The night was still young.
Arthur wasted no time returning to his hotel. He secured the doors and windows, turning his low estate into a training ground. The next thing he did was activate his Crimson Gaze to gauge his surroundings.
Looking at the Leaf Village from this perspective was far greater than before. The greenery, the materials used in homes, and the restful citizens—they all felt as if they were truly breathing now.
When Arthur managed to peer through the players' home, he was interested to see their chakra levels. What he verified was incredible: each one of them bore a distinct nature that superseded the majority of the ninjas in the village.
Above all of them, Alex's chakra was horrendously high.
'I get that he's a Hyūga,' Arthur thought to himself, 'but that still makes no sense…'
After Alex, Jasper undoubtedly had the second-highest chakra levels. Next came Margaret, then Alice, followed by William, and then Jada. As for Naruto, his Uzumaki chakra seemed quite warm, almost otherworldly compared to the players'.
Without a doubt, each one of those players could easily pass the Chūnin Exams with flying colours.
Arthur refrained from looking further, just in case. It was time to move on to his original goal of training. And right now, no one was in sight to intervene. Even Hiruzen was asleep.
Tonight's focus was on the Seven Heavenly Breaths technique. From what he knew, this technique revolved around a series of specific breathing exercises, with each Activation unlocking a new level of power.
Knowing that the Eight Inner Gates correlated with specific areas of the body, he placed his attention on where the Second Activation could be: in the brain's right hemisphere.
Arthur settled into a meditative state, channeling chakra through his body with practiced focus. He then used the First Activation, meticulously feeling out his entire being.
The First Activation gave him energy, preventing him from getting tired as his body buzzed with vitality. But the Second Activation remained elusive.
Hours passed as he cycled through the breaths.
Focusing on his brain was a complicated matter. It did not seem that the Seven Heavenly Breaths were at all the same as the Eight Inner Gates. Arthur, not giving up, pushed himself, forcing the first Activation to last as long as he could.
Just as he felt he was on the verge of unlocking the next Activation, the world began to blur and tilt. Dizziness forced him to break his concentration. The negative feedback left him with intense mental soreness. His entire mind and body became lethargic, as if he hadn't slept in weeks.
Without giving it a second thought, he slumped to the floor and rested.
Afternoon light streamed through the window, rousing him from his failed training. He had overslept, and the regret of making a mistake disturbed him. Arthur had to be perfect, for as it is written in the holy bible: 'Be ye perfect, for I am perfect.'
He wanted to double down on his efforts, determined to practice again tonight. But for now, the day awaited him. So he rose, feeling a tad stiff.
After eating, he stepped outside into the bustle of the Leaf Village. There were so many things he could do in a day, but he set his sights on what profited him the most: the training grounds.
When he rounded the corner, he saw something interesting. There, in the center of the clearing he normally frequented, Asuma was barking instructions at his team—Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Chōji Akimichi. They were working on their famous 'Ino-Shika-Chō formation.'
An idea popped into Arthur's head. Clans—those were the missing pieces.
Clans are families or groups of ninjas that existed even before villages were formed. Many clans were known for their special abilities and secret techniques. Membership in a clan was usually based on blood since these secret techniques were passed down through families, making them confidential.
Such secret techniques were not written down but taught orally to keep them secret. Anyone could learn a secret technique in theory, but some required a special ability or lineage from the clan that originally developed it.
A daring plan began to take shape. Training could wait. Today, Arthur would focus on gathering intelligence. And who better to start with than the Akimichi clan?
The Akimichi clan was a prominent one in the Leaf Village, known for manipulating their body size and weight, granting them immense physical strength. To fuel their chakra-heavy techniques, members used their fat to convert it into chakra.
This was known as the "Calorie Control" technique.
Finding a hiding spot, he dissolved into smoke. He later reappeared moments later in the Akimichi clan district, hovering outside the compound. While still in his smoke form, he then slipped through ventilation shaft after ventilation shaft, looking for scrolls.
He found himself accessing libraries, stores, and even their clan leader's vacant home.
