Arata's intimidation was more than sufficient. Not to mention anything else—every jōnin present lost their will to fight the instant they were enveloped by that pressure.
It wasn't some kind of Conqueror's Haki, but the effect was much the same.
That said, this only applied to ninja. Ordinary civilians likely wouldn't even sense the pressure, much less perceive Arata's chakra, and might not react at all.
The Uzumaki clansmen, meanwhile, were filled with admiration for Arata's strength. With nothing more than a single sentence and a glance, he had made those once-arrogant Konoha ninja behave with complete deference.
It was clear that Arata held considerable status within Konoha.
With someone like him stepping forward, their clan's entry into Konoha would be far smoother.
Still, Arata knew that while getting the Uzumaki clan into Konoha wouldn't be too difficult, the real problem lay in the rift between them and Konoha's long-established residents. If that gap wasn't resolved, conflict would inevitably arise sooner or later.
The Uchiha clan in the original history was a perfect example. At first, both sides tolerated one another, but later the Uchiha began suffering discrimination from within the village, eventually preparing to rebel.
That led to the Uchiha purge. Even if leadership changed, the outcome likely wouldn't have differed much from Sarutobi Hiruzen's—just carried out without his constant talk of benevolence and morality.
Others might not have had a solution. Take Uchiha Itachi, who slaughtered his own clan—he simply didn't know how to resolve the contradictions and ended up standing with his family instead.
But Arata was different. He had system-granted rewards. Once the Uzumaki clan joined Konoha, their favor toward him would increase at the very least. With him there to mediate, it was unlikely serious problems would arise.
As this large group moved toward the Hokage's office, they immediately attracted widespread attention.
Even though Konoha had just weathered a crisis and there were few civilians on the streets, the tsunami had already passed. People were gradually emerging from the shelters.
Many of them spotted Arata and his group.
"Hey, isn't that Arata-sama?"
"Now that you mention it, why didn't we see Arata-sama during the earthquake earlier?"
"He was probably out on a mission. Someone as strong as Arata-sama can't be staying in the village all the time."
"What are you all focusing on? Look behind Arata-sama —there are so many red-haired people!"
"You're right! So many redheads—those have to be Uzumaki clan members!"
"Wasn't the Uzumaki clan under siege? Why are there so many of them in Konoha? Could it be they were rescued by Arata-sama?"
"Did Arata-sama go to save them? As expected, Arata-sama is kind-hearted—didn't he even save several civilian ninja before?"
"But I heard the attackers numbered twenty thousand ninja! And there were five Kage-level fighters!"
"Seriously? Then how did Arata-sama rescue so many people?"
...
Seeing more and more people coming out and discussing him, Arata couldn't keep a stern face. He offered them a faint smile instead.
As expected, the crowd's goodwill toward him rose noticeably. It was one of Hiruzen's favorite tactics—and undeniably effective.
Arata didn't linger to talk with them, though. Business came first.
At this point, Hiruzen, who had been observing the situation, could no longer sit still. He hurried over with a group of people and appeared in front of Arata.
He knew that if he didn't show up now, Arata would gain another wave of prestige among the civilians—and his momentum would completely surpass Hiruzen's.
When Arata saw the old man finally deign to appear, he gave a cold smile.
Hiruzen, on the other hand, looked as benevolent as ever, even though he wished Arata would drop dead on the spot. On the surface, he looked every bit the righteous gentleman.
The Uzumaki clansmen behind Arata immediately showed open disgust. They knew Hiruzen's true nature all too well—this old fox was nothing but a hypocrite.
He had nearly erased the Uzumaki clan from history this time. As far as they were concerned, he was an irreconcilable enemy, and they had no intention of giving him a pleasant expression.
Once again, Uzumaki Yūki stepped in just in time, stopping his clansmen from flaring up.
The surrounding civilians, seeing even the Hokage arrive, grew intensely curious and crowded closer.
Ordinarily, civilians would never get to witness affairs of state like this. But this time, Hiruzen had come precisely so everyone could see.
Because he knew that, at least regarding the Uzumaki clan's entry into Konoha, he could leverage public opinion.
Most civilians in Konoha had long been influenced by him to feel hostility toward the Uzumaki clan. Their conspicuous red hair, in particular, had been framed under his guidance as a symbol of delinquency.
That was exactly why he wanted to discuss this matter in public—to let the civilians voice their opinions. Under the pressure of public sentiment, he believed Arata wouldn't dare insist on letting the Uzumaki join.
And this was Konoha itself. No matter how powerful Arata was, he couldn't possibly start killing people openly in the village.
If that happened, the entire village would end up paying the price along with Hiruzen. That was the confidence Hiruzen relied on.
After all, Arata was competing for the position of Hokage—Hiruzen had known that for a long time. Arata absolutely wouldn't do anything that blatantly went against the will of the people.
That was why Hiruzen hadn't ordered ANBU to disperse the onlookers. He wanted them to speak, so he could use their voices to suppress Arata.
In terms of strength, he might not match Arata—but when it came to schemes and political maneuvering, Hiruzen was a man who had become Hokage in a village full of powerful figures. There was no way he lacked cunning.
As soon as he appeared, Hiruzen said with a genial smile,
"Arata, what's going on here? I heard the Uzumaki clan was under siege—why have they suddenly come to Konoha?"
With that single sentence, he cleanly distanced himself from everything, implying that whatever Arata had done had nothing to do with the Hokage—and that he hadn't even been informed.
In other words, Arata had left the village without the Hokage's approval.
Arata understood the old fox's intent the moment he heard that opening line. Hiruzen was trying to pin a charge of disobedience on him first. Even if it didn't fully stick, it would still lower Arata's standing in everyone's eyes.
Arata responded immediately,
"Our allies were in danger—and they're Tsunade's relatives. How could I not go help?"
Right from the start, Arata tied everything to Tsunade. The Uzumaki clan were Tsunade's relatives, after all.
His rescue was entirely justified—both emotionally and logically. Even the average civilian wouldn't be able to find fault with it.