Path Of War

There was a reason why Arthur had told Jada that he was likely involved with the Cloud Village. That was because Arthur knew full well when he first acquired the Land of Birds that one of his primary objectives would be to create alliances with certain nations.

Forming alliances was the best course of action if his goal was to undermine or even destroy this world.

And right now, he was unaware of any other players' engagement with the Cloud Village. This made it all the better to interact with them before it was too late.

Although there were numerous ways to enter a hidden village, the first step was Hoshikaze.

Both during and after his tournament, Arthur made that character well-known. Numerous ninja attended that event, including the Raikage himself for amusement. Hoshikaze put on a show. So much so that he stood out due to his fighting style, tactics, and confidence.

The Cloud desired for him to become a part of their community. At the time, Arthur had declined. Now it was fortunate that he could use that publicity as a tool.

The ninja who defeated their elite guards with only taijutsu and also came out as the victor of a tough tournament filled with ninjas from across the world—who wouldn't want said ninja in their village?

Arthur, still on the throne, tapped his armchair. Hoshikaze materialized at once.

"My lord," the clone began, "what will you have me do?"

Arthur didn't mince words. He instructed him to "go into stasis inside a hidden cloning vat within the lab."

Hoshikaze accepted without hesitation and left. Knowing that this was a necessary step, Arthur had to isolate Hoshikaze before he could impersonate the clone. While he was in the Cloud, he did not want his clone to go out and raise suspicions.