As William entered the back room, a somber familiarity hit him. Because the last time he had been here, he was accused of cheating. Thankfully, those accusations were somewhat lifted. And on top of that, he had managed to make it to the finals.
He strolled over to a chair, sat down, and let out a sigh of relief.
All he could think of now was what he could do with the prize money if he won. Maybe he could finally pay Jada back for that time she covered his breakfast. Or perhaps he could take her out on a date to show her how much he appreciated her.
"She said my taijutsu was over the top," he muttered to himself. Remembering her comment filled him with warmth, painting a smile across his face. "He-he!"
Just as he began to bask in that fantasy, the door swung open, and the same doctor from before entered the room.
"Mr. Uzumaki," he greeted with a professional tone. "To think we'd be seeing each other again. Congratulations on making it to the finals."
"Thanks, doc! But, why am I being evaluated? Didn't we go through this already?"
The doctor cleared his throat. "The officials would like the final participants to go all out in the upcoming match. And to ensure the quality of the barrier we plan on setting up, we must first know the level of techniques you possess."
William's curiosity was now piqued. "Barrier? I guess that makes sense if you're letting me go all out. So, what'd ya like to know?"
"All of your techniques..."
Just as William considered the request, a tinge of skepticism crossed his mind. Nonetheless, he shrugged it off; he was too trusting in the whimsical nature of the tournament.
So the doctor handed him a clipboard as he began detailing his abilities.
"Have ya seen me out there by any chance?" he asked, attempting to strike up a quick conversation. But the doctor dismissed the question with a wave, gesturing to the clipboard. "Right. Evaluation. Sorry."
As he moved his pen, his thoughts drifted back to when he arrived in the Leaf Village. Then he gave a surprised look. That's right: he wasn't from this world.
✟
On earth, William had felt like he was suffocating from a collection of days spent toiling away at his part-time job.
Much of his moments there were spent worrying about bills rather than fulfilling his dreams.
He could vividly recall how he drowned himself in the computer and on his phone—Facebook, fanfiction stories, and hours of anime—to occupy that void that kept staying unfilled.
He didn't know what it was, but it had brought his spirit very low as a result.
William had never considered himself athletic; he was shy around girls and unable to find the courage to express his romantic side. The only 'serious' relationship he had ever known was over the internet, and that ended after the girl graduated high school.
People would have lynched him had they found out he was dating an underaged girl online.
Living with his mother was another chapter of his story, as her constant reminders to do something better weighed down on him.
Still, all that brought him to winning that golden ticket to come to this world.
That day, as he believed, was the happiest moment of his life. And upon discovering that it was Naruto-related, he was beyond ecstatic.
It was as if things were finally moving in his direction.
What more could a diehard fan like him want than to be a part of the world he had been morbidly obsessed with?
William knew almost everything about Naruto—both the series and its many characters.
How could he not choose the same clan the main character was in? There was no hesitating. So much so, he almost didn't bother to read what the other clans entailed.
Tempted by the power of being an Uchiha, he was deterred because of the burden of hunting for bonds in darkness. Intrigued by the Senju lineage, he was terrified of failing. Captivated by the perks of an Ōtsutsuki, he was disgusted by their physical appearance.
'Jasper needs a lot of sunscreen,' he thought the day he saw him.
Ultimately, the Uzumaki clan had deemed itself the pinnacle of his aspirations. Not just because he could rewrite the story, but to reshape the whole world as he saw fit.
But even after making friends with the main character and all the others, one person was a threat to his dreams: Arthur Bennett.
To William, Arthur's reputation was characterized by a cunning presence that overshadowed any other villain he'd read about. And after discovering his villainy, William felt compelled to take action; he couldn't possibly just sit back and let a man like that set the course of this world.
So his venture into protecting Team 7 and the others became a mission—an affirmation of everything he wished to keep.
Thankfully Jada had given the more important characters her Flying raijin papers. Because it allowed her to come to their rescue just in time.
William would have happily went after Arthur had she not been willing to take him down. In fact, William's heart almost dropped after seeing him bring her to her knees.
Oh, the relief on his face when he discovered Naruto had survived. Never again did he want to leave his new cousin's side without a just cause.
At least, not while enemies like Arthur roamed the earth.
