Chapitre 143: Nice Moves
From the sidelines, Rock Lee stood in an athletic stance, punching the air.
Jada noticed him and inquisitively asked, "Lee, what are you doing?"
"I'm just mentally preparing myself!" he earnestly replied out loud. "I believe that one of these two fighters will be in the finals, and I want to be ready for it!"
Quite the ambitious thing to say. Or rather, completely in character.
Jada blinked, intrigued by the confidence he was exhibiting. She couldn't help but warmly ask, "You really think one of them will meet you in the finals, huh?"
"Well, of course!" Lee exclaimed, fists clenched in excitement as he delivered another slow series of punches into the air. But the enthusiasm surrounding his assertion drew attention from the other roundabout.
"No way, Bushy Brows!" Naruto chimed in from the side. "It's gonna be me in the finals against them!"
Jada shot Naruto a teasing grin and giggled. Iruka, standing nearby with a bemused expression on his face, interjected, "That's impossible, Naruto! You're in the same bracket as them. At best, you might see them in the semi-finals."
"Oh yeah, I knew that," Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head. He then grinned as if he had just solved a complex riddle.
It was moments like this that reminded her of the bond they shared, even amidst this unpredictable tournament.
As the energy shifted, eyes returning to the center where Hoshikaze and Chen stood poised to begin, it felt like the perfect prelude—a clash of strengths between a veteran shinobi and whoever Arthur might have looked to them.
The moment the announcer yelled, "Begin!" Chen lunged, throwing a punch aimed at Arthur's jaw. Arthur sidestepped, feeling the rush of air brush past him as time slowed. Chen twisted to recover, and Arthur seized the moment.
He pivoted on his heel, delivering a sharp kick to Chen's side, the impact resounding through the arena. Chen staggered but quickly regained his footing, forming a sneer on his lips as he charged again.
The crowd held their breath.
Chen swung wildly, but Arthur danced around him, effortlessly dodging each feral strike. And then, with a quick jab, Arthur connected with Chen's cheek.
"Nice moves," Chen grunted after recovering.
Indeed, they were nice. But what Chen wasn't aware of was that Arthur was secretly using his Tamashii!
After Chen charged once more, Arthur dove low, rolling beneath Chen's massive swing. Just feeling the air brush past his face told him all he needed to know: Chen was using the ferocious fist technique, something that could break bones.
Arthur sprang back, twisting sharply to deliver a knee strike aimed at Chen's midsection. Chen caught it with his forearms, pushing back to absorb the blow.
They circled each other, letting the crowd aah at their performance.
Chen lunged with ferocity, launching a series of ruthless punches. Arthur weaved through them with grace—each movement flowing like water, striking with precision. He ducked, retaliating with an elbow jab to Chen's ribs, which drove the wind from his opponent's lungs.
It was then that Chen finally understood something that he hadn't when just watching Arthur: Arthur was a skilled taijutsu user, someone heavily underrated in this arena. When he was fighting C, his skills couldn't properly be displayed.
Frustration flashed behind Chen's sunglasses as he charged again, surrendering to instinct. Arthur remained agile, dodging and countering. His footwork was like a mesmerizing display of martial prowess.
Eventually, Chen began to gain momentum. He closed in, and Arthur knew he had to act quickly.
Chen's fist aimed for his head, but Arthur ducked low, then spun, executing a lightning-fast sweep of his leg that sent Chen crashing to the ground.
The crowd gasped as Chen hit the cobblestones. Arthur followed up swiftly, a knee to the side as Chen attempted to rise. He wasn't showing any mercy. No, not against this taijutsu specialist.
Panting, Chen pushed himself off the ground, still very determined to continue fighting. They squared off again, neither willing to back down.
Suddenly, the moves turned into a blur—punches and kicks exchanged in a frenetic dance of skill and strength. Each strike from Chen was straight power, and each dodge from Arthur showcased his insane reading abilities and agility.
Then, with a decisive shift, Arthur slipped low, spinning with a kick that connected against Chen's temple. The force of the impact sent the man reeling, shock sprawling across his face before he backflipped off the ground.
They cheered as Arthur stood tall, breathing calmly. He neither smirked nor smiled; he was only content that a fighter like Chen existed. Inwardly, he was also disappointed—disappointed because Chen was on the wrong side.
Arthur created this tournament for many purposes. One of them was to weed out the best of the best, those who were classified as elite. If and when he found such fighters, he would both test his own skills and use them.
Chen, who might have had the skills, did not have the proper background. What he was good for, however, was allowing Arthur to test himself even further than what the likes of C, a non-taijutsu user, could muster.
After recuperating, Chen smirked at Arthur. Everyone could tell it was an expression of respect.
Time felt suspended until one of them heard a sweat drop from a spectator's face. Arthur sprang into action, launching himself high into the air with a powerful jump kick aimed directly at Chen.
The moment was electric—Chen's reflexes kicked in, and he fluidly leapt out of range. As Arthur touched down, his muscles coiled and pivoted expertly, allowing him to meet Chen mid-air.
The two forces collided in a fray of repeated movements. Arthur unleashed three consecutive kicks, each aimed to strike true. However, Chen expertly blocked all three of them with his forearm, barely losing his footing as they landed back on solid ground.
Undeterred, Arthur continued his barrage, aiming kicks toward Chen's head, but the latter proved equally adept at deflecting the blows, smacking Arthur's legs away with ease and a confident grin.
