The energy of the tournament continued with excitement.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The final battle of the third round is about to commence!"
The cheers grew with the two fighters already standing apart from one another: William and Anko.
As they took their stances, William fidgeted for a second to ask the announcer, "Am I allowed to use the Rasengan?" No surprise that he asked after what happened last time they thought he was cheating.
The announcer pushed his glasses up his nose and scurried over to a nearby official. When he returned, he adjusted himself and spoke, "I have confirmed that the Rasengan technique is allowed! But any variants that may cause irreversible damage to the arena are strictly prohibited."
William felt reassured now.
Anko tilted her head, intrigued by his confidence. "The Rasengan, huh? If you really plan on using it, I don't expect much."
"I'm much stronger than that time!" William declared. He was referring to his past fight against Sasuke Uchiha, to which the latter both countered and defeated William's Rasengan. "Believe it!"
Anko liked his confidence. After all, this was the hero of her village who helped save the third Hokage.
As the match began, Naruto couldn't help but ask, "How do the officials know about the Rasengan? It's supposed to be my dad's move!"
He was on to something there. There were so few who could perform it, let alone recall its name.
Iruka scratched his head. "Well, Naruto, your dad fought in the Third Ninja War. Techniques like the Rasengan have spread over time. It's more than likely they know through that."
"Oh!" Naruto said, appreciating his dad's legacy. "I guess that does make a little sense."
In truth, Arthur had been the one to allow the Rasengan to be permitted for this round. By doing so, he could continue gauging William's limits.
Back in the arena, Anko waved her arm. "Striking shadow snakes!" A multitude of serpents erupted from her sleeves. But William leaped back, evading them. "You're much faster in person."
"Thanks, you too!"
He then charged forward and engaged her in an exchange of taijutsu strikes. The two weaved and ducked, throwing punches and kicks as they showed off their agility.
For any normal person watching, the two seemed to be evenly matched. But for someone like Arthur, William was gaining the upper hand. The force in his movements, the control behind his techniques—they all indicated he was holding back.
Suddenly, bang! A well-timed roundhouse kick knocked Anko back.
She flipped in the air and performed a tiger hand sign, causing a stream of flames to erupt from her mouth. "Fire style: dragon flame jutsu!"
"Wind style: pressure damage!"
Before the flames could reach, a swirling wind from William compressed a torpedo-like current, and the two techniques collided mid-air, causing a tempest of fire and wind to rip out through their shared space.
As their attacks raged, William's wind overwhelmed Anko's flames.
"I can't believe it…" she gasped after landing.
Even Jada was impressed; William was much stronger than she initially thought.
"There's more where that came from!" he said, trying to play it cool.
"Good!" Anko confidently responded, accepting the challenge. "I've been waiting for a fight like this."
As the match progressed, the two continued trading blows and techniques. Arthur was perceptive enough to notice Anko's chakra reserves were being exhausted, while William, thanks to being an Uzumaki, was displaying endurance that put him leagues ahead.
Not once was the latter using the Rasengan like he wanted to.
Then the inevitable came: Anko's attacks slowed, and her movements became slightly erratic. With a final attempt to regain momentum, she lunged forward, aiming to catch William off-guard.
But he was prepared.
With one sidestep, he evaded her grasp, causing her to lose her stance. Then he delivered a fierce blow to her jaw.
Bang!
She staggered back a little but remained standing.
"That didn't knock you out?!" he asked in surprise.
"Not even close," she smirked, wiping the blood from her lips.
As the match stretched on, she was finally starting to feel the effects of chakra exhaustion.
"Phew…" she said, chest heaving. Then she took a deep breath. I forfeit,"
"Wait, what?" William exclaimed in shock. Even the crowd was surprised. "But… but why?!"
"Congrats, kid." Anko didn't at all seem disappointed. "You're pretty tough. You lasted longer than I expected, and that's saying something."
"I... I don't get it."
Before more could be said, the announcer's voice broke in. "And with that, we declare William Uzumaki the winner of this match!"
