Path Of War

"So, tell me about you guys."

"I guess I'll start first," William said, sheepishly raising his hand. "I chose to be an Uzumaki."

He explained that because he was the first to arrive at Elysium, he got to choose before anyone else. The decision was hard on him at first, but he inevitably went with Uzumaki.

'Seemingly endless supply of chakra, plus a free sealing technique—good choice,' Arthur thought. 'But he's hiding something.'

Margaret rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Oh, please! You just wanted to get closer to Naruto."

William adjusted his glasses, saying, "There's that, too! I mean, befriending the Naruto Uzumaki? That's a dream come true."

Now Arthur understood what he was hiding: he was a wannabe fanboy.

Margaret stood up from the couch and continued to boast, "Honestly, the two of you should have chosen the Senju clan! Who cares if it was a fifty-fifty chance? Come on… Regeneration and wood style?! It's a no-brainer!"

Alex chuckled, "Hey, don't knock the other clans."

Arthur could already tell what everyone had chosen at this point. Their new hairstyles had given it away at first, but hearing Margaret's outburst told him she had chosen to be a Senju. But he needed to learn more.

"What sealing jutsu did you choose?" he asked.

"He picked Six Paths Planetary Devastation," Jasper answered for him. This was undoubtedly the strongest sealing technique in this world, and it required the combined powers of two extremely powerful ninjas. "The idiot thought he'd be given Hagoromo's power for it."

While William did unlock the sealing technique, he had no way of using it on anyone or anything. Each time he tried to perform this highly advanced technique, his chakra depleted to zero, exhausting him for two days straight.

Jasper would often tease him by calling him "Male-Karin." Only Naruto fans would understand what Jasper was referencing, and William didn't find the comments pleasing.

"Alright," Alex said, organizing the room. "Let's all calm down. A lot of us didn't know what to expect. Anyway, I think it's your turn, Jada."

Arthur didn't have a rule book to know she had chosen to be an Uchiha. Her hair colour was the only one to have turned black, and out of all the clans to choose from, that clan in particular was notorious for having black-haired ninjas.

"I chose the Uchiha clan," she confessed.

The Uchiha clan, the once-elite clan that resided in the village, had their fame spread across the world because of their powerful Sharingan and their natural talent in battle.

Their lineage stemmed from one of Hagoromo's two sons, Indra Ōtsutsuki, inheriting his strong bloodline and aptitude for combat. However, the Uchiha were also burdened by a curse, fueling their rivalry with the Senju clan for centuries.

Despite their differences, they joined forces with the Senju to establish the Leaf Village, hoping for an era of peace. Suspicion and isolation gradually chipped away at their trust, causing them to feel ostracized by the village leadership.

As time passed, they began plotting a coup to seize control. This dissent culminated in their downfall, a tragic event in which most Uchiha were killed by Itachi Uchiha and Obito Uchiha to ensure peace in the village.

Itachi, a double agent for Leaf Village, could not bring himself to kill all his clanmates, leaving only his brother, Sasuke, alive. This secret decision left a dark stain in history and ignited a fire for vengeance in Sasuke against his older brother.

"I actually met Sasuke," Jada revealed. "The Hokage told me that I was delivering food to the orphanage outside the village when the clan massacre happened. When I returned, I was traumatized and left in the hospital for weeks."

Jada further added that her character never bonded with Sasuke, with the latter more focused on taking revenge on his brother than making friends. While the two still live in the same district, he avoids her as much as he can.

"He's still quite the jerk, huh?" Alex laughed, nudging Arthur's arm.

Her reason for having chosen that clan was because she knew the brother's story well, believing she could rectify it.

"Nope!" Margaret interrupted. "She, like every fan out there, just wanted the Sharingan. Admit it, Jada."

The two laughed.

Knowing that it was her turn to reveal what her choice was, she bit her thumb, drawing blood, performed hand signs, and then slammed her palm on the coffee table.

An intricate line of black symbols swirled, creating a puff cloud to appear. When it cleared, a small slug was in its place.

"I'm sure you can figure out which one I picked."

Arthur feigned ignorance, showing how impressed he was. How could he not have known she had chosen the Senju clan?

"Would you have picked the Uzumaki clan if William hadn't?" he wondered.

"Well, duh! And I would have picked a much better sealing technique."

Margaret further revealed the two elements she chose: earth and water. In case her fifty-fifty chance at acquiring wood style failed, she had hoped that the two pre-requisite elements might help in the long run.

Wood style is a rare Kekkei Genkai that allows the user to create and manipulate wood using their chakra. It combines the power of earth and water and is famously associated with Hashirama.

It can be used to grow mighty forests, create intricate wooden structures, and even restrain Tailed Beasts by draining their chakras. Due to its power and rarity, it has been nearly impossible to replicate since Hashirama's death.

Arthur understood why she would covet such an exquisite Kekkei Genkai. But she herself wasn't aware if she had it or not.

"Time will tell," Margaret claimed with her lips raised.

"Did you get the other two?" Arthur asked.

With a suggestive finger over her lips, she hinted that she wasn't going to reveal that information. Not to Arthur, not to anyone. For now.

Now it was Alice's turn.

She fidgeted in her seat, biting her lip. Unlike the others, her knowledge of Naruto was limited since she had only watched the first part.

"I, uh," Alice stammered, "I picked the random one."

Alex gave a loud gasp, already knowing this. This caused her cheek to burn with embarrassment. Arthur himself found it to be a bold move.

"So you ended up with the Yamanaka clan?" he asked.

Alice waved her newly coloured hair, saying, "It's not that bad."

"Agreed," William interjected. "The Yamanaka, with their blonde locks, are a valuable clan. They have the mind-transfer jutsu and excel at information gathering. They're not flashy fighters, but they're crucial for any team."

