Not once had Arthur trusted anyone in this world. However, Alice couldn't tell that her little boy toy was a liar, which was even more astounding.
But Arthur, a man who knew how to act, understood when a man was hiding the truth from a woman. The way Jasper said that was not even close to his real self.
Jasper, as Arthur knew, was like a rich brat that didn't take no for an answer. If things didn't go his way, he would never give up so easily.
Alice herself had managed to spot Alexander's lies because of the latter's chakra fluctuation. So why couldn't Alice tell the difference between Jasper's truths?
Arthur would dwell on that matter another time. For now, he had to return to his village and then come back here again for a training session with Samui.
The next morning.
Arthur made his way to a training ground where he had agreed to meet up. Already, Samui was spotted in the center of a grass field. No one else was present.
"Morning," she smiled.
"Good morning," he replied.
The two spoke casually on what sort of training session they'd undergo. Because she knew him to be exceptionally strong, she was ordered to go all out.
"Well, then, Samui, let's see what you can do," Arthur challenged, shifting into a relaxed but ready stance.
"With pleasure," she replied in confidence.
Then she lunged at him. Her forearm slammed into his with a sharp bang. The contact was firm, and Arthur's defenses were impressive—almost impenetrable. Her smirk hinted she wasn't about to give up.
"You're tough," she said.
"Hmph…"
Then, suddenly, the two engaged in a swift exchange of taijutsu. Their bodies moved with practiced speed.
Samui twirled, evading his initial attacks, but it was clear she was only on the defensive now. Her breathing grew heavier as sweat beaded on her brow. Arthur's strikes were fast, almost too fast to follow. His body moved like a blur while she tried to keep up.
When she thought she could attack him, she instinctively pulled back, knowing it would be blocked. That allowed Arthur to deliver two swift strikes every time she made a mistake. They were harmless, but they made her annoyed at just how easily she could be taken down.
She had to think outside her usual tactics, so she drew her short sword and began swinging wildly.
"What good will that do?" Arthur teased in the midst of dodging.
Her attempts to land a blow were futile. All her swings met air as her blade sliced through his afterimages. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't connect. His body was just too fast, and his movements were too unpredictable.
When she thought she'd finally cut him, her sword passed through what she thought was him—another afterimage. A bead of sweat ran down her face, and her heart pounded harder.
Anyone could tell what she was thinking by looking at her face: "How can I beat this guy?"
This truly was madness for an opponent whose every attempt failed. That's simply how Arthur played the game: stay one step ahead of the enemy at all times without letting his own guard down.
Samui was already exhausted after those few exchanges, yet he hadn't even broken a sweat.
She had to change her approach. Stepping back, she took a deep breath.
"Maybe it'd be better if you didn't have your blindfold on," she decided aloud.
Was that a joke? Without hesitating, Arthur calmly reached up and pulled his blindfold away, exposing her eyes to him.
"You'll find this harder now," he coolly remarked.
She was taken aback at how seriously beautiful his eyes were even in the midst of combat. They were sharp, and it was as if he was looking directly through her heart.
It was a mistake to have gotten him to take the blindfolds off.
Slowly, Arthur ran toward her. Samui, in response, dropped three smoke pellets onto the ground. The dense white cloud billowed out and engulfed the area in a thick fog. Remembering his last location, she then lunged forward with her sword at the ready.
But when she swiped, her blade met nothing but empty air. Her instincts went into overdrive as she spun around. Then she heard it—an almost inaudible sound of a blade slicing through the air, coming from her side.
Her body moved instinctively as she ducked just in time, avoiding not a blade, but Arthur's arm.
He was swift, like a shadow slipping through the fog. That's when she finally understood: his body was just as sharp as a weapon—fast, precise, and very deadly.
It was no wonder he could take on two Jinchūriki at once.
They clashed again, and the smoke swirled around them. Arthur moved indefinitely, for his strikes were relentless and very controlled. Samui kept her guard up, trying to keep pace, but her body was tiring. Each exchange left her more breathless, with sweat dripping down her face.
"Just what fighting style is that?" she breathed after gaining some ground.
"Call it a style of how primates would fight if they could fly."
"Primates?!" she repeated as if stunned. "You mean like monkeys? I don't remember you moving like that back at the tournament."
Of course Arthur would never stick to just one fighting style. He needed to change things up to keep anyone from recognizing his move sets.
From the time he was in the Leaf Village, he only used basic skills he knew from earth. As he advanced outside, to the Cayman Jungles, he learned the Monkey Fist. When he learned the ways of the samurai, he added kenjutsu movements to his style.
And after analyzing almost all mixed forms of martial arts at the tournament, his fighting turned into a form of dancing that not even advanced dōjutsu, such as the Sharingan, could fully follow.
Mixing all that with his many Kekkei Genkai, he's unbeatable!
