Had Alice seen anything she wasn't supposed to?
Arthur had been so focused on the fight that he hadn't sensed her coming. And if she was here, that meant the other players were also trying to help protect the Leaf Village.
Alice kept Sasuke's unconscious form close to her chest, while Arthur remained rooted to the spot like a perfect statue.
"I'm not gonna let you kill him!" she threatened.
"That's fine by me... Keep playing pretend with the others. You don't even know what's at stake."
"No, Arthur! It's you who doesn't know anything. Can't you see I'm trying to help everyone?"
Arthur's gaze held a depth that sent shivers down her spine.
"Be that as it may," he said, turning around, "it won't stop me from reaching my own goals in this world."
Alice's mouth opened to speak, but no words came out. She was caught in a terrible situation. Revealing her true identity could shatter everything she was trying. Even if she could reveal things, how could she explain things in this situation?
"Alice… Either you join me, or you're against me."
She hesitated, unsure of what to do. The risks of aligning herself with him seemed unthinkable because it would be a six-against-one scenario.
Before she could voice her decision, Arthur vanished completely. "Wait!" she screamed. Then, to her surprise, his chakra signature just suddenly vanished. "How did he…?"
Her thoughts were cut off by a groaning Sasuke. She looked down at him, only to see his pale face writhing in pain. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined Arthur to be this strong. He had dispatched Sasuke, a prodigy with a cursed mark power-up.
Dread settled in her stomach.
Because someone like Jada and William wasn't enough to stop Sasuke, she didn't even want to try going after Arthur. And if she did, Sasuke would likely die if left unattended. That or be captured by Orochimaru.
Alice was never going to let either happen.
✟
Navigating the broken village was Arthur. He blurred as he leaped from the jagged remnants of one rooftop to the next.
The Leaf Village, the strongest village in the world, now bore the scars of their current skirmish against the Sound Village.
Debris littered the streets, and its buildings stood marred by gaping holes and scorch marks. He paid little heed to the destruction. His mind was consumed by the events that had just transpired. The Uchiha prodigy had lived up to the hype. His movements were precise, and his Sharingan presented enough of a challenge to let Arthur know where he stood in this world.
It was his unique training regimen that truly won him the battle. By compressing years of intense physical activity into mere months, he had honed his reflexes and combat skills to an unexpected degree.
But even with this accelerated training, there was still one major factor: Sasuke had not known much of anything about Arthur. Had the former been aware of who he was actually facing, the outcome could have been different.
Arthur himself had taken advantage of the Uchiha's lack of knowledge. For instance, Sasuke never suspected Arthur's affinity for water. Otherwise, the former would have never used the fireball technique so openly.
The curse mark, the Sharingan, copied speed, fire techniques, and the Chidori—Arthur was prepared for it all.
Those thoughts aside, he leapt between rooftops.
Smoke threatened to break his lungs. And given his low chakra, the need for escape became paramount.
He landed on the next building. Below, he could hear the click-clack of patrolling ninjas racing on the deserted streets. Glancing down, he spotted a couple dead ninjas with their headbands scattered on the ground.
That reminded him to do something: he pulled out his headband and cast it aside. Such an act was a declaration of war, a blatant disregard for the village's authority.
The instant Arthur jumped to leave the area, he suddenly heard a hiss. Turning his head, he saw a colossal serpent waiting in the shadows. Its giant, dark green scales glinted menacingly as its forked tongue slowly flicked out.
All this told Arthur one thing: it was going to attack him while still in the air.
The snake lunged with a gaping maw. Arthur twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws. He then landed on a nearby awning before quickly scrambling to his feet and running into an open home.
Now was not the time to be fighting without enough chakra.
Yet the snake didn't care, bursting through the entrance. Arthur vaulted over a nearby couch, avoiding another strike. Exploding through the back door, he sprinted through a cluttered backyard before eventually leaping over fences and scrambling through flower beds.
The monstrous snake, surprisingly agile for its size, was hot on his heels. Its thick body slithered over obstacles, crushing them as if they were never there.
Arthur dove into an alleyway, hoping to lose it in the maze. He then rounded a corner, feeling momentarily out of sight. When he slowly looked to check where the snake had gone, a hiss pierced his ears. He turned, only to see the snake's tongue flicking in his direction.
The snake lunged forward, breaking the wall. Just as its gaping maw threatened to engulf him whole, he waved a hand sign. But then, he was eaten whole.
There was a crunch, followed by a frustrated hiss. Then the snake recoiled, swinging its head in an attempt to dislodge what was in its belly. Spitting out fluid, it was revealed to be a foreign object, a giant plank that Arthur had substituted just in time.
The snake looked around, its tongue attempting to taste the air for any trace of its prey. But after a moment, it sensed nothing. So with a final, disgruntled hiss, it retreated into the larger street and disappeared from sight.
Arthur was eventually seen slumped against a wall. His body trembled with exertion due to having used what was left in his chakra reserves. While he escaped, it was nothing to boast about since he was currently vulnerable, running on fumes.
This world seemed determined to throw everything it had at him, and without his full strength, he wouldn't survive for long. Finding a safe haven and replenishing his reserves were now a necessity.
So after calming his nerves, he pulled himself off the wall.
Later, he made it across the restaurant district. What were meant to be stalls and shops were now destroyed lots.
