Dismantling

"Nadare…" Arthur whispered.

Yet the man didn't respond. He was like a shell without a purpose anymore. Just trying to recruit him would be a waste of Arthur's time.

'Eye mind reading jutsu…'

With that, Arthur connected to Nadare's mind. Almost every mind was different. Nadare's was like stepping into a vast, cold crystal cavern. Each of his memories reflected on the jagged spikes protruding off the walls.

Arthur focused intently, sifting through the memories like granite through sand, isolating the fragments tied to Nadare's techniques. Each memory moved past him until he caught glimpses of what he needed.

"Ice Style: Wolf Fang Avalanche" materialized first.

It transformed snow into a pack of wolves that charged through like an avalanche. Quite the easy technique to both learn and defeat.

Next, "Ice Style: Dragon vs. Tiger" unfolded.

Arthur observed Nadare as he manipulated existing ice, moulding it into the form of a giant tiger.

Finally, he encountered "Ice Style: White Whale Jutsu"—a massive creature converging from preexisting ice, shaped into a colossal whale with a long narwhal horn that towered above.

It became clear that this technique was more akin to a distraction—designed to block or hinder, rather than to destroy. The whale's size acted more like an effective blockade despite its lack of speed.

As Arthur withdrew from Nadare's mind, he felt as if he could perform all of these techniques on his first attempt. All he really needed to do was know what the hand signs were, and that's just what he got.

The techniques he had gleaned were more valuable than any alliance with Nadare in his current state. Arthur didn't have time for weakness—not when there was much to do.

With a final glance at the fallen shinobi's conflicted eyes, he eased into the corridor and stealthily retraced his steps. Arthur then slipped out of the prison and traveled home.

There was no need to linger and find out the full extent of what had transpired between Dotō, William, and Alexander. The absence of snow alone was enough to tell who were the victors.

Over the next few days, Arthur spent time perfecting his newly acquired techniques.

The Wolf Fang Avalanche technique now summoned more herds of wolves, whose speeds had increased to race against foes. The Dragon vs. Tiger technique had become potent enough to allow the summoned tiger to freeze almost everything that threatened its advances. And above all, the White Whale technique was even larger and able to block opponents or create pandemonium in crowded fields.

At the plaza, he considered the rapidly changing events in the shinobi world. He hadn't kept tabs on the Leaf Village's reports in some time, and now it dawned on him just how ill-informed he'd become.

The transformations in the Land of Spring and the potential ramifications regarding Naruto's safety now required his attention.

Could Alice have been involved in orchestrating backup from the village? He found it hard to believe, yet that didn't mean he doubted it.

The truth was he didn't trust Alice. She had aided in delivering Naruto into his hands, but it was her unpredictable nature coupled with the fact she knew of his existence that set his nerves on edge.

The involvement of Hyūga clan members also made him uneasy. Anything involving that clan meant Alexander had to be involved. It was only fair to believe that Alex could have orchestrated such a massive involvement for the clan to come to Naruto's aid.

Arthur's blood ran cold at the thought. Alex was stated to be the strongest player. If he ever discovered that Arthur was alive, what measures would he take to eliminate a perceived threat?

The prospect made Arthur's skin crawl. He had worked hard to remain hidden and even harder to claim a sense of autonomy that wouldn't be easily dismantled. Adding to this was the urgency he felt to form his own army before he found himself ensnared in the machinations of others.

The time for waiting was over.

He returned the focus of his thoughts to Lars Alexandersson. Lars held a reputation as a reliable combatant and strategist, and most important of all, he had the kind of charisma that could draw in additional members, a trait Arthur could use.

Finding Lars, however, would prove to be no easy task; Arthur hadn't heard from him since the end of the tournament. If anything, that Tekken fighter was roaming the world like a nomad with no apparent trace.

For Arthur to track him down, he would have to make his own presence felt, but that was not his intention. He needed to maintain a low profile as he navigated the shinobi world.

This made him consider his options carefully. Where would someone like Lars—boasting the skills and charisma of a video game hero—choose to linger in a world so vast and comprised of hundreds of countries?

He could literally be anywhere.

Arthur knew that he himself didn't have the luxury of time to scour the villages one by one, even with enhanced sensing abilities at his disposal. He needed a more efficient strategy; he needed to utilize his assets.

'Flying raijin…'

Arthur teleported to the outskirts of the jungle. His sharp gaze settled on the trio of ninjas engaged in training nearby: Kimimaro, Tayuya, and Rin.

They had grown stronger under his guidance, a fact that proved his perfect leadership. And he couldn't deny the sense of satisfaction he felt.

His investment in these three was paying off considerably. They were much stronger and more adept than their predecessors, each honing skills that Jōnin would find very difficult to deal with.

And out of those three, Rin stood out among them as his most valuable asset.

When they spotted him, they halted their training promptly, stopping mid-execute and bowing deeply with respect.

"Greetings, lord Arthur," Kimimaro said as he remained stoic.

"I have a mission for you three," he stated, drawing them close. "I need you to locate a man named Lars Alexandersson."

The trio exchanged looks before nodding their heads—apparently none had heard of that figure.

