The crowd both looked and sounded animated due to the show.
Jada, seated among her friends, narrowed her eyes at the screen, revealing the next matchup: Neji Hyūga versus Shira.
"That's not good," she murmured.
Naruto, caught mid-cheer for his friend, turned to Jada with a frown and asked, "What do you mean? Neji's strong! He can beat anybody!"
As Jada shook her head, causing her dark hair to sway with the motion, Arthur decided to chime in on their conversation.
"That's not what I meant," she said. "Naruto, you don't understand yet who Shira is."
Margaret and William exchanged glances, each understanding what she knew. Iruka, observing the sudden shift in mood among the group, adjusted his posture and asked, "Why is everyone so quiet?"
Jada let out a soft sigh, realizing she needed to clarify. So she replied, "For a guy like Shira, this tournament is like his calling. He's like Lee—he grew up relying solely on taijutsu as his only method of fighting."
Lee perked up, and they could all see the spark ignite in his eyes. With enthusiasm, he screamed, "I would like to fight this Shira and compare our taijutsu!" His boisterousness was just as infectious as Naruto's.
"It's not that simple," she cautioned. "Shira is smart, too, like Neji." He's not just strong physically; he's tactical."
Margaret interjected, "And if Neji didn't have the Byakugan... he might have become a lot like Shira."
The two then elaborated on his character. Shira was written to have been born in the Land of Wind and started his journey in a small town before relocating to the Sand Village at a young age.
He faced significant challenges due to his lack of talent in genjutsu and ninjutsu, which led to a ban from the village's academy instituted by the fourth Kazekage. As a result, he was subjected to the mockery of his peers but refused to be discouraged.
He therefore dedicated himself to perfecting his taijutsu, the only area where he could excel, employing unconventional training methods to hone his abilities.
Eventually, Gaara, who became the fifth Kazekage, recognized Shira's dedication and impressive taijutsu skills. In terms of personality, he's quite a calm, composed, and strategic shinobi. His loyalty to his village is also apparent, being that he continued training despite being ostracized.
Appearance-wise, he's tall with a fit build. He also has marks like spiky taupe-gray hair, several scars, and a blue dragon tattoo on his shoulder.
As excellent as he looks and sounds, it's important to note that Shira is still a filler character within the narrative. His role ultimately diminishes after the interlude, and his character does not significantly impact the overarching storyline beyond that point.
Of course, the three Naruto fanatics would know everything about that character.
"How do you two know so much about him?" Iruka wondered.
Living in a world where one knew everything about it often led to questions like these. The players forgot that some things had to be hidden so as not to arouse suspicion.
"Ugh… He's from the Sand Village, and I visited there once," William lied.
"Will, you idiot," Margaret whispered to herself.
"But… that doesn't explain how Marge and Jada know about—ya know what? Let me not push things."
What really mattered was how Neji felt about the situation. He remained stoic but was quite intrigued by who Shira was. Neji was not one to back down from a challenge.
"I know what I need to do," he stated firmly, refusing to show any sign of intimidation.
Jada, anticipating his resolve, smiled gently, knowing he would need some guidance. "Alright, Neji. Let me give you some pointers since I know how Shira fights."
From what Arthur recalled, Shira was strong enough not to be fazed by Neji's usual tactics. If this fight goes all out, Shira would undoubtedly have the edge simply because he's been honing his abilities without the same constraints.
That realization settled over the group as well. Neji understood well the limits of not being able to use his Byakugan in this tournament, a handicap that only heightened the stakes of this match.
Shira, meanwhile, was getting encouragement from some of the Sand shinobi who had traveled with him. None of those in his group were participants—just silent supporters who had come to watch. None of them were actually Shira's teammates, Sen and Yome, since Gaara hadn't been inaugurated as the Kazekage yet.
As Neji listened intently to his friends' strategies, he felt grateful. This Neji was undoubtedly not the same arrogant one before having his personality converted. Then Arthur witnessed him say something he wouldn't have expected.
"While I might not be the strongest Hyūga in my clan," he began, "I have been training alongside the strongest—Alex."
His admission drew gasps from the group. While this shouldn't have been a surprise, it didn't stop them from being a little astonished. Hardly any of the players actually trained with the other characters. Except for William, who loved Naruto so much that he even decided to live with the boy.
"Alex is extremely powerful!" William exclaimed. "If that's the case, then there's no doubt Neji's gonna win."
Arthur considered that statement. He, unlike the other players, wasn't aware of who the strongest was. He could make a guess, but he didn't want to be wrong. Just hearing that Alex's training was enough to boost Neji's prowess by so much that everyone else believed the Hyūga would win meant a lot.
'How strong is Alex?' Arthur thought to himself. 'No… if he didn't come here because he knew the opponents wouldn't be worth his time, then it'd be safe to assume he's the strongest player out of the other six.'
The arena's announcer called out the fighters to take the stage. With a calm stride, Neji approached Shira, who was already standing at the center. Both had determined looks.
"I have a friend just like you," Neji began.
Shira's interest piqued as he said, "There aren't many shinobi like me."
Neji allowed a small smile and replied, "You'd be impressed because the friend I'm referring to just fought in the first match."
"Lee?" Shira's wondered. His eyes didn't lie; he had been in admiration of Lee and clearly wanted to fight him. "I was looking forward to meeting him… But right now, it's my destiny to advance to the finals."
"I knew it!" Lee tried to scream out until his friends brought him back down.
"Lee," Margaret whispered while covering the boy's mouth, "don't ruin the scene!"
Neji's attention remained on Shira as he said, "I know a thing or two about destiny. You see, it can always change." He then turned his head back to his friends, who had given him the insights he needed. "Thanks to them, I can see something that even my Byakugan can't—the truth."
His declaration struck a chord within Shira, momentarily softening the competitive vibes surrounding them. However, both knew at that moment they had a purpose: to compete.
The announcer's voice boomed through the arena, capturing everyone's attention. "Fighters ready?" The breathless crowd leaned forward with anticipation. "Begin!"
Neji and Shira exploded into motion, their feet barely making a sound on the concrete floor. As they engaged, Neji quickly realized what his friends had meant about Shira's fighting style: the boy had been using the "Silent Fist."
Each of Shira's movements was so fluid that Neji scarcely heard a thing; it was as if the arena was enveloped in an eerie quietude around them, where even a pen drop could be heard.
In response, Neji relied on his acute instincts. He blocked and evaded that belied his lack of the Byakugan's enhanced vision. Every punch and kick Shira threw towards him was met with an equationally swift evasion.
Neji countered deftly, trying to anticipate Shira's moves. Shira, in turn, began to note Neji's uncanny performance.
Suddenly, the two stopped, allowing the crowd to erupt in wild cheers.
"Have we met in the past by any chance?" Shira asked, feeling a tad frustrated. He was asking because Neji was fighting as if he had seen his techniques before—the way he blocked and dodged with an almost supernatural ease.
"Maybe I'm just that good," Neji responded with a smirk.
"Yes!" Lee cheered. "Show him who is the boss, Neji!"
Shira grimaced with determination. Drawing from his own reserves of strength, he pushed forward, hoping to catch Neji off guard. The two exchanged blows once more.
Jada watched, absorbing the fight. She had shared her concerns earlier, but as she observed Neji's movements, her worries began to ebb.
"Bet you're frustrated not using that fancy Byakugan," Shira taunted as he sent a kick aimed directly at Neji's midsection.
Neji, unfazed, retorted coolly, "I can see just fine without it." As he spoke, his body shifted to a familiar stance—an indication that he was transitioning into a defining move. "The moment you stepped foot in this ring, you were already within my Eight Trigrams range."
With that, he moved into the Gentle Fist stance and launched into his signature technique: "Eight Trigrams: 64 Palms!"
"Look at him go!" Naruto yelled.
His hands became a blur as he unleashed a rapid sequence of strikes toward Shira.
Arthur activated his Tamashii to truly see what was happening. He was quite intrigued to see that each palm was directed at Shira's tenketsu points!
To use an Eight Trigrams technique like this one effectively required the Byakugan. Because to target one's tenketsu points, it was obligatory that a user have a dōjutsu that could see just as good as the Byakugan. Now he understood why the players were so confident in Neji's skills: the Hyūga had adapted to Alex's straining so well that he had new insights that no longer needed the Byakugan.
Neji continued. "Sixteen palms…! Thirty-two palms!" His intent was direct—he wanted to bring down his opponent without releasing his own chakra, testing Shira's defenses.
But Shira, being resilient, managed to defend against the flurry of strikes. He either moved or brushed aside Neji's attacks with a combination of skill and instinct. The blows being landed, however, were felt.
Lee, watching intently from the sidelines, stared in shock, realizing that no one had ever been able to withstand Neji's sixty-four palms without receiving serious injury.
Arthur, however, had a different perspective. While everyone marveled at Shira's unexpected defense, he recognized the underlying strategy behind Neji's assault.
"He's testing Shira's defenses," Margaret addressed.
Jada also recognized it. This prompted Naruto to dart his head from left to right and ask, "Huh? Why's he doing that? I thought they were going all out."
"Naruto," Margaret answered, "Neji wants to gauge him without overcommitting."
"Oh… I knew that!" the boy smiled.
To be frank, not even Iruka was aware of what Neji was doing. His attention immediately fell on Margaret. Were his students really that analytical when it came to taijutsu?
"Impressive," Shira smirked after withstanding the last palm, "but let's see how you handle this."
He contemplated activating the third Activation of the Seven Heavenly Breaths. Yet, just as the thought crossed his mind, Neji was already a step ahead. With agility that caught everyone off guard, Neji shouted, "Last Resort: Eight Gates Assault!"
He surged forward with a devastating burst of speed that landed perfectly on Shira, cutting through his momentum and preventing him from activating the Seven Heavenly Breaths.
This was truly a big deal, since he had done it without using the Byakugan! It was a near-impossible feat. To even be able to see the right tenketsu points to either block or unblock them was a skill only ever shown to be used by one character—Shira!
Reeling from Neji's strike but quickly recovering, Shira refocused his energy. He analyzed the situation and determined that he needed to unblock his tenketsu points.
Had he been aware that Neji could also block his tenketsu points without the need for the Byakugan? Had he known, he wouldn't have let his guard down so easily. No; he would have activated the Seven Heavenly Breaths from the start.
And Arthur knew what move Shira was thinking of using to fix his predicament: the Tenketsu Blocking Strikes technique.