The connection was undeniable. Alice was using the "Mind Body Transmission" technique, a technique that could telepathically link everyone's minds together, allowing Alice to act like a navigator.
It was quite profound, to say the least. And based on her calm state, she had clearly perfected it, which was typically reliant on machinery—a feat that took much time to refine.
Yet here she was, being still, like a true tactician.
When Arthur looked back, Sakura executed a front kick in his direction. He dodged it quite effortlessly. But then she pulled at a kunai and sent strokes of her weapon.
Swish-swish-swish!
Arthur had moved fluidly past each attempt.
In the midst of their clash, something captured his attention: Sakura's attacking patterns were undoubtedly different thanks to Alice. That meant he had to shift his own strategy.
So he released the chains binding Chōji, giving him more ground.
Chōji, free at last, wasted no time consuming a yellow chakra pill just as Sakura, Shino, and Alice moved away. "Super expansion jutsu!" In just a mere moment, his massive silhouette loomed like a mountain, ready to crush Arthur beneath.
Crash!
The ground quaked as the colossal Chōji came smashing down on his target. But Arthur, in a breathtaking display, grasped the mighty boy with ease and lifted off the ground with one hand!
"You call this heavy?" he taunted.
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief, and he knew what they were thinking: 'Just how strong is he?!'
At the swell of Chōji's weight, Arthur bounced him slightly upward and ran. When he reached Chōji's falling head, his fist shot toward it.
Poof!
Arthur met nothing but mist as Chōji released the technique. He skidded at an awkward angle before recovering his balance just in time to see his enemies regroup.
If Alice hadn't mentally warned the Akimichi, the boy would have been knocked unconscious—just like last time in the Chūnin Exams.
"How truly pathetic," he mocked.
Then he lunged forward, targeting Shino this time. Swoosh! The boy narrowly evaded the first strike until, bang! Arthur struck him in the gut with a knee, causing his shades to fall off.
Both Sakura and Chōji attempted to attack Arthur from either side.
Bang-bang!
Arthur had crossed his arms to block both their fists.
So they backed up slightly and began exchanging blows in a combined taijutsu assault. Each of their kicks and punches was either slapped away or evaded like they were nothing.
Arthur was simply too nimble for their tricks, which made them all ask themselves, 'Just how fast is he?!'
This was the first time Alice had ever encountered someone like Arthur. She had heard of what Shippuden ninjas were like, but to face one in person was completely different.
Suddenly, something registered in both her's and Arthur's senses: the absence of Naruto's and Sasuke's chakras.
'So they've reached the tunnel,' Arthur deduced.
That was the best explanation because, as he knew, the Valley of the End had a strange tunnel that led to its exact location.
That also meant that he had to keep this group at bay for a while longer—enough time for Naruto and Sasuke to duke it out like in the original story.
Before Alice could process this thought, the battlefield crackled as Chōji surged forward, ready to crush Arthur to the ground.
"Partial expansion jutsu!"
Arthur pivoted on his heel and landed a kick to Chōji's rear, sending the hefty boy plummeting toward the ground like a meteor. Arthur planned to land another strike at the boy but quickly backed away, evading another one of Sakura's chakra-infused punches.
Shino attempted to flank him with a kunai, but he saw this coming a mile away. So without breaking his stride, he shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked the weapon away.
Chōji finally got up, running in again as all three of them attacked Arthur at once.
Arthur flowed through the oncoming attacks as if he were breakdancing on clouds, gliding effortlessly past Shino's swarming insects, Sakura's ground-caving assault, and Chōji's oversized arm.
Alice had to help, so she opened her eyes and rushed forward.
The four of them engaged him in a swift flurry of taijutsu and ninjutsu. But with each passing moment, it became clear: Arthur was untouchable.
Each move was stylish, almost poetic, with him defying the conventional capabilities of a shinobi. Every tilt of his body and every fluid motion bewildered them. It was almost poetic, leaving Alice breathless because—he wasn't just stylish—he was doing it all with his hands in his pockets!
Things subsided momentarily once the four finally fell back to reassess things.
'Clever,' Arthur thought of Alice.
Unlike Jada, Alice wasn't emotional. And unlike William, she wasn't high-minded.
When those two had fought him, they had failed to do something Alice was being praiseworthy of: strategizing.
Her breathing was steady, but her thoughts mingled at just how much experience Arthur had in fighting. Especially against a well-trained group like this one.
They were confused, overwhelmed by Arthur's ease in navigating the battlefield. And not a single one of them wanted to admit that his movements were awe-inspiring.
"You four are out of your league," he hissed, "so allow me to show what real power is."
Quickly, he dashed toward Sakura. When she was warned by Alice, she aimed her fist back. Swoosh! Arthur expertly slipped to the side as her fist whistled through the air.
Alice noticed the glint of something odd on Arthur's thumbs. Was that blood? Then she panicked, knowing what he was planning.
Before Sakura could retreat, he swiftly placed his palm against her belly.
'Summoning jutsu…'
A symbol formed instantly before a sudden waft of smoke exploded on her.
"Surprise!" a small monkey-like girl cried with her arms and legs spread. When she looked at her surroundings, she became full of jubilee. "I'm ready for action, daddy!"
"Daddy?" Chōji repeated, almost feeling disturbed.
"Koko…" When Arthur extended his arm for her to land on, he looked at the group with a menacing look. "It's time to put your skills to the test."
"I'm ready on your command, daddy!" she said, flipping once.
"So this is what he meant by 'real power,'" Alice whispered to herself. As such, she mentally warned her teammates. Be more on guard. I've never seen a summoning like that one before.
I'll handle this! Shino said in their mindscape.
Are you sure? Chōji asked.
I am… I think I've got him figured out. Then he poised to strike. I'll go in and distract them while you guys find an opening.
Just as they were about to move, Arthur's gaze fixated on Chōji. "You're Chōji from the Akimichi clan, right?" The group was shocked because he seemed to know them. "I've heard about you… and your fallen teammates." He paused, letting his words register in the boy's head. "What were their names again? I guess it doesn't matter. They were trash like all the rest."
The audacity of his words hit Chōji hard. "Take that back!"
"Was it because you were too fat that you let them die?" Arthur hissed.
Now Chōji was visibly angry.
Alice desperately attempted to mentally reach out and calm him down, but it was too late.
"I don't care who you are," he began, reaching into his pockets. "No one, and I mean no one, talks about my friends!" Then he consumed the red pill.
"Chōji!" Alice cried.
"So I'm gonna do everything…" he said, transformation occurring. The fat on his face receded as two grand butterfly wings sprouted from his back. "To take you down!"
"Wow!" Koko chirped at his radiating form.
"Chōji, stop!" Sakura begged.
His chakra quickly coalesced into his right arm as he dashed forward, tearing the ground apart.
"Butterfly bomb!"
Koko quickly leapt off as Arthur whistled right past the devastating punch.
Arthur knew what he was doing; he baited Chōji into this. That's because his true target was Shino.
With precision, he closed the distance, pulled out a kunai, and stabbed right through Shino's throat!
Chōji, after recovering from his missed attack, gasped in disbelief. But as all tensions focused on the moment, disaster turned into wonder; Shino dissolved into a swarm of bugs, having used the Substitution technique just in the nick of time.
'So Alice warned him just in time,' Arthur knew.
The real Shino appeared a few yards away, thankful for the help.
As Arthur straightened himself, he sheathed his kunai back into his pouch and turned toward Alice. The look in his resolute eyes made her certain of this matter: he understood their mental tactic.
Why else would he have faced her instead of the others?