Capítulo 12: End Goal
He drew everyone's attention.
"Has anyone else felt anything off here?" he began.
Jasper perked up, asking what he meant by "off."
"The pain threshold seems… artificially high. Like a video game difficulty setting on extra hard mode."
A murmur of agreement spread. Jada answered, "Yeah, it is a little weird. When I slammed my thumb in the door earlier, it definitely hurt, more than it should have for a virtual world's standards."
Alice chimed in, "So everything feels real. What of it?"
Arthur shook his head, saying, "It's more like a hyper-realistic simulation. And the problem is, I haven't been able to log out."
Margaret then burst into laughter and said, "Log out? Arthur, this isn't some cheap VR game. This is Elysium! It's all part of the experiment."
"Experiment?" Arthur repeated. "We weren't told anything about pain being set on high."
Margaret waved him dismissively and said, "Come on, think about it! The whole thing about getting to choose your clan and jutsu—it's all about immersion. They want us to feel like we're actually living in the world of Naruto. And guess what? We can't leave until the game is over."
Margaret's explanation didn't hold true. There had been no explanation, no rules, no way to exit this bizarre trap.
Arthur glanced at Alex, searching for any sign that he was in on it. But he simply shrugged, saying, "She's right, Arthur. It's all about the experience. Worse come to worse, they'll unplug us from the pod and say that we failed."
'Bull!' Arthur thought immediately, a cold dread settling in his stomach.
This was more than just a fan's dream come true. This was something far more dangerous. He couldn't trust anyone.
None of them knew what he had gone through, nor had they felt the surreal pain that awaited them. They'd been living in a fantasy, a comfortable lifestyle, blinded by the treacherous world around them.
Who was behind this scheme? Alex surely had to be playing a role with his convenient lack of a seal and suspiciously fast learning curve. But Arthur couldn't call him or anyone out right now.
Accusations would brand him a paranoid fool, or they might think he was insane—a tactical error on his part.
What was he going to say? That Dr. Kapoor told him that he'd die for real if he died in their experiment? Alex might interject, or they would claim she was likely using psychology to make him take the game more seriously.
Arthur knew better.
The searing pain from his battle with that Leaf ninja, the raw terror of being captured by bandits—those weren't mere game mechanics. They were visceral reminders of his precarious existence in this world.
The hunger pangs, the bone-chilling nights spent in the prison cell—these weren't virtual inconveniences; his life was on the brink of death!
He forced a smile of acceptance and said, "Yeah, you're probably right, Margaret. Gotta go all in for the full experience, right?"
Inside, however, he was indifferent. The carefully orchestrated lottery win, the convenient localization of the other participants—all of it reeked of a meticulously crafted plan.
Seven strangers, handpicked from hundreds of millions, all fluent in English, of which only he was the only one not to have watched Naruto? It was a statistical impossibility bordering on a conspiracy.
He took a glance at the others. Were they pawns, or were some of them more knowledgeable collaborators?
For now, he had to play along and learn everything he could about them and why he's truly here.
"So what's happened since we arrived?" he asked.
"Well," William started, "turns out I'm living with Naruto. Can you 'believe it'?" The others sighed upon hearing that overused catchphrase. "We've been somewhat training together, and we let his story progress like normal."
Arthur remembered the story well. A disloyal ninja named Mizuki used Naruto to acquire a secret scroll containing forbidden jutsu. The plot failed, and Mizuki was defeated by him, saving his teacher, Iruka Umino, and becoming a Genin in the process.
"I think this happened yesterday," William added. "Naruto even taught me the shadow clone jutsu!"
The shadow clone jutsu is a powerful technique that creates physical copies of the user. These clones share the user's memories, chakra, and even jutsu abilities.
However, the chakra is split evenly between the user and each clone, so creating too many clones can quickly leave the user drained if they have an abundance of chakra stored.
The clones themselves are useful for various purposes, such as fighting alongside the user, gathering information, or completing tasks. They also hold a unique advantage for training.
When a clone disperses, its experiences and remaining chakra are transferred back to the user, allowing them to compress years of training into a short period. It's also one of Naruto Uzumaki's most overused techniques.
"Do you all know shadow clones, too?" Arthur asked.
"Not all of us," Alex answered. "Only Will and Jada know it."
Margaret blurted out, "I'm just saving myself for wood clones—so much better."
