The sounds of clashing metal filled the arena.
Alice and Tenten were locked in a tense struggle. Every kunai thrown and every shuriken hurled were all being deflected by Alice.
Many of the onlookers were surprised that a Yamanaka could be so skilled. Even Arthur was impressed that someone he knew who was truly a French woman could move like that.
'There's no way the ninja world changed her that much,' he thought to himself.
Suddenly, a hand clapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Jada, Alex, and Jasper with faces full of relief and concern. William and Margaret were still on the other side, cheering Alice on with Naruto.
"Arthur!" Jada exclaimed. "It's been days. How've you been?"
In a voice betraying none of his thoughts, he said, "My team managed to secure two scrolls, but we got separated, and I haven't seen them since coming here."
"Yeah, Will told us about that," Jada exclaimed.
"That's rough, man," Alex said. "Glad ya made it, though."
Jasper simply grunted in agreement and added, "I'm just hoping to see what you can do in a real fight."
Arthur forced a smile at the reference. "We'll see." Then he feigned ignorance. "How'd it go with Oro?"
"Yeah, about that," Alex sighed. "Our intervention wasn't exactly a success."
Things clearly weren't going according to their plan. They wanted Sasuke not to receive the curse mark, a crucial plot point that would spiral the Uchiha into leaving the village.
Arthur frowned. "What happened?"
"Orochimaru ambushed us on the last day," Jada began. "We thought we had him cornered."
"But the sneaky snake managed to conceal his chakra and hid underground just to bite Sasuke on the neck!" finished Alex.
"What happened to the ninjas guarding Team 7?" Arthur asked.
"Some of them…" Jada answered, looking down, "Some of them thought they'd located Oro, only to see it was a false trail."
"Then snake-boy attacked like he knew Sasuke was being watched," Jasper finished.
Arthur gritted his teeth. "You don't think he was tipped off, do you?"
Alex argued that something like that happening was improbable. Only those in the higher-ups of the Leaf Village knew of their plan to capture Orochimaru. Not even Kabuto was aware of things.
The only explanation they could think of was how their initial arrival to the ninja world must have significantly altered the plotline.
Arthur was safe. For now.
Then Jasper explained something Arthur was unaware of. "Word is, Hiruzen chased snake-boy and his goons off."
"That so?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah," Jada answered, her smile returning. "We won't be seeing that creep any time soon."
While Orochimaru's absence was a positive development, it didn't solve their bigger problem: Sasuke regaining the curse mark. The Sannin would most likely find another way to manipulate the Uchiha, one that the players would surely be on their guard for.
As they finished discussing the fallout from their failed Orochimaru intervention, the clash in the arena reached its climax.
With a well-timed dodge, Alice managed to disarm Tenten of her final weapon. Tenten then gave a resigned sigh, admitting her defeat.
An uproar of approval erupted from the crowd. Team Guy exploded in cheers, their enthusiasm almost deafening, despite Tenten having lost.
Alice's victory wasn't much of a surprise, not with her newfound repertoire. Yet Arthur wasn't buying that someone like her could be so well refined at fighting. Her above-average skills seemed too polished, despite having only a little knowledge of this world.
Unlike Jada and William, who Arthur could tell had never thrown a punch before, Alice seemed far too natural.
"She won just like we knew she would," Jada happily said.
"Yeah," Alex added, looking at Arthur. "She helped us a ton with her sensing ability."
As the cheers subsided, Hayate cleared his throat to make the announcement. "The winner of this match is Alice Yamanaka."
"Looks like we're the strongest team after all," Jasper declared.
Jada offered a noncommittal shrug.
Now there was something on Arthur's mind. He turned to the others to ask, "What exactly's the plan for Sasuke?"
"What do you mean?" Jada asked.
"He received the curse mark, so we're not just gonna leave him like that, are we?"
Alex grimaced. "That's the million-dollar question, Arthur. Even with the curse mark, this entire arc still changes. So we really have no idea what to do with him."
