Art

Arthur felt a whirlwind as the members of the Akatsuki vanished and reappeared with moves he had never seen before. The first was Hidan, who lunged at him. Arthur instinctively dodged, weaving until he narrowly escaped three savage slashes of the scythe.

As Hidan backed up momentarily, another threat emerged: Kakuzu aimed to punch him with a shadowy appendage.

"Earth style: iron skin!" Arthur quickly caught the punch with both hands, straining against the brute force of Kakuzu's attack. "He's tough… How annoying."

Arthur then used the moment to pivot away from Kakuzu's hold, seeking to reestablish distance and regain balance, but without warning, a dark form erupted from the earth beneath him. It was Zetsu, and the creature emerged, jaws open wide, ready to consume him whole.

Arthur leaped just in time, narrowly escaping Zetsu's teeth as he soared into the air. It was a moment of reprieve, but the Akatsuki's teamwork didn't end there.

As he hung momentarily in the air, he spotted what seemed like a cloud of white fluttering toward him—they weren't butterflies, but clay creations crafted by Deidara.

"If you didn't know!" Deidara shouted from below, "Art is an explosion!"

In that instant, Sasori opened the mouth of his puppet, unleashing a furious barrage of poisoned needles that spiraled through the air. They collided against Deidara's clay butterflies, causing a violent detonation.

A choking cloud of dust swirled into the air, masking Arthur for a brief, disorienting moment.

Kisame, positioned above the blast, seized the opportunity and sliced down with his Samehada. The sword cut through the cloud, dissipating it effortlessly only to reveal that Arthur had vanished.

"Where did he go?" Kisame said, scanning the ground.

His gaze landed on the terrain beyond, spotting Arthur sprinting away. But Itachi was already there and skillfully positioned himself right in front of him.

"It's been a while," the Uchiha intoned, "but you can't escape so easily…"

The two engaged in a flurry of hand-to-hand combat. With every blow exchanged, Arthur sensed Itachi's eerie calmness against his own illness.

"You've improved since our last encounter," Itachi observed, parrying Arthur's strike.

Arthur forced himself not to respond. Just speaking in his current state would break his concentration. While his sickness fogged his mind, he found navigating this sudden burst of combat to be strenuous.

Then suddenly, a gravitational pull tugged at his very core, drawing him backward. He looked over his shoulder to figure out what it was and understood too late that it was Pain's "Planetary Devastation" technique!

That was one of the most dangerous techniques in this world.

The very ground quickly began to splinter and break apart under the relentless force, causing rocks and debris to lift into the air until Arthur was culminated in a colossal sphere that trapped him.

"Don't you think that's going too far?" Konan inquired, watching Pain with concern.

"Our opponent managed to subdue an entire country and defeated the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki," Pain coolly replied as he maintained the technique's control.

"Right then," Konan acquiesced. Then her wings unfurled, allowing her to soar high above the massive sphere.

Deep within it, Arthur lay crumpled amongst the jagged rocks. It only dulled his pain and fatigue. So he closed his eyes and tried to think.

He could use the Blade of Chaos, but first he had to escape. And who knows if his body would even allow him to wield such a deadly weapon? Even if it did, Pain had the Rinnegan and would instantly see through the various chakras mixed within it.

That was not something Arthur was willing to reveal lightly. And what happens if he just escapes this technique? Pain would just summon the other five Paths while Arthur remains drained.

Memories rushed through his mind. He was strong, yet, on this stage and in this circumstance, the Akatsuki were stronger. Their combined strength and strategies were not something he was prepared for. At least not fully.

With that thought, he recited the words that had provided solace countless times before.

"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The moment he snapped his eyes open, he performed his technique: 'Summoning jutsu…'

Outside, just as Konan's wings began to envelop the entire sphere above, a deep rumble interrupted her advances. An immense force then erupted from the dome, causing massive chunks of rock and dirt to fly into the air. This quickly prompted Konan to descend back down to the ground.

Deidara summoned a massive dragon forged from his clay, intent on continuing their assault. But Sasori called out, "Wait, Deidara!"

Yet he jumped atop the dragon and soared toward the massive sphere. "Don't forget, Sasori, my art is an explosion."

Just as he climbed higher with more explosive clay being moulded in his hands, the silhouette of the Six-Tails suddenly sprung from the depths of the sphere. In an instant, Deidara's triumphant expression faltered, replaced by a dawning horror.

"What—?"

Before he could react, the beast unleashed a Tailed Beast Bomb. The blast surged forth with unstoppable force, eradicating Deidara's entire form before he had the chance to scream or escape.

Even the dragon shattered into harmless clay bits as the pure energy consumed everything, leaving nothing but silence and ashes in the wake of a catastrophe that had felt inevitable.

Sasori and the rest stood shocked upon the price of Deidara's reckless plan.

"You sure know how to call on me at the wrong times," the beast chuckled in a low rumble. "Who are those guys? Enemies?"

Arthur stood there for a moment, keeping his arms crossed. No one in existence had ever been in his position: atop a Tailed Beast while staring down all the Akatsuki members at once. To them, he was a rarity indeed.

"They're the Akatsuki," he finally replied. "And they're getting on my nerves."

In a giant puff cloud, the Tailed Beast mysteriously poofed away, leaving Arthur tumbling downward with finesse. As he landed gracefully on the ground, the oppressiveness of his sickness took hold of him.

Now he was out of tricks. His chakra reserves were dangerously low; a mere attempt to muster any would lead to overexertion and certain death. Even if he opted for a modified chakra pill, past experiences had cautioned him against the disastrous consequences on his sick body.

His options were dwindling, and entering Sage Mode wasn't feasible either—his mind was too fogged, too muddled to gather the necessary natural energy.

