Arthur was seen in his laboratory.
The ambient light of devices illuminated stacks of papers filled with diagrams and research notes. His cloning project was going smoothly.
While he was walking toward the vat, he came to a halt. Something was off.
He turned his attention to his myriad of hidden Flying raijin marks scattered across the Leaf Village. Their placement allowed him to remain attuned to the happenings of the village; however, today, the scenes felt different.
"What's wrong, lord Arthur?" Brie asked from the corner of his eye.
He didn't respond to her question just yet. Instead, he turned to her and ordered, "Bring Rin over…"
She recognized the gravity of the situation. So, without hesitation, she bowed respectfully. "Of course, lord Arthur. Right away."
With that, she turned and fled the room, leaving him to resume his work.
Though his thoughts were far from the task at hand due to what he had sensed in the Leaf Village. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the kids roaming about and the vendors selling their merchandise. He was also acutely aware of players like Alice, who had dedicated her time to repairing the meek cracks that had begun to show in the shinobi world.
And right now something was happening. It was that time once more: a filler arc.
Participation in most filler arcs held no value for him, only distractions. When all was said and done, he couldn't help but scoff at the thought of some of the players constantly intervening in what were essentially quests to help clean up a fictional village.
Missions had been posted left and right, filling the village with purpose, though he found little interest in this mindless trail of busywork. It was a necessary part of the unfolding narrative, but not one he cared to engage in himself.
Amid all this, something vital had caught his attention: a certain shinobi had been posting signs across the village to participate in his dōjō. That shinobi was none other than Rock Lee.
From what Arthur recalled in that filler episode, Naruto had returned from another mission and stumbled upon a poster advertising a dōjō that turned out to be poorly constructed and owned by Lee.
Initially mistaking Naruto for a challenger, Lee had slammed him through a wall before explaining that he built the dōjō to attract skilled fighters so that he could improve his combat skills.
After narrowly escaping Lee's challenge, Naruto encountered Guy and informed him about the dōjō. Proud of Lee's dedication, Guy attempted to disguise himself and challenge Lee, but he was called away by Tsunade to assist Team 10 with a reported disturbance.
Unbeknownst to them, a thief named Nanafushi, who sought to steal secrets from the Leaf Village, had impersonated Guy after he left. Naruto, believing he was genuinely interacting with Guy, brought Nanafushi to Lee's dōjō.
Attempting to maintain his cover, Nanafushi challenged Lee but was quickly defeated. Nanafushi then managed to convince Naruto that he was just exhausted and asked Naruto to fill in for him in the fight against Lee.
Knowing he couldn't defeat Lee through direct combat, Naruto employed various shadow clone tactics.
Before the battle concluded, the real Guy arrived and knocked out Nanafushi.
Once they sorted out the confusion, they brought Nanafushi to Tsunade, unaware of his true identity. Tsunade promptly ordered them to search for and capture Nanafushi, and they handed him over to her, marking the fastest mission Naruto had ever successfully completed.
If Arthur were to guess, the players would likely hunt down Nanafushi and bring evidence to Tsunade. That way, Lee could freely face a worthy fighter as opposed to an unskilled spy.
The prospect of a mission at Rock Lee's dōjō felt like an opportunity for Arthur. Right now, a few of the players were away from the village, allowing him to narrow down who would intervene and help Lee.
Arthur was almost certain that William and Alice would be drawn into this conflict, given their penchant for heroics and their unique skills—particularly Alice, whose sensing abilities would be invaluable in such a situation.
Arthur had a plan, one that would not only test Rin's mettle but also give him a vantage point over the evolving events within the Leaf Village.
As he finished adding substances within the massive cloning vat, the sound of the lab door swooshed open, announcing the arrival of Rin, Tayuya, and Brie.
They saw him transformed as Kaito before stepping in. Each of them had a different expression.
"We're here, like you asked, lord Arthur," Tayuya greeted.
"Funny," Arthur coolly said. "I don't recall asking for you."
Tayuya caught the look on Rin's face and noted Arthur's concentration on the vat rather than them. It was clear to him that she was concerned for Rin's safety. The two had inevitably become closer thanks to them spending a lot of time together.
"I apologize, lord Arthur," she remarked. "I… I was just worried, was all."
Arthur straightened up, turning his full attention to them as he asked, "Tayuya, has Rin perfected the chakra disguise jutsu yet?"
