There was an immediate silence that plagued the private study room.
Did Alex hear correctly? It was an impossibility—a ghost story. No, he had to verify things. So he sat perfectly still and forced his heart rate to remain steady. Then he turned his gaze to Alice.
"Is it true?" he asked.
Now, Alice hadn't missed the way his composure had cracked earlier. It was just for a fraction of a second, before he rebuilt his mask of indifference again. Regardless, she chose to keep that to herself.
With her arms crossed tight against her chest, she gave a single, grave nod.
"How sure are you two?" he asked, turning his attention back to Jasper.
"I fought him myself…"
"Were you there too, Alice?"
"No," she replied. "I was on patrol in the village until Jasper entered my sensing range a few moments ago like… this."
Alex leaned back in his chair and gave a small, humourless chuckle. "I guess you've got an interesting story to share then." He gestured to the empty chairs. "Sit. If we're gonna talk about a dead man, I'd prefer not to do it while you look like you're about to collapse, dude."
Jasper grunted and slid down the chair, while Alice calmly sat.
"Listen, bro," Jasper started, running a hand through his messy hair. "I hate to say this, because it sounds like an excuse, but Arthur... he's got hacks or something."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Hacks?"
"Cheats, dude…"
"Just because someone's strong doesn't mean they're cheating," Alex automatically defended.
"I'm serious, Alex. Hear me out." Jasper then leaned forward to explain. "The first time him and I fought, he was only alright. But today? I couldn't even land a real hit on him… The guy almost killed me."
Alice finally chimed in. "He was stated to have an advantage with learning support skills, right? I wouldn't call that hacks."
Jasper wasn't buying her claims. "Babe, that makes no sense. If you ask me, he was supposed to be the weakest out of all of us. So how'd he get so strong? Or better, how'd he survive that night I killed him?"
Alex gave a thoughtful gesture. He knew personally that Arthur had always been dangerous because of his mind, not his raw output. If someone like that was left to roam the ninja world without anyone knowing, there's no telling just how omnipotent he could become.
"Then," Jasper continued, "what about when he first wrecked Jada? Dude picked up some unknown Sage Mode and somehow managed to beat her? Don't forget, she had the Mangekyō and Susanoo. Yet Arthur somehow treated it like they were a walk in the park?"
Alex's fingers tapped on the table. Breaking a Susanoo was a feat reserved for Kage-level shinobi or Tailed Beasts. Then again, it was Jada's first time using it in battle, and her control over it wasn't the best.
"After that," Jasper added, "he comes back with a whole village on deck."
"A village?" Alex interrupted with a grin. "You mean he actually made a hidden village like the Leaf?"
Even Alice was surprised. "Babe, calm down for a second. I don't think Arthur's cheating, but I'd like for you to start from the beginning."
Jasper took a relaxed breath, wincing as his ribs expanded. He then held up a hand. "Listen, there's a lot the guy did, okay? Just hear me out first."
Alice pursed her lips, clearly wanting to dissect the 'village' comment, but she relented. "Fine... Go ahead."
Jasper turned his gaze back to Alex, locking eyes with him. "I got trampled on, bro. Me, an Ōtsutsuki. Whatever Arthur went through, he had to have cheated to get there."
"While I can't believe he's got hacks," Alex commented, "since that's not how things work, I do believe that he's alive. What I can't put my finger on is how he survived."
The rule in this world was that if someone died, gridlines would streak across the heavens. Everyone at the time saw it. So to hear or see Arthur walking among them only heightened their weariness.
"Let's move on from the fact that Arthur's alive for a second," Alex said. "What happened to you, Jasper?"
"I literally just came back from the moon after a fight with Toneri… He's definitely still up there, and he wants my Byakugan."
Jasper rushed on, not letting Alex dwell on the moon revelation. "Was there twice. Before the second time, I was at a war that Arthur caused. The dude revived everyone. I mean everyone. Uchiha. Uzumaki. He's basically become like Kabuto, but…"
"But what?" Alex asked, breath hitching.
"They're not cracked corpses; they're real…"
Alex stopped tapping his fingers. Bringing back someone from the dead, whole and intact, was indeed possible. But to think that someone had the gall to do it.
Now the implication was extremely horrific. An army of resurrected shinobi, all wielding the strongest bloodlines in history, commanded by a man who knows their story? Even Alice's mind went blank at the idea.
They all knew the possibilities. If Arthur had access to the Reanimation technique or something similar, and he had a base of operations, this was an extinction event.
Alice looked at Jasper, then at Alex. She wondered if this news was the worst thing to happen to the village, or if, in some twisted way, it was the catalyst Alex had been waiting for.
"I still don't get something," she asked, turning back to Jasper. "Why did you want to see Alex about all of this?"
"I wanna send him back in time…"
"What?!" She shot up to her feet. "You're not serious."
