FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON, Arthur and A had continued their training.
On his last attempt, Arthur had finally gathered enough sparks to at least make his hair stand up. Yet it was never enough to completely cover his body. Around him, there was a slight glow of electricity, just enough to cause a few tiny sparks to dance across his skin but not far from creating a protective shell.
A examined him closely before noting, "Tis unusual… Thy body is not entirely natural, is it?"
Arthur refrained from answering immediately. Instead, he looked at his palms and understood something.
"A, what dost thou knoweth about science?"
"Much," A answered.
"It seemeth as though I am not wearin' the armour at all, for mine own cells seemeth to generate electrons of their own accord. I might unhand myself should I make a sudden movement."
What Arthur was saying was that the formation of the Lightning Armour technique was being hindered by the amount of electricity he was already producing naturally. The lightning chakra he was trying to cloak himself with was being overpowered by his body's own natural bioelectricity. And if he were to try to force the armour, he'd blow himself up.
"So, in a manner of speaking," A added, "thou cants conjure any more lightning than thou hath already."
He was disappointed that Arthur could not learn his famous technique. Nonetheless, he was at least proud that Arthur knew how to produce Black Lightning. That left more room for improvement.
The next couple of hours was spent sparring. A guided Arthur through different stances, release methods, and ways to channel the lightning more efficiently. The teachings were worthwhile because A had given Arthur insights on how to increase the lightning's strength while conserving chakra.
By the time they finished, the sun had fully set.
"Shall we call it in?" A asked.
"I shalt meet thee in the congregation after a walk," Arthur responded.
With that, A left.
To say that Arthur was disappointed in all of this would be quite the understatement. That was because the technique he had actually acquired was the "Lightning Style: Electric Needle Spark".
This particular technique was used by a filler character named "Fūka". Upon the user lifting their arm skyward, they can summon a bolt of lightning that courses through their body before being transferred to another target.
Arthur had not wanted to divulge that information to A, seeing that the latter clearly had no idea what it was Arthur was doing.
And there was something unique about this technique. For one, it used Black Lightning, making it far more potent. And for the other, Arthur could keep the lightning shrouded across his body. By doing so, he didn't need to redirect it to anything but himself, thus amplifying his reflexes both inwardly and outwardly.
That was more than he could ask for.
After testing this skill once more, he headed back toward the congregation. Already he was greeted by the faint aroma of food. The monks had just finished making supper, and the warmth of the communal meal contrasted with the cold discipline of their daily work.
B, who had been nearby, noticed Arthur. His curiosity piqued because he had heard that A and Arthur had been training together.
As Arthur sat down to eat, B playfully said, "Oh, sir! What is't that I hear concerning thee and A practicing together? Was I not of sufficient talent to warrant an invite?"
A chuckled softly. "Hast thou not yet comprehended his nature? He doth favour to work alone.
"Then why wast thou with him?" B tried.
Arthur just stood nearby and said nothing as the two went back and forth. He knew B's personality well enough to recognize that the monk was just teasing. And the playful tension added a lighthearted moment to the evening.
✟
Some time later.
The moon was high over the mountains, casting its pale light over the forests surrounding the shrine.
Arthur sat in the sky while in his smoke form. His eyes were fixed on the Eight-Tails below as the creature moved slowly through the landscape. It was Arthur's fifth night observing it, and today, it looked bored.
The beast idly pawed at the dirt with one massive hand, then flopped down on its side with a soft sigh. Its eyes, usually sharp and alert, were dull. No signs of aggression or curiosity. Just a creature waiting for something fun to happen. It then lazily stretched before rolling onto its stomach. Then it let out a gentle huff.
He wondered what was going through its mind. Was it hungry? Weary? Or simply resigned to its existence?
There was a reason Arthur was watching it: he still hadn't told the beast anything relevant. If he recalled, the Eight-Tails from his timeline knew everything about Killer B, and it was Arthur who had divulged that information.
As Arthur watched the beast from above, the creature's enormous tails soon curled around itself like a child in a blanket. This was the first time in his five nights of watching it that it was outside of the water. This particular night proved invaluable because it had reminded him of something: these beasts were adolescents.
If he wanted to get closer to this teenager of a beast, he had to approach it in a different manner. So he descended to greet the beast once more.
When it heard him approaching, its eyes glowed. "You again? And here I thought I was dreaming of you."
"No dream, Gyūki… I'm as real as can be."
The Eight-Tails snorted. It wasn't quite certain how to make sense of Arthur referring to it by name. Especially after the strangeness it heard from him the last time they met.
"What's your game, son of men? What do you want with me?"
Arthur shrugged nonchalantly. "I was hoping you'd let me tell you a story."
