At the very least, he had now stepped firmly into the Super-Kage tier.
With his current chakra reserves and Fourth-Stage Susanoo, even the legendary Uchiha Madara of the past would not be someone he feared facing head-on.
If Nagato were to come looking for trouble with the Six Paths of Pain, Arata was confident....he could simply activate his "giant" and cut them down one by one.
Though, admittedly, the abilities of the Six Paths were troublesome, especially the Naraka Path, which could restore them without damage. A real fight would still be annoying.
Arata landed lightly on a rooftop, gazing at the distant Hidden Leaf Village, now completely silent beneath the night sky.
Everyone was asleep.
It wasn't appropriate to disturb anyone now.
In the quiet of the night, Arata lifted his head and looked at the moon.
It was the same moon as in his previous life....yet the beings who lived upon it were different.
He wondered how the descendants of Ōtsutsuki Hamura were doing.
The Byakugan wasn't bad either…
Perhaps, one day, he should consider copying that bloodline as well...to further enhance his perception and field of vision.
Arata yawned.
No matter how powerful his body had become, rest was still necessary. And today, he truly hadn't been idle.
He had copied the Uzumaki bloodline, fought a "battle" with Elder Sister Xianglin, and then spent a long time enduring the excruciating fusion process within the space.
This fusion had been far more painful than when he first obtained Wood Release, draining an enormous amount of his mental and physical energy.
Now, in the deep silence of the night, Arata had no desire to continue cultivating.
Turning around, he returned to the space once more.
After all.....
The outside world was dangerous.
Sleeping inside his own space was much safer.
Early morning, within the Hyūga Clan compound.
Hyūga Hiashi was having breakfast with his family.
Due to the Hyūga clan's numerous rules and strict household discipline, not a single sound was made during the meal.
The atmosphere was so quiet it felt like a silent film.
Seated at the lower end of the table was a small girl with short hair and pale Byakugan eyes.
Cute and delicate, she sat there like a timid little quail, eating her food in tiny bites.
From time to time, she would sneak cautious glances toward the man seated at the head of the table.....Hyūga Hiashi himself.
When Hiashi finished eating and set his chopsticks down, the little girl immediately followed suit in a flustered manner. She placed her bowl down quickly and said in a small, restrained voice:
"I… I've finished eating."
Hyūga Hiashi glanced at his eldest daughter and frowned slightly.
This child had been timid since birth...
especially in front of him. Around him, she shrank even more, like a frightened quail. He didn't even know who she took after.
With such a disposition, how was she supposed to be pushed into the position of clan heir in the future?
She was his daughter. If she were ever relegated to the branch family and branded with the Caged Bird Seal, who knew how badly she might be mistreated?
After seeing that Hyūga Hinata had indeed finished her meal, Hiashi nodded expressionlessly.
"Rest for half an hour," he said. "Then proceed with morning training."
Hinata immediately stood up, nervous and hurried.
"Yes, Father."
Hyūga Hiashi glanced at her once more before leaving the dining room to attend to clan affairs.
Only after her father disappeared from sight did Hinata finally relax, her heart easing slightly. She quickly bade her mother goodbye and hurried back to her room.
There would be evaluations during training later. She needed to practice a bit more beforehand.
Left behind to clean the table, Hinata's mother shook her head helplessly.
As the person closest to Hiashi, how could she not see the concern hidden beneath his stern exterior? It was just that their daughter's personality was far too introverted and timid....so much so that she had been completely intimidated by her father's severity.
But there was nothing she could do.
Hinata was naturally shy. With courage like this, not to mention inheriting the position of clan head....even becoming a qualified shinobi in the future was uncertain.
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