As Arthur continued to watch, he caught someone else's motion—someone that he hadn't wanted to see.
"Rasengan barrage!" Naruto cried, sending two compact Rasengans spiraling into Sakon and Ukon.
Ba-boom!
After the twins were knocked back, Arthur's brows furrowed in contempt.
There he was, the main character clad in the golden aura of his Nine Tails Chakra Mode.
"Who the heck is that?!" Tayuya asked in alarm.
Shino, Chōji, and Sakura stared at him in disbelief.
"Sorry I'm late!" he announced with a grin on his face.
"Naruto!" they all said in unison.
Kidōmaru paused. One could tell by the look on his face that he had the mention of a 'Naruto' before. This was the same boy who defeated many Sound ninjas during the invasion of the Leaf.
"Is that really him?" Chōji asked, feeling relieved.
Alice regarded the sudden appearance of the main character with a smirk. Almost as if she had sensed he was coming. "Took your time, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but I'm here now."
Sakura found space from her battle and quickly rushed to question him: "How did you get here? I thought you were at the tournament with everyone else!"
"Jada sensed your flying raijin paper was gone." His expression then shifted slightly to one of concern. "She was worried this had something to do with Sasuke, so she brought me back to the Leaf Village to check things out."
"Why didn't she just use her Sharingan instead?" Chōji asked, referring to Jada's Mangekyō ability.
Little did the Akimichi know, her eyes were strained due to the last time she used them, which was when she had fought Arthur. Continue overusing their power and she'll succumb to the Sharingan's blindness.
Naruto quickly elaborated that Tsunade informed him of this mission.
"Jada would've come with the others," he continued, "but it would have used up too much of her chakra."
"You'd think she would have teleported you here," Shino added, "since I still have her paper on me."
"That was the plan," Naruto corrected, "but I guess she couldn't pinpoint me directly here."
Not only did Alice understand why it took so long for Naruto to arrive, but so did Arthur.
Right now, it was morning in the Land of Waves. When Arthur had taken Sasuke, those in that country were asleep. And just like he suspected, Jada's chakra control wasn't good enough to teleport Naruto exactly where he needed to be.
"I don't think I would have been able to find you guys without Kurama's help."
"You mean the Nine-Tails?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah!" Then he turned to the baffled looks of the remaining Sound Four and punched his palm. "We're taking Sasuke back!"
It didn't take long for Alice's team to spring back into action. This time with Naruto by their side.
Arthur was not happy as he watched each Leaf shinobi tear apart the remaining Sound Four. Their strategy was impressive, to say the least, hardly leaving any gaps in their formation.
But things were inevitably leading toward the curtain call.
Bang!
When the final blow landed, and all members of the Sound Four collapsed, Tayuya was the only left unconscious. The other three had succumbed to their wounds and died.
'How pitiful…' Arthur thought.
He knew this was bound to happen: the Sound Four being defeated by Alice's group. To think it would happen this fast, though, when he wasn't done recovering.
Now her group would surely come to his location.
"Alright," Naruto said, "where did they take Sasuke?"
"About that," Chōji wondered, "how… Kurama, was it? How did Kurama help you find us?"
Naruto wasted no time explaining his new trait: he could sense negative emotions from a far distance.
"But I can't sense Sasuke anywhere," he added.
"Leave it to me," Alice said, closing her eyes. Normally, this was a passive ability. But when she concentrated, she could expand her range. It only took a second later until she turned her head north. She could sense him; she could sense Arthur just beyond the battlefield. "Everyone, follow me, and hurry!"
Arthur crossed his arms and just stood there with his eyes closed.
Hiding would serve no purpose, and entering Sage Mode to teleport out with the Flying raijin was ill-advised. Not unless he wanted to risk endangering Sasuke inside.
On top of that, would the seals around it even allow for teleportation? No point in trying just to waste time and chakra.
