"Right!" Lee roared back, responding to Guy. The moment his foot hit the ground, he moved with speed bordering on teleportation. He threw a straight punch that, in the split second of Gaara's automatic sand defense, actually broke through!
Lee didn't waste a single movement. Shifting into a blur of afterimages, he vanished from his spot and delivered a kick toward Gaara's blind spot.
By now, Lee's punches and kicks were so fast that Gaara could no longer track them with the naked eye. Waves of pressure from the sheer force of his strikes buffeted Gaara from every direction. Though the sand managed to intercept the brunt of it, the force of the blows was now penetrating right through the defense to his body.
Even Kakashi was struck by the speed. Looking at Kanon beside him, he couldn't help but feel a pang of realization.
Why is Kanon so obsessed with becoming stronger? It's a manifestation of her lack of security. If only he had paid more attention to her, if only the "Sunshine" of the Hidden Leaf had been shared a little more with her.
Perhaps then, she wouldn't have to force herself to work this hard... Most of the hardships Kanon had endured to this day stemmed from that instability. The darkness she had experienced far exceeded what anyone her age should know.
Abandoned by her clan, hunted by her own kin, and targeted by Konoha's high-level officials... If she didn't have strength, she wouldn't have survived at all.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Kakashi felt his heart tighten with a sharp, inexplicable ache.
Sensing Kakashi's gaze, Kanon looked up at him, puzzled. "Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong? Are you thirsty?" As she spoke, she picked up her water bottle from the floor and offered it to him.
"No..." Kakashi shook his head gently, returning his focus along with the others to the match below.
Below, Lee's body continued to flicker across the arena. Might Guy spoke with absolute confidence: "Lee cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu. That is why he spent every waking moment on his taijutsu!"
"By putting everything into taijutsu, he won't lose to anyone, even if he can't use a single ninjutsu!"
"A first-class master of taijutsu..."
Just as Guy finished his sentence, Lee landed a kick squarely on Gaara's head. This time, the sand couldn't keep up with Lee's speed!
"Beautiful!" Kanon cheered, delighted.
A streak of blood appeared on Gaara's face. In Lee's eyes, there was a flash of resolve and pride.
"Unbelievable... he actually got past Gaara's defense..." Temari and Kankuro watched the arena, dumbfounded.
Only Sakura kept her eyes on Kanon, realizing that Kanon's predictions were becoming reality.
I didn't think those bushy brows could get even faster than before...
"Whoa, that guy is amazing!" Naruto shouted.
Hearing Naruto and seeing the joyful expression on Kanon's face, Sakura was suddenly struck by a daunting thought. If Rock Lee is this powerful just by taking off his weights, then Sasuke's sister, the genius of the Uchiha, Kanon Uchiha, must be...
Sakura didn't dare follow that train of thought any further.
"Let your youth explode!!!!" Might Guy bellowed toward the arena, startling both Kanon and Naruto.
"You're gonna give me a heart attack, Guy-sensei!" Kanon cried. Standing right next to him, she'd felt the full force of the shout.
"This is the peak of the springtime of youth! We shall live our youth with no regrets!" Guy continued to roar about youth, leaving Kanon speechless.
Sure enough, down below, Lee seemed energized by the shout, his passion ignited. He charged at Gaara, kicking up massive clouds of dust. This time, his speed was so great that even Kakashi could only marvel at it.
Gaara had no way of judging where Lee would strike from; his sand was equally paralyzed by indecision.
With an attack even faster and more violent than the last, Lee broke through the Absolute Defense once more, sending Gaara flying.
"So strong... he's so fast!"
"Incredible..."
Sakura and the members of Team 10 watched the scene, breathless.
At that moment, Gaara's smile turned manic. It was a look of bloodlust, of anticipation, a chilling, murderous aura. It made everyone present freeze for a second. Then, cracks began to appear on Gaara's face, and pieces of it started to peel away.
"What's going on?" Naruto asked, confused.
"Is his whole body covered in sand?!" Kanon answered for him.
"He's completely unharmed..." Shikamaru muttered slowly.
"Who... just who is that guy?" Sakura was stunned.
"That is the Armor of Sand. Gaara's true Absolute Defense." Kankuro, standing nearby, explained to the group.
The technique had its drawbacks. While the Shield of Sand defended Gaara automatically, the Armor of Sand required Gaara to power it manually. It consumed a massive amount of chakra and offered less protection than the Shield. Of course, Kankuro had no intention of revealing these weaknesses to Naruto and the others.
"Is that all you've got?!" Gaara taunted.
Lee frowned. At this point, speed alone, no matter how great—, wasn't enough against Gaara. He needed a stronger attack to shatter that Absolute Defense. He had no choice but to use the Lotus!
With that resolve, Lee began to unwind the bandages on his arms. He was going all in.
He lunged forward, running in circles around Gaara. He moved so fast that his afterimages formed a continuous ring, peppering Gaara with strikes from all angles.
"Hurry up and bring it on..."
"If that is what you wish!"
Finally, Lee saw his opening and kicked Gaara high into the air. But this time was different!
Lee braced himself against the ground and launched a relentless barrage of kicks at the airborne Gaara. Each strike dealt massive damage to the Armor of Sand. However, the strain on Lee's own body was immense. Using his unwound bandages, Lee snared Gaara mid-air, binding him tightly.
The two spun at high velocity in the sky, hurtling toward the