C lunged forward as Arthur could hear the increase in his opponent's speed. Instead of executing those earlier dodges that had left the audience in awe, Arthur decided to pivot his foot and move to C's side.
Whoosh!
C's attack had missed. But he couldn't help but smirk because he had seen the dodge.
Planting his foot firmly on the ground, he transitioned into a roundhouse kick.
Bang!
It was blocked with Arthur's opposite arm.
The crowd was astonished at how quick the match's pace turned.
When Arthur grabbed C's shin, C quickly executed a reverse roundhouse kick.
Bang!
Arthur had crossed his arms and caught that leg as well.
The crowd gasped in unison as they witnessed C held securely by his shins.
"You're supposed to be the Raikage's elite guard?" Arthur quipped. Before C could muster a retort, Arthur swung him harshly in circles. "How amusing…"
The force of the motion was making C nauseated, but he fought them down as round and round he went. When he had finally had enough, he channeled everything into planting his hand on the ground to halt the momentum.
Then, swoosh! Arthur threw C high into the air, causing the audience to gasp once more at Arthur's strength.
C found himself momentarily stunned by the altitude of his height. Drawing on his instinct, he repositioned himself. Then, as he was descending back down, he aimed a fist toward Arthur.
The crowd held their breath as he approached until, bang! C was knocked out of the ring by one elaborate spin kick to the chest.
"What just happened?!" a feudal lord asked.
"Didn't ya see?" Mei answered.
"See what?!"
"Hoshikaze stepped left at the last second before landing that counterattack!"
Even the announcer barely had time to process what had happened. "And… and the match goes to Hoshikaze!"
The outbreak of cheers from the crowd was thunderous. Never before had anyone seen a blindfolded fighter in combat. And by the volume of their applause, they wanted more action.
Among the multitudes celebrating, a particular figure's awed expression was quite noticeable: Jada. She had been even more engaged than the rest, rapt with fascination.
Was she really that impressed? Nay, the real question to ask is: how could she not be dazzled?
Arthur, who had honed himself since the first day he arrived in this world, had never stopped training. Above the three basic fighting styles, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu, he excelled at the latter and knew how to perfectly take advantage of the formers.
To him, it was no fluke.
The straightforward execution of his techniques, the purity of movement stripped of flair yet steeped in precision, kept all eyes focused on him.
Arthur fighting C without chakra was like an adult to a teenager. Perhaps if the latter could use chakra, the results might have differed. But the so-called elite guard was in Arthur's domain, an area not many could stand a chance in.
As the cheers settled down, Mei sat in her seat, keenly observing A. She noticed something unusual for a leader whose shinobi had just lost a match: he wasn't angry.
He was instead mulling over the outcome with a contemplative look on his rugged features. "I know what you're thinking… But I can't be upset at this loss... C gave it his all. He's an excellent fighter, and taijutsu isn't his strong suit."
Mei became a tad surprised. It was rare for the Raikage to take a loss so lightly, especially in such a high-profile tournament. "Shouldn't you be lashing out at least a little bit?"
A shrugged, still gazing out at Arthur's slowly retreating figure. "What good would that do? All of my shinobi are valuable, but against this Hoshikaze? I'd like to speak to him once this is all over."
Mei's curiosity piqued. To gain recognition from even the Raikage meant something. She, too, had been intrigued by Arthur for being such an enigmatic fighter.
But she chose not to voice her interest after sensing that it might make others perceive her as too competitive. Right now simply wasn't the time for personal desires to clash with professional verdicts—is what she wanted to believe.
"I've still got one more shinobi who I know will win his match."
"Who is it?" Mei subtly asked.
The Raikage pointed at Darui below. "He's been waiting for his moment to show what our village can really do."
Across the arena, lounging casually in his designated area, Darui had assumed a relaxed posture. That was typical of his character: to have a sense of detached coolness.
"So, how was it?" he asked when C returned.
"Brutal… It was like fighting air, or something—maybe even lighter than air." C then took a moment to shake his head, still perplexed by the experience. "I've been in enough fights over the years, but that guy… He's definitely something different."
The implications of his words caused everyone in the group to feel intrigued.
"Mind at least explaining what you meant by 'lighter than air'?" Karui asked.
