After some confirmation, both B and Han revealed that this was actually their first time meeting Arthur and had only known about him upon being trapped in this realm. The Eight-Tails and Five-Tails were apparently the only two who had supposedly met Arthur but did not disclose the details to either of their hosts.
Arthur could understand why the Five-Tails wouldn't, but the Eight-Tails' bond with B was very high. To keep a secret like that from its host was a rare thing. "Alright then," he said, relaxing. "I'll see what I can do…"
He clapped his hands together, channeling his Sage Chakra. The energy ignited around him as a surge of power rippled through the entire realm.
Han was impressed, not having known how powerful this same Arthur—who was also Hoshikaze—truly was.
The pale-yellow void cracked like a glass shattering, and in an instant, Arthur found himself back in the battlefield.
The two he was fighting gradually stepped back. Then B and Han had retracted their Tailed Beast transformations. Their bodies were covered in wounds. They also looked exhausted and checked their heads as if waking from a deep sleep.
"Looks like it worked," Arthur said to them.
Samui, Atsui, and Darui watched with wide eyes. The two Jinchūriki stood, dazed but now calmer.
When B fully regained clarity, he looked at Arthur, then at Han, and finally at the team approaching.
"What the heck did you do?" Atsui asked Arthur upon arriving.
Samui was more interested in B's well-being. So she asked him if he was alright. B responded indefinitely with a rap, but Darui could tell that he was in need of proper treatment. The injuries left behind from his fight looked serious.
After Arthur explained the situation, they were shocked to know that they were being controlled by someone else.
"Han," he said, looking toward the Jinchūriki, "I'm sure you'll return to your village and make a report to the Tsuchikage without trouble, right?"
From the looks of things, Han didn't remotely care about the aftereffects of his situation. Rather, he took a long, deliberate look at Darui. His gaze sharpened, and he straightened, as if recognizing an old enemy he'd tried to forget. Then, voice low and threatening, Han spoke.
"I thought I told you," he began in a low voice, "to watch your back."
Darui chuckled and said, "You did? I don't remember."
Arthur had almost forgotten that these two had built a vendetta after Han got disqualified from the tournament. But would Han really hold such a grudge after all that's happened?
The Stone shinobi's eyes flashed with anger; he was clearly annoyed by Darui's arrogance. When his fists clenched, Darui laughed, "Don't tell me you're still steaming from that time."
This made Han lunge forward, but Arthur stepped between them and blocked the initial punch.
"Relax, Han," he demanded. "That's no way to treat someone who just helped you…"
Han paused, then grunted. He pulled back, then looked away, clearly not happy. His pride as a shinobi and a Jinchūriki was wounded, but he knew Arthur had a point.
When he looked back, he threatened, "I don't care who you guys are." Voice trailing off, he pointed at Arthur. "Especially you… Whatever the Five-Tails and you have has nothing to do with me."
B started rapping, "Yo, we owe it to Hoshikaze; he helped us break free. Gave us a second chance; now we gotta see. No matter the trouble, no matter the pain, we in his debt, and that's plain."
The words weren't exactly a declaration of loyalty, but they carried a promise. B wasn't going to forget what Arthur had done, and he wasn't going to go back on this agreement.
"Whatever," Han said with clenched jaws. Then, with a grunt, he turned and started walking away. "Let me not find you here in my country again…"
One would have thought that he'd at least let the group treat his wounds. Or at least, he would bother checking on his fallen comrades. But Han wasn't the sort; he held too much pride and was ashamed to have been placed in this situation in the first place.
Arthur watched him carefully. He was relieved that neither B nor Han had slipped his real name. And what happened back in their psyche did not sit well with Arthur at all.
He wasn't entirely sure what to make of B's confidence or the fact he was letting someone like Han escape with his identity known. Plus, the concept of reincarnation was strange to him, And B's tone left little doubt that the man believed what he was saying.
Still, it was enough for now.
Atsui finally broke the silence and said, "We should head back to the village before I get a foot ulcer."
Samui shot him a sharp look. "You haven't done anything today. Why are you tired?"
Her brother shrugged. "Because walking all this way is exhausting and my feet hurt."
"You're hopeless," she said, rolling her eyes.
B added, "Now that I'm free, I gotta get back to A. Who knows what he's gonna say?"
The journey back was filled with contemplations. Arthur was asked by Darui how he had managed to free the two.
"I just entered their subconscious," he simply said, "and disrupted their flow of chakra to pull them out of their daze."
Except for B, the group didn't quite understand since it was beyond their comprehension.
Samui was more impressed that Arthur was capable of those feats as well. The more she learned about him, the more mysterious he became.
As for Atsui, he was wondering how Arthur managed to go toe-to-toe with two Jinchūriki at once.
"Come on," he begged, "what's your secret to training?"
"No secret," Arthur shrugged. "Just always be on your guard and keep your distance when things get too complicated."
"What good would that do?" Atsui wondered.
"You can't be that dull," Darui commented. "He's saying that if you can't figure out your opponent, fall back to assess the situation better."
