Three months ago during Orochimaru's invasion.
Jada stood alone at the top of the Leaf Village's destroyed gates. She was currently lost in thought after watching Arthur vanish into the forest.
She had believed in the beauty of this world and the camaraderie of its ninjas. But he had shattered her illusions, revealing the harsh reality of existence.
To her, he was nothing more than another antagonist, indifferent to the suffering of others. But now was not the time to chase him. Or rather, she didn't want to chase him.
A part of her still clung to the hope that he was not evil. Perhaps he was simply a product of his environment, a victim of circumstance. If given the right opportunity, he could be redeemed—so she hoped.
Just as quickly as that thought came, she shook her head and dismissed it. It was a dangerous line of thinking, one that could lead to her downfall if she ever trusted him again.
Arthur was a threat, and she had to be prepared for the next time they'd meet.
So she turned around to see the current destruction Orochimaru was causing to her new home. Many citizens had already scurried to a safe hiding spot while the Leaf ninjas were out defending various districts.
She had to do something; she had to protect those she cared about. So with a determined look, she leapt into the fray.
"Argh!"
A scream was heard as she was running through the streets. When she turned in its direction, she saw a little girl looking aimlessly for someone to help her.
'Moegi?' she thought.
Moegi, full name Moegi Kazamatsuri, was written to be a cheerful and optimistic kunoichi, known for being a member of Team Konohamaru, alongside Udon Ise and Konohamaru (the third Hokage's grandson). While initially portrayed as a somewhat spoiled character, she matured significantly over time.
Right now she was only eight years old.
A collapsing building suddenly began raining down bricks and mortar on the terrified girl. So without hesitation, Jada ran forward and swept her up just in time before she could get hurt.
Moegi cried hysterically as Jada held her close.
"Don't worry, Moegi, I've got ya."
"Th… Thank you!"
"You're welcome. Are ya hurt anywhere?"
The little girl shook her head and answered no. When she looked into Jada's eyes, she was a little frightened.
"What's wrong?" Jada asked. But Moegi kept her eyes closed, not wishing to answer. Unsure of things, Jada looked around, only to see a reflection of themselves. Staring back at her were her two lotus-like patterns, making her eyes glow. "Huh?" When did I awaken the—"
Ka-boom!
An explosion occurred close by, pausing her thoughts. The buildings were turning into a pile of rubble, and the surrounding area was still in chaos as screams filled her ears.
She knew that there were others trapped inside who needed help, so she turned to the scared Moegi and softly said, "You don't have to be scared, okay? I'm not gonna hurt you, and I need to help the other people before it's too late. Can you stay here and wait for me?"
Moegi finally mustered up enough courage to open her eyes and nodded.
With that, she placed her down, promised to return, and ran towards the screams.
As she entered the rubble of a destroyed building, she was immediately able to see multiple trapped citizens. She moved through the debris with ease and rescued several of them by carrying them to safety.
But there were still more trapped inside, and the building looked like it could collapse at any moment.
"It's okay!" she yelled to them. "I'm gonna get you all out!"
Just then, there was a sudden sting in her eyes. She rubbed them, only to see blood on her hands.
"Focus, Jada," she reminded herself. "It'll stop after deactivating them."
At that, her eyes reverted to normal and the pain stopped.
The citizens were all rescued in the nick of time before the building finally collapsed. Words of gratitude showered her as she told them to find safety.
"Argh!" she suddenly heard from afar.
"That was Moegi!" she knew. Quickly, she dashed in the little girl's direction. "I'm coming, Moegi!"
When she made it to the area, she saw three Sound ninjas closing in on the girl. But their attempts were thwarted once Jada landed directly in front of her.
"You'd attack an innocent little girl?!" she asked in anger.
"This is payback for lord Orochimaru!" one of them shouted.
Jada ignored the reason. Anyone who dared to hurt an innocent child was her enemy.
"I'm going to protect my village," she said in a firm voice, "and there's not a darn thing that snake's gonna do about it."
Without warning, they launched an attack. But Jada reactivated her Sharingan and moved with lightning speed, dodging their blows with ease.
They were slow to her.
Bang-bang-bang!
Several blows were dealt to them, forcing them back. After regrouping, they launched another attack. This time with greater coordination. Yet Jada whirled around them and countered each of their advances.
Bang-bang-bang!
They couldn't even graze her.
"I promised I'd protect everyone," she declared, "and I intend to keep that promise!"
The Sound ninjas, realizing that they were outmatched, retreated with their tails between their legs. They had underestimated her, and they paid the price.
Jada let them go, knowing that her responsibility was still Moegi. The little girl was still trembling but in great admiration at what she had witnessed. So Jada deactivated her Sharingan and gently picked up.
"I won't let you out of my sight this time, okay?"
The response she got was a tight hug.
'Where can I take her?' she asked herself, looking around. 'Oh yeah, that's right!'
Eventually, she began jumping from rooftop to rooftop with Moegi on her back until she found the hidden entrance to the academy. It was a secret passage known only to a few, a safe haven where students could hide during times of crisis.
As the two descended the stairs, she could hear the faint sound of children bickering. Moegi clung to her, saying that she could also hear Konohamaru's voice.
When the two got toward the end, they both saw Iruka Umino guarding the entrance. He looked relieved to see them.
"Thank goodness you two are safe," he said in a tone filled with relief.
"Iruka-sensei," Jada greeted with a smile. She then let Moegi off her back and handed her over. "Here, she's safer in your care."
Iruka was impressed. From what he knew about Jada, it was that she had recently graduated from the academy not even two months ago. While she had indeed won the preliminary round, there weren't enough assessments to see if she was qualified to be a Chūnin yet.