A strange statement to make since it hadn't been confirmed if she could use wood style yet, a prerequisite to wood clones.
William continued, emphasizing that Naruto and him make a great team. The two have shared ramen and engaged in childish pranks around the village.
"Best be careful," Jasper reminded him. The insinuation was that if William's not careful, Naruto might see him as his best friend, preventing Sasuke from reawakening the Sharingan.
Arthur found it strange that they were trying to follow the story. Before interjecting anything, he allowed Jada to speak.
She said softly, "At the Uchiha compound, Sasuke is still Sasuke, very closed off. He avoids me most of the time, and I haven't been able to awaken my Sharingan yet."
Jada seemed to be innocent in all of this. Encouragingly, he said to her, "Don't worry, Jada. It takes time. But remember, the Sharingan isn't the only path to becoming a strong ninja."
Jada, in return, offered a grateful smile at the kind words. Margaret, however, said in a bashful tone, "Who cares about the Sharingan? I'm just waiting for Tsunade's arc to unlock some cool jutsus!"
She leaned toward William, holding him by the arm. "Speaking of main characters, did you know Will emptied his entire savings to buy us this fancy apartment?" Arthur blinked in surprise, asking why he would do that. "I suggested it, of course! We can't very well stay apart, can we?"
Arthur cast a bewildered glance at William, who blushed furiously. When Margaret said "we," she was referring to herself, Jada, and Alice. He looked at Alice, waiting to hear her background.
"Apparently," she said. "I'm a very distant cousin of Ino Yamanaka. I have my own place and all, but Margaret and Jada offered to share their place instead."
The Yamanaka clan are specialists in mind-related jutsu throughout the Leaf Village. They possess unique techniques for interrogation, information gathering, and telepathy. This makes them invaluable for espionage and intelligence gathering.
They traditionally lead the village's barrier team and are known for their long ponytails. They have also had a special bond with the Nara and Akimichi clans, forming a special team that has spanned generations.
"And you, Jasper?" Arthur asked, turning his attention to him. "Where did you stay?"
Jasper smirked, answering, "The village has no idea what an Ōtsutsuki clan is, but like the rest of us, I'm still registered as a ninja. No family or anything, but pretty boy here suggested we bunk together in the apartment next door."
Arthur looked to Alex, who explained that since he was in the main family of the Hyūga clan, they funded their living arrangements.
"What do you mean by the rest of us?" Arthur pondered, feeling a knot of suspicion. "Is that including me?"
Alex couldn't help but marvel at Arthur's wisdom, so he answered, "Yep, you're also registered as a Genin. We were told by Iruka that you went missing. Safe to say it was all part of the game."
"Speaking of game," Arthur added. "Tell me, what happened when you arrived in the Hyūga compound? Did they welcome you with open arms?"
"It wasn't exactly a family reunion," he admitted, "but Hiashi explained that I was Hinata's fraternal twin brother or something. The branch house members weren't thrilled about me moving out, but hey, at least I have a place to stay."
Arthur watched Alex carefully, waiting for him to slip up.
Mentioning the doctors stated that due to genetics, his eyes retained normalcy as opposed to his Hyūga counterparts, the clan still treated him as one of their own.
Arthur decided to go deeper and test them more. Casually, he said, "Everyone seems to be adapting pretty quickly... What's the end goal exactly other than survival?"
Margaret stretched languidly, letting out a yawn before saying, "The end goal, Arthur? Come on, you're not seriously asking that, are you? It's Naruto, the ultimate ninja dream come true! We get to live the story, become heroes, learn awesome jutsu. What more could you want?"
Arthur wasn't remotely convinced. Naruto was a story that spanned three years. He countered, asking about how their bodies will fair once they finish things.
"Pretty sure we're not gonna be in the pods for that long," Alex answered. "I think I read somewhere that one hour in the pods is like one year in here or something."
"Where'd you read that?" Jasper wondered.
"It's in the technical designs written on the Enclave Mk. II, duh?"
Arthur would remember Alex saying that. He placed his attention back on Margaret, believing that her answer felt scripted, lacking any real depth.
William's nerdish enthusiasm stood up to explain, "I think our goal isn't just to live out the story—it's to rewrite it."
Arthur immediately knew what he meant by that: he wanted to eliminate all the tragedies that unfolded. And despite everyone's silence, they appeared to have accepted this task.
