A WEEK HAD PASSED SINCE Arthur first arrived among the monks, and now he found himself awake in the dead of night.
Throughout those seven days, he had made a notable impression among the monks. They had taken to calling him "Cloud Dancer," a nickname that reflected the way he moved during combat: fluid, swift, and almost impossible to pin down.
It was a compliment, though Arthur knew it was also a reflection of their fascination. His fighting style was unlike anything they'd seen before since it blended speed with high-level offensive strikes.
He had also sparred with B and A more than once. They had pushed him hard without chakra while trying to test his limits. But the results often remained the same: bringing him down was darn near impossible.
That only fueled their curiosity.
Since those sessions, they'd been barking at him for more matches. Who could blame them? They'd never encountered someone with his durability, nor had they seen anyone fight with such ease, as if the rules of physics didn't apply to him.
Arthur's body had indeed become a little lighter than when he first arrived here. However, he had no desire to indulge their interest further. When they'd ask, he'd claim that he was sore and needed time to recover.
In truth, he could have always healed himself. Yet he didn't want to reveal more of his skills. Not yet, anyways.
Besides, he still had a target to find: the Eight Tails.
That was his other reason for laying low: to spend his free time observing the congregation, learning their routines, patterns, and behaviours. The monks were disciplined and predictable in some ways but also unpredictable in others. Their movements and signals told him much about their plans, and from that, he'd gleaned the best moment to make his move.
Right now, he currently stood upright in his bed as his eyes scanned the entire congregation. They were all asleep with only a few guards patrolling the grounds.
Tonight, he decided, was that moment.
Using his smoke technique, he slipped out of the congregation undetected. The night sky cloaked his departure as he headed into the mountainous region where he knew the shrine was located.
The terrain was rugged, with steep, vertical mountains that jutted up like jagged teeth from the earth. Between them stretched a vast body of water that was likely connected to the sea beyond.
Arthur landed on a rocky outcrop near the water's edge as his eyes scanned the surface. Using his Tamashii, he verified the creature's location. Its presence was deep beneath the water, and it was also sleeping.
After confirming its position, he released his transformation to reveal his true form. Next, he descended from the skies and approached the water's edge.
When he looked at his reflection, he began to understand just how long it had been since he'd seen himself clearly. His hair had grown a little. The strands now reached just past his shoulders. Maybe he'd braid it if it got too long.
All this only proved how long he'd been in this world.
Those thoughts aside, he touched the waters with a single finger. The surface of it froze as a thin trail of ice spread from his tips toward the center. Then, with practiced chakra control, he shaped the ice into words: "Come Up." The message sank into the depths as the water temperature dropped.
The 8-Tails felt the chill and stirred. Its eyes then opened slowly upon sensing the unfamiliar cold. Confused, the beast looked around and then spotted the words in ice floating at the surface. Its brows furrowed in curiosity, then suspicion.
Was someone nearby? If this was true, it was most certainly an intrusion on its slumber.
The beast's instincts felt drawn. Rising to the surface, it broke through the water with a ripple to reveal its massive, muscular form. Its eyes fixed on the figure standing on the shore.
"You haven't changed, Gyūki…" Arthur said, almost casually, as if greeting an old friend.
The beast regarded him with a puzzled expression. Its large, animalistic face was inscrutable, but its eyes conveyed wariness. It had never met this man before, but something about him seemed familiar yet strange.
"Who are you?" it asked.
"Rather than ask me that, you should ask me what my purpose for coming here is."
"Hmm…?"
"I have a secret to share with you."
The 8-Tails blinked before tilting its head. "What secret could a man possibly share with the likes of a Tailed Beast?"
"You and I will see one another again," Arthur said, "but I'll be in a different form when that time comes."
Now the beast looked at him suspiciously. "You're talking in riddles."
"Reincarnation," Arthur explained. "It's a concept you might not fully understand, but I'll be known as Hoshikaze one day. And when that time comes, we'll meet again."
The beast listened, yet it had no reason to believe him. Something in his tone, the calm confidence, made it not want to consider his words. Yet he wasn't finished.
"I don't believe in reincarnation myself, but your father, Hagoromo, spoke of a time when the beasts would be gathered again."
Now the 8-Tails looked puzzled upon hearing its creator's name. It knew that the earlier disciple continued to spread stories of Hagoromo, yet no disciple had ever said anything like Arthur had. And to it, he sounded like either the ramblings of a madman or a prophet.
"How do you know about Hagoromo?" the beast asked.
"Let's just say I've read about him…. What matters now is what I can do for you."
"And what's that?"
"Many out in the world think you're a creature of mayhem," Arthur began, "but what they failed to see is your important role. One day, you'll be caged inside hosts, called—"
The Eight Tails interrupted by snorting softly. It sounded almost like mocking laughter.
