Jada's face turned as red as a tomato from the comment.
Their teasing looked like playful banter among friends, but Arthur knew better than to befriend this lot. Not after they almost got him killed.
Now, Arthur could take them down. Right here, right now.
But doing that would defeat the purpose of his goals. If they truly were trapped in the ninja world like him, then all he could do was continue fighting the real threat at play.
Even if these two stood in his way.
Jada, having finally calmed herself down, shot a playful glance at William and said, "I can't wait to try out everything I learned!"
William comically jumped to his feet, raising his hands defensively. "Wait, no! Let's talk about this first! I don't want to get beat up again!"
His protest, however, was cut short by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching them.
A woman burst onto the scene with a panicked expression as she sprinted toward Arthur before clutching her chest to catch her breath.
"Please!" she gasped in desperation. "You have to help me!"
Arthur held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Slow down… Take a breath and tell us what's the matter."
"Please, I really need help. My husband… he couldn't pay off our loan, so these guys took him and my little girl away!"
"Where are they holding them?" Jada asked, expression turned serious.
"I don't know!" The woman's voice quivered as she struggled to maintain her composure. "I ran here, hoping to find anyone who could help!"
Jada was ready to jump in with a reassuring 'we'll help you' but was eclipsed by Arthur's calm demeanour.
"Tell us where you live," he said, "and we'll do what we can."
"Just a few paces down. Please, I don't know what I'll do if they hurt them!"
"We'll help you, no matter what it takes!" William chimed in.
Arthur was right to play the hero in this scenario. It was, after all, the perfect opportunity to hide behind his persona as Hoshikaze.
But that didn't mean he wasn't disregarding William and Jada.
Their hearts were too reckless in wanting to help out this stranger. Who knew if this was a trap? Or rather, who knew if this unknown person was actually a victim?
✟
No long, the group made their way through a small town that was close by.
"Why didn't you go to the police for help?" Arthur inquired.
The woman frowned, feeling shameful. "I couldn't. The loan we took was illegal. If the authorities found out, it would only make things worse for us. So… I was hoping someone—anyone would help. That's why I ran."
Arthur understood her plight and said, "We won't alert the authorities or make this matter public after we bring back your family… You have my word."
Jada looked at him with admiration. She wasn't sure at first if he was going to help. But because he had, it made her respect him even more.
Now inside the woman's house, where the group stepped in, Jada reactivated her Sharingan to scan the area.
"Will," she demanded, "try and gather as much information as you can."
"Right!"
Arthur, meanwhile, decided to prompt the woman for clues. "Tell us anything you think could help us find them."
"My husband was the only one who took the loan. When he left the town to find them, it took him two days just to give back."
"That means it would have to be a day's journey from here…" Arthur deduced. "Know anything about him that he might have said?"
The woman shook her head. "I—I don't know much. He never spoke about them. Just that we needed money to help us pay our debts."
"How much did you owe?"
"One hundred thousand ryō," she said. "Plus interest."
William, overhearing this, cried, "That's a lot of money!" He then looked to Arthur. "Sheesh, am I right?" When Arthur chose not to comment, William remembered that Arthur had technically been a millionaire after winning the tournament. "Ugh… never mind!"
As Jada was reviewing the bedroom, she called out, "Hey! I found something!" She then returned to the living room, where she held up a crumpled piece of paper. "It's a receipt signed by your husband."
The amount written on it matched one hundred thousand ryō.
Arthur leaned in closer to inspect the document. On it, the name of the lending company stood out clearly: "Hightower Loans." The name looked strangely familiar to him.
"I know where they're located," he admitted.
"Really?" Jada asked.
"How'd a guy like you get involved with loan sharks?" William wondered.
"I said I know where they are, not who they are…"
In hindsight, Arthur actually did know who they were but hadn't wanted to reveal that information. Little did they know, this was a company he had dealt with during his time as the feudal lord's successor.
Arthur had once alleviated a merchant from this very company after giving that same merchant free money to market better.
Because of his kind act, much of the country's land went undisturbed by shady investors.
"That's perfect!" Jada exclaimed before looking at the woman. "With Hoshikaze-sensei leading the way, we'll definitely bring your family back!"
The woman's hope renewed as tears welled in her eyes. She bowed deeply and then dropped to her knees, saying, "Thank you! Thank you! I don't know how to repay you!"
William beamed, feeling prideful for being recognized as heroes. Yet, in a moment that caught Jada off guard, Arthur lowered himself to the woman's level, meeting her gaze with sincerity.
"Never thank us like that," he announced. "This service is an obligation to help those in need."
The woman lifted her head in surprise. "You… you're different."
William crossed his arms while furrowing his brows, clearly jealous that Arthur was taking the spotlight.
But as for Jada, it was the first time she had seen the light that was hiding behind his ruthlessness.
"Alright," he said, standing tall. "Let's move…"
✟
At another village, the trio arrived at a building.
Jada marveled at the structure before them. It was flanked by tall, uninviting walls and solid iron gates.
"We don't want to disturb this village," Arthur said, standing in the forefront.
"What do you mean?" William asked. "All we have to do is just bust open the door and rescue the family?"
"Quite the opposite… Jada and you are Leaf ninjas. Last I checked, this country's not so fond of your village."
Jada had never known that.
And while this was indeed true, Arthur mainly didn't want the name "Hoshikaze" to continue spreading where it ought not.
"What's the plan, then?" she asked.
"There are security cameras and traps set up to alert any intruders," he revealed.
William looked around but didn't see anything. "What security cameras?" Then he finally spotted one in the corner. "Hey! How are you able to see all of this with that blindfold on anyway?"
"I'll disrupt them from inside," Arthur stated, ignoring the question. "You two will sneak in through the back entrance and wait for me to raise their alarm. That should bring all their armed men to the main room."
William turned to look at the building again. Incredulity got the better of him once more as he interjected, "Just what makes you think there are armed men inside, and how are ya—". By the time he turned back to seek an answer, Arthur had already vanished.
Jada herself was already walking away, determined to scout out an entry point.
"Wait for me, Jada!" he yelled after her.
The two stealthily walked around the complex while keeping low to the ground.
"Hoshikaze-sensei was right," she said, glancing back with her Sharingan. "There are way too many cameras here."
"Okay, but I mean—armed men?" William sighed. "Think they're shinobi or just mercenaries?"
"Beats me. But stay close, okay?"
"Rodger!"
Jada paused to look down and wonder just how nerdy that sounded.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Ugh… Nothing."
As the two rounded the side of the building, they spotted a narrow alley that hugged the structure. Jada motioned for William to follow as they used the shadows to approach an unguarded back door.
"What do we do if it's locked?" William asked. Jada rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I forgot!"
Using her Sharingan, she plucked a bobby pin from her hair and inserted it through the keyhole. "Just give me one…" Her fingers then cautiously moved at the most subtle mechanics. "Got it!"
"Nice work! Was the Sharingan always able to let you do that?"
Jada reminded him with a grin that she was full of surprises.
With that, they slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind them.