"Was it really that bad?" he asked Naruto at the time.
"You mean fighting Desmond—I mean... Arthur."
"Yeah."
"Honestly, cuz, I really don't want to talk about it," Naruto explained, searching for the right words. "But since it's you, maybe you can help me understand something..."
"Understand what, cuz?"
"Well, you and him always had your meetings and stuff, so... umm... I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was like fighting a mirror or something. Like, everything I threw at him just kept coming back in my face. Almost like he knew all of my moves. Does that make any sense?"
It more than made sense to a person like William. The most he could tell Naruto at the time was that it was because of Arthur's Kekkei Genkai.
Naruto accepted the lie, but it left an uncomfortable feeling in William's heart. Because the act of having let someone like Arthur, a person with foreknowledge just like himself, get so far left an unsettling mark on everyone.
Jada's own comments about Arthur didn't help much. She, too, had been reticent, requiring coaxing to share her truths.
"You're okay, right, Jada?" he asked her one day after her battle with Arthur.
"Yeah… He was strong, but I pulled through thanks to you guys."
"Just wish we had come sooner."
"That's alright. I don't think it would have made too much of a difference anyway."
"What'd ya mean?"
"Oh... Ugh... How can I explain? Umm... Well, you'd have to fight him to understand."
"I don't get it."
Jada wasn't quite sure how to elaborate further. But after recollecting those memories, her eyes shone with sadness as she confessed, "The way he fights: he used every emotion against me… He even made me scream, and I lost my cool... I… I couldn't think straight because of it."
Something sorrowful lingered in William's heart after hearing that, a longing to make Arthur pay for what he had done.
"You're glad he's gone now, right?" he had asked, hoping to mend the memory that had opened.
"Oh…! Yeah! Very glad. But..." her voice trailed off. "Sometimes I think about the what if? What if we could have all just been friends?"
It didn't matter now. Arthur was gone. So everyone believed.
✟
Back in the ninja world.
"And the Rasengan…" William whispered to himself after scribbling the last of his techniques. "I'm done, doc!"
As the doctor scanned the clipboard, he deemed what was written acceptable, allowing William to use all his listed techniques.
The shock was more toward William, for he hadn't expected most of his jutsus to pass through. "Is the barrier that strong?!"
"It is, so there's no need to worry about using all your strength. And from what you've jotted down, the officials will ensure everyone's safety, including your opponents."
"Gee," William said, dumbfoundedly scratching his head. "I gotta give you guys more credit then. I'm pretty strong, just so ya know!"
Upon getting approval, he hopped to the floor, thanked the doctor, and left the room.
Arthur leaned back in the chair with the clipboard resting in his hand. Even now, William couldn't tell that the same person he was about to fight was that skilled when using the Transformation technique.
'Affinity for wind…' Arthur read. His gaze continued to shift down the list. 'Multi-shadow clones. Everywhere shuriken jutsu. Hmph... Just like Naruto.'
He narrowed his gaze at 'Toad Summons' and 'Ninja Art: Toad Transformation'. Those were two signature moves from Jiraiya. No surprise William knew them.
'Not too bad,' Arthur admitted. 'But still pathetic…'
He couldn't help but be put to shame by the comparisons drawn. William, with all his affinity for the world of Naruto, had become a paid reflection of the original.
Quite the wasteful potential.
Moving on, William's list detailed the remainder of his arsenal: wind style: air bullets, wind style: pressure damage, Toad Sage Mode, and so forth.
It all felt oddly superficial under Arthur's scrutinizing gaze. William was actually an elite-level ninja; he had access to techniques that, in their raw form, could easily rival stronger contenders.
The last of his techniques were the Rasengan and Rasenshuriken. That made Arthur upset inwardly.
The idea that William had opted for the conventional—that he had chosen to emulate Naruto's path rather than forge his own—was exasperating. And with the potential of the Nine-Tails chakra coursing through William's being, he could have transcended it rather than becoming a shadow of his idol.
It was all pitiable to Arthur.
Because true power came from individuality—from wielding techniques of one's own creation.
The problem wasn't William's strength, per se, but that he was unprepared to wield it at its fullest potential.
What did Arthur expect from such a worldly man?