"Hmm…?" The Eight-Tails paused. Then, to Arthur's surprise, it let out a deep laughter that echoed through the clearing. "A story? From a man? Heh. You amuse me, little thing. I've been around for far longer than you, and I've heard countless stories from unsuspecting travelers. None of which amused me."
"Oh, but this one shall surely pique your interest."
There was a long silence before the beast yawned. "Go on… I'm bored enough to listen. But don't blame me if I fall asleep."
Now Arthur needed only to do one thing: 'Evil illusion flattery…'
With that, he sat down on a large rock, crossed his legs, and rested his chin on his fist.
"Let me tell you what's coming for you, Gyūki…"
Arthur first began by referencing Killer B, knowing that the beast may not think highly of him. Arthur did so by revealing the deep bond that they would share one day. His words were meant to show the Eight-Tails that it and B could become more than just a pair; they could become legendary allies.
The Eight-Tails let out a huff of air. "You expect me to befriend a rapping idiot?"
"Hmph… I know you will."
"The greatest of partners, actually…"
"Whatever you say…"
There was no point in arguing with this beast. Not when it already showed its stubbornness. No wonder it and Killer B had great synergy.
That being said, Arthur used that moment to explain to the beast of a time when they would fight valiantly because of their bond.
As the Eight-Tails remained doubtful, Arthur pressed further, recalling the creature's destructive ways. He emphasized that the days of rampaging and instilling fear would soon be replaced by a more meaningful relationship with others.
Arthur insisted that B's quirks and habits would eventually matter less as they evolved into true allies. He spoke of a kind of freedom that the Eight-Tails would gain as opposed to how other Tailed Beasts would face isolation.
"Like I need a man to feel free," the beast commented.
Arthur didn't quite acknowledge its desire for autonomy. He did, however, urge the Eight-Tails to only see B as a proper host compared to the others it would come across. This, Arthur believed, would eventually matter to the Eight-Tails once they would meet again a thousand years from now.
"You're so confident that these things will happen, huh?" the beast questioned.
"I guess you'll have to wait and see."
The hard part about explaining things to this Tailed Beast was how they would meet. The Eight-Tails consistently laughed as if the name Hoshikaze wouldn't mean anything to it. In the end, Arthur's tale of what it would experience left the beast with a sense of lingering curiosity.
"I admit," it said, "you relieved my boredom."
"Fair play," Arthur responded. "Whether you believe me or not, I do ask for one thing."
"And what is that?"
"Give me a piece of your flesh…"
"Ha!" the Eight-Tails laughed. "Why would I do something like that when I could just wrap my tentacles around you and crush you where you stand?"
This was a test, and Arthur knew it. If the beast wanted to fight, it would have done so long ago.
"I'll need it to recover my memories for when we meet again," he replied.
"You're still on that reincarnation nonsense, I see… Fine then, man. I'll humour you this once for having shared an amusing story."
Out of pity, the beast raised its slimy tentacle tail toward Arthur. Arthur himself harmlessly snipped a large-enough piece off of it. The process was no different than a child biting off their fingernail.
"There, man. Are you satisfied now?"
"Hmph… What's there to be satisfied with? Your days will soon be filled with bondage. So long as you recall my words, you'll find solace once we meet again."
The beast rolled its eyes in disbelief. Its reaction was understandable, seeing as how it didn't know violence yet. In time, it would see Arthur's vision for it unfold naturally.
By the time he left, he considered this event. The Evil Illusion Flattery technique paid off nicely; otherwise, the Eight-Tails might not have been so docile.
There was another factor at play. Compared to the other Tailed Beasts, those instructed to guard this shrine had done their fair job. That just made it easier on Arthur to both approach and speak to the creature.
Each beast had a shrine, and each shrine had monks guarding it. These monks were always at odds against one another. No thanks to their grandfathers, who walked alongside Asura and Indra.
Whether it was ninshu or ninjutsu, Arthur's journey was proving very fruitful. And what was making this process of collecting their essence easy was that not a single one of them had their hosts. In fact, hardly any of them interacted with any man.
The Two-Tails roamed freely like a playful kitten, the Four-Tails warded off intruders like a territorial gorilla, the Five-Tails galloped across the lands, and the Eight-Tails swam peacefully.
As far as Arthur was concerned, each Tailed Beasts' nature correlated perfectly with their surrounding shrines. So much so, he was beginning to understand how he would handle the rest of the Tailed Beasts if given the opportunity.
The One-Tail would be hardy. The Three-Tails would be adamant like its shell. The Seven-Tails would be quick-witted. The Six-Tails wouldn't need to be thought about since he already had it as his summoning creature.
Finally was the Nine-Tails. That beast would be very prideful toward strangers and might take time to subdue. Fighting it, even as a teenager, would not be desirable since it was the strongest out of the other eight.
Arthur would have to go all out if he wanted to take it down quickly.