Path Of War

Hayate continued to explain the single-elimination tournament. Winners move on to the finals, losers go home with nothing.

As he spoke, a large, rectangular screen appeared high above the arena floor.

"This screen will display the names of the two combatants in each match, chosen entirely at random," Hayate said, raising his hand to silence the murmurs that began to rise. "There will be no time for scouting or strategizing beforehand. This is a test of your adaptability and your ability to react on the fly."

Arthur, standing among the remaining Genin, scanned the crowd.

Team 7—Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—stood together, a mix of determination and apprehension on their faces.

Team 8—Hinata, Kiba, and Shino—were seemingly lost in quiet contemplation. The players' teams had too many mixed expressions to be able to gauge their thoughts.

Karin's team didn't make it, despite Arthur claiming to have helped her.

Then there was Team 10, consisting of only Chōji. Arthur figured that this loner would never have made it to the preliminaries by himself. He had to have been given help from a player.

But that didn't stop Arthur's objective—to eliminate anyone who might pose a threat.

His gaze drifted to the final team, Team Baki. Gaara stood impassive. Temari, the eldest sibling, had cool confidence. And Kankurō had a bored expression.

Arthur knew better. No member of that team should be underestimated. They'd come all this way, and they wouldn't' be easily defeated.

Hayate cleared his throat, silencing the stadium once more.

The names on the giant screen flickered rapidly, randomly cycling through various names. All eyes were glued to the screen. Anticipation turned to nervous excitement as the first two names popped up.

Sasuke Uchiha versus William Uzumaki.

Surprises tore through the crowd. Sasuke was paired against a player.

Arthur, however interesting the fight might turn out, wasn't concerned with the outcome. His interest was in going against another player, hoping he wouldn't need to reveal too much of his skills.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Margaret nudge a nervous-looking William. She teased, "Well, Willie, it looks like you're Sharingan bait."

William puffed out his chest in a mock display of bravado, saying, "Hey, don't count me out, Margaret. I've been training!"

Alex stepped in, placing a hand on William's shoulder to say, "Don't worry about it, Will. Just do your best like we talked about."

Jada chimed in with a bright smile and said, "Exactly! Show everyone what you're made of!"

William, despite his confident words, stuttered, "Yeah, thanks guys. It's just… Sasuke? Really? Out of everyone, I get the second MC?"

Suddenly, a hand clapped William on the back. It was Naruto. With his usual goofy grin, he said, "Hey, cuz! Don't sweat it. Sure, Sasuke might be my teammate, but I'm gonna be cheering you on too! Give him a run for his money, alright?"

William, touched by Naruto's unexpected support, managed to keep his shaky smile.

"Thanks, Naruto. I appreciate that."

The sound of the referee calling the competitors to the arena cut through the conversation. The Genin all shuffled towards the second-floor rails to meet with their respected Jōnin.

Arthur barely said a word to his instructor. It was clear she understood the severity of the Exams, and that those who failed were simply incapable of being ninjas yet.

Naruto, his competitive spirit already ignited, screamed, Alright, cuz! Let's see what you've got!"

All senses of nervousness cleared from William as he straightened his glasses and squared his shoulders. Arthur could tell how strange his posture was. It was almost as if he had never been in a real fight before.

"Alright," he muttered. "Here goes nothing!"

Both the participants stood opposite one another. Sasuke, cool and composed as ever, held his signature cocky smirk. William, on the other hand, stood tall with determination.

The crowd held its breath as Hayate raised a hand and said, "Begin!"

Sasuke Uchiha wasted no time activating his Sharingan and launching himself towards William. With one hand sign, William unleashed the Multi-Shadow Clone technique.

Four perfect copies of William materialized around the real one, surrounding Sasuke in a circle.

The crowd gasped in surprise. This level of chakra control was impressive for a Genin. But their gasps turned into awe as Sasuke effortlessly wove through the clones.

'You call that a strategy?' Arthur judged.

William and his clones lunged, their fists and kicks aimed at every possible angle, but Sasuke remained untouched.

With a precise movement, Sasuke launched into a taijutsu assault. One clone went down after another, felled by a well-placed strike or a devastating joint lock. William watched in disbelief as his clones, his carefully crafted strategy, crumbled before him.

Finally, only the real William remained, panting and sweating. He squared his shoulders, still determined as ever.

Surprising the crowd, Sasuke said, "I'll admit, you helped my team and I make it this far. But now it's all business."

William took a deep breath. He knew this was it. He couldn't afford hesitation. With another hand sign sequence, he focused his chakra.

"Wind style: air bullets!"

A barrage of compressed air shot out of his mouth, aimed at Sasuke. Arthur, watching from the stands, scoffed, thinking to himself, 'Amateur move against the Sharingan.'

Indeed, Sasuke's Sharingan swirled rapidly, analyzing the trajectory of each air blast. With a series of precise dodges and body contortions, he avoided every single one. The technique whizzed past him, leaving small craters on the fighting platform where they landed.

The crowd, initially impressed by William's technique, roared in approval of Sasuke's incredible agility.

William, however, wasn't discouraged. Arthur narrowed his eyes, sensing a shift in the fight's momentum. William's next move surprised everyone.

