Danzō I

Hoshikaze, still holding Jada securely, landed softly at the outskirts of the village. She was then filled with overwhelming joy, feeling the gaps where despair had threatened to snuff out her light.

"The time loop—it's over!" she shouted, clasping her hands together, unable to contain her excitement. She spun around in circles while laughing. Then she flashed a smile toward Hoshikaze. "You did it! You really did it!"

"We did it," he corrected. "Let's just hope you don't find yourself trapped in another loop."

"No need to tell me twice!" she replied with conviction, feeling her heart flutter.

The two confirmed that they were not only freed but that Kakashi was somewhere in the village. And from the looks of things, he was headed their way.

Hoshikaze prepared to take his leave, causing Jada's smile to falter.

"Wait!" she said, stopping him. "You're leaving already?"

He regarded her by slightly turning his head. And with a smirk, he simply stated, "I have duties elsewhere."

"But… I… I thought we could celebrate."

Despite her smiling, he could sense her disappointment; she had really hoped that he would at least come back to the Leaf Village with her.

"When will we meet again?" she pressed in a softer yet earnest tone.

"Continue training and you'll see me sooner than you think," he said, turning back his head.

And as he began to walk away, the emptiness of distance caused her to feel emotional. It was an instinct of needing to connect. So without thinking, she dashed forward and wrapped her arms around him in a sudden embrace.

He remained still as she confessed, "I really appreciate everything you've done for me, and I just wanted to thank you for saving me twice now!"

There was silence between them once she slowly let go.

Beneath the surface, he remembered the pernicious memory of her past actions—the girl who had enough hatred for Arthur to wish to kill him.

So without saying another word, he walked into the night.

Kakashi would soon arrive with eyes wondering about the grand spectacle the two had performed. He couldn't quite make sense of what happened the last five minutes or so.

One second, he was watching them release their chakra, and then the next, everything turned white before he found himself back in Takumi Village.

Jada smiled at his explanation and said, "It's okay, Kakashi-sensei."

"So you mean you two broke the loop?"

"Yeah," she said, pulling away a strand of hair.

It was okay that Kakashi couldn't remember everything she had revealed to him about the game and about his own background. Yet she was quite alleviated and joyous that she could see tomorrow.

The Cayman Jungles.

Hoshikaze arrived back in the laboratory. With a calm demeanour, Arthur looked up from his workbench and asked, "What did you find?"

"There was a time loop in Takumi Village that had been resolved," Hoshikaze reported in a leveled tone. "Jasper's chakra had created residual effects that could only be expelled by a significant exertion of chakra. It took both myself and Jada to dispel it."

The fact that his clone mentioned a player's involvement didn't sit well. It also showed just how powerful Jasper is since it required so much just to break his loop.

Arthur didn't need to ask what the clone already understood.

"I kept your identity hidden," it confirmed, "so no one there has an idea that you're alive; the mission was successful."

"Good," Arthur said, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

Later, he would read its memories to confirm things.

"While I'm not at full strength," he addressed, "I can't waste any more time. Right now, I'm in need of another recruit. And reviving the dead is too risky in my condition."

There are quite a lot of ninjas in this world that Arthur could gladly manipulate and bring to the Cayman Jungles. Yet only a select few piqued his interest, and the clone knew which one he was thinking of.

"You're after Danzō, aren't you?" it asked.

"Exactly," Arthur replied.

From what was written, Danzō Shimura was a controversial figure in the Leaf Village, often regarded as a necessary but morally ambiguous leader.

As an elder and the founder of the Root organization, he pursued what he believed to be the village's best interests through extreme measures, including manipulation and assassination. His ambition for power drove him to undermine his rivals, most notably Hiruzen Sarutobi, and ultimately to position himself as a candidate for Hokage.

Despite his ruthless methods, his actions stemmed from a complex ideology that prioritized the village's survival over ethics, leading him to justify morally corrupt decisions in the name of peace and stability.

His character was marked by a deep-seated rivalry with Hiruzen and a belief that sacrifices for the greater good were essential for a shinobi. This belief, however, often put those under him at risk.

It was witnessing the death of his comrades during the First Shinobi World War that shaped his evil nature. And while he accumulated various powers, including numerous Sharingan secretly implanted into his arm and wood style abilities, he engaged too much in treachery that eventually led to his downfall at the hands of Sasuke Uchiha three years from now.

But which of the two, Arthur and Hoshikaze, would go all the way to the Leaf Village to recruit him?

Arthur, of course. Hoshikaze had recently exerted an unprecedented amount of chakra and needed time to restabilize itself.

"Return to the chamber for now," Arthur ordered, having already sensed his clone's condition.

"Understood," it said.

Arthur watched it leave, wondering if it will be able to retain its level of strength after recovering.

Elsewhere.

It was afternoon in a secluded training ground nestled at the outskirts of the Leaf Village. Arthur stood alone.

He didn't have to wait long before footsteps broke the tranquility of the scene.

Alice emerged in an expression shifting from surprise to disbelief as she took in the sight of him in his real form.

"Arthur?" she exclaimed, taking a cautious step closer. "Is that really you?"

"I knew you would come, Alice…"

Her demeanour shifted slightly as she crossed her arms and asked, "You're here for something specific, aren't you? Don't think I can help after you nearly killed Naruto. That's left quite a mess in our circle."

He locked eyes with her and warned, "You should try not to get too antsy with me."

Alice sighed and dropped her arms to her sides in defeat, saying, "I apologize. It's just been a lot to handle. What is it that you want now?"

Arthur put a hand on his chin thoughtfully and chose his words carefully: "I never want anything, but what I need is Danzō Shimura..."

The look of disbelief on her face was enough to make someone chuckle as she said, "You're crazy if you think that's a smart idea—chasing after Danzō this early in the game."

Arthur clarified his stance and said, "Danzō's character was revealed much later in Shippuden and would be an asset to my plans. Recruiting him now won't change much."

"Your plans?" she interjected. "You're not really helping here, you know."

Arthur shrugged, unperturbed by her skepticism. "I'll keep him in check until the time is right. Besides, he would be better in my hands than in the Leaf Village's."

Alice let out an exasperated breath, shaking her head as she said, "It was already difficult enough for me to have gotten Naruto to go on that mission alone. How do you expect me to manipulate the village to get you Danzō? I mean, the players are on high alert."

Arthur leaned forward and said, "I'll assume they've been keeping Naruto under tight surveillance, am I right?"

Alice nodded and corrected, "More than tight, Arthur. They've all decided they can't let Naruto out of their sights without assurance; they think it's too risky even with you out of the picture."

Arthur pondered momentarily and recalled the fight. "What about Naruto's regeneration ability?"

Her response came with surprising hesitation as she said, "No one ever knew he could do that. How did you even manage to get him in that—"

"It doesn't matter," he cut in. "As a show of sport, I'll let you in on something: Naruto's ability has a flaw. Once his chakra runs out completely, any damage he sustains after could be lethal."

That was a reasonable deduction. Arthur had Naruto on the ground after the boy's chakra was used up. Had Arthur used that moment to slice his throat, the main character would have likely died.

"Arthur," Alice said with conviction, "things are worse than you understand. Jada even went as far as planting a Flying raijin mark on Naruto's Eight Trigrams Seal again."

"So what…?"

Why would someone like Arthur need to be cautious of that? Jada had already done this before, an act that caused him to always be on alert for any signs that an important character might have had a mark on them.

"What do the players think about all of the events that's happened so far?" he pressed.

"They think it's some sort of butterfly effect… They've been tampering with the main timeline, so they think it's all a mess of complications they need to fix."

There was a moment of silence as Arthur weighed his options.

Then he reasoned, "You and I both know I still don't trust you. Never have, never will. But… what if I shared with you the location I've been hiding in?"

"Huh?" she asked, furrowing her brows.

"If you bring me Danzō, I'll reveal my hiding spot."

Alice felt conflicted yet understood that she had little choice in the matter. She also knew that once he set his mind on something, he was going to try and achieve it no matter the cost.

"Arthur," she finally said, "Danzō's an elder of the Leaf Village. You have no idea how sensitive a task like that is."

"That's exactly why I need him," he declared.

She weighed her options as her mind ran through every possible scenario.

Trying to acquire Danzō carried significant risks for both individuals involved. There was a critical concern that if any information were to leak or come to the attention of anyone outside her close-knit group, it could lead to serious consequences and potentially disastrous outcomes.

"You really believe you can control Danzō?" she asked.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have come here."

After several moments of silence, she sighed, knowing she had nearly exhausted her options.

"Fine," she obliged, hoping she could earn his loyalty. "But if I do this, you have to honour your word regarding your hiding spot. You're a Christian, so even I know you won't lie."

"You have my word," he solemnly replied.

With a final lingering gaze, she turned to leave. He watched her go, believing that Danzō would soon be in his hands.