Jasper continued to lie on his bed. Although he had been acting tough, he was actually quite exhausted. The fight with Orochimaru had drained more from him than he'd expected.
His muscles ached, and his chakra reserves felt thinner than they'd ever been. Still, he had to keep up appearances, especially with the other players.
If it weren't for that, he wouldn't be in bed now; he'd have gone with the others to see Jugo in person.
Jasper closed his eyes for a moment to let the tension fade.
Orochimaru had been just as tough as he'd hoped. That was good. It meant Jasper had pushed himself to his limits, and that was exactly what he'd needed.
It also confirmed something he'd suspected: in this world, even the strongest were still playing catch-up. And if he was being honest, he'd enjoyed the challenge.
Challenging legends till the time was ripe was what gave him a sense of purpose.
The only issue he had was how much the fight had taken out of him.
For instance, he had used up to the Fourth Gate. Everyone knew that using the Gates caused a major setback to the body. But because Jasper played it off so well, not many suspected he was in pain afterwards.
Then there were the Truthseeker Orbs. Controlling those required so much focus that he saved them for the last possible moment. If he hadn't, Orochimaru would have surely escaped, making Jasper look like a fool.
Using all those techniques in one day had simply been hard on his body. He knew it would take at least a week to fully recover.
As such, he let his mind wander in bed.
'That stupid snake almost made me look bad,' he thought to himself. 'Oh well… With him dead, I should be able to join the Akatsuki now.'
This was not his first time thinking of joining that powerful organization. Anyone able to take down a Sannin was more than qualified to join their ranks.
With that thought aside, he considered what his next move should be.
As he was about to settle into rest, something strange caught his eye: a bright portal that suddenly appeared in the middle of his room. It hovered there and softly glowed.
Jasper's brow furrowed.
"What the heck?" he said after quickly sitting up.
From the portal, a calm voice that somehow sounded familiar spoke, "Jasper... I've been meaning to speak to you."
Jasper's eyes narrowed as he stared at the portal. The voice sounded eerily like someone he remembered, but he couldn't quite place it. So his instincts told him to remain wary.
"Who the heck are you?" he asked.
"Come and enter," the voice replied, "and you'll see."
"Yeah, right," Jasper scoffed. "Like I'm just gonna walk into some random hole that popped in my room."
"I see I've wasted my time trying to reach you then…"
When the portal began to shrink, Jasper said, "Wait… Let's not just disappear on me." He was met with silence, but the portal remained. "You came for a reason, so I'll entertain the idea of this being a trap."
In truth, Jasper just didn't like being told what to do.
When he stepped forward and walked straight into the portal, instantly, his vision exploded with blinding light. His eyes then fluttered shut as he traveled through what felt like a barrier of energy.
Blinking again, he found himself standing in an enormous hall.
He looked around, but he didn't sense anything around. No enemies and no traps. Just the vast emptiness of this strange place that oddly looked like the inside of a palace.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind him. He spun around to see a boy with white hair, eyes closed, and dressed in a priest's gown. The boy's posture was almost regal.
"You…" Jasper cautiously said. "You're Toneri Ōtsutsuki. I didn't think I'd meet you so soon."
The boy gave a serene smile and softly replied, "So you've heard of me, too."
"What did you mean by 'too'?" Jasper asked in a dangerous tone.
Toneri's expression remained calm. "I sought you out because I need your help."
"My help?"
"Yes… There's a threat on the earth that could cause it great destruction."
Jasper crossed his arms as he replied, "Look, I was planning to visit you when I was ready. And I don't know how you found me, but if you want my help, you'd better be clear about it."
Toneri acknowledged Jasper's hastiness.
"I saw your fight against Orochimaru," he revealed. "You used our Truthseeker Orbs, which led me to believe you were one of us. That's why I sought you out."
"Ya don't say," Jasper smirked.
"I do, and I trust that your assistance will be useful in dealing with the one troubling the earth."
"Who?" Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A being breaking the laws of nature. If left unchecked, he could destroy everything."
"Quit beating around the bush and tell me their name."
"Arthur Bennett…"
When Jasper heard that name, his face twisted in confusion. Then slowly, he started laughing—a dark, maniacal laughter that echoed through the hall.
"Ha… ha-ha… hahahahahaha!"
Toneri remained silent as he watched him crackle on his own.
"You're joking, right?" Jasper chuckled. Then he paused as his face slowly turned grim. "You've gotta be kidding." Without notice, he suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Toneri by the collar. "What the heck do you mean Arthur's alive? I killed him myself! You're telling me he's still out there?! If you're lying, I'll beat you to death, you paled frea—!"
Smack!
Toneri brushed Jasper's grip away with a calm hand, freeing himself.
"It's as I said," he began. "Arthur Bennett's alive, and it seems like you two have already met."
Jasper's eyes blazed with fury as his fists clenched tighter.
How was this possible? Jasper had personally seen the grid lines in the sky with his own eyes that signified Arthur had died.
Yet now, a boy from the moon, who wouldn't make an appearance for another two years, was claiming Arthur was alive and causing chaos.
"Where is he, and what do you know?!" Jasper threatened. "Tell me everything."
