Arthur pushed himself through the destruction taking place within the Leaf Village.
He had managed to slip away from the chaos in the stadium, transforming into smoke just as the explosion occurred. Now cloaked, he wove through deserted streets, searching for a safe haven.
His escape had been a gamble, a fortunate chance since the others had failed to prevent Orochimaru's invasion. Regardless of what they thought of him now, he let their false judgments crumble in his heart, choosing to focus on survival.
Chakra was the most important thing right now. He needed to solidify soon and find a secluded spot to preserve. Spotting an abandoned lot within the village to hide in, he reverted to his physical body and landed near it.
He was just regaining his bearings when a shadow suddenly fell across him. So he slowly turned around to see his assailant.
"Planning a disappearing act, Arthur?"
"Hmph… Sasuke Uchiha." How this ninja of all ninjas had tracked him down, Arthur couldn't fathom. "What a surprise."
"Whatever's going on, you're clearly involved."
"And you chose to follow me because of that?" An awkward silence followed until Arthur broke it. "You could have avoided getting tangled up in this mess. So how about you go back to your little friends since this doesn't concern you?"
"Doesn't concern me?" Sasuke felt a tad annoyed. "Anbu had you trapped before the explosion. That makes you an enemy of the Leaf. So I'd say that it does concern me."
How ironic, coming from a character who abandoned his home and was manipulated into wishing to destroy it later on. This was all before he declared his intent to become the 'Hokage.'
"Compared to what's coming," Arthur said with a stoic expression, "this is a mere inconvenience. But you wouldn't understand that now, would you?"
"What are you saying?"
"Like I said, you wouldn't understand."
"Hmph… You're all talk then."
"That coming from the kid still walking in their brother's shadow?"
The mention of Itachi sent a surge of rage through Sasuke. He lunged forward, grabbing Arthur by the collar. "Say that again!"
Arthur met his gaze unflinchingly. "The famous Uchiha prodigy, forever haunted by his angsty past."
Sasuke tightened his grip, ready to punch, but Arthur shoved his hand away and leaped back.
"You don't understand anything!" Sasuke spat.
"Oh, I understand plenty. You, though... you're nothing more than waste beneath the soles of my feet."
That statement struck a raw nerve in Sasuke. He activated his Sharingan and threw two shuriken. Arthur, expecting the attack, drew a kunai from his pouch and deflected both of them with a swift clang.
But they were just distractions. Upon noticing Sasuke was no longer in front of him, Arthur's head snapped up, only to see the Uchiha preparing a kick. Arthur dipped beneath it with a balletic grace. But when Sasuke landed, he spun with a backhand aimed at Arthur's head.
Bang!
Arthur met the attack head-on with a textbook block.
Sasuke, teeth gritted, pressed the advantage. This close, the Sharingan should have given him an edge. So he feigned a right hook to draw a reaction, only to blur directly behind Arthur and go for a jab instead.
But Arthur didn't react; he didn't even blink. Instead, something impossible happened: he sidestepped at an impossible angle and dodged the attack.
Woosh!
Sasuke was astonished, so he quickly backed off to create some space.
Arthur slowly turned and conceded, "Any other enemy would have attacked again. Looks like you're a genius after all. But…" Then Sasuke saw it: the change in Arthur's eyes. They seemed to glow with an ethereal light. "Even geniuses are predictable…"
That statement hit the Uchiha like a physical blow. So he charged once more, blurring in front of Arthur, only to reappear behind him again with a fist at the ready. Arthur whipped around, meeting the attack with his own forearm.
Bang!
"Just what the heck are those eyes of yours?" Sasuke demanded.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
Kunai still clutched in his hand, Arthur lunged his arm forward, aiming for the eye. Sasuke quickly reached for his own kunai and deflected the deadly stab just in time.
For several moments, the air was filled with clanging as they traded blows. Each desperate slash from Sasuke was met with a block or a well-timed dodge by Arthur.
Their fight grew ragged.
Sasuke's breaths came in gasps, his clothes marred with crimson streaks. Arthur, however, remained unscathed.
It didn't take long for Sasuke to understand that Arthur's eyes were special—even more special than the Sharingan to be keeping up with his pace.
"Even without these eyes," Arthur said in a calm voice, "reading your movements is still child's play."
In a desperate gamble, the Uchiha charged in. Arthur crossed his arms, allowing Sasuke to kick off his defenses. 'Seven heavenly breaths: first activation…' The moment Sasuke's feet left, Arthur's hand shot out and clamped around Sasuke's ankle. Sasuke's eyes widened as his world flipped upside down.
Bang!
Arthur had slammed him back to the earth, causing the air to get knocked from Sasuke's lungs. But Arthur wasn't finished.
Bang!
A searing pain erupted in Sasuke's abdomen after Arthur's foot connected with his stomach, creating a miniature crater.
It was commendable of the boy to face Arthur alone, but without knowing anything about his adversary, the Uchiha was walking into his own grave.
"Like I said," Arthur finished, removing his foot, "nothing but waste beneath the soles of my feet."
Sasuke coughed, blood dribbling down his chin.
