Path Of War

Some time later, Arthur found himself walking through open terrain.

His journey had not been without purpose; he had taken the time to read reports and had made a secretive visit to the Leaf Village prior. It was all to understand the aftermath of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc.

Back there, he had silently observed the reactions following Sasuke's defection to Orochimaru. The mood in the village was somber, and many were frustrated, particularly Tsunade, who was in a rage over the Uchiha's betrayal.

That made Sasuke only the fourth Uchiha in history to abandon the Leaf Village.

Jada and William, too, shared the weight of bewilderment; their skepticism only compounded as they grappled with the baffling disappearance of Sakura's flying raijin papers.

Things had escalated so significantly that Jada reluctantly distributed flying raijin papers to essential cast members like Rock Lee and Hinata. It was a desperate measure to show just how unprepared they felt about the unexpected events.

During his undercover operation in the Leaf Village, Arthur had been diligent in gathering intel on these events. He wasn't entirely sure how others, such as Alexander and Margaret, perceived things. But for him, their sentiments were irrelevant.

The fallout of Sasuke's betrayal was no longer his concern; his focus remained singular. He had a goal: three years to surpass the main character—the pillar on which this world often leaned.

Then there was Kaito's involvement. Many of the players had never heard or seen of this character before. When found out he wasn't from the Shippuden franchise, she gasped, wondering what she had truly experienced.

"What did he look like again?" Jada asked her at the time.

"He had silverish hair and looked really strong," Alice replied, "like he didn't look like fodder."