Lars was an unexpected wildcard who no one was aware of was even in this world. That was because he was widely known for being a character in the Tekken franchise.
Arthur himself measured the man's imposing figure.
Lars looked more stunning than anyone present due to his half-Swedish and half-Japanese heritage. His blonde hair was in fringed bangs, and a signature element of his hairstyle was the topknot fashioned like a crescent moon.
Even more were his clothes: a red kimono decorated with a white obi. That was considering he donned gilded armour that was adorned with spirals and a majestic lion motif.
He also had clawed gauntlets, which weren't being worn because they had been confiscated due to tournament regulations.
To be quite fair, Arthur had known little about Lars, not being aware that this was indeed a fighter first showcased in a video game.
Even the others from earth were shocked to see him. Some, like Margaret, were eager to fight him because he was a Tekken fighter with incredible combos. Million-dollar tournaments on earth were held by the company that created him, of which Lars was a top-tier fighter among the selected characters.
If a person from earth could beat him in a fight, it would solidify their taijutsu skills among the others.
Sadly for them, Lars was Arthur's target.
At the time, he had asked himself, "What if I can win him and turn him over to my side?" The best way to do that was fight the Tekken fighter himself.
As Arthur was in mid-thought, he witnessed Naruto and William passing by, only to stop right in front of his cell.
"Hey, mister!" Naruto exclaimed as hopped inside. "You look super strong! Can you see behind that blindfold of yours?"
William shot a sideways glance at the boy. "Cuz! That's kinda rude to ask."
"Oh, right!" the boy admitted with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that."
It was apparent he hadn't meant any harm. Yet Arthur couldn't help but remember how different Naruto seemed; he was clearly more mature.
The last time they met, it was during their fight in the Land of Tea. Even then, Arthur recognized how much not just Naruto had changed, but even Sakura. Both had their personalities adjusted and were a lot stronger than their counterparts.
There were still flashes of Naruto's old impulsive self, but he had learned to manage them well thanks to William's influence.
"I just think you look really cool," Naruto continued, unabashed. "I hope I get the chance to fight you since ya seem so strong!"
"I see..." Arthur coolly responded.
"Come on, cuz," William gestured to depart. "We should get going. Oh, and hope ya do well in the tournament, mister!"
"Likewise..."
What honestly intrigued Arthur was not just Lars but also discovering the depths of William's abilities. He recalled the last fight he'd faced against Jada, who, despite her strength, was not the strongest among the other six.
That made Arthur question what exactly someone like William or Margaret could bring to the tournament.
As for the others from earth, Arthur had mainly accepted those like Rock Lee, Neji, and Iruka as mere incentives to rope them in. Perhaps the others believed this tournament was nothing but filler. That or they were too busy to come.
Regardless, just having William and Margaret here was more than enough to help him test his strength.
Arthur's gaze eventually shifted away, drawn by the need to focus on Margaret and what she might be up to. So he used his Crimson Gaze beneath the blindfold, allowing him to see across the arena.
When his vision landed on her, he saw that she was chatting amiably with another participant: Fū.
Fū was a kunoichi from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. She was also notably known as the Jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails, Chōmei. Her background was quite tragic, as she was captured by the Akatsuki during a turbulent period when various Jinchūriki were being hunted down, ultimately leading to her death when the Seven-Tails was extracted from her body.
This event, however, wouldn't start for at least another year or so.
No surprise she looked like her original self: a petite woman with tan skin and layered mint green hair, characterized by a cheerful demeanour that reflected her carefree personality.
Her colour scheme was also interesting: an orange hair clip that complemented her orange eyes and a short, sleeveless white midriff shirt layered with fishnet armour alongside fishnet shorts topped with a short white apron skirt.
Out of all the Jinchūriki in this world, she had to have been the most stylish and flamboyant one—both in appearance and personality.
Last Arthur remembered, she was known to exhale a sparkling substance that served as a blinding attack. She could also create webs that healed others. But why was Margaret trying to speak with her of all ninjas?
"You can call me, Marge, Fū!"
"Nice to meet ya, Marge. But…"
"But what, Fū?"
"How did ya know my name?!"
"Haha! Everybody knows you, Fū! You're famous for being a Jinchūriki, remember?"
Fū chuckled, and to Arthur's uninterest, she seemed to forget that she was, in fact, widely recognized. "Oh, wow! I totally forgot! That's pretty funny!"
Margaret giggled alongside her. "I actually think you're really cool. Maybe we could be friends."
Blushing fiercely, Fū clasped Margaret's hand in excitement. "Really? Friends! Yes! I'd love to be friends!"
Their giggles continued, and the bond they were forging seemed genuine, underscored by a shared sense of purpose for being here.
Meanwhile, Arthur's focus shifted back to the main stage, where the announcer was preparing to make an entrance to direct the crowd's attention. Participants therefore began to shuffle back to their designated groups.
The announcer was clad in black attire that made him look more like a professional businessman.
"Welcome, one and all, to this grand Clash of Ninjas tournament! Today, you'll be witnessing the finest warriors from across the world in a battle of skill to garner honour like never before!"
Each fighter here was quite eager, willing to try their hardest despite the announcer's promise having no merit.
Then, with a polished cadence, the announcer detailed the parameters of the tournament. "Fighters are not allowed to use any chakra-based techniques. No exceptions!"
To the experienced ninjas present, none of them would have come if they weren't prepared to rely solely on their wits and physical strength. After all, the use of chakra and ninjutsu wasn't the essence of a shinobi's fighting style.
"The way to win is by disqualification or knockout, and the ring's large enough for hundreds to dance around in. Should anyone be knocked out of the ring, that's an instant disqualification!"
As the words settled over the crowd, many fighters were already envisioning themselves besting their opponents.
"After the first fourteen fights, we will take an intermission before advancing to the second round! And since we have an odd number of competitors, the two fighters who do not end up fighting will receive a bye to advance."
Participants murmured at this rule.
What they didn't know was that there were thirty even fighters, and the bracket was divided by two. That allowed only seven to fight on each side of the bracket of the first round. Trickling forward would leave an odd number of fighters to participate in the second, third, fourth, and final rounds.
To compensate for this ratio, Arthur allowed for the last two fighters to advance without needing to fight in the first round. He didn't mind who it was, so long as the tournament could continue evenly.
In terms of who all the fighters were, there were fifteen from the Leaf Village, six from the Cloud Village, five from the Stone Village, one each from the Sand Village and Waterfall Village, and two from unaffiliated villages.
These were the following names: Anko, Chen, Ebisu, Hana Inuzuka, Iruka, Kasuga Nara, Kotetsu, Lee, Makaro Akimichi, Margaret, Naruto, Neji, Raidō, Santa Yamanaka, William, Atsui, C, Darui, Karui, Omoi, Samui, Akatsuchi, Han, Kitsuchi, Kurotsuchi, Monga, Fū, Lars, Shira, and lastly Hoshikaze, who was Arthur in disguise.
Everyone joins the battle!
Arthur himself had personally checked all their backgrounds. There were a lot of complaints since many of those selected had bounties on their heads. But who was he to deny the fans what they wanted?