The accusation slipped out, sharper than she'd intended, and the crowd around them all furrowed their brows at her.
Arthur, like always, knew how to navigate situations like this—redirect the conversation to keep it from escalating. He smoothly replied, "There's no reason to doubt , as all my actions have purpose behind them."
But i was not satisfied by his evasion. Her resolve hardened.
"You can act or hide whatever you want," she asserted, "but now that you're aware that you're about to be officially investigated, as Mizukage, it's in my jurisdiction to say this: you will not be allowed to operate freely or be inaugurated as the feudal lord until we're finished with our duties!"
She then pointed at him decisively and declared, "I will have several Anbu watching over you 24/7—this is for the welfare of everyone."
"Is she even allowed to do that?" many voices piped up.
They all began questioning her reasoning and her authority one by one.
"Yes, she is," Chōjūrō responded over the crowd. "As it falls under the protective order of any high-ranking official who is under investigation or has faced an assassination attempt in the past year. I'm sure you can tell which category lord Belfort falls into."
"That's insane and downright stupid!" a voice yelled.
"He's not even being investigated officially!" another added. "That wretched Mizukage said so plainly!"
"Say sothing, my lord!"
But what was Arthur honestly going to say? He knew the rules better than most.
While there wasn't any warrant or official docuntation, the fact that the Mizukage verbally said it imdiately made it official.
That's how much power she held, and the citizens didn't know that.
Arthur lifted his chin defiantly, causing a shadow to cross his features as he leveled his gaze at i.
"Are you really willing to go down that route?" he slowly said.
Sothing was definitely off about him now, and Ao sensed it just as quickly as the tension rose.
Gone was the veneer of diplomacy.
i remained unflinching as she t the challenge and said, "I'm prepared to wage war if it's for the sake of our country."
At that, Arthur slowly closed his eyes and looked up before sighing.
"I'm so tired of this political nonsense," he finally said.
"Wh-what do you an, lord Belfort?" a woman from the crowd struggled to ask.
"Even after I single-handedly boosted your economy, you still doubt my integrity..."
In that mont, Ao caught sothing in Arthur's words: "your economy" not "our economy." That was Ao's last straw!
The air prickled with tension as he drew a kunai and brandished it at Arthur, which shocked the onlookers.
"Lady Mizukage," Ao shouted with conviction, "I deeply apologize, but I've tolerated enough from this man. Please give permission to apprehend him now!"
i was torn, caught in the crossfire of her allies' emotions and her own duties as a leader. She understood Ao's moral indignation but was acutely aware of the legal ramifications of an arrest without compelling evidence.
If she attempted to apprehend Arthur now, she risked being implicated in a false arrest, a charge that could plunge her own position into jeopardy.
Suddenly, Arhrur perford a hand sign: 'Water style: surface slice...'
Three blades of water shot towards Ao, i, and Chōjūrō, slashing through the air. They instinctively dodged, moving as a practiced unit. The crowd scread.
Arthur was already on the move, borrowing from the montum of the diversion, sprinting away, leaving the situation uncontested.
"Don't let him get away!" Chōjūrō yelled as everyone else was in disbelief.
Fueled by anger, Ao chased after him, determined to bring Arthur to justice. i and Chōjūrō followed suit, their hearts pounding in synchrony with their adrenaline as they raced, abandoning the shocked citizens behind them.
Arthur continued his stride while forcing himself to keep his breathing steady.
Right now, his chakra reserves were low from having worked on the plaza earlier. He just needed a few seconds before he could execute a contingency plan.
Things couldn't look more bleak. The stakes had risen alarmingly high; he had to distance himself from the city and the scrutiny that was sure to follow if he lingered any longer in this country.
All he had worked for was crashing before him. All because of what? So makeshift billionaire who didn't know how to keep his mouth shut or sothing?
In truth, Arthur felt his misgiving growing steadily regarding the Water Country itself. They had proven to be more of a burden than a boon.
He didn't need them; they needed him to keep their shaky foundations steady. But the pressures mounting upon him, the threat of being closely monitored by Anbu operatives, created an intolerable risk—one that he resolved to escape before consequences escalated into sothing far worse.
"Stop!" i shouted from the distance as she chased him down.
Things had beco so serious that Arthur could sense what was happening behind him: Ao activated his right eye's Byakugan!
"Lady Mizukage," the non-Hyūga announced, "he won't escape! I'll track him down!"
Ao could see the outlines of the landscape shift before him, but as his focus honed in on Arthur, a disorienting blur began to envelop the scene. It caused Ao to rub his eye in frustration.
"What do you see?" Chōjūrō inquired with urgency.
Ao gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain clarity in his vision.
"Sothing isn't right..." he said, glancing toward his companions. "Things look too muddy; I can't see clearly!"
"Is it John?" i interjected as she tried to piece things together.
"I don't know!" Ao admitted, frustration getting the better of him. "But don't go that way; we should stop moving in case it's so sort of trap. Give a few seconds to see if it's a genjutsu or sothing."
But those few seconds were all Arthur needed. Just as the group halted their progress, Ao's Byakugan intensified, but the signals distorted rapidly.
"He's... gone!" he exclaid in bewildernt.
Chōjūrō was puzzled as he asked, "Gone? What do you an gone?"
