A sudden flash of light burst before Arthur's eyes. When it subsided, he found himself in a space that was familiar.
The environment was nothing—no ground beneath him, no sky above. Instead, he was surrounded by a luminous black void with stars roundabout. His body was also shimmering with a pure, glowing light.
He couldn't recall what had led him here or what circumstances had brought him into this realm. And his mind was blank, empty of memories.
The first thing he did was look down at himself. His entire form was white and glowing like a star. It also seemed small—like that of a child—with no hair, no muscles, and nothing defining. It was as if he had been reduced to a simple, luminous silhouette.
Suddenly, around him, scenes began to form. They appeared like strips of film that existed one after another. These scenes then played out like a movie, with each one showing different moments of what had been happening since he left his original timeline.
The images moved slowly, giving him time to observe each event carefully. Then, as the scenes progressed, a strange sensation seized him. A shift in his mind—like a door opening—began to happen. Memories started to flood in with fragments of what had transpired during his absence.
He remembered the monks, the Tailed Beasts, and the Land of Ancestors.
His body, still glowing white, then began to change. Strands of white hair sprouted from his scalp, growing down past his shoulders. His muscles, which had been soft and undefined, had now tightened and expanded as if they were made of the densest of metals.
But more importantly, he could sense his chakra now.
With his chakra intact, he reached out mentally to try and locate his Flying raijin marks from here. The instant he did, his senses now extended beyond what he could see in the film scenes.
The first scene that caught his attention was a gathering of all the other players. This was thanks to the Flying raijin mark he had on William. They believed the revival of fallen comrades was Orochimaru's doing, or at least that was what they suspected.
Arthur watched as the players traveled in groups to the Sound Village. The scene soon shifted to a battle between Jasper and Orochimaru. Jasper's power was almost otherworldly as Arthur observed him defeating the Sannin.
The next scene was even more striking. Jasper was now in the inner moon and attempting to escape from where Arthur had placed a mark. Arthur himself had connected the dots quickly: if Toneri was interacting with Jasper, it meant that Arthur's own actions had triggered this chain of events.
The film-like scenes darkened, revealing a murkier turn: the Akatsuki organization issued a declaration of war against the Bird Country. Arthur listened to their threats and demands through Kaito as his mind analyzed it all.
He wasn't quite certain how he felt about that impending conflict. Deep down, he harbored a desire for destruction, a longing to see the world burn. Yet, at the same time, he knew that now was not the right moment for something like war.
His scenes shifted to his other clones. They were gathering his forces—shinobi he had personally resurrected. He saw Ashina Uzumaki, Fugaku Uchiha, and others like Shigeru, Kaiyo, Sado, and Raizumi. Each of them was preparing for what could become a large-scale conflict.
But Arthur, watching from this strange realm, did not believe they were all ready. Not yet. The enemies they faced were formidable, and the strength of his allies was inconsistent. They lacked cohesion, experience, and the right strategy.
Then something crossed his mind: how could his own creations let things fall apart so quickly? Destruction was indeed necessary, but not without him in the picture. All he knew was that his pieces were not falling into the places he needed them in.
'How disorganized,' he thought to himself.
As these scenes played out and assembled themselves, one felt more pressing. There was a battle that had taken place, with Itachi Uchiha standing solemnly among the fallen members of his clan.
The reactions of Fugaku and Shisui were as expected: anger, betrayal, and a sense of pity mixed with loathing. Most if not all of the Uchiha had seen Itachi as a traitor, like a monster who had turned on his own blood to serve the village.
Then, a more unexpected presence arrived amid the war: Kabuto Yakushi. Arthur recognized him instantly from the mark on Rin Nohara. The moment he saw Kabuto's face, he understood why he had appeared here now: Orochimaru's death had sent ripples through the ninja world, causing a chain reaction of events.
The last time Orochimaru fell in the original story, it was by the hands of Sasuke Uchiha. This tore down the structure of the Sound Village and caused Kabuto to begin his journey of collecting DNA for the Reanimation technique.
These same events seemed to be unfolding, only much earlier than expected. Now Arthur, or perhaps another player, would have to deal with that impending threat. Assuming that this war wouldn't eliminate everyone in existence by then.
Arthur's mind settled as he watched the remaining scenes: Lars' death and Pain gathering his forces for the final confrontation.
Now all the other scenes beforehand began fading, leaving one left.
Arthur felt something odd in his hand. When he looked at it, he saw his flesh was slowly returning and the glow receding. The light covering his whole body was almost gone now.
His attention then returned to the final scene. To his surprise, Jasper and Jada appeared in it. Their sudden arrival would have caught anyone off guard. So Arthur watched as Jasper performed the Final Truthseeker Orb.
The orb's glow radiated ominously, and Jasper was poised to unleash it.
"Hmph," Arthur said. Without hesitation, he leapt into the scene and cut through the realm. "Like I'd let him ruin my path of war."
✟
As Jasper's giant orb began crashing down on the battlefield, a sudden flash of intense Sage Chakra mixed with light erupted across everyone's vision. It was blinding and sudden, almost like a star ripping through the sky.
