Path Of War-Chapter 360: J, F, K

There was a reason why Arthur had told Jada that he was likely involved with the Cloud Village. That was because Arthur knew full well when he first acquired the Land of Birds that one of his primary objectives would be to create alliances with certain nations.

Forming alliances was the best course of action if his goal was to undermine or even destroy this world.

And right now, he was unaware of any other players' engagement with the Cloud Village. This made it all the better to interact with them before it was too late.

Although there were numerous ways to enter a hidden village, the first step was Hoshikaze.

Both during and after his tournament, Arthur made that character well-known. Numerous ninja attended that event, including the Raikage himself for amusement. Hoshikaze put on a show. So much so that he stood out due to his fighting style, tactics, and confidence.

The Cloud desired for him to become a part of their community. At the time, Arthur had declined. Now it was fortunate that he could use that publicity as a tool.

The ninja who defeated their elite guards with only taijutsu and also came out as the victor of a tough tournament filled with ninjas from across the world—who wouldn't want said ninja in their village?

Arthur, still on the throne, tapped his armchair. Hoshikaze materialized at once.

"My lord," the clone began, "what will you have me do?"

Arthur didn't mince words. He instructed him to "go into stasis inside a hidden cloning vat within the lab."

Hoshikaze accepted without hesitation and left. Knowing that this was a necessary step, Arthur had to isolate Hoshikaze before he could impersonate the clone. While he was in the Cloud, he did not want his clone to go out and raise suspicions.

Time to begin.

'Transformation jutsu...'

Now Arthur wore an open, black shirt with his trademark black blindfold and changed chakra signature. Complete, he teleported all the way to the Lightning Country.

There was no need for him to stress about locating where the Cloud Village was. This land was filled with Cloud ninjas, most of whom would eventually lead Arthur to their home's location.

As such, he proceeded on a random trail with his Tamashii active. His senses were extended as he looked for any indications of a shinobi. In just thirty minutes, he found what he was looking for.

Or rather, who he was looking for.

A lone ninja without a village headband faced off against a small group of four Cloud ninjas. Arthur observed intently, recognizing the rogue ninja was identified as a defected shinobi by the fact that his headband was tucked into his pouch.

He didn't appear to be under attack from the four Cloud ninjas. They seemed to be at a standstill, alert as if wishing to capture the rogue.

More importantly, Arthur also recognized who these four were: J, F, K, and Samui.

From what was written, J is a shinobi known for his bravery. He has dark skin and is bald and was wearing a flak jacket with one strap over his shoulder, along with a black shirt. He's also wearing his black sports sunglasses, just like Arthur remembered him to have.

F is another shinobi who appeared during the Fourth Shinobi World War. He has short, spiky brown hair and sports a small goatee. During the war, F was attacked by a White Zetsu Army clone and was later impersonated by this clone, leaving him for dead.

As for K, this was J's partner. There wasn't anything remotely special about these three since they were Chūnin-level at best.

Out of all of them, Samui was the only really important character. A tall, fair-skinned woman who often wears a stoic expression. She also has blue eyes and straight, shoulder-length blonde hair cut in an asymmetrical bob.

The last time Arthur saw her and her revealing outfit was back in his tournament. She had inevitably lost to Margaret in the first couple of rounds. Since then, she returned to her village with the thought of getting stronger.

Arthur never quite liked this character due to her personality. She acted far too mature, and her kenjutsu was lacking when she used her tanto.

Perhaps she could go toe-to-toe with Kinkaku and Ginkaku, but so what? Arthur had those two as his puppets on strings.

With all that in mind, Arthur was already jumping to their location.

"You're surrounded," Samui sharply said to the rogue.

"Come at me, you pompous excuse for shinobi!" the rogue yelled.

The rogue swiftly put up a hand sign while drawing his kunai. The others retaliated by drawing their own weapons, causing the tension to increase.

Samui's face twisted into annoyance; she was obviously trying to avoid using violence, but the rogue's behaviour was driving her over the edge. Worst of all, she had to capture this guy without killing him.

Just as her annoyance flared, out of nowhere, a shadow fell from the sky, saying, "Mind if I cut in?"

Then, bang!

A black figure had fallen directly onto the rogue's back almost as if he had materialized out of thin air. Ropes suddenly appeared and wrapped around the rogue with such quickness and efficiency that it made all four Cloud ninja's mouths drop.

The rogue was now flat on the ground and bound in the blink of an eye.

Who else could have done this apart from Arthur?

He immediately caught the attention of the others and was recognizable to them as Hoshikaze.

With his trademark black blindfold, assured stance, and laid-back manner, he looked as impressive as he had during the tournament.

After a moment of her eyes widening, Samui's face relaxed. She then grinned and moved forward.

"Thanks for the help," she said with a tone still a tad surprised.

With the same grin, Arthur replied, "No thanks needed."

J gave him a cautious but obviously impressed look as he stated, "I didn't think we'd be getting outside help."

"Think of it as a favour for Samui's sake," Arthur shrugged.

