Chapter 196: Favourites
With a flick of his wrist, Arthur commanded the reanimated corpses, Tatewaki, Mangetsu, and Zabuza, to step closer.
He then reached into his pocket, pulling out a small spherical item. When Shikamaru saw it, he noticed it looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite make out where he had seen it.
Arthur popped it into his mouth. It was a little sweet. Yet it was the effects it granted: a substance designed to restore his chakra.
While keeping a straight face, he instantly felt the energy course through him, strengthening his chakra reserves.
Then, he clapped his hands together and spread his arms apart: 'Golden chain: barrier jutsu...'
The ground trembled as multiple glowing adamantine chains erupted from Arthur's person to form a colossal cage around a significant portion of the forest clearing.
Turning around slowly, he surveyed the barrier and announced with finality, "I'm going to release my control over you... If you can beat me, you'll be set free and get the chance to tell the Leaf Village everything."
Those words left the two feeling very uneasy. Shikamaru processed the gravity of the situation; Arthur was taking an immense risk here. Releasing control meant that if he failed to subdue them in combat, everything he had worked for could come crashing down.
Why would he put everything on the line like this? Was he that committed to his training?
By all means, he was. Because if he couldn't prove himself here, he wouldn't stand a chance against the more difficult challenges.
Shikamaru pondered, feeling quite desperate. He could sense that if Arthur didn't win, he truly wouldn't deserve to continue anywhere.