Blood

A true weapon worthy of being used by Arthur had power that fueled it. He knew he needed to find the right augments—elements that would not simply amplify the weapon but imbue it with exceptional qualities drawn from the world around him.

The next logical step was to seek out the Tailed Beast, Saiken, the Six-Tails. Saiken's essence could provide a potent enhancement, perhaps even channeling the unique abilities of the beast into his new sword.

Regarding this essence, it was akin to its blood—a vital and powerful substance.

'Flying raijin…'

In an instant, Arthur found himself standing amidst the landscapes of the Water Country, where Saiken roamed freely.

He had created this haven specifically for the Tailed Beasts, ensuring their safety and freedom from outside conflicts. The notion of someone like Jasper taking control of such a tremendous power made Arthur's stomach churn; this land was too precious to fall into the wrong hands.

Saiken spotted Arthur almost instantly, feeling joyous.

"It's you again!" it exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. "What brings you here this time?"

"Saiken, I need your essence," he said plainly.

He could already see the beast looking curiously at him, despite it having no perceivable eyes. Its essence, while potent, might come at a price.

"Why do you need it?" Saiken inquired, tilting its form in intrigue. "What are you attempting to create this time?"

"It's important," Arthur replied, choosing his words carefully. "Best I explain it to you when the time's right."

After a moment of contemplation, Saiken nodded in understanding. "Very well. If it's essential for you, I'll help."

It concentrated, causing a ripple to flow through its gelatinous form. After a stream of thick mist, glistening essence began to flow from its slime. It then raised out a small tentacle and filled a specially made vial Arthur had prepared.

Arthur could see the thick, viscous fluid swirling within. It was so potent that the glass started to crack against its confines.

"Thank you, Saiken," he said without any real emotion.

"No problem! Come back anytime!"

Understanding the risk this essence posed when improperly contained, he quickly teleported back to his laboratory.

Arriving in a flash of light, he hurried to the cold storage compartment and activated the cooling mechanism just in time to preserve the essence.

Next, he prepared for his subsequent destination—the Fire Temple. This time, he wasn't using the guise of Ryugetsu; he was set on approaching the temple and its inhabitants as invisible smoke.

He needed the blood of Sora, the boy who was also the vessel for the Nine-Tails' chakra. While Sora wasn't a full Jinchūriki nor actually carried the Nine-Tails itself within him, he had more than enough chakra for his blood to be worth collecting.

In a swirl of smoke, Arthur appeared within the grounds of the Fire Temple.

He scanned the entire area until his journey led him to the bedchambers, where Sora slept alone near a darkened alcove. The boy's features were twisted in a strange mix of peace and sadness.

Arthur's plans of ostracizing the boy from his brothers seemed to be growing well, for there was no one else in this room—which was meant to be shared.

Using a swift hand gesture, he put Sora into a deeper sleep, ensuring the boy wouldn't awaken during this intrusion. Afterwards, he pulled out a syringe and carefully inserted it at the crook of Sora's arm, extracting a sample of his blood—vital fluid that carried the Nine-Tails' chakra within.

Arthur worked quickly before finally finishing. Then he healed the boy and sealed the puncture wound, ensuring he would wake to nothing but what he fell asleep with.

With the sample securely in his possession, he teleported back to his laboratory, bringing with him the vial of Sora's blood.

Now he had the essence of two Tailed Beasts in his possession.

His next objective was clear—he needed to retrieve the essence of the other Tailed Beasts. There were nine in total, each with their own unique abilities and attributes.

If it wasn't obvious by now, he was going to use them as his core. This weapon would be unlike anything the world had ever seen. But that was only if he could gather the materials necessary.

Truth be told, collecting the blood from the remaining seven beasts would prove daunting. The Eight-Tails, Five-Tails, Four-Tails, and Two-Tails were all housed within their respective hosts, living in countries Arthur had yet to explore.

He reminded himself that quality would always reign over quantity, hence why the Nine-Tails' essence triumphed over the others.

Taking another chakra pill, he set off to the Water Country again: 'Flying raijin…'

Back in this land, he aimed for the last location he had encountered the Three-Tails. The last time he came here, it was with a reanimated Minato, who was sure to give the beast a run for its money. That is until Jasper and Alice unexpectedly intervened.

As Arthur walked along the shore, he could already sense the enormous chakra of the Three-Tails underneath the lake. It was sleeping, so Arthur knew this would be quite easy.

Interestingly enough, the beast's wound he inflicted during that battle had since healed—likely tended to by Jasper since Arthur knew Alice couldn't possibly heal a Tailed Beast.

With his chakra concealed and a clear goal in mind, he plunged into the depths of the lake. The waters weren't even cold to him as he swiftly swam down while maintaining a measured calm.

It took him mere moments to reach the hulking form of the Three-Tails. The beast lay sleeping, causing bubbles to form from its heavy breathing.

