Now it was time for Arthur to consider the pairings for the finals.
The bracket, with him facing Sasuke, held no surprises.
He knew, with a certainty, would emerge victorious, and who would ultimately clash in the climactic final duel.
Sasuke had graduated from the academy as the number one student while impressing experienced shinobi like Kakashi. He was adept at taijutsu, able to hold his own against multiple opponents, and was incredibly fast.
Not only did he have the Sharingan, but it was particularly potent in Sasuke's case, noted to be stronger than Itachi's.
Beyond combat prowess, Sasuke possessed a sharp intellect. He consistently achieved top grades and was observant enough to formulate tactics on the fly.
While his sudden plans often put himself or his allies in danger, they also proved successful, earning him admiration for his analytical skills.
Arthur had never faced a Sharingan user. In his fight, he would have to ensure he didn't get controlled by Sasuke's genjutsu without relying on his Crimson Gaze. That or, risk being caught with a Kekkei Genkai.
✟
At the edge of a ravine in the afternoon, Arthur could be seen resting.
He was alone as his thoughts turned to a technique he had been meaning to practice: the Flying raijin.
While a promising technique, it was by no means simple to learn. Yet its potential advantage were too compelling to ignore.
Rising up, Arthur deemed today to be safe to train it.
He approached a tree to recall the basic formula that needed to be implemented first. Then he pulled out a pen and drew the formula on the bark.
Now was the time to delve into the theoretical framework.
First, he practiced chakra flow exercises by striving for the precise control necessary to manipulate space-time. This proved taxing since space-time ninjutsu was quite rare, allowing the user to manipulate the fabric of reality.
What he understood about it was that it had its own unique 'dimensional void' that was connected through a great amount of chakra. The chakra itself was what allowed practitioners and objects to travel between them.
So Arthur sat cross-legged, eyes closed. Sweat beaded on his brow from intense concentration.
To achieve the first step, he had to warp his chakra to the formula and then release it to the desired destination.
His mental gaze soon traced the chakra pathway from his body to the tree as he felt a faint recognition.
Relaxing, he visualized the chakra forming into a vast void. Next, he focused on a single point, a pinpoint of swirling chakra in the center of the connection.
Trying to compress it inward, his chakra drained layer by layer before, crack! All of it was used up.
This technique was indeed too advanced for him to learn. Or rather, too time-consuming.
Now with little to no chakra, he was forced to end his training for the day.
Arthur was not a prodigy like Hashirama or Kakashi, nor did he possess a legendary Kekkei Genkai. But he was Arthur, a Christian whose nose was buried in spiritual philosophy to understand all things. And if there's one thing he had, it was patience.
✟
Hours later turned into days.
Throughout his training, his clothes were soaked in sweat from pure chakra exhaustion. He had experimented with different formulas after analyzing the results and refining them with each failed attempt.
It was all frustrating.
The complexity of the technique and the sheer amount of chakra it demanded pushed him to the limits of his endurance.
But he persevered, fueled by the desire to destroy this world.
✟
As more time passed, eventually the swirling point became an invisible portal.
He focused his chakra on it until he mentally saw the portal in his mind. Then with a final push, the portal flared.
'Flying raijin…'
When he opened his eyes, he saw his orange jacket had gone missing. When he looked, it had been lying beside the tree, exactly where the formula was!
He had done it. A small but significant breakthrough.
Small because it wasn't perfect; the distance was barely a few steps, and the chakra expenditure was enormous for just a single piece of clothing.
Arthur was content.
✟
The following days were dedicated to refinement.
He practiced and practiced until he managed to teleport his entire body.
Once he got the hang of that, he began teleporting progressively longer distances by analyzing his chakra flow to the seals. He also incorporated physical conditioning exercises after recognizing the need for more stamina to sustain the technique's demands.
This is how taxing the technique was: Minato could perform it regularly several times a day—both in and out of battles, but Arthur could barely go one day after having his chakra immediately drain.
One would think that Arthur was just weak. But in truth, after Minato taught the technique to three of his guards, it still took all three of them at once just to execute it.
✟
Another day later, Arthur's progress, though slow, was becoming steady.
He had learned to compensate for the chakra drain through an orthodox flow when using his reserves. So during the initial formation, it helped minimize the consumption while maximizing efficiency based on distance and weight.
Teleporting himself had been a monumental feat, but he still needed to learn how to teleport other objects by themselves.
Placing a white pebble on the ground, he focused his chakra.
'Flying raijin…'
When an invisible portal materialized on the pebble, it vanished. Only, not the whole thing. A large chip from its corner had been left behind.
Nothing unexpected.
