<div> Chapter 51 - Players
 Jada Schmidt.
 It all happened so fast—the accusations, his claims, the explosion—and now the village was plunged into chaos.
 Arthur. The quiet guy, always trailing behind the pack, lagging in training.
 He was the one who was always mysterious and didn't know anything about anime. Yet there he was, defying the Hokage himself.
 Arthur, the one who always seemed a step behind, was now the center of her world.
 He was a walking contradiction—seemingly clumsy yet resourceful, quiet yet explosive. And strangely, that was kind of cool.
 He never made her feel guilty about her own lack of stellar skills. He was the perfect audience for her endless rants about the world they were inexplicably trapped in.
 Did she believe she was trapped like he was? No, not even for a second.
 In fact, to her, Arthur seemed genuinely interesting. He was the only one out of the others who came into this world without any knowledge of the Naruto universe.
 Jada herself had spent countless hours glued to the screen back in her world, reading all of the latest volumes that were released.
 She winced, feeling the guilt settle in.
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 </div> Arthur, the supposed villain, the one who got stuck with the worst character during the selection phase—Clan-less—ended up being the one who wishes to destroy the world?
 The irony was almost painful.
 Despite the chaos brewing, Jada looked around at the panicked faces in the crowd.
 A thrill shot through her.
 Here, in this simulated world, she wasn't Jada, the shy girl who barely spoke to anyone. Here, she was Jada Uchiha, a Genin of the Leaf Village, a part of something bigger than herself.
 Here, she could be brave, strong, and use all the knowledge she had crammed into her head to actually make a difference.
 No, she didn't want to wake up back in her pod. Not quite yet.
 This world had its flaws, sure, but here, being Jada was easy; being a part of something was exhilarating.
 And even though things had gone sideways with Arthur, maybe, just maybe, there was still a way to make everything right—to use her knowledge of the story to change the ending.
 Jasper Reza.
 The acrid smell of smoke stung Jasper's nostrils as the Hokage barked orders, scrambling ninjas into some semblance of defense.
 Arthur, the weakling, the klutz had managed to pull off a Houdini act right in front of everyone. But that was just fine with Jasper.
 Weaklings deserve weak endings.
 He glanced at his teammates, Alexander and Alice, their faces frustrated at the results.
 This whole situation was turning into a colossal waste of time. He was here for one reason: to secure the Reza Group's future.
 Things like playing make-believe in a fictional world were just a stepping stone. Except this wasn't the same game anymore.
 Orochimaru, the snake bastard, had decided to crash the party. And Arthur, the pathetic excuse for a ninja, had become the unexpected catalyst.
 Jasper let out a sardonic chuckle. Talk about irony.
 He didn't care if Arthur was the villain or not. Villains were just strong people with negative PR. What mattered was that Arthur had become a wild card, a potential complication in Jasper's planned trajectory.
 Thanks to the Reza Group's resources, he'd cheated his way into Elysium's experiment, boosting his potential of winning their lottery by a landslide.
 He had every advantage, even knowing beforehand what the experiment entailed. Upon figuring this out, he watched and learned everything that had to do with Naruto.
 According to Jasper, Naruto was a stupid series to begin with.
 The pacing has issues, especially in Naruto Shippuden; there are too many filler episodes that make up a significant portion of the series; the power levels of the characters escalate too quickly; and there's too many bogus inspirational speeches to defeat the antagonists.
 Jasper had a life outside of Japanese animation or fictional franchises. If it wasn't for his family's prestige, he wouldn't have bothered participating.
 And now, with Orochimaru throwing the village into chaos, he saw an opportunity: another chance to prove himself while having fun in the process.
 He relished the dangerous thrill that coursed through him. No more pointless sparring sessions with trainers; this was the real deal.
 And if Arthur, the bumbling fool Jasper believed him to be, decided to play some kind of anti-hero, well, Jasper would gladly kill his character.
 Arthur's actions might be shrouded in mystery, but Jasper only cared about one thing: his own ascent to power.
 And if Arthur stood in his way, he would become another casualty, another stepping stone on Jasper's path towards becoming the ultimate ninja.
 Pity was a luxury he couldn't afford.
 Alice...
 The embers scattered across the arena, mimicking the war Alice felt within herself.
Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com. Arthur. That infuriating, self-important goofball. He was like a little kid playing dress-up in his dad's old villain costume.
 All she heard were his bold pronouncements with a melodramatic flair.
 But then, she remembered how he looked. The glint in his eyes during that speech, the way his voice hardened.
 Could he truly be capable of such darkness? No, surely not. Arthur would never hurt her, Jasper, or any of the other players.
 Right?
 She sighed, bouncing from stand to stand.
 This entire situation was ridiculous. Here she was, a former Black Ops spy turned reluctant anime character, hired for a mission so bizarre it felt like a fever dream.
 Her days tailing corrupt CEOs and infiltrating drug cartels were replaced by a secret assignment to venture into a world about a boy with sunshine-blond hair and a penchant for heroic rescues.
 'Jasper...' she thought to herself.
 Alice winced. She couldn't deny it anymore; she was smitten.
 He was strong, kind, and had a moral compass that rivaled a gyroscope—everything other men in her life weren't.
 Something worried Alice. Arthur managed to fool her and everyone else. And if he was willing to play the villain, she would hope that Jasper and him wouldn't get into a fight.
 To her, Jasper was a chivalrous man who genuinely cared for her. She had to protect him, even from Arthur, a seemingly confused, LARPing villain.
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 </div> Squaring her shoulders, she scanned the area.
 This whole thing was a mess, but at least it was an exciting kind of mess.
