The crowd, while initially stunned, erupted into cheers. Among them, Arthur stood with an expression of disappointment.
Once Iruka regained his footing, he approached William. It was clear by his smile that he was impressed despite the outcome. "Well done, Will! You managed to outsmart me there."
"Thanks, Irkua-sensei! I couldn't have done it without everything you've taught me!"
Those words caused Arthur's dissatisfaction to loom down further. To him, it was a mid-fight since William had copied what Naruto did against Santa. William's techniques were derivative—a mere reflection of Naruto's style instead of his own originality.
The more William mimicked Naruto's moves, the easier it was for Arthur to read him.
Then there was Iruka himself, who wouldn't use that sealing technique for another three years from now.
'So neither of them gets how this world works still...'
As William celebrated with his defeated mentor, laughter and excitement filled their ears.
Seeing him defeat a Chūnin like Iruka was very expected. He was, after all, a man from earth who, with the help of Hiruzen, was able to survive a battle against Orochimaru.
Yet with every shout of admiration and encouragement from the crowd, that same man from earth felt convinced that he would be remembered forever as William Uzumaki.
'Truly unoriginal…'
With that defeat came the start of the third round.
The announcer's voice rang. "We've been witnessing some incredible feats of strength and strategy so far in this tournament, folks! The stakes have never been higher, and the competitors are all still fired up! Who will secure their spot in the semifinals? Let's find out in this third round!!"
The cheers of the crowd drowned out even the loudest of thoughts.
Rock Lee was already getting overly excited. That was because his fight was going to be first. He took a deep breath, letting the adrenaline fuel him.
"I am ready to give it my all!"
"You get her, Lee!" cheered Jada.
Now pumped up and having received encouragement from his friends, he launched himself into a series of flips, landing on the stage.
Fū, from her area, took to the air with her insect wings before also landing in the center.
"Hey again, Lee!" she greeted.
"Fū! Let us have a fair match!"
"Before that, I was trying to ask you during the intermission if we could be friends."
"Any friend of Jada's is also a friend of mine!"
That response made her expression brighten.
Then, after they exchanged nods of mutual respect, the announcer's voice signaled, "Begin!"
Fū wasted no time flying up first, then all around Lee with her insect wings to generate blinding dust.
It was an interesting strategy since she knew he could only use taijutsu.
Lee did his best to block out the dust by using his other senses. When she noticed, she called out from above, "Impressive, but let's see how ya handle this!" She then zoomed past him, only to miss her target. "You dodged that for real?!"
"I am not one to back down so easily! Whether on the ground or in the sky, I will always find a way!"
Fū smirked. "Then at least take this fight more seriously and take off those leg weights."
Lee felt dumbfounded as he scratched his check. "I have already used all of them up."
"Wait, really?!"
"Yes! So you are receiving me at my full strength!" Then Lee crouched slightly. "Fourth gate of pain, open!" Blood rushing with skin turned red, he lunged upward. "Here I come!"
"Ninja art: cocoon!"
A thick layer of chakra-infused silk surrounded Fū just as Lee bore down on her.
Bang!
He had collided with the cocoon, reverberating through the air with a crash to the ground. When the dust settled, the cocoon held firm.
"How can this be?!" Lee asked himself.
From the sidelines, Arthur recalled the details he'd understood about this Jinchūriki: physical attacks don't work on her cocoon; it's only weak against chakra-infused strikes. And while that was nice to have, she couldn't attack from inside.
Just like Arthur knew, Fū willed herself out and took to the skies again. This time, she was keeping a far enough distance.
"That was close," she said, sweating.
"Surely, I must go all out then!" Lee yelled. He crouched again. "Fifth gate of vision, open!"
"I better do somethin' quick!" Fū said, preparing a hand sign.
But it was too late.
With a vibrant yellow aura illuminating Lee's body, he launched himself higher into the sky, echoing his attack throughout: "True hidden lotus!"
Bang-bang-bang!
Fū felt trapped within a maze as he darted past her, landing blow after blow, her figure vibrating under the onslaught.
Bang-bang-bang!
The calculating angles he was attacking left no room for her to make a proper move.
Bang-bang-bang!
As the last shutter of his barrage hit her, she was sent spiraling down to the ground. Lee soon skidded at the center of the arena, panting lightly. Then, plop! Fū was on the ground, unable to find the strength to fly again. Much less stand.
The announcer's voice went through the stands: "And the winner is Rock Lee!"
