Although Arthur had managed to enter the main village, he felt something amiss: the character known as "Arthur" had a background that he wasn't even aware of.
Then there was the fact he hadn't told the guards what had truly happened. What? Was he actually going to just blurt out that he had killed one of their shinobi, only to be thrown in prison as a slave before busting himself out and then committing a great taboo?
As if. He'd find himself right back in prison if he dared.
Either way, now he was in their territory, and everything looked exactly as the story entailed.
Towering wooden houses and charming shops lined the many winding alleys. While villagers bustled cheerfully about their daily tasks, children chased each other with joyous shrieks and laughter.
Arthur felt sick to his stomach.
The staged movements and flawless smiles gave the impression that they were no different than a carefully planned amusement park for anime-convention goers.
Not a single person appeared familiar as he walked right past them.
The academy was the first landmark he saw. Most people would feel nostalgic, but Arthur felt a chilly dread. These young kids were practicing with weapons that would eventually be used in real combat.
Elsewhere he walked; he saw a Dango shop across the street. The air was filled with the arouma of dumplings. If he hadn't known better, his mouth would have been watering. He paused to watch fat families with their children gobble up their treats.
Then he noticed something new farther down the street: a building with painted posters emblazoned on the front. Curious, he went over.
A movie was playing, as evidenced by the LED lights flashing inside the theater. One of the posters featured a stunning woman named "Princess Fūn." Little did he know this was the protagonist of the first Naruto film on earth.
Small parks with bubbling fountains and flowers were scattered throughout the village. Under their parents' watchful eyes, children played with innocent laughter.
Past them, Arthur saw a huge training ground beyond the parks. None of the figures could be identified as they sparred. Unlike the enemies he had previously faced, their movements were precise.
For certain, Arthur was not on their level. At least not yet.
His next trip took him to the Jōnin Standby Station, a structure he was familiar with. Outside, elite ninjas were gathered and conversed with one another before preparing for their missions.
Arthur was only interested in Asuma Sarutobi. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage, was the father of that character. He was known to employ trench knives with his wind techniques. A lethal organization of wanted ninjas would ultimately kill him in three years.
Arthur walked on past many other structures: a library, a hospital, and even the village's infamous hot springs.
A number of eateries lining the main street soon became visible. Every well-known Japanese dish was available there, including ramen shops, yakitori vendors, and taiyaki stalls. He was surprised to see that Chōji Akimichi, a glutton who loved to eat, and Naruto Uzumaki were not present.
After another moment, Arthur finally arrived at the Hokage Rock, the most famous landmark in this village.
Many would have thought that this area was just a few skips away. In truth, it had taken Arthur a whole day to get here—all the way until the sun began to set.
The stone carvings of former Hokages gazed down at the village. Although it appeared to be a cruel joke, it was a monument to their shared past. From left to right, Arthur saw Hashirama Senju, his younger brother Tobirama Senju, their student Hiruzen Sarutobi, and finally Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze.
Although Hiruzen may have regained his position as Hokage following Minato's passing, Arthur knew that he would likely perish in a few months at the hands of his own student, Orochimaru.
"How interesting," he finally spoke, ascending up the mountainside.
The higher he climbed, the farther away the clatter of market stalls and the joyous shouts became. Every step he took revealed a sweeping panorama of the village below. However, the scene's beauty didn't exactly calm his mind.
For the whole day, he had witnessed everything; the intricately designed streets and the enormous kanji letter for "Fire" on the Hokage's office were all figments of a thriving community teeming with armed ninjas.
The wind whipped at his orange jacket as he arrived at the top of the mountain, standing above the rocky head of Minato. The village below appeared to go on forever, a sight to behold.
But Arthur was unmoved. His plans of destroying this world would never change.
This façade would not convince him, and these mock cheers would never lull him into a false sense of security. He was aware of the reality, a harsh, icy reality that blazed more brilliantly than this replicated sun in the sky.
As he considered these thoughts, a warm voice suddenly broke through the wind: "Arthur?"
He turned slowly and noticed a figure standing a few feet away. It was Jada Schmidt!
Her new persona radiated youthful exuberance, younger than the woman he knew. She stood in the golden glow of the setting sun, her blonde hair now black and falling over her shoulders.
When she confirmed it was him, she hurried and gave him an embrace. "There you are! We've been looking all over for you! Where have you been?"
The gesture felt awkward, but he forced a fake smile. "I was exploring outside the village…"
Startled by his touch, she retreated a little and remarked, "You feel like ice! Did you fall into a river or something?"
Arthur looked away from her probing eyes and shook his head. Her behaviour suggested happiness and a sincere concern for his safety, but how could he know if it was real—if she was real?
"I'm fine," he declared. "Just a bit chilly."
She kept her eyes on him and cocked her head. "That still doesn't answer my question: where have you been all this time?"
He wanted to open up to her about everything that had happened to him. But logic held him back since he was unable to determine whether this was a programmed character or actually Jada.
So he admitted, "I was lost in the forest for about a week, but I found the village, and then you found me, I guess. Aren't you glad?"
All of her sense of reason was shaken by the question. "Are you kidding?" she asked with a smile. "I'm super happy! You must have had a crazy tutorial."
Their brief conversation revealed far too much. The first is that she used the pronoun "we," implying that the other players were also curious about his whereabouts. Then she added "tutorial." Unless they were extremely smart, no NPC would say that.
"Come on, you look hungry," Jada said as she took his hand. Her fingers were warm to the touch. "Let's get back down to the village."
