Sitting in the opulent office of a grand castle was Arthur disguised as the affluent John Belfort.
He was seen hunched forward with his eyes closed and his arms resting on the desk. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting golden rays across the polished wooden desk where an article from the Leaf Village newspaper sat prominently.
The headline read, "Traitorous Ninja Arthur Bennett Has Died in Battle."
His eyes skimmed over the printed words, detailing how ninjas from the Leaf Village had successfully taken down the traitor known as Arthur Bennett.
Despite the lack of a discovered body, various well-known figures testified to his demise, including the likes of Jasper Ōtsutsuki, Margaret Senju, Alice Yamanaka, Jada Uchiha, and William Uzumaki.
If there was ever a time to chuckle, it would be now. But he remained passive, knowing that his supposed death was only part of a grander scheme.
'Is this really the best they could come up with?' he mused, setting the article down. The audacity of believing in his death thrilled him; it was a delightful twist of fate. 'Dead, untraceable, and untouchable…'
It was a time to revel in the chaotic freedom of it all. Hiding in plain sight would be his sharpest weapon, a golden ticket that allowed him to roam this world unencumbered, evading the very hunters who once pursued him.
The truth couldn't be further from the fact.
Arthur had survived a life-threatening situation. Now he was currently in the safety of the country he owned, the Water Country. And not just anywhere in the country, but in the very castle that belonged to the current feudal lord.
Just then, the door creaked open, and his secretary entered with a slight bow. The soft rustle of her kimono broke the quiet ambiance of the room.
"My lord," she announced, "I have a letter from the Land of Waves."
The woman then placed the envelope delicately on his desk.
Arthur's eyebrows lifted with interest. He had orchestrated a plan that could shift the political landscape significantly, positioning himself in the shadows as he maneuvered through treaties and alliances.
He reached for the letter, breaking the seal and unfolding it while the secretary stood there, watching the expressionless successor of her lordship read the contents.
The Land of Waves had accepted his treaty proposal. This was fantastic news.
Some time ago, he had placed the leader under an illusion to agree to his terms. With this acceptance, the Water Country would be able to expand its territory without causing conflict with neighbouring regions.
"Excellent work," Arthur said, adopting the persona of the grateful nobleman. "This is a pivotal moment for our influence."
Her face lit up with the excitement of shared victory as she said, "I knew you could do it, my lord!"
"Now, now," he humbly corrected, "I'm not the feudal lord yet. It's alright to call me sir."
"My greatest apologies, my l—I mean, sir Belfort!"
As she turned to leave, he contemplated the implications of this newfound power.
It was not just about gaining land; it was about solidifying his hold over the political machinations of said land and establishing himself as a formidable ruler of the country without raising alarms.
Almost as an afterthought, she poked her head back through the door, a spark of enthusiasm in her eyes. "There's another letter from the Land of the Sea as well, my l—I mean sir. They, too, have accepted your peace treaty!"
Arthur couldn't help but grin slightly. This acceptance would further consolidate his influence across the seas.
He leaned back, nodding appreciatively, and said, "Wonderful news. Please send my gratitude to both leaders. They will find that aligning with me was a prosperous choice."
"Of course!" she replied, brimming with enthusiasm. "We're all excited for your future! We believe you'll make a great feudal lord after lord Hiromu."
"Thank you," he said, somberly, yet with a twinkle in his eye.
The disguise, this role of John Belfort, felt more like second nature with each passing day. Not a single person, be they citizens, political figureheads, or even his own personal secretary suspected him.
As she exited, he allowed the door to close softly, and the silence in the room enveloped him once more.
Alone with his thoughts, Arthur pondered his next move.
All the other players presented their own challenge. He managed to overcome Jada till she surprised him with her unique Mangekyō Sharingan's ability.
Without a doubt, he would have triumphed in that past event had the others not intervened.
What he was considering was what they stated upon their arrival. It was that Jada wasn't the strongest among them. This statement wasn't one to overlook. Jada, an Uchiha who awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan, was considered one of the weakest. That spoke volumes about the others.
There was William, who was an Uzumaki and could summon hundreds of clones. Essentially, he was walking Naruto Uzumaki, but with foreknowledge. Then there was Alice, who shouldn't have been stronger than Jada.
But her ability to retrain Arthur in Sage Mode was remarkable. The only other way she could have done it was if her chakra strength exceeded his. That was impossible, so that meant her own powers had to be augmented with something.
There was only thing that should have trumped Arthur at the time, the same thing Jasper had used—Gelel energy. Those two, Jasper and Alice, had been traveling together. It wouldn't be hard to believe that she herself obtained Gelel powers to strengthen herself.
If she did, it would explain why she was considered stronger than Jada.
Then there was Margaret. As much as Arthur wouldn't believe it, she was a Senju, and her character had the ability to potentially unlock wood style.
He also remembered her having unlocked the never-before-seen Slug Sage Mode. Who knows what abilities she had gained from that transformation?
