The announcer took center stage as the crowd quieted.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" he proclaimed. "Welcome back! We have some exciting news regarding the tournament's next round! As you may have heard, our fighter's abilities will now utilize chakra in new and thrilling ways!"
Excited chatter filled the stands. Arthur, who had returned in his disguise as Hoshikaze, observed silently.
The announcer continued, "Listen closely, for the new regulations are as follows! Tailed beast chakra is not allowed, and no chakra-enhancing items may be used! But worry not, for you can use your own chakra techniques, provided they don't exceed catastrophic disasters. Illusion techniques and sealing techniques are also fair game, but if a fighter is immobilized by a technique and cannot escape in time, they will face disqualification!" He paused, allowing the competitors time to both read and understand things before concluding, "And remember, the grand prize has been increased to one and a half million ryō!"
Some fighters exchanged looks of apprehension while others had exhilarated expressions. There were those like Santa who were confident because they understood their opponents flaws—Naruto, who wasn't proficient in escaping illusions.
With the stage set, each fighter was ready.
Among those vying to compose their strategy was Naruto, whose energy was practically radiating from him. Across the arena, Santa felt excited. That was because their fight was first.
Santa wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Here we go."
Before long, the announcer called, "Our very own Naruto Uzumaki takes on Santa Yamanaka! Fighters, please step forward!"
The crowd roared as both contestants advanced, meeting in the center of the arena. Naruto's name was already being chanted.
The boy flashed a wide grin, adjusting his headband playfully while exclaiming, "Get ready to lose, Santa!"
"Right back at you," Santa replied. He smirked despite the nervous energy he felt inside. This was, after all, Naruto Uzumaki.
The audience cheered because of their competitive spirits. Speculation flew through the crowd about whether or not Naruto would unveil his green jumpsuit again. Taking center stage, he removed his jacket, revealing the spandex.
"Everyone prepare for," his stance moulded into the familiar position reminiscent of Rock Lee, "the Green Beast!"
While the declaration was infectious, Santa furrowed his brow. He didn't know what to expect. Meanwhile, the crowd got even more hyped.
"Begin!" the announcer cried. At those words, Naruto charged forward with impeccable speed.
"What the?!" Santa exclaimed, seeing the disparity of skill levels.
Dodging was near impossible as Naruto executed a series of strikes that wreaked havoc on Santa's defense. Each of Naruto's blows left Santa on the edge. His opponent hadn't expected the difference between viewing a match and personally experiencing it.
Just as Santa was trying to create some space, Naruto pivoted. He might have been on the offensive end, but he wasn't about to let Santa close the gap that easily. He continued his onslaught of rapid movements that escalated into an impressive display of taijutsu.
Naruto thrust his palm toward Santa, who reacted instinctively, blocking it with crossed forearms. The force of the impact rang through them both. In that instant, they were locked in a stalemate, each unwilling to yield ground.
"Nice one! Show him, Naruto!" a voice cried from the crowd.
Taking advantage of Santa's momentary surprise, Naruto launched into a kick aimed at his side. Santa bypassed it in the nick of time, retaliating with a sweeping roundhouse that narrowly missed Naruto's head.
The two continued exchanging blows, dodging and countering one another.
From the sidelines, Rock Lee watched with an expression of exultation. "Incredible! Naruto has truly embraced the spirit of the Green Beast!" he exclaimed aloud.
The normally composed Neji, standing beside him, raised an eyebrow with a hint of surprise as well.
"Impressive indeed," he remarked with a smile. "But I forgot to ask during the intermission: where did he even get that jumpsuit? It certainly looks a lot like yours, Lee."
Before he could ponder the question deeper, Jada interjected, chuckling sprightly. "Funny story. When all three of us trained with Guy-sensei one day, I thought, 'What would make Naruto even cooler?' So I suggested he wear something similar to Lee! Next thing we knew, he was practically demanding his own version of the spandex suit!"
Neji couldn't help but picture the scene. It made him want to laugh at the absurd poses under the training of his sensei. The image was silly enough to let out a chuckle.
Iruka chimed in, saying, "I can't imagine how hilarious that must have looked; he sure has gotten stronger since he left the academy—you all have, and I'm proud of you."
While the statement was sentimental, Margaret rolled her eyes while Jada gave a simple smile. William himself seemed ready to cry from having his wish of Naruto being recognized for his talents early on.
Back in the arena, as the two exchanged blows with intensity, the crowd was riveted, shouting words of encouragement and awe. Naruto, fueled by their encouragement, found himself ignited.
Dodging another of Santa's punches, he leaped into the air, following it up with a spinning heel kick. Their eyes meeting for the briefest split second, reminding Santa they were still locked in this taijutsu stalemate.
"Nice try, but I won't let you throw me off," Santa responded after slightly recovering.
Sweat dripped down both of their faces. They knew that one wrong move could turn the tides in this battle, and the crowd's roar only pushed them further.
Just as Naruto prepared to make his next move, Santa sensed that it was time to shift gears.
"Mind transfer jutsu!" he readied. "I got you now!"
In that slim moment, he locked eyes with Naruto and initiated his technique. If he could capture the boy's consciousness, the match would undoubtedly fall in his favour.