But still, he thrived best in dire situations like these. For if there was one thing Arthur never did, it was panic.

With a calm exhale, he straightened himself and asked, "I hope that was enough to get your attention… Now answer me this: since you've been looking for me, I can only think that it's because you're trying to recruit me, am I right?"

Pain stepped forward and said, "As impressive as that was, we'll humour your curiosity… Your abilities, along with your recent actions, had drawn our attention. We believe your goals align with ours. But after seeing that display and how you killed one of our own, it might be too dangerous to let you free."

Arthur knew this would happen. His attacks on Naruto the first time must have triggered their interest, leading them to infer that he was after the Jinchūriki like themselves.

"And if I refuse?"

Hidan cackled, swinging his scythe carelessly. "You'll be sacrificed to—"

Before he could finish, Kakuzu's heavy hand clamped down on Hidan's mouth. "Shut up."

Undeterred, Pain's expression and stare remained. "Then I'll kill you where you stand. You're completely out of chakra."

Leave it once again to the Rinnegan to see right through everything.

With a slow deliberation, Arthur reached into his pocket and withdrew a rainbow-coloured chakra pill while bringing it toward his mouth.

"I've got more than one card up my sleeve," he stated.

"Watch out," Konan warned, "that's a chakra pill, and it doesn't look like a normal one."

In truth, Arthur was out of usable trump cards; he was only trying to make it seem like his body could handle them. All he could do was psychologically create the illusion that his chakra levels could be restored, possibly deterring them for a moment longer.

"I have a proposition for you, then," he stated, drawing Pain's attention fully.

Pain's interest piqued. "Go on."

"You've seen what I can do. I've subdued the Six-Tails. Three years from now, I'll gladly hand that beast over to you without a fight if you accept these terms."

Kisame couldn't help but smirk, amused at the audacity of the man. Here stood what appeared to be a thirteen-year-old boy making demands to the most dangerous organization in the shinobi world.

"As far as we're concerned," Pain addressed. "We're not quite interested in the Tailed Beast right now… Not after you killed Deidara."

Sasori could barely reflect on the death of his partner. They had been together for a little time, and Sasori quite disliked Deidara's antics anyway; he knew one day the terrorist from the Earth Country would get himself killed like that one day. After all, Deidara was both the youngest member and the most recent recruit.

"I promise you, Pain," Arthur said. "I can offer you a new member—one that will undoubtedly fit right into the Akatsuki."

Everyone practically narrowed their eyes. They all had the same question to ask: "Who…?"

"Kaito," Arthur replied with assurance.

Kaito? Last everyone heard, that shinobi worked for Orochimaru and was reported dead by the hands of the One-Tail Jinchūriki, Gaara. How could Arthur be related to him of all shinobi?

"You seem to have forgotten," Kakuzu alerted, keeping Hidan in check, "that shinobi died not too long ago. His bounty was even erased."

"Now why would I offer you a dead man?" Arthur calmly corrected.

A sense of understanding dawned upon the gathered Akatsuki members: Kaito was alive.

"Pain," Konan said, drawing her leader's attention. "He's offering us the Six-Tails and an s-rank shinobi as a new member. If I recall, this Kaito defeated several other high-ranking Leaf shinobi at once and also served under Orochimaru; he probably has some valuable information we could use if we at least meet him."

"How do you know Kaito?" Itachi inquired.

"Let's just say we go way back…"

It was indeed an interesting offer. Yet Arthur never said what he wanted in exchange for all this.

"It's simple, really," he spoke up. "I desire land."

Zetsu and Kakuzu exchanged confused looks, clearly having expected him to say something more substantial—like money, perhaps—while Itachi, Kisame, Konan, and Pain began to piece together the threads of intrigue.

The reason Arthur was seeking territory soon became clear, connecting the dots to his past connection as John Belfort, who was really a boy in disguise who had once ruled an entire country.

"Why would you want land?" Pain asked as if assessing a puzzle.

Arthur shrugged, answering, "I'm going to regrow my lost assets."

"And the land you're after?" Pain prodded.

"The Land of Birds," Arthur stated matter-of-factly. "It's a neighbouring country under your control still, isn't it? I could use that country."

The Land of Birds, known as "Tori no Kuni," was a small country located between the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Storms.

The Land of Birds housed only a single village, and rest was merely open land—an easy conquest for someone who knew how to navigate its complexities.

Arthur's knowledge of such details impressed Pain—not many would be aware of its geography without prior information.

As such, Pain considered the implications. "And why should we grant you control over it?"

"Because I'm making you an offer you can't refuse: I'll hand over the Six-Tails and give you someone to replace your ranks."

Kakuzu scoffed. "You're not that convincing, kid."

"What if you go back on your word?" White Zetsu chimed in.

"I never go back on my word," Arthur corrected with a cold glare.

After some more consideration, Pain insisted, "First, you bring us Kaito, then we'll give you the land."

"That's without any legs," Kisame added, holstering his Samehada over his shoulders.

"I don't mind either or," Arthur calmly replied. "Harm me or keep me imprisoned, though, and I won't be able to bring Kaito to you."

When Kakuzu finally released Hidan, the man yelled, "So are you all gonna act like he actually has something to bargain with?!"

Arthur's countenance remained unchanged while Konan observed his demeanour. Pain turned to ask, "What do you think, Sasori?"

"I don't like him… He reminds me too much of Orochimaru. But if you think Kaito's a good fit for the Akatsuki, I don't see why we can't test him first."

Hidan burst into laughter, amused by the petulance behind Sasori's remark. To him, it almost sounded like Sasori was jealous because he had both lost his partner and had to be reminded of Orochimaru, who was his past partner.

"Shut up," Sasori shot back in irritation.