Path Of War

Hunger gnawed at Arthur's stomach.

Ramen, despite its questionable appeal to him, would have been welcomed since he had skipped breakfast this morning. However, staying true to his solitary nature and the urgency of his mission outweighed any social benefits.

He retreated to a secluded section of the forest within the village, surrounded by dense foliage. Here, amidst the quiet air, he waited patiently.

For a full hour, Arthur remained motionless, his senses attuned to the slightest sound. He was alone, so he believed. Without any hand signs needed, he activated his smoke jutsu. His body quickly dissolved into a wispy cloud.

He drifted through the village, his destination the Hokage's office. When he got there, he remembered the many times he'd seen characters traversing in and out of the different rooms. He navigated the familiar corridors, bypassing guards with ease. His target: the Scroll of Seals.

The Scroll of Seals is a forbidden scroll containing instructions for powerful and dangerous jutsu. Following a war, the first Hokage sealed away these techniques to prevent misuse. It's kept by whoever the current Hokage is, and only it's accessible to them.

Naruto was the first character to be shown taking the giant scroll and learning the Shadow Clone jutsu from it.

Arthur located a locked room, one filled with various items. For a normal person, the door would have posed a significant obstacle. But for him, it was a mere inconvenience.

He phased through the keyhole, his smoke form reforming on the other side. The room was dark, but he was used to it. Locating the largest scroll in the room, he unfurled it and read cautiously. This was it—the Scroll of Seals.

Without hesitating, he reused his smoke jutsu and returned the scroll back to its original spot.

There was no need for him to read it out loud. Reading while still a wisp of smoke provided a practical advantage. Should someone enter unexpectedly, they wouldn't be able to detect his presence in the dimly lit room.

Arthur read its array of forbidden techniques. Each entry was accompanied by a chilling illustration, depicting the jutsu's effects in easy-to-read detail. Now he understood how the dim-witted Naruto was able to perfect a technique from here.

Arthur skimmed over depictions of mind control techniques and body contortions, hardly any of them piquing his fascination.

Then, his eyes snagged on a particular jutsu—the reanimation technique. The illustration depicted a skeletal figure clawing its way out of a coffin, its eyes glowing with an unnatural white light. The caption spoke of summoning the dead back to the mortal realm and binding them with a seal. fueled by the summoner's own chakra.

It's a complex jutsu requiring a living sacrifice, the DNA of the person being revived, and a special sealing ritual. Once activated, the sacrifice's body becomes a vessel for the soul of the deceased, essentially reanimating them in the physical form they possessed in life.

These reanimated ninjas retain all their memories, techniques, and even their Kekkei Genkai. They're incredibly powerful due to their zombified bodies and limitless chakra, constantly regenerating from injuries. The true control lies with the summoner, who can manipulate the dead to fight or complete tasks.

Kabuto Yakushi mainly used it to help orchestrate the fourth war. Without him, Obito's plot to even fight in the war would have had a severe loophole.

A powerful technique, no doubt, but not what Arthur was searching for.

He read more, calming himself. There was the Reaper Death Seal, the same jutsu Minato sacrificed himself with to seal the Nine-Tails in Naruto. Although potent, it was a double-edged sword because, in exchange for trapping an opponent's soul, the user would die.

Next came the multi-shadow clone jutsu, a stronger variant of the shadow clone technique. Great, but not great enough to suffice for his goals. There was an even bigger technique—the multi-shadow clone that met his expectations.

Finally, his eyes landed on the section he'd been desperately searching for—the flying raijin.

The flying raijin is a technique that grants the user incredible speed through teleportation. Firstly, users mark targets with a special formula that can't be removed, allowing them to teleport to that location at any time.

This marking can be placed on people or objects. Secondly, the user can enter a special space and instantly teleport to any marked location, regardless of distance.

It is extremely dangerous to go against, with only two characters perfecting it in combat: Tobirama Senju, the second Hokage, and Minato, the fourth Hokage.

By marking an opponent, the user can teleport behind them for a surprise attack or instantly appear next to them if they try to escape. The jutsu can also be used defensively by teleporting away from enemy attacks.

This was it. This was the jutsu that he could use to help change everything.

An hour passed by as Arthur absorbed the forbidden knowledge within the scroll. Each minute was filled with feverish concentration. The sheer volume of information was staggering—intricate formulas, complex chakra flows, and variations on the technique.

While he couldn't possibly perfect the flying raijin in a single sitting, he managed to imprint the critical details on his memory. He understood the special formula needed and the demanding chakra control required for teleportation.

However, there was more as to why he couldn't immediately learn it. His chakra reserves, while fair, wouldn't be enough to execute the jutsu effectively. Perfecting it would require a large amount of chakra and dedication to training.

Content, Arthur deactivated his smoke form and left the room, slipping back to discover how late it was. He returned to the forest, solidifying his physical form.

As he walked back towards his apartment, he couldn't help but ponder the other players. They weren't stupid. There were clearly other jutsus deadlier than the flying raijin—jutsus he was sure personalities like Jasper would be greedy of.

Perhaps within their respective clans, passed down through generations, or maybe learned from their encounters with the legendary characters of this world.

The elevator lurched to a stop on the highest floor. Arthur stepped out, eventually reaching the girls' apartment. He knocked on their fancy door, and a moment later, Alice revealed her irritated face.

