Path Of War-Chapter 355: Don’t Know What To Do

In the heart of Sun Stream Plaza, within his throne room, Arthur sat quietly.

Outside, the hustle and bustle of the Light Village continued as it always did, but inside, its owner's mind was elsewhere. He was thinking about the next group of villains he might recruit, those who shared his desire to either undo or destroy the shinobi world.

Villains in this realm were still present, each with their own reasons for fighting. Some sought chaos, others power, and some destruction. But regardless of their motives, they all shared a common goal: to end this world's system as they knew it.

And the biggest obstacle? Naruto Uzumaki. Time and again, Naruto thwarted their plans, no matter how well they thought things through.

It hadn't mattered whether they were geniuses, grown adults, had special eyes, could travel through other worlds, or were just outright the strongest being in the universe—Naruto always won.

Many of these villains were clever, strategic, and driven. They believed they could succeed where others failed. But Naruto's resilience, his unpredictability, and his spirit always seemed to get in their way. Naruto was a wall they couldn't simply break through.

That's simply how his story went: the bad guys always lost to the hero.

Arthur wasn't foolish to these things; he knew every villain's schemes intimately. Therefore, an idea formed in his mind: what if the villains weren't merely enemies opposing Naruto but instead served under Arthur first?

What if they obeyed his laws, followed his commands? Could their efforts become more focused, more effective? Could they finally topple the shinobi world if they worked together, united behind a single leader?

Obito's Kamui made him nearly untouchable because he could teleport out of harm's way and react quickly. However, he relied heavily on this ability and was being manipulated from the beginning.

Naruto's perseverance and teamwork eventually found openings, forcing Obito to turn a new leaf.

Pain's defeat was a tad similar. His control over the Six Paths nearly allowed him to conquer the Leaf Village, but Naruto exploited his background, converting the former's heart.

Toneri was powerful but underestimated Naruto and the ninja's ability to work together. He had the best chance of destroying this world because he was going to crash the moon upon it. But after learning of his clan's true purpose, he changed his mind.

Sasuke's drive and his ability to manipulate space with the Rinnegan challenged Naruto in their final confrontation. Still, Naruto's resilience and perseverance eventually paid off, thus weakening Sasuke's vulnerable mind.

Madara's immense strength and experience allowed him to take on the entire world for a while. His use of his Rinnegan, Hashirama's cells, and the Ten-Tails made him nearly unstoppable. Yet it was his overconfidence and his desire for more power that eventually led to his downfall, as Naruto and others' combined efforts brought him down.

Had it not been for Black Zetsu tricking him, Kaguya might not have been revived, allowing Madara to be the first to rule the shinobi world forever.

All these strong ninjas were, in the end, defeated by nonsensical plot devices. There were no epic one-on-one battles where the results ended in someone's brutal death.

Perhaps Nagato and Madara did die after their last battle, but it was not Naruto who did the deed. The former sacrificed himself, while the latter had the Ten-Tails extracted from him, thus leading to his inevitable death.

At the end of the day, Naruto won all his fights through Talk-No-Jutsu, having only killed one insignificant shinobi throughout the entire story.

Some ninja. At least Arthur's total body count was in the thousands.

Still sitting in the throne room, his thoughts moved through his mind as he tried to sort out what this could all mean.

What he needed were more recruits. Not everyone would, however. He needed those with a clear purpose, a willingness to follow orders, and enough strength to make a difference.

Most villains lacked discipline, while others lacked consistency. That meant only a few met his standards.

He thought of those who had challenged Naruto before and failed: Akahoshi and Kazuma.

Akahoshi was a shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Stars, located in the Land of Bears. He had proclaimed himself the fourth Hoshikage and was ruthless in nature. He murdered the previous third Hoshikage to take power, then sought to revive forbidden star training.

He also believed it would make their ninja invincible—by embedding a meteorite into his chest. In terms of ability, because he had fused with the meteorite to increase his strength, he could summon star chakra blasts and create dragon constructs.

The Leaf Village wouldn't intervene in this, if they hadn't already, for a few months.

'Perhaps I could use him before they do,' Arthur thought. Then his mind drifted toward Kazuma. 'Hmm...'

Kazuma, also known as Furido, was a former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Some years from now, he would lead a faction trying to overthrow the Leaf Village and aim to establish a new order.

The issue with him, however, was that he could rally others much like Arthur. Because of that, it would only make him a temporary servant. Unless Arthur changed his will.

Villains like that were very easy to exploit due to their unstable mindsets. And so long as Arthur could relate to them, he wouldn't need to rely on genjutsu.

Arthur leaned back slightly to contemplate how these villains weren't just obstacles—they were tools, weapons to be shaped. But he paused. He didn't want to limit himself to just villains.

The world was full of potential allies—those who, if guided correctly, could serve his plans better than chaos alone. Some seemed insignificant at first, like Shira, a character with little relevance but with talent that could surpass even Might Guy, the world's best taijutsu user.

Arthur hadn't forgotten him. Shira was a blank slate, a filler character without a true purpose. With proper guidance, he could become a weapon far more powerful.

Arthur remembered placing an Evil Illusion Flattery command on Shira—an influence designed to turn him into a loyal asset. The boy had raw talent, and with the right training, he could perfect many fighting styles revolving around taijutsu.

Arthur's goal was to nurture him and unlock the boy's true potential. In doing so, Shira could indeed become stronger than Might Guy.

So why would Arthur limit himself to villains? Seeking new possibilities in everyone was more profitable. That was why he had sown the seeds early.

Now the clocks were ticking; he had to start making his moves before these windows of opportunity closed.

He called forth three of his clones—Hoshikaze, Ryugetsu, and John. Kaito was still tied up with Akatsuki matters, so that clone couldn't join.

When they arrived, they stood side-by-side and right before the throne. Arthur's voice was calm but firm as he asked, "How is Lars faring?"

Hoshikaze responded, "The two of us have sparred lightly, and he seems content with how things are going."

"And Rin...?"

"Her progress hasn't improved," answered John. "Her emotions are holding her back from awakening her wood style."

That troubled Arthur. Rin was one of his greatest achievements and also the key to bringing Obito Uchiha down if the latter were to ever interact with him early.

Her emotional struggles were a setback, but he was patient. He would keep nurturing her no matter how long it took.

"What about Sora?" he asked.

Ryugetsu replied, "He's gaining better control over the Nine-Tails' chakra. We believe that, with time, we can extract it all from him."

Arthur's interest sharpened. Sora's control as a pseudo-Jinchūriki was just as vital. If he could harness that power fully, it would serve Arthur's plans perfectly.

Therefore, he planned to keep Sora close by giving Ryugetsu full authority over the boy.

As the conversation went on about national changes, Hoshikaze sensed a presence. Jada was trying to summon him.

Without hesitation, Hoshikaze excused himself and disappeared. The others watched in silence, understanding the importance.

Elsewhere, in the Fire Country, Jada was standing in an open field with one eye open—her Mangekyō Sharingan. Her face was strained and filled with worry once Hoshikaze appeared.

"Hoshikaze-sensei," she greeted in a trembling voice. "I... I'm sorry I called you like this, but I don't know what to do."

She looked close to tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked, faking his concern.

"My group... it's falling apart. One of my friends tried to—" She hesitated. "Tried to rape someone. I tried to step in, but I felt powerless. And now I don't know what to do." freewebnσvel.cøm

Hoshikaze's expression stayed calm, but inside, he was processing her words. Acts of violence like that were unthinkable. The only ones capable of such cruelty were William and Jasper.

"It's good that you tried to defend your friend," he softly said. "What you should do in cases like these is grow stronger to protect your loved ones."

"But how?" she whimpered.

"I suppose now is a good time that we undergo some training."

Jada agreed with tears in her eyes as she tried to forget what her friend had done. Hoshikaze did what was right by reaching out to wipe her cheeks.

When her mourning stopped, they agreed to spend three days with each other and without any outside disturbances. As such, they would meet at the border of the country that same day since he claimed he was close by.

Hoshikaze later returned to the throne room, where Arthur was already aware of what had happened.

Arthur told him not to go himself but to stay. Instead, Arthur would handle the situation.

Ryugetsu was curious, so the clone asked, "Why do you want to go, my lord?"

Arthur hadn't answered at first but understood that his behaviour in wishing to be the one to interact with Jada was a tad out of character. So much so that even his own clones were curious.

"I've been bored," he replied.

To his clones, that was almost amusing—Arthur's stoicism hid a simple desire: to feel alive, to interact with someone real. He had been cooped up in this world for so long with "things" that he began to forget what a genuine interaction felt like.

When was the last time Arthur had a conversation with someone he deemed real? Jada, with her sincere care for Hoshikaze, could provide that rare connection.

If he didn't do it, he would risk losing his mind—or whatever semblance he had left of it.

Before he left, John asked, referring to Jada's plea for help, "Who do you think is behind the potential assault?"

"Clearly Jasper," Arthur replied.

They all agreed. William was too invested in this world and too obsessed with being a ninja to do something so heinous. Jasper, however, had motives—jealousy, anger, or a desire to destabilize.

John looked thoughtful. "And the victim?"

The others considered. It had to be a female, given the fact that Jasper wasn't gay. Or at least, they thought he wasn't.

Jada's information also pointed to someone she deemed as a friend. While Jasper was indeed dating Alice, there was no way that he could overpower her to try and rape her.

Then there was the notion that Arthur knew almost everything that happened in the Leaf Village. Neither Margaret nor Alice was there at the moment.

The group quickly narrowed down the possibilities of the victim instead being a character in this world: TenTen, Sakura, Hinata, and Ino. The only problem was that none of their behaviours seemed off, like they had almost been raped.

After a moment, they reached a conclusion: Sakura was likely the victim.

That understanding complicated things. Sakura was gentle, often overlooked, but capable of strength when pushed. Jasper could easily overpower her and likely sought her out because she was an easy target that most fans lusted after.

If she had been targeted, it signaled a deeper internal problem between the players. This was good for Arthur because it protected his interests.

He did not care about helping the players. And the incident with Sakura was a sign that darkness lurked even in their midst.

Whether they were villains, allies, or threats—everyone played a part in his grand design. And in the end, he projected to be the one standing victorious.