Naruto's story was riddled with hardship and loss.
From the very beginning, the main character was ostracized by the villagers due to the Nine-Tails sealed within him. This isolation fueled a deep loneliness that he carried throughout his childhood.
Sasuke Uchiha, consumed by vengeance, walked a dark path. Unaware of Itachi's true motives for slaughtering their clan, he believed his brother to be a villain. This misunderstanding fueled his hatred and drove him away from his friends and village.
Neji Hyūga, born into a branch family of his clan, endured a life of prejudice and limitations. The main branch of the clan branded him with a cursed seal, a constant reminder of his supposed inferiority. This treatment instilled a deep-seated resentment within him.
Madara Uchiha, a powerful but bitter shinobi, orchestrated tragedies throughout the series. He manipulated Obito Uchiha, a young and idealistic ninja, into darkness. Obito, consumed by grief and vengeance after witnessing his friend Rin's death, became a pawn in Madara's schemes.
Similarly, Nagato, an orphaned child burdened by war, fell prey to Madara's manipulation. Witnessing the death of his friend Yahiko, he embraced a path of destruction under Madara's influence.
The deaths of these characters don't end there.
Orochimaru, obsessed with immortality, attempted a village invasion, leading to the death of the third Hokage. In the Land of Wind, Haku, a loyal but misguided young man, gave his life to shield his partner, Zabuza Momochi, the cold-hearted mercenary.
Chiyo, a renowned user of puppets, sacrificed herself in a forbidden jutsu to revive Gaara, a Jinchūriki like Naruto. Asuma, a mentor of Naruto, once fell victim to the Akatsuki, a criminal organization. Jiraiya, Naruto's godfather and a powerful Sannin, perished in a desperate attempt to gather intel on Nagato (Pain), the leader of the Akatsuki.
Even political corruption wasn't shy away from.
Danzo Shimura, a power-hungry elder of the Leaf Village, manipulated others to serve his own agenda. His ruthless methods cast a shadow over the village's leadership and more.
And lastly was Neji's death during the Fourth Shinobi World War. Though his death protected Naruto and Hinata, it felt scripted, highlighting the story's disregard for itself.
"Think about it," Alice said. "No more detested Naruto, brooding Sasuke, or Neji's whole family drama."
Jasper, in agreement, chimed in: "We can stop Obito and Nagato before talk-no-jutsu."
"Let's not forget," Margaret added, "we can stop Haku from sacrificing himself and protect Hiruzen from using the Reaper Death Seal."
They listed all the possible ways of preventing the heartbreaking moments, possessing both knowledge and assured clarity on how to thwart them.
Arthur's mind reeled.
Rewriting a whole narrative—a universe with its own established history and tragic heroes? It sounded ludicrous, even bordering on arrogant.
They were here to save this world and play along with its preordained story, while he was still focused on tearing it apart and exposing the truth about their predicament.
He needed to bide his time and learn as much as possible about their plan before coming up with a strategy. Otherwise, acting on the level he is now would brand him a madman.
"I see," he said in a neutral tone. "That's certainly ambitious."
The others seemed oblivious to his internal struggle. Margaret clapped her hands gleefully, saying, "It's practically written in the stars! We just have to nudge things along a bit!"
Jasper, however, remained skeptical. He knew it was easier said than done. In case Arthur felt indifferent, Alex assured him that they wouldn't be manipulating the entire world, just making some adjustments for a better ending.
They would be subtle, influencing events without rewriting major plot points. Remembering that their choices can have unintended consequences, each of them agreed to let the others know of any game-breaking actions.
After reluctantly agreeing to help them, they informed Arthur that Iruka was going to announce the Genin teams two days from now. Two days was more than enough time for him.
He couldn't risk revealing his true agenda, but he could certainly play along with their plan—for now.
For the remainder of his time here, they revealed their tactics, formulating a well-thought-out strategy to help them make it to the end. Arthur absorbed their plan, feeling disappointed at their naivety.
They each had potential, and they would surely become apex predators in the end, thanks to their knowledge. But what will happen if one of them dies? Will they truly be released even if they stop the next war?
Arthur wouldn't dare let their lives be ruined. To save them, he had to expose the truth and dismantle this whole world, even if it meant going against everyone in this room.
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