Alice perked up, but Margaret wasn't convinced. She grumbled, "Blonde locks! This isn't a fashion show. She could have been an Ōtsutsuki or at least a Hyūga."

"We already went through this," Jasper sighed, knowing that his turn was next. "She skipped reading the story, remember?"

Alice's admission had shifted the spotlight. All eyes turned to Jasper, who leaned back against the wall, a smug grin plastered on his face.

"Alright, alright," he drawled, enjoying the attention. "My turn, I suppose." He held his hands up in mock surrender, saying, "Though, considering the current level of, shall we say, 'preparation' in this room, I might need to explain a few things for our less incompetent players."

"Just tell him who you picked already!" Margaret announced.

Undeterred, Jasper continued, "The Ōtsutsuki clan, the pinnacle of power." He gestured dramatically at his white hair. "It's nice, ain't it?"

The Ōtsutsuki clan are a race of powerful, parasitic creatures who travel across dimensions seeking places to cultivate and drain their chakra. Feared by some, they possess incredible power and advanced technology.

Their ultimate goal is to exploit every world until they reach a higher level of existence.

Central to their operations are monstrous organisms grown from Ten-Tail seedlings. These colossal parasites are planted on a planet and leech the energy and genetic material from all things, leaving the world barren and lifeless.

Once that parasite matures, a member of the clan harvests its fruit, which grants them immense power. Having consumed that energy, they abandon the husk of that world and move on.

They often operate in pairs, with the lower-ranking member sacrificing themselves to provide an initial burst of energy needed to cultivate the parasite.

In addition to their advanced technology, Ōtsutsuki boast a variety of potent abilities. Considering they are predecessors of the Hyūga, many of them can use the Byakugan instinctively.

Some Ōtsutsuki can even awaken the Tenseigan, an even more powerful ocular technique that grants immense power and the ability to control the space around them. They can also absorb chakra to replenish their own reserves, fly immense distances, and travel between dimensions through portals.

Although they are a formidable threat, their arrival was only written in the third part of the story, a part that was already stated not to be in the simulation.

Arthur personally wasn't aware of any Ōtsutsuki characters, save one: Toneri Ōtsutsuki. He would be featured in one of the last movies, which is also implemented here.

A little moment was spent with Jasper explaining the Tailed Beast Whisperer trait. He hadn't tried it yet, knowing it was a passive ability—an ability that worked without needing activation.

"Speaking of abilities," he said with a mischievous grin, "I chose the tool creation jutsu."

"What does it do?" Arthur asked.

Alex answered, knowing that a technique like that wouldn't be mentioned in the explanations since it's only in Boruto's movie.

"Imagine manifesting pure chakra, red and glowing, that you can shape into anything you need—weapons, tools, anything you can imagine. Think superpowered Swiss Army knife meets planet-splitting meteor."

"And he can control it telekinetically," Jada squeaked.

Arthur could hardly believe what he was hearing. He knew that all the clans were unbalanced, but he thought they'd allow something from a different part of the series. Maybe he had nothing to worry about if the players were this strong.

All eyes turned to Alex, the last holdout. He shifted under their gazes, pretending to feel uncomfortable. Then with a laugh, he said, "Process of elimination, my friends. You all know what I chose."

With all the aforementioned clans selected, all that was left was clan-less and the Hyūga clan. He went with the latter.

Arthur asked, "What jutsus did you choose from Neji and Hinata?"

"I picked Hinata's Byakugan and Neji's Eight Trigrams: Style 361," Alex confessed in confidence.

"The what?" Arthur wondered.

"Style 361," Margaret clarified, rolling her eyes. "It's from a video game, not the actual anime."

Much like Arthur, the others never knew they could pick jutsu from other sources. When asked about it, Alex shrugged, "I just figured I'd give it a shot. Ya never know, right?"

But Arthur wasn't convinced. The explanation seemed off. Alex clearly knew something the others didn't. Without any proof, he decided to keep his suspicion to himself.

"Well," William finally said, cleaning his glasses, "I, for one, am glad he got it. It tells us the people here can also use video game techs."

Arthur didn't like the way he said that. First, William called them "people," then he seemed too excited about the challenge.

"At least my eyes didn't turn like them, am I right?" Alex laughed. He was right. Most, if not all, Hyūga had pearly white eyes with no pupils. "Still kinda creepy when you see the veins bulge from my temples, though."

The others laughed.

"Arthur, one more thing," he added. "Since I got those jutsus, it made learning the other gentle fist techniques a breeze. I practically perfected them all in a day."

This was nothing to scoff at. The gentle fist is a close-range taijutsu style unique to the Hyūga clan.

By using the Byakugan, the user can see the network of channels that carry chakra throughout the body. The gentle fist targets these pathways with pinpoint strikes, injecting a small amount of chakra to disrupt the opponent's chakra flow and damage nearby organs.

Even a gentle tap can cause significant internal injuries.

By manipulating these pressure points, the user can disrupt an opponent's chakra flow entirely, preventing them from using jutsu techniques. It can also be used for healing purposes by manipulating chakra flow to mend injuries.

Very few ninjas have been shown perfecting this fighting style.

"There's one thing," Arthur said, his voice low. "The seal. As a branch member, shouldn't you have the Hyūga clan's cursed seal?"

Alex smiled, "The seal? I… I don't know what happened to it. I just appeared like this, no seal, and Hiashi, the clan head, told me I was Hinata's brother."

Hinata was not just one of the main characters; she was also Naruto's lover and his destined wife. More importantly, she was in the main branch of the Hyūga clan.

Arthur's suspicions erupted. This was too convenient.

Alex's entire character made no sense. He could have corrected Arthur, stating that being in the branch family wasn't in the description, but he didn't.

Arthur heard enough, so he stood up, ready to shed some light.