Arthur remained calm.
Jasper, the prideful rich man, wanted to fight him? This was a sudden request that piqued his interest. With a straight face, Arthur asked, "And why exactly do you want to fight me?"
"Let's just say, I have a feeling you can help me with something."
That tone was low and dangerous. There was a moment of silence as the lights near them flickered.
"Alright," Arthur finally said, meeting his intense gaze. "How about we go somewhere more private?"
"I couldn't agree more…"
The two then entered the elevator and descended with unspoken tension. Arthur never once looked at him, knowing the latter had ulterior motives. Otherwise, he wouldn't have waited till the last moment to ask for a fight.
The elevator doors soon slid open, revealing streetlamps lining the deserted road. They both stepped out with unreadable expressions.
An unknown figure lurked in the shadows and watched them walk forward. It was William. He hadn't fully left, unable to shake off the unsettling feeling he got from Jasper's request for him to leave.
William absolutely had to double back.
He pressed himself against the wall while his heart pounded.
"What the heck are those two up to?" he asked himself.
Suddenly, a curious voice said, "Hey, cuz, whatcha doin' out so late?"
William jumped and nearly lost his balance. He whirled around to find Naruto Uzumaki, the one and only, standing behind him with a wide grin across his face. No one could mistake this character with his spiky blonde hair and whisker-marked cheeks, grinning like an idiot in that ridiculously bright orange jumpsuit of his.
"Naruto!" William hissed. He frantically ushered him back into the shadows. "Keep quiet and stay outta sight!" After confirming neither Jasper nor Arthur heard them, he whispered, "Didn't I tell you I'd be home late tonight?"
Naruto, ever the embodiment of obliviousness, tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Well, it was getting late, and I wanted to make sure you were alright."
"I'm fine! Now stay hidden."
"Why? What's going on?"
William sighed, answering, "Look, I saw Arthur and Jasper leave together, and Jasper... well, he was acting strange. I just wanted to make sure things didn't go crazy."
Naruto looked even more confused. He knew Jasper was not the responsive type. But Arthur? He'd only heard about him a few hours ago from Jada while they were at Ichiraku Ramen together.
"What does Jasper want with him?" Naruto asked.
William shrugged, not sure himself. "That's what I'm trying to figure out. Come on, let's follow them. Just stay quiet, okay?"
Thinking this would be a good idea, Naruto gave a mischievous smile. The prospect of sneaking around at night was far too intriguing to pass up. So together, the duo leaped through the darkened village and followed the trail of Arthur and Jasper.
The deserted streets gave way to a slight incline, and soon the two found themselves atop a remote hill. Here stood a solitary tree whose gnarled branches reached skyward like skeletal fingers. The silence was profound, broken only by the occasional chirp of a cricket.
Arthur stopped and fixed his gaze on Jasper. Jasper mirrored him.
Far from them, in the bushes, William covered Naruto's mouth and prevented him from blurting out a surprise yell. "Make sure you don't move from this spot, okay?"
Naruto's face contorted in a mixture of annoyance and curiosity after William finally let go. He asked in a worried tone, "But why not? I can barely see anything from here, and they look like they're about to fight!"
"Exactly," William hissed. "And Jasper... well, he has the Byakugan. It'll let him see almost everything around him, including us."
Naruto pouted. The Byakugan? He had never heard of it before. His curiosity to see the two outweighed his desire to know what it was. Straining his ears, he tried to catch a snippet of their conversation, but the distance rendered their words.
"Before we start," Arthur said, "how can us fighting be helping you?"
"Didn't think you'd be the type asking for a reason," Jasper coldly answered. Arthur remained indifferent. "If you can win, then maybe I'll let you in on a little secret. But I need a real fight. Live or die... Play for keeps."
"Play for keeps, huh?" Arthur said, entering a fighting stance. "Jasper… Don't go crying if you get hurt."
Straightway, Jasper shot across the moonlit clearing, leaving a trail of ripped grass in his wake. His speed was impressive, almost inhuman, but to Arthur's trained eyes, it was predictable.
Arthur remained rooted to the spot, calm amidst the sudden burst of motion. As Jasper reached him with his fist cocked back, Arthur threw up a hand and caught it.
Bang!
The sheer force of the blow sent a tremour up Jasper's arm, but Arthur barely flinched. He looked into Jasper's eyes and expected to see the usual swagger and the playful arrogance. Instead, he found a cold, steely glint.
A flurry of kicks and punches followed. Then a relentless assault aimed to break Arthur down.
But Arthur moved with grace; he parried and dodged each attack, never once going on the offensive. A slight shift in his body prevented a poor lunge, and a well-timed pivot evaded an obvious roundhouse kick.
From a hidden spot, Naruto gaped in awe. For him and William, it was like a dance between two warriors bathing in moonlight. Neither had ever seen anyone move like that.
Yet, despite the impressive display by Jasper, it was Arthur who held their attention.
Naruto whispered to William, "Wow, Arthur's amazing! He's dodging everything!"
William remained focused on the fight with his brows furrowed. In a concerned tone, he said, "Maybe, but Jasper hasn't used his Bya—"
"Wow! Look at them go!"
"Stay quiet, Naruto!"