A blue sphere materialized in William's hand.

"Rasengan!" William yelled, charging towards Sasuke with the miniature swirling sphere at the ready.

The entire stadium erupted in chaos. The Rasengan, a powerful jutsu pioneered by the Fourth Hokage himself, was rarely seen outside of the Leaf Village. How did a random Genin know such a technique?

Sasuke, for the first time in the fight, looked genuinely surprised. His Sharingan spun faster, trying to predict William's movements. There was little room for evasion.

Just as William's attack was about to land, Sasuke sprung into action. He didn't attempt to block the Rasengan head-on, a maneuver that could have resulted in serious injury. Instead, he bent back and unleashed a powerful leg kick, his foot connecting with William's chin.

"Dancing Leaf Shadow!"

The impact sent William flying to the ceiling; his cry of surprise cut short as his body arced through the air. Before he could land, Sasuke launched himself upward.

He then grabbed William by the ankles, wrapped his legs around the waist, and drove William head first. William's head slammed into the platform below, a sickening thud echoing through the silent crowd.

William lay unmoving, a small pool of blood forming around his head. The stadium held its breath. Finally, Hayate, the referee, stepped forward. After a quick check on William's vitals, he raised his hand.

"The winner," he nonchalantly declared, "is Sasuke Uchiha!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd, albeit a hesitant one. While they were impressed with Sasuke's victory, they couldn't help but feel sympathy for the fallen William.

Naruto, who had been cheering his cousin on throughout the fight, rushed to the platform alongside medical personnel. Thankfully, William stirred shortly after, groaning and clutching his head. He was dazed but conscious.

"Owe, that actually kinda hurt," he said.

"You okay, cuz?" Naruto asked with concern.

"I think so... Just feels like a boulder hit my head."

Arthur considered their conversation. A blow like that to anyone would have surely killed them. Was William's pain threshold not the same? Or was his character more durable than his?

As medics tended to William, Sasuke returned to his teammates. He hadn't expected such a display. William's use of the Rasengan and his tactical approach had genuinely surprised him. Despite the victory, a sense of unease settled in Sasuke's stomach.

This tournament, it seemed, held more secrets than he initially anticipated.

Arthur wasn't the least bit surprised. Yes, William knew how to perform the Rasengan, but it was to be expected.

All the players knew how to train that technique. It wouldn't shock Arthur if Alice knew it, too.

The other characters showed different emotions. How could a random kid perfect the Rasengan? Who had taught him? A lot of eyes either narrowed in suspicion or were wide in astonishment.

Meanwhile, on the second-floor balcony, a heated conversation erupted between the players once William joined them.

"Did Sasuke just own you?!" Jasper exclaimed. "You actually tried the Rasengan against the Sharingan? How stupid can you be?"

William frowned as Alex tried to defend him. Jada chimed in, saying, "Maybe it's not that bad! Maybe it means the tournament will be even more exciting!"

Arthur ignored their conversation, his mind already calculating who the next opponents were likely to be. To do that, he based things on the matches from the original story.

Sasuke defeated Yoroi Akadō. Shino overpowered Zaku with his bugs. Kankurō, wielding his puppet, dominated Misumi Tsurugi. Sakura and Ino ended up in a draw. Temari defeated Tenten with her giant fan, which was able to utilize wind techniques.

Shikamaru outsmarted Kin with his Shadow Possession. Naruto, using his clones and a rather unorthodox fart attack, emerged victorious against Kiba. In a family grudge match, Neji overpowered Hinata. Rock Lee put up a valiant effort against Gaara, but ultimately fell in the end. Finally, Chōji was outclassed by Dosu.

Sasuke's victory here was to be expected considering these characters received buffs.

The next match-up flashed on the screen: Alice Yamanaka versus Tenten. Arthur narrowed his eyes. This wasn't the battle he had expected.

Lee leaped onto the railing, his eyes gleaming with unbridled enthusiasm as he said, "Tenten! This is your chance to shine!"

Neji simply offered a nod. But even he couldn't suppress his interest.

Guy unleashed a barrage of encouragement, his booming voice drowning out the murmurs of the crowd.

"Tenten! Remember your training! Show them the power of youth!" he screamed.

Tenten, although confident in her fight, felt embarrassed.

On the players' balconies, a different kind of support played out. They were not just rooting for Alice; they were reminding her of Tenten's techniques. Even Arthur knew that Alice would likely turn out to be the victor because of it.

"Go Alice!" Margaret cheered. "Show that whore what you're made of!"

Team Guy was shocked at that response. They didn't take Margaret's trash talk too kindly.

Alex offered a more measured, "Have fun, Alice. Remember, stay focused, and don't underestimate your opponent."

What alluded everyone even more was when Jasper pecked her on the lips to show his encouragement. Some of the girls, like Temari, blushed upon seeing how openly he admitted to dating her.

"Don't mess up that pretty face of yours," he smirked.

Alice smiled, offering a wave of gratitude as she said, "Thanks, guy. I won't let you down."

She marched toward the platform with a determined look.

The battle between Alice and Tenten, a clear underdog facing a skilled weapon user, was about to begin. And Arthur had a clear idea of how things would play out.