From the stadium above, murmurs rippled like static.
"Looks like that Ryota kid's gonna lose," one said.
"It's a shame, I bet good money on him too," another added.
Similar murmurs echoed through the crowd.
It seemed like…
In the eyes of everyone, Benimaru had already lost.
But he wouldn't accept it.
"STOP TALKING LIKE HE ALREADY LOST!"
A loud voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
"BENIMARU, IF YOU DARE LOSE THIS MATCH THEN I'LL KICK YOUR ASS MYSELF!"
A fist struck Benimaru's face as the familiar voice rang in his ear.
Even with multiple broken bones, a fractured skull, and a body that was begging to stop, he smiled, because he wasn't just fighting for himself—he was fighting for everyone else too.
And he wouldn't dare lose.
"That loudmouth doesn't know when to shut up," he muttered under his breath, but even Lee heard him.
"You have people who want you to win," the spandex-wearing ninja said solemnly, his voice soft, gentle—almost unfitting to a ninja.
"But I cannot afford to lose either…
THIS IS THE END."
The ground shattered once more as Lee vanished from his spot.
For a second, the world stilled.
No thoughts, no actions.
Everything appeared frozen in place.
The Ryota could feel it all, hear it all—understand it all.
Nothing felt out of reach for him right now.
He felt like…
A God.
He could hear the heartbeat of every single person in the stadium.
The tiniest micro movements—he felt them.
Every strike, every twitch of muscle—unfolded in his mind before they even fully began.
In his eyes, the world had slowed to a crawl—he alone moved freely within it.
Benimaru Ryota had done the impossible.
By spreading and expanding his chakra throughout the stadium—he could feel everything.
Gaining a sort of future sight to everything within his range.
With this new power, speed was irrelevant—especially when he knew what you would do…
Before you did it.
Lee's fist appeared to be moving in slow motion, never reaching its target—Benimaru, for the first time since his weights were taken off…
Had dodged.
Lee's eyes widened, but he wouldn't give up—but Benimaru was already ahead of the game.
Lee's heel turned sharply, its target—the abdomen—it struck nothing but air.
The attack registered in Benimaru's mind long before it had even been thought of; a few milliseconds was plenty to him.
He could feel the slight muscle movement and acted accordingly—flipping out of the way.
Lee was forced to move out of the way; Benimaru had pivoted himself toward a flying kick aimed at his stomach.
A soft 'tch' sound escaped his lips; he was still too slow.
This continued for multiple minutes—both fighters locked in a vicious cycle.
Both were too slow to land any decisive hits—but too fast to get hit either.
Lee came at him again—and again—and again.
Each strike sharper, faster, more desperate.
But Benimaru was already there every time,
weaving through attacks like the world itself moved to his rhythm.
Fists grazed air.
Kicks shattered stone.
Neither man yielding an inch.
The crowd could barely follow.
To them, it looked like flickers of light clashing midair—a storm of motion that ended and began in the same breath.
Lee skidded backwards, sweat dripping down his brow—breathing ragged, clothes slightly torn.
His lips curved upwards, forming a slight smile—a warrior's smile.
"You were an amazing opponent, but I cannot lose."
He clenched his fist, chakra spiraling wildly into a vibrant green glow.
"Forgive me, Guy-sensei…
EIGHT GATES—GATE OF OPENING…OPEN.
GATE OF HEALING…OPEN.
GATE OF LIFE…OPEN.
GATE OF PAIN…OPEN."
The entire arena shook violently; the weight of Lee's chakra was on a whole other level compared to before.
Veins appeared all over his body, bulging with a grotesque energy—like they threatened to pop out.
His skin changed color, mixing into a dark reddish hue.
Green chakra spiraled and twirled around him like a hurricane; his body pulsed with power.
Lee could feel it.
Benimaru could feel it.
Every leaf ninja and beyond in the stands could feel it.
Even the Hokage.
