Path Of War

Sunlight glowed through the glass windows of the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

Arthur and Alice shuffled through baskets, their mission being to clean and organize the whole shop.

Arthur, wielding a watering can, carefully replenished the orchids. He began, saying casually, "Alice, how is the group fairing these days?"

She shrugged and answered, "Honestly, not much. We mostly train individually. Jasper and I hang out a lot, though."

"Jasper, huh? Is that... official?"

Alice paused, blood racing, before she said, "Official? We… well, it's kind of complicated. We just... have fun together, I guess."

It's been a while, but for once, he could act normal and communicate with someone real.

"You know, Alice, marriage is sacred. Don't rush into something like relationships lightly."

"Jasper's not such a bad guy…"

Arthur raised an eyebrow and asked, "That so?" He wasn't interested in Jasper himself, but this line of questioning might give him more information about the group. "What makes him so special?"

Alice launched into a passionate defense, saying, "He's strong, funny, and... well, he's on the verge of awakening the Tenseigan!"

Arthur's hand, holding the watering can, froze mid-air.

The Tenseigan is a powerful dōjutsu acquired by an Ōtsutsuki clan member implanted with a Hyūga clan member's Byakugan. This combination transforms the Byakugan into the Tenseigan, resulting in a blue pupil with a flower pattern.

It grants abilities like flight, energy blasts, and a special transformation. To even obtain it requires sacrificial means.

Arthur's surprise must have shown on his face because Alice blinked, suddenly realizing what she'd blurted out.

"Wait, I… I shouldn't have said that!" she stammered, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Don't worry," Arthur reassured her, quickly composing himself. "This is between you and me. But I am curious. Why would Jasper want to awaken the Tenseigan?"

Alice relaxed slightly and answered, "He wants to be stronger, I guess. Protect people. But he's still figuring things out. He hasn't done anything... yet."

Arthur nodded, filing away this information. He knew the dangers of the Tenseigan. Or rather, he knew the dangers if a player like Jasper awakened it.

"Speaking of strong," he continued, changing the subject, "what about the others? How's their training going?"

"Margaret's been practicing this weird jutsu where she summons slugs," Alice revealed, wrinkling her nose. "She calls it Slug Sage Mode. Sounded gross when she told me."

Arthur's mind raced!

Sage Mode is a special state that makes users super powerful. To enter this state, they mix natural energy from their surroundings (known as nature energy) with their own chakra, creating a substance called "Sage Chakra." This lets them tap into the world's natural energy and use it for new jutsu or power up their old ones.

Learning Sage Mode is tricky. There are two main places that teach it: Mount Myōboku (land of the toads) and Ryūchi Cave (land of the snakes). It takes a lot of chakra and a strong body to handle Sage Mode's power.

Here's the challenging part: entering Sage Mode requires staying perfectly still to become one with nature and balance the natural energy with your own. Taking in too little natural energy won't work, but taking in too much will turn you to stone forever.

The toads at Myōboku use special oil to help people learn Sage Mode. This oil lets your body absorb natural energy without moving, but it only works on the mountain. They also have a staff that can knock out all the natural energy if someone starts to turn to stone.

At Ryūchi Cave, one can get natural energy injected by a giant white snake. If they're strong enough, your body will handle it. If not, the snake eats you.

Upon using Sage Mode, it makes you extraordinarily strong, fast, durable, and good at sensing things from a very vast distance.

There's a downside, though: you can't move while gathering natural energy, leaving you open to attack. Also, you can't stay in Sage Mode forever.

There are, however, ways to get around these weaknesses. One option is to have someone else gather natural energy for you while you fight. Another way is to use shadow clones to gather energy, which is then dispersed to transfer it.

There are two main forms of Sage Mode: Sage Mode itself and Sage Transformation. Sage Mode is when you balance your chakra perfectly and don't get any animal features (except for some eye markings).

