"Let's make this a good fight," Akatsuchi said to Darui.
Darui nodded, exuding a calm demeanour. That was atypical of his character, being quite nonchalant about a lot of things.
Arthur by no means felt like watching their match since his mind was too warped on discovering William's secret.
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.
All the sounds faded into the background as Arthur stood still. He was like an island of calm amidst the tempest. From his perspective, it was akin to being in a void with muffled noise and only one person standing in front of him: Willliam.
Arthur's mind sharpened back to the first day he entered Elysium. There, William had a timid nature—an awkward man with a neglectful appearance who seemed to be retreating from life.
But now, in this moment, that same man had stepped into a different world. The timid exterior had metamorphosed into a character of its own. Like an energetic supporter trying to be a hero.
As Arthur reflected on it, he couldn't help but think about those who yearned for such an escape, seeing them as weak and frail in their refusal to face the challenges of their own lives.
He himself had once shared that longing, trapped in a cycle of dissatisfaction and unable to confront his issues, until he discovered the power of faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Not once had Arthur relinquished his faith. It was through Christ that allowed him to see things for what they truly were. True strength, he learned, came from facing adversity faithfully, not running from it, and embracing the challenges that God presented. The Lord had shown him that genuine meaning of growth long ago.
Yet William was by no means like Arthur.
So the allure of being transported to another world where one could become a protagonist would be viewed as a desperate desire for escape and a sign of feeblemindedness.
Instead of facing their problems head-on, these individuals yearn for something akin to a magic portal that could transport them away from their struggles rather than tackling them directly.
What would happen if they became the protagonist like they dreamed of?
They'd frequently confront external foes and their own deep-seated fears. Arthur knew this because that was exactly what William was experiencing now.
From the moment Arthur entered this world, everyone else from earth was already stronger than him. He had to diligently work his way up just to be on par with the weakest one. They, unlike him, were given special traits, refined talents, and superior enhancements that boosted their lead.
Knowing all these things was helping him identify William's secret.
'Think…' his voice echoed in the void. 'Think…'
Slowly, in this mental state, Arthur's blindfold fell as his eyes flared open to reveal their crimson light. The world around him spun, and the colours unified into a hazy swirl, as if he were suspended within a symphony he could feel but not hear.
His gaze then fixed on a variety of scenes, from William's appearance to the man's interactions with everyone.
In that moment of concentrated awareness, time stretched and warped, and he channeled his chakra into the device embedded within the man's body.
Images continued to flash in Arthur's mind, illuminating fragments of truth encompassed by William's essence. He delved deeper, sensing the vast reservoir of chakra swirling just below the surface, dormant and waiting.
Only then did he finally feel it: the unmistakable presence of the Nine-Tails' chakra!
The recognition hit Arthur hard: 'William was a pseudo-Jinchūriki…'
How could Arthur not have figured this out sooner? No, how did William hide it so well?
That man was Naruto's cousin; he had admired Naruto and everything he stood for. It would make sense if he also learned the chakra suppression technique to conceal this information.
But even then, this was very significant.
Naruto, in a moment of misplaced trust or familial affection, had to have shared the Nine-Tails' chakra. Arthur hadn't considered this because he had not known that William had already relayed to Naruto every piece of information for the main character—his parents, the Nine-Tails' real name, and even the main antagonists.
The implications were staggering, enough to threaten Arthur's plans. It was wise of him to have created this tournament; otherwise, he might have never guessed this fact.
These people from earth were die-hard fans of the series, and they were hiding secrets even among themselves.
Drawing back from the tether of their connection, Arthur buried the revelations beneath layers of intention as a new strategy was forming.
He had no urge to confront William amid the exuberance of the arena, not yet, at least, since the tournament was still progressing.
The sounds of the match once again filled his years as Arthur finally shifted his gaze back to the arena.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer's voice rang out, booming across the stadium after the match concluded. "Give it up for the winner, Darui of the Cloud Village!"
Apparently Darui had wrapped his style of combat around Akatsuchi's, relying on both tactics and strength to claim victory. While the latter had actually tried throwing the debris left behind the arena, it was not enough to prevail against Darui's speed.
The applauses were loud, sweeping through the stands. Perhaps it was because of the Raikage's support, which was equally fueled by Darui's teammates and Naruto's group.
Either or, the Raikage prided himself on his one and only victory.
Before the crowd and participants could disperse, the announcer directed everyone's attentions to the giant monitor and continued.
"We'll be taking a short intermission as we prepare for the second round of this white-knuckle of a tournament! So here are the next matchups!"
"Iruka Umino versus William Uzumaki," the first line read. The two exchanged smiles after seeing it.
"Wow," William said, "this is gonna be a tough match for me, Iruka-sensei!"
"Nonsense," the shinobi responded. "You've got a lotta experience, so don't count yourself out too early; just bring your A-game."
Next on the screen was Anko Mitarashi versus Raidō. The latter had forfeited earlier, granting Anko an unchallenged victory.
"Look at that," Lee said, pointing at the screen. "Me versus Neji! This is a match I have only dreamed of!"
Margaret ignored that dream match and instead tilted her head slightly, seeing that she was going to be fighting Fū.
"Give it your best!" she heard the Jinchūriki holler across the arena.
Next was Han versus Darui.
"Oh, that could get rough," Darui remarked, rubbing his chin in thought.
"Why's that?" Omoi wondered, unaware of who Han was.
When the Raikage saw that matchup, he contemplated inwardly whether Darui could best that famed Jinchūriki, who was widely known for having the fastest taijutsu.
There were more names that others considered. Such as Hoshikaze versus Chen. Chen was quick, and this unknown Hoshikaze already proved his fortuitous nature as a taijutsu specialist. A match like that was surely going to be nothing short of a spectacle.
"Lars versus Kitsuchi," the screen also read.
Yet Kitsuchi had already left, allowing Lars to advance without needing to fight. Lars himself had remained completely composed. So much so that it didn't even look like he was going to move during the intermission.
"I suppose there's no reason for us to stay here," Akatsuchi said.
"What about me?" Han retorted.
Monga snorted, explaining to Han that Akatsuchi was only trying to get under his skin since neither of them from their village had advanced to the next round. Han clearly hadn't found the joke amusing enough to laugh at.
"Hey you!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing over a ninja he was scheduled to fight. "Santa, right? Let's you and I dish it out right here, right now!" Naruto's group couldn't help but chuckle at his relentless nature. "Come on, guys. Back me up, will ya!"
"Don't worry," Santa said across the arena, "I'll be ready."
"Naruto, calm down," Neji tried to relay.
"Neji!" Lee yelled over him, "I am looking forward to going all out against you!"
The Hyūga's attempts at trying to calm everyone down failed, so he gave into their boisterous behaviour, which also made Jada giggle.
Although the crowd was just as eager to spectate the second round, some fighters felt different about their matches because those within the second round, by default, were considered the strongest fighters in this building.
Some, like Chen, were mulling over the implication of having to fight Arthur, whose taijutsu didn't at all seem lacking. Others, like Naruto, were displaying their eagerness to fight immediately.
The only other fighters who seemed willing to really go against one another, apart from those from the same village, were Fū and Margaret. Those two had become friends in the span of a few seconds, and the latter knew almost everything about her competitor.
"Hey, Fū," she cried out, "wanna hang with us before things start up again?"
"I'd love to!" Fū answered, ignoring what her caretakers might have thought.
As the crowd dispersed for the intermission, Arthur chose not to approach anyone. Instead, he was going review the film to make sure the footage he had captured so far was clear enough to watch.
Besides, he had no desire to intermingle with this sort of crowd.