward—Wood Style—was largely redundant.
He already had a future reward that would grant him Hashirama's complete bloodline, which would almost certainly include Wood Style anyway.
Spending a choice just to obtain it now was unnecessary.
After weighing everything, Arata decisively chose Option Two.
It was, without question, the most suitable option for him at present.
...
Along the eastern coast of the Land of Fire lay a coastal city known as Kazama City.
The people who lived there made their living from the sea. Thanks to the Land of Fire's long-standing stability, there were no maritime threats, and life had always been peaceful.
As a result, Kazama City had grown into one of the most prosperous cities in the country—its population even showing signs of surpassing Konoha itself.
It should have been an ordinary morning, with residents preparing for another day of work.
Instead, disaster struck.
Faced with a calamity of this scale, a city populated mostly by civilians had no means of resistance.
All they could do was run—desperately.
Even so, many were swallowed by the waves in their sleep.
The death toll had already reached several dozen—
And the tsunami was still advancing.