Even Alex, usually unshakeable, looked surprised. "Jasper..."
"Are you crazy?!" Alice shouted. "We're dealing with Arthur, who's got an undead army, and your solution is to send Alex back in time?"
"No," Jasper defended, struggling to stand up to meet her eye level. "Babe, look at me. You see these wounds. Who do you know that can do this to me?"
Alice paused, sensing the way his chakra network was still vibrating from the shock. It made her bite her lip. He was right. There weren't many people alive who could hurt Jasper this badly. The Five Kage? Maybe Naruto or Sasuke in their prime? But Arthur?
Last she remembered, Arthur was no more than on Margaret's level. Margaret herself was at a Kage's level when using both wood style and her two Sage Modes. But even she was not a monster like Jasper.
To have jumped to a level where Arthur could crush him in such a short amount of time was unheard of. It defied the laws of training.
"But why do you want to send Alex of all people back in time?" Alice asked in a slightly trembling voice. "If Arthur's that strong, he'll just do the same thing to him."
The two men went silent before looking at each other. Then Jasper let out a small, pained chuckle. Alex, conversely, let a simple, confident smile spread across his face.
"What's wrong?" Alice asked, feeling confused. "Babe, if there's something you're hiding, just tell me already."
Jasper ignored her question, focusing on Alex. "Are you gonna go or not, dude?"
"Sure, why not?" he nonchalantly agreed as if being asked to lunch.
"Jasper!" Alice yelled, stomping her foot. "Don't ignore me!"
"Don't worry, babe, I didn't forget about you."
"Huh?"
"You said you wanted to use the psycho mind transmission jutsu on me earlier, right? Now's the perfect time."
"Why would I—?"
"Alex can't just go into that war blind," he interrupted. "Plus, you can see for yourself what I went through."
It made sense. Tactical intel prior to a fight could always shift the tides. If Alex was truly going to attempt this madness, he needed every scrap of data Jasper possessed. Alice, a mental interrogator, was their best option.
Alex gave a thoughtful gesture. "Guess I'll only have an hour or two to work with."
"Why aren't you going back the whole day?" Alice wondered. "If a war is happening now, wouldn't you want to be sent back to the beginning of it?"
"Because Jasper's chakra is too low," Alex explained, gesturing to Jasper's person. "Given his current state, I'll be surprised if he can even get me past two hours."
Jasper's eye twitched. He hated when Alex was right about his limitations.
Alice herself found it hard to believe just how well Alex read the room, how he understood the mechanics of a jutsu that's never been used in the ninja world like this before. But then, Alex had always been the most mysterious out of everyone.
"But wait," she exclaimed, "an hour's not enough to let you travel wherever they are."
Jasper was left speechless. He hadn't thought about the travel time. He was going to think of something else until Alex interjected, "Don't forget that I can still move while time is being reversed."
"What?" Alice frowned.
"That's how Marge managed to come to your rescue, remember?" Alex said. "The user stays anchored, but the target of the jutsu can move freely within the stream of reversing time. That means I'll be able to travel to the location while the world rewinds around me."
He was right. As for how he knew that was possible, it was because Margaret—the only one to go back in time twice—revealed those facts to him.
Alice finally conceded, letting out a long sigh. She had no other choice but to trust that the two men knew what they were doing. The situation was desperate, and desperate times called for insane measures.
"Okay," she said, "but I still don't get why you're sending Alex. What's he hiding that can honestly beat Arthur of all people?"
"Babe, I'll explain after I send him back. Otherwise, we're just wasting time."
Alice did not like Jasper's answer. Even though he was right, the thought of her lover keeping secrets like that from him was unsettling. Instead of persecuting him immediately, she relented, yielding to help send Alex back.
"I expect some real answers then," she asked him, stepping forward.
Jasper closed his eyes, bracing himself for the intrusion.
"Wait," Alex suggested, raising a hand.
Alice stopped. "What now?"
"Instead of doing a transfer, just take me inside his mind with you. I mean, linking us all up would save us some time."
Again, she was annoyed because he was right. Direct observation was faster. But then, as she looked at Alex's guarded expression, she couldn't help but wonder one thing: why does he want to go that route?
Whether she used it once to read Jasper and then again to project to Alex or linked them all simultaneously, the result was the same. Except for one detail: If she linked them, she would be focused on Jasper's mind. But if she did a transfer, she would have to briefly enter Alex's mind to deposit the memories.
The answer was obvious now: Alex didn't want her looking into his mind. Not even for a second. He was hiding something. Something bigger than Arthur.
"Fine," she conceded.
Right now was not the best time to start arguments. The fate of the world, apparently, rested on this hour.
So Alice took Alex's hand and placed her right palm flat against Jasper's forehead. She then channeled her chakra as the space between them began to glow with a soft, cyan light. And in that same instance, the physical world faded away.