Dr. Kapoor finally entered the room with a smile a little less practiced this time.
"It looks like you're all done," she announced. "Then shall we proceed?"
The room fell silent as the weight of the moment settled in. Arthur glanced around the group to see everyone's expressions. He saw interest in Alexander's eyes, skepticism from Jada's, and a slight arrogance from Jasper's. Alice herself seemed bored, Campbell was impatient, and William was perhaps enigmatic.
Arthur, whose curiosity was piqued by the strange "Naruto" question, handed in his forms along with the rest.
Dr. Kapoor had a smile on her face after verifying all the papers were signed. Clapping her hands, she said, "Wonderful! Now, if you'll all follow me."
The door shut behind them as they were led to the first room, where the seven pods now circled each other.
"This, as you all should know by now, is the Elysian Enclave Mk. II," Dr. Kapoor announced. "Each one is meticulously calibrated to provide a unique, fully immersive virtual experience. The world you'll be entering is based on a popular Japanese anime series called Naruto."
At that, the room erupted in a cacophony of reactions.
"Anime?" Alice scoffed. "You're serious?"
"Woman's right," Jasper said with contempt. "I thought you guys were supposed to be on the cutting edge of the tech industry."
Arthur, despite his reservations about something that wasn't faith-based, felt a little curious. He had heard of Naruto before but never bothered watching it.
William piped up, asking, "How did Elysium acquire the rights to use Masashi Kishimoto's work?"
"Who's that?" Arthur wondered.
"You mean you don't know?" William asked as if Arthur was dumb. "He's the guy who created Naruto."
Dr. Kapoor's smile was brittle as she said, "Come now, Mr. Rodriguez… Rights? We don't have any rights. Besides, this isn't really Naruto. Call it a game that has similar qualities. Absolutely nothing was taken from Tokyo TV or Viz Media."
Viz Media, as Arthur would later find out, handled licensing and publishing in many English-speaking regions for various animated cartoons not from their country of origin.
Despite the grumbles and raised eyebrows, a grudging acceptance settled over the group. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and quibbling over the theme wouldn't change that. Each harboured their own reasons for participating, some selfless, some more pragmatic.
And one thing was clear: stepping into the virtual world of Naruto, which Arthur himself knew little to nothing about, was a risk everyone was willing to take.
Dr. Kapoor, after sensing their acceptance, distributed stacks of paper that detailed what this world would consist of: the chakra system, the different villages, and the timeline they'd arrive in.
Arthur scanned the densely packed pages. Everything he read brought a growing frown on his face.
The story of Naruto was regarding a mischievous orphan named Naruto Uzumaki who was ostracized by his village for harbouring a sealed devilish fox within him. That same boy's journey was to become the "Hokage," the leader of his village.
The document continued to delve into the complex social structure of ninja clans, each with their own unique fighting styles and special abilities called "jutsus." They also had a special system called chakra—the source of their power—and intricate hand signs used to unleash it.
One particular character, named Sasuke Uchiha (the second main character), caught Arthur's interest.
Sasuke was written to have been a prodigy of the Uchiha clan, a peculiar clan known for their powerful "Sharingan" eye technique and fire manipulation jutsus. His older brother, Itachi Uchiha, massacred their entire clan for complicated reasons. Consumed by his false desire for vengeance against Itachi, Sasuke became consumed and manipulated into abandoning his village for power.
As Arthur skimmed past descriptions of powerful "Tailed Beasts" and legendary battles, he couldn't help but feel a sense of detachment in this story. These characters, these conflicts—they all felt hollow, lacking the moral depth he craved.
Was this it? Was this the platform he had prayed to be a part of?
He glanced around the room, catching glimpses of reactions as diverse as the people holding the paper.
Campbell was already halfway through. She seemed to have foreknowledge of what the premise was. No surprise since she was an angsty teenager. Jada was flipping through pages with an optimistic grin. She also seemed to have understood the story well.
Jasper's reaction was just as intriguing. His lips moved silently as he read. Even William, the reserved type, was sporting a thoughtful frown for some reason.
As Dr. Kapoor cleared her throat, Arthur understood what had upset William.
"It's important to note," she said, "that the world you'll experience will be a unique iteration of Naruto. While the basic framework remains the same, the story itself will take unforeseen turns. Consider it an alternate timeline, like a 'what if' scenario."
Then she thought for a moment to add, "And don't worry if you don't know anything about the ninja world. You'll be given a chance to learn once you enter it."
That statement seemed to be solely directed at Arthur. He didn't mind. This now seemed a tad more interesting. Perhaps he was entering a virtual world that the others seemed all too familiar with; his lack of knowledge wouldn't matter much since that same world they were all entering could be significantly altered.
The low murmur in the room ceased as Dr. Kapoor folded her arms, saying, "Now for the core aspect of your experience. Your mission is simple: play and win."
"Like fighting in battles and stuff?" Alice wondered.
Dr. Kapoor shook her head, answering, "Not exactly. The virtual environment will be incredibly real. Everything you see, hear, and feel will all be believable. The characters, their emotions, their reactions—all meticulously crafted to create true immersion that you, or anyone outside this room, have never experienced."
"What about the story?" William asked.
"Great question," Dr. Kapoor continued. "It's not static. Our AI is incredibly sophisticated. The narrative will adapt depending on your interactions with the world and its characters. Just the smallest thing you do can have a cascading effect on everyone and everything around you."
Jada, who had been devouring the information sheet about Naruto with surprising speed, raised her hand to ask, "Missions? Can we become ninjas and go on them?"