Sage Transformation is when you mess up and get some animal features based on where you learned Sage Mode from. This means toad features from Myōboku and snake features from Ryūchi Cave. The transformation itself can be dangerous because it can make you lose control.

Arthur had never heard of or seen a "Slug Sage Mode" before. Then he remembered what this game entailed—it's not Naruto, and there are discrepancies within this world.

If he were to consider things, Slug Sage Mode could be a hypothetical power learned in Shikkotsu Forest (the land of slugs). Its power would likely focus on regenerative abilities and sensory techniques rather than raw power.

Like other Sage Modes, it would require gathering natural energy while remaining still. However, instead of toad oil, users might use a special ointment derived from slugs that enhances their connection to natural energy and promotes healing.

Who knows what Margaret has under her sleeves?

"Jada," Alice continued, "she's been copying everyone's moves. She has the Sharingan, so I guess it comes naturally to her."

Arthur was not the least bit surprised since he helped her awaken it. Rather, he commended her for not letting it go to waste. His suspicions were confirmed when Alice stated that Jada's only been copying techniques from notable characters like Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake.

The former is a taijutsu specialist who relies on his physical prowess rather than ninjutsu or genjutsu. He's incredibly strong and fast, able to perform amazing feats like punching someone through a rock wall.

If Arthur were to guess, Jada has likely already copied most of his taijutsu skills that her body can handle.

Kakashi, on the other hand, is a well-rounded ninja skilled in all three main jutsu areas: ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. He, too, has a Sharingan, which allowed him to learn all five basic elements, including light and dark style.

Jada likely copied his basic ninjutsu and weapon usage.

"What about William? How's he doing with that Rasengan everyone's been talking about?"

Alice paused before answering, "He... well, he figured it out with shadow clones, apparently. Learned it pretty fast. To be fair, all he does is train with Naruto and their clones."

Arthur immediately understood what this meant. Not only was William surely progressing at a faster rate, but so was the main character. If this keeps up, Naruto will surpass Sasuke.

As they finished cleaning the shop, a sense of foreboding settled over him. This group, each with their own unique abilities and motivations, was no ordinary player.

They each had more knowledge than Arthur, understanding how to correctly strengthen their characters. Regarding Alex, he was already stated to have perfected almost all the Hyūga clan's techniques.

The bar would be raised further if Arthur slacked off.

The two exited the shop with the evening sun glinting off the polished tiles. Arthur turned to Alice and said, "Thanks for the help today."

"What do ya mean? You're the one who helped me, remember?"

While true, Arthur was implying that he was providing him with the information. She giggled, believing him to be modest.

As they walked away to make their report, Alice hummed cheerfully.

"So, Arthur, what have you learned since you came here?"

He kept his voice casual and answered, "The usual things: layout of the streets, some shops... the best places to eat, I guess."

Alice chuckled, saying, "Seriously, any cool jutsus? Jada mentioned you're strong in taijutsu. Even Jasper gets upset when I bring up your name. Haha. But I've never sensed you on any of the training grounds or sparring with anyone."

Arthur's smile faded slightly as he understood what he had heard. She said "sensed." Alice was a sensory type!

A sensory type ninja is someone with the special ability to sense chakra. Unlike most, who can only feel intense chakra releases, they can actively sense chakra at will. This lets them detect hidden enemies, identify people by their unique chakra signature, and even tell if someone is lying.

Being a sensory type does have limitations. Some, like Karin Uzumaki, need to focus and use their own chakra to sense others, making it difficult to fight while sensing. Additionally, sensory types can be fooled by hidden chakra, fake chakra signatures, or special techniques that block chakra detection.

Had Arthur not been so diligent with his affairs and chosen secluded areas to train in, he would have been exposed a dozen times over.

Not showing any concerns, he answered, "I'm more of a support player, really. Not much of a fighter."

"Support player?" Alice frowned. "That's all you ever tell anyone! It's like you're hiding something."

This was getting risky. He thought of something fast, conceding, "Alright, alright. I know a couple of water style jutsus. Happy?"