The hall fell into a tense silence. This only made Jasper's aura flare furiously.
This had to be a lie, a trick, or a genjutsu. That's it! He was in an illusion and living a nightmare like Naruto and Hinata during the movie.
All Jasper had to do was just break out now. Right?
"You're not in a genjutsu," Toneri suddenly said as if reading Jasper's thoughts.
That made Jasper's breath hitch as his mind spun further into the unknown.
No, it just could not be. Arthur was dead. He had killed him. Or at least, he thought he had. Just how could this have happened? And just what sort of trouble could one player cause without the others noticing?
If Arthur truly was alive, then that meant everything that's happened thus far had almost nothing to do with the Sound Village, Orochimaru, or the Akatsuki, for that matter.
Moreover, what if it was Arthur that was responsible for all those recent resurrections?!
The thought troubled Jasper greatly. How could he, an Ōtsutsuki, the pinnacle of the shinobi race, have let something so obvious slip by him?
Processing this information was not easy, so he stepped back with darkened eyes.
"You're telling the truth…" he slowly said. "If he's actually alive… If that bastard's still breathing… I'll find him… And I'll end him once and for all!"
Now, Toneri didn't have all the details on Arthur or what he's done since arriving in the ninja world. But the information he could provide would benefit anyone who wished to know.
As such, he revealed that Arthur had recently visited the moon.
Hearing that made Jasper grimace in disbelief. Because if Arthur had come to the moon—and Toneri, a being of considerable power—had failed to stop him, that meant Arthur's strength was far beyond what Jasper had previously imagined.
A strange chill ran down his spine.
'I will never lose faith,' Jasper repeated in his head, remembering Arthur's last words.
This was the same man he had berated and mocked before trying to kill him. So the idea that Arthur had grown stronger and more dangerous in such a short time was almost too much to accept.
Jasper had thought he knew the limits and thought he'd faced the worst after killing a Sannin. Now it seemed he was only scratching the surface of who Arthur truly was and what he could do.
He stared at Toneri with suspicion and asked, "You're telling me that even you couldn't stop him?"
"Yes… After he escaped, I used the moon's surveillance systems to track him. I discovered that he resides in the Land of Birds."
Jasper's brow furrowed. The Land of Birds was an obscure territory, regarded as an obsolete country in this world due to only being showcased in the filler arcs.
"Just what the heck was he doing there?!" Jasper asked in anger.
"Building an army… One where everyone there serves him."
Jasper's stomach clenched. Just how could this be possible? How could this even be happening now of all times?
Trying to calm himself was not easy due to the lack of understanding he had. So he swiped his arms in irritation yet couldn't voice his frustration.
"I have no reason to lie," Toneri calmly obliged.
When Jasper asked how long this had been going on, the boy couldn't give a proper answer. It could have been months or even since the last time the players saw Arthur.
That only made Jasper's head spin more with questions. Such as how had Arthur managed all this? And how could he grow so powerful so fast?
Jasper's fists clenched so tight that he began to bleed. He was used to being at the top, both in the ninja world and on earth. But if Arthur had truly ascended to a new level, then all the players were in deep trouble.
"You're just like him, aren't you?" Toneri suddenly asked.
"What?!" Jasper responded in anger.
Toneri stepped closer and said, "He knew about me, too. When he arrived here, he knew about both me and our clan. If there are leaked archives on the earth that say so much about us, you should tell me so I can destroy them immediately."
There was a brief moment of silence as Jasper considered the situation. First was the notion that Arthur was alive, and now he had to deal with explaining how he knew Toneri.
"Let's just say that you're not important whatsoever," he replied. "All that matters now is that I find and kill Arthur before that parasite ruins things."
"I see…" Toneri said, accepting the answer.
Jasper's eyes then shifted from Toneri to the ceiling. He stared at it without regarding the time.
"Hmm," he said to himself. "Guess I was wrong about that loser after all." Part of him wanted to dismiss things entirely. But that would be a fatal mistake. It only made sense that Arthur was alive, and now Jasper felt idiotic to have missed it all. "How lame of me…"
"So will you help?" Toneri asked.
After a moment, Jasper's gaze finally turned to the boy. If he were to help Toneri deal with Arthur, he might get something out of it. Perhaps more strength or some extra knowledge.
An opportunity like that wasn't one to pass.
"Fine," he said. "I'll help. But two things: one, don't get in my way; and two, just leave him to me since he's my problem now."
"Then we're on the same page..."
At those words, Toneri's hand shot out to attack. Jasper barely avoided the strike by managing to dodge backward.
"What the?!" he snapped. "The heck's your problem?!"
"I need your Byakugan," Toneri explained.
"What?!"
"Arthur's strength is beyond what I anticipate it can become… To stand a chance against him, I need your eyes to reach that level."
Jasper was stunned for the moment. He had forgotten that Toneri once possessed the Tenseigan. But to have acquired that dōjutsu, he had first taken Hanabi's eyes.
But why would Toneri want Jasper's eyes to acquire the Tenseigan? Would something like that still work? And why not just go after Hanabi like he did before?
Either way, Jasper was not going let anyone take his eyes.