Five days later.
The journey to Takumi Village was uneventful, but the trade agreement was delivered without any more trouble. While on his way back, Arthur focused on balancing the three different chakras within him. They were like mini pools, each a different size.
By the time he returned to the Leaf Village, a figure was already waiting to greet him. Not the familiar guards, but Alexander.
"Arthur!" he chimed in surprise. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you in ages."
That question almost felt like a test. Alex was waiting for him at the gate as if he already knew he was out of the village. Arthur schooled his features and replied, "Just on a simple delivery mission."
Alex congratulated, saying, "Mission complete, then? That's great news! We were starting to worry about you—not like I didn't know you were out."
Arthur offered a nod upon finding out that Alex had been visiting the gate every so often to make sure Arthur returned safely.
"There's an important meeting tonight," Alex continued, oblivious to Arthur's ventures. "You have to come, alright?"
"I'll be there."
With that, Alex clapped Arthur on the shoulder and hurried off, leaving him alone. Arthur himself needed to report to Hiruzen in order to maintain the appearance of a dutiful Leaf ninja. The Anbu he had eliminated may be put into question, but he was prepared.
At the Hokage's office.
After being given permission, Arthur entered in. Hiruzen greeted him with a warm smile, saying, "Ah, Arthur! Good to see you back. I trust the mission went well?"
Arthur bowed his head respectfully and said, "Yes, lord Third. The letter was delivered with no problems."
Hiruzen chuckled, "Excellent work, my boy. You're proving yourself to be quite a valuable asset to the village."
Arthur didn't like this side of Hiruzen. The praise felt hollow since the Hokage had no idea of the truth. Arthur, however, remained stoic.
For his reward on this unclassified c-rank mission, he received eight thousand ryō.
Evening.
The meeting started with lively energy. Arthur greeted his fellows, expressing fake interest. A chorus of questions erupted from the group.
"Where'd you go?" "How was it?" "Did you learn anything cool?"
He stifled a sigh, answering that it was a simple delivery mission. A few bumps in the road, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Margaret envied him, saying, "Ugh, so fortunate! I haven't even left the village for a mission yet."
He refrained from commenting.
The conversation shifted, drawing attention to how William's and Alice's recent mission went. They had returned around the same time Arthur had.
Alice, excited to tell the news, recounted the events that transpired: "It was intense! Like, Will and I managed to save Haku and Zabuza. Sasuke even awakened his Sharingan again!"
If Arthur recalled correctly from the story, Team 7 escorted Tazuna to the bridge to continue construction, only to be met by Zabuza for a rematch. This time, Haku joined the fight, trapping Sasuke in his Kekkei Genkai known as "Crystal Ice Mirrors."
Naruto arrived late and attempted to help break Sasuke free. While that was happening, Zabuza was out fighting Kakashi, and Sakura was tasked with guarding Tazuna.
Back in Haku's trap, Naruto was written to have lost consciousness, but Sasuke protected him after re-awakening his Sharingan—his first awakening being when Itachi slaughtered his clan.
Arthur remembered this story as if reading it yesterday.
It continued like this: Naruto comes to and witnesses Sasuke collapse, causing the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra to unleash. Using it, he defeats Haku, who's also ready to die by his hands. Naruto refused to kill him, believing Haku could be redeemed.
Because Kakashi was about to kill Zabuza, Haku threw himself in front of the attack and, inevitably, died.
Gatō, who hired Zabuza, eventually arrives, only to betray Zabuza and order thugs to kill him. Naruto, witnessing Haku's sacrifice being disregarded, cried out in frustration, touching Zabuza's heart—one of the first instances of talk-no-jutsu.
Zabuza, despite his injuries, manages to kill Gatō before dying next to Haku. Team 7 later buried them together, and Naruto made a proclamation to find his own path as a ninja.
This time, the story was changed.
Not only had Zabuza and Haku not died, but Naruto never went through trauma or the necessary development for his character. On top of this, the bridge named after him was changed to something else.
William added, "The fight wasn't too difficult, but we had to wait till the very end to prevent Haku from sacrificing himself."
"And then," Alice continued, "Will gave this amazing speech about the cycle of vengeance, exposing Zabuza's true colours and Gatō's backstabbing. Kakashi-sensei was so impressed."
Arthur listened intently. What they went through was the opposite of his ventures.
Zabuza and Haku eventually made peace with Team 7. When Gatō and his men arrived, they made light work of them. The two mercenaries then departed, believing they would all see each other again.
As the meeting wore on, stories from other missions were discussed. Arthur remained a silent observer.
All of them had been doing menial tasks, like babysitting animals and delivering milk to elders. The only big mission anyone went on involved tracking a potential criminal just outside the village.
"Guess that's everything for tonight," Alex finished. "The next big deal is just around the corner."
"That's right!" Margaret blurted. "The Chūnin Exams!"
Jasper laughed aloud, saying, "Finally! It's time to show everyone what I'm made of."
"I can't wait!" Jada squealed. Her voice trailed off with a thoughtful frown. "Though it's gonna suck to end up fighting one of you guys."
William chimed in, saying, "That's exactly what I'm worried about. We're all in this together, but the exams pit us against each other."
The Chūnin Exams are a competition for Genin to be promoted to Chūnin. The exams themselves change format each time to prevent preparation and are held jointly by multiple villages to improve relations, display new talent, and create opportunities (such as gambling).
Arthur despise that last reason.
While winning the final matches is an honour, promotion is based on the skills and potential observed by high-ranking ninjas, not necessarily the final results.