"Come on!" he heard close by. The voice sounded familiar, so he quickly hid in the shadows. When he peeked around the corner to see who it was, he saw an expected sight: Iruka was leading dozens of academy students to safety. "Everyone, stay close by!"
"Iruka-sensei!" a child frantically called out, "I can't find Moegi!"
"It's alright! Just keep moving!"
Arthur observed, waiting patiently for his time to come out. Then just as soon as they arrived, each one of them left. If he were to guess, they were likely going to hide under the academy for crises such as these.
"Look what we've got!" another voice said. Arthur turned around, only to see three Sound shinobi slowly stalking him. "Time to die!"
They each lunged at him with weapons until bang! A giant green toad landed right on top of them. Arthur lifted his head to see none other than Jiraiya on the top.
"Jiraiya is here!" the Sannin screamed in a ridiculous pose.
"Th… thanks," Arthur pretended to stammer.
"You should get to safety while you still can, Arthur…"
"You know me?"
"I'd recognize your orange jacket from anywhere since Will and Naruto talk about you a lot." Arthur felt fine not running from this particular Sannin. So Jiraiya offered him help. "If you'd like, I can create a route for you to escape in."
"I'll take it…"
"Fire style: toad flame bomb!"
Taking one breath, Jiraiya shot linear flames that completely destroyed a building, creating a straight route for Arthur to follow.
"You be safe now!" the Sannin said, disappearing alongside the giant toad.
While Arthur might have been able to evade those Sound ninja, getting help from an unsuspected source while he had low chakra wasn't going to be turned down. And thankfully for him, the Sannin hadn't seen or heard of what transpired back at the stadium.
It wasn't long until Arthur eventually reached his destination: the Science Building.
A structure like this meant access to chakra pills, a food source used to help replenish even the most drained reserves.
When he made it close to the entrance, a lone figure stood, searching for enemies. Arthur squinted to verify the figure: Rock Lee, the bushy-browed taijutsu specialist, clad in his trademark green jumpsuit.
"Arthur?" he said upon noticing him. "What are you doing here?"
Arthur groaned internally. That was his question to ask.
Dealing with anyone right now was a burden, and Lee, with his loyalty to the Leaf, was particularly unwelcome.
"Move," Arthur demanded.
Lee didn't budge. Confusion and something akin to betrayal warred in his eyes.
"Arthur," he said in a tight voice, "they… they say you killed Ino and Shikamaru. Is it true?"
Arthur's brows furrowed. He understood Lee's need for answers, but all he craved right now was a chance to replenish his chakra and disappear.
"I said move," he repeated with a more dangerous edge. "Or I'll make you…"
Lee set his jaw. Without warning, he ripped off his leg weights, causing a minor explosion against the floor. Then he took on a taijutsu stance. "No, Arthur. Not until we get to the bottom of this!"
Fighting Lee, a taijutsu-only specialist, was at least doable, even without chakra. But a fight now would only waste more energy, and the thought of explaining his actions and justifying them even to someone like Lee felt arduous.
So Arthur stretched his neck and said, "Remember, Lee…" Crack. "I gave you a choice."
Lee launched himself at Arthur. He spun mid-air as his leg flashed out in a heel strike. Arthur's forearm snapped up.
Bang!
His block held.
Seizing the opportunity, his same hand clamped down on Lee's exposed shin. He then hurled the surprised Lee over his shoulder.
But Lee acrobatically twisted his body mid-air to perform a perfect somersault. He landed on his feet in a crouch, barely a breath lost. "Here we go!" he said, shooting forward into a jump. He aimed a punch, but mid-flight, he switched to a spinning side kick.
Arthur didn't even need to block this one; he sidestepped the kick with grace, leaving Lee exposed for a split second. Lee managed to land, roll, and then spin on his heel for another raised kick. Arthur's palm shot out, catching Lee's ankle with surprising ease. He then forced the leg back down, sending Lee sprawling towards the ground.
Anticipating Arthur's next move, Lee used the momentum of the fall to launch himself into a low sweep, aiming to knock Arthur off his feet. Arthur hopped upwards, dodging it successfully.
Landing back on his feet, Arthur watched as Lee whipped out a kunai. But Arthur knew Lee's true strength lay in his taijutsu. The kunai was a sign of Lee's desperation.
"Keep trying, Lee…"
The comment wasn't heard as Lee attacked with his weapon. So with a swift movement, Arthur disarmed him, causing the weapon to lodge itself in the dirt. Lee, momentarily surprised, stumbled forward as Arthur used a swift leg sweep to send him straight to the ground.
Then, with a surprising burst of strength, Lee rolled away just as Arthur's foot came crashing down.
"Not bad," Arthur said. "But…" He leapt forward, aiming a second stomp at the rolling Lee.
Bang! He missed, allowing Lee to continue rolling away. Bang! A third stomp was missed again. Bang! Bang!
Having dodged them all, and using the momentum of his roll, Lee kick-flipped off the ground to land on his feet. Then he stood there in a stance, panting.
This fight felt a tad odd to him, almost one-sided. The boy couldn't help but wonder why he was breathing hard despite Arthur not having broken a sweat.
'Seven heavenly breaths: first activation... So long as I have this, I don't need chakra right now.'