One clone, ahead of the others, approached Arthur first for a frontal assault. But with serene grace, he lowered his arm and caught the clone's lower thigh with his forearm, executing a flawless motion that took the audience by surprise.
'Chakra-enhanced strength...'
Ka-crash!
The clone was slammed to the concrete and stomped down on with a force that caused cracks to form on the surface floor.
"The clone's still there?!" Iruka commented.
"Haha," Naruto laughed, scratching the tip of his nose. "I don't mean to take the spotlight, but I can do that too with a bit more training."
"That's insane!" Jada yelled, ignoring Naruto's clear desire to be noticed. "Hoshikaze's treating the clones as if they were toys!"
"Huh?" Naruto said in surprise before looking back at the arena.
While the clones did indeed remain intact, that wasn't at all troubling for a man like Arthur.
He moved swiftly in front of another clone, backhanding its face, which sent it staggering. From his right, a different clone launched a punch aimed at his head. Arthur blocked it, following with a punch to its throat.
Bang!
"What a retaliatory move!" Mei noted in approval.
She could see what he was doing. Instead of focusing on one clone, he was truly attacking all of them the moment they decided to move. A common strategy in a one-versus-more fight.
But what made Arthur different was his defense. The clones couldn't find an opening!
With a fluidity that defined perfection, he shifted to avoid a jab, knocking its hand down with a simple flick. The clone launched a secondary attack, but he struck sharply, smacking the clone's face to the left and then again to the right—resulting in a flip that sent it crashing to the ground.
The crowd cheered at his deftness.
But the fight wasn't over yet; he could feel the intensity level rising as he turned around just in time to grab the wrist of another clone. "Careless," he mocked, twisting its arm. The pressure drew an audible "argh" from the clone before he struck it in rapid succession—twice in the face, twice in the belly, and then tripping it to the ground.
"He's on a whole other level!" a spectator shouted.
"That William kid needs to step it up!" another voice chimed in.
When a gust of wind enveloped him, Arthur sensed danger. It was whirring of a Rasengan!
He somersaulted over the clone he had just brought down, narrowly avoiding the lethal sphere of chakra. Rolling back to his feet, he then waved his arm, catching a clone's incoming kick with his forearm.
"H-How does he know?!" a different clone hollered.
"You must think I'm a fool," Arthur called. He then moved back, causing the attacking clone to do a painful split. "And you wonder why you're so weak in my eyes."
Cheers rose as the audience reveled in the display of skill, amazed by Arthur's prowess.
As if eager to join in, another clone rushed from his right side, attempting to intercept him with a swipe. But a kick from Arthur sent it hurtling back through the air. With that same leg, he brought it down onto the clone he had already incapacitated.
Bang! Its hip cracked.
"Just like snapping a twig," he said before focusing on more incoming clones.
Seeing all this, Naruto became flustered. Never before did he think his cousin of all people would be at such a disadvantage.
Throughout their time together, William always answered all of his questions and showed him compassion as if they were brothers. It didn't matter what Naruto asked; William both understood him and the world they lived in.
It was like someone had sent an angel to help guide Naruto in the oppressive loneliness that plagued his childhood. Now that same 'angel' was being humiliated before his very eyes.
"Come on, Will!" he continued to cheer, unbothered by the clear turn of events. "I know you can do it!"
Yet Jada could tell how off he sounded. Did the main character mean what he said, or had it dawned on him that William's chances of winning were slowly decreasing? Regardless, her mind focused intently on Arthur.
And she wasn't the only one. Mei was just as intrigued.
"He's using both taijutsu and genjutsu effectively," she remarked.
"Huh?" a high-ranking official seated next to her questioned. "Since when was a genjutsu performed?"
"Of course you wouldn't be able to see it, my lord."
In truth, Arthur wasn't at all using his genjutsu to deter the clones in any way; it was only for most of the spectators.
Suddenly, Arthur stopped for a moment. A clone went for a strike, falling for the trap. Bang-bang! Arthur jabbed its face with his right and then followed through with another to its belly, bringing it down to its knees.
As another Rasengan ripped through the air, Arthur sidestepped, allowing it to whirl past him.
"What speed!" cheered a spectator.
"He's unstoppable!" another agreed.
The applause rained down before eventually reaching a crescendo. They were mesmerized by Arthur's effortless display of martial arts, noticing how William struggled to keep up despite having nine clones.
And then, with the tension reaching its peak, Arthur took a breath.
The audience couldn't see what he was: the clone's chakras were all steadily rising despite their onslaught.
"Don't stop, William," he taunted without showing any signs of fatigue. "Our fight's just started."
For an instant, Arthur could see the frustration in his opponent's eyes. But there was also determination, a burning desire to prove himself.