"It's like he vanished into thin air!" Ao stated, trying to scan the surroundings once more.
"I don't believe it," i replied. "How could a politician thwart the Byakugan?"
"I don't know," Ao replied, "but if I recall correctly, there were reports that John evaded two mbers of the Akatsuki after him."
"And no one thought that was weird?!" Chōjūrō shouted.
Almost the entire ninja community within the borders thought that was strange. But after Arthur returned and had his council explain the situation, the citizens and the ninjas alike were all too blinded by their beloved head's well-being.
It was so unprecedented that the press manipulated the narrative, making Arthur look more like a hero who was simply ard with the basics of chakra control rather than being a genuine ninja.
To the public, Arthur was perhaps no stronger than your average Genin—a Genin who just so happened to be equipped with the right techniques to escape assassination attempts.
"Let's head back," i finally commanded. "We need to regroup and consider our next steps."
"Oh man," Chōjūrō said, rubbing his head with both hands, "I think lord Hiromu's gonna have our jobs."
Upon their return to the plaza, the sight that lay in front of them was nothing short of unbelievable. The plaza had completely vanished as if it had never existed at all!
"What... how?" i's voice broke as she surveyed the empty ground, flabbergasted.
She imdiately harassed a nearby citizen, her tone bordering on frantic as she demanded, "Where did the plaza go?"
The citizen blinked, equally shocked.
"I—I don't know! One mont it was right here, and then—then it just disappeared when I turned around!"
Others in the vicinity chid in, also in disbelief.
"It was just here!" one citizen cried, shaking his head in confusion. "Like, I literally just saw it!"
"How long ago?" Ao beckoned.
"I dunno? Like, maybe a few seconds ago."
With confusion filling the air, sothing finally registered in i's head: "He should have been locked up the mont he stepped into my office!"
The implication of Arthur's evasion fueled her panic; if he had access to such capabilities, it raised questions not only about his loyalty but the very stability of the governance of the entire Water Country.
Through this pandemonium, the issues lay bare before her fractured resolve.
What started as a principled inquiry turned into a national crisis. Arthur had evaded them, and in doing so, he had sent a clear ssage—he was not rely a man in question; he was a force that could not be easily contained, and the consequences of underestimating him now spiraled beyond their control.
"Gather everyone!" i ordered to her advisors. "We need to regroup the officials. I refuse to let him get away with this. The safety of our country's at risk!"
It didn't take long for i and her companions to storm out of the city and right into the heart of the capital where Hiromu's castle dwelt.
They barged right in, ignoring any need for formalities.
"Excuse !" one of the servants called out. "You can't go in there! Our lord's having tea with—"
"Screw his tea!" Ao interrupted as Chōjūrō opened the door. "I've had enough of you nobles."
This was not just an invasion of space; it was the culmination of frustration, fear, and betrayal, ignited by Arthur's ascendant influence and subsequent disappearance.
Perched on his gilded throne, Hiromu was startled enough that he dropped his cup of tea. The porcelain clattered against the fine wood as his eyes darted toward the intruders.
"What is the aning of this ruckus?" he sputtered, glancing nervously at his surrounding council mbers—n and won of the highest authority in the land, now beset by an undeniable sense of foreboding.
Ao stepped forward and pointed a finger squarely at Hiromu.
"My lord," he began, refocusing his tone. "You are hereby accused of a multitude of cris that have endangered the integrity and safety of the Water Country. We are placing you under arrest."
Gasps erupted from the council chamber, disbelief and outrage mingling with the sudden, humorous thud of Hiromu's personal secretary fainting beside him at the shock of the accusation.
"What nonsense is this?" one council mber shouted as they confronted Ao's bold assertion. It was the secretary-general. "You dare to speak to a lord like that? This is an affront!"
"Rest assured, lord Belfort will hear of this!" the head advisor blustered, feeling the sudden indignation.
"You'll all find yourselves in chains when news breaks out of your insolence!" the treasurer added.
Chōjūrō, attempting to stifle laughter at their incredulity, struggled to remain composed. It was a fitting backdrop because of the events that had already transpired.
He turned to i, who had yet to speak in this rising chaos.
"A bounty for lord Belfort's head will be placed soon," she announced with an iron tenacity, "assuming he hasn't already left the country by now."
The secretary-general's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What—can you repeat that? Our lord's done what? He fled?" His hands flew to his head as if that simple action would dispel what he deed surreal drama. Then he sped toward i with accusations. "Where is he? Where did our lord go? What did you three do to him?!"
Just as the secretary-general was about to touch the Mizukage, Chōjūrō swiftly grasped the man's hands and twisted them behind his back, securing him in an unorthodox hold.
"You're under arrest as well," Chōjūrō declared, doing his best to keep his tone steady.
"?!" the secretary-general cried. "For what?!"
"Suspicion of conspiracy, and for daring to touch Lady i."
The last statent wasn't really a charge but simply made him angry that soone almost laid a hand on his beloved Kage. Ao was perhaps more shocked than anyone, while i remained poised to settle things here and now.
The secretary-general sputtered in outrage, yelling, "You can't do this! Our lord will co for ! He will save !"
"Gee, pal," Chōjūrō said. "It's he's under a genjutsu or sothing."
The mont Ao heard that, he imdiately activated his Byakugan to check. And what he saw surprised him.
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