"It's hard to explain," C answered. "Every strike felt like it was just out of reach. I thought I was hitting him, but it was like fighting a mirage. Even after I cleared my head, things hadn't changed much."
Omoi had to ask, "You mean like a fight that feels less like a physical confrontation and more like a ballet?"
"I think you mean dance," Atsui corrected.
Samui exchanged glances with Karui before returning her focus to C. "Sounds like you learned something valuable."
C chuckled, albeit a bit painfully. That last blow Arthur had landed felt as if it had shattered a rib or two. "Valuable is one way to put it. I think I'll be thinking about this loss for a while."
Though there wasn't any gloominess to their atmosphere, deep down in each of them lay a respect for Arthur—something words alone could not explain.
Meanwhile, in group ten.
"That guy thinks he's so cool!" Naruto shouted. No one could tell if he was praising or scolding Arthur's performance. "I hope I get a chance to fight him myself!"
"I must admit," Neji added, "his skills were abnormal."
William was preparing to get Jada's opinion since she had activated her Sharingan, but when he looked around, he noticed she was missing. "Anyone seen Jada?"
"She's over there," Margaret pointed. William saw that she was making her way toward Arthur's cell block. "Wonder what's gotten into her." That's when Margaret noticed William's annoyed expression. "Someone looks jealous."
"Am not!" His tone belied his denial. "I was just gonna ask her what she saw in Hoshikaze's moves," he muttered.
After Jada finally approached Arthur, she said in a sincere tone, "Congratulations on your victory, Mr. Hoshikaze!"
Arthur's head faced toward her. "Get lost, Uchiha…"
Her cheeks flushed as she stomped her foot. "I was—I was just trying to be nice!" Without waiting for a response, she turned to leave. "I didn't think you'd be so rude!"
As she walked away, she couldn't help but reflect on the encounter. Maybe she had misread him, or perhaps he was simply wary of her because she was, after all, an Uchiha.
"What was that about?" William asked her when she returned.
Jada paused, searching for the right words until they finally settled. "He's not exactly easy to approach, I guess."
"Another Sasuke is more like it," Margaret commented.
Instantly, Jada felt her face warm again. The comparison nipped at her pride, and she drowned in embarrassment since she had received the same treatment from that Uchiha.
Meanwhile, William felt a tad irritated at Margaret's remark for a different reason.
"Can we focus on the tournament and not on Sasuke?" he chided gently, attempting to keep the mood light.
He mainly said this for someone else's sake.
"It's alright," Naruto chimed in with a comforting smile. "I know Sasuke'll be back to his old self in no time."
When Arthur saw their conversation, he understood that his Evil Illusion Flattery technique was still in full effect. What he needed Sasuke to do was leave the village. But the Uchiha was clearly not in the position to do that, so as a cause and effect, he was ostracizing Naruto.
"Right! Let's focus on this fight," Margaret suggested. "I'll admit: Hoshikaze was incredible. But it's not like he was Guy-sensei or anything. I could just as easily have—"
"Guy-sensei!" Lee yelled next to her ear.
"Calm down, Lee!" Iruka gently scolded as he tried to anchor the energy in the arena. The last thing he wanted was for more attention brought to their group again. "Hoshikaze was impressive, yes—some of the best taijutsu I've ever seen without a doubt. But we should consider that Lars fellow and the rest of these fighters. I can only wonder how difficult the upcoming matches will be."
"True," William pensively replied. "All the major fighters have shown to have unorthodox methods."
"It doesn't matter!" Naruto interrupted while adjusting his headband with a confident smile. "I'm gonna take them all down one by one!"
Back at Arthur's spot, he took this time to quickly reflect.
It was one thing to engage in physical combat, but it was another to measure his presence among ninjas from various villages.
'Crimson gaze…'
He glanced out toward the audience and found that Jada was staring at him. Would he have acknowledged her so openly as opposed to having dismissed her harshly? Not even close. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to speak to any of those from earth, especially while using the Transformation technique and the Chakra Disguise technique.
One wrong word or one slip of the tongue, and one of them was bound to see through his cover.
And it wasn't just that. The last time Jada and him encountered one another, she wanted to kill him. And before that, her heart had been so broken that she had unexpectedly awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan.
Arthur was not mean; he simply didn't want to involve himself right this second with those who were that delusional to this world's affairs.
With those thoughts settled, the monitor turned on to display the next fighters.