"You are a strange one, you know that? I've met some odd men before, but you're the strangest of them all. This story about reincarnation sounds like nonsense."
Arthur was unbothered by the disrespect and unbelief. He knew a creature like this would find things hard to cope with.
"That's fine," he said. "Believe what you want then. Just remember that your world will one day change."
The beast's expression softened slightly as it closed its eyes and shook its head. It was still skeptical. When it was about to say something to dismiss him, it looked, only to see Arthur had already vanished.
"Hmm?" the beast muttered to itself, looking around.
It waited for a little bit to see if Arthur would return. But when he didn't, the cold water lapped at its sides as it sank back beneath the surface. Now back in the depths of the waters, it pondered what had just happened. Was it dreaming? Had that strange man truly been here? Or was it just the cold and the quiet playing tricks on its mind?
No matter how it was rationalized, one thing was clear: the night had brought a visitor, and somewhere in the shadows, that visitor was playing by his own rules.
"Reincarnation? Bugh!"
✟
The following day, Arthur sought out a quiet spot far from the congregation. He needed solitude for his training, a place where he wouldn't be disturbed or watched. The area he chose was on the outskirts of the mountain range, a clearing with enough space to move freely.
Upon arriving there safely, he started by focusing on his Black Lightning technique. He had learned to manipulate the element to some degree, but it still needed improvement. For instance, his control was very decent, enough to create sparks or bolts, but there was much room to perfect it.
For an hour, he practiced by concentrating on his hand movements. This allowed him to adjust the flow of chakra to produce better lightning.
Just the sheer magnitude of him pushing himself caused electricity to echo in the quiet place.
Progress was being made, but an hour's worth of training was nowhere near enough to get his skills to where he desired them to be.
Suddenly, he sensed someone approaching. From the trees emerged A, walking calmly toward him. A's expression was neutral, but there was an undeniable intent behind his gaze.
"My apologies for having troubled thy training," he said.
Arthur relaxed and shook his head. "No apologies needed, brother. T'was merely working on mine control."
"I seeth," A said, eying him with a knowing look. "I sensed thee from the congregation. Thou hast been practicing Black Lightning?"
"Aye," Arthur calmly replied. There was no point in trying to hide this skill. Not after A sensed it. "I have sought to perfect it more fully."
A's eyes glistened with interest as he asked, "Tell me, where didst thou learn to wield Black Lightning?"
"I practiced it alone, brother. No one hath taught me."
A looked impressed. "Truly, thou art a rare one. I have only taught a handful the ways of Black Lightning, and thou art the first I've seen wield it without mine knowledge."
This confirmed Arthur's suspicions: A was the progenitor of Black Lightning, the one who had either created or first harnessed it. The fact that this character had not only perfected the art but had chosen to teach it to others, sparingly, marked him as an exceptional figure.
Arthur's thoughts whirled; he by no means was going to let the presence of Black Lightning's potential creator slip by.
"Thou dost flatter me," he said. "Though I know how to unleash it, I am yet but a novice. I've only begun to grasp its true potential."
Now A gave him a small smile. "Perchance I might assist thee in refining thy control. I can teach thee certain techniques that shall help thee channel the lightning more effectively."
Those were the words Arthur needed to hear, an opportunity he could not forgo.
"I would be most grateful…"
Without delay, the two began their training.
First, Arthur began by directing chakra into his hands. From what his instructor advised, he was to He pictured a thin, crackling layer of lightning covering his body like an armour
This technique, as he recalled, was known as the "Lightning Chakra Armour". It was heavily used by the third and fourth Raikages, and it could improve the user's reflexes, speed, and strength.
Initially, nothing occurred. Then, like tiny sparks dancing across his skin, a faint shimmer came all around him. When he pushed harder to put more chakra into the technique, he could not produce a thick layer of lightning. Only sparks flickered and brightened.
They were so small that they left his hair unspiked and flat.
"Thou calleth that armour?!" A mocked to gauge a reaction.
But Arthur remained focused. He tried a quick taijutsu move. The attempt made A's brows raise, yet Arthur knew that his motions still felt slow and unassisted.
"Try once more, Cloud Dancer."
Arthur collected chakra again. Around him, a crackle of static energy flared. It was still insufficient, and he knew this because his body did not feel any different. The lightning sparks were still weak and more like little bursts of static than the armour he had imagined.
Following two more unsuccessful attempts, he slowed his pace. A tried to instruct him that his thoughts were likely hindering his progress. Plausible, but Arthur refrained from talking back.
The fact of the matter was, Arthur's body housed a plethora of cells in his system. The lightning chakra nature required so much focus on his brain cells that one wrong thought, and the lightning chakra armour wouldn't form.
In a sense, A was right: Arthur was thinking about it too much.