During his training with Kakashi, he was told that Arthur's primary skills revolved around taijutsu. That meant the Sharingan would be Sasuke's biggest advantage. What Kakashi failed to tell his Genin student was that Arthur had an unknown Kekkei Genkai.
On the battlefield, Arthur began walking away.
"Wait!" Sasuke growled, struggling to stand.
Arthur slowly turned to see how persistent the Uchiha was.
Sasuke's breathing was calming by the second, showing that he wasn't out for the count. Frustrated, he launched into a series of kicks and punches. Arthur, however, seemed to anticipate each move; he dodged and parried, deflecting the blows with the bare minimum of effort.
His movements were fluid and efficient, unlike anyone Sasuke had faced before. No, there was something off about them. These dodges—it was as if Arthur had known all of Sasuke's moves.
That made Sasuke grit his teeth. So he went in again, but his frustration mounted with each failed attack. He couldn't believe it. His Sharingan, usually an undeniable advantage, was useless in this fight.
Here he was, an Uchiha prodigy, facing an opponent who seemed to see through his every attack before he even threw it.
Sasuke sprang backward as his hands danced to form hand signs. Arthur narrowed his eyes, recognizing what technique was being attempted.
"Fire style: fireball jutsu!"
'Water style: water dragon jutsu…'
A fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth just as a colossal water dragon materialized and met the attack head-on, clashing in the center of the battlefield. There was a hiss, a plume of steam, and then the flames were devoured.
The water dragon, still formed, surged forward and engulfed Sasuke in a torrent of water, drenching him. Then it slammed him back against the ground. He coughed and sputtered as his eyes were momentarily obscured by the water cascading down his face.
"You should know something, boy... I'm not even the strongest in the village. There are others who will far surpass you. And when that happens, your chances of taking revenge for your clan will end."
A strangled gurgle could be heard as Sasuke attempted to rise. Then in a low tone, he growled, "Don't you…! Mock me…!"
He glared at Arthur with his Sharingan in a cold, furious light. But Arthur remained unconcerned.
Just then, magma-like marks began to spread across Sasuke's arm, quickly followed by more on his face. His curse mark was activating. Fueled by the dark power and rage, he fully rose to his feet. His "You're dead."
Arthur didn't flinch; he could see what was going to happen next: Sasuke suddenly clutched his neck in pain. The raw power, both exhilarating and terrifying, was a double-edged sword.
"You think you can become strong alone?" Arthur scorned. "It won't come from staying in this village. Soon, you'll be visited by ninjas from the Sound, those who will give you real power. I suggest you follow them if you want to continue existing."
Sasuke tried his best to ignore the pain as he lowered his body. "I exist for one reason…" He then performed hand signs. "Until I find him," A surge of purple electricity crackled around his hand until it took form. "I cannot lose!"
Sasuke sprinted with a roar as he slammed the Chidori into the ground. The earth broke apart, shooting sparks of purple lightning into the air. Before he could reach his target, Arthur quickly reached into his pouch and unfurled a scroll. Immediately, the Boltswords poofed into his hands.
"That won't work!" Sasuke screamed. "Chidori!"
"Hmph…"
Ka-Zap!
A rage of electricity sizzled everywhere against the crossed blades. Sasuke's eyes began widening with disbelief, expecting his technique to cleave through. But the Boltswords were holding firm with a mix of blue and purple electricity surging through the blades.
Arthur wasn't yielding.
His eyes locked with Sasuke's Sharingan. The noise of their clash was drowned out by his voice.
"If this is the best you can do…" Arthur slashed forward, causing the collected electricity to deflect right back. Sasuke screamed and was thrown backward, leaving behind a charred streak trailing behind him. "Then you'll always be weak."
The Uchiha's body remained arced in the air as Arthur considered this minor victory. Perhaps these results wouldn't have been the same if they were at the stadium, but he never envisioned himself losing.
Then there was that purple Chidori. It was different than what Arthur remembered, but it was still the Chidori nonetheless. If anything, the technique was likely being fueled by the curse mark. Yet even then, the curse mark only ever changed the Chidori's colour black.
Where had that purple come from? That's when Arthur remembered something vital: ultimate jutsus from video games were present in this world.
Either way, it was the Boltswords that was the deciding factor in this battle. The weapons were dubbed special for a reason. Rather than go against the Chidori's lightning, he let Sasuke's chakra channel into the blades, creating a source to help redirect the attack—a feat already done before to the Uchiha by a Rain shinobi named Aoi Rokushō.
Arthur's swords left behind puff clouds, disappearing as he continued to watch the Uchiha still descending.
Despite being a prodigy, a well-refined genius among his peers, Sasuke knew nothing about Arthur. It didn't matter if Sasuke was buffed or received special treatment; as long as Arthur prepared himself, he could never be outclassed.
Just as Sasuke was about to become a bloody smear on the ground, a figure materialized beneath him. Her blonde hair spread as she caught him just in time. The two then landed softly on the earth.
She cradled Sasuke's unconscious body before her eyes narrowed in a glare at who had caused this. "Arthur! That's far enough!"
"Didn't think you'd come… Alice."