There were many obese members, many of whom were wearing the symbol for food on their garments, yet he couldn't find anything related to their secret techniques.
He technically already understood the basics of learning the Calorie Control technique he was after. To execute it, however, he needed to know the technique's proper fundamentals: the way the Akimichi clan optimized it.
While drifting through the compound, a certain character's movement caught his attention. In a secluded training ground, a young man with short, spiky hair was spotted jogging in place.
Arthur recognized this character: Makaro Akimichi, a participant in the Fourth Shinobi War. Although his features were much younger, Arthur still recognized him. He appeared to be fourteen based on his size.
That's when a plan came to fruition.
'Transformation jutsu…'
Without wasting time, Arthur's form solidified, morphing into the spitting image of Chōza Akimichi, the current head of the Akimichi clan. He then puffed out his chest, mimicking Chōza's signature confident stride as he approached the boy.
"Makaro," he boomed, "dedication like that is what makes the Akimichi strong."
Makaro spun around while still jogging. Then his eyes widened in surprise. "C-Clan Head?"
The impersonation seemed to be working.
"Indeed," Arthur continued in a gruff but encouraging tone. "You're young, but you've got potential."
"T-thank you, sir!"
"Tell me, Makaro, are you confident in your grasp of our Calorie Control jutsu?"
Makaro's cheeks flushed red as he said, "I, uh, I'm working on it, sir! But sometimes..." he trailed off.
"Sometimes what, my boy?"
Makaro fidgeted with his shirt before saying, "Well, you know, the massive amounts of food... it's hard to know exactly how much is too much."
This was it—the key to understanding the intricacies of the technique. So Arthur pressed on.
"How exactly are you controlling the chakra when you use the jutsu?" he asked.
"Ah! Yes, sir!" Makaro answered. "Like I was taught, the art lies not just in consumption but in understanding my body's unique limits. I have to always listen to my chakra flow and feel out the chakra itself as my food converts into my stomach linings."
Makaro continued disclosing information, seeing his own flaws in the process.
"How could I forget?!" he gasped. "It's a balancing act. Too little food or too little chakra, and I'll strain my belly!"
Arthur boomed with laughter, mimicking exactly how Chōza would have responded. When Makaro heard more compliments thrown his way, his eyes shone.
"I really appreciate the praise, sir!"
"But of course, Makaro. I look forward to seeing you progress in the coming days."
"Thank you, sir!"
With the information now in Arthur's possession, he gave one final pat on Makaro's shoulder before fully departing.
It had been a risky choice turning into Chōza in the first place, but Arthur wasn't stupid; he knew Chōza wasn't in the district after diligently searching the area prior.
Later, he walked to the restaurant plaza. Stalls overflowed with produce, and he could hear the clanging of pots in open kitchens.
The spot he found was called the 'Bull's Bite' restaurant. Unlike the ramen shops and dumpling houses frequented by others, this one carried an abundance of meat—the right type of food to help him train.
So he settled into a booth where the walls were adorned with mounted animal heads (much to a vegetarian crowd's dismay).
A young waiter approached with a smile and said, "Welcome to Bull's Bite, young man! Can I interest you in our signature 'Rampaging Bull Steak'? Its ten-ounce goodness is full of the finest Leaf beef, marinated in our secret spices!"
Arthur scanned the menu first. He knew he needed the most out of what the restaurant had to offer. "Give me twenty-five pounds of it."
"You got it, young—twenty-five pounds?!"
The waiter was taken aback by the sheer audacity of his order. A twenty-five-pound steak was enough to feed a party of sumo wrestlers. What would one little ninja know about what he was ordering?
Arthur pulled out eight hundred ryō, plus a tip, to show that he wasn't kidding.
With a nervous chuckle, the waiter confirmed the order, scurried into the kitchen, and relayed it to the head chef.
The chef, a giant sporting a handlebar mustache, was impressed by the unusual request. He thought it was a joke at first, but when the waiter said that Arthur had already paid in full, the chef personally took charge of the meal.
Half an hour later, multiple sizzling platters arrived, and the meats were cooked to perfection.
