Chapter 146: Every Universe
The crowd, while initially stunned, erupted into cheers. Yet some remained silent. Among them, Arthur stood with an expression of disappointment.
Once Iruka regained his footing, he approached William. It was clear by his smile that he was impressed despite the outcome.
"Well done, Will! You managed to outsmart me there."
William beamed with pride as he said, "Thanks! I couldn't have done it without everything you taught me!"
Those words caused Arthur's dissatisfaction to loom down further. To him, it was a mid-fight. Why? Because William just copied what Naruto did against Santa. Then there was Iruka, who would use that sealing technique three years from now to try and entrap Naruto from participating in the Fourth Shinobi World War.
'How unoriginal...'
As the crowd began to warm up to William's flashy techniques and persona, Arthur scribbled mental notes in his mind, piecing together the blueprint of William's character: he didn't lack ability; he lacked authenticity.
'This man doesn't get it,' Arthur mused.
Arthur was right to think so. While William was playing checkers, he was more than ten steps ahead in a game of chess.
What he had done throughout all of William's fights and even his conversation was analyze that man—both his moves and his personality.
William's techniques were flashy yet derivative—a mere reflection of Naruto's style instead of his own originality. No matter how entertaining the match seemed to others, it craved depth, complexity, and individuality from both sides.