Then slowly, they all witnessed the orb create spiderwebbing cracks across its surface like fragile glass.
Jasper's eyes widened upon seeing him being held by a figure's sudden appearance. It was Arthur Bennett.
"Good to see you," Arthur casually said.
The biggest alarm registered in everyone who witnessed this. They all looked in his direction. From the Akatsuki to all of Arthur's forces—they were all stunned, to say the least. How could they not be when many of them had their own story with Arthur?
The Sound Five smirked with earnest, the Uzumaki's hearts ignited, the Uchiha's faith were restored, the Rain ninja's souls trembled, and the Akatsuki were in utter contempt.
The presence of Arthur—this Arthur—had finally returned.
Jasper couldn't help but wonder if this could this really be him? The same player he'd tried to stop, the one involved in secret dealings, in manipulations that stretched across the entire ninja world?
Jasper quickly leapt back. He was still in disbelief at what had just happened. The most powerful technique he had was thwarted in an instant by a single man who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
But he couldn't deny the undeniable truth—this was Arthur Bennett. The man almost everyone had sought to stop. And yet, there was something different. Arthur's demeanor was calm, almost unconcerned.
Everyone else was asking the same questions: How could Arthur have arrived here? How was he capable of stopping Jasper's most powerful attack? Had he been watching all along? Or was this some new power he now wielded?
Most perplexed of all was Jada; she stared at Arthur with wide eyes. Before she could dare think of anything, he finally spoke.
"You look different, Jasper…"
For a moment, Jasper's mind struggled to process the words and the fact that Arthur was standing here as if nothing extraordinary was happening. But then, recognition dawned on him. Jasper's face hardened. His expression was unreadable now, more serious than before.
"I could say the same for you, Arthur…"
Silence stretched between them as they both sized up the other's appearance. Jasper's skin had tanned, as if he'd been out camping or fighting outdoors for days. The sides of his hair were also cut short, and his shirt was torn at the sleeves.
"Need I ask?" Arthur finally wondered.
"Don't…!"
Without any hesitation, Jasper rushed in before quickly closing the distance between them. The fight ignited anew, and the sounds of battle erupted again in the surrounding war.
"I've never seen our lord fight before!" Raizumi shouted from afar.
"Our lord has returned!" Ashina's voice cut through the noise. "Use this as a boost to your morale and destroy the enemy!"
Jada just sat there amidst the conflict. She couldn't hear any of it. All she could see were the two figures locked in combat in front of her. Both their presence and their battle were almost surreal, as if the entire war centered around them for the moment.
Fists and legs blurred, and the sounds of their fighting drowned out everything else in her ears.
Jasper was trying to keep up, pushing himself to match Arthur's calm yet relentless style. "You… you've grown," he managed to say between exchanges.
"I've gotten a little bit stronger," Arthur responded with a steady voice, blocking every attack.
Then, Jasper shifted tactics. He used his Tool Creation technique, summoning a glowing, green ethereal scythe. The weapon quickly sliced through the air, aiming for Arthur's chest. But before the scythe could land, a streak of white movement cut past Jada and moved in front of Arthur.
Clang!
Chakra chains had formed a swirling shield that blocked Jasper's scythe. It was Kaito. "Your fight is with me now." In that moment, chains erupted from his sleeves and wrapped around Jasper's waist. Kaito then yanked him backward with tremendous force and flung him across the battlefield like a ragdoll.
Jasper crashed into the ground before skidding to a stop. He was stunned but unharmed.
"Bastard!" he growled.
Arthur didn't need to intervene further. Kaito's move had given him space—room to breathe and assess the bigger picture.
The war was unfolding exactly as he had anticipated: Fugaku was fighting alongside the Uchiha clan to hold the line against the Rain shinobi. The Uzumaki forces were struggling to use their sealing techniques effectively, hampered by Nagato's Paths, which kept snatching away their efforts.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Sasori was stringing along the Rain shinobi to fight in perfect synchronization. Arthur had never seen him fight like that before. Then again, Sasori was only ever shown fighting in the Fourth Great Ninja War—in which Kabuto was controlling him.
Now Sasori's name, Sasori of the Red Sand, was being maximized.
Then there was Obito. Arthur couldn't sense that character anywhere with his Flying raijin marks. Not even the one Kaito had placed on was registering on Obito's person. If he made his appearance here of all places, it would further push how destructive this war already was.
Suddenly, Hidan's cackling laughter echoed as he was slicing through Arthur's forces with reckless abandon. Such was the nature of a sadist who enjoyed sacrifices for his rituals. Arthur's displeasure grew at the sight of it. Those two—Kakuzu and Hidan—were among the most dangerous of the Akatsuki, thanks to their stamina and seemingly immortal bodies.
If left unchecked, they could tip the entire war.
Arthur knew he needed to take them out first. But before he could move, a commanding shout stopped him cold.
"Stop!"
He didn't need to look behind him to know who it was. Her voice was more than urgent; it was filled with concern, longing, and desire to understand. Just her tone alone was enough to make him understand how firm her presence still was.
Jada Schmidt.