Regarding Alexander and Jasper, Arthur didn't want to think about what convoluted powers they had.
He shifted his focus to the present.
With an expanding territory and two treaties under his belt, he could mobilize resources and strengthen his position without attracting attention.
Why he had bothered to consolidate this treaty in the first place was because it was written in the original story that these three neighbouring countries went into enmity with one another.
The Wave Country and the Sea Country were ready to overthrow the Water Country. Even though this wouldn't happen for more than fifteen years, allying with them early would prove to be beneficial in the long run.
Each maneuver would piece together his plans for power from the shadows. He had no desire to rule openly as some would, but rather to sow the seeds of control where they would grow unnoticed.
He glanced over at the article still lying on his desk, the notion of his "death" wrapping around him like a snug cloak.
For now, the world believed Arthur Bennett was finished, and that knowledge fueled his ambitions like a vicious fire. His enemies would remain occupied, immersed in grief and justice, while he himself could carve out better practicalities, one where he dictated the terms.
With a relaxed demeanour, he began mapping out potential alliances and significant figures he could recruit to further amplify his influence across the country.
With Hiromu still firmly under his control, he knew he had the upper hand in the political game. Although the Land of Waves now recognized him as a key figure, it was the radical heart of the Water Country he truly sought to dominate.
Arthur could use the weight of the Water Country to influence events far and wide. And who better to do with than the blind feudal lord?
It's then he thought of Sasuke Uchiha. The young shinobi's tumultuous ties with the Leaf Village, coupled with his desperate ambition to join Orochimaru, would play right into Arthur's hands eventually.
After all, if Hiromu was still under the effects of his illusion, so was the Uchiha.
Arthur had originally plotted to eliminate Team 7, the core of the next wave of heroes, threatening to tilt the balance in favour of what he abhorred. But that plan had been thwarted by the emergence of the real players vying for power, diverting his attention from his true goals.
Now, however, he could leverage the situation to redirect Sasuke's aims toward a narrative that served his own.
'The tides shift constantly in this world," he reminded himself. "But a shift can serve a purpose.'
He envisioned it vividly: sowing discord among the ranks of Team 7, leaving cracks in their bonds, all while fanning the flames of Sasuke's discontent.
By allowing the narrative to unfold that Sasuke was trapped and without options, Arthur could maneuver him closer to Orochimaru's allure. It was this same lure that spiraled the story of Naruto into chaos.
So much so that even the writers didn't know what they were doing anymore.
A wellspring of power in the hands of an impressionable youthful Uchiha, willing to abandon the Leaf for a path strewn with secrets and strength.
The prospect flared within Arthur.
'I need to fuel that ambition to provide me the edge necessary to eclipse the others.'
Arthur turned his gaze toward a corkboard hung on the wall, covered with a collage of newspaper clippings, maps, and images of key figures—each pin a reminder of the connections of fate he planned to manipulate.
Among them, portraits of Leaf Village characters were staring back at him. Each of them was connected by blood, ambition, and loss in some form or another.
Yet, despite these thoughts, Arthur's true aim remained clearer than ever: destruction.
'The world must be burned down,' he thought. 'To shape it as I envision, I'll need to eliminate more of them. But now is not the time for open conflict.'
His mind drifted to the Jinchūriki, the Akatsuki, and the escalating war between the massive villages that could still unfold.
He was neither ready nor ambitious enough to take on such forces directly. His skills were burgeoning but untested; patience now was key.
Instead of rushing to conquer or eliminate his enemies, he would gather resources. His survival depended on waiting until all the pieces came to fruition.
As he formulated his thoughts, the letters from the Land of Waves and the Land of the Sea became pivotal elements. He would use these treaties not just as tools of expansion but as leverage against the Leaf.
For every ally gained, he would craft the narrative that would lead to strife within every village, creating shades of distrust that could lead to fractures amongst their ranks.
With Jinchūriki in turmoil and other shinobi distracted by events crafted to ensnare them further, he would be able to tighten his grip on the political landscape without too much violence.
But these were only speculations. At any time, or with any mistakes made, he could lose not just his country, but the entire game.
"Let them think they're free," Arthur whispered. "Let them chase their fabricated sense of justice, while I weave around their every move."
He removed a blank piece of parchment from the desk drawer, dipping a quill in ink, letting his thoughts flow freely as he wrote his notes.
Arthur was many things in this world: a born again Christian, a ninja. But right now, he was John Belfort, the successor to the feudal lord, owner, and ultimate head of one of the five greatest countries in the western hemisphere.
Each stroke of the quill felt like stepping stones across a treacherous river; he would navigate each current with care and cunningness.
As the ink dried, he conjured a world of possibilities and outcomes designed to lead him inevitably back to earth.
When he finished writing, he closed the letter and set it aside. For now, things were in place and in his favour. But he was not one to sit idly by while work needed to be done.
What he needed was information on what the Leaf Village was currently doing. What better way to gather that information than to pay them a personal visit?