"Wh-what the heck are you saying?!" Tsunade stammered, trying her best to keep her composure. "You already won, so I shouldn't be taking your money!"
"Think of it this way," he smoothly continued, "this is a formal investment in the Leaf. I'll send you the address for you to deliver the permit for renovations so you can use some of this for construction if you choose." Tsunade truly didn't know what to think at this point. "Use the rest for whatever you see fit, my lady."
Nothing felt more genuine than Arthur's words.
"Does the village matter that much to you?" she asked.
"More than you know."
Shizune nudged Tsunade playfully again, but this time with a more noticeable excitement as she said, "I think we should stay here a while longer and use some of the money to go shopping!"
"I—uh—" Tsunade faltered, feeling the weight of Arthur's sincerity press against her heart once more. But she battled those feelings just as quickly as they arose. "I can't accept this; I—"
Arthur chuckled, interrupting her. "You need to help the village, and a little investment can make a big difference."
Now Tsunade had no reasons left to refuse the offer.
The two both stood before shaking hands on the matter.
"It's a deal on both fronts," she said, "but allow me some time to work out the details on my end after I get back."
"Oh, but of course, my lady. "Please, enjoy your time here for as long as you want!"
As Arthur turned to leave the table, Shizune chimed in playfully, "He should join us and get to know you better." Tsunade threw a punch at Shizune's arm. "Owe! I was just putting it out there!"
Arthur, overhearing, looked back and said, "I'd enjoy that, especially if it meant getting to know the illustrious lady herself."
"Not happening," Tsunade declared.
Arthur could tell she was only half-joking as he grabbed a napkin and pen on the table. "Sad for me since I had a pressing matter to attend to anyway." Then he wrote down his name and address. "You can send the permit here, and if you ever want to talk more, feel free to send a messenger bird. I promise I'll respond immediately."
Shizune's eyes lit up as she dug an elbow into Tsunade's side again.
"He likes you!" Smack! "Owe!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes but accepted the napkin. "I'll try to have it filed within a week."
Arthur smiled, though it seemed a touch too long for his liking.
With that, he bid farewell to the two women, leaving the casino behind him. But just as he walked out, he was abruptly stopped by Shizune. He turned to see her handing him another napkin.
"This is where Lady Tsunade lives," she winked. "And between me and you, she likes you, too."
After Shizune disappeared from his view, Arthur crumpled the napkin and tossed it away, feeling truly disgusted.
A relationship? With a woman like Tsunade?
Arthur scoffed at the idea of dating a fifty-year-old woman.
✟
The week passed faster than expected.
What Arthur had been doing was nothing short of what was expected of him.
He had returned to the hotel at Water Country on the last day to retrieve Tsunade's letter.
Arthur specifically chose this address because he had revealed to Tsunade that he had moved from the Water Country. Tayuya wasn't present at the moment, so providing it gave him much credibility.
After reading the contents, he retrieved the key to his plans: the permit to Leaf Village cemetery with Tsunade's signature.
Was this small piece of paper worth the effort to have obtained? Absolutely.
There was no other way for him to have acquired it. If he had forged it, the village would have caught on eventually. But now, with things done legally, Arthur couldn't become a suspect for anything.
Now he could go and get his true reward.
But first, a quick stop at the Lightning Country.
'Flying raijin…'
He arrived at the office of the local shipping company in a small town. Without spending too much time there, he managed to make a copy of the permit as well as a letter detailing his desires.
The message was clear: he needed construction to begin as soon as possible on the funeral lot within the Leaf Village, designated for repurposing.
Of course, Arthur technically didn't have any money to his name right now, so the costs would be directed to Tsunade.
Forget financial ramifications; nothing mattered more than getting everything set in motion.
Once the paperwork was filed, he settled back into his seclusion in the forest.
The bureaucratic processes would take at least three days, after which he would finally return to the Leaf in secret.
As he waited, he knew that he had to reply to Tsunade, thanking her for her efforts. As well as playfully hinting at how much fun he had in Tanzaku Town.
The way he wrote this letter, however, was intended to end any further means of communicating with the Hokage. Mainly to ensure that he wasn't going to get entangled with anyone from the Leaf Village longer than necessary.
