Path Of War

Inside, everything was programmed to perfection.

The Leaf Village had many twisting alleys lined with quaint shops and towering wooden houses. Children chased each other with joyous shrieks and laughter, while villagers bustled about their daily tasks with cheerfulness.

Nausea filled Arthur's insides.

It was all so artificial. The perfect smiles, the choreographed movements—it all felt like a meticulously crafted theme park, a cheap imitation of life.

These people—these villagers, he vaguely recalled—weren't living; they existed within a twisted simulation. Their happiness—their very existence—was for the sick amusement of others.

No one in particular looked familiar. And the question still needed to be answered: where were the other players?

He ignored greetings from the villagers, their smiles feeling like painted masks. Instead, he decided to explore, to try and understand the scope of Elysium's creation.

The first landmark that caught his eye was the academy. While most would have a sense of nostalgia, it evoked a cold dread within Arthur. These were young children honing weapons that would eventually die in war.

Across the street was a dango shop. The arouma of sweet dumplings wafted through the air. His mouth would have salivated had he not known better. Pausing for a moment, he watched obese families with their kids devour their treats.

Further down the street, something new caught his eye—a building with painted posters plastered across the front. Intrigued, he approached.

It was an authentic theater, and there were LED lights flashing inside, indicating a movie was playing. One of the posters showed a beautiful woman, and her name was "Princess Fūn."

Arthur had never seen or heard of this woman. Little did he know this was the main character in the first Naruto movie.

The village itself was dotted with small parks, each maintained with flowers and babbling fountains. Children played with innocent laughter under the watchful gaze of their parents.

He felt angry, for he knew that this was all a lie.

Past the parks, he spotted a vast training ground. Figures sparred and practiced intricate techniques, none of whom were recognizable. Their movements were crisp, unlike the foes he's fought before.

His next journey led him to a familiar building—the Jōnin Standby Station. Elite ninjas stood gathered outside. They exchanged conversations, preparing for missions.

Only one of them piqued Arthur's interest: Asuma Sarutobi. This character is the son of the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Known to use wind techniques and trench knives, he would eventually die in three years from a deadly group of ninjas.

Arthur continued his walk, passing a library with towering shelves. Next, a pristine hospital came into view, its windows filled with moving shadows. Further along, he saw steam rise from a cluster of buildings—the hot springs, a place where a lot of perverted scenes occurred.

Passed all those sights, a variety of restaurants lining the main street were seen. Taiyaki stalls, yakitori vendors, and ramen shops—every famous Japanese dish was present inside. To his surprise, neither Naruto Uzumaki nor Chōji Akimichi were here—the latter was a glutton who loved to eat.

Finally, Arthur reached the most iconic landmark—the Hokage Rock. An entire day had passed just for him to reach here.

The faces of past Hokages, carved in stone, stared down at the village. It was a monument to the their history, yet it seemed like a cruel joke. From left to right, he saw Hashirama Senju, the younger brother, Tobirama Senju, their pupil, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and then Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze.

While Hiruzen might have returned to being the Hokage after Minato's death, he was written to have died at the hands of Orochimaru, his own pupil, a few months from now.

Arthur ascended the mountain path.

The cheerful shouts and the clatter of market stalls grew distant the higher he went up. With each step, a panoramic view of the village unfolded beneath him. Yet the beauty of the scene did little to appease his thoughts.

He had seen it all—the crafted streets, the giant kanji letter for fire on the Hokage's office—they were all illusions of a bustling society filled with armed ninjas.

He reached the mountain peak, standing over the heads of one of the Kage as the wind whipped at his kimono. Below, the village seemed endless, but Arthur remained unfazed.

His mind would never change.

He wouldn't be swayed by this facade. He wouldn't be lulled into a false sense of security by these simulated cheers. He knew the truth—a cold, hard truth that burned brighter than the replicated sun in this virtual sky.

A sudden warm voice cut through the wind: "Arthur?"

He slowly spun around and saw a figure standing a few feet apart. It was Jada Schmidt!

Her virtual character was younger than the woman he knew, exuding youthful exuberance. Her long blonde hair was now black, cascading down her shoulders as she stood bathed in the setting sun's golden glow.

Before he could react, she rushed and hugged him, saying, "There you are! We've been looking all over for you! Where have you been?"

The embrace felt foreign.

He forced a fake smile, the gesture feeling stiff and unnatural on his face. In a calm tone, he said, "I was exploring…"

Jada pulled back slightly, surprised at his touch as she said, "You feel like ice! Did you fall into a stream or something?"

He shook his head, averting his gaze from her searching eyes. Everything based on her action pointed to cheerfulness and a genuine worry for his safety.

"I'm fine," he said. "Just a little cold."

She tilted her head while keeping her gaze fixed on him. In a concerned tone, she asked, "That still doesn't answer my question: where have you been?"

He wanted to tell her everything, to spill his guts about what he'd been through. But logic restrained him. He couldn't tell if this was truly Jada or another programmed character.

Sharing what he knew could put him in danger.

"I was lost in the forest for about a week," he confessed, "but I managed to find the village, and in turn, you found me. Aren't you glad?"

The question jolted all of her sense of reason. She smiled and said, "Are you kidding? I'm super happy! You must have had a crazy tutorial."

Too many things were learned from their simple conversation. The first is that she said "we," implying the other players were also wondering where he was. Then she said "tutorial." No NPC, unless highly intelligent, would say that.

Jada grabbed his hand, her grasp warm to the touch, and said, "Come on, you look hungry. Let's get back down to the village."

He allowed her to pull him along the familiar path leading down the mountain. As they descended, she chattered about her day, recounting a training exercise with the group.

