Finals
How could someone so invested in this world remain blind to the opportunity at hand?
Two techniques that William certainly carried had not been listed. The first was anything revolving around the Nine-Tails' chakra. The second was the Six Paths Planetary Devastation technique.
For him not to list anything related to the former only strengthened the notion that he was trying his best to keep it a secret from others.
Arthur knew he had the latter because William had personally revealed that information to every player back at the Leaf Village.
Suppose he did know how to use those unlisted techniques. Arthur understood how a player like that could best Jada, an Uchiha, in a fight.
Techniques like those could dictate the course of a match; they were a display of raw power that could obliterate any competitor for the sake of a brief display of skill.
'If he wants to play that game,' Arthur thought, 'Just like Jada, I'll show him what real power is.'
In the stillness of that moment, he arose from his seat. William may have scrawled his name into the ranks, but in Arthur's eyes, he was just another player trying to challenge his might—albeit one with far more potential than he had the awareness to use.
As Arthur returned to the arena, he could sense the crowd's eagerness. The barrier team was already in formation, encircling William in the heart of the stage.
Arthur casually walked toward the center, arms crossed, his head remaining fixed. Several yards from him, William stood still, and he seemed quite determined. Arthur could personally tell just how much ambition this man had in his eyes.
As the final elements of the barrier came together, the announcer became boisterous. His voice echoed throughout the arena while he stepped outside the boundaries of the stage in expectancy of the grand event.
"Ladies and gentlemen! It has been an absolute privilege to be your announcer for this monumental occasion! We are moments away from the epic finals as our contenders prepare for what's sure to be spectacular! Like I explained during that brief intermission, because there's a barrier in place, a ring-out will not disqualify the finalists!"
Arthur watched the glowing barrier slowly solidify. It indeed was laced with some dense chakra, making it seem like an unbreakable shield. After the final bonds of it snapped into place, the colour washed away so that it looked transparent.
Arthur, of course, was not privy to such things. This barrier was specifically designed for him. Any techniques he performed wouldn't prevent him from doing so, whether he was inside or out.
William, however, was trapped in its confines. It wouldn't drain him of his chakra or anything, nor would it limit his skills. But it would ensure that he couldn't escape.
Arthur seized this opportunity.
As the barrier fortified itself, he channeled his Tamashii and performed a widespread genjutsu. It pushed through the translucent barrier and created a sensory fog.
Much like before when he used this technique while fighting Lars, it wasn't going to affect the stronger minds of ninjas like Mei.
But players like Jada and even shinobi such as Iruka seemed momentarily lost, caught in the brief haze of the illusion as it permeated the air—it would help him masquerade himself properly during the match.
Finally, he took one last step that caused the dust of the ground to part ways, meeting William in the center. The shared space between them seemed to electrify, adding more tension.
Arthur slowly began removing his blindfold to reveal his eyes.
"I guess you find me worthy enough to take off your blindfold, like Lars," William confidently smirked.
Arthur let the blindfold slip from his fingers with an extremely calm expression as he said, "You're not; I'd just like to hurry this match up…"
The crowd began to rile up. Yet Arthur was not doing this for theatrics; his time was precious, and he didn't like to waste it.
William stomped in response, "Come on! My line sounded so cool, though!"
Those words were absurd, gaining no acknowledgment from Arthur. Even Naruto nearby smacked his forehead in exasperation at the exchange.
"Well, at least he's not like Sasuke or Neji," the blond boy chuckled, glancing sideways at the Hyūga, who frowned in an almost comical incredulity.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Neji shot back, looking the other way.
Arthur decided it was time to cut to the chase and said, "Withdraw from this match, boy… I won't show any mercy."
But William laughed off the ominous warning, shaking his head defiantly while saying, "I didn't come all this way for nothing. Besides, if I lose, I won't get anything from the prize pool!"
Greed tended to get the better of men—it twisted their decisions and pulled them deeper into conflict.
If William was wise, he would have attempted to negotiate a split of the prize money; Arthur would have gladly offered him a fair share. But no, pride clouded judgment like a fog.
Arthur felt even more disappointment.
"You don't want to do this, boy," he warned again. His tone was still steady but much sharper this time. William was stubborn while Arthur was being generous. "I'll give you one more chance to back down."
William considered for a fraction of a second, weighing his options against the excitement. Then, with a show of confidence, he declared, "No way! I'm going to win!"
At that moment, Naruto leaned forward and yelled, "You got this, cuz! Do your best!"
This caused the crowd to cheer as well, fueling William's determination. The announcer couldn't get enough of it.
"And now!" he boomed. "The moment we've all been waiting for! The final match begins!" He raised his arms dramatically as Arthur flexed his hand.
"Fighters! Begin!"
The words barely left the announcer's mouth as Arthur sprang into action, closing the distance between them in an instant. Both fighters' eyes locked onto each other.
In a sudden flurry, they swung their arms and engaged in a fierce taijutsu battle. The sound of strikes echoed as fists collided in a surreal display of martial prowess. The average audience couldn't tell who was doing what!