"I'm not even close to finishing!" William proclaimed. The remaining clones rallied behind him. "We won't back down; we'll keep coming at you no matter what, 'cause that's my ninja way!"
Those words touched Naruto's heart. At that moment, he knew that no one was like his cousin—someone who could go against all odds despite everyone wishing for him to fail.
"Alright!" he screamed, fanning his arms. "That's what I'm talking about!"
The crowd roared in response, torn between admiration for Arthur's skill and support for the brave William whose journey had brought him this far.
Arthur watched as William's spirit was renewed. So he said, "Don't kid yourself, boy… I already know your secret."
William's eyes shuttered for a moment. What secret? Surely not the Nine-Tails, right?
"W-what're ya talkin' ab—"
"Focus, cuz!"
"Ugh... Right!" Thanks to Naruto stopping Arthur from getting to his head, he quickly formed a hand sign. "Multi-shadow clone jutsu!"
A new wave of clones emerged.
"He's really got a lot of chakra," Mei noted, crossing her legs. "But no matter how much chakra a shinobi has, they can't compete without a strategy…"
The clones circled around, now numbering fifteen in total. Each one adopted a different taijutsu stance. "Get him!"
As the wave closed in, Arthur quickly spun sideways through the air with perfect form. And when he landed, his body became like a living weapon that sliced through the multitude.
Shing-shing!
A graceful spin-kick sent one clone spiraling into another. Then he followed up with swift punches that sent more tumbling left and right.
The more that came, the more he fought.
Each connection was punctuated by a sharp impact that echoed through the space as he struck out with adroit hands and feet, not at all giving an opportunity for even one clone to touch him.
"Hmph… That the best you could do?"
The crowd gasped upon seeing how much faster he had become. They simply couldn't keep up with his movements. He was like a blurring object in their eyes.
"What kind of man is this?!" a spectator cried out.
"Mommy, please let me be a ninja for one day!"
Arthur couldn't even hear them as he parried and dodged, proficiently weaving through the frenzy of attacks.
The clones swung wildly, but everyone could tell they were too eager, too intent on taking him down as opposed to working as a group.
Then, Arthur zeroed in on one, dodging beneath an attack before spinning around to deliver a jaw-rattling uppercut that sent the clone into the air. "Think I'm finished?" he called, rising up to deliver a flurry of kicks.
Bang-bang-bang!
The audience was enraptured. Mei herself couldn't fathom why William's clones weren't dispersing. Much less why they weren't staying down.
Amidst the pandemonium, Arthur understood the answer to her curiosity more than anyone. Each clone that fell only fueled William's determination—to rise above and showcase the strength forged from his training.
His clones were indeed authentic, powered by the wellspring of chakra that solidified his role as an Uzumaki. Only someone from earth could have figured out the loophole to make them so whole.
"Keep up the pressure!" he hollered. "Give everything you've got!"
Arthur ignored their attempts. While his stamina was draining at an alarming rate, he remained stoic, knowing that this was bound to happen. So instead of stepping back, he surged forward once more.
Bang!
A pivoted spin-kick caught the nearest clone squarely in the chest.
Bang!
A counterpunch sent another clone impacting into its neighbour.
In a heartbeat, Arthur flowed into a series of punches as his fists met clone after clone. Bang! A jab here. Bang! A hook there. All of them were crumbling beneath the gale of his strikes.
Gaining momentum, he dove low beneath a wild punch and then countered with an uppercut. The sound of bone met knuckles, which practically everyone heard, causing the clone's head to snap far back while sending it soaring through the air.
But there was no time to revel; Arthur rolled forward, evading a barrage of kicks. He then weaved through like a dancer in a crowded ballroom, sidestepping one punch, slipping under another, and striking with a backfist.
That clone staggered, swaying on its feet, so Arthur pushed forward into an overhead kick.
"Keep trying..." he taunted.
One clone attempted to flank him, aiming its fist at his side with narrowed eyes. Arthur saw the attack, catching the clone's wrist in a swift grip and then twisting it painfully while delivering a knee to its gut. The clone crumpled as Arthur spun, using the momentum to elbow another clone squarely in the face.
They all eventually began moving in synchrony, but he was like a maestro, turning their disarray into an orchestra of clashing bodies.
Then, feeling a shift in the air, he spotted yet another Rasengan spiraling toward him like a comet. So with grace, swish! He leapt up beyond the immediate threat.
A clone went for a punch the moment he landed, but smack! It was intercepted before redirecting the force away while hooking a kick into the knee of another clone.
"Argh!" it yelled.
Now all the Williams slowly backed up.
"What's the matter?" Arthur mocked. "I thought you were going to give it your all?"