Her voice was filled with the same soft, youthful enthusiasm he remembered from the real world. There was no doubt about it; she hadn't at all experienced his trials.

He listened with half an ear, his mind churning. Was she truly ignorant of the prison they were trapped in, or was this really an NPC? She couldn't have been, for she listed all the participating players.

The descent felt agonizingly slow. Each passing moment fed his growing paranoia. He couldn't trust the person guiding him. He needed to find a way to test her to see if she wasn't part of Dr. Kapoor's plot.

"Jada," he interjected.

"Yeah?" she responded, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Do you remember one of the flaws I said about this world?"

Jada's smile faltered. Confusion crossed her features as she repeated, "Flaws…?" She seemed uncertain. "Well, I can't recall, but I think I remember you saying something about technology not making sense here. Why do you ask?"

Arthur's heart pounded. Her answer was exactly what he'd hoped for. Jada was the real deal—a player like himself.

He quickly schooled his expression into a mask of nonchalance, shrugging, "Just curious. I was wondering if maybe there was something you might have seen."

Jada gave a genuine smile, chirping, "Yeah, actually! Did you know they had a movie theater built like we were in the 2000's?"

Arthur played along with her enthusiasm. As long as she wasn't a programmed character, that's what truly mattered.

They continued their descent. Jada chattered excitedly about the village, pointing out landmarks. By chance, she had wanted to see the Hokage Rock up close, and she happened to spot him on the mountain.

Though she and the other players were present, his original goal of vengeance remained. He still desired to free everyone.

As they neared a few residential homes, she finally stopped with a concerned look.

"Arthur," she began in a soft voice, "before we greet the others, are you sure you're okay? There's a lot to take in, including meeting everyone and getting used to our roles here. Also, you've been a little quiet. I'm sorry if I haven't been considerate."

He looked at her with a well-acted, genuine smile and said, "Don't worry about me, Jada; I'm a quick learner. Besides, with you by my side now, how can anything bad happen?"

Without meaning to, he made her blush. She giggled, saying, "You're such a charmer."

The two took an elevator up to the highest level, walking to the first of the only two ornately decorated doors on the floor. Jada pushed the first open, ushering Arthur into a spacious apartment.

Here, the floors were made of sleek marble and had plush rugs. The windows offered a breathtaking panoramic view of the village, with sunlight bathing the room in a warm orange glow.

This is where the players were living? Arthur hid his unease.

Inside, William, Margaret, and Alice were spread out comfortably, chatter filling the living room. These weren't the people he remembered.

William now sported dark red hair and no longer had his usual trimmed beard. He still wore his trademark glasses, which gave him a more youthful appearance. At the end of the day, he still looked like a nerd.

Margaret's appearance hadn't changed much. Her dyed hair remained the same, and her personality matched its hotness. Alice's once brunette locks were now a vibrant blonde.

'Where are Jasper and Alexander?'

As he thought this, he heard from behind, "Do my eyes deceive me?" Walking across the platform was them. Alex, with the biggest grin, said, "To think we'd be seeing this handsome gent."

Alex hadn't changed at all, save for his youthful appearance. Regsrding Jasper, he now had inexplicably white hair.

All the players were younger, and their physical appearances moulded to fit the virtual characters they'd chosen.

The sudden arrival caused a stunned silence to fall over the scene. All eyes turned towards Arthur, a mixture of surprise and elation evident on their faces.

"Arthur!" William exclaimed, pushing himself to his feet. "You finally made it!"

Arthur plastered on a smile, casually waving, "Hey everyone, glad to see you're doing well."

Margaret snorted, "Doing well? More like doing nothing!" She didn't at all seem surprised at his arrival. Instead, she kicked back on the couch. "I'm so bored!"

Alex and Jasper moved inside, with Jasper giving Arthur a curt smile before quickly turning uninterested. Chuckling, Alex apologized for his rude behaviour. Arthur chuckled back, pretending not to mind.

These were the people he was trying to get to side with him, yet they seemed oblivious to the situation they were in. He needed to continue playing along.

"Alright then," he said in a light tone. "How about we catch up?"

"This I gotta hear," Alice said, gesturing to the empty space beside her.

He glanced around the room once more, eyeing a prominent item on their person—the Leaf Village headband. Only those who graduated from the academy were permitted to wear one, signifying their official role as a ninja.

On Alex, his headband was wrapped around his waist. On Jasper, it was strapped tightly to his left bicep. Alice and Margaret had theirs in the same spot, around their necks. William was the only one to wear it on his forehead. As for Jada, it wasn't showing anywhere.

They each huddled together on the two couches, with Jasper choosing to sit in the kitchen with his elbows resting on the counter.

"I guess I'll start," Arthur announced.

It didn't take long for him to tell a quick story about how he arrived alone somewhere in the Fire Country. The fact that he killed an NPC, was lied to, sent to prison, and acquired a Kekkei Genkai through unethical means was all hidden.

"I knew clan-less was stupid," Margaret cried.

"Oh, come on," Alex argued. "Arthur was able to spend time outside the village and look at his cool clothes."

Jasper furrowed his brows, eyeing Arthur as if trying to find a flaw. There hadn't been a single scratch on Arthur's body whatsoever, so he asked, "What were you doing all that time?"

"Living off the land," Arthur replied. "You're probably wondering why I look so clean, huh? I washed my clothes in the river. Don't get me wrong, I was freezing!"

The others laughed, feeling only a little sorry that he got the short end of the stick. He wasn't going to reveal the whole truth to them. Not yet.

They all bought his tale, knowing full well what the clan-less description had stated.