Arthur looked at Yugito and asked, "And what does 'she' know?"
Yugito hesitated again, then answered, "I guess for starters, she called 'lord Hoshikaze'."
He narrowed his eyes at this interesting news. All the other Tailed Beasts who knew him called him Arthur, Saiken included. But the Two-Tails referred to him as its lord.
"I'm sure it sounds uncomfortable hearing that," Yugito added, "but she was clear. When I asked her why, she just said she wanted to talk to you, almost like she knew who you were."
"Alright… If the Two-Tails wants to talk, I'd like to hear what she has to say. Would you mind if I entered your seal?"
Yugito offered a small smile. "It's no surprise that you know about that. The thing is, I'm not sure how to bring you to her. How about I let her take control to talk to you personally instead?"
"No need," he calmly replied. "Just close your eyes for me."
Yugito did as he instructed, so he placed a palm on her forehead. His chakra flared slightly before darkening the space around them. Then, a blue-tinted energy flicked in his vision, and he found himself standing in a dark, shadowed room: her subconscious.
This place was not the same as the Tailed Beast Psyche realm, but her seal. It almost looked like Naruto's Eight Trigrams Seal, minus the off-white glow and the water on the floor.
No, this area was quiet, with only the light of a strange, blue glow that cast long shadows on the ground. There was no ceiling either.
As Arthur turned around, he saw Yugito standing a few yards away. Behind her was the Two-Tails. Its fur was a dark shade, almost black, with streaks of blue that shimmered faintly in the ambient glow. Its eyes were also bright, and he could tell that it was regarding him with both recognition and curiosity.
"My lord, you sure haven't changed," the beast said in a formal tone.
Unlike many of the other Tailed Beasts, this one was notably respectful and polite. It also sounded like the same English actor that voiced it.
Arthur, knowing this, was more interested in its demeanour. After verifying that he was still in the form of Hoshikaze, he understood one thing: The Two-Tails has never seen his true form.
"I'm sorry," he began, "but I think this is the first time we've met."
The beast's expression shifted to irritation. "Don't play dumb. After all these years, you've forgotten?"
"If you and I met before in the past," he relayed, "I don't have any recollection of it."
The beast paused, then seemed to remember something. Then it became amused.
"That's right," it chuckled. "You did say that…"
Yugito looked between them. However, someone like Arthur could even talk casually to a Tailed Beast, which was beyond her level of reasoning.
"Care to fill me in on things?" she asked the beast.
But the beast ignored her and inclined its head back to Arthur.
"Do you at least remember my name?" it wondered.
There was a brief pause before he answered, "It's Matatabi…"
The Two-Tails suddenly purred a loud purr of satisfaction. Yugito was absolutely stunned. The beast had never acted this way toward her, and she simply could not grasp the significance of their bond.
Before he could ask the beast any questions, the dark room dissolved around him, and he returned to the Cloud Village.
A few yards away, Samui stood there with a surprised look on her face. Before he could say anything, she turned around and quickly vanished with the High-Speed Movement technique.
Arthur was left there wondering what had her so stunned. Until he felt that his palm was still on Yugito's forehead.
No way. Was Samui actually feeling emotional just because of that? Arthur was sick of thinking of that girl and needed to focus on the one in front of him.
Yugito slowly opened her eyes, unaware of Samui's presence. "Well?"
Wasn't that the question of the day?
"I suppose Matatabi and I are connected in some way," he tried. "It's clear she knows more than I do, so you'd have to give me some time to understand."
Yugito didn't understand more than he did. That was good since he didn't want his identity to be known by too many anyway.
"I guess this is a lot to take in," she said. "Since that's the case, allow me to formally introduce myself: I'm Yugito Nii, kunoichi of the Cloud Village and Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails."
After introducing himself as Hoshikaze, she expressed how much she respected his talents. His fame after winning the tournament had reached even her ears.
The two would later depart for Arthur to get a better grasp of his current situation.
After arriving back in the apartment, the idea gnawed at him: how did they know him? How had they recognized him as someone from the past, or perhaps from another time altogether?
His thoughts clung to that possibility, for the only explanation that made sense was time travel.
It didn't seem plausible at first. And yet, the evidence was staring him in the face. The Tailed Beasts had recognized him in a way they shouldn't have if he was just an ordinary ninja. They knew his name and his chakra signature—something that could only be relayed through a personal interaction.
As he stood there in the center of the room, he remained still. The objects seemingly began floating toward the ceiling until the very walls broke apart, and he found himself drifting in a void filled with stars, his own subconscious to think.
His mind spiraled deeper into the idea of time traveling.
