Sitting in the opulent office of a grand castle was Arthur disguised as the affluent John Belfort.
He was seen hunched forward with his eyes closed and his arms resting on the desk. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting golden rays across the polished wooden desk where an article from the Leaf Village newspaper sat.
The headline read, "Traitorous Ninja Arthur Bennett Has Died in Battle."
His eyes skimmed over the printed words, detailing how ninjas from the Leaf Village had successfully taken him down.
Despite the lack of a discovered body, various well-known figures testified to his demise, including the likes of Jasper Ōtsutsuki, Margaret Senju, Alice Yamanaka, Jada Uchiha, and William Uzumaki.
If there was ever a time to chuckle, it would be now. But Arthur often remained passive, knowing that his supposed death was only part of a grander scheme.
'Is this really the best they could come up with?' he mused, setting the article down.
The only other thing that irked him more was how much they had scrutinized his character; Jada revealed that he had multiple Kekkei Genkai, thus leading them to understand that he had killed other shinobi to obtain them.
What they weren't sure of, however, was where he had teleported to. If they did, they would have searched for the weapons in his possession. Now things like the Executioner's Blade and the Thunder Sword were all labeled missing.
Regarding his Sage Mode, they couldn't tell what it was or where he obtained it from. Even if they understood it was based on primates, they'd have no real way of venturing to that secret land.
Arthur had great gains in making others believe he was dead. It could provide the sense of freedom in allowing him to continue roaming this world unencumbered. Plus, he was currently in the safety of the country he owned. And not just anywhere in the country, but in the very castle that belonged to the current feudal lord.
Just then, he heard three knocks on his door before his secretary entered with a slight bow.
"My lord, I have a letter from the Land of Waves."
Arthur was interested in this letter.
Some time ago, he had orchestrated a plan that could shift the political landscape significantly by positioning himself in the shadows as he maneuvered through treaties and alliances.
So what were the results of this? The Land of Waves had accepted his treaty proposal.
Of course, the feudal lord of that territory would have never agreed. That is until Arthur had ventured to their land and placed the leader under an illusion. With this acceptance, now the Water Country would be able to expand its territory without causing conflict with neighbouring regions.
"It seems the lord from the Land of Waves has agreed to our terms," Arthur said to his secretary.
"I knew you could do it, my lord!"
"Thank you, but…"
"But what, my lord?"
"How many times are you going to keep calling me that?" he humbly asked. "Since I haven't been inaugurated yet, it's okay to call me by name."
"My greatest apologies, my l—I mean, sir Belfort!"
As she turned to leave, he contemplated the implications of this growing influence. The Water Country would surely continue to prosper under his reign.
Then, almost as an afterthought, the secretary poked her head back through the door. "There's another letter from the Land of the Sea as well, my l—I mean sir. They, too, have accepted your peace treaty!"
Arthur couldn't help but be content. This acceptance would further consolidate his influence across the seas. So he leaned back and said, "Good news. Please send my gratitude to both leaders. They'll see that aligning with me was the right choice."
"You got it!" she replied, brimming with enthusiasm. "We're all excited for your future, and I believe you'll make a great feudal lord after lord Hiromu."
"Thank you…"
The disguise, the role of John Belfort, felt more like second nature with each passing day. Not a single person, be they citizens, political figureheads, or even his own personal secretary, suspected he was a shinobi in a child's body.
As she exited, the silence in the room enveloped him once more—a good time to ponder his next move.
'I wonder what they're up to…'
Who he was considering was the others from the Leaf Village. Jada, from what he thought, was supposed to be at least the third strongest among them. But after that event in the Land of Tea, it was clear that she wasn't.
That spoke volumes about the others.
William, who was an Uzumaki, could summon hundreds of clones. Essentially, he was like a walking Naruto, but with foreknowledge.
Afterwards was Alice, who shouldn't have been stronger than Jada. But her ability to retrain Arthur while he was in Sage Mode told him everything he needed to know. The only other way she could have done it was because she had Gelel energy infused with her chakra.
Then there was Margaret. As much as Arthur was in denial at first, it was believable that she was just as strong as she claimed since she was a Senju. He also remembered her having unlocked the never-before-seen Slug Sage Mode. Who knows what abilities she had gained from that transformation?
Regarding Alexander and Jasper, Arthur didn't want to think about what convoluted powers they had.
So he shifted his focus to the present.
With an expanding territory and two treaties under his belt, he could mobilize resources and strengthen his position without attracting attention. Why he had bothered to consolidate these treaties in the first place was because it was written in the original story that these three neighbouring countries went into enmity with one another.
The Wave Country and the Sea Country were ready to overthrow the Water Country. Even though this wouldn't happen for more than fifteen years, allying with them early would prove to be beneficial in the long run.
With a relaxed demeanour, he began mapping out more alliances and significant figures he could recruit to further amplify his influence across the country.
Hiromu was still firmly under his control, and Arthur knew he had the upper hand in the political game. Although the Land of Waves now recognized him as a key figure, it was the radical heart of the Water Country he truly sought to dominate.
It's then he thought of Sasuke Uchiha. That young shinobi's ties with the Leaf Village, coupled with his desperate ambition to join Orochimaru, would play right into Arthur's hands eventually. After all, if Hiromu was still under the effects of his illusion, so was Sasuke.
Arthur had originally plotted to eliminate Team 7. But that plan had backfired in ways he hadn't seen coming. He was not at a loss here, though, because he could now leverage the situation to redirect Sasuke's aims toward a narrative that served his own.
What he envisioned was sowing discord among the members of Team 7 by leaving cracks in their bonds, all while fanning the flames of Sasuke's discontent.
Allowing the narrative to unfold where Sasuke was trapped and without options, Arthur could maneuver him closer to Orochimaru's allure. It was this same lure that spiraled the story of Naruto into anarchy.
So much so that even the writers didn't know what they were doing anymore.
A wellspring of power in the hands of an impressionable youthful Uchiha, willing to abandon the Leaf for a path strewn with secrets and strength? The prospect flared within Arthur.
He soon turned his gaze toward a corkboard hung on the wall. It was covered with a collage of newspaper clippings, maps, and images of key figures—each pin was a reminder of the connections he planned to manipulate.
Among them, portraits of Leaf Village ninjas were staring back at him. When he moved them aside, he saw images of the Akatsuki.
Arthur was neither ready nor ambitious enough to take on such forces directly. His skills were burgeoning but untested, and he knew that rushing to conquer or eliminate his enemies would prove fatal if he didn't tread lightly.
'They'll be making their move in a few years,' he believed. 'But if the others try something rash, the Akatsuki might show up sooner than expected…'
As he formulated his thoughts, the letters from the Land of Waves and the Land of the Sea became pivotal elements. He would use these treaties not just as tools of expansion but as leverage against the Leaf. Every ally gained would craft the narrative that would lead to strife within every village, creating shades of distrust that could also lead to fractures amongst their ranks.
With Jinchūriki in turmoil and other shinobi distracted by events crafted to ensnare them further, he would be able to tighten his grip on the political landscape without too much violence.
But these were only speculations.
At any time, or with any mistakes made, he could lose his country.
'Let them chase their fabricated sense of justice, while I move around their every move…'
At that thought, he removed a blank piece of parchment from the desk drawer, dipped a quill in ink, and let his words flow freely as he wrote his notes.
Arthur was many things in this world: a born again Christian, a ninja. But right now, he was John Belfort, the successor to the feudal lord, owner, and ultimate head of one of the five greatest countries in the Western Hemisphere.
When he finished writing, he closed the letter and set it aside.
For now, things were in place and in his favour. But he was not one to sit idly by while work needed to be done. What he needed was information on what the Leaf Village was currently doing.
What better way to gather that information than to pay them a personal visit?