Path Of War Chapter 402: Archaic

ARTHUR SPENT LITTLE TI to check the rest of his body.

A little flex of his muscles before he hopped in place, swiped the air, and perford two spin kicks. The winds shifted just as he expected them to. After so more trial and error, he confird what he had suspected: his body retained its strength, both physically and spiritually.

That was a relief. The last thing he needed was to find himself weakened or vulnerable in this ti period. Now for his final test.

’Tamashii...’

His vision swept the terrain around him as his eyes stretched beyond what was visible to the naked eye. He scanned the land, the trees, the rocks, and the sky. Exactly as he had already known, this was indeed the Land of Birds. Only, it was before he had constructed his country.

Without a doubt, he was in the past. But it wasn’t yesterday, like he had tried to go. The ti he found himself in had to be sowhere earlier, or perhaps even a different tiline altogether.

"Hmm..." he considered.

Ti travel was indeed unpredictable, and knowing the exact period could change a few things. To figure it out, he decided to venture toward the nearest settlent, if he could find one.

North was the best option, so he moved with his Tamashii active. As he progressed, the terrain shifted into more hardened ground. There were still no signs of any other intelligent beings.

Continuing onward, the landscape changed again. This ti, the terrain beca more mountainous with dense forests covering the slopes. The trees were tall and thick, and their branches intertwined to form a canopy that filtered the sunlight.

From a distance, Arthur saw what looked like a temple perched on a ridge. It was an imposing structure, built mainly of wood, with a roof that curved upward. The sight drew his curiosity.

As he drew closer, he confird that inside the temple—through the walls—there were beings who resembled monks. But sothing was off about them.

His sensing range extended further, and he observed that these monks didn’t wear the typical shaven heads or simple robes he rembered them to. Their robes were decorated with yagatama symbols around the collar.

Arthur recognized those traditional attires. They matched descriptions of ancient monks from long ago—those who had studied the natural energies of the world under none other than Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki.

He absolutely had to get closer and scan the area more thoroughly for clues about this ti period.

As he silently moved, trying not to disturb the environnt, he kept his eyes and senses sharp. He was searching for any signs—artifacts, writings, architecture—that could give him more clues.

Suddenly, one of the monks looked directly at him!

Arthur stopped right in his tracks. How had the monk known he was watching?

Straightaway, the monks were alerted that soone was watching them from afar.

"Where at?" one asked.

"Follow ," the other answered.

They wasted no ti heading toward Arthur’s direction. Arthur himself retracted his vision. Running would have been a good option if he had the ability to use his Flying raijin. So instead, he stayed still and waited.

The monks moved swiftly, and within monts, they approached him in an open field nearby.

Arthur remained calm as one of them stepped forward and asked in a language that sounded oddly archaic, "Whom art thou?"

The language was formal, almost poetic. Arthur recognized it imdiately—an older form of English, the kind he’d read in the King Jas Bible. So he answered, "Thou mayest call Hoshikaze. I cast here because I was drawn to thy temple’s energy."

The monks exchanged glances, as if considering his words. Then one of them asked, "That thing thou usedst to watch our temple, was’t that ninjutsu or ninshu"

Arthur narrowed his eyes. Ninshu? The term was unfamiliar, but it rang a bell.

"I useth neither of the sort, but relyest on the natural energy around." The monks listened with unreadable faces. "Yet I am unfamiliar with this ninshu thou speaketh of."

When they heard his answer, they nodded their heads at one another, seemingly accepted what he said.

In that mont, Arthur sensed that he had made progress. He was in a different ti, perhaps an ancient era of the monks’ traditions. The landscape, the symbols, and the language all pointed to a period long past—an era when spiritual energy was part of everyday life, and the monks preserved those teachings.

The distant past in the Naruto world was indeed a strange one. Had he rembered what ninshu was, he would have instantly picked up on things.

But the real question was how had he managed to travel so far back?

Before he could consider that question, one of the monks asked him, "Stranger, thou must be from another land, seeing thy garnts are unfamiliar."

"Indeed," Arthur calmly answered. "Thou seeth to be friends rather than strangers. My apologies for having trespassed on thy land. If I have done thee no harm, I shall depart. But if thou hath found favour in , I would be most interested to visit thy temple."

The monks could not find any fault within Arthur. He expressed himself neighbourly, so they accepted him to journey back with them to their temple.

The walk from the open field to the temple’s interior was a swift one. Arthur kept his posture relaxed and his chakra controlled in case they could sense his intentions.

Their quiet tones and conversation led him to understand that they thought he wasn’t a threat, even if he attacked.

’They’re strong...’ he believed.