"Of course," Dr. Kapoor smiled. "This is a free-roam experience. Explore the world, interact with the characters, and forge your own stories. There's no limitation as to what you can do inside..." She then paused with a playful glint in her eyes, "even mating with others."
Alexander, who had been mostly silent until now, perked up at this. Jasper gave Alice a cynical look, which, oddly enough, caused William's face to turn red.
Arthur could care less about useless things like that. His mind was trying to formulate strategies on how to navigate this new world. But he kept coming up empty.
"Before we proceed any further," Dr. Kapoor added, "I have a question: how many of you are actually familiar with the Naruto series?"
Alexander, Jada, Campbell, and William all raised their hands. Jasper remained stubborn at first, but when he glanced around, he let out an audible cough, sheepishly raising his hand. It was clear that the heir to the Reza Group wasn't thrilled about admitting his knowledge of that fact.
Alice also raised her hand, saying, "I watched it, but I stopped after... What was it called? Shippuden?"
"Shippuden" was the second part of the Naruto series. The third, called "Boruto," continued the franchise. According to the paper they all read, the simulation would consist of both filler arcs and movies from the first and second parts. The third part, however, was excluded due to it being an ongoing story.
Campbell's eyes finally glowed with excitement when she understood that the other winners knew about Naruto just as much as she did. To her, things were just getting interesting. It was like a treasure trove for true Naruto fans.
William, despite being one of those fanatics, remained quiet. Considering he knew the full name of the creator, his knowledge was likely greater than everyone else's.
Jada, though initially enthusiastic, offered a sheepish smile, admitting, "I used to be obsessed with the show, but then I grew up."
The comment felt like a direct blow to William and Campbell. Arthur thought it was a wise choice.
While familiarity with Naruto might offer advantages, it could also create biased expectations. Hence why Arthur himself, who was the only one never to have seen the series, could better navigate this ever-shifting world.
Dr. Kapoor clapped her hands, bringing everyone's attention back to her, saying, "Wonderful. We have a diverse range of those with Naruto knowledge among the group. Are there any questions before we move on?"
"Yeah," Alexender said. "What kind of characters do we get to be? Like, can we choose our fighting styles or appearances?"
"Ah, that, my dear Alex," she said with a smile, "is a surprise waiting to happen when you enter the pods. We wouldn't want to spoil the fun of discovery, now would we?"
Anticipation now filled most of the group. The unknown always held a certain allure.
Arthur, however, couldn't help but finish reading the information sheet he was holding. As he skimmed the details about jutsus and chakra flow, a peculiar thought struck him. Something was off about the original story.
Dr. Kapoor, seeing Arthur reading, asked, "Something troubling you, Mr. Bennett?"
"Yes," he finally spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "These descriptions don't make sense. For instance, where do they get all the logs from when using the substitution jutsu? And again, how is it that this is set in the Edo era, yet they have computers? I'm also suspicious of how the main character was hated, despite his father saving the whole village. And how Naruto bore the last name of a clan that helped form that village."
A stunned silence descended upon everyone present. They all thought Arthur didn't know anything about Naruto since he was the only one who hadn't raised his hand.
Campbell looked pale. Jada's eyes widened in disbelief. Even William, the nerdiest of them all, seemed surprised.
Arthur's sayings were only partial; he neglected to reveal the more apparent things like unworthy leaders, Naruto's obsession with Sasuke, and more.
Dr. Kapoor, instead of appearing flustered, offered Arthur a slow, impressed smirk. She then clapped her hands once, saying, "Bravo, Mr. Bennett... You've picked up on the inconsistencies quite quickly. Indeed, as I mentioned earlier, we've taken the basic framework and adapted it for a new narrative that handles those flaws."
Campbell's colour returned, half-expecting that her adventure in the ninja world wouldn't happen because a Christian knew how to point out inconsistencies.
"Exactly which flaws did you fix?" Jasper wondered.
Dr. Kapoor remained silent, giving a professional smile. She was hinting that they'd have to find out themselves. That only made Jasper roll his eyes.
"It seems like we've covered everything," she finally announced. "So let's get you all settled into your respective pods."
One by one, they followed her. Arthur, still grappling with the revelation about the altered Naruto universe, entered his pod last. As he settled in, Dr. Kapoor explained the character selection process to him.
"The system will analyze your biological and psychological data and generate you a distinct character best suited for the program," she explained. "And since we wanted to be fair, we decided each winner would have to select their character of choice on a first-come, first-served basis."
That made Arthur frown. First-come, first-served? It seemed like an arbitrary, almost whimsical detail, implying that since he was late, he'd have to choose his character last.
She continued with a more serious tone. "There's no time limit within the simulation. Your goal, as I mentioned earlier, is to simply play." Then she gave him a devilish smile. "So have fun, Mr. Bennett…"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, feeling a little suspicious at the last comment. As his pod was coming to a slow close, Dr. Kapoor lowered herself to give him one last message: "One more thing I forgot to mention to you… Try not to die too quickly, m'kay? Death in there is for real…"
Click.
The pod doors shut without him being able to give a response. The weight of her words stunned his ears. Did he hear that correctly? No, he must have heard wrong. But the look she gave him said otherwise—an evil smirk that looked all too serious.
He tried to open the doors from the inside to ask her if what she said was just a joke. But the doors were locked, and then he felt a sudden sense of drowsiness overwhelm his senses.
Within moments, he fell asleep, and his mind plunged into total darkness.