Chapter 275: The List
The landscape turned to his familiar plaza. As he entered it with a calm mind, he transformed into Kaito. He then relaxed to pace himself, debating whether his retreat had been a strategic error or a prudent choice.
After all, he hadn't lost much. In fact, he decided it was quite profitable.
For one, he confirmed Alice's allegiance and that she wasn't for Elysium. The other was that he had proven he was most certainly stronger than the main character.
Naruto's own abilities were far from the average shinobi's. His control over chakra improved over time, allowing him to perform powerful jutsu. Just his massive chakra reserves alone made the fight last far longer than it should have.
Then there was that obscene regeneration skill. Arthur was certain that the boy had never had something like that before.
In combat, Naruto initially relied on unpredictable attacks and shadow clones, but that had also been reproved. This Naruto was adept at taijutsu and could overwhelm opponents without the need for clones.
The main reason Arthur completely decimated him in combat was because the former knew almost everything about the ninja. Then there was Arthur's psychological game, constantly throwing the boy off his guard without letting him retain an ounce of clarity on the match.
That was Arthur's deadliest tactic, to deter his opponent so much that he broke their spirits. Naruto, however, wasn't fighting alone. He had his mother's and father's chakra that acted as surrogates in times of distress.
Yet mere chakra constructs were never going to stop Arthur. It was his win from the very start.
On top of all of these things, he had also glimpsed through Naruto's memories, witnessing the inner workings of the Nine-Tails chakra.
Of particular interest were the copious Rasengan techniques Naruto had apparently studied, as well as the many interactions he's had thus far in the world.