Path Of War

Arthur sat perched on a flat, moss-covered rock beside a stream. He raked his fingers through his hair with an angered expression as he pondered the implications of the Akatsuki knowing he was alive.

How did they find out? Could it have been Zetsu lurking in the shadows again?

Or maybe there was a more extensive investigation at play—something he had been unaware of while he kept to the shadows, waiting for the right moment to rise.

Now that the Akatsuki were searching for him, Saiken's fate hung in the balance. The last thing he wanted was for the Akatsuki to get wind of its existence before he was ready to devise a strategy to protect it.

A battle against that organization who thirsted for power was not one he wished to engage in lightly. He had no room for missteps.

And now, to top it all off, Hiruzen had awakened.

News of the third Hokage's recovery had been spreading across the Leaf Village like wildfire. Arthur had long kept flying raijin marks hidden in various locations throughout the village, and from their secluded vantage points, he could see the excitement among the villagers.

Hiruzen's presence would undoubtedly rearrange things, forcing Arthur to move quickly.

But what would that exactly mean for him?

'Pitiful neophytes,' he thought to himself as the stream of currents soothed his rage.

Deep down, he knew he had to adapt. His prior victories over Jada and William felt almost trivial now, mere pebbles in the grand scheme of the mountains.