They could all tell…
—the battle was reaching its climax.
Lee's fingers twitched rapidly; he could feel his muscles being torn apart from the inside out.
The pain was excruciating—it was for this reason that the Gates were a forbidden technique.
This was the reason his master didn't wish for him to use it.
—but he had to endure.
He had only a minute or two before he collapsed from sheer pain—he would make it count.
In a blur, he disappeared from his spot, creating a massive shockwave that rippled through the crowd.
Benimaru's eyes widened; he had been launched upwards by a powerful kick to the jaw.
He could feel it shifting and dislocating; his teeth clenched shut from the sheer force.
He had seen Lee move, he knew what he was going to do, but still…
He could only slow down his perception to a specific point.
As if right now, his perception was around three to five times slower,
and his thought process over four times faster.
But even then, it wasn't enough.
Amped by the Fifth Gate, Lee's speed was unreal—surpassing his earlier limits by over seven times.
Benimaru hovered in the air, trying to think—he needed to recover quickly.
But Lee didn't give him that benefit.
In a flash of green light, he materialized behind Benimaru.
The latter didn't even realize when a fist slammed into his back from behind—spiraling him upward.
Lee continued his assault with vicious fervor—slamming and sending Benimaru up and through the air like a ragdoll.
Benimaru could barely hold on—but Lee wasn't faring any better; muscles visibly tearing and bones shifting out of place.
Lee ricocheted off the walls and floor, gathering momentum and charging his fist for one more attack.
"FIFTH GATE: GATE OF CLOSING…OPEN."
His fist descended and implanted itself deep into the Ryota's gut, causing him to spew out massive chunks of blood.
He was hurled to the ground at breakneck speeds, creating a sonic boom and a large crater upon impact.
Everyone gawked at the result of the match—this was not a match befitting a genin.
This was what they'd expect if two Jonin fought.
The Konoha Twelve stared at the crater, Benimaru laid in.
They couldn't believe it.
Benimaru, the strongest of their generation, had lost to someone with no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu talent.
It was surreal.
But it was reality.
Lee landed next to Benimaru's body.
"You were an amazing fighter; I hope to fight you again someday."
Harare came closer, preparing to declare Lee the winner, but something stopped him—he had a feeling this match wasn't over.
Benimaru turned to lay on his back; he could feel his organs screaming at him—it felt like he was going to die.
But then he smiled at Lee.
"I feel the same, but you made one mistake."
"What mistake?"
"You actually thought you could win."
In that instant, space distorted; Benimaru's fingers were raised.
Two fingers, seemingly unimportant.
But surged with power, a slashing motion permeated the air.
His fingers danced as a slash appeared at the center of Lee's chest.
Then two.
Then three.
Then four.
And many more.
Until his body was riddled with marks and slashes—all of which spewed blood like a running faucet.
Blood spat out from his mouth like crazy, attempting to cover it with his hand but failing miserably.
Staining his clothes and hands, dripping to the floor.
Harare immediately called for medics; with the strain of the Gates,
plus the injuries he sustained mid-match,
added with these new cuts,
Lee might not survive.
Medics immediately arrived and took Lee away, surprised to see that he was still conscious despite his injuries.
Hayate coughed in his throat.
"In light of everything… I would like to declare Benimaru Ryota the winner."
The medics attempted to operate on Benimaru, but he shrugged them off.
"I heal quick," he said with a casual wave of his hand.
And he really did; this wasn't the first time he had been on death's door.
Chandler had beaten him to the brink of death multiple times, and he always recovered on his own.
One of the perks of being a demon, he supposed.
With hands in his pockets, and a ticket to the finals, he waltzed out confidently—because he knew:
No one could challenge him.
Even battered, bruised, and nearly drained of chakra, he'd survived… barely. Had he not been this exhausted, Lee wouldn't have stood a chance
——CHAPTER END
POWER STOOOOOOOOOOOONES