Secrets
"Whoa, wait a second! What's that?!" William protested.
"Just a standard procedure," Arthur assured him in a calm but firm voice. Without William's consent, he pressed the syringe against the player's skin, injecting the small amount of fluid.
"Ow," William cringed, flinching slightly. "That felt… oddly uncomfortable."
"Bear with me," Arthur urged, continuing his inspection.
Each moment made William feel more exposed under scrutiny. Finally, Arthur completed his examination, stepping back to collect his thoughts.
"What was that anyway?" William asked.
"A special serum that would help measure the fluctuation of your chakra without disrupting its flow." After scanning over the charts and reviewing the findings, he met William's gaze and said, "Good news: you're free to return to the arena."
This made William smile. He unexpectedly hugged Arthur.
Not breaking character, Arthur said, "What the sensors detected was indeed a disturbance in your chakra flow, making it appear you were using some form of enhancement. However, it's clear that you're simply a strong shinobi relying on your own skill."
William let out a sigh of relief after letting go. With excitement, he said, "That's a relief! I can finally get back out there!"
"Before you go," Arthur continued, "keep this in mind: while you're training hard, be wary of your chakra management. You have the potential to be exceptional, better than many, but relying too heavily on others can have repercussions."
"Thanks, Doc! I'll remember that!" William replied with a sense of gratitude.
He turned to leave, feeling the weight of being labeled as a cheater lift off his shoulders. As he exited the room, Arthur watched him go, knowing exactly what he had done to this player.
A darker undertone stirred within the clinic. The injection he had administered to William's back carried a small device that was no larger than a grain of rice. And in that tiny capsule contained a Flying raijin mark!
While he acted as a doctor, Arthur's true motives lay in testing the boundaries of what may arise after the tournament ends.
Those who were aware of how dangerous it was to be marked by the Flying raijin would also understand that it was essentially game over. These marks were permanent, and the user could always track where that mark was.
Jada had gone as far as placing one inside Naruto. She had explained it to him, gaining consent from the boy. She had also given slips of paper with marks on them to Sasuke and Sakura, allowing her to monitor their positions and movements and see what was around their location in case of emergencies.
Had Arthur not been aware of these facts during his time in the Land of Tea, he would have fallen prey to her technique. William, however, was not Arthur; he didn't stay vigilant, he trusted others, and more importantly, he didn't have any faith.
As William stepped back into the arena, the crowd was still abuzz.
The announcer, noticing his reentrance, held up a hand to signal the crowd's attention and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, William Uzumaki has just completed his examination and is now cleared to continue the tournament!"
The audience applauded, albeit not as loudly as before. William waved sheepishly, still a tad touched by their response.
"I guess he wasn't cheating," someone said to another.
"Fantastic!" the announcer boomed. "That means William Uzumaki will advance to the second round! As for his opponent, Ebisu, he is disqualified from this match!"
Among the crowd, William could hear Naruto's distinctive voice rise above the rest: "I knew it! I told ya he'd be fine!" With a dramatic finger, he pointed toward Neji and proclaimed, "That means you owe me a bowl of ramen now!"
Neji retorted with a slight hint of annoyance, "I never agreed to that!"
Meanwhile, Ebisu approached William, saying, "Congratulations on your victory." He then extended a hand for a firm shake. "You put up an impressive fight. I underestimated your abilities."
William accepted the hand, heartened by the recognition. "Thanks, Ebisu-sensei! You pushed me harder than I expected. That was a tough match!"
Ebisu smiled, and the two exchanged a few more friendly words before parting to their respective areas—William moving back toward his friends and Ebisu returning to the sidelines.
"What was that all about?" Anko asked after Ebisu's return. "I mean, it's not every day you see a fighter get disqualified for having overly intense chakra."
Ebisu shrugged in thought. He nodded in William's direction who was making merry with his friends and admitted, "I'm not entirely sure. There's something special about him, though. As a Chūnin, he already understands the fundamentals of taijutsu extraordinarily well. He never once gave me an opening to exploit during the match."
Anko grinned with satisfaction, crossing her arms, and said, "That's promising. It's nice to see we have upcoming ninjas like him. You might be keeping your eye out for someone who could surpass even your expectations."
"Absolutely," Ebisu replied, adjusting his glasses.
Meanwhile, a reunion took place at William's corner of the arena. His friends were all eagerly waiting for him.
"You did well," Iruka stated. "! I always believed in you."
Jada gave him a warm smile and said, "That was a nice fight."
"Thanks, you guys!" he exclaimed, flushed with excitement. He turned to Naruto and said, "I'm just glad I could clear my name and get back out here! I really wanted to prove myself!"
Margaret with an inquisitive look on her face couldn't help but ask, "Why do you keep emphasizing that? And did you really have to get examined? What exactly did they say to you?"
William hesitated, thinking about how to communicate to his friends about that bizarre situation. He casually replied, "A medical-nin saw me, and he said my chakra levels were too high, which made it seem like there was an irregular flow."