Yes, she was making a name for herself as a rising kunoichi, but to think a Genin was contributing this much during an invasion.
"You don't have to go back out there," he said. "The other Chūnin and Jōnin will handle the situation."
Jada, however, shook her head. "I can't just leave them, Iruka-sensei. It's my duty to protect those in need of help. That's what being a Leaf ninja is all about, right?"
There was a sense of admiration in Iruka's eyes after hearing those words. "You're a true kunoichi, Jada."
The other students who overheard them talking looked at her with the same level of admiration.
She smiled at them, trying to reassure and quell their fears. "You're all safe here; Iruka-sensei and I won't let anything happen to you guys."
The students nodded as their anxiety slowly subsided. Now they were sure that they were in good hands.
✟
The next day.
The village was slowly recovering from the attack. The damage was extensive, but the spirit of the citizens was left unbroken.
Jada sat in the Jōnin Station filing a detailed report of her actions that took place yesterday. When Anko collected it, her eyes widened upon reading Jada's heroic deeds. She had saved countless villagers and thwarted many of Orochimaru's men single-handedly.
"You did a fantastic job," Anko said with respect. "No, without you, things would have been much worse."
"I'm just glad we all made it out without any big casualties."
As Anko continued to read the report, she added, "You even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Jada was ready to be ostracized until she heard, "That's incredible!"
This caused her to blush. Not many knew about the Sharingan's advancements, but Anko, who had been Orochimaru's lab rat once, clearly had an idea of what it was.
The reports themselves didn't detail exactly how Jada awakened it. So when asked about it, she told the entire truth of what Arthur had done.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop him," she said with regret. "He killed someone special to me and escaped while the village was being destroyed."
"It's not your fault. Arthur Bennett's a coward for what he did. Now he's a traitor to the village."
Jada nodded, accepting things. Arthur was the villain, and he had to be taken down.
Yet there was still something troubling her. Why did he spend so much time with everyone here if he was just gonna play rogue? Why even help her train to begin with?
Little had she known, these things, like him being present when she awakened her Sharingan, all happened by chance.
"We'll find him," Anko assured. "And when we do, we'll bring him to justice."
Jada remained compliant. She would do whatever it took to stop him, too, and protect the village she'd grown so fond of.
After she left the Jōnin Station, she returned to her apartment. The others were already there, and most of their faces were etched with exhaustion. The invasion had clearly taken its toll on them. Perhaps not physically, but definitely mentally.
"They had me write essays about what happened!" Margaret blurted out, stretching on a chair.
Jada casually found a comfortable seat on the couch after greeting them.
"Let's get back on track now that Jada's here," Alex said. "By the way, we're talking about Arthur's little stunts."
"I think he's just looking for attention," Jasper said. "The dude didn't even know anything about Naruto."
Alice shot him. "You shouldn't say that."
Alex, surprisingly, agreed with Jasper. "He's onto something, though. Arthur might have an ulterior motive for doing what he did."
Margaret was taken aback by both their statements. In a tone of disbelief, she asked, "What are you talking about? Mom saw him take out Sasuke. And did you hear what happened to Lee?"
"Who the heck is 'mom'?" Jasper asked.
Little did the males know, Alice had been hard at work cleaning, cooking, and teaching the girls on a daily basis. She was doing such a great job that the other two began calling her their mother out of appreciation.
After hearing that explanation, there was a moment of silence for Rock Lee. Everyone in the room knew how strong those two were. To fight both of them and come out victorious in a single day was an achievement.
Jada decided to break the silence and revealed, "Ugh… Guys, I unlocked my Mangekyō…"
The room slowly fell into shock as they stared at her in amazement.
"That's incredible!" William praised.
"Haha," she chuckled. "Anko said the same thing."
"Kidding?" Margaret added. "That's more than incredible; you're gonna be the best out of all of us now!"
"What sort of jutsus did you get with it?!" Alice beckoned.
They were all excited for her, but then she remembered something crucial. "I… I think Arthur might have been responsible for it."
The room fell silent once again. The idea that Arthur could be the cause of Jada's Mangekyō Sharingan was indeed a shocking revelation. Because if he was, that meant he was Jada's designated "best friend," or her emotional baggage to help fuel her Kekkei Genkai.
"We should go after him," Margaret said, pumping her fist. "We can't let him get away with—ya know what, screw it! Lemme track 'em down myself!"
Jasper disagreed, saying, "I think we should just leave him alone. Maybe he'll come crawling back to his senses when he finds out he's too weak to handle things alone."
"How can you say that?!" William shouted, standing up. "He's a criminal. We can't just let him roam free."
This sudden outburst caused the two to yell at each other as the room then became filled with arguments about what to do with Arthur.
Alex finally stood up and cut through their bantering. "Alright already! That's enough. We need to calm down and think about this rationally." Everyone looked at him for an answer. "I think out of all of us Jada should be the one to handle him."
Even Jada was visibly confused by this suggestion.
"Why her?" Alice asked, feeling suspicious.
"She's the only one who saw Kiba's and Akamaru's dead bodies," he answered. "Plus, she knows Arthur better than any of us since they trained the most together. If anyone deserves to bring him in, it's her."
Jada had been prepared to face Arthur with her friends by her side, but now she was technically being asked to do it alone.
Regarding everyone else's thoughts, it was clear that Arthur was against the notion of repairing this world's tragedies. That now made him a liability in the grand scheme of things.
"I… I'll do it," Jada finally accepted.
"Wait!" Margaret shouted. "Let me join—"
"No!" Jada interrupted. Her sudden confidence managed to surprise them. "I can do it without help, so I won't let you guys down."
The others liked her boldness and believed her to be capable of bringing Arthur down now that she's awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan.