"William Uzumaki versus Ebisu!"
Much of the crowd held their tongue, eager to see what another Uzumaki could muster.
William himself felt adrenalized after finally seeing his name. This was his chance to show everyone that he was just as great of a fighter as all the others here.
"Go, Will!" Naruto yelled.
"Stay focused, okay?" Margaret suggested. "And don't forget how hard you've trained."
"Do your best," Jada chimed in.
On the other side of their group, Arthur and Lars stood in a similar stance: arms crossed and indifferent to the scene unfolding before them.
'Let's see what makes this one tick,' Arthur thought, keeping his Crimson Gaze active.
As the two fighters approached the center of the arena, William exchanged a respectful bow with Ebisu. The Special Jōnin who would lead Konohamaru's squad adjusted his glasses with a self-satisfied smirk. It almost felt like he was condescendingly acknowledging William, who had achieved fame for rescuing the Hokage during Orochimaru's invasion.
"You've come a long way since then," Ebisu stated. "I'm itching to know how a hero of our village prevails against me in this match."
"Haha," William laughed. "Thanks, Ebisu-sensei. It's actually an honour to be in your presence."
"Did he just say 'hero,'" someone from the crowd asked themselves.
The newfound reputation caused them to be intrigued. Some were thinking how such a frail, nerdy-looking child could have become a village star.
When the announcer officially declared the match's start, things began at an agitated pace.
Ebisu's years as a shinobi were meritorious. William, however, matched him blow for blow, supplementing raw power with unpredictable agility.
"You're pretty strong," Ebisu commended, executing a pivot move.
The move flipped William on his back, and just as the Special Jōnin moved in to strike, William planted his hands on the ground and propelled himself back onto his feet.
"Thanks!" he said after recovering.
The crowd enjoyed the unconventional but effective display.
William then spun wildly as a leg churned out, hitting Ebisu squarely in the chest.
Bang!
"That was a good move," the Special Jōnin commented after recovering.
Ebisu moved to counter but was unsuccessful. His opponent's motions were becoming too heady, almost hypnotic to behold.
The cheers from the spectators intensified; they were relishing this unprecedented show of nimbleness.
With his flair and creativity, William caught Ebisu off-guard again, delivering a spin kick that sent his opponent staggering back. This was it. Feeling the thrill of the crowd's cheers, he decided to go for the finishing blow, so he rushed forward, ready to deliver one final overhead kick.
But just as he was about to connect, an authoritative voice cut through the noise, halting the match: "Hold it! Sensors have detected something unusual!"
William backed away from Ebisu, who looked equally bewildered. "What do you mean? I'm only using the First Gate, which you guys said was allowed!"
The announcer's expression turned serious as he said, "Multiple sensors indicate you're exhibiting enhancements that suggest your body has been unnaturally modified. So we need to investigate."
Murmurs filled the space, eventually rising to accusations. "He's no hero; he's a fraud!"
William's throat tightened. This could not be happening. He exclaimed in desperation, "But I'm not cheating!"
"Yeah!" Naruto tried to defend. "My cousin would never do something like that!"
It's then a sensor approached the arena. "It's not that we're accusing you of chakra usage, but it appears you possess some kind of augmentation. We simply cannot allow the match to continue without a thorough evaluation of your eligibility."
Sweat trickled down William's face. For a moment, he felt the ire of the crowd pressing down on him from the weight of their judgment.
"I've got nothing to hide," he declared.
In just moments, he was being guided away from Ebisu.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer boomed, "we'll continue this fight after a quick break!"
Mei couldn't help but look at A to ask, "Did you by any chance sense anything from him?"
"No, but there is something odd with that boy's body."
"What are you getting at?"
"I suppose a woman wouldn't understand…"
Whatever that was supposed to mean, Mei rolled her eyes. She watched as William fully left into the tunnel. Something indeed had looked—or rather felt—odd about William's physical appearance.
At the stadium's infirmary.
William was seated in an empty room. He was told that the head doctor, who was also a medical ninja, would arrive shortly.
He swung his legs anxiously as he waited. The stillness felt cavernous, and his thoughts meandered back to the accusations thrust upon him.
Augments? He didn't even know what the word meant in this context. Did they honestly think he had modified his body like Orochimaru? Or use special pills like Hana had before her match?
He didn't even have enough money to buy those! Let alone undergo forbidden body modification rituals.
So what could the sensors possibly have felt that was so wrong?
Fresh beads of sweat clung to his forehead as he replayed the moments leading up to the disruption in his mind. It frustrated him to no end because he really did have something to hide—something he was trying to suppress.
