Some time later.
The journey to Takumi Village was uneventful, and the trade agreement was delivered without any further trouble.
On his way back, Arthur focused on balancing the three different chakras within him. They felt 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."
The 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 him. "Mission complete, then? That's great news! We were starting to worry about you—not that I didn't know you were out."
Arthur nodded, seeing Alex had been visiting the gate frequently to ensure his safe return.
"There's an important meeting tonight," Alex continued, oblivious to Arthur's true ventures. "You have to come, alright?"
"I'll be there."
"Care to join me for some breakfast before my mission?"
"Perhaps another time. I still have to make a report."
"Haha! Understandable."
With that, Alex congratulated Arthur on a successful mission, clapped him on the shoulder, and hurried off, leaving him alone.
At the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen greeted Arthur with a warm smile. "Ah, Arthur! Good to see you back. I trust the mission went well?"
Arthur bowed his head respectfully. "Yes, lord Third. The letter was delivered with no problems."
Hiruzen chuckled. "Excellent work. You're proving yourself to be quite a valuable asset to the village. I hope your time outside changed your mind about wanting to become a ninja."
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, making sure not to make mention of that Anbu who had been secretly trailing him.
"I still need some time to think about," he said, "if that's okay, of course."
"I see… Well, I can't very well force you to be one."
"Thank you for understanding, lord Third."
For Arthur's reward on this unclassified mission, he received eight thousand ryō.
Evening.
At the girls' apartment, the meeting started with lively energy. Arthur feigned a lot of interest as 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 looked envious. "I wanna go on a solo mission, too!"
Arthur refrained from commenting.
The conversation eventually shifted to William and Alice's recent mission. They had returned around the same time Arthur had.
Alice, excited to share the news, recounted the events. "It was pretty intense. Like, Will and I managed to save Haku and Zabuza. Sasuke even awakened his Sharingan again."
If Arthur recalled correctly from the original 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, the 'Crystal Ice Mirrors.'
Naruto arrived late and attempted to help break Sasuke free. Meanwhile, Zabuza fought Kakashi, and Sakura was tasked with guarding Tazuna.
Back in Haku's trap, the original story had Naruto losing consciousness, but Sasuke protected him after reawakening his Sharingan—his first awakening having been when Itachi slaughtered his clan.
Arthur remembered the story as if he'd read it yesterday.
It continued like this: Naruto wakes up and witnesses Sasuke collapse, causing the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra to unleash. Using it, he defeats Haku, who is ready to die by his hands. Naruto refuses 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, cries 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 about what it means for him to be a ninja.
This time, the story had changed.
Not only had Zabuza and Haku not died, but Naruto never went through the trauma or the necessary character development. 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 colors 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 one day.
Not a single person was killed. Gatō was even sent to prison.
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. The criminal was never found, so that mission was a write-off.
"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. "Finally something worthwhile!"
"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. "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).
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 then locked eyes with one of the players. "Especially you, Alex."
A grin stretched across Alex's face. "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 during his week away from the village.
His silence finally drew their attention.
"What about you, Arthur?" Jada asked. "Are you excited for the exams?"
Arthur forced a smile. "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!" she admitted.
"He has?!" Margaret intervened.
"Yes, and I think he should change his mind about not wanting to be a ninja," Jada finished.
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, the only real people he knew in this world.
"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 up. "You might be able to qualify since Alice and I haven't met our mission requirements yet either."
William was right, considering Team 7—after they returned to the village—performed various missions to first qualify. It was then that the Third Hokage would later announce the exams to be held in one week.
Arthur shook his head. "It's fine, guys. I'm okay just watching."
But the others wouldn't take no for an answer. Even Margaret refused to let it go. "Yeah... No, Arthur! We're all in this together, and I don't want you doing things on your own."
"But wait, Marge," Alice smirked, "aren't you the one who's hiding your techniques from us?"
"That's not the point!"
Arthur considered whether he should even participate. This particular arc had many events 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 consisted of three parts: a written test, a survival test, and final mock battles.
The written test was a trick in which participants were encouraged to cheat to get answers. And the survival test took place in a large, dangerous forest. That was also when Orochimaru made his debut, giving Sasuke a seal known as the 'curse mark' to enhance his power but risk mind control.
The final part was a series of one-on-one battles (the preliminaries) that moved the winners to the finals. There, Naruto faced Neji Hyūga and won, which in turn changed Neji's arrogant nature—another instance of 'talk-no-jutsu.'
Sasuke was late for his fight with a character named Gaara but managed to make it on time. The exams, however, were interrupted by a surprise attack from Orochimaru, who was masquerading as the Sand Village's leader.
Not only had the players accepted revealing Orochimaru's schemes to the Hokage, but they were also going to prevent Sasuke from receiving the curse mark. A change like that would undoubtedly alter the story's progression.
"So, come on, Arthur," Margeret continued. "Quit saying you don't want to be a ninja and just have fun already!"
Arthur was honestly tired of everyone wanting him to pursue a career that he didn't care about. First it was Iruka, then Hiruzen, and now the players were technically peer pressuring him.
He sighed and finally conceded. "Alright... I'll be a ninja…" The others were happy, most notably Jada.
As the meeting came to a close, Arthur asked if it was such a good idea to be hosting these nightly gatherings. 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."
"The third Hokage doesn't use the crystal ball jutsu to spy in homes at night," Alex revealed.
Arthur hadn't considered that. But now knowing, it gave him a few ideas.
Alex eventually clapped his hands, reminding everyone of their main goal: getting Naruto to change Gaara again.
Gaara was written as 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 also lost the only person who truly loved him, his uncle Yashamaru, in a misunderstanding.
All this pain and isolation led Gaara 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.
That was the third instance of talk-no-jutsu.
Gaara later started to value relationships and even became the fifth Kazekage.
As of right now, he would be arriving at the Leaf Village with his team—his brother and sister, Kankurō and Temari.
"Other than that," Alex finished, "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 gatherings 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 then 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. That's why he dug them away from the village, knowing to return to them when he could.
Unfurling the scroll, he examined the sealing marks inside and placed the swords on them. Then he channeled his chakra, causing a puff of white smoke to obscure the spot where the blades had been.
They were gone, swallowed up by the scroll. Now the Boltswords was now fully secured, and no one had any idea that one of the top ten best weapons was officially his.