Some time later.
The journey to Takumi Village was uneventful, and the trade agreement was delivered without any further trouble.
On his way back, Arthur had been focusing on balancing the three different chakras within him. They felt like mini pools, each a different size.
By the time he returned to the Leaf Village, a figure was already waiting to greet him: not the familiar guards, but Alexander.
"Arthur!" he chimed in surprise. "Where've ya been? Like, we haven't seen you in ages."
The question almost felt like a test since Alex was waiting for him at the gate as if he already knew he was out of the village.
"Just on a simple delivery mission," Arthur replied.
Alex congratulated him. "Mission complete, then? That's great news! We were starting to worry about you—not that I didn't know you were out." Arthur just nodded. "There's an important meeting tonight, so you have to come, alright?"
"I'll be there."
"Care to join me for some breakfast before my mission?"
"Perhaps another time. I still have to make a report."
"Haha! Understandable."
With that, Alex clapped Arthur on the shoulder, and hurried off, leaving him alone.
✟
At the Hokage's office.
"Ah, Arthur! Good to see you back. I trust the mission went well?"
Arthur bowed his head respectfully. "Yes, lord Third. The letter was delivered with no problems."
Hiruzen chuckled. "Excellent work. You're proving yourself to be quite a valuable asset to the village. I hope your time outside changed your mind about wanting to become a ninja."
Arthur didn't like this side of Hiruzen. The praise felt hollow since the Hokage had no idea of the truth.
"I still need some time to think about it," he said, "if that's okay, of course."
"I see… Well, I can't very well force you to be one."
"Thank you for understanding, lord Third."
Arthur's reward on this unclassified mission received him eight thousand ryō.
✟
Evening.
At the girls' apartment, the meeting started with lively energy. Arthur feigned a lot of interest as a chorus of questions erupted from the group.
"Where'd you go?" "How was it?" "Did you learn anything cool?"
He stifled a sigh by answering that it was a simple delivery mission. A few bumps in the road, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Margaret looked envious. "I wanna go on a solo mission, too!"
The conversation eventually shifted to William and Alice's recent mission. They had returned around the same time Arthur had.
Alice, excited to share the news, recounted the events. "It was pretty intense. Like, Will and I managed to save Haku and Zabuza. Sasuke even awakened his Sharingan again."
If Arthur recalled correctly from the original story, Team 7 escorted Tazuna to the bridge to continue construction, only to be met by Zabuza for a rematch.
Haku joined the fight, trapping Sasuke in his Kekkei Genkai, the 'Crystal Ice Mirrors.'
Naruto arrived late and attempted to help break Sasuke free. Meanwhile, Zabuza fought Kakashi, and Sakura was tasked with guarding Tazuna.
Back in Haku's trap, the original story had Naruto losing consciousness. Sasuke protected him after reawakening his Sharingan—his first awakening having been when Itachi slaughtered his clan.
Naruto wakes up after Haku and him duked it out. But when he came to, Sasuke collapsed, causing the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra to unleash. Using it, he defeated Haku, who was ready to die by his hands.
But Naruto refused to kill him after believing Haku could be redeemed.
Because Kakashi was about to kill Zabuza, Haku threw himself in front of the attack and inevitably died.
Gatō, who hired Zabuza, eventually arrived, only to betray Zabuza and order thugs to kill him.
Naruto, witnessing Haku's sacrifice being disregarded, cries out in frustration, touching Zabuza's heart—one of the first instances of 'talk-no-jutsu.'
Zabuza managed to kill Gatō before dying next to Haku. Team 7 later buried them together, and Naruto made a proclamation about what it means for him to be a ninja.
This time, however, the story had completely changed.
Not only had Zabuza and Haku not died, but Naruto never went through the trauma or the necessary character development. On top of this, the bridge named after him was changed to something else.
William added, "The fight wasn't too difficult, but we had to wait till the very end to prevent Haku from sacrificing himself."
"And then," Alice continued, "Will gave this amazing speech about Zabuza's true colours and Gatō's backstabbing. Kakashi-sensei was so impressed."
Zabuza and Haku eventually made peace with Team 7. When Gatō and his men arrived, they made light work of them.
The two mercenaries then departed, believing they would all see each other again one day.
Not a single person was killed. Gatō was even sent to prison.
As the meeting wore on, stories from other missions were discussed. Arthur remained a silent observer.
All of them had been doing menial tasks, like babysitting animals and delivering milk to elders. The only big mission anyone went on involved tracking a potential criminal just outside the village. The criminal was never found, so that mission was a write-off.
"Guess that's everything for tonight," Alex finished. "The next big deal's just around the corner."
"That's right!" Margaret blurted. "The Chūnin Exams!"
Jasper laughed aloud. "Finally something worthwhile!"
"I can't wait!" Jada squealed. Her voice trailed off with a thoughtful frown. "Though it's gonna suck to end up fighting one of you guys."
"That's exactly what I'm worried about," chimed in William. "We're all in this together, but the exams pit us against each other."
Arthur could understand their eagerness.
The Chūnin Exams were a competition for Genin to be promoted to Chūnin. The exams themselves changed format each time to prevent preparation and were held jointly by multiple villages to improve relations, display new talent, and create opportunities (such as gambling).
While winning the final matches was an honour, promotion was based on the skills and potential observed by high-ranking ninjas, not necessarily the final results.
Jasper spoke up. "Don't go ruining this for me. This part's gonna be epic. And frankly, I wouldn't mind facing any of you." He then locked eyes with one them. "Especially you, Alex."