Arthur, having anticipated this reaction, retrieved a printed photo of Lars he had acquired from a recording made during the tournament he hosted some time ago. He held it out for them to examine.

"This is your target," he explained, "Find him, and do not engage with anyone else. Your goal is simply to discover where he's located."

This mission would be quite the challenge, for they had little more than Lars's outward appearance to work with, and everything else would need to be investigated from scratch, all while ensuring they remained inconspicuous.

Stealth was paramount; if they were detected, it could jeopardize not only their mission but also Arthur's safety as well.

Despite the potential difficulties ahead, the three accepted the mission without hesitation. Their loyalty and commitment were evident.

"We won't disappoint you, my lord," both Rin and Tayuya affirmed.

In a blink, the three found themselves standing at the edge of the borders in the Land of Waves. It was the last known location where Lars had participated in his tournament—an obvious starting point.

While many would think sending out these three into the ninja world was dangerous, Arthur was far from stupid. They were skilled in espionage and knew that they weren't meant to be seen in the outside world.

On top of that, they each had Flying raijin marks, allowing Arthur to monitor them when he needed.

Now came his next task: repairing his weapons.

The aftermath of his encounter with Naruto had left him profoundly aware of the limitations of his arsenal. Two of his unique swords lay in ruins due to the overwhelming force of the Nine-Tails' strength.

But rather than simply restoring them to their former glory, a greater ambition ignited within him. The desire to create something new, something greater than all that had come before, was paramount.

Arthur had an entire laboratory at his disposal, stocked with materials and resources that could facilitate a revolution in his weaponry. He knew the stakes; as a shinobi, wielding the right tools could be the difference in fights.

But time was not on his side. He needed to act now, during this fleeting opportunity, before another enemy dared to challenge him.

The question he had asked himself after the fight was what if he could combine the strengths of the swords he had accumulated—the Boltswords, the Executioner's Blade, the Blunt Blade, the Explosive Blade, the Long Blade, and Hiramekarei—into something newer and more refined?

Arthur didn't need an arsenal; he needed one perfect weapon, a sword that could encapsulate the best of each.

As he swiftly moved through the laboratory, he pinpointed his first weapon. The Boltswords stood as the most recent modifications, having demolished Naruto in one of his strongest forms.

Though it had taken him time and valuable resources to make, he knew that he needed to adapt.

Arthur began the dismantling process. Metal grinded against metal, which echoed softly in the spacious lab. He had done this countless times before.

Within moments, the sword lay divided into its elemental parts. He extracted the crystals and placed them in a designated containment glass for later use.

Next, he turned his attention to the Executioner's Blade, the one he'd rarely use in battle after having defeated Zabuza and Haku for it.

He set it on a table and took stock of its mechanisms—the way the blade could repair itself with blood. To fully dismantle it, he had to break apart the hilt and then shatter the blades into multiple pieces until they were like fine dust.

When he was finished, he shifted to the next sword: the Blunt Blade.

He had always appreciated the straightforward nature of this weapon; its main power came from its hammer and axe. Each time those two elements collided, they generated a powerful shockwave that could knock an opponent off balance and create a tactical advantage.

As he dismantled the weapon, he carefully examined the hammer's leather-wrapped handle, recognizing its importance. He decided to keep the leather intact, knowing its connection to the weapon's effectiveness in creating shockwaves.

The metal components, however, would join the pile of materials destined for melting down—blending those shockwave capabilities with the other powerful elements he intended to create.

With the Blunt Blade disassembled, he turned his attention to the Explosive Blade.

Here, things grew more complex. The explosive nature of this weapon was tricky to use effectively in battle due to the many explosions.

Instead of focusing on the blade itself, Arthur had a shrewd idea. He would extract all the paper bombs, using their explosive properties as a core element for his new weapon. Of course, that also meant that he had to recreate a mechanical effect that would store and release these explosives at will.

He disassembled the Explosive Blade, carefully extracting the paper bombs and storing them in a special compartment designed to hold volatile materials safely.

The last two blades, the Long Blade and Hiramekarei, had already been broken, meaning they technically didn't need to be dismantled.

He brought out Hiramekarei first, intrigued by its wreckage. Now thanks to Naruto. As Arthur examined it further, he discovered a fascinating crystal embedded within the hilt of the sword. This was the source of its chakra transformations.

Arthur carefully extracted the crystal and placed it among the other gathered materials.

Next, he focused on the Long Blade. This was an impressive weapon in its own right, with a remarkable feature that had long been a staple of its design—a wire that could extend quite far. And truth be told, this was his most-used weapon.

When he finally located where the wires emerged from, he was quite impressed; the wire stretched an astonishing mile long!

It was improbable to believe that this material could be stored in a single katana. Nonetheless, he began the painstaking task of unraveling and storing the wire, working diligently to ensure its integrity.

The effort took significantly longer than he expected, but he remained committed, convinced that this wire could add an unexpected layer of versatility to the combined weapon.

As the last meter unraveled and coiled neatly with the other components, Arthur took a moment to relax. He had dismantled, collected, and extracted the core components of his previous weapons.

It was almost time to combine everything. He just needed one critical element: the right materials to enhance and evolve his creation further.