Jasper spoke up, "Don't go ruining this for me. This part of the game's gonna be epic. And frankly, I wouldn't mind facing any of you." He locked eyes with one of the players. "Especially you, Alex."
A grin stretched across Alex's face as he said, "Bring it on, my dude! I'm always up for a good challenge."
Arthur still had not said a word. Clearly, these two had something going on that transpired while on his week away from the village.
The silence from him finally drew their attention.
"What about you, Arthur?" Jada asked. "Are you excited for the exams?"
Arthur forced a smile and said, "I'll be here, cheering you all on. No need for me to join."
"But you've been doing just as much work as any of us! You should be able to participate."
"He has?!" Margaret intervened.
Arthur could sense Jada's empathy. Had the rest been more like her, he might have felt guilty for his actions. These were, after all, real people. But so long as he remained trapped in this world, he would never change his mindset.
"I appreciate it, Jada," he replied, "but I'm sure you all remember the requirements. I don't meet most of them since I'm neither on a team nor have done enough missions."
Arthur was right in that regard: he didn't possess the required team formation to participate.
Alex, oblivious to his answer, boomed, "Don't worry, my dude. I'll talk to Hiruzen so that he lets you in."
Alice interjected, "I… ugh. I don't think that's how it works."
"Actually!" William spoke. "You might be able to qualify since Alice and I haven't met our mission requirements yet."
He was right, considering Team 7, after they returned to the village, performed various missions to qualify. It was then that the third Hokage would later announce the exams to be held in one week.
Arthur shook his head and said, "It's fine, guys. I'm okay just watching."
But the others wouldn't take no for an answer. Margaret refused more, saying, "Yeah... No, Arthur! This game's about survival, and I don't want anyone doing things on their own without telling us."
"But wait!" Alice smirked. "Weren't you the one who hid your techniques from us?"
"That's not the point!"
Arthur gave thought to whether he should even participate. This particular arc had a lot of eventful things that played a significant role in the story's outcome.
While it is a major storyline, it follows all of the Rookie Nine, including the addition of Team Guy. The exams themselves consist of three parts: a written test, a survival test, and final mock battles.
The written test is a trick in which participants are encouraged to cheat to get answers. The survival test takes place in a dangerous forest. That is also when Orochimaru makes his debut, giving Sasuke a seal, known as the "curse mark," to enhance his power but risk mind control.
The final part is a series of one-on-one battles (the preliminaries) that move winners to the finals. In the finals, Naruto faces Neji. He wins, which in turn changes Neji's arrogant nature—another instance of talk-no-jutsu.
Sasuke is late for his fight with a character named Gaara but manages to make it on time. The exams, however, are interrupted by a surprise attack from Orochimaru, who had masqueraded as the Sand Village's leader (the Kazekage) after killing said leader to destroy the Leaf Village.
Not only had the players accepted revealing Orochimaru's schemes to the Hokage, they were going to prevent Sasuke from receiving the curse mark. A change like that would undoubtedly alter the story's progression.
Arthur sighed and conceded, "Alright... If there's a way you can get me into the exams, then I'll join."
A cheer erupted from the room. Even Jasper gave a slight smirk.
As the night wore on, Arthur asked if it was such a good idea to be hosting these meetings. What if someone, like the Hokage or a hidden ninja, was watching them?
"That's right!" Alice answered. "I forgot you didn't grow up watching anime like the rest of us."
While she was implying Arthur was dumb, Alex gave a clearer answer, saying, "The third Hokage doesn't use the crystal ball jutsu to spy in homes at night."
He then clapped his hands, reminding everyone of their main goal: getting Naruto to change Gaara again.
Gaara was written to have been a complex character. He is the current Jinchūriki of a Tailed Beast called Shukaku. Because of this, he was feared and ostracized by the citizens of his village, much like Naruto.
Gaara had a difficult childhood. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father (the fourth Kazekage) only saw him as a weapon. He lost the only person who truly loved him, his uncle Yashamaru, in a misunderstanding.
All this pain and isolation led him to believe that he should only care about himself. This turned him into a ruthless ninja who would kill anyone who got in his way.
However, everything changed when he fought Naruto, the only character who could truly relate to his poor childhood. Naruto's kindness and determination to connect with others inspired Gaara to change his ways—the third instance of talk-no-jutsu. He later started to value relationships and even became the fifth Kazekage.
As of right now, he would be arriving to the Leaf Village with his team—his brother and sister, Kankurō and Temari.
"Other than that," Alex continued, "you're all free to focus on your training. We won't have any meetings until everyone's qualified for the exams."
Arthur was content to hear that news. These nightly meetings were a nerve-wracking affair. Now he could focus on his own agenda, away from prying eyes.
Leaving the camaraderie behind, he made his way through the deserted streets. There were things he had to recover.
After turning into smoke, he phased through the locked doors of the ninja tool shop. He weaved through the display cases, bypassing kunai and shuriken, until he found what he was looking for—sealing scrolls.
Taking one, he slipped out of the shop and out of the village by air. Able to reach his destination—a clearing miles away from the village—he reformed himself on dry land and dug up his other prize from his recent mission: the Boltswords!
Arthur knew that blatantly bringing them back into the village would have been a foolish move.
Unfurling the scroll, he examined the intricate sealing marks inside. Knowing what to do, he then placed the swords on the scroll and channeled his chakra, hoping it would flow through him and into it.
A puff of white smoke obscured the spot where the blades had been. They were gone, swallowed by the scroll. The Boltswords were now fully secured.