Things were looking very bleak. Yet despite it all, Arthur remained oddly composed.
Leaves rustled, footsteps were heard, and by the time the group arrived, they were shocked to see him standing there in the open field with the box by his feet.
Alice had been wearier than the others because she couldn't tell who this was. Arthur's chakra signature was identical to the Sound Four's, and his attitude mimicked that of Kimimaro's.
Add that to the fact of where they were now, in this open field, this was very strange. Or rather, it was like déjà vu. This area looked like the location Kimimaro had fought Rock Lee. And if that was the case, the Valley of the End was close by.
"It's happening again," she whispered to herself.
"What's wrong, Alice?" Sakura asked.
"N-nothing." Then her attention turned to the box. "Sasuke's in there, Naruto."
"Good!" he said. "We're bringing him back home no matter what!"
"Hmph…" Arthur scoffed, slowly opening his eyes. "Will you now?"
"Yes!" Chōji yelled. "Ugh… Alice, just who is this guy anyway?"
"I've never seen or heard of him before," she said.
That was a big deal. Alice was well renowned in the village for knowing just about everything. Much like her closest friends. For her not to know something put the group on edge.
"Whoever he is," Naruto declared, punching his palm, "he's in our way." Then an alarm registered Naruto's head. Shino asked what the problem was. "I… I can't sense anything from him?"
"You mean his chakra levels?" Sakura asked.
"No… remember when I told you about negative emotion sensing? My cousin, Will, told me that everyone has some form of feeling around them to help me pinpoint where they are. But this guy." He furrowed his brows at Arthur. "This guy's not giving off anything."
"Good to know," Arthur said, uncrossing his arms.
"That's enough out of you," Shino demanded.
"Yeah!" Chōji added. "You're just a coward for leaving your teammates behind!"
Arthur ignored the vein comment to focus on Alice.
This woman, now in a girl's body, had already proven herself to be an extraordinary tactician, more advanced than most of the ninjas he had personally encountered. That was very odd from a French woman born on earth.
When the others arrived here, they weren't at all accustomed to fighting. Much less to leaping great distances or throwing weapons.
But Alice. This person had adapted at a speed far faster than them.
Arthur had always been weary of her since the last time they met. She tried to tell him that it was he that didn't understand.
What could she possibly know that he did not?
"Hmph…" he scoffed. "Five against one. The odds aren't in your favour."
As Arthur prepared to defend himself, sploosh! Smoke exploded outward from the box, creating a fog that obscured the vicinity.
Alice instinctively activated her sensing abilities to see through the mist.
"What's happening now?!" Chōji shouted.
Naruto's hair rose upon feeling strong negative emotions swirling amidst the haze.
When the smoke finally cleared, all eyes focused on the boy who stood in a menacing pose. His back was toward them, but Arthur could see his sadistic smile.
"Sasuke!" the group yelled in unison.
But the boy didn't turn back.
Arthur was pleased, knowing full well what that smile meant: Sasuke had once again succumbed to the darkness.
What else was interesting was that Arthur's connection to his Evil Flattery technique had somehow been broken. This Uchiha was no longer under his control. Likely due to the ritual performed to advance the curse mark.
And there was something more, something only Arthur and Alice could tell: Sasuke's appearance was different from what they remembered.
That dark aura from the curse mark still radiated from him, but his hair looked far more feral, and his body was a lot more muscular.
The transformation seemed less about power and more about malevolence. Even without any techniques, Arthur could feel just how much colder the boy was.
"Sasuke," Sakura whispered.
"Come on, Sasuke," Naruto said. "Quit messing around with Orochimaru's goons and come back to the village."
Although those words meant well, there was no denying the anxiety creeping up behind them.
Sasuke finally lifted his arms slowly to the sky as he let out a twisted cackle of laughter. "Ha… Ha-ha…"
"Don't you get it now?" Arthur hissed at the group. "Sasuke belongs to the dark…"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha!"