His name filled the stadium as the crowd cheered him on. Arthur had analyzed things perfectly. Such was the power of the Eight Inner Gates.
After accepting the victory, Lee quickly rushed over to assist the fallen Jinchūriki. "Are you okay?" he asked, extending a hand.
She accepted with a radiant smile despite her exhausted features. "That was amazing, Lee! I've never faced someone like you before!"
"That is great to hear!"
"Ha-ha. Owe... Guess I'll have to keep training if I want to be just as strong."
"I am glad you feel that way! I, too, will keep training my hardest until the next time we fight!"
"Next time?!"
After their exchange, he returned to his group, who were eagerly waiting to surround him with congratulatory praise.
"That was an incredible match, Lee!" Jada exclaimed.
"Yes," Neji added, "quite remarkable."
Lee blushed, scratching the back of his head. "Was it really?"
"Yes, Bushy Brow!" Naruto answered.
"I owe it to Guy-sensei and his teachings then!" Lee smiled.
William added on the fact that Fū is a very strong Jinchūriki. Even if she couldn't use her Tailed Beast chakra, in a match when both fighters were going all out, William believed Lee would still have won.
Arthur, however, believed that to be a false statement.
A taijutsu-only user who couldn't at least activate the seventh gate would undoubtedly fall against a Jinchūriki who had complete control of their Tailed Beast.
"Hey, Lee," Naruto wondered, "I thought you weren't allowed to use the Eight Inner Gates because of Guy-sensei."
"This is true! It was thanks to Jada, who informed me that Marge was only kidding."
But when Neji looked at her, only to see she was trying to hide her face, he knew that Guy-sensei had undoubtedly never said such a thing.
Jada quickly changed the topic. "Naruto! You're fighting next, right?"
"That's right!" the boy said, clenching his fist. "It's against... ugh..."
"Lars," Iruka answered.
"Right, Lars! Any tips on how to beat him?"
William thoughtfully answered, "Well, I don't know much about him except that he uses lightning techniques. It's better to be prepared for anything, really."
He was more or less right. Lars' fighting style from Tekken was translated into purple lightning in the Ultimate Ninja Storm II video game.
"Wait, I do remember one thing!" William continued. He then led Naruto a bit further aside, lowering his voice into a conspiratorial tone. "Lars tends to use his fists like he's boxing."
"What's that?"
"It's a fighting style that utilizes a lot of quick jabs and punches."
"Okay, okay. And?!"
"If he's using chakra, it should be just to be quicker with those punches. Also, stay mobile, use range attacks, and keep him from grabbing you at all costs."
"So just keep moving, right?"
"Right! And don't forget to use your shadow clones. They'll create openings for you, especially if you can distract him."
Lee suddenly appeared in their midst, startling them. "And if you can, watch out for his taijutsu."
"Ugh, thanks, you two," Naruto said, feeling more determined. "I won't let you down!"
The old Naruto would have walked in without a strategy. Much less bothered to ask how to defeat his opponent before a fight. Arthur was only a little interested in how this match would fare.
After Naruto got some more pointers, Lee felt as if his friend would truly win. He had been impressed by the latter's taijutsu so far, and now that chakra was permitted, it only made him more confident in Naruto's match.
The anticipation for the battle reached an all-time high after the announcer declared the fighters.
Lars was seen calmly walking towards the stage without opening his eyes. Arthur could tell that Lars would be victorious. After all, Lars had been the star of numerous battles, a fighter whose exploits were known throughout the annals of gaming history on earth.
When Naruto finally met him in the middle, he puffed out his chest. "I'm going to beat you, Lars!"
Lars slowly opened his eyes and smirked. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah! I'm dead sure!"
The audience could practically feel how resolute Naruto was in contrast to the level-headed Tekken fighter.
"Very well…" Lars said with an even wider smirk. "Let's see what the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails could do then."
'Oh...' Arthur said in his thoughts.
No one was certain whether or not Lars knew anyone in this universe. But now they were.
Before the match could start, Naruto removed his orange jacket to reveal his green jumpsuit. It instantly evoked a roar of approval from the audience as he placed one palm behind his back and the other facing inwardly.
"Make me and Guy-sensei proud," Lee yelled.
"Lee, calm down," Neji tried saying. "He'll be just fine." Lars shifted his weight, displaying an aura different than his last match. "But he'll have to try his best if he wants to win."