Alice's face fell again as she said, "Two? Jada already told me that. Come on, Arthur, you can't keep falling behind."

He forced a laugh, hoping it sounded genuine enough, saying, "Of course, of course. We may not see eye-to-eye on everything, but we're stuck with each other, right? Maybe I'll join in on one of your training sessions one day."

Alice's eyes narrowed for a brief moment, then she returned his smile, albeit a little more skeptical. Clapping his back, she said, "You better!"

Arthur nodded. He needed to keep secrets, but revealing too little about himself was also raising suspicion.

Reaching the Yamanaka compound, the two walked into Inoichi Yamanaka's office.

Inoichi was a Jōnin and the head of the Yamanaka clan. He's calm, analytical, and very dedicated to his members. Being a loving father who spoiled his daughter, Ino, he will train her to inevitable take over the clan leadership one day.

Arthur and Alice found him behind his desk, idly sipping tea. The man's infuriatingly calm demeanor grated on Arthur's nerves.

"Well," Inoichi drawled, "finished your mission already? How productive."

Arthur felt like talking back. Mission? That was toiled labour.

"Yes, sir!" Alice answered, showing respect.

Inoichi steepled his fingers and said, "Good. I understand that it was more of a chore than you expected, but anything to help our Alice advance in the rankings."

Arthur humbled himself by stating that the mission was no trouble and that he was content with it.

Inoichi chuckled, saying, "Ah, Alice told me a lot about you, Mr. Bennett. A noble thing to say to the head of a clan."

Was this a test?

Arthur was not going to fall for any more schemes that the other players thought they could bait him into. He lowered himself more, announcing that he was simply pleased to help.

Inoichi's gaze sharpened for a moment, then softened as he said, "Then I trust everything went well." Giving them a satisfied smile, he handed them each a pouch containing one hundred ryō. "Excellent work, you two. Now, dismiss yourselves and enjoy your night."

After pocketing her pouch, Alice thanked him. As they turned to leave, she nudged Arthur playfully to ask, "So, Arthur, up for some training later? I'd like to see your taijutsu skills in action."

Arthur knew better than to give himself away, especially when dealing with a sensory type like Alice. He couldn't risk revealing his true strength, but he needed a way to deflect her request without raising suspicion.

"Taijutsu, huh?" he mused, feigning regret. "Much as I'd like to, I'm afraid my skills pale in comparison to yours. Besides, I'm more suited for support roles, backing up teammates from the sidelines."

Alice's brow furrowed upon hearing the same excuse. She tried to lure him, saying, "Support roles? You keep saying that. But Jada and William saw how great you were in taijutsu."

He shrugged and said, "Hmm, water jutsus are more my thing, really. And I think if Jasper had used his Byakugan at the start, he would have won… Tell ya what! Maybe you can give me a few pointers on how you hone your sensory skills to help me back you guys up one day."

This elicited a surprised giggle from Alice as she said, "Sensory skills? Really? You're interested in that?"

"Absolutely!" he pressed, hoping his enthusiasm wouldn't sound forced. "I mean, being able to pinpoint enemies from afar, that's invaluable for any team. It could be the difference between victory and defeat."

Alice, clearly flattered by his interest, puffed up her chest a bit and began, "Well, it's not exactly a walk in the park."

Without much time spent, she had launched into a detailed explanation of how sensory perception worked—the need for focus, the limitations of range, and chakra signatures.

As she spoke, Arthur got exactly the information he needed.

By the time they reached outside the compound, Alice had inadvertently spilled the beans, unknowingly revealing a crucial chink in the armour of any sensor type—their reliance on chakra detection.

Arthur, now armed with this knowledge, had a new strategy in mind—developing a technique to mask his own chakra signature, essentially rendering himself invisible to their senses.

There was only one technique he had in mind that was without a doubt easy to learn because of his character's traits. That technique was called "Chakra Disguise."