When they finally reached the temple, the inside was carved with symbols similar to those on the monks’ robes. Those who hadn’t gone out to see Arthur were out and about, doing their daily tasks, similar to those from the Fire Temple. There were a few onlookers, but no one bothered the group.

Arthur was led to a chamber where a small fire crackled in a stone hearth. Another monk offered everyone tea, which Arthur more than accepted. The taste was fair, much more natural than any tea he’d had from his original tiline.

"Good tea," he complinted.

That’s when the questions comnced. They looked at him with respectful curiosity before asking about his origins, his purpose in their land, and what had brought him so far from his ho.

"That I may not displeaseth mine overseers," he began, "I am far hence from mine own dwelling. The land whence I hail differeth from thine. Most likely, thou hast ne’er heard of it."

The monks chuckled softly before one spoke, "Our grandfathers traveled the whole world, yet they have ne’er seen a man clad in raint such as thine. Verily, thou must be from yonder far across the plains."

They appeared amused, as if Arthur’s attire were but a curiosity rather than an oddity.

Arthur himself offered a simple excuse and said, "I have journeyed a great while, and ti hath swift passed. Pray tell, what day is it?"

One of the monks reached into a pouch and drew forth a small scroll, then read aloud, "Tis the three hundred forty-first year of the Era of the Rising Sun."

When Arthur heard the date, he fully understood that this was the ti after Hagoromo had finished his journey around the world. During which, he had completed his pilgrimage.

As the story went, Hagoromo traveled with his followers to restore destroyed lands and spread his wisdom that would inevitably establish the foundations for the shinobi world. Of those places he visited, nine locations were given to the Tailed Beasts to settle in. Shrines were also erected so as to guard them.

As the years went by, greed and fear took hold. n sought to wield the Tailed Beasts’ power for their own ends. That led the Tailed Beasts to turn against mankind because they did not desire to be controlled by them.

Arthur truly did not like Hagoromo. One could say that he utterly despised that character because his whole origin tried to copy what was written in the holy gospel.

Rather than settle on that thought, a strange sense of relief settled over him.

So what if he could not perform the Flying raijin? So what if he had no apparent way of returning to his original tiline? He was currently in a ti before many of the events he knew had taken place.

The Tailed Beasts had no hosts, and neither were any of them sealed into sothing else. Plus the world was still young, still uncorrupted by the greed that would co later. Better yet, this was a mont in the story where the players most certainly had not yet stepped onto the stage!

Now it started to make sense how certain Tailed Beasts knew who Arthur was, despite the latter being disguised. It was because he had ti traveled to their origin.

The monks, sensing his contemplative silence, began to speak of their ancestors’ journeys alongside Hagoromo. Their voices carried reverence as they explained how they traveled the world, doing good deeds and seeking a place for the Tailed Beasts.

That only told Arthur that Hagoromo was already dead.

"Whither are the beasts now?" he inquired.

One of them shook his head and answered, "We have been bidden not to trouble the beasts. They are sacred, and their resting places are guarded with great diligence. Our hope is that thou canst respect the wishes of our forefathers."

"I more than understand," Arthur replied. "With reverence, wilt thou permit to visit one of these shrines, that I may pay mine respects?"

Hearing this, the monks consented that it would be agreeable.

"The nearest shrine to a beast called Matatabi lieth to the northeast," one of them explained.

That was all Arthur needed. His goal was clear: to seek out the Tailed Beasts and take what he needed from them. His first target would be the Two-Tails, the closest to him. From there, he would move on to the Five-Tails and then the Eight-Tails since those Tailed Beasts apparently knew who he was.

Each journey would surely profit him.

Who knew how they would react to him, or if they knew him in this ti period as well?

The Two-Tails was known for its respectful and polite deanour, reflecting a sense of dignity and restraint. The Five-Tails, although quiet, was similar, being very polite by nature. The Eight-Tails would perhaps give Arthur the most trouble since it was known for being wild and violent.

The other Tailed Beasts were also considered, such as the One-Tail. But then that left the question: why hadn’t that beast tried to communicate with him when Arthur first t Gaara? The sa applied to the Seven-Tails when he first encountered Fu at the tournant.

Lastly was the Nine-Tails. Arthur would be foolish to at least not try to interact with that Tailed Beast. Perhaps he had tampered with its mories in this ti period? That would explain a few things.

Arthur pondered these questions as the monks further enlightened him.

"If I may," one of them began, "perhaps we should offer you a guide, as the land is vast and it is very easy to get lost."

Arthur shook his head. "I thank you, but the matter is not of grave importance. Let instead dwell among your people for a day, and then I shall consider going on the morrow."

The monks studied him for a mont longer before approving the request. It was because they believed him not to be hostile.

With that, Arthur and the rest of the monks finished their tea before he was led outside.