Arthur continued his training, focusing not just on his physical prowess but also on perfecting his Simian Sage Mode. He also taught Koko certain phrases that the playful chimp could understand.
In turn, Koko absorbed all of Arthur's lessons with her uncanny intelligence.
One day, she even tried to mimic his movements when he was training. She failed a lot of the time, but it was at least a start.
After a week, a bond grew between them. They were communicating through a combination of gestures and expressions that had developed naturally.
One evening, as they sat around a crackling campfire, Arthur was practicing his control over natural energy.
"What are you doing, daddy?"
Arthur slowly opened his eyes to look at her. "One day, Koko… You and I will start a war."
The chimp tilted her head, unable to understand what he meant. "What mean war?"
"An act of trying to destroy this world…" Arthur looked up into the starry sky. "This world is plagued with evil, those who cannot fathom what's real and what's not. They are but mere hurdles to the end of it all."
Koko made a soft clicking sound, seemingly sensing the turmoil within him. So she stood up and went to pluck a red fruit from a nearby vine. When she returned, she gently placed it on his lap.
"Thank you, Koko," he said, picking it up. Not once had he smiled in front of the chimp. He could not. Or rather, he didn't need to because the silent understanding between them was more than enough. "You did well…"
Koko let out a low whine, still sensing he was troubled. So she hopped over to try and comfort him.
Arthur, however, didn't need to be comforted. She had tried her best, so he reached out and gently scratched behind her ear.
The next few hours were spent recounting the events leading up to these events.
He spoke of the lying girl, the wicked Leaf shinobi, his false imprisonment, and the other players. He also confessed the brutal actions he had taken in an attempt to justify the means.
Koko listened intently, her large eyes never leaving his face. But as he spoke, his anger only grew.
Some time later.
Arthur pushed himself to his limits again. His training sessions were grueling workouts designed to multiply his speed, strength, and agility without losing any of his skills.
When he wasn't doing things like that, he shared his knowledge of ninjutsu with Koko, teaching her the basic hand signs and the principles of chakra flow. She was still very young, but there was no harm in absorbing information early.
Only after briefly returning to the Fire Country via the cold lava portal did he understand that it was time, time that he return to the Leaf Village. But not without first securing Koko's development.
Her village, while partly rebuilt, had a variety of salvaged supplies. He had already reinforced its defenses, creating traps and alarms to deter any potential threats. He also left behind a stockpile of supplies, enough to last her for months to come.
After returning to the Cayman Jungle, he led Koko toward the Royal Registry. There, he found a large scroll—the summoning contract. Unfurling it, Hiruzen's full name was already written in his own blood. It was the only one, to Arthur's surprise.
There was only one thing left to do. Arthur cut himself to draw out some blood. Then he wrote his name next to Hiruzen's, completing the ritual to summon Koko from this realm.
"Time to move," he said, closing the scroll.
Together, they walked out with Koko hanging from his neck.
The two soon reached the chalice. Around it were paper bombs. They were set to detonate after someone touched them. Why Arthur had this in place was because he couldn't afford anyone coming in and out of this realm without his direct knowledge.
Looking at Koko, he instructed that she live here without him for the time being and stay far away from danger. Sensing his purpose, she let out a low whine. She didn't want to be left behind, not after the bond they had forged. So he gently stroked her head.
"Where I'm going is not somewhere you remain long at," he explained. "Besides, I'll come visit you when I can."
Koko whined again, this time wrapping her small arms around Arthur's neck in a plea to stay.
"You'll be safe here," he continued, unmoved. "This village is yours, a place you can call home. And when the time is right, you'll see me again."
Koko's intelligent eyes searched his face, seemingly trying to decipher the truth in his words. With a soft sigh, she released her hold and shed tears.
He reached out and gently rubbed those tears away. In doing so, she mimicked his gesture and said, "You be sad too, daddy!"
For the first time in what felt like a long time, Arthur gave a genuine smile.
Koko then scampered away, watching him turn to the cold lava. Then swoosh, he vanished, and the chalice exploded.
"Goodbye, daddy…"
✟
A wave of heat and light covered his vision. When it subsided, he found himself standing in the familiar forest. It was time to finally return to the Leaf Village.
The journey there hadn't taken long at all. Its bustling streets felt a tad unfamiliar after living in the foliage of the Cayman Jungles.
The snatched conversations and usual chatter indicated that nothing had changed since his departure. This was surprising since Orochimaru's plan had been revealed.
Arthur soon reached his old apartment building. A worn piece of paper was tucked under his door. It was a note, scrawled in familiar handwriting.
Alice: 'Looking forward to hearing about your training! Come visit immediately when you're back.'
Why would she, of all the players, be interested in what he was doing? No, this was a way for him to learn what events transpired while he was gone. A way that the others wouldn't need to see.
So he plastered a fake smile on his face and made his way toward her apartment. Their tall building hadn't been altered in the slightest as he made his way up the elevator before pausing by her door. With a knock, he announced his presence.
The door swung open. Standing before him was Alice with her hair pulled back in a messy bun. Her eyes widened in surprise as she gasped, "Arthur, you're finally back!"
"Alice!" he said with theatrical excitement. "Good to see you... Saw your note. You're actually the first person I'm checking on."
Alice's gaze swept over him with a cocky smile, scrutinizing and searching for something he couldn't quite decipher. She then stepped aside, allowing him to enter.
"Well, come in, come in!" she gleefully said. "It's good to see you alive."
He walked inside, the familiar scent of their apartment filling his senses. The inside remained unchanged with the couches and expensive appliances. It was a snapshot of what only wealthy citizens in this village could afford.
Arthur settled onto the couch as she busied herself with making tea.
"So, tell me everything!" she chirped with enthusiasm. "Where've ya been this whole time?"
Arthur revealed only a little truth, a narrative of an average challenge with only some experiences gained. He embellished details, playing the role of a regular shinobi that was doing menial labour within the village's range.
When she returned to the living room with a steaming mug of tea cradled in her hands, she didn't seem that impressed.
"Here you go," she said, handing him the mug. "Chamomile. Helps with nerves, they say."
"Much appreciated."
She then settled onto the couch next to him with a considerable distance remaining. Her gaze seemed to drift out the window, clearly bored after hearing how his journey had gone. Arthur didn't mind. As long as she believed his tale, he could maintain the element of surprise.
"Arthur," she began. "Don't get upset at me, but it doesn't sound like you grew strong enough for the finals."
Arthur launched into minor details of monotonous pushups and failed taijutsu growth to ease any suspicion. There was hardly any detailed description of his walk in the Cayman Jungles or the fact that he caused primates to become endangered.
Alice listened politely, nodding at appropriate intervals, but her interest seemed to wane with each mundane detail.
"Wow," she finally said when he finished. The lack of conviction in her voice was obvious. "That sounds... intense."
"It was, but a ninja always perseveres, wouldn't you say?"
Alice offered a tight smile to change the subject. "You almost sounded like Will for a second. Haha. Anyway! I'll let you in on what you've missed."
Arthur leaned in, feigning more interest than needed.
"Well," she began, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "Marge's been spending a lot of time with Jada. Apparently, they're both pretty confident for their upcoming match in the finals."
If Arthur recalled correctly, Margaret was to face Hinata, and Jada was to face Alice. He knew Margaret possessed immense chakra reserves, but Jada, while skilled, would probably lose against Alice.
Pretending to be surprised, he asked, "Any word on Will?"
"He just returned from a mission behind all our backs a few days ago. Guess what he did?"
"What?"
"He rehabilitated Gaara with Naruto without telling anyone!"
"He did?"
"Yeah, and everyone was like, 'Oooh!' Haha!"
Arthur's hand tightened around his teacup. William? Successfully rehabilitating Gaara without a fight? There was only one explanation: Naruto's infamous 'talk-no-jutsu.' It was a naïve strategy, but it still yielded the results they all wanted.
"That's… great," he managed to say, trying to keep his voice neutral.
"Got that right. Now, where were we? Oh, right, catching you up. Jasper and I have just been focusing on our training. We haven't been on any missions lately because of it."
Her words rang hollow.
Arthur knew Jasper's insatiable ambition well. The man wouldn't be caught dead 'just focusing on training' for weeks on end.
Arthur decided to play along for now. "Training is important." Then he took a sip of his tea before the next question. "What about Alex?"
"Umm…"
"Umm, what?"
"He got the curse mark from Oro…"
The news was surprising, to say the least. A Hyūga with the curse mark? Arthur hadn't anticipated this.
"Shocking, right?" she continued. "We were all speechless when he showed us those nasty black dots on his neck."
"Speechless, huh?"
"Well, not entirely speechless. Marge threw herself at Alex the moment she saw it. Took all of us to get her off of him. Haha. Like, she's much stronger than we gave her credit for."
Ignoring Margaret's situation, Arthur asked, "How did Oro sneak into the village to give him the curse mark?"
"He actually wanted it, if you can believe that."
"Why would anyone want the curse mark?"
"I think Alex said something about how he can reverse engineer it or something."
'That's not possible,' Arthur thought, lips twitching at the audacious claim. 'Or was it...?'
Even if such a thing were possible, it would require three things: immense control, understanding of sealing techniques, and one or more forbidden techniques. So if Alex did or was planning to do what Alice was telling Arthur, then that meant Alex had all three.