It's then that tension struck when the next set of names was displayed on the monitor: "C vs. Hoshikaze!"
Most of the audience were asking themselves, "Who was this Hoshikaze?"
The Raikage leaned forward in his seat, furrowing his brow as the name registered. Who could blame him when Arthur was shrouded in mystery and had an unsettling aura surrounding him?
His blindfold itself was just the tip of the iceberg, and the name was enough to match his strong persona that also mimicked his robust build.
Whispers among the crowds intensified because of it.
As he made his way to the stage, each step was light. Jada noticed something others hadn't: Lars slowly opened his eyes to focus on Arthur's figure!
Arthur knew that Lars was staring at him. To be frank, he could feel the weight of gazes across the whole corners of the arena. Yet he chose to ignore them all as he stepped into the center of the stage, standing a few yards away from C.
C, often referred to as Shī or Cee in various adaptations, was a Jōnin hailing from the Cloud Village. He was mainly known for serving as one of the bodyguards for the Raikage alongside his more laid-back partner, Darui.
Arthur verified it was him through his physical appearance: dark eyes and short, neatly styled blond hair parted down the middle. His attire reflected the standard uniform of a Cloud shinobi, including a sleeveless black shirt complemented by a one-shoulder white flak jacket.
If Arthur recalled, C's prowess lied in ninjutsu, exemplified by his ability to utilize advanced light style with lightning style. Mix that on top of being a tracker ninja and a medical ninja, C was quite versatile in the art of combat.
Sasuke Uchiha and him had fought about two years from now at the Kage Summit. During that time, C complimented Sasuke's proficiency with the black flames compared to that of Itachi Uchiha's.
There was no question that C was a tenacious and capable shinobi whose serious commitment to his duties was unquestionable.
As he stood confidently in the arena, the crowd quieted, hoping for a promised action.
"Can you see me?" C grinned.
Arthur merely nodded with a calm expression.
Curious yet skeptical, C attempted to wave his hand in front of Arthur's face. Yet Arthur hadn't flinched.
The crowd reacted with giggles and confusion, unsure if it was all part of the pre-fight antics. Even the announcer was curious if Arthur could actually see under his blindfold.
"You don't seem like a bad guy," C said, entering a combat stance, "so let's use the first round to warm up."
"No need…" Arthur replied.
"Hmm…" C said in disbelief. By refusing to warm up, Arthur was inadvertently suggesting he would not try or take the fight seriously. This unwarranted confidence irritated C. "Oh, we'll see about that."
"And…" the announcer said, raising his arm, "begin!"
C lunged forward with a quick punch.
Bang!
Arthur had raised his forearm to block the strike, causing the force of the blow to vibrate through C's arm.
"Wow!" C said, recoiling back a few paces back while shaking his hand.
When he looked at it, blood trickled from his knuckles, which left him wide-eyed.
"That," Arthur mocked, "was a weak punch…"
C's eyes darted from his now-injured hand to Arthur's figure with disbelief. If there was anything C was thinking, it was, 'How tough is this guy's skin?!'
C was not going to rush in without a tactic; he was, after all, a skilled shinobi.
So with a quick foot, he darted to the side and maneuvered behind his opponent. Arthur, however, had not moved a single muscle. As C lunged for another jab, it looked as though he'd passed through a mirage.
The crowd gasped collectively. "What? His punch just phased right through him!" someone shouted, bewildered by the impossibility unfolding before their eyes.
"Is he using chakra?" someone else ventured. "That's against the rules; he's cheating!"
The announcer glanced at the sensors monitoring chakra levels, only to confirm, "Ladies and gentlemen, I can attest that no chakra is being used!"
The murmurs of disbelief continued in the audience because, to the untrained eye, it had appeared as if C had phased right through mist. Yet, for those with a keen understanding of combat, the truth was bewilderingly different.
The Kages sat stoically, arms crossed, as they took in the sight with rapt attention.
"I must admit," A said, "I'm impressed."
He had thought that this match was going to redeem his village, but he couldn't have been more wrong.
Arthur slowly turned to face his opponent. Confused, C tried again, launching a series of jabs and hooks.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
Arthur had seemingly phased through the attacks without moving a single inch.
"He has to be cheating, no?!" someone in the stands questioned.
"Absolutely not!" the announcer sternly affirmed. "Believe it when I say that there is no chakra being used in this fight!"