"You're late," she exclaimed, her brows furrowed.

Arthur offered a sheepish smile and said, "Sorry, I lost track of time."

She stepped aside to let him in. William, sitting on the couch, asked, "Where were you? Tonight was your chance to talk to Naruto at Ichiraku's."

Arthur kept his voice casual and answered, "I spent most of the afternoon trying to track down Hiruzen for some background information on myself."

"Background information?" Alex repeated, relaxing on a chair with a raised eyebrow. "You sure you're looking in the right place? Your name's already on the class register, isn't it?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Arthur," Jada piped up from behind a stack of books. "You're officially enrolled. Everything's all good."

Arthur's smile faltered slightly. They had mentioned this before: his name on the register. A seemingly trivial detail, yet how was that possible? He remembered all too well the brutal steel bars of the prison cell. Escape, under those circumstances, had seemed like a distant dream.

If his escape had somehow been predicted and his name was already listed on the academy's register like a preordained event, then he was beyond furious. Elysium either thought he would escape or dismissed his character entirely once they threw him in here.

Whatever the answer was, he would find out tomorrow.

He shoved the surge of anger down, schooling his features, and said, "Right! Guess I was just overthinking things."

There was a lot of nervous energy as the group contemplated the Genin teams being assigned tomorrow.

"Alright," Alex initiated, "so we know there are four main Jōnin instructors—Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, and Asuma. But with seven of us, that means…"

"Three new Jōnin teachers!" Margaret chimed in, completing the sentence.

A collective groan rippled through the room. The prospect of an unknown Jōnin leading their team was a tad unsettling.

Genins are the lowest rank among active ninjas. They represent a large pool of talent with varying skill levels and typically contribute to the village's economy by taking on D-rank missions, which are risk-free manual labor tasks.

Occasionally, they might be assigned C-rank missions that involve some actual ninja work but with minimal danger. These missions serve as a way for them to gain experience under the supervision of a Jōnin leader in a four-person squad.

This teamwork helps them learn the ropes of ninja life and prepare for the important Chūnin Exams, which promote skilled Genin to the next rank.

Each Jōnin had their own teaching style and their own expectations. Who would they end up with? The famous but laid-back Kakashi Hatake, the fiercely competitive Might Guy, the enigmatic Kurenai Yūhi, or the down-to-earth Asuma Sarutobi?

William tried to ground their anxieties by saying, "Look, the Leaf Village's a massive place. There are hundreds of ninjas, each holding various ranks. We might not be paired with the main Jōnin at all!"

His words were reasonable, but Jasper felt indifferent. He scoffed, "Nah, don't kid yourselves. Who cares who we're paired up with? We're practically writing the story, remember?"

Jasper's smugness grated on William's nerves. It was true, though, and Arthur knew it. They were essentially influencing the narrative, and not all the Jōnin were pivotal to that. At the same time, the possibility of ending up on someone like Naruto's team wasn't low.

Arthur remained unconvinced. There were indeed hundreds of other ninjas, each with their own script, but what sense would it make for them to be paired with the main characters?

Sensing the shift in mood, Alex interjected, "Jasper's right. But hey, who knows? Maybe it'll be someone unexpected. Like a hidden gem of a Jōnin who'll make things a little fun."

His optimism was infectious. They enjoyed the thought. Perhaps it wouldn't be all about the main characters.

"Exactly," Margaret added. "I could probably already kick most of their butts and make a name for myself!"

The others laugh, many curious to know what techniques she could have learned to make her more powerful than a Jōnin. And in such a short time.

Margaret, previously lost in her own thoughts, jolted upright upon remembering an important matter. She grinned mischievously, saying, "Wait, let's all thank Arthur for having helped Jada awaken her Sharingan!"

Arthur deflected the praise with a smile, stating that he was only doing what he could. Margaret, however, wasn't buying it.

"Jada told us everything at Ichiraku's," she said. "I mean, to truly unlock the Sharingan, someone has to be in love."

"M-Margaret!" Jada said with burning cheeks. "What the heck are you talking about?!"

"Just teasing," she giggled. "But seriously, Arthur, how'd you manage to pull that off?"

William complimented his taijutsu skills, asking him to join Naruto's and his training sessions. The conversation continued to flow with a sense of camaraderie. Arthur, however, stayed humble throughout.

As the clock ticked closer to midnight, things started winding down.

With a final round of goodbyes, William, Alex, and Arthur headed out. Alex lingered behind for a moment, reminding everyone to "keep it cool around the main cast tomorrow."

They walked across the open hall until they reached the boys' door. Alex unlocked it to head inside, but Jasper told him he'd be back. The three boys made their way toward the elevator, a comfortable silence between them.

Just as they were about to step inside it, Jasper placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. William gave a curious glance.

In a cool tone, Jasper said, "You can go, William... I need to talk to Arthur alone."

"Huh? Oh… Okay, I guess."

William wasn't so friendly with Jasper. He was the only one among the players to never call him by his nickname, "Will." Not wanting to cause any trouble, he disappeared into the elevator, leaving Arthur with Jasper.

Arthur turned around, letting Jasper's hand fall.

The moment felt tense. Jasper's usual cocky smirk was replaced by a dark seriousness as he leaned closer to Arthur and said, "Arthur... I want to fight you."