Arthur knew he had to be quick; any disturbance could cause the beast to awaken, potentially inciting chaos. Emerging directly above the creature, he opened his pouch to retrieve a syringe—but the moment he plunged it into the beast's skin, it shattered against the tough surface of the scales.

Knowing that he was not out of options, he remained calm. It was time for a more surgical approach.

'Chakra dissection blade…'

An ethereal glow was emitted in his hand as he cut through the beast with ease. Though it was dangerous to disturb a sleeping Tailed Beast, he felt confident that his precision would allow for a gentle extraction.

He sliced delicately at the edges of the Three-Tails' scales and cut away thin portions of the leathery skin.

The beast remained undisturbed, oblivious to the small, smooth nicks, much like an ant scratching against tough skin; the sensation was negligible at best. And it didn't matter how long it would take; he could hold his breath for more than half an hour underwater.

When the last cut was made, he sealed the portions in a scroll.

He then ascended towards the surface, grateful his work had gone undetected. Back on dry land, he teleported away, already aiming for his next target.

Since collecting the essence from Eight-Tails, Five-Tails, Four-Tails, and Two-Tails would prove impossible, he would just have to collect from the other beasts.

But why were those three different? The Eight-Tails and Two-Tails were from the same country, an area Arthur had yet to fully tread. Not only would he have to go to the Lightning Country, but he would also need to infiltrate the Cloud Village.

There was also this rumour circulating that Jasper made contact with Killer Bee, the current Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails. Things like that were not worth Arthur's time at the moment.

Regarding the Five-Tails and Four-Tails, he hadn't once stepped foot in their country either.

Arthur was currently seen standing on the rocky outcroppings overlooking the verdant landscapes of the Fire Country. Far from any major villages, he followed a mental map to his next destination: the Hidden Waterfall Village.

This was the village where Fū lived—the host of the Seven-Tails. While the hopes of retrieving her essence played at the forefront of his mind, he couldn't help but recall the last he had seen of this girl—during his tournament.

She was a spirited girl, filled with stubborn naivety yet surprisingly resilient. While she might have won against Margaret, it was due to a disqualification.

It didn't take Arthur long, after navigating through foliage and streams, to realize that he was ultimately met with the rustic beauty of the Waterfall Village. Unlike the intimidating fortifications of the major villages, the Waterfall Village displayed a harmony with nature that was striking.

It was quaint, reminding Arthur that this place, too, needed to be trodden down.

He threaded his way into the heart of the village, keen eyes absorbing the scene around him. Despite the lack of advancements, it was perhaps the cleanest village he had stepped foot in.

There were hardly any children here, and the elders sat upon their porches, exchanging unimportant stories.

A few streets later, he arrived at the Jōnin Station, where the village's records and missions were kept. He slipped inside, and nobody took notice of him. After sifting through several reports, he discovered what he sought: Fū was indeed in the village and wasn't out on any missions.

He pondered for a moment before extending his senses. Then he felt it—Fū's unmistakable playful chakra. He could have done that from the start but needed to absolutely take consideration of other possibilities.

Using his Tamashii, he observed from a safe distance, all the way until nighttime came. Fū eventually fell asleep, marking his moment.

Stealthily, he approached her home and saw her at peace. Then he carefully drew a syringe from his pouch, setting to work extracting a sample of her blood.

The extraction went smoothly, and once completed, he healed the small mark he had left, ensuring she was none the wiser. Having done that, he contemplated using a Flying raijin mark.

Ultimately, he decided against it; there was no need to bind her or keep tabs when he could easily take her down like he had done Utakata.

After placing marks everywhere else, he departed, leaving no trace of his presence.

The blood of four Tailed Beasts was now in his storage, begging to be turned into something grand. The collected materials, however, would not satisfy him just yet. There remained the question of the One-Tail—Shukaku, the beast that resided within Gaara.

This task would be marked with more challenges than he'd faced thus far; he couldn't simply sneak in and take what he wanted.

No, against Gaara and his automatic defense, Arthur would have to think outside the box. That was because Gaara's sand would just stop him and then wake the Jinchūriki up. Even if Arthur was fast enough, the extraction portion took time, which would automatically activate Gaara's sand.

He stood at the edge of a roof in his plaza, formulating a plan.

Right now, Gaara wasn't even in the Sand Village. Arthur knew that because of the many Flying raijin marks placed there. And from what he gathered, the boy was still studying to take on his father's mantle as the next Kazekage.

If Arthur desired the blood of the One-Tail, there was really only one way to go about it: take it by force. Yes, using force should work in this scenario. All the other players were in the Fire Country, and only Jada had the means to teleport to Gaara's aid. But what if she never knew he was in trouble?

A plan was piecing together in Arthur's mind, one that was sure to work. All he had to do was confront the Jinchūriki, fight him, and then secure his blood.

'Should I kill him, too?' Arthur thought to himself. Just asking that question hinted out that he was stronger. 'No, it might trigger a player's concern…'

Arthur ultimately decided not to kill the Jinchūriki, but to instead subdue it. This was also a great opportunity to clear Kaito's name.