In the Wave Country.
The stage was set for one of the most exhilarating events in recent ninja history: the semi-finals of Arthur's tournament. Many had entered, but only a select few had been chosen.
Competitors came from various hidden villages, each with its own unique styles and backgrounds. Even two respected Kages visited as spectators.
The Raikage, however, was forced to depart due to pressing matters back in his village. Only Mei remained, seated in her VIP section alongside other high-ranking government officials.
Now, after so many matches, the semi-finals spotlighted two fighters who had fought tooth and nail to reach this point.
On one side of the arena stood Rock Lee. He had made quite a name for himself by demonstrating unparalleled taijutsu skills. Victories over formidable foes such as Omoi and Fū solidified his reputation.
Facing Lee on the opposite side was William. He stood with a smile while adjusting his Leaf Village headband.
William's unorthodox fighting style had drawn skepticism from some, but he had proven to be a tenacious contender.
Fighting against seemingly weaker adversaries such as Ebisu and Iruka had also revealed his capacity for clever tactics. Even Anko had fallen prey to his unusual approach, an accomplishment not to be understated.
While most of his opponents weren't as strong as they were made out to be, it was still thanks to his foreknowledge that brought him this far. Add that to the fact he was an Uzumaki; there was a reason why he was so strong.
The crowd believed that if he could fare against a powerhouse like Rock Lee, perhaps he'd have a chance against the revered man waiting for him in the finals: Arthur Bennett.
Arthur remained stationary, arms crossed with a new blindfold.
It had taken a lot of hard work to orchestrate this event, something he would eventually look back on to review the recording footage.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer finally boomed, "This is the last match of the semi-finals! We have the honour of witnessing a confrontation between the unstoppable Rock Lee and the unpredictable challenger, William Uzumaki!"
"Why am I the unpredictable one?" William asked in surprise, pointing to himself.
Cheers erupted from the crowd, drowning out his question voice.
"And..." Both fighters squared off as the announcer raised his arm. "Begin!"
Immediately, they put their taijutsu skills on display by darting back and forth with above-average agility.
"It feels like ages since we fought," William said in the heat of their exchanges.
"It really has!" Lee's pace quickened as William dodged a series of strikes. "Promise me you do not hold back!"
In group ten, Naruto and the others were completely engrossed in the action.
"It's too bad Marge is missing this!" Jada smiled. "Right, Naruto?"
"Believe it! But just when did those two learn how to fight like that?!"
Jada couldn't honestly answer that question. No one in their group could.
"Will and I don't really talk that much," she said, "so I don't know."
Naruto gave her a cheeky grin. "You know what would be great? If you two started dating!"
"W-What?! I mean, I like Will as a friend, but..."
"Come on!" he insisted, leaning in closer with a mischievous expression. "He totally likes you! Just admit it!"
"He does?!"
"I mean, I think he does."
Not hearing the banter in their group, both fighters continued their bout on stage as Lee landed a well-time spin kick that sent William spiraling toward the edge of the arena.
"Ooh!" the crowd gasped upon seeing William teeter at the precipice.
Grunting, he quickly regained his footing and flipped back into the ring. "That was close!"
The two exchanged blows for some time longer, but it became evident that Lee was tiring out.
"Take this!" he cried, landing more hits. Yet his opponent kept rising back up. So he squared his shoulders. It was time to push his limits once more. "Fifth gate of vision, open!"
A vibrant yellow aura enveloped him. Before William could react, Lee zipped forward, striking with blistering speed. To the spectators, it seemed as though Lee darted like a beam of light while landing a relentless barrage of blows.
Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!
Each hit earned their applause. But when they noticed William maintaining a straight expression, they gasped.
Suddenly, crash! William landed with a hard thud on the ground.
Lee skidded to a halt with his head down. The yellow aura started to fade, making him stagger slightly. And when he looked up, he was shocked to find his opponent already getting up with a wide grin!
"How can he possibly withstand my true hidden lotus?" Lee wondered aloud.
His disbelief mirrored the crowd's because the True Hidden Lotus was a technique that had never been shown until now. Two fighters had already fallen prey to it, one of whom was a Jinchūriki.