The crowd burst into cheers, celebrating his victory.
"To think you'd grow this strong after taking my exam not long ago," Anko lightly chuckled.
William, grinning, rested his hand behind his head. "Ya almost made me forget about that after this cool fight. But there's something I don't get."
"What's that?"
"Why'd you quit so early?"
"Kid, don't go flattering me," she said, believing him to know the answer. "I'm rooting for you, okay? So give it everything ya've got in the finals."
Those words of encouragement said a lot to him. Not only did she believe he was strong, but she was also implying that he would win the semifinals.
Yet he still didn't understand why she had forfeited.
'Was he always this much of an idiot?' Arthur wondered, knowing his thoughts. 'Or did he not sense her chakra levels?'
Perhaps both. Either or, it just made evaluating his performance that much easier.
It's then the announcer loudly proclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause since the semifinals are underway!"
How could the crowd not cheer? These matches had been nothing short of spectacular, captivating the hearts of everyone present.
Ninjas had been showcasing their talents, prowess, and spirit. But two fighters had transcended the rest—drawing the most attention and intrigue to their matches.
"Guess it's not all bad that the Raikage left," Mei said to herself. "Gives me a chance to try and rope one of these men to the Mist."
As the announcer declared the start of the semifinals, it was clear that the hype was focused squarely on the two mysterious contenders that everyone wanted to see: Arthur and Lars Alexandersson.
Both fighters strode onto the stage as their presence commanded the attention of the multitude.
Standing in the center, Lars squared his shoulders with resolute features. At the same moment, Arthur's own demeanour imperceptible.
Both men stood at nearly the same height.
The announcer, who had been eagerly anticipating this moment, couldn't help but feel dwarfed as he nervously wiped the sweat from his brow.
Before he could start the match, Arthur slowly reached up and removed his blindfold, letting it drift gently from his fingers.
Many were shocked as they finally caught a glimpse of his eyes: clear and unclouded.
"He's so handsome!" a female spectator announced.
But Arthur ignored their comments. "Lars... I've been waiting patiently to finally meet you."
"I've been meaning to meet you too," Lars replied with a smirk.
Whatever force was keeping the announcer at bay, he remained silent at what felt like a convergence of destiny between these two fighters.
Yet as Lars looked into Arthur's penetrating gaze, he felt uncertainty.
'So Naruto affected him that much, huh?'
"Ask yourself, Lars... Why did you truly enter this tournament?" The man squinted his eyes as Arthur pressed on. "The world you're in; you wake up, you work, you sleep, and then you do it all over again."
"You..."
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but God directeth his steps… Lars, where is your heart leading you, and who is guiding your steps?"
Lars didn't want to answer. Or rather, he couldn't answer. Hardly anyone present could answer that question, for many of them were lost and unsure of where their end would be.
"Are you saying I'll find my way fighting you?" Lars mused.
His tone seemed sharper now, defensive yet very curious—a fact that didn't escape Arthur's train of thought.
He had to be careful. Because his words were impacting not just Lars, but all those who were listening. Particularly those in group ten.
Suddenly, snap! Arthur cracked his own neck.
That was the exact response Lars craved: the promise of a visceral fight.
The arena's energy transformed as the onlookers sensed the shift.
Even the announcer knew it was time. "And begin!" Quiet. The kind of quiet where someone could here a pin drop. "And begin!" But both fighters remained staring at the other. "And—"
Swish!
A sharp jab from Arthur was dodged with a slight head tilt from Lars, scaring the announcer.
Just as the audience believed this was where the fight truly began, both fighters resumed their relaxed stances. Not a single one of them moved.
The announcer quickly ran to the side, unsure of how this would turn out.
Suddenly, swish!
Arthur dodged one of Lars' jabs with a slight held tilt. He sought to counter, but the two quickly returned to their relaxed stances again.
Silence.
Not a single one of them showed any emotions, and the crowd couldn't get enough of it.