Arthur feinted left, then executed a spinning hook kick. William dove just in time. In retaliation, he launched a quick jab aimed at Arthur's throat, but Arthur sidestepped, grabbing William's arm to pivot him off balance.
As William stumbled, Arthur unleashed rapid punches. Each strike thudded against William's chest.
He recovered quickly, almost as if those strikes hadn't affected him. Executing a low sweep to knock Arthur off his feet, Arthur planted his palm on the ground and sprang back up. He then countered with an upward elbow that caught William off-guard.
William capitalized on the moment, twisting into a grappling hold. But Arthur slipped free, twisting around to deliver a spinning backfist that landed on William's cheek.
Both fighters were moving faster than they had in previous battles. The spectators were awed at where this level of strength had been prior!
Arthur moved with grace. To think William could keep up even with his Tamashii active.
Yet it wasn't just about speed; it was about analysis. Each movement William made was cushioned by the instinct Arthur developed through countless battles—a willingness to adapt and predict.
The crowd was speechless, unable to comprehend how these two could move so quickly. Mei herself was beyond impressed, having expected the fight to turn out this way.
"They're incredible," she softly admitted, her eyes widening.
What scared her the most was how young they were. Given enough time and the proper training, they could surely surpass her and quite possibly the other Kages!
As the clash continued, the intensity escalated. Arthur didn't lose momentum; he advanced, throwing low kicks aimed at William's legs. William, despite the barrage of strikes, established his ground.
He checked one of Arthur's low kicks and responded with a swift knee aimed at Arthur's midsection. It missed, so he tried again. That missed, too.
"Keep attacking!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs. "Push him back!"
Those cheers, for whatever reason, made William try harder. Arthur almost staggered but quickly regained focus, executing a graceful sidestep to avoid another knee strike.
He then crouched low and lunged forward, catching William's ankle, successfully pushing him off balance. William stumbled back, arms flailing, but he refused to fall. He instead pivoted, ready to swing back with a powerful hook.
Arthur saw the hook coming and ducked under, rising swiftly to deliver a sharp elbow to William's ribs, forcing the air out of him. William grimaced but rallied, launching a swift uppercut aimed directly at Arthur's chin.
It missed, so Arthur capitalized with a swift uppercut of his own. The punch connected, and the crowd erupted, yelling, "Ooooooh!"
William staggered but held his ground, shaking off the surprise as he said, "Holy moly, I felt that!" He clenched his fist and went right back into the fold.
"This is unbelievable!" Lee shouted. "These two are more formidable than I imagined! To think Will was holding back against me."
As their fists flew, William executed a prepared strike, but a miscalculation sent him stumbling. Due to that blunder, he used the momentum to backflip several paces away, clearing the space between them.
"Phew! That was close!" he exclaimed, panting but undeterred.
Arthur's brow raised in curiosity. "Why did you move?" he calmly asked.
William grinned and answered, "Because I've seen you fight, and you'd have totally ended the match right there if I hadn't!"
"Not so stupid after all, are you?" Arthur responded. "But I wouldn't get so full of yourself."
After taking a deep breath, William formed a hand sign and said, "Multi-shadow clone jutsu!" In an instant, nine plume-like clouds erupted around him, solidifying to reveal ten total Williams, each one mirroring the others' movements. "How do ya like me now?!"
Arthur cracked his neck as they began surrounding him in a semicircle. Each clone shifted into a kung fu fighting stance, something not regularly seen.
Arthur found himself intrigued. Kung fu was not native to this world.
Much like his own training, it had been stripped down to taijutsu in the realm they now occupied. Yet at the end of the day, it was still like boxing and Krav Maga—something no one could do apart from him.
Seeing William's clones in a kung fu stance hinted that he had indeed personally trained in pursuit of honing his skills. Perhaps his time on earth included more than just binge-watching anime; maybe he had dedicated himself to a little more.
"What can mere shadow clones do against me?" Arthur mocked.
"Hehe," one of the clones laughed. "We're not just shadow clones; we're authentic."
"Hey!" another said, still keeping his eyes on Arthur. "Don't go telling him something like that."
'Authentic?' Arthur repeated it in his mind.
From what he knew about shadow clones, they had their chakras split depending on the number of clones produced, thus making them weaker than their summoner.
Was William implying that these clones' strengths weren't divided but at one hundred percent? Something like that didn't exist in the Narutoverse.
Yes, Madara Uchiha managed to summon clones into a different dimension once, and each clone had the same abilities as him. Yet Madara was a seasoned shinobi with the Rinnegan. William was using the basic technique with no other jutsus!
How was this possible?
Perhaps with a seemingly endless pool of chakra, one could theoretically form real clones whose strength matched the original. But to think this fanatic managed to stumble across a loophole like that one.
Arthur remained silent as all twenty pairs of eyes stared him down. Was this one man truly prepared to confront him tenfold?
With a deep, steady breath, he slowly straightened himself, raising an arm to signal readiness. The moment stretched, and then it happened.
All ten Williams surged toward him. Arthur braced himself with taut muscles and then dove into the fray!