Arthur let her lead him down the mountain on the well-traveled trail. As they descended, she talked about a training exercise she had done with the group and her day. The same gentle, childlike excitement he remembered from the real world was in her voice.
She hadn't gone through his trials; that much was clear.
Was she really unaware of the prison they were trapped in?
As he attempted to piece things together, he listened with half an ear. It was a painfully slow descent. His suspicion grew with every moment that went by. The person leading him was not someone he could trust.
To make sure she wasn't involved in Elysium's scheme, he had to figure out how to test her.
"Jada…"
"Yeah?" she asked with eyes full of curiosity.
"Do you remember one of the flaws I said about this world?"
Jada's smile wavered. Confusion crossed her features as she repeated, "Flaws…?" She didn't seem sure. "I think I remember you saying something about technology not making sense here. Why are you asking?"
Arthur felt his heart race. Her response was just what he had hoped for. Like him, Jada was a real player. There wasn't anything to disprove that fact right now.
"Just curious," he shrugged, quickly putting on a mask of nonchalance. "I was wondering if maybe there was something you might have seen that matched up with that."
"Yeah, actually!" she said with a returning smile. "Did you know they had a movie theater built like we were in the 2000s?"
Arthur played along with her enthusiasm. He stayed quiet for most of their conversation. As long as she wasn't a programmed character, he found no particular reason to do anything hasty.
Walking, Jada pointed out landmarks while speaking animatedly about the village. She had apparently been here for about a week. And since then, she hadn't visited all the notable landmarks. Only from below did she happen to spot someone with an orange jacket that looked out of place.
"Standing on the Hokage Rock isn't something normal people do here, you know?" she giggled.
The two were now getting close to some residential houses when she finally paused, looking worried.
"Arthur," she softly said, "before we greet the others, are you sure you're okay? There's a lot to take in, including getting used to our new roles here. Also, you've been a little quiet. I'm sorry if I haven't been considerate."
"Don't worry about me, Jada; I'm a quick learner," he said, grinning at her with a well-staged, sincere smile. "Besides, with you by my side now, how can anything bad happen?"
Without meaning to, he made her blush. Smiling, she added, "I didn't think you were the charming type. Haha."
After riding an elevator to the top floor, the two walked to the first of only two ornately decorated doors. Jada unlocked it with a key and led Arthur into a large apartment. There were soft rugs and smooth marble floors inside. There was even a large window that provided a stunning panoramic view of the village.
Did the players actually reside in a place like this? Arthur kept his discomfort to himself.
Alice, Campbell, and William were all comfortably seated, and the living room was buzzing with conversation. They all looked different now.
William's normally trimmed beard had disappeared, and he had dark red hair. Those glasses he wore still framed his face, making him look like a nerd, only younger.
Not much had changed in Campbell's appearance. Interestingly, she still had that bright red hair of hers.
The same could not be said about Alice. Her once-brunette hair had turned a vivid shade of blonde.
But where were Jasper and Alexander?
"Do my eyes deceive me?" Arthur heard behind him. The two people he wondered about came into the room. "To think we'd be seeing this handsome gent," said Alex, grinning broadly.
"Well, how 'bout that," Jasper added. "I thought you were dead."
Other than his youthful appearance, Alexander hadn't changed much either. As for Jasper, he was completely different: he had extremely white hair, and his skin was quite pale.
A stunned silence descended upon the scene as a result of Arthur's unexpected arrival. Most of them looked at him in astonishment.
"Arthur!" William pushed himself to his feet and exclaimed. "Ya finally made it!"
"Hey everyone, glad to see you're doing well," Arthur said with a broad smile and a casual wave. "I hope you're all doing well."
"More like doing nothing!" snorted Campbell. His arrival did not appear to surprise her in the least. Rather, she reclined on the sofa. "I'm so bored!"
Jasper gave Arthur a quick smile before abruptly losing interest. For some reason, Alex laughed and apologized for Jasper's impoliteness.
Pretending not to mind, Arthur laughed back. He was attempting to persuade these individuals to support him, but they didn't appear to be aware of the circumstances. So he had to keep complying.
"All right then," he lightly said. "How about we catch me up on things?"
Alice pointed to the vacant area next to her and said, "Not until you tell us what you've been up to!"
Arthur looked around the room again, glancing at a noticeable object on their person: the Leaf Village headband. One was only allowed to be worn by academy graduates, indicating their official status as ninjas.
Alex had his headband fastened around his waist. Jasper's was on his left bicep. Campbell and Alice both wore theirs around their necks. William's was the only one being worn on his forehead. As for Jada, Arthur didn't see where hers was.
Jasper opted to sit in the kitchen with his elbows resting on the counter as Jada ushered Arthur to the couch next to Alice.
"Okay," he began, "I guess I should go first…"
He quickly recounted how he spawned alone somewhere in the Fire Country. Everything else, like the fact he had slain someone, been deceived, imprisoned, and obtained a Kekkei Genkai through unethical means, was all concealed.
"I knew Clan-less was stupid," Campbell cried.
"Oh, come on," Alex protested. "Arthur was able to spend time outside the village. And look at his drip. Gotta love that orange jacket, mate."
Jasper scowled as he looked at Arthur, seemingly searching for a weakness. "What were you doing all that time?" An interesting question to ask since Arthur's clothes and body looked too pristine.
"Living off the land," Arthur answered. "I used the river to wash my clothes. Don't get me wrong, though; my nights were freezing!"
That made them all laugh.
While Arthur was indeed joking, there was always some truth in most jokes. These players, however, clearly didn't know half of what he had been through.