Jasper snorted. "Speak for yourselves. I wouldn't have minded seeing him squirm a bit more after he got it."
"Dude!" Alex said, laughing.
"What?" Jasper said, not knowing what he said was wrong.
Jada pouted. "Be nice, Jasper. The point is, we have to find another way to fix him."
"Like what?" Arthur questioned.
"I was thinking we just tell him the truth about Itachi," she suggested.
Arthur considered this plan. It had merit. A distrustful Sasuke being told the truth could make him less susceptible to manipulation. But it was still a gamble. With the emotional turmoil of the curse mark, Sasuke might be more resistant to outside influence, seeking to side with Orochimaru for more power.
"It's worth a try," Arthur claimed, "but we shouldn't risk rousing suspicion from those close to him."
They all agreed, knowing Arthur was referring to Naruto's personal relationship with the Uchiha. Naruto's loyalty to Sasuke was a known factor, one that could either make or break their plans.
The thrill of the unexpected lingered as Hayate prepared everyone for the next match. Names flashed on the giant screen: Hinata Hyūga versus Kankurō.
Surprises spread through the crowd. Who Hinata was supposed to fight in the exams was Neji.
Hinata, the shy and reserved heiress of the Hyūga clan, known for her gentle nature, was pitted against Kankurō, the cunning puppeteer from the Sand Village. It seemed like a one-sided battle favouring Kankurō's ruthless combat style.
Arthur, however, couldn't help but already foresee the outcome.
Hinata possessed the Byakugan, granting her the ability to see chakra flow. That could be her chance of winning against Kankurō's puppets, which relied heavily on hidden chakra threads.
As the two stepped onto the platform, their opposing natures were evident. Hinata stood poised, while Kankurō exuded arrogance.
"Begin!"
Not a moment too soon, Kankurō opted for a ranged attack. His puppet, named Crow, was removed from his back and lunged toward Hinata. Her milky-white eyes quickly glowed eerily, allowing her to see the invisible strings controlling Crow.
Straightway, she wove around the puppet's attacks. Arthur watched as she severed Kankurō's chakra threads with well-placed strikes. Kankurō grimaced in frustration. He attempted to mend the broken strings, but Hinata pressed her attack and unleashed a barrage of Gentle Fist techniques.
The crowd gasped as he stumbled back. The puppet, rendered useless without a controller, then crashed onto the platform. With a final, decisive strike aimed at a vital chakra point, she brought Kankurō to his knees.
The audience gave thunderous applause. Even Neji gave a look of approval, his initial doubt replaced by newfound respect for Hinata's skill and determination.
Hayate then raised a hand and declared, "The winner of this match is Hinata Hyūga."
From the other balcony, congratulations poured in. Kiba also whooped and hollered, praising Hinata's victory. Shino offered a quiet nod of respect. Kurenai's eyes were filled with admiration.
Arthur knew that Hinata wasn't weak, but to think that she could win without Naruto's initial speech he said against Kiba in the original tale.
A surprise awaited the Hyūga once she returned. Her team couldn't stop praising her.
"Thank you, everyone," she humbly said in a shy tone. "I did the best I could."
"Well done, Hinata," Neji said, slowly approaching.
Neji's initial disdain for Hinata stemmed from his adherence to the Hyūga clan's rigid hierarchy, which placed him above her due to his perceived superior destiny. But now he was congratulating his cousin.
Arthur and the rest of the players took notice of this development. This was clearly Alex's work, a means of bridging the gap between them earlier than what was written.
Amidst the celebratory roar, Margaret and Jada ran over to also voice their praise.
"You were incredible, Hinata!" screamed Jada.
"Yeah, that was a heck of a fight!" added Margaret.
That made the Hyūga's face turn red, unaware of just how many people cared for her match. Then Jada held Hinata's hands as she gave her more words of encouragement.
To Arthur, the two players were simply openly revealing that they adored this character very much.
As the cheers subsided, everyone returned to their respective areas. Hayate cleared his throat to announce the next match. The giant screen turned on, and the names were revealed: Margaret Senju versus Sakura Haruno.
Sakura gave a look of excitement. This was the clash she'd been anticipating. Or so it seemed.
In truth, Arthur felt as if Sakura's inner voice was telling her that she was about to lose. That was because almost every Genin by now knew just how strong Magaret was.
Margaret stretched her arms and neck. "Finally! My time to shine!"
"Do your best," Kakashi said to Sakura.
"She's strong," Naruto added, "but I'll be cheering you on all the way, Sakura!"
"Try not to let her outclass you," Sasuke finished.
Upon hearing her team's words of encouragement, she punched the air several times to continue pumping her up. Then she gave a triumphant expression.
Arthur, however, could tell this was all likely a front. Why? Because this Sakura hadn't developed yet; she still had longer hair.
During the exams, when she was attacked by Team Dosu, she cut her hair to escape Kin's hold. That situation never happened, preventing Sakura from undergoing her character development.
When Margaret and Sakura met in the center, and the fight started, Margaret first opted for a defensive stance. Sakura launched at her, but Arthur could already see too many openings from Sakura's person. The only question he asked himself was how much Margaret wanted to embarrass the third main character.
Jasper, who wanted to be by Alice's side, left. "We all know who's gonna win…"
Arthur's focus snapped away from the arena to take a chance to ask a question: "Hey, Jada, where's the rest of Chōji's team?"
Jada and Alex exchanged a hesitant glance. They didn't want to break the news they thought he wasn't ready for.
"About that," she started. "They…"
"What is it?" Arthur nudged.
Alex spoke this time, saying with a heavy voice, "There isn't 'a rest of Chōji's team,' Arthur."
"What happened?" Arthur forced.
"It's best that we don't talk to him right now," Jada empathetically answered, still refusing to acknowledge what had happened.
"Why not?" Arthur pressed.
Alex sighed, "He says someone attacked them in the forest and killed Ino and Shikamaru."
"Who attacked them?"
"He doesn't know," Alex explained. "He's a mess, Arthur. One of Will's clones found him crying alone after it happened. When Will brought him over, he said everything happened so fast that he couldn't remember. He just ran..."
"We would have been here much sooner," Jada added, "but we all wanted Chōji to advance." Arthur understood: the reason why the players had arrived late was because they were spending time looking for more scrolls. "That's when he finally remembered and said it was someone from the Sound Village that attacked them."
"Did anyone track the ninja down?"
"No," Alex said. "But some of us suspect it might have been Orochimaru or his people."
'Some,' Arthur repeated inwardly. 'That meant not everyone's sure of what happened.'
"I feel so sad for him," Jada frowned.
"It's okay," Arthur assured. "It's not like it was your fault."
"No, Arthur!" she suddenly said. "It was my fault; I should have kept a closer eye on their team."
It was then that Arthur understood something about Jada's personality: she truly cherished the main cast.
As they pondered the implications of Chōji's predicament, the fight between Sakura and Margaret came to an end.
Margaret, to no one's surprise, emerged victorious. Her unexpected agility and tactical prowess had proven to be a winning formula against Sakura's still-dormant potential.
The crowd roared with approval, valuing the fight as exciting due to Margaret's flamboyant nature.
"Well," Alex said, breaking the awkwardness. "That was certainly… fun to watch? I guess. Haha."
"Kidding?" Jada said in surprise. "Marge was supposed to go easy on her."
The way Margaret had won was through a single chakra-enhanced punch. Ironic since that would be Sakura's signature technique three years from now.
Arthur offered a noncommittal nod. His mind, however, was focused on Chōji; he wondered who would end up finding the boy. When he looked in Chōji's direction, he saw Asuma standing right behind the boy, resting his hand on his shoulder.
Arthur could not pity them at all.