'So,' Arthur mused to himself, 'he's gotten used to this fighting style…'
The rhythm of the combat quickened as each fighter fed off the other's energy.
Chen retaliated with a sudden offense, first targeting Arthur's shin with a sharp kick that landed with a thud—yet Arthur remained steadfast, unyielding. Sensing an opening, Chen followed up with a nimble spin kick aimed directly at Arthur's head.
Arthur, anticipating the strike, raised his arms in defense just in time to absorb the impact. The force rattled through his frame but hardly budged his ground.
"Just what the heck are ya made out of anyway?!" Chen yelled.
Truly, strength wasn't the only thing Arthur was showcasing here; he had defense as well.
With that, the balance of power shifted momentarily as Chen adjusted his strategy. He raised his leg high, preparing to bring it down upon Arthur's colossal form with sheer weight and power.
Predicting this, Arthur expertly sidestepped, allowing Chen's attack to miss its mark entirely. However, Chen was quick to adapt; he leapt into the air again, curling himself to kick Arthur square in the gut.
The impact caused a louder thud, but Arthur stood as though made of iron, unflinching beneath the blow. With a quick motion, he reached out and grabbed Chen's ankle, keeping him suspended in the air for a moment that felt achingly long.
"I thought you said you'd take this seriously?" Arthur mocked.
Chen's smile remained intact. "Oh, I will!" His act came just as he transitioned smoothly into his next technique: "Leaf Gust!"
Positioned precariously, he spun rapidly, executing a powerful rotative kick intended to strike directly at Arthur's face. Arthur braced himself, intercepting the blow with his forearm, but the intensity of the attack sent him careening back a few paces, skidding on the ground until he regained his composure.
Dust swirled around him as he brushed off the powdered remains of combat from his arm, maintaining his calm demeanour even after being pushed back.
"How'd you like that?!" Chen confidently inquired.
Arthur remained unfazed. He was a stoic figure amid the unfolding spectacle. Acknowledging Chen's abilities, he admitted, "Impressive, but... this is still just the beginning."
There was no doubt about it: Chen's skill level was remarkable. To fight on the same grounds as someone like Might Guy, even pushing him back, showcased his immense potential.
Arthur recognized that Chen's taijutsu was perhaps the strongest in the entire tournament, a fact that no one could deny. Had he not been employing his Tamashii, he would have already found himself overwhelmed in this rapid exchange.
Now, the dance shifted again.
Chen's confidence grew brighter; he was feeding off the energy of the crowd, charging forward with gusto. "Let's see how you handle this!" He launched into a series of acrobatic flips, balancing both finesse and power as he expertly transitioned into a flurry of punches.
Arthur prepared himself, adjusting his stance and employing his own method to counter.
The next exchange was hectic. Arthur deflected every attempt with explosive grace. The sound of fists colliding filled the air as the two engaged in an orchestrated ball of attacks and defenses.
Arthur pushed himself to adapt, shifting his weight and utilizing his surroundings. He weaved, ducked, and sidestepped various strikes—each one more graceful than the last.
With each successive blow he blocked or dodged, he was also learning Chen's movements, predicting where he would attack next.
Meanwhile, Naruto's group stood captivated by the spectacle of the ensuing battle. Rock Lee, still throwing punches into the air beside her, nodded vigorously and said, "They are both amazing! This is what taijutsu is all about!"
In an electrifying moment, the combatants broke apart briefly, both taking the time to assess one another.
Arthur's blindfold concealed the glint of deep concentration in his eyes as he finally adapted to Chen's rhythm. He took a relaxed breath, mentally preparing for the next phase of the skirmish.
"Hmph," he scoffed. "That can't be all you've got…"
"Oh," Chen responded, "this old man's still got a lot in him."
The outcome was still uncertain. Feeling the gravity of the moment, the tensed crowd wanted more action. They braced for round two of what had already proven to be an exhilarating show.
Chen then took a brief moment to assess his situation. While invigorating as this match was to him, Arthur was unreadable for the most part.
Each time Arthur threw a punch, it became simple to tell how forceful or how fast it would be. After that, he would alternate his attacks, taking on a different fighting style that Chen had never seen before.
Of course, this wasn't necessarily something Arthur wanted to do. He had to be extra careful, especially on stage. If his moves correlated to what he showed before in the past, to those who'd seen him fight, it would give away who he truly was.
That was also what made Arthur so dangerous even while he was in disguise; he did his best to leave no room for mistakes!
It was because of this mysterious flare about him that made Chen deem him worthy of what he was about to initiate—the technique that had become his signature and the culmination of years of rigourous training.
With a confident grin on his face, Chen announced, "Prepare yourself, Mr. Hoshikaze! I'm going to show you my ultimate taijutsu technique: the Leaf Dragon!"
He began to spin rapidly, his body becoming a whirlpool of motion. The crowd, having seen this before, still gasped in awe, witnessing the transformation begin as the air around swirled.
The transformation was almost instant.
As he spun faster, a tornado formed around him, coiling and spiraling with increasing intensity. Spectators shielded their eyes as winds picked up, and within moments, the tornado materialized into the shape of a dragon with a long, sinewy body made of pure wind.
It roared with the ferocity of a raging storm at the only target it could see—Arthur.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone