Little had either of the two boys known, Arthur watched their whole moment unfold from a distance.
He often kept his senses up when observing Naruto's progress. But today's display caught his attention in a way no other event had. The boy was, indeed, growing stronger—even while suspended from official duties as a shinobi.
Arthur's gaze lingered on their scene a little longer. While Naruto's ability to summon the Nine-Tails out of its cage to fight was impressive, Arthur knew something they didn't—something that gave him a deeper insight into why Naruto's bond with the beast was so fragile and complicated.
The reason, as Arthur understood, lay with William. Or more specifically, what William knew—and how much of it he understood about the Nine-Tails, about the history of the ninja world, and about Naruto himself.
The beast was not easily fooled. It was a creature of instinct and had roamed this world longer than those two had been born, and it recognized the foreknowledge William carried.
The Nine-Tails also understood exactly why Naruto had been progressing so quickly. It wasn't because Naruto was strong or because he had inherited the secrets of his background.
No, it was because William was there. William was the one who knew the beast's name—the one who knew about its past, about the legacy of Asura, and about Naruto's true heritage.
That knowledge alone was given to Naruto, but it was never shared correctly with the Nine-Tails.
The fact that William had been the one to develop a connection—an understanding—that even Naruto himself hadn't fully grasped yet made the Nine-Tails wary of William.
Was Naruto the one who knew the beast's name? Was it Naruto who knew he was a descendant of Asura? All these questions, the revelations William shared, were what kept the Nine-Tails restrained from befriending its host.
That was why Nine-Tails wasn't fully accepting Naruto; William knew too much.
All the beast wondered was how William knew so much. How could he speak with such confidence about things that even the Nine-Tails—a creature of the ages—felt were beyond the comprehension of most ninjas?
That question lingered in the beast's mind, and Arthur, watching from afar, understood their situation better than anyone.
If anything, the beast had little to no respect for Naruto and likely viewed the boy as just another host that might be killed if the beast's power wasn't always being used to aid him.
Despite Arthur himself knowing all these things and being right about them, he had much bigger things to deal with.
While sitting on the throne with his eyes closed and chin resting on his fist, he began reflecting on his recent endeavours. His achievements, while many, still felt incomplete. He had amassed an arsenal of weapons, learned countless techniques, and perfected many forms of combat.
But there was a nagging sense that he was still lacking in usefulness. For all his strengths, he knew he needed to expand his horizons further.
For instance, Arthur had not perfected the other nature elements. He already knew water and wind—two fundamental elements that served him well. But the more he used them, the less effective they would be against an opponent who's already seen those techniques.
Margaret and Alice would be a prime example. Both of them had seen him use his Surface Slice technique as John. There was no doubt that they would continue training to find better defenses against it.
That meant Arthur also had to continue growing. And to do that, one must first understand how he first acquired those two nature elements.
The first was obvious: he was born with water. As for the second, he actually didn't have any wind style techniques in his arsenal; he only had an understanding of it after having acquired Haku's Kekkei Genkai, ice style.
Now, three elements remained: fire, earth, and lightning. The last two, in particular, held the potential to round out his arsenal, making him more adaptable and unpredictable in combat.
He already had access to some advanced techniques—ice and smoke—that had given him an edge when he first arrived in this world. Those techniques were flashy, practical, and dangerous.
If he could perfect more elements, he could seamlessly integrate them into his combat style. It would also make his weaponry skills—like the Blade of Chaos—more potent and easier to use.
The Blade itself didn't require elemental affinity to wield, but if he could imbue it with, say, lightning or fire, the damage and effectiveness would skyrocket. His chakra control was already exceptional, and if he learned the right affinities, he could amplify his power even further.
So, the question was, which element should he pursue next?
While he didn't personally know any earth style techniques, he actually had an understanding of that element. That was thanks to his first-ever encounter with Jirōbō's mind, where he'd managed to extract a solid amount of information about earth style.
Yet Arthur hadn't stayed long enough to fully learn the hand signs to perform a technique. And while earth style was great and all to have, it by no means was the best element.
There really was no "best" element. However, there were cheap ones that made little to no sense in this world.
After a bit of contemplation, Arthur came to the obvious choice of what he should learn next: lightning.
Why wouldn't he go for the quickest and deadliest element?
Lightning techniques could be used for both offense and defense, and they complemented his existing skills perfectly. Plus, many of the most powerful shinobi relied on lightning—think of Kakashi's Lightning Blade or Margaret Sage-Enhanced Kirin.
Arthur had only managed to defeat the latter because his Blade of Chaos was also embedded with that Sage-Enhanced element.
Lightning itself was a natural fit for Arthur. It was unpredictable, fast, and lethal. It also required good enough chakra control, which he already possessed, making it a logical next step.
And beyond that, he knew that perfecting lightning would give him the edge he needed against certain hacks like Jasper's purple lightning.
As Arthur sat on his throne, lost in thought, he considered how lightning techniques worked in this world, how it was formed, and how it could be manipulated.
It was a matter of controlling the flow of chakra, channeling it into a precise point, and unleashing it with speed. What else he knew about lightning style was that it was a chakra nature that involved using electricity.
Users turned their chakra into electrical energy, which they could send into weapons to make them more effective or cause numbness when they hit something. Techniques like the Chidori could pierce through targets or be reshaped for long-range attacks.
Some, like the Raikages, coated their bodies with lightning to increase their speed, strength, and defense, creating powerful Chakra Modes. They could also control natural lightning when weather conditions were right or use weapons to make lightning appear.
Arthur had already been a step ahead since he had used the Boltswords and was proficient with the Blade of Chaos.
Lightning style in this world was also strong against earth style because earth naturally conducted electricity, making it vulnerable. Yet it was weaker against wind style. When combined with water style, it could stretch its range or add numbing effects to the water, which made it useful but also dangerous for water users.
That was the challenging part: learning a new element wasn't something that happened overnight. Most shinobi took years, sometimes even decades, to fully perfect a natural element.
But there were exceptions—ways to cheat the system, so to speak.
There were other techniques that could accelerate the learning process. The Sharingan was a perfect example. With its ability to copy and analyze things instantly, Uchiha like Jada managed to pick up and even learn multiple elements in just a few months.
While she didn't perfect them, the pace at which she learned them was astonishing. And that was partly because the Hidden Leaf Village was teeming with elemental users of all kinds.
But Arthur didn't need to cheat like that. His own talent, his understanding of chakra, and his extensive network of subordinates were all more than enough to hasten his learning curve.
He could always study from others—perhaps someone from the Uchiha or Uzumaki clan—if he wanted to speed things up. But he dithered at the thought.
Using someone as a teacher, especially in such a vital aspect as chakra nature, would change their opinion of him. His village, and all the clans in it, all had much respect for him, placing his reputation above even the Torikage.
If he relied too heavily on others, he might be seen as weak or manipulative—traits that went against his own sense of independence.
There was the option of using one of his clones. Yet his clones were in a similar position as he was; they were highly regarded in his nation. Using a clone to learn from the citizens might be insufficient; it wouldn't carry the same weight or authenticity.
Perhaps spying on his own subordinates while they trained could help. The problem was, he was already doing that and had been for some time. That was how he knew so much about the different nature elements, even with foreknowledge.
Not all was lost. He was considering a different approach. Something more ambitious, more daring. If he needed to learn lightning quickly, the best place to do so was in the land where the element was most prevalent—the Hidden Cloud Village.
From what was written of it, the Cloud Village was a hidden ninja settlement huddled high among the mountains of the Land of Lightning. It was founded by the first Raikage after a long period of internal conflict, and its location in the clouds made it almost impossible for outsiders to find.
The Raikage resided in a large blue building built into the tallest mountain, symbolizing the village's strength. The villagers there also valued power and military might, often going to great lengths to keep their secrets and stay ahead—sometimes resorting to kidnapping shinobi or stealing information from other villages.
Throughout its history, the Cloud Village was marked by external rivalry, especially with the Hidden Leaf Village. It was known for capturing Tailed Beasts like the Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails, although controlling these beasts proved difficult.
Many Jinchūriki from this village lost their themselves trying to contain the beasts' destructive power. Despite these struggles, the village itself developed sophisticated technology to better manage the Eight-Tails and remain a force among the other Five Great Ninja Nations.
During the Fourth World War, they allied with other villages to fight against their common enemies. Afterwards, their alliance with the other nations was strengthened.
Apart from that, their ninjas were recognized for their distinctive gray and white attire, emphasizing agility and lightning techniques. Many also bore names inspired by letters or adjectives that often reflected their personalities or specialties.
Some even had tattoos symbolizing their techniques or personal seals.
The main thing that Arthur cared about was that they were rulers of lightning techniques. If he could learn from them—observe, train, perhaps even acquire a few secrets—he could perfect the lightning element in record time.
It wouldn't be easy, of course. The Cloud Village guarded their secrets well, and their ninjas were proud. Approaching them directly would be dangerous, potentially provoking suspicion or hostility.
But Arthur was confident he could find a way—subtle, covert, and effective. He also liked that since he thrived on challenges.
But the question remained: how to approach the Cloud without raising suspicion? How could one gain access to their most powerful techniques without outright declaring their intentions?
That's when a plan began to take shape in Arthur's mind.