Arthur's calm façade remained as Jasper launched another roundhouse kick aimed at his head. With a simple tilt of his torso, Arthur slipped beneath it, and the kick ruffled his hair. Before Jasper could capitalize on the missed attack, Arthur lashed out and palmed him right in the chest, sending him several yards back.
Bang!
Jasper let out a painful grunt as he stumbled back. Then he clutched his chest where he was hit.
"Only tickled," he smirked. When Arthur gestured toward his own lips, Jasper narrowed his eyes and rubbed his mouth. To his surprise, there was blood. But how? Anger roared inside him. "I don't get it! There's no way a Clan-less support player is stronger than me!"
It was just a simple strike, one that Jasper hadn't even felt. So why was he so mad? If this was just a test of strength, Arthur didn't want to help anymore.
No point in this fight was proven, nor could be proved, so he turned around and began walking away. "I'm done, Jasper…"
Jasper, however, wasn't finished. A multitude of veins bulged from his temples as he activated the Byakugan. He then lunged at Arthur with ferocity, desperate to prove his dominance. Just as his fist was inches from connecting, a firm grip clamped down on his wrist.
"Enough!" boomed a voice.
Arthur turned, only to see standing between them was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage himself.
"Oh crap!" William said, pulling on Naruto's arms. "We gotta get outta here!"
The weight of Hiruzen's presence pressed down on Arthur and Jasper like a physical force.
"What are you two fighting so late at night for?" he asked.
Because of that unshakeable grip, Jasper deactivated the Byakugan, and his shoulders slumped in submission. Then he mumbled, "My apologies, lord Third." His voice was meek compared to his earlier anger. "We were just training and got carried away."
Arthur saw through the façade instantly. This apology wasn't genuine. Regardless, he turned around and continued his walk. "Yeah, just a misunderstanding… lord Third…"
The Hokage hadn't stopped him.
While walking, Arthur replayed the events of the fight in his mind. While it appeared effortless, he could feel the strain on his reserves from overusing the Chakra-Enhanced Strength technique. Without it, things wouldn't have been so one-sided.
Plus, had Hiruzen not intervened, and had Jasper activated the Byakugan earlier, the outcome could have been far different.
This fight felt more like a loss.
But for now, Arthur decided to keep it to himself. The others wouldn't be ready for such a bombshell, especially considering Jasper wanted to fight privately for who knows what reasons.
And just what sort of secret did Jasper plan on telling Arthur? Either or, it didn't seem as if Jasper would be willing to share it anymore. Even if asked.
Arthur also knew Naruto and William had been following him; their loud whispers barely went unnoticed by him after leaving the elevator. And if Arthur knew, surely Jasper did too, simply choosing not to say anything.
Rounding the corner that led to his rented home, Arthur saw Hiruzen standing underneath a lamppost. He also had a stern look on his face.
From what Arthur knew, Hiruzen was a highly respected and powerful ninja, a talented shinobi who had trained under the first two Hokages. He was seen as a prodigy and was entrusted with becoming Hokage after the second Hokage sacrificed himself.
He also embodied the "Will of Fire" belief by always being there for the villagers and making decisions focused on the greater good. Such a kind and peaceful approach earned him respect from many, while few saw it as weakness.
What made him intriguing was his pacifism; he understood the need for darker actions and allowed a secret ops unit to handle those tasks.
Those traits of his were what fostered the three Sannin: Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. He cared deeply for his students, especially Orochimaru, since the latter was quite the genius, like himself. Even to this day, Hiruzen blames himself for Orochimaru's defection.
Arthur knew his character well, and such a great leader was far from perfect.
"If you're here about that scuffle, lord Third, it was just a misunderstanding…"
"Arthur, was it? Jasper told me everything. I'm here because I wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt."
With a neutral smile, Arthur said, "Don't worry, lord Third, I'm not hurt anywhere."
"That's good to hear then," Hiruzen finally said, giving a genuine smile. It seemed as though he wanted to confirm both sides of the story after Arthur had left. "I must say you two have quite the head start on camaraderie."
Camaraderie? Arthur nearly choked on his own saliva.
"I guess so," he managed with a forced chuckle. "There's no animosity between him and I." He paused, then added with a firm voice, "My duty is to protect, not to harm the innocent."
"Excellent sentiment. It seems I was wrong about you after all."
"What do you mean?"
"After I heard you had suddenly disappeared from the village last week, I didn't think you would return. That was wrong of me to lose faith so quickly."
"That's alright; I just got lost."
"Yes, I was told the same thing. The problem is that tomorrow you're going to be assigned a new instructor, and finding a team for you after everything's been confirmed isn't going to be easy."
Arthur fought the urge to raise an eyebrow. "Are you saying that I won't be given a team?"
"Not exactly, but you don't have to worry even if one isn't assigned. Your skills, from what I saw earlier, tell me that you're more than qualified to remain a Genin."
Those words seemed intriguing, yet Arthur decided not to press the matter since he knew of Hiruzen's Crystal Ball jutsu, a technique that allowed the user to spy on virtually anyone in the village whose chakra they were familiar with. That's how he determined Jasper and him were fighting.
"I appreciate the kind words, lord Third," Arthur said, bowing respectfully. He always knew when to lower himself. Even if he didn't want to. "If there's anything more, you have my attention."
Hiruzen returned the bow with a simple head nod, allowing Arthur to return to his home.