Arthur's eyes glowed red, prompting Koko to point, "Get ready!"
"You're both crazy!" screamed Ino.
Her comment was met with a flick of his wrist as Tatewaki, Mangetsu, and Zabuza straightened themselves next to her and Shikamaru.
Arthur then reached into his pocket, pulled out a small spherical item, and ate it. Shikamaru recognized it as the Akimichi clan's food pill. And when Arthur finished swallowing, he instantly felt the energy course through him, strengthening his chakra reserves.
Then, he clapped his hands together and spread his arms apart: 'Golden chain: barrier jutsu…'
The ground trembled as multiple glowing adamantine chains erupted from his person to form a colossal cage around a significant portion of the forest clearing.
"I'm going to release my control over you," he finally said. "If you can beat me, you'll be set free and get the chance to tell the Leaf Village everything."
Those words left the two feeling very uneasy. Releasing control meant that if he failed to subdue them in combat, everything he had worked for could come crashing down.
Why would he put everything on the line like this? Was he that committed to his training?
He by all means was.
If Arthur couldn't prove himself here, he wouldn't stand a chance against the more difficult challenges ahead.
The instant Arthur released them, the two bolted away!
'How expected…'
They managed to make it toward the edges of the barrier but found themselves halted by its impenetrable chains.
Koko appeared out of nowhere on a tree branch. "You should know daddy always thinks of everything!"
"Shikamaru! What do we do?!"
But the boy knew this scenario had spiraled into what he deemed the worst-case situation.
"If Arthur just summoned us here to train," he said, shifting his gaze to the chains, "we might have a chance at beating him."
"What?!" she cried. "Why would you say that?"
"Just think about it: why would he go through all this trouble? He knows we can't escape, so the only thing we can do is…"
"Fight…"
Eventually, the two returned to face Arthur. They didn't look as frightened, but he could still sense the fear coming from Ino.
"I have a question first," Shikamaru said. "Why are the other three here?"
"They'll be your teammates…"
"I figured…"
How did Shikamaru figure? Earlie, when Arthur was naming them to Koko out loud, he was actually revealing their backgrounds for Shikamaru to understand how to use them as allies.
"And what makes us different from them?" Ino asked, still strained under the pressure.
"They don't possess their personalities," Arthur explained, "and they only have two commands. The first is to listen to you two at all costs. And the second…" He tilted his head. "Is to kill me."
For a moment, the scene became silent.
Shikamaru's mind reeled at the absurdity of it all. How could one perceived child go to such lengths—to such degrees—just to get stronger?
"Y-you're insane!" Shikamaru finally uttered. What did he know? To Arthur, this was nothing more than a survival exercise. "You promise to let us go if we beat you, right?"
"What would I get out of this by lying…?"
At that moment, Ino finally caved under the pressure. "I can't take this anymore!" Then she sprinted away. "Someone help us!"
"Ino, wait!" Shikamaru shouted, but she was gone.
As she ran, all she could hear was Koko's echoing teases: "You're gonna make daddy upset again! You're gonna make daddy upset!"
Then her foot caught on a root, causing her to stumble to the ground.
Back where Arthur was, he coldly declared, "I'll have no problem turning her into a complete puppet if she doesn't fight…"
"Wait!" Shikamaru protested, running after her. Clearly he didn't want to be in this alone. "Just give her some time to cope with this."
When he finally saw her on the ground, he helped her up.
"Ino, you need to focus. I know this is tough, but we can't lose our minds over it. That's what he wants."
Ino looked up at him with desperate eyes. "How can we even? We're already dead, Shikamaru."
"We're not completely lost," he pressed. "Remember, we have an opportunity to take him down, and if I'm not giving up, neither should you. So come on and help me!"
Arthur observed their exchange from afar as they both seemed to be coming to terms with things. Even better, Ino was starting to look angrier.
This was good.
The two soon returned. This time with readied spirits.
"This is gonna be good!" Koko said, happily dancing. "What do ya meant me to do, daddy?"
"Go and join their side…"
"Eh?" she froze. "But-but-but I don't wanna hurt you, daddy!"
"For you," he assured, "it'll be different. Hit me once and it'll be the end of the session."
"That sounds like tag!"
Arthur never recalled teaching her what that game was. But if that's how she wanted to view it, then so be it.
Their interaction only made Shikamaru grimace at their bizarre father-daughter relationship. To him, it wasn't a game, but to them, Ino and him were nothing more than playthings.
Still. Did Arthur honestly think this was worth the risk? He was most certainly at a disadvantage. Especially without Koko by his side.
"Listen, Ino," Shikamaru urged as the reanimated corpses took positions around them. "Stay close, and follow my lead. We'll need to exploit any weaknesses he has, got it?"
"O-okay," she nodded. The sight of the dead warriors stepping forward only fueled her resolve to fight for freedom from this nightmare. "I got it."
He then took a moment to devise a quick plan—one that involved using their teammates to their best capabilities.
Arthur was quite content with having chosen Shikamaru for this, despite only being twelve. Yet the boy had kept calm and was able to think of a plan in such a short time—all without even seeing the other three corpses in action.
That only meant Arthur could truly go all out.
As such, he unfurled a scroll, causing a cloud of smoke to billow around him. Once it cleared, various weapons materialized from its depths.
The sight was nothing short of staggering: the Executioner's Blade, the Thunder Sword, the Blunt Blade, the Explosive Blade, the Long Blade, Hiramekarei, the Leaf Fan, and a pouch filled with an assortment of ninja tools.
To say Arthur didn't come prepared would have been an understatement.
He tossed the Executioner's Blade to Zabuza, who caught it. The Long Blade followed, landing in the hands of Tatewaki. Shikamaru was handed the weapon pouch while Ino received the Leaf Fan.
The remaining weapons were given to Mangetsu since he could wield them all at once.
It didn't take long for Shikamaru to understand that. Knowing this, however, didn't settle well in his gut.
Because if Arthur was willing to go this far, who knew what he had?!
"What about me, daddy?" Koko cheerfully asked, hoping for a weapon.
"Nothing… Now go to their side."
"Awe man!" she said, bouncing over. "You're playing favourites!"
Her childish antics and the impending battle did little to lighten the seriousness of the situation.
"I'll test my commands," Shikamaru said. "Get into formation!"
The three reanimations snapped into action, moving with a speed that took Ino by surprise.
"Th-they're so fast!" she exclaimed. "They must be stronger than the Jōnin."
"They are!" Koko smiled. "Umm… What was your name again?"
"I-it's Ino…"
"Can you be my mommy?"
"W-what?!"
"Te-he! If ya say yes, I'll tell you what the fan does."
"Huh?" Ino said, eyeing the weapon.
"It can use all five natural elements with just a thought!" Koko said, arms spread. It then dawned on her that Ino hadn't agreed to being her mother. "You'll still be my mommy, right?!"
Ino's response was interrupted by the loud crack from Arthur's neck.
"Now," he ominously said, "don't hold back… if you know what's good for you."