The crowd whispered one to another in an attempt to process the extraordinary display. Even Naruto leaned in closer, unable to tell what was actually happening.
"What's going on here?" he wondered, scratching his head. Upon glancing at his group to quell his interest, he noticed Jada with her Sharingan active to scrutinize the fighters. "What're ya seein', Jada?"
"He's… he's not using chakra at all, Naruto."
"Then how's he phasing through the attacks?"
After hearing the question, it quickly dawned on Jada that the naked eye was not fast enough to tell what Arthur was doing. That alone impressed her, so she revealed, "Hoshikaze's dodging at the last second, making it look like C's attacks are passing through him."
The group was just as stunned as the ones who didn't understand. But those who did understand, like the Kage, were observant of this fact as well.
What was impressive wasn't that an unknown shinobi was dodging attacks from an elite guard; it was the fact he was doing it blindfolded!
"You feel that?" the Mizukage asked A.
"What do you mean, lord fifth?"
"His tactic could redefine taijutsu; if something like that is even possible."
"Don't be silly! He hasn't attacked yet. Until I see his strength, I won't count my shinobi out…"
"I get it," she smiled his way, "you don't want to place another wager."
He narrowed his eyes at her, unwilling to get angry again. Because even the Raikage, the strongest ninja after their Jinchūriki, Killer Bee, understood that the person fighting his guard was nowhere close to average.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
With every new jab and strike from C, Arthur remained untouched and eerily calm. The crowd was beginning to purchase the idea that Hoshikaze truly was an enigma wrapped in mystery.
"How can he do that without seeing?" Naruto gasped.
"It's his senses," Jada explained, admiring whatever might have pushed a shinobi this hard to achieve such a feat.
"I don't get it…"
"Naruto," added Margaet, "it's called reflexes." Even she was wondering who this fighter could be. "Only someone incredibly fast could do something like this, and what's crazy is I can't sense him using any visible cues."
It soon became clear to everyone: the skill Arthur was displaying went beyond exceptional; it was almost otherworldly. So much so that it was drawing the captivated attention of every elite ninja in the building.
"Here!" C called out, throwing a right hook, aimed straight for Arthur's jaw.
But just as his fist was about to make contact, it transitioned seamlessly to the left as if it were a mere sound in the wind. "Try this!" he shouted again, pivoting on his heel and delivering a front kick.
But the same thing happened.
With every attempt he made, Arthur continued to dodge each strike with a fluid grace that was infuriating.
What exactly was Arthur using to make it seem as if he was shifting between solid matter?
The answer was simple: he was listening.
Grinding his teeth together, C stepped back. He could feel his breathing growing heavier as he finally processed what was happening.
"I shouldn't have underestimated him," he murmured to himself, planting his feet once more. "This one!" As he swung an uppercut, Arthur evaded yet again. The agility displayed was simply too frustrating, and each miss felt like a blow to his pride as a shinobi. "Once more!" he barked. But again, it was as if his kick was vanishing before it could find its mark while Arthur remained seemingly still.
Backpedaling to create a bit of distance, C took a moment to collect his thoughts. Perhaps he could change his pacing and imagine some new strategies to calculate the timing of his strikes.
"You're thinking too hard," Arthur said as if knowing what C was contemplating.
This caused the Cloud shinobi to pause. "Hey, pal… by any chance, you and I haven't fought before, have we?"
"It's our first time…"
"I sure did get the short end of the stick then," C tried joking to ease the tension weighing him down.
There were only a select few things he could do in a situation where his opponent was faster. But most of those attempts required chakra, which was against the rules.
Suddenly, he heard from the sidelines, "The key is to stay relaxed!" When he looked, he saw Darui.
"Or maybe you should try imagining him naked," Atsui relayed.
C let out a small chuckle, shaking his head in acknowledgment. While he respected his group's laid-back approach, they had no idea how tough being in the ring against a monster like this truly was.
From the moment he stepped foot in the arena with Arthur, he had already fallen into the trap, a trap in which C wasn't aware.
"Oh," Arthur mused upon seeing his opponent taking a calm breath. "It seems you're done warming up."
C scoffed, aware that Arthur was trying to psych him out. Had it not been for his teammates' words finally absorbed into his head, he would have overthought too much on this fight.
"This time I'm ready!"