The door soon swung open as an elderly man with short gray hair stepped inside. His coat hung neatly over his weathered frame, and a smile creased his face.
"Ah, Mr. William Uzumaki, am I correct?" the doctor inquired. "I've heard a lot about you."
William felt his cheeks flush at the unexpected compliment. "Really? You have?"
He could hardly believe it. While he had recently gained notable recognition in the Leaf after rescuing Hiruzen, he didn't think his exploits had reached the ears of someone so random outside his village.
"Yes, indeed," the doctor replied. "Your bravery isn't something to overlook, you know."
"Right! Thank you! But… ugh…"
"What is it, my boy?"
"How did you hear about this all the way out here? I mean, no one else knew who me and my friends were when we first arrived."
"Ah-haha," the doctor chuckled. "My boy, I used to live in the Leaf Village and still maintain some level of communication with them." The doctor had indeed been in the village at one point because the doctor was truly Arthur in disguise! "You can rest assured you're in capable hands…"
Arthur's plan had been perfectly executed.
While everyone's focus shifted toward the sensors interrupting the match, a ninja from this country had seamlessly swapped places with Arthur to pose as Hoshikaze. Now, he was disguised as the doctor, perfectly positioned to conduct any examination he pleased on William.
Arthur adjusted his glasses and motioned for William to sit on the examination table. "Let's take a look at you, shall we?"
"Yes, sir!"
When William relaxed himself, Arthur ran his hands over his arms and legs, assessing muscle tone and flexibility.
Not to his surprise, William's body felt a bit different than what Arthur was accustomed to seeing in most young shinobi. William's muscles had enough resilience that marked a well-conditioned athlete.
But there was more to it. Like a noticeable hardness that seemed inimitable.
As Arthur continued the exam, he observed the tendons; they had a remarkable elasticity, unlike any standard training regimen should have produced. That wasn't something someone could achieve in a few weeks or even months.
'So you've been training differently than others,' Arthur knew. 'Crimson gaze…'
William was oblivious to the glowing eyes as Arthur observed his chakra.
There was a heavy maliciousness about it, Arthur knew. "Tell me, boy, what exactly do you use to train yourself?"
"Umm… I usually summon about a hundred clones or so, and—and we do things like push-ups and stuff."
"Judging by your movements during the match," Arthur continued after deactivating his Kekkei Genkai, "I'd say you've also trained with stronger ninjas."
William nodded. "I have. Since you've been to the Leaf, I'm sure you've heard of the legendary Sannin Jiraiya. He and my cousin Naruto."
Hearing the truth from such a gullible person couldn't have been easier.
As the examination progressed, Arthur shifted gears and said, "Alright, Mr. Uzumaki, I need to ask you a few questions. This is crucial for me to understand what's going on and to ensure we know everything."
"Sure! Ask away!"
"Good." Arthur paused for a moment to grab a pen and clipboard. "First, what's your current limit in terms of how much chakra you feel comfortable using in battle?"
"Umm… I can usually manage a thousand chakra units, I think. But when I push myself, sometimes I can go a bit higher—close to triple that amount."
"Interesting," Arthur said, jotting the notes. This was to be expected since his character was stated to have a vast amount of chakra in his reserves. "Next, can you maintain your technique for extended periods, or do you feel fatigue starts to set in after a while?"
"Well, it depends on the jutsu I'm using," he chuckled, "but I can maintain most techniques for a couple minutes at a time. After that, I feel like I might blow a fuse."
"I see… And what about your physical endurance? How many rounds of sparring could you typically handle before you feel exhausted?"
William pondered. "If I'm up against a strong ninja, I'd say I can go for about three rounds. More if I'm using my clones to rotate out."
"A very strategic use of resources." In truth, William's answer was typical of an overly obsessed Naruto fan that knew how to fight like the main character. "Last question: if you've ever faced a direct hit from someone stronger than you, how does your body react to it?"
William's went to the ceiling as if he couldn't recall the last time he had been injured by someone stronger than him.
"Oh yeah!" he finally said, looking at Arthur. "During the Chūnin Exams, my friend slammed to the floor so hard that I thought my skull cracked." Then he rubbed the back of his head. "Thankfully, that wasn't the case, and ever since then, I've never felt that kind of pain again!"
Now Arthur finally understood why William was being looked at as stronger than Jada.
When training with Shadow Clones, as this world's laws dictated, whatever that clone experienced, it would transfer it back to its user. That included physical improvements made to the original body.
That was how Naruto managed to learn a technique that even his father couldn't perform. It was also how he increased his speed and strength in a short span of time.
Truly, the Shadow Clone technique was a jutsu that deserved to be forbidden because people like William were abusing it to train with every day!