Soon, Arthur closed the distance and disarmed her in a smooth motion. One hand snaked around her wrist, pulling her arms behind her back, while the other pressed her down onto the ground.
He was on top now and had to hold tight because of how sweaty her body was. All she could do now was breathe raggedly, as if telling him that she was very exhausted.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
She was still panting. Or rather, she couldn't help but stare into his eyes.
Arthur noticed something strange—something subtle. A peculiar scent wafted from her that he couldn't quite identify. It was unlike anything he'd smelled before. Not the scent of sweat or dirt, but something more primal.
When he understood the position he was in, he understood what this was: it was the scent of a woman in heat!
Samui's eyes lowered and her cheeks flushed as her heart hammered in her chest. Because of that, Arthur quickly pulled away.
"That's enough for the day," he said. "Our training's over."
"Huh?" she wondered, still lying there.
The moment was broken, and she felt her breath catch as he moved away to retrieve his blindfold.
"But…" she began, slowly getting up, "we only had a few rounds."
"I can't continue," he simply said. "That was enough for today."
She hesitated, confused. "But—"
"You did just fine," he said, cutting her off. "Get some rest now."
Her eyes flicked to the ground, and she felt a strange sense of disappointment and embarrassment. She didn't quite understand what just happened. Her body was still a tad sore from the fight, and her mind couldn't quite make out why he wanted to stop.
A woman like her had never experienced that feeling before, so she didn't know what to honestly say.
"I see," she quietly relayed as if shy.
He turned to leave, walking off without another word. She watched him go, and her heart began pounding differently now—a harder and strange, uncomfortable flutter.
Whatever had happened while they were on the ground together left her feeling exposed. As he disappeared into the distance, she stood there, still trying to process the matter.
Was it exhaustion? Or something more?
Her mind was swirling, but she refused to dwell on it. Instead, she focused on the fact that her pride was intact, even if her ego was a little bruised.
Arthur, meanwhile, kept walking.
Their strange moment felt disgusting to him. Not because of the attraction, which he felt none of, but because of that unruly scent she'd emitted.
Normally, men and women alike from earth did not have strong senses. But here in the ninja world, where Arthur's body had undergone various stages of transformation to amplify himself, his senses were extremely keen.
A normal lioness in heat often entered a physiological and behavioral change known as estrus, a signal of her readiness to mate. During this time, she releases specific pheromones that actively solicit males for copulation.
Now, Samui hadn't undergone estrus but was instead in her menstrual cycle, which Arthur couldn't tell the difference from since both involved hormonal fluctuations that lead to ovulation.
That scent of hers was unfamiliar, and it unsettled him greatly. It had been some time since he interacted with a genuine female that felt attracted to him, so his own hormonal urges almost got the better of him.
At least when he was coercing Tsunade, his senses weren't as strong, so he couldn't quite tell what she was feeling, even if she did like him. There was also Rin, but her feelings towards him were devotional, not romantic.
Arthur was a man of faith. Self-control was paramount. The world's temptations, lust included, were dangerous. Had he not understood his purpose of serving Christ and staying true to his principles, temptation would have clouded his judgement.
That little romantic act was short-lived, and for good reasons.
Perhaps it was a bad idea to use Samui to further his influence within the Cloud Village's ninja community. Or perhaps not, and Arthur simply let things get too far.
What he had to do was stop focusing on one character from this village and try to understand the others that actually knew him.
His thoughts therefore circled to the strange connection he'd apparently have with the Eight-Tails and Five-Tails. By the time he was considering the matter, a woman called out, "Wait a second!"
Arthur turned, surprised to see Yugito Nii approaching. Now he was angry at himself for having let Samui invade his thoughts. Otherwise, he would have stayed focused on his surroundings and seen Yugito coming.
Yugito was an unexpected sight. With long, blonde hair, dark eyes, and red lipstick, she wore a distinct black and purple cloud-patterned outfit, complemented by purple fingerless gloves, a blue beaded chain, and a Cloud Village forehead protector.
Knowing her well, he kept his expression neutral and waited for her to speak.
"You're Hoshikaze, right?" she asked.
"I'm him," he said. "Is there a problem?"
"Ugh… no," she hesitated. "It's just… How do I explain this? My Tailed Beast was drawn to your chakra."
Great. Another blonde woman who was also indirectly attracted to Arthur.
"My chakra?" he repeated.
"Yeah… When I came back to the village after a long mission, my Tailed Beast stopped me from everything just to come find you. We only knew where you were because she remembered your chakra signature."
"You and I have clearly never met before, so how does your Tailed Beast know me?"
"I don't have all the answers," she shrugged with a grin. "But I'm sure she knows."
That puzzle Arthur was trying to understand became more complicated. The connection to the Eight-Tails and Five-Tails was one thing, but now the Two-Tails?
Just what the heck did they know that he did not?