Margaret silently thought things through.
She had trained tirelessly, honing her skills to perfection. Just what were these people thinking?
Wood style, to her, was the world's strongest Kekkei Genkai. If that wasn't enough, she had even developed much of Tsunade's techniques—including going as far as obtaining a never-before-seen custom Sage Mode.
'But I'm not being recognized as the best?!'
Frustration simmered inside of her. She had worked harder than anyone else, so she believed. How could they possibly think that she was weaker than Jasper?
She felt a pang of jealousy at the idea.
Was she truly not the strongest, or were the others just idiots? Maybe both.
Nevertheless, she wouldn't let their opinions dictate what she knew to be right about the ninja world. And the last thing she wanted was to feel guilty.
"I'm still not convinced," Jada suddenly announced. This shocked Margaret for a second. "But before I explain my vote, Alex, why do you think Will's the strongest after saying you could fight a Sannin?"
"Haha," Alex laughed. "I guess I can explain."
He went on to say that while William didn't possess the innate genetic advantages of some of his peers, his exceptional chakra reserves did help compensate things.
Chakra was a vital resource in this world. The more of it a ninja had, the greater the likelihood that they would be able to survive a prolonged battle.
On top of this, William's perfection of the Shadow Clone technique allowed him to overwhelm opponents with sheer numbers and develop other techniques at an accelerated pace.
Some of the others were already equipped with Shadow Clones, but they lacked the necessary chakra reserves to produce the amount that William could. He was like a walking Naruto without the Nine-Tails.
Why Alex had voted for him was because of what William could become, not what he currently was.
"He does have the Rasengan, too," Margert remembered. "Tell us, Will, did ya already learn the Rasenshuriken or get Toad Sage Mode?"
"Not quite the Rasenshuriken," he stammered. "But I'm really close. Like really, really close!"
The Rasengan was the pinnacle of shape transformation. Unlike many techniques that rely on hand signs, this one didn't. And as many knew, it was created by Minato after he studied the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Because of its versatility, it could be further enhanced by combining it with different nature types, such as wind, to form the Rasenshuriken.
While perfecting the regular Rasengan required exceptional chakra control, its potential for further development was immense. Users could increase its size, number, or even manipulate its shape to create more unique attacks.
If William did indeed perfect both the Rasenshuriken and Toad Sage Mode, he'd have his name etched in history forever.
"That can't be all that makes this twat strong," Jasper argued. "The dude lost to Sasuke in the exams, or did you all forget?"
"He caught me by surprise!" William defended.
"What surprise?" Jasper smirked. "The Sharingan? Yeah, that's one big surprise…"
Their bickering stopped when Margaret pointed out that William only denied not having the Rasenshuriken; not Sage Mode. That made Jasper quiet down a little.
Alex further added that while William may not possess the same level of genetic prowess as some, his knowledge of this world had allowed him to overcome challenges that many here wouldn't have been able to understand.
"Okay, fine," Jasper yielded. "The guy's strong, too… But I'm still not ranking him even close to number one."
"I… I'm okay with that, actually," William confessed.
"So," Margaret said, changing the topic. "Jada… Why do you think Alex is the strongest?"
Everyone hinted at the way she had asked that question. It was if she was suggesting a romantic interest.
"It's not like that!" Jada answered in protest.
Alex, calm and able to quell the situation, quieted the room by stating that Jada was her own person and had a fair right to dictate who she believed to be the best—it had nothing to do with romance.
Because of his bold statement, Margaret could have sworn she saw Jada blush for a second. Nonetheless, the latter went on to reveal why she voted for Alex.
"Him and I sparred a few times, and…" She paused.
"Go on," Jasper pressed.
"And I could never land a single hit."
She continued to describe Alex as a tactical genius with a near-perfect level of taijutsu that few could match. Not even Arthur was that difficult to deal with. And that was without Alex using his Byakugan.
It's one thing to perceive everyone's chakra pathway system, but it's another to hardly need it in a real fight.
William, who's also faced Alex before in a friendly sparring match, went on to add that every time they practiced, the latter would always strike vital points. It wouldn't matter if William saw it coming or not, Alex's attacks always landed.
Jasper laughed and confessed that was the same when he had also fought Alex.
"The dude's Gentle Fist is actually faster than mine," he complimented. "And that's with me using my Byakugan alongside my Eight Gates."
"You two fought before?" Margaret asked.
"I mean, we sleep in the same house, girl…"
"I bet he Gentle Fists you, then!" she countered.
Everyone laughed.
Truly, though, Alex wasn't a player worth making an enemy out of. He had perfected every Hyūga technique known in his clan and also had the ability to incapacitate his opponents with a single touch. Even Hiashi, his own clan head, showed him an unnatural level of respect.
After hearing all of this, some felt sorry for Arthur, believing he had chosen the wrong side.
"What else does Alex have?" Alice wondered.
"Now, now," he said. "I'm just like you guys. Keep training and—"
"His chakra control is also crazy!" Jada interrupted.
This was true. Anyone able to manipulate Orochimaru's curse mark was quite intelligent for a ninja. Practically Chūnin and Jōnin in the Leaf Village spoke about Alex's brilliance when they found out. Coupled with his determination to better this world, it made him the perfect role-model ninja.
"Guys," he said, trying to humble himself, "ya don't have to—"
"I'm changing my vote," William interrupted.
Alex finally caved at that.
In the end, he wound up with the highest number of votes, followed by Jasper and Margaret tied for second. Then Alice, William, and finally Jada.
Everything had been taken into account, from their potential to what they could currently do.
They all agreed that although Jada had all the greatest perks from the Uchiha clan, her level of skill with them was too immature to be considered a real threat. At least not without proper training.
Alice herself was often with Jasper when she wasn't doing her own thing, to which he claimed that Alice was always able to keep up with him. That alone made her frightening. And to also be ranked above an Uchiha and an Uzumaki said a lot.
After the meeting concluded, Margaret kept her dislike of the rankings to herself.
As for what she thought of Arthur, not once did she have the desire to mention his name. He had tricked her, played her for an idiot, and killed off some of her favourite ninjas.
If anything, she thought he was a bold but also ignoramus type of guy. Maybe the two would cross paths again. But should that ever happen, she was bent on killing him at all costs.
✟
The next day, Margaret woke up with a late start.
The afternoon sun was already filtering through her blinds. She was in a daze after staying up all night engrossed in Jiraiya's infamous novel, "Make Out Paradise." To her surprise, the book, although scandalous, was quite the read. Now she understood why it was so popular and why Kakashi liked it so much.
When she noticed that it was wide open by her bedside, she blushed and quickly closed it before tucking it away beneath her pillow.
The last thing she wanted was for her roommates to know that she was reading something not meant for children. After all, she was still technically eighteen.
Her attention was eventually drawn to the kitchen outside. Jada was there eating a meal already prepared by Alice. A warm sense of appreciation was felt by Margaret as she sat down to eat next to her.
✟
After the afternoon breakfast, Margaret eventually decided to indulge in a little pampering.
The Leaf Village had a number of luxurious bathhouses, and she had been eager to return to them after their reconstruction finally ended. And because she had a lot of money from her missions, she wasn't going to hold back her spending.
Walking toward the most expensive one, she was greeted by many citizens who thanked her for her duties as a kunoichi. This was a common thing now since she did help prevent the third Hokage's death.
Upon checking in and entering the bath, she soaked in the warm, bubbly water before feeling a sense of contentment.
"Ah! I needed this!"
About an hour later, she emerged from the bathhouse feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. It wasn't long until she eventually bumped into Jada near the hospital.
It was somewhat rare to spot her roommates outside of their apartment. That was because this village was huge, and everyone was always doing their own thing.
Her friend seemed preoccupied with a serious expression on her face.
"Hey," Margaret greeted in a casual tone.
"Oh, hey, Marge!"
"Somethin' wrong?"
"No, I… I was just offered a promotion to become a Chūnin."
Margaret's jaw dropped as she exclaimed, "Seriously? That's good news!"
"But I turned it down."
"What? Why?! You and I could have been Chūnin together!"
"I know; I'd just feel more comfortable if I earned it in the exams."
Margaret was impressed by her commitment. She knew that Jada was capable of great things, and she was proud to call her a friend.
"Well, if ya need any help with that or change your mind, just lemme know. I'll put in a good word for ya with the village elders since they like me so much."
Jada smiled gratefully and said, "Thanks; I might take you up on that if things go south."
It's then that she revealed an idea she'd been thinking of.
Itachi Uchiha was more or less on his way to the village. Because Orochimaru attacked the Leaf, Pain allowed Itachi and Kisame to check up on the Nine-Tails. That's how the story was written from the original tale.
But what made Margaret's heart skip a beat was when Jada revealed she was planning to confront Itachi about being a double agent.
"Did ya tell anyone else about this?" Margaret asked.
"No, so please keep it between you and I for now. I don't want anyone worrying."
Margaret tried to understand her, but her mindset was a little too confusing. "Anything else I should know?"
"I guess I should mention that Kakashi-sense helped me figure out what my Mangekyō could do."
"Really?! Tell me more!"
Jada's Mangekyō Sharingan possessed an ability centered around space-time ninjutsu. Her right eye allowed her to summon individuals whose names are spoken by others. And her left eye offered a similar ability but relied on written names rather than spoken one.
While this ability transcended dimensions and seals, it was contingent on the target being aware of their exact name being spoken and possessing the freedom to accept or decline the summon.
That meant that if someone spoke or wrote the name 'Alex', it wouldn't work because their name was actually 'Alexander'.
"Sounds kinda dumb," Margaret commented.
In truth, it was quite the practical technique since it provided an alternative method for summoning individuals, particularly in situations where speech was impractical.
When used separately, up to five people could be summoned. But when used in conjunction, ten people could be summoned—all with the barest of chakra needed.
Just summoning one thing often led to more than half of a ninja's chakra being drained. To summon up to ten live individuals from anywhere with little to no chakra was like cheating.
Of course, this ability came with a significant drawback: the closure of one eyelid for the duration of the summon—both if more than six are summoned.
"I take it back," Margaret said, "That's actually really cool! You're like a walking flying raijin now, huh?"
This made Jada laugh, so Margaret furthered things by asking her to summon Arthur.
"That's not how it works," her friend corrected. "It's a consent thing, so the person has to willingly accept the summon."
"What a bummer," she sighed, raising her arms over her head. "I would've loved to slug him down."
It's then that she understood why Jada had received this ability: it reflected her selfless nature and willingness to sacrifice her own well-being to aid those in need.
"Well," Margaret finished, "just be sure ya don't slack off on your training. It would suck if ya got every cool technique but didn't use them right."
That almost felt like an insult, so Jada countered, "At least I don't read dirty magazines!"
Margaret ran crying in sheer embarrassment.