While the comment seemed sweet, it only made Samui blink, feeling somewhat perplexed.

"Just so you know," she said, "we had everything under control."

"We Cloud ninjas aren't pushovers," F added.

"I know," Arthur agreed. "I had to make sure she wasn't going to get hurt."

For a moment, there was a pause. The other three males exchanged a startled glance. Then it hit them: the tone of Hoshikaze's remarks conveyed that he was indirectly flirting with their squad leader!

But before anyone could say anything more, he stepped forward and spoke in a composed manner, "I'm here because I'd like to become a member of Cloud Village."

Everyone paused again at that. K's eyes got big as he asked, "Want to be a part of the Cloud?"

"Yes," Arthur said. "After seeing the world, I can say with certainty that the Cloud is the most suitable country for me right now. You have the best military force, and I think I could help strengthen it."

Samui's face changed a little. Earlier, she had first been annoyed and then perplexed, but now she appeared somewhat surprised due to how quickly her emotions hit her. She was normally level-headed and composed, so why did she feel so off after Arthur arrived?

And hearing him publicly praise the Cloud made her feel proud enough to forget his flirtatious comment.

Flicking her hair with a straight face, she said, "There are certain procedures that outsiders need to follow if they want to join our ranks... Not just anyone can say they want to join and have it happen."

Without protest, he replied, "I understood that before coming here. So whatever your procedures are, I'll more than follow them."

This earned him a smirk from her. J, who had secretly been waiting for another flirt attempt, said, "You seem more than capable, and from what I heard, I think you're more than qualified. Just being honest, of course."

It came as no surprise to Samui that the others knew who he was. Little had Arthur known, his name as Hoshikaze had spread for an entire day in their village, so they even sent out scouts to recruit him.

Before they could focus on Arthur, however, they had to return this rogue for punishment.

The group moved steadily through the landscape. They didn't take the usual route toward their village but instead veered to an area Arthur remembered from his observations—a place where Sasuke had fought Killer B once.

It was a training ground, a wide-open space with little cover.

Arthur stayed a few steps behind, observing everything while waiting for the right moment. He knew the chances of just walking into the Cloud Village were slim since ninjas weren't naïve; they protected their home more than themselves.

Still, he figured he could make his case if he needed to. That was why he wasn't in a rush. Patience as a Christian had always been his strong suit.

After some time, they finally reached the edge of the outskirts.

"We'll need to bring this traitor to prison before we can talk to someone about letting you in," J relayed.

Arthur didn't object; he understood the protocol—security measures first.

Samui looked at him and then at the rogue ninja before saying, "K will stay with you until we return."

"Is okay if you stay instead?" Arthur casually asked.

The others gave him a knowing smile, feeling a little surprised by his innocent request.

"Why me?" Samui skeptically asked, maintaining her cool.

"There was something important I needed to tell you about your brother, Atsui."

She narrowed her eyes for a moment. "My brother? What's going on with him?"

"That's why I asked for you to stay," he replied, dodging her question.

After a moment, she made a decision and said, "Alright. You and I will wait here since I'd like to hear what you have to say. J, F, and K can escort the traitor."

As her teammates left with the rogue ninja, she turned back to Arthur. She crossed her arms, waiting patiently with a sharp yet curious gaze.

"So what happened with Atsui?"

Arthur explained, "During the tournament, I felt as if he was too reckless. There's this strange sense of aggressiveness when he rushes into fights without thinking."

Samui let out a sigh of relief as he noticed her shoulders relax.

"For a second there," she softly admitted, "you had me a little worried. I thought you were implying he was in danger or something worse."

"I guess you can say that I still am. While you and I both can see through his passionate side, it might one day get the better of him."

Being his only brother, she agreed with Arthur and said, "I know my brother isn't the most rational shinobi, but I'll be there to put him back in line if he slips too far."

Arthur returned her smile. "That's good. As for your talents, they far exceed what most can see. Besides being beautiful, you're very skilled as a kunoichi."

Her eyes flared slightly, caught off guard by the compliment. She let out a little laugh, more surprised than anything. "Thanks." Then she paused, understanding what she'd just said. "I mean, I appreciate it."

They stood there quietly for a moment with a comfortable silence. Since she couldn't tell whether he was looking at her or not, she wanted to make small talk. But the issue was that she wasn't good with that sort of stuff. Plus, she didn't really know him.

"How long have you been with the Cloud?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"All my life," she responded with a smile.

"Not bad, considering your skills with a short sword."

"Now how would you know that without ever seeing me use it?" she challenged.

That was his cue. Unexpectedly, he held her fingers and answered, "It's because of your hands: the cuts on them tell me you train a lot."

She pulled back slightly, looking a little uncertain. "Well... I guess." To not make things awkward, she added, "But it's nice to hear someone acknowledge it."

He gave a slight smirk and said, "It's alright for us to speak informally, you know. That's one of the reasons I like you."

Her face flickered with surprise as she looked at him, unsure if he was joking or not.

"Wait, what?!"