Arthur dug in, the first bite confirming his taste buds. It was indeed an ignorantly blissful bite. The taste was pleasant and meaty, but deep down, he knew that's not what mattered.
As he devoured the gargantuan steaks, he focused the chakra in his gut, feeling a peculiar sensation. It felt artificial and a tad pleasant. Finishing the last bite, an unfamiliar pressure built in his stomach.
This was his signal.
He closed his eyes, focusing his chakra again. With precise control, he then channeled it toward the points in his belly, feeling the flow across his abdomen. The food digested faster and began converting at a quicker rate than his metabolism was used to.
He felt lighter; his body was being energized despite the massive amount of food he'd just consumed. The pressure in his stomach had soon dissipated, replaced by a comfortable warmth.
But it wasn't enough, so he opened his eyes and called for the waiter. "Bring me another order."
"Another order?!" the waiter squeaked in disbelief.
Only when he noticed that Arthur had polished off the entire steak platter, leaving nothing behind, did he see he wasn't joking.
"Yes, and make sure it's a quarter of a hundred pounds," Arthur demanded, pulling out another eight hundred ryō plus two hundred in tips.
The waiter's jaw dropped. This wasn't just impressive anymore; it was borderline inhuman. A normal person would be groaning on the floor, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of food. But this supposed boy looked unfazed.
Moments later, the second platter arrived, and Arthur repeated the process.
Closing his eyes, he focused on his gut again, feeling the chakra flow. This time, however, it was a lot smoother and more easily balanced.
Things were working better. And there was a reason why it seemed natural to be learning so quickly: his Clan-less trait.
The Calorie Control technique was akin to a buff trait, one that supported the user. Grasping this secret technique was easy once he got the fundamentals down. Paired with other techniques, like the Chakra-Enhanced Strength, it could help Arthur create a potent synergy for enhanced combat performance.
Ergo, he could convert massive amounts of fat into chakra, thus fueling his body for extended periods. This also translated to quicker recovery times in and out of battles, allowing him to utilize techniques more frequently without much chakra depletion.
Additionally, the constant influx of chakra from the Calorie Control technique could theoretically be channeled to augment his physical strength further. That also meant he could maintain his peak physical performance for longer durations and deliver stronger blows while maneuvering with greater endurance.
There was an inclusion to this secret technique: 'Butterfly Mode.'
Butterfly Mode was a semi-transformation used by the Akimichi clan, where they converted their body fat into chakra, granting them butterfly wings, enhanced strength, and special techniques.
It required immense chakra and could be risky, with special pills offering a shortcut to entry.
Arthur didn't have those pills as of now. And even if he wanted to enter this Butterfly Mode, it'd require a lot of practice.
The waiter would soon return, only to see all the plates were cleaned again. He gave Arthur a dutiful smile due to him being a well-mannered customer and paying upfront.
"Allow me to clean the table for you!" he jovially smiled.
"Please do…" Arthur calmly said, trying to calm his upset stomach.
He would need at least another half hour to let everything fully digest before trying the Calorie Control technique again.
When the time was up, and he was ready to eat more, Arthur's hand rose up to signal the waiter for another round. But just as he did, the chime of the restaurant door sounded.
"There you are, Arthur!" someone chirped. When he looked to see who it was, he saw Alice. "Took me ages to find you!"
Arthur forced a smile and said, "Just enjoying a meal."
"Meal?" Alice raised an eyebrow, seeing no plates on the table. "You must have just eaten, then. Good! I need you now."
"For what?"
"Mission briefing, duh!" Alice said, plopping down opposite him. "The Yamanaka clan... Er, I mean my family, just assigned me a new mission, and with the Chūnin Exams coming up..."
Arthur's eyes slightly twitched. He knew exactly where this was going: Alice wanted him to participate in this new mission of hers so that he could qualify for the exams.
While it might have seemed inconvenient, it was actually the perfect opportunity: a chance to infiltrate her clan and learn their secret techniques.
"And?" he prompted, feigning interest.
"Isn't it obvious? I need a second teammate, and you're the only one who needs mission requirements like me."
"What about Will?"
"You in or out?!"