"That's what you took from it?" Margaret skeptically asked, crossing her arms as she observed him. "Come on, Will, are you sure that's right?"
Glancing around, William saw that he hadn't given them the complete picture. So he rubbed the back of his neck, admitting, "Well, no, that wasn't exactly what the doctor meant… It's just that… that's how I interpreted it."
"Was he a doctor or medical-nin?" Margaret pushed.
"They tend to be the same thing," Naruto added.
"No they're—"
"Actually, Marge," Jada nodded, interrupting her, "that makes sense. Will, I think we should definitely work on your chakra control. You can't let your levels fluctuate like that—especially if you plan to keep building your skillset."
The notion felt warm in William's heart. Just the thought of training with Jada was enough, so he neglected what happened in the clinic and ceased the moment to ask her, "Would you really help me with that?"
"Absolutely," she replied with a confident nod. "In fact, I've been wanting to work on my own control myself. Why don't we do it together when we get back?"
"I'd love that! Thank you, Jada!"
Lee, who had been listening, added with enthusiasm, "You'll be unstoppable, Will! Together, you can embrace your youth!"
"Don't forget that hard work alone isn't enough," Neji added. "You'll also need to understand your limits and find your weaknesses."
"Right." William nodded, processing everyone's words. "I'll keep that in mind."
As Arthur stepped away from the examination room, he returned to his disguise as Hoshikaze. His impersonator had already left for the bathroom. Now was the perfect time for Arthur to come back.
The recent encounter had officially confirmed a myriad of suspicions he had been trying to piece together. William had indeed shown remarkable potential, yet there was something far deeper lingering beneath the surface—something Arthur sensed but couldn't quite articulate.
Despite the close proximity during the examination and his Tamashii ability, that malicious chakra had eluded him.
How long had it been there, hidden from everyone—including William himself? No; William had to have known it was there. And if he knew about it, then it also meant that he was keeping it a secret from others.
Arthur's instincts kicked in. For a shinobi of William's caliber, maintaining such a secret was a serious matter. It could mean trouble, not just for Arthur, but potentially for anyone closely connected to William.
While the rest of the arena began to get riled up, Arthur, having returned, found he couldn't pull himself away from his thoughts. He observed William with his group. Under their smiles was an unspoken tension.
'What is he hiding?' Arthur asked himself. 'What is so dangerous that he can't share it with anyone?'
He tightened his grip on his crossed arms. While not frustrated, he knew that he had to understand.
The announcer's voice rang out over the crowd as he yelled, "Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves as we're about to begin the final match of the first round! There are only four contestants who have yet to fight: Iruka Umino, Han, Darui, and Akatsuchi!"
With that announcement, Arthur forced his gaze toward the arena, where the monitor displayed the two combatants set to battle it out: Darui and Akatsuchi.
Since those two were fighting next, that meant Iruka and Han will get byes. While others leaned into the excitement, his thoughts turned away from the match.
Among the crowd, Arthur noticed the Raikage was particularly invested. He could see his determination, unwilling to settle for less than a full fight. Knowing Darui's potential, Arthur surmised the Raikage hoped for a redemption, wishing to draw out an upset from the previous matches that had put his village to shame.
Perhaps if chakra was allowed, the results for his ninjas would have been different. However, for Arthur, it was not just the petty bickering over which village would come out on top that demanded his attention; he had other priorities.
'What was he hiding?' he asked himself again, referring to William's secret.
Every time Arthur's thoughts turned back to William, he wrestled with an ever-growing suspicion. What did that dark, malicious chakra suggest about William's strength—and his vulnerabilities? If an opponent was dead set on exploiting him, could William truly prevail with it?
His training under Jiraiya and others wouldn't be enough to impart what Arthur had felt.
While the arena erupted into cheers and gasps as Darui and Akatsuchi approached their designated spots, Arthur's attention remained rather unfazed by the sparks of a battle about to unfold.
He observed William again, fidgeting and exchanging light banter with his friends. Each laugh and each roll of the eyes revealed layers to his character—coatings that the outside world often misconstrued as simply exuberance.
But Arthur had his ways of determining William's secret.
For instance, that chakra he had subtly released was only emitted because he had felt an unexpected pain—one that he wasn't ready for. And since Arthur had his Tamashii active and was thoroughly examining everything inside that player, he had managed to sense it.
The fight with Darui and Akatsuchi was going to commence, yet Arthur had no reason to observe it right now. What William was hiding deserves more attention.
And besides, Darui had the highest chances of winning against the overweight Akatsuchi. From what Arthur recalled, the latter was a loyal and jovial shinobi from the Stone Village. Known for his cheerful disposition and support for the third Tsuchikage, he was stated to be a valuable member of the village.
Despite his personality, he was quite skilled, always ready to protect his leader and his homeland.
"Let's make this a good fight," Akatsuchi said to Darui.
Darui nodded, excluding a calm demeanour. That was atypical of his character, being quite nonchalant despite the circumstances.