ARTHUR WATCHED THE RETREATING figure of the Five-Tails. It wasn’t long until it vanished into the shadows of the forest, leaving him alone in the night.
He paused for a mont to consider his achievent. In his grasp was the fur of the beast, a tangible sign that his mission was had progressed as he desired. His purpose in coming here had been clear from the start: to gather samples from the Tailed Beasts.
Three had been secured so far. Now at least one remained.
Rather than return to the congregation where Fujin’s wrath was surely brewing, Arthur decided to press on. There was another place he needed to visit: the shrine where the 8-Tails was held.
Currently, he was in the Waterfall country. The mories he had taken from the fallen monk with the Sharingan told him that the shrine lay sowhere in the Lightning Country, hidden within the folds of the mountain range.
From those mories, he knew that if he was to reach the shrine, he would need to travel northeast—across the land that was not fully connected to the Lightning Country.
And so, he took to the skies as a cloud of smoke.
Two days of travel passed in relative silence. The landscape beneath him shifted from hills to what looked like the expanse of the Fire Country. From above, he observed that there was hardly any patterns of man’s involvent in the land. There were also no real roads or settlents.
The Nine-Tails, he reasoned, might be in these parts, but he saw no imdiate reason to seek it out. For now.
Around the third day of his journey, he spotted a settlent nestled in the mountains. It was small, almost like a village, but it looked fortified.
Deciding to descend, he touched down quietly among rocky ground. Then he entered into his Sage Mode to verify a few things. From what he sensed, there were indeed powerful monks here. Even the guards were different from those he had encountered before. They seed to be using ninshu as opposed to ninjutsu than the monks of Fujin’s congregation.
’Transformation jutsu...’
After releasing his Sage Mode, Arthur’s body grew older and more rugged. He was still himself, just taller.
As he approached the gates, a man, dressed like a monk, blocked his way. His skin was lighter than those inside, indicating that the settlent was not solely populated by dark-skinned individuals.
"Halt," he commanded. "Whence dost thou co?"
"My brethren," Arthur began, "I am John, a traveler seeking refuge at thy settlent for a ti."
The guard’s brow furrowed, puzzled by the na. A stranger with such a peculiar na was unlikely to be from their land. Yet, Arthur did not appear suspicious; his deanour was calm and his posture was respectful.
"Wait here," the man said. "I shall consult with my elders about thy request."
Minutes passed like hours. Arthur stood quietly behind the wooden walls. After thirteen minutes, the guard returned, flanked by two monks. Both were tall, their muscles visible beneath their robes, and veins prominent on their arms. Their hairs were also blond and braided neatly along their dark skin.
More importantly, Arthur recognized one of them. One of them was the sa dark-skinned monk who had trained that ancestor of the Uchihas. And if that was the case, then this monk knew how to use Black Lightning.
They approached with cautious curiosity as one said, "John, it is a pleasure to et thee."
"Likewise, friend..."
"Tis not daily we receive travelers round here. Thy na is also unfamiliar in these parts."
Arthur smiled politely and answered, "My na is from the holy bible. Have ye never heard of it in these lands?"
Clearly they had not. But the reason that Arthur revealed this truth was because he knew their senses for feeling out chakra was just as great as his. He also considered pulling out the makeshift bible he carried, the small book he’d shown Jada, but it had not ventured with in this tiline.
Instead, he explained plainly, "I am a servant of Jesus Christ."
When they heard this, they asked him to explain who Christ was. So Arthur did. Then their expressions softened, and one of them said, "This Jesus ye serve is truly an Almighty one. Thou must be a god among n."
Arthur humbled himself and said, "While indeed Jesus is Mighty, I am but His servant, a man like any other."
"Then what seekest thou here?"
"The monks from afar, nigh the shrine where the two-tailed beast is kept, are strong. I thought perchance thy monks be likewise, and I willed to learn from thee."
Hearing Arthur’s honesty, their faces broke into smiles before softly laughing. The revelation pleased them because now they saw that he was no re wanderer but soone who sought knowledge and strength.
"Co then, John," the first monk said, gesturing toward the settlent. "Thou art welco here. We shall grant thee refuge for as long as thou pleaseth."
"Aye," the second agreed. "My na is B, and this is my brother, A. We are the leaders of the land."
Arthur’s heart almost pounded. The nas A and B were undoubtedly the sa nas as all the Raikage and majority of their partners. While he knew that he would encounter ancestors from the Lightning Country here, he hadn’t expected anyone to be this closely to related those from his ti period.
Truly, he was learning much more than he expected.
Soon after, Arthur followed the monks into the settlent. Their structure inside were filled with several smaller halls, each housing its own dojo. There were four in total, of which the main dojo was the largest and near the center of the congregation.
As he was led through, he saw that the monks within did not sit in quiet ditation, nor chant; they were fighting. The sound of flesh striking flesh and foot crashing against palm filled the space like a drumbeat. He paused to watch a few bouts. These monks were certainly different from the others. Their limbs were thicker and their movent sharper. There was also less reliance on chakra and more focus on form.
He considered sothing: if A and B were the leaders here, then those two monks would be worth fighting one day.
He continued following the monks quietly until the tour ca to an end. Once the walk was over and most had dispersed to resu training or ditation, Arthur turned to A and B.
"Ye art unlike thy brethren from afar," he said. "Thy bodies do bear more than the mark of monks—they are arms wrought in war."
A and B exchanged a glance, and B laughed.
"Thou hast keen eyes," B said. "We prize not solely the mystic stream of chakra. Rather, we build our arms for the service of others."
"Aye," said A. "Power untempered is but tyranny. Yet power untested is re pride. Our fists do not speak only of war, but of will."
Their words did not surprise Arthur at all. In truth, he had suspected as much. If these n were the ancestors of those who would one day walk the lands of Lightning Country, then it made sense. The Raikages themselves were known more for strength of arm than jutsu alone.
Once the sun sank, many of the monks gathered at a long table for the evening al. Arthur sat among them. He did not ask strange questions nor make himself a subject of curiosity. He instead ate what was offered and complinted their technique without flattery.
This had greatly pleased the congregation.
By nightfall, he was given a room to rest in—a simple space made of wood and stone. A tiny mattress was situated in the corner alongside a basin of water. It was more than enough.
Arising by the light filtering through the small window of the inn, Arthur left his room to venture outside.
This congregation was a lot livelier than the rest. Yet the mornings were quite quiet.
Monks and residents moved around to do their chores. So swept the dirt while others worked on repairing the walls or tending to the garden. Arthur barely watched them due to how straightforward their routines were compared to those from his ti period.
No one seed hurried or anxious; they all worked steadily.
Of course, this was also a great opportunity to make him seem harmless. So he decided to join in.
First, he helped carry water from the well. Next he helped a woman chop so wood. The monks nearby continued their work, paying little mind to him. Later, he helped prepare food by dicing up vegetable.
He didn’t ask many questions; instead, he listened. Those around mainly talked about their training with hopes of serving this congregation fairly.
As noon approached, the monks sat down to eat. Arthur shared so of his bread and rice while eating in silence. The al was plain but filling. No one pressed him too much about where he was from or why he was here. That just made things easier.
After eating, he took a walk in the courtyard. The only thing he felt like doing for the day was ditate alone. So he did just that.
When afternoon ca, he spent it helping with chores. They were basic ones: fetching water, sweeping the trails, and helping with repairs.
Sotis a monk would co over and ask him questions about his journey or his training. Arthur answered politely without revealing too much. The monks didn’t push him too much since they sensed he was serious and here just to grow.
As evening fell, things grew quieter. From he’d understood, A and B spent most of their ti in the main dojo, likely training. And once it got around this ti, they gathered around a small fire outside the main dojo with the other monks.
Arthur hadn’t joined them, opting to sleep early because tomorrow he would make his move.
The next morning, he made his way to the main dojo. It was early, but already the air rang with the sound of fists and feet. On the sides were lesser monks running their routine drills. In the center of the room stood A and B, and they were sparring.
Bang-bang-boom!
Their massive bodies moved like flowing stone, and each strike sounded like boulders smashing against each other. Arthur noted their discipline. Even for him, to wound them would require effort.
As he stepped through the doors, B saw him and gave a brief nod.
"Welco, John!"
A did not stop. His elbow struck B’s side hard enough to send him back two steps.
"Focus, ye simpleton!"
B chuckled and rubbed his ribs. "Forgive , brother."
Before the match could resu, Arthur asked, "Mightest I test mine strength against thee both?"
A’s brow furrowed. "Art thou mad?"
"I an no insult," Arthur responded. "I seek not glory but growth. If strength lies in thy fists, then mine seek to et them."
"He speaketh bold," B grinned.
But A’s gaze did not soften. "B, dost thou forget the path? There are others yet to face. Each dojo holdeth its champions. Wouldst thou let a stranger skip the climb and leap to the peak?"
What A was basically saying was that their congregation had a rule when it ca to fighting at the dojos. To let Arthur, a foreigner, break that rule was considered disrespectful.
"My apologies, brother," B said. "I hath almost forgotten about the path."
"Then point the path," Arthur obliged, "I shall take it."
"Each of the dojos house six warriors above the rest," A said. "To face us, thou must best them all. Take a day, a week, a month if thou must."
"Why not I face them at once?"
The room went still for a mont until B clapped his hands together and said "Tis what I like to heareth!"
Whispers began to stir among the monks. Many paused in their drills to turn toward the center. In all their years, never had a stranger dared such a thing on only their third day. Even among them, none had faced the top of all three dojos at once.
A was intrigued; he knew that Arthur was strong to a certain extent, and now he desired to see just how strong. "So be it. Thy challenge shall be granted."
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