"Yes," she replied, feeling a bit more confident. "She's been practicing whenever she could."
Rin couldn't hold it in any longer. "Did I do something wrong, lord Arthur?"
"No," he responded, his gaze searching hers. "I have a mission for you that involves you going to the Leaf…"
Rin felt surprised. She had secretly yearned for an opportunity to venture into the Leaf Village. It was both a place painful and precious for her to remember.
"But, lord Arthur?" Tayuya stammered. "Is it alright for her to go now? So early?"
"Yes… Especially since she's perfected the technique. So, Rin, I need you to go to that village, participate in a dōjō, and test your skills against whoever you face."
The opportunity felt surreal for her. So much so that she couldn't find the right words to say. When she understood that she was longing to visit the village again, she declared, "I accept the mission, my lord!"
"Good," he said, knowing her thoughts. "I'm sure you understand what you first have to do."
He watched as she stepped back. With one hand sign, she performed the Chakra Disguise technique. It wasn't bad. Her chakra signature had changed, resembling that of a kunoichi who had average chakra levels.
"Now the next step," he prompted.
Rin complied with a nod. "Transformation jutsu!"
Her form moulded into a version of someone else with lighter hair, making her neither too recognizable nor too foreign. She was now younger with more softened features.
"Perfect," Arthur said.
Still, he took precautions. So he activated his Tamashii and scanned her chakra. It was different, thanks to the myriad of cells within her. Yet he needed her to have an extra layer of protection, no matter how small it was.
"Here," he said, gesturing to her a pair of glasses,
Many honestly didn't know the effectiveness of wearing glasses as a simple disguise.
With everything in place, he performed the Flying raijin to send her directly into the village.
Tayuya stared at the spot she was in. The scene of Rin leaving was too quick for her to wish Rin any encouragement. Even if Tayuya was given that chance, she more or less wouldn't have done it. After all, she was still quite ruthless in nature. Having spent so much time with someone like Rin was simply softening her personality by just a little bit.
"She'll be okay," Brie said with a smirk.
"Huh?" Tayuya blinked. "I know she will. I mean, what do I care if she doesn't come back?"
At those words, she walked toward the exit, not daring to show her true feelings.
Elsewhere.
By the time Rin blinked, sounds of the Leaf Village enveloped her ears. She paused for a moment, taking in the setting.
The village alarms hadn't triggered, which would have tipped off the Barrier Team had they detected foreign chakra. This was good since she was born here. And although her chakra signature had changed, she still carried the cells of others who were also born here.
Instead of heading directly for the dōjō, she felt an overwhelming pull that instinctively redirected her elsewhere: the cemetery.
Arthur, who was simultaneously conducting experiments and monitoring her from the safety of his laboratory, knew that she would head there first.
Already, she was at her grave. Winds caused the trees to rustle as she stared at the modest headstone engraved with her name. She felt quite emotional, knowing that her death had only caused turmoil. Memories of her past flooded her mind—her friends, her family, those quiet, precious moments that seemed so trivial yet heavy with emotional weight now.
"Why does it hurt so much…?"
Her former self lingered, mingling with the grief she'd carried for too long.
Arthur understood the shadows of empathy deepening in her thoughts as he noted how weak her heart still was. If she continued to fail and not produce any results, he wouldn't hesitate to slay her on the spot.
Still at the cemetery. Rin knelt down and looked at the letters on her tomb. An agonizing period passed before she finally stood back up. It was time to move onward; lingering too long among these remnants wouldn't lead her anywhere.
With purpose reshaping her thoughts, she left the cemetery and ventured toward the familiar streets. This time, she approached what had once been her home.
As she neared it, her heart pounded. She slowed, and coming up upon her former residence, she hesitated, peeking through the small gaps between the wooden frames.
The house was still here, but it had changed. Bright flowers flourished in the garden as she heard laughter from within. A family that was not hers now took root in the place where she once felt safe. The conflicting emotions she kept bottled up for so long finally resurfaced, mingling with the love that resided in the memories of her childhood.
She wanted to knock and intrude on the home that had once been hers. But the fear of ruining Arthur's plans settled quickly. So she turned away, unable to confront the unknown.
Arthur found her angst to be disgusting. In his mind, he understood her need for connection—yet he also recognized the trivial matter if she didn't focus on the mission given.