The last thing he wanted was for Tsunade to grow so interested that she would start an investigation.
✟
The days passed; the time to act came.
'Flying raijin…'
Arthur teleported himself back to the Leaf Village. It was past the dead of night, and there was a new moon out.
Unlike before, when he could come and go as he pleased, there were ninjas stationed just about everywhere here.
He honestly hadn't set foot in this village ever since news broke out about Sasuke's departure. Because of that small incident and Hiruzen's presence, security had been increased tenfold here.
Things seemed normal to the untrained eye. But someone, be it an Anbu or another ninja, was always keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity. Even minor wrongdoings were rapidly detected.
Arthur knew this. That's why he had targeted the village's funeral lot for his plans.
News was relayed that construction was taking place. That meant that the public couldn't go near for hazard and safety concerns. At least for the first day.
Arthur couldn't have chosen a better time to sneak in.
Having already utilized both his Chakra Disguise technique and his smoke form, he softly glided across the earth, flowing just above the surface as his senses expanded in search of the true prize hidden beneath the soil.
That price was a certain grave, the grave of a dead child. And he knew exactly where to look.
When he found it, there were remnants of faded flowers.
Arthur took on his physical form before pausing just long enough to ensure no hidden sensors or Anbu members lurked nearby. Then he cast a genjutsu with his Crimson Gaze.
Alice, who could sense the entire village at any given time, didn't need to be worried about. Why? Because she was sleeping.
Arthur looked down at the modest grave. There was no doubt that he was going to unearth whoever was inside.
His fingers dug into the disrupted soil, and soon enough, he reached the casket.
Creek. The lid opened.
Who lay before him was beyond what anyone would have expected: the decayed remains of Rin Nohara!
Rin Nohara was one of the most controversial figures throughout the entire series. Not because of her strength, which she virtually lacked none of, nor her fame, which she too had none of.
But because of her ties with Obito Uchiha.
Arthur remembered what was written about her: She was a Chūnin from the Leaf Village and a member of Team Minato, whose leader was Minato Namikaze.
During her tenure, she had also been forcibly made the Jinchūriki of the Three Tails as part of a sinister plot by the Hidden Mist Village, aimed at destroying the Leaf.
Ultimately, she sacrificed herself to ensure the safety of those she loved by dying at the hands of Kakashi's Chidori.
Nothing short of a tragedy—like most ninjas in this world.
Only those who knew her story would have also known that she held great value toward Obito.
Obito, like Iruka Umino, was essentially another failed Naruto. The only difference was that he was an Uchiha.
During the Third World War, Rin's team was assigned to destroy the Kannabi Bridge. She was kidnapped in that mission by a rival shinobi named Taiseki. But, thanks to her strong will, she didn't break after being tortured.
She was eventually rescued with the help from Kakashi and Obito; however, Obito seemingly perished in a tragic end during the escape after asking Rin to implant his Sharingan into Kakashi's eye.
Later, Rin was kidnapped again. This time by Madara Uchiha.
Set with a technique that would release the Tailed Beast upon her return to the Leaf Village, she—unable to end her own life—implored Kakashi to kill her instead. All for the means of protecting their village.
When he refused, she ultimately chose to commit suicide by impaling herself on Kakashi's Chidori, which was meant for an enemy ninja.
Her death devastated both Kakashi and Obito, who had just arrived, only to slaughter their captors in a fit of rage. That horrific scene had also allowed both characters to awaken their Mangekyō Sharingans.
All these things happened long ago, and Arthur was currently in the best position to make a change.
'So,' he thought, 'you're Rin Nohara?'
Arthur proceeded to extract several samples of her cells, sealing them within a scroll. The decaying organic matter crumbled to his touch, yet this was to be expected since she died more than thirteen years ago.
While he was here, there were two other corpses worth his attention. He found them not too far off from Rin's.
After performing the same procedures as before, he placed everything back in its rightful place and restored the graves. Then he triple-checked his work to ensure that things around here appeared untouched.
Regarding the Hokage's cells, they weren't located at this funeral lot; they were closer to the Hokage's office, which was heavily guarded.
Either way, Arthur already had enough of their cells. It was now time to depart.