 With determination, she strode forward. Time to play the hero, even if she never signed up for this particular game.
 William Rodriguez.
 William stared up at the smoke-filled sky, hearing the sound of multiple citizens panicking to find shelter.
 Arthur. That knucklehead. Declaring himself a villain? It was almost laughable. Almost.
 Sure, Arthur wasn't the strongest. But during his taijutsu stint, the way he'd managed to dodge and counter Jasper's attacks, there was a spark there, a determination William had to respect.
 Speaking of Jasper, that smug know-it-all. Ever since William had entered this crazy world of Naruto, Jasper hadn't wasted an opportunity to point out his every misstep.
 "Whoa there, newbie, be careful not to trip over your own feet!" or "Looks like the nerd's in way over his head again."
 William clenched his fists, recalling those harsh comments.
 But things had changed.
 Thanks to his patient training and his own stubborn determination, William wasn't the same clumsy kid. So much so that it finally caused Jasper to back off with the taunts.
 Maybe that's why Arthur's declaration felt so off.
 William was still very naïve. He doesn't know if this game has real consequences or not, even if the stakes felt fantastical.
 Naruto was his favourite anime, and he was living in it. But that didn't mean it was all just fun and games.
 'If Arthur truly meant to hurt someone here...'
 William swallowed the thought.
 He may not be the strongest, but he wouldn't back down. He'd stand with them, fight with them, and protect everyone he cared about in this crazy, wonderful world.
 After all, that's what heroes do. And William, despite his initial hesitance, was finally starting to feel like one.
 Margaret Campbell.
 Margaret crossed her arms and leaned casually against a wall, not at all bothered by the clatter of weapons racing through the sky.
 Arthur. That overgrown toddler. Declaring himself a villain in front of the Hokage himself?
 It was enough to make her want to stuff him in an oversized carpet and roll him down a hill.
 But she couldn't help but smirk. There was a certain undeniable coolness to what Arthur had said to Hiruzen.
 Still, that didn't erase the anger simmering beneath. He'd tricked her and manipulated them all. And who knew what that madness in his eyes meant?
 Margaret pushed herself off the wall.
 She didn't care about Arthur's villainous tantrums, as long as they didn't involve important characters dying. He'd broken the trust she'd so naively extended, and now she wouldn't hesitate to stop him if he went on a rampage.
 The village had a running streak of trusting others so easily. It all started with Madara Uchiha and moved down to Orochimaru and lesser characters like Mizuki.
 At least the former felt inferior to Margaret. She believed she knew this world better than anyone else and was the strongest player.
 Orochimaru was a Sannin. Only she, with her unique powerset, had a fighting chance.
 The weight of responsibility settled on her shoulders, but this time, it was a fire that burned brighter after Arthur's theatrics. She wouldn't let him, or Orochimaru, endanger this world any further.
 Alexander Costa.
 Alex activated his Byakugan to see through the smoke.
 There, he was shocked to watch Arthur's body turn into vapour.
 Then nothing. He just vanished, blending in with the surrounding smoke!
 Alex felt various emotions swirling inside him. Arthur, the quiet, unassuming teammate, the one who always seemed a step behind, had just done something no one could—he surprised Alex.
 It was a revelation that gave him goosebumps like no other.
 Honestly, Alex had been getting bored. He'd been hoping for some real excitement when he signed up for this whole "new world" business.
 But so far, it has been mostly fetching quests and tedious training exercises. Sure, the path getting all the way here was a time killer, but it still lacked something.
 He was about ready to hit the logout button and forget the whole thing.
 Then Arthur dropped his villain bomb.
 Suddenly, the world wasn't so dull anymore. Now there was a sense of danger and unpredictability looming everywhere. A real villain meant real consequences. And for the first time since being pulled into this game, Alex felt genuine excitement.
 This new development, this unexpected twist—it was exactly what he'd been craving. A game within the game.
 A thrill shot through Alex, chasing away the boredom.
 What he wanted was someone to play with—a player who could truly test his skills in this game. Not a pre-determined pawn like Jasper, but a player worthy to be called a rival!
 Arthur was that rival—the only one whom Alex had underestimated.
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 </div> But how had this lanky, awkward guy ended up being the catalyst for chaos? Why him?
 Alex had never seen Arthur train with any exceptional flair and hadn't noticed any hidden depths to his personality. He was simply Arthur.
 Had Alex been so focused on impressing "her" that he'd completely missed the signs? It was enough to make him snort with amusement.
 A woman registered in his memories. Her face was obscured by shadows, but her voice was all too recognizable.
 "Remember, Alexander, this isn't just a game," she coldly declared. "You have a significant role to play."
 "I understand, mother..."
 "Good," she said, turning with an unimpressed look. "There's a lot at stake here, so don't disappoint me any further."
 A sharp voice cut through his musings.
 "Alex! Focus!" snapped Margaret. "Orochimaru's attacking! We need a plan."
 Alex nodded, forcing his thoughts away from Arthur.
 He had a duty, after all, an expectation to fulfill. He couldn't afford to get distracted by the mysteries surrounding Arthur.
 At least not now.</div>
 

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Chapter 51: Players

Chapter 51 - Players Jada Schmidt. It all happened so fast—the accusations, his claims, the explosion—and now the village was plunged into chaos. Arthur. The quiet guy, always trailing behind the pack, lagging in training. He was the one who was always mysterious and didn't know anything about anime. Yet there he was, defying the Hokage himself. Arthur, the one who always seemed a step behind, was now the center of her world. He was a walking contradiction—seemingly clumsy yet resourceful,...

Path Of War

Chapter 51: Players

Path Of War - Chapter 51: Players