Here To Kill You

It wasn't long until Hoshikaze stood in front of six figures: Kimimaro, Tayuya, Jirōbō, Kidōmaru, Sakon, and Rin.

Reviving the former Sound Ninja Five proved to be quite fruitful for Arthur. Upon their initial return, they displayed a sense of nonchalance regarding their former status and the leadership of Kimimaro.

As far as anyone was concerned, they operated under a new rule: Arthur's Rule.

As Hoshikaze stood there like a statue, they were intrigued by what he was wearing: a white cloak with silver trims. Each waited patiently for his next words.

"As you should know by now," he began, "lord Arthur's created new uniforms for you."

With a flick of his wrist, a box materialized out of thin air in front of them. One by one, they stepped forward.

Jirōbō reached into the box first and pulled out a similar white cloak. He frowned at it and said, "I don't like the colour."

Kimimaro dismissed his comment while looking at his own cloak. "They're fine, Jirōbō. So get used to them."

As they each retrieved the garments suited for their builds, Rin hesitated. She scanned the box once more before asking, "Where is mine, lord Hoshikaze?"

"He has a different task for you," Hoshikaze replied, referring to Arthur.

Rin felt disappointed. She had expected to wear one of the new cloaks like everyone else.

Tayuya stepped closer after sensing her unease and said, "It's alright, Rin. I'm sure lord Arthur's got a special one for you."

Kidōmaru, examining his cloak with interest, added, "There's a reason lord Arthur's given us these uniforms all of a sudden."

He was correct. Hoshikaze soon announced that Arthur had a mission for them: they were to test the powers of these cloaks.

"What do they do exactly?" Sakon asked in curiosity.

"They mask the wearer's chakra," Hoshikaze explained.

Kimimaro, processing this information, murmured, "No wonder I couldn't feel your presence."

Kimimaro had actually never been known as a sensory type, but after training under Hoshikaze at Sun Stream Plaza, he had honed the skill.

Hoshikaze continued, "We planned to amplify these suits to enhance the wearer's chakra. However, lord Arthur lacks the necessary means and technology to do so." He paused and gestured at the cloaks. "Because of their light designs, creating an outfit to increase your strength would have made them heavier."

After understanding their purpose, the five donned their cloaks. The fabric felt unnatural yet comforting.

"Now let's go," Hoshikaze said, turning around. As they began to move, he halted and looked at Rin. "Only the five are requested…"

The woman's heart sank at those words; she felt a sense of unappreciation.

Tayuya noticed and tried to lift her spirits up by saying, "Don't worry, Rin. Use this time to focus on training."

Sakon couldn't resist making a comment. "Tayuya, you're oddly close to Rin. Have you changed that much since dying?" Tayuya shot him a narrow-eyed glare. Sakon smirked and chuckled, "Lighten up. I was just kidding."

It was comforting to have Tayuya by her side, so Rin believed. And although she managed a small smile, she still felt disappointed.

After departing, Hoshikaze led the five into the throne room.

Sunlight continued to pour through the windows behind him. It created a halo effect that obscured the chair's occupant, Arthur.

Despite some encounters, they still had not laid eyes on the man who commanded their loyalty.

As they reached the foot of the throne, Hoshikaze stood a few steps behind and allowed the five to take their places side by side before Arthur. They lowered their heads in unison.

"Today," Arthur began, "your skills will be put to the test. Your main objective is to use these cloaks to your advantage."

"What will you have us do, my lord?" Kimimaro respectfully asked.

"Three of you have fallen at the hands of a shinobi named Naruto Uzumaki."

Sakon flinched at the name. The humiliation and the defeat—neither was forgotten.

Arthur continued, "The boy is accompanied by two other shinobi, one of them being the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. Your mission is to go and subdue the boy."

A moment of silence followed before Sakon asked, "Do we have permission to kill him, my lord?"

Arthur's response was almost too casual: "If he dies, then so be it…"

At this, Jirōbō's face smiled; he was delighted at the prospect of exacting revenge on one of his killers.

"I will teleport you five to the country where they reside," Arthur finished. "Find them and prove your worth."

"Understood," they replied in unison.

When Arthur tapped his armchair, they vanished from sight.

Only Hoshikaze remained behind. He noted with concern how Arthur's chakra levels dipped significantly—running low after transporting five individuals over a vast distance.

"You must have sent them far," he observed after stepping forward.

Arthur's posture remained relaxed, but his gaze shifted, avoiding the topic. "How is Rin faring?"

"It's exactly as you expected… She feels let down from not having participated in this mission."

"Good…"

Elsewhere.

The five ninjas materialized in an unfamiliar land. There were rocky terrains and jagged cliffs all around them.

Jirōbō paused after smelling something in the air. "There's a village nearby."

Kimimaro moved closer to the ground and placed a finger down to activate his Area Sensing technique. Almost instantly, he remarked, "There are three strong chakra signatures to the east of our position… All of them are strong, specifically one other."

"That must be the Sannin," Sakon deduced.

"Sannin or not," Kidōmaru said with venomous delight, "I'm going to enjoy my revenge!"

Tayuya rolled her eyes and said, "Remember the main objective: we're here to test the effectiveness of these cloaks. Let's not forget that."

"Right," Jirōbō agreed. "It's even better that lord Arthur allowed us to kill if we choose."

First was new gear, and the next was the promise of retribution. They were most certainly going to try and kill the main character. Even if it meant going against the legendary Sannin and a player.

It only took one word from Kimimaro to let them advance toward their target: "Move out…"

In the mountainous hot spring, steam rose upward into the air surrounding William and Jiraiya. Both of them were relaxing in the water.