Had he somehow gone back in time? Was it possible? If so, then maybe everything he'd experienced—the connection with the Tailed Beasts—was all part of some destined loop.
Perhaps the events were already set in motion that he couldn't yet comprehend.
But how? How could he travel through time?
The only person he knew who might have the knowledge was Jasper. That player was an Ōtsutsuki, a clan known for their space-time ninjutsu techniques. Their abilities had cosmic origins, so maybe there was a link there.
If anyone was involved in this, Jasper was bound to be one.
Still, Arthur couldn't imagine working with Jasper, not willingly. The man was unpredictable, self-centered, and dangerous. Their goals did not align. And more than that, Jasper's technique was limited.
The Time Travel jutsu, as they understood it, only reversed time up to a day. The idea that Arthur had traveled back further, perhaps even years, made no sense unless there was something else at play.
Arthur continued to drift in his own mind with his eyes closed. The many stars began revolving around him, furthering his mental faculties.
What exactly was time travel in this world? It wasn't like a simple teleportation or a dimensional shift. It had to be rooted in some complex space-time jutsu—something that bent the world's ridiculous laws further and that manipulated the fabric of time itself.
The more he thought about it, the closer the stars came to his body. Then they collided in his form, and he opened his eyes.
Something had become clear: Arthur needed to understand more about the Ōtsutsuki clan—how they manipulated space and time—then maybe he could figure out how to do it himself.
No matter how he saw it, that clan was technically responsible for this world. And what he was experiencing undoubtedly linked back to the Ōtsutsuki clan.
Now all he had to do was make his move.
The very next day, he went to the manager's office of his apartment complex. There, he instructed them to store any mail he might receive in his name.
"You got it, boss!"
Next, Arthur went to the Jōnin Station and requested a leave of absence. The officers looked at him with mild suspicion, but he kept his reasons vague.
"I'm traveling to another country," he said. "They asked for details, but he only gave them hints. "It's an important matter. Maybe I'll be back by next week."
They knew he was being vague, but who were they to go against the man who saved the Raikage's brother?
The whole truth was, he wasn't sure how long this would take either. He was venturing into the unknown territory that revolved around time travel, after all.
When he finished the paperwork for a leave of absence, they approved it.
His final stop was to depart regularly by walking out. But as he made his way toward the village gates, a figure stepped in front of him. Samui.
She looked apologetic, eyes downcast for a moment as she approached.
"I heard you put in a leave," she softly said.
'Strange,' Arthur thought. 'Her voice sounds… nervous.'
"There are some things I need to take care of," he said. "It's important, so I might be gone a few weeks."
She tried to look him in the face but found herself unable. Then her expression softened as she said, "I'm sorry…"
"Sorry for what?"
"I feel like it's my fault you're leaving."
"What do you mean?"
She looked away, fidgeting with her sleeve. "I know I shouldn't say this, but… I've been thinking about you. A lot. And I guess I'm worried about you leaving so suddenly."
"You sure do act strange," he smiled confidently. The comment shocked her out of her nervousness. "I appreciate that you felt concerned about me, but I do this kind of thing a lot, and I have my reasons, which I promise aren't your fault."
As sweet as that was, she stepped closer to say, "Whatever it is, I can help."
"You don't have to. I've got all the help I need. And besides, I work alone…"
Those were not the words she wanted to hear. Not even close. So she closed her eyes and admitted, "I had a hard time sleeping last night because I kept thinking about you." Then she opened her eyes to face him. I don't know why I feel this way, but I don't know what to do, and it bothers me that you're leaving."
He considered that for a moment. But it wasn't his problem. His focus was elsewhere—on understanding the strange recognition from the Tailed Beasts. And as far as he was concerned, Samui did not play a role in that matter.
"I just thought you should know," she finally finished.
Arthur slowly approached her and removed his blindfold. The two locked eyes as she found herself unable to pull away from them.
"You have heart," he began. "I enjoy that about you a lot. If you have the same care for me as I have for you, then wait, and I'll be back sooner than you think."
At that, her heart seemed to pound harder than any time before. She quickly bowed deeply and announced, "I'll wait! No matter how long it takes."
There was silence. By the time she opened her eyes, he was nowhere to be seen. Then she felt something in her hand: his blindfold.
She was impressed at how he managed to pull that off so smoothly. It made her heart flutter, so she clung to the blindfold to remember its texture and his scent.
After what felt like a minute, she heard Atsui's voice from behind, "Did you finally confess to him?!"
Samui's moment turned from romantic to a cool anger.
How dare he ruin this moment for her? Instead of hitting him or calling him names, she glared at him with eyes that hinted for him to run before things got ugly.