Arthur honestly wasn't saying that at all; they just took his simple words and emphasized whatever they wanted to believe he was implying. If anything, he could have—and would have—annihilated both Jinchūriki and their Tailed Beasts had this new revelation in their psyche not unfolded.
The fight, although short-lived, gave an idea of just how much Arthur was holding back. Under a subtle illusion or not, he had every means to subdue the two without revealing too much about himself.
The only issue now was trying to find out how this all happened.
When they all finally arrived in the vicinity of the Raikage's office, things already became tense since the Raikage was quite angry.
"You left without telling anyone!" he snapped at B. "Do you know how dangerous that was?"
"I was under mind control, big bro A. What can I say? Can't get angry at me for being B."
The Raikage scowled, then turned to Arthur's team. "And you're telling me you let the Five-Tails walk free?!"
"He looked half dead anyway," Atsui tried.
"That's not the point!" A yelled. "Our enemy may very well have been the Stone Village, and you let a suspect get away."
"But, bro, the suspect's hair was white," B rapped. "No need to fret; it'll be alright."
Arthur's mind was still trying to piece things together as he listened to A berate B. Whoever was behind this was dangerous, and they had to be playing the long game.
Why leave two Jinchūriki to fight for days? And select those two of all characters?
The Raikage, after calming down, finally said, "I suppose you deserve a reward for bringing back my brother, Hoshikaze. Whatever you want, ask for it."
This was interesting, considering this was supposed to be Arthur's punishment. As such, he said, "So long as B is unharmed, that's enough for me."
The others looked at him with respect. His humility was one of a kind, and they appreciated it.
For the remaining moment, A demanded B not leave the village until they could investigate the matter. The Raikage would also be contacting the Stone Village for more information.
After leaving the office, Arthur and B talked outside.
"Mind telling me how we know each other?" Arthur asked directly.
B looked up to think. Rather than rap, he simply said, "Gyūki told me not to talk about it until your memories came back. Said it was complicated."
Arthur's eyes narrowed behind his blindfold.
"I promised I wouldn't say anything," B added. "I dunno much, but this is all needless. But I'll keep my words since I know ya've got secrets."
Arthur was undecided on whether to do something about this now or later. If B revealed those secrets, he'd have no choice but to eliminate him—along with Han. Right now was the worst moment for loose ends.
Unexpectedly, B gave Arthur a VIP guest pass. Arthur accepted, having forgotten that B was a famous rapper that held concerts in this village.
The two would later depart, with Arthur agreeing to one day attend if he could. Before fully leaving, Samui caught up to him.
"I just wanted to say," she softly began, "good work today. You were incredible."
"It was nothing," he humbly said. "I just did what needed to be done."
She smiled, a quiet, genuine smile. "I think you're a valuable part of this village. If anything, I was hoping you could train me one day."
"I'm free tomorrow morning…"
"Tomorrow?" she repeated in surprise. "I… I'm free too."
Just as she was about to say more, Atsui appeared out of nowhere. Grinning, he said, "I'll be sure she doesn't miss it!"
Samui shot him a sharp look with her face flushing. "Atsui, shut up!"
Arthur played his part by softly chuckling. These ninjas had their own hopes, and he was going to continue taking advantage.
Upon returning to his apartment, his senses immediately drew him to an event occurring in the Leaf Village. There, Alice and Jasper were having a discussion within the vicinity of one of his many Flying raijin marks.
"Babe," Jasper began, "you're not still mad at me, are you?"
"I am," Alice said, keeping her arms crossed.
"What's the big idea? It's not like I was cheating on you or anything."
The two would continue to go back and forth about how the act was still adulterous and how he'd tarnish her trust in him. He refused to relent, which caused yet another argument.
"They're not real!" he said, raising his voice.
"Real or not," she shot back, "your actions have consequences! Both with them and me. What would you have done had she gotten pregnant or if I didn't erase her memories?"
Arthur reviewed them going back and forth, deeming Alice's point valid. This world, while it might have been the virtual world of someone else's creation, was just as real as the players playing it.
There were legitimate penalties, causes and effects, and real-life interactions. Everything was translated so perfectly that players like Jada would often forget where he was. Even William was so invested that Arthur believed that William truly thought he was Naruto's cousin.
"Listen, Jasper," Alice continued. "I don't care whether we were in the world of Dragon Ball or on another planet, you never try to rape someone! Especially a little girl, for crying out loud!"
Now Jasper was quiet. Having been raised with everything at his fingertips, he had forgotten the concept of consequences.
This world was not like the one he was from. On earth, he could buy whatever and whoever he felt like for the right price. But here, he wasn't as famous. Neither was he rich enough to boss people around.
"Fine," he relented. "I already said I was sorry and wouldn't do it again. So, come on, babe. Let's not fight. You're the only one I care about here anyways."
'Oh…,' Arthur thought.
Alice studied him for a while. His words seemed sincere. She relaxed for a bit before demanding he prove himself first. He agreed, and the two parted ways.
Whatever Arthur had witnessed, it told him one thing: Jasper was lying.