Nearby, Naruto was shirtless and working on honing a new variant of the Rasenshuriken. Two shadow clones stood beside him as they assisted with the technique.

The chakra began to whirl and formed a spiraling sphere with flames at the edges. Just as it seemed to stabilize, it exploded in a burst of chakra and sent Naruto tumbling backward. Even the clones had dispersed.

"I almost had it!" he exclaimed in a frustrated tone.

"Why are you having so much trouble?" William asked while comfortably leaning back.

"It ain't easy when I can only learn so few techniques!"

"How much was it that you can learn again?" Jiraiya inquired as he thoughtfully eyed his pupil.

"Nine techniques," William answered for Naruto.

"Right," Naruto affirmed.

Whatever mechanics were at play here, Naruto could only learn up to nine techniques because of the Nine-Tails. So far, he's learned six of them: Shadow Clones, the Rasengan, Summoning Jutsu, taijutsu, wind style, and all e-rank techniques—which are classified as one variant of each other.

And because variants didn't count, he was free to learn whatever techniques derived from one of the nine. The exception to all this was that any time he used a technique, they were always at their maximum output.

"I wonder what other techniques you're trying to learn outside the other six," Jiraiya noted.

"Fire jutsus for sure!" Naruto beamed.

It's because of William that Naruto was even trying to learn another element. Naruto thought it would be easy after seeing Sasuke in action with it, but fire style was too hard for him since he was so used to wind style.

"Learning new elemental techniques isn't a walk in the park," William said after reflecting on his own experiences. "It often takes years to perfect them, especially if you're new to it."

Naruto groaned, "I thought Kurama breathing fire would have made it easier." Just then, Naruto turned his attention to Jiraiya and asked, "Hey, Pervy Sage, can you tell me more about my dad when he was your student?"

Before Jiraiya could reminisce about Naruto's father, William answered, "Minato was incredible. Like, there was this one time he took out a thousand ninjas at once during the last war!"

Jiraiya couldn't help but ask, "I'm curious, Will, how did you know that? 'Cause it sounds like you might've been there."

William attempted to keep his composure as he stammered, "Uh… it was in the mission reports."

Naruto pointed and said, "There ya go again. You know so much about everything! That's just too suspicious."

Jiraiya got up from the waters while laughing, "Oh, that's rich. Hahaha. We should have you write a book, Will."

William frowned but managed to keep a smile. "I'm just trying to keep up with everything, you know?"

Naruto was used to those kind of answers. He smiled and expressed his gratitude toward his cousin, "It's good that you know so much, cuz; otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do."

Those words brightened William's heart.

It was then that he took the chance to turn to Jiraiya. "Sorry for asking this so late, Jiraiya-sensei, but why didn't you tell Naruto the truth about his dad?"

Jiraiya sighed before answering, "I hid it for several reasons. I thought it was best to protect him since Minato had a lot of enemies. I wanted him to grow into an independent ninja without a troubled past, which I'm sure Minato would have agreed."

William didn't want to accept that answer. Being a Naruto fan, he knew full well how Naruto would have grown had the boy just been told the truth.

It was thanks to him and the other players that Naruto had even grown this strong.

After hearing Jiraiya's explanation, Naruto softly said, "I get that, but even if my mom and dad weren't there, I want to carry on both of their legacies. That's why I'm never gonna give up on becoming the Hokage!"

Jiraiya smiled, knowing that the boy had already met both his parents in their chakra forms. And if Naruto was happy, Jiraiya knew he had done a fair job for now.

"Speaking of the past," Naruto wondered, "What else do you know, cuz?"

William paused to consider. "Well, I know that Mito Uzumaki married the first Hokage."

Naruto looked at him, bewildered, and asked, "Are you saying I'm the first Hokage's grandson?"

The question caused both Jiraiya and William to laugh due to the absurdity of the thought. Naruto would have actually been the great-grandson if that notion were true.

"I'm serious!" he pointed. "That wasn't written in the book my mom gave!"

As William leaned back into the hot spring, an idea struck him: "Naruto, is Kurama ready to be let out yet?!"

Naruto pouted before replying, "Kurama hasn't talked to me since we bowled back at the village."

"When he is ready," William continued, "you should let him out for once to walk around."

Jiraiya considered this but thought the idea was borderline ridiculous. "A Tailed Beast roaming around could frighten a lot of people."

"Kurama isn't just a scary monster, though," William countered. "He's one of Hagoromo's creations. He has his own thoughts and feelings just like us."

Suddenly, a burning sensation shot through Naruto's body, causing him to wince. He clutched his stomach and complained, "I don't think Kurama likes it when you talk about the old man like that…"

"Okay, okay!" William responded with a laugh.

After Jiraiya put on his clothes, he decided to watch Naruto perform the new Rasenshuriken again.

"Alright, here goes!" Naruto said after summoning two clones.

The three tried to channel chakra into forming the technique. Once again, it fell apart before it could stabilize. The resulting failure sent another shockwave of chakra back into Naruto and caused a splatter that made him fall back and disperse his clones.

"Ugh!" he groaned after shaking his head. "What happened this time?"

"It seems like you're not balancing the fire chakra properly," Jiraiya instructed.

This made Naruto scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

After another chuckle, William relaxed further. He felt confident in helping Naruto grow through perfecting not just another elemental jutsu, but all facets of being a shinobi, including taijutsu and genjutsu.

"Absolutely nothing can go wrong," he sighed in relief.

In that moment of calm, something drew their attention: five figures stepped into the scene. Their white cloaks made it difficult to see their features as their garments fluttered against the breeze.

"Naruto Uzumaki," one of them finally said, "we're here to kill you.

"I just had to open my mouth!"