A grin stretched across Alex's face. "Bring it on, dude! I'm always up for the challenge."
Arthur still had not said a word. Clearly, these two had something going on that transpired during his week away from the village.
His silence finally drew their attention.
"What about you, Arthur?" Jada asked. "Are you excited for the exams?"
Arthur forced a smile. "I'll be here, cheering you all on. No need for me to join."
"But you've been doing just as much work as any of us!" she admitted.
"He has?!" Margaret intervened.
"Yes, and I think he should change his mind about not wanting to be a ninja," Jada finished.
Arthur could sense Jada's empathy. Had the rest been more like her, he might have felt guilty for his actions. These were, after all, the closest people he could relate to.
"I appreciate it, Jada," he replied, "but I'm sure you all remember the requirements. I don't meet most of them since I'm neither on a team nor have done enough missions."
Arthur was right in that regard: he didn't possess the required team formation to participate.
Alex, oblivious to his answer, boomed, "Don't worry, dude. I'll talk to Hiruzen so that he lets you in."
Alice interjected, "I… ugh. I don't think that's how it works."
"Actually!" William spoke up. "You have plenty of time to qualify since Alice and I haven't met our mission requirements yet."
William was considering Team 7—after they returned to the village—performed various missions to first qualify. It was then that the Third Hokage would later announce the exams to be held in one week.
Arthur shook his head. "It's fine, guys. I'm okay just watching."
But the others wouldn't take no for an answer.
Even Margaret refused to let it go. "Arthur! We're all in this together, and I don't want you doing things on your own."
"But wait, Marge," Alice smirked, "aren't you the one who's hiding your techniques from us?"
"That's not the point!"
Arthur considered whether he should even participate.
This particular arc had many events that played a significant role in the story's outcome. While it was a major storyline that followed all of the Rookie Nine, including the addition of Team Guy, it was the exams that were troubling.
The exams themselves consisted of three parts: a written test, a survival test, and final mock battles.
The written test was a trick in which participants were encouraged to cheat to get answers. And the survival test took place in a large, dangerous forest.
What made it so troubling was that it was also when Orochimaru made his debut after giving Sasuke a seal known as the 'curse mark' to enhance his power but risk mind control.
The final part was a series of one-on-one battles (the preliminaries) that moved the winners to the finals. There, Naruto faced Neji Hyūga and won, which in turn changed Neji's arrogant nature—another instance of 'talk-no-jutsu.'
Sasuke was late for his fight with a character named Gaara but managed to make it on time.
The exams, however, were interrupted by a surprise attack from Orochimaru, who was masquerading as the Sand Village's leader.
"You all know what we have to do," Alex said.
Not only did everyone in this room accept revealing Orochimaru's schemes to the Hokage, but they were also going to prevent Sasuke from receiving the curse mark. A change like that would undoubtedly alter the story's progression.
"So, come on, Arthur," Margeret continued. "Quit saying you don't want to be a ninja and just have fun already!"
Arthur was honestly tired of everyone wanting him to pursue a career that he didn't care about. First it was Iruka, then Hiruzen, and now the people here were peer pressuring him.
He sighed and finally conceded. "Alright... I'll be a ninja…"
The others were happy, most notably Jada.
As the meeting came to a close, Arthur asked if it was such a good idea to be hosting these nightly gatherings. What if someone, like the Hokage or a hidden ninja, was watching them?
"That's right!" Alice answered. "I forgot you didn't grow up watching anime like the rest of us."
"The third Hokage doesn't use the crystal ball jutsu to spy in homes at night," Alex revealed.
Arthur hadn't considered that. But now knowing, it gave him a few ideas.
Alex eventually clapped his hands to remind everyone of their main goal for this next arc: getting Naruto to change Gaara again.
Gaara was said to be a very complex child. He is the current Jinchūriki of a Tailed Beast called Shukaku. Because of this, he was feared and ostracized by the citizens of his village, much like Naruto.
Gaara had a difficult childhood. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father (the fourth Kazekage) only saw him as a weapon. He also lost the only person who truly loved him, his uncle Yashamaru, in a misunderstanding.
All this pain and isolation led Gaara to believe that he should only care about himself. This turned him into a ruthless ninja who would kill anyone who got in his way.
However, everything changed when he fought Naruto, the only Jinchūriki who could truly relate to his poor childhood.
That was the third instance of talk-no-jutsu.
Gaara later started to value relationships and even became the fifth Kazekage.
As of right now, he would be arriving at the Leaf Village with his team—his brother and sister, Kankurō and Temari.
"Other than that," Alex finished, "you're all free to focus on your training. We won't have any meetings until everyone's qualified for the exams."
Arthur was content to hear that news. These nightly gatherings were a nerve-wracking affair. Now he could focus on his own agenda, away from prying eyes.
Leaving the camaraderie behind, he made his way through the deserted streets. There were things he had to recover.
After turning into smoke, he phased through the locked doors of the ninja tool shop. He then weaved through the display cases until he found what he was looking for: sealing scrolls.
Taking one, he slipped out of the shop and out of the village by air.
Able to reach his destination—a clearing miles away from the village—he reformed himself on dry land and dug up his other prize from his recent mission: the Boltswords!
Arthur knew that blatantly bringing them back into the village would have been a foolish move. That's why he dug them away from the village, knowing to return to them when he could.
Unfurling the scroll, he examined the sealing marks inside and placed the swords on them. Then he channeled his chakra.
Poof!
The weapons were gone, swallowed up by the scroll.
Now no one had any idea that the top ten best weapons in the ninja world was officially Arthur Bennett's.