For his next try, Arthur procured a small cricket.
'Flying raijin…'
The invisible portal opened a few inches above the insect. He tried to phase the insect through it but found it remained stationary as it continued chirping.
So with a sigh, he ended the technique.
✟
The next day, Arthur tried again but with leaves, only to leave behind the edges to the void. He attempted teleporting a kunai but ended up materializing only the handle.
Each failure was met with the same calm acceptance. Because with each attempt, his control grew a fraction stronger.
✟
Another day passed.
Arthur held his palm facing up. A lone ladybug crawled across his finger.
'Flying raijin…'
This time, as the portal came into existence, the ladybug was swallowed whole.
Silence.
Had it worked? When Arthur looked, the ladybug resumed its leisurely exploration exactly where his formula was.
Success!
While the distance was still small, it was a complete teleportation since not a single part of the ladybug was left behind.
✟
The next afternoon, as he attempted to teleport across the entire training ground, he managed to make it through. Yet his entire chakra reserves dropped to near-zero again.
That made him stop his training earlier than expected.
✟
In the days that followed, he benefited from being patient.
Forming the portal was the straightforward part. The real challenge lay in manipulating the portal itself.
So he picked up a pebble labeled 'A' and carefully positioned it within the portal's boundary. As he released it, the pebble vanished without a single noise before reappearing on the other side as a perfect replica, whole and intact.
Next came pebble 'B.'
This time, Arthur focused on compressing the portal by a fraction.
'Flying raijin…'
The moment the pebble touched the edge, it fragmented. A shower of tiny pebbles then rained on the other side, some whole, some reduced to dust.
A failed attempt.
He'd overshot the mark by squeezing the passageway too tightly, thus causing the pebble to break apart during transit.
So he tried again with pebble 'C,' imagining the portal as a flexible membrane. This would allow more space for it to pass through.
'Flying raijin…'
The result? Only a portion of the pebble materialized on the other side. The rest had dissolved into nothingness mid-transit.
Frustration wasn't felt because Arthur had understood.
When making the portal too loose, it caused the pebble to disintegrate during the teleportation sequence.
Without any more pebbles around that were large enough to work with, he pulled out a bottle of water.
Teleporting liquids was notoriously tricky, requiring precise control over the portal's form to prevent spillage or, worse, a ruptured container.
'Flying raijin…'
As he dipped a finger into the water, a thin stream of water arced through the seal before splashing on the tree's trunk.
Success.
One would think that he was moving at a faster pace. In truth, perfecting this simple feat had eaten up another two days of his time.
Teleporting was about controlling its size, shape, and stability. Almost like sculpting a tunnel through air while ensuring it was strong enough to handle an object passing through without breaking.
The procedure was delicate, and Arthur came to understand why every ninja wasn't equipped with it due to the need for intense focus.
From the first day he started, he'd made extremely slow progress. And he was by no means going to stop. The finals were around the corner, so he needed to be prepared at all costs.
Plus, if he were to learn this technique—just even a little bit—he would be acquiring his first real S-rank jutsu.
Ninjas often took years or even decades to learn one S-rank technique. And from what he'd seen at the preliminaries, the one's from earth had a learning curve that far exceeded his.
✟
Some time later.
As the last day of his training arrived, Arthur stood at the top of a hill.
He raised a kunai that glinted in the sunlight then channeled his chakra through a seal close by.
'Flying raijin…'
After hurling the kunai down toward a tree with surprising force, his eye flashed before, swoosh! he suddenly disappeared.
Clang!
The kunai was caught as if it had never left his hand.
Then Arthur calmed himself by closing his eyes to ensure that his chakra remained steady from that trip.
When he opened them again, he verified the distance he had traveled from the hill was 200 yards (182 meters).
That was the farthest he had ever teleported while in motion.
Arthur had come a long way.
However, he wasn't nearly as fast with it as Tobirama. Neither could he spam it constantly like Minato. But with each refinement of his technique, he was becoming a villain capable of rewriting the narrative.
✟
Nightfall eventually came, so he returned to modest hotel.
There was something Arthur had done to ensure that his training was undisturbed: he left a note on the door, stating that he would be gone for a month.
Oddly enough, tonight was the first night someone had replied under that note. Three someones, to be exact.
Jada: 'You're leaving us for a month?! I thought we had something special. Lol. All jokes aside, be careful. We're here for you!'
Margaret: 'Train all ya want. No one's stronger than me!'
William: 'Keep it up. I'm gonna train hard, too. See you when you get back. P.S. Don't let Sasuke discourage you. I lost, but I think I can get him next time.'
Arthur ignored their notes and went inside.