Arthur donned a sleeveless undershirt, leaving his orange jacket behind. A small satchel, containing essential provisions and a stack of research scrolls, rested on his hip.
Using the Smoke technique, his form dissolved into a swirling cloud of gray mist. He then flew high above, emerging on the village's outskirts.
His journey continued on foot under the cloak of darkness. As he walked, his thoughts drifted to how the next arc was originally written.
The Chūnin Exams final arc consisted of a month-long training period for the remaining Genin after the preliminary rounds ended. During this time, Naruto met Jiraiya, who became his teacher and significantly improved his skills.
There were more sinister events unfolding as Gaara attempted to assassinate Lee. The proctor, Hayate, was also murdered after learning about the Sand Village's betrayal.
With no one understanding what was truly going to happen, the final matches were set with Naruto vs. Neji as the first fight. Not only had Naruto won, but he also changed Neji's view on destiny.
The second match, Sasuke vs. Gaara, was highly anticipated but delayed due to Sasuke's absence.
Other matches included Shino winning by default and Shikamaru strategically defeating Temari but then quitting due to laziness.
Finally, Sasuke and Gaara's fight began, displaying Sasuke's new speed and technique, the Chidori—a highly concentrated lightning technique that shrouded the user's hand.
However, their battle was interrupted by a smoke bomb and the start of the Leaf's invasion. Assuming Orochimaru's attack didn't happen, every sequence within the invasion arc wouldn't happen either.
Arthur was a skilled fighter, yes, but compared to the other participants, he was quite weak. Not the weakest after learning the fundamentals of an S-rank technique, but certainly far from the strongest.
He possessed a broad knowledge of other different-ranked techniques from countless hours of refined training. But without actual combat experience, the chances of him winning real fights were inconsistent.
This was an element he lacked: the ability to overwhelm a tough opponent with one's might alone. There was only a select few ways to attain that level of might.
Arthur soon emerged from the forest into a vast, moonlit clearing. A mountain loomed ahead of him.
Drawing blood from his thumbs, he performed the correct hand signs—boar, dog, bird, monkey, and ram. Then he pressed his palm on the ground, causing a black seal to appear.
'Summoning jutsu…'
A puff of smoke enveloped him, obscuring his form from view. Then, with a blinding flash of light, the smoke faded away, leaving nothing but an empty space where he once stood.
Disoriented, Arthur opened his eyes, blinking to adjust to the unfamiliar surroundings.
He could see the first rays of dawn through what looked to be thick canopy leaves. The acrid scent of earth and decaying vegetation filled his nostrils. The air was humid, and the sounds of unseen insects buzzed around him.
A cascading waterfall roared nearby, drowning out the chirping of early birds and the rustling of leaves. Towering trees, their branches thick with foliage, formed a dense canopy overhead, casting shadows across the grass.
Once his vision finally cleared, he verified that he was no longer in the Fire Country. He wasn't in any country at all, actually.
The trees here were more saturated, and the sounds were livelier, and the humidity was stagnantly higher than normal.
But where exactly was he?
The Summoning technique, as he understood it, required a contract to be formed with a summoning animal. These animals acted as potential fighting partners for ninjas, capable of using jutsu much like them.
Of course, that didn't mean summoning something was limited to those without pre-existing contracts. A skilled ninja could perform the technique without a pact. If they were to try, instead of summoning a specific creature to a designated location, a user without a contract would be transported to the summoning realm they possessed the strongest affinity for.
In this world, these creatures resided in these hidden realms. Such realms were still considered to be a great mystery in the story. While the exact number of them realms remained unknown, the series hints at a vast network, potentially housing hundreds of different animal species with unique abilities.
Only a select few of these realms have ever been explicitly mentioned: Mt. Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest.
Margaret was implied to having already visited the latter.
Arthur, with no established contract, could be anywhere now. And who was to say the animals wouldn't be hostile like the serpents were known for at Ryūchi Cave?
He had taken a big risk being reverse summoned here—wherever here was. But he was willing to take this risk. Especially after the performances from the players at the preliminaries.
Arthur settled on a moss-covered rock, considering the realm he was in.
There were no caverns nearby, nor were there any indications of serpents. Ryūchi Cave was eliminated from the list.
Perhaps this could have been Shikkotsu Forest, a place never visually shown in the story. The chances of him sharing the same animal affinity with another player were low.
No player shared the same character, so it was safe to believe they were each diverse, including their summoning animals. And considering this was a jungle, it was safe to think that he was not at Mt. Myōboku. Out of all the characters to be given toads as a summon, William or Jasper had the highest of chances.
Arthur therefore ruled out Mt. Myōboku.
That left the remaining animals: elephants, primates, canines, felines, crows, eagles, hawks, bats, chameleons and other reptiles, turtles and other sea creatures, centipedes and other insects, moles, spiders, oxen, pandas, and rhinos.
As he continued to think about where he was, his answer came.
Perched on a low-hanging branch, no more than a few feet away, was a large ape-like creature. Its orange fur shone in the sunlight, and its intelligent eyes regarded Arthur with curiosity.
It wasn't a monkey nor a chimpanzee, but an orangutan.
While perched on the branch, the orangutan continued to appraise him with its gaze. Their eyes locked for a moment as the creature tilted its head ninety degrees.
Resorting to random outbursts or threats wouldn't get Arthur anywhere. So he decided on the simple approach: "Can you talk?"
The orangutan remained silent, its expression unreadable. Perhaps Arthur wasn't in the realm he thought he was in after all.
The silence continued. Just as he was about to leave, the orangutan tilted its head in the opposite direction. Its appearance looked comical given its bulky frame. So Arthur turned around, preparing to leave.
Maybe he actually was in Mt. Myōboku. Animals from all categories were stated to dwell among these lands—some with chakra, some without.
Suddenly, the orangutan emitted a series of guttural sounds that vibrated through Arthur's chest, causing him to turn around.
"Lost, are we?" the creature screeched. The ape had spoken. "This ain't exactly a place for sightseers."
"Why didn't you talk when I asked you the first time?"
The orangutan cocked its head with a comical smile. "What? I have to speak in your tongue, but you can't speak in mine? Ha-hah-hah!"
This primate was clearly the rambunctious type. Arthur relaxed himself further. "I see… While I'm not lost, I did come here for a purpose. Your elder. I'm looking for him."
The orangutan's smile widened. "Elder? What would a little boy know about our elder?"
Arthur truly hadn't known whether this realm had an elder or not. Let alone what gender they were. He was only asking to narrow his suspicions.
So he adjusted his approach, explaining, "You seem to misunderstand... I'm more than just a little boy."
"More than just a little boy?!"
Arthur shook his head slightly and chose his words carefully. "To you, this will sound strange, but I'm no ordinary visitor."
"No ordinary visitor?!"
"I come with a message of utmost importance. Something like a prophecy."
"A prophecy?!"
The creature's 'monkey see, monkey do' was already starting to annoy Arthur. Yet he remained stoic.
"Pay close attention," he said. "I'm not claiming to be a prophet or anything, but what I have to share concerns your entire race."
The orangutan's then suddenly jumped down to finally greet him. To say it wasn't a large primate would have been an understatement; it was almost his size.
Eyeing Arthur from head to toe, it then looked away, pondering the situation. Then it looked back at him, making the same eyeing gesture. Then it looked away again before returning to do the same head to toe search.
"You'd be too small to be a prophet anyway, don't ya think? Haha-ha!"
A few moments was spent with the ape laughing hysterically. Most people would have been intimidated by the size and sharp teeth constantly bearing down on them, but Arthur was calm.
He asked the ape what its name was. In a show of bravado, the orangutan flexed its arms as if dazzling lights and stars were behind it.
"I am the mighty Ooka-Ooka of the Cayman Jungles!" It then pulled out a pair of sunglasses for dramatic effect. "But my friends call me Orangi!"
Arthur had never heard of such a creature in the story before. Neither had he ever read about a place called the Cayman Jungles. At least now he was certain: this was the secret realm of the primates.
"You can call me Alex…" Arthur stated.
"Alright, little Alex," Ooka-Ooka rumbled. "You've piqued my curiosity. This 'prophecy,' spit it out."
Arthur was hoping to share what he knew to their elder. But if he was going to meet a higher primate, he'd have to deal with the crazy one in front of him first. So he immediately found a way to convey the urgency without raising unnecessary questions.
"A great darkness threatens to consume realm. This beautiful jungle you call home, is at risk."
Ooka-Ooka remained frozen for a moment until it finally rolled on the floor laughing, pounding its fist so hard that the ground quaked slightly. "Great darkness! Aha-hah! Home's at risk! Bwa-ha-ha!"
Catching a peek at Arthur's unmoved expression, it stopped to ponder him a little. Fingers resting on its chin, it asked, "You're serious?"
"Yes…"
"Alright, little Alex, the prophet. You've convinced me. I'll take you to our elder to see if you're telling the truth or not. I mean, I could use the extra laugh after I see his face when he hears this!"
Arthur thanked Ooka-Ooka, asking what the elder's name was.
This prompted Ooka-Ooka to spring back up and come face-to-face with him. "Shouldn't you, a prophet, know? Hahaha-ha!"
"Never said I was…"
The response made Ooka-Ooka abruptly stop in place. "Gee, Alex. Learn to take a joke! Our elder's name is 'Elder Pepé'."
Arthur committed the name to memory as Ooka-Ooka scratched himself, stating that the elder had the wisdom of the ancient trees. That was quite interesting to know, as it now meant Arthur had a challenge underway.
After a moment, Ooka-Ooka allowed Arthur to follow him deeper into the jungle.
The creature moved with surprising agility, swinging from branch to branch with ease. Arthur kept pace by jumping on them instead.
As they journeyed deeper, the air grew thicker, and the sounds of the jungle gradually faded.
Half an hour later, Arthur began to once again hear the sounds of the jungle. Then he noticed something that annoyed him: this crazy orangutan had brought him back to the very spot where they met!
The towering trees and the smell of decaying leaves were all the same.
"Orangi," he called out in a firm voice. "Why did you lead us in circles?"
"Gotcha!" Ooka-Ooka erupted in a fit of laughter that shook the leaves overhead. "I was testin' ya!"
Arthur felt anger building in his chest. Calming himself before he did something he'd regret, he said, "Very funny, but this isn't a game."
Ooka-Ooka puffed out his chest as his laughter subsiding into a series of satisfied grunts.
"Don't worry, little Alex. I was just trying to see if you could keep up with me. And guess what?!" it paused. "You passed with flying colours!"
While the explanation put his mind at ease, he was livid that his time was being wasted.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't play any more tricks on me, Orangi."
Ooka-Ooka pounded his fist against his chest like a drumbeat. "No more tricks, little Alex! Now, let's get you to Elder Pepé." Then he gestured his finger up as if remembering something. "Since he doesn't get too many visitors, it's a great time for us to bother him. Haha-haha!"