This is the results of my training!" William confidently said, pumping his fist.
"You tell 'em, cuz!" Naruto cheered.
William was ready for more until he noticed Lee struggling to maintain his balance. "Here I come!"
Bang-bang-bang!
Three strikes and Lee was sent sprawling toward the edge of the ring.
"Rock Lee is falling out!" the announcer cried. Then he gasped as the boy turned back to the ring. "What a surprising turn of events, ladies and gentlemen!"
William stepped back to allow Lee the space to regain his footing, but it was too late; Lee's body succumbed to exhaustion, and with a final gasp, he willingly fell out of bounds.
Plop!
"That's it, that's it!" the announcer yelled. "William Uzumaki wins!"
William quickly approached Lee before helping him up. "Bro, that was a great fight! You almost pushed me there."
Lee breathed heavily, but despite his exhaustion, a smile spread across his. "That indeed was incredible. I had not known how strong you have become until fighting you personally!"
"Oh no!" Naruto exclaimed, smacking his cheeks. "Lee's got the hots for my cousin!"
A sudden smack echoed as Iruka punched him from behind, followed by the sound of Jada giggling.
Arthur, from his end, was only a little intrigued by the outcome. Not really by the fight itself but by William's resilience. It was as if the latter's body wasn't prone to taking damage.
Then something clicked in his mind: William had fought Sasuke once. During that time, William took a forceful blow to the head—an attack that slammed his skull from the air to the concrete floor—that he claimed only felt 'like a boulder'.
Pain, as Arthur knew, was real—excruciatingly so. Even the others agreed that things felt harder than talked about. So much so that Jada's backlash from overusing her advanced Sharingan ached.
Arthur had already verified that William wasn't utilizing any unique techniques, let alone exerting a lot of chakra during his last matches.
So what was making him so resilient without using any techniques?
'His chakra reservoir,' Arthur deduced. 'Even if he were to use something as chakra-consuming as the Rasengan multiple times, it would be as if his stamina remained at one hundred percent…'
Knowing this, Arthur began to plot his next steps for the final match against William.
As William returned to his group with Lee, he exclaimed with euphoria, "I made it to the finals, guys!"
"You were amazing out there!" shouted Naruto.
"Yeah, Will!" Jada added. "Never thought your taijutsu was so...!"
"Yeah, Jada?!"
"O-over the top. Ha-ha!"
William hadn't heard what Naruto said to her during his match: that he might have liked Jada more than friends.
"Thanks, everyone!" he said, blushing. "I couldn't have made it this far without you guys."
"What did we do?" Neji wondered.
"Ya know, I mean... Just wait till you see what I do next! Ha-ha!"
"That's what I'm talking about!" Naruto agreed, pumping his fist. "Put that show-off Hoshi-whoever in his place!"
"Definitely!" William laughed. "He won't know what hit 'em!"
At that moment, the announcer suddenly yelled, "Things have been fantastic so far, folks. Every fighter has wowed us all! Before the finals commence, we will take a brief moment to evaluate the next participants!"
"Evaluate?" William repeated. "What does that mean?"
"Beats me," Naruto said, leaning forward.
"It might just be a break for both of you to prepare," Iruka voiced.
"But he said evaluate," Lee pointed out.
"Perhaps tactics?" Neji guessed.
As they discussed, the announcer continued, "While the fighters rest, let's take a moment to pay tribute to the leaders who have taken the time to watch this incredible tournament!" He then gestured over toward Mei, who was taken aback by the sudden spotlight.
Being widely recognized as the Mizukage, however, she knew how to act in this situation. In truth, it was merely a distraction to buy time—time for Arthur to make his move.
An official soon approached Naruto's group to escort William elsewhere.
"What's the big idea?" Naruto wondered.
"He has to see our head doctor before he can compete..."
Whatever the true reason for this evaluation was, William didn't have a choice in the matter. Unless he wanted to be disqualified.
"Alright," he said, "I'll come. I mean, shoot, I didn't come all the way here for nothing."