But just as he enveloped it—or so he thought—Naruto dissipated into a plume of smoke. Santa's heart sank as he saw what had happened; it was a mere shadow clone!
As the smoke cleared, the real Naruto was already high into the air. "Surprise!" Moments later, he landed with incredible force, delivering a punch straight into Santa's face before he could blink.
The impact was brutal. Santa's body rocketed off the platform like a rag doll, crashing against the side of the arena.
Gasps were inhaled from the stands, but it was quickly followed by cheers for the boy! "Naruto! Naruto!" they chanted.
The feat might have taken Santa back by surprise, but from the sidelines, it was different. What others saw was nothing short of a basic strategy of clone utilization. Naruto, who wasn't meant to use his brain, had summoned the clone during their exchanges.
The real Naruto had quickly jumped into the air, right in Santa's blind spot.
What dazzled most, however, was that Naruto had only used one jutsu. The rest of the match highlighted how proficient he was in taijutsu. Surely, this was not what the real Naruto could have performed.
Who was to blame for this change? None other than the players, of course.
The announcer raised his microphone, struggling to contain his excitement as he yelled, "And the winner of the first match is Naruto Uzumaki!"
As the cheers reached a climax, the Nara and Akimichi clans looked on, dumbfounded at how quickly the match had concluded. They exchanged glances that were in disbelief at Santa's abrupt defeat.
Naruto, basking in the glory of victory, turned to wade through the cheers, but Santa's slow return forced him to pause. Santa, groggy but smiling, finally got to his feet and met the winner in the middle.
"I lost, huh? Haha," he laughed in admiration. "By the way, Naruto, how did you know my strategy?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned, answering, "Well, Will clued me in. He said you were likely trying to catch me off guard with that transfer mind jutsu."
"It's called mind transfer," Santa corrected. Yet his eyes said a different story. He was still trying to process Naruto's words. "William? He told you? I can't believe he knew so much."
Now many understood why Naruto hadn't executed his signature Rasengan. He wasn't trying to go for a quick victory; he was being patient, waiting for Santa to try to use the Yamanaka clan's secret technique first before going in for the win.
The old Naruto would have likely summoned an unnecessary amount of Shadow Clones to try and overwhelm his opponent. Arthur, having fought Naruto before, knew how troubling it was to face so many shadow clones at once.
Santa and Naruto met halfway, exchanging a firm handshake—a moment of respect. As if some of the players hadn't already garnered enough of the Leaf Village's reverence, the members of the Yamanaka clan began to reveal their true admiration for Naruto and his friends because of this fight.
"Ino would have loved you," Santa suddenly said.
In memory of Ino Yamanaka and Shikamaru Nara, ninjas whose time had been extinguished too soon, silence fell between the two.
Naruto nodded solemnly, sharing that moment of loss as understanding passed between two fierce competitors. While the comment was meant to appreciate his behaviour, he managed to handle it maturely.
Arthur, witnessing their conversation, had long forgotten about the deaths of those two. They might have been main characters, but did he have anyone to talk so highly of him when they thought he died? Not even close.
Naruto and Santa parted ways, returning to their respective groups. The announcer spoke up again, breaking the quiet.
"Next match! Let's keep the excitement rolling! Neji Hyūga versus Rock Lee!"
The roar of the crowd once more ignited the arena as the next contestants prepared themselves. Among the spectators, Margaret, Jada, William, and Arthur were keenly aware of the significance of this fight—not just for its stakes but for its history, as it was a duel that had not been seen.
Rock Lee and Neji Hyūga were two of the most formidable ninjas of the story, their rivalry known by many admirers. For years, fans had debated who was truly stronger. Today, they would have an answer, and there were no apparent limitations.
With the new tournament rules allowing chakra use, the scales had tipped in an unpredictable direction.
"This is actually really cool," Margaret whispered to Jada. Her excitement was showing in her eyes.
"Absolutely!" Jada replied. "They've never fought at full strength before, have they? We might actually see something incredible here."
William, hearing them, chimed in, "It's not that big of a deal. I saw a fan-made animated video on YouTube years ago of the two fighting."
Margaret gave him a scowling look. What she understood was the fact that Neji had trained with Alex. It had left him with a well-rounded understanding of taijutsu and his Byakugan. Shira, who was undoubtedly better than Lee, had also fallen to Neji, so the stakes were still high.
"Next time, Will, get your facts straight," she scolded.
While they were whispering, their conversation wasn't hidden from Arthur's Tamashii. Arthur himself had fought Lee once. The results left the boy in a paralyzed state. So much so that Might Guy had to come and aid his pupil.
Arthur, at the time, was forced to use his Seven Heavenly Breaths technique and overwhelm Lee's Eight Inner Gates. This was all done without chakra utilization either. Lee's taijutsu was indeed great enough to match Arthur's. And who knows how hard the boy's trained since that defeat?
As the two fighters entered the arena and faced off, they eyed each other with confident smiles.
Before the match even began, Neji activated his Byakugan. Lee's grin expanded, not out of fear but with exhilaration.
"Good!" he said. "You have chosen to go all out from the get-go!"
"It would be foolish of me if I didn't after seeing your performance."
"Today!" Lee declared with fervent determination, "Neji, I will prove I can match your strength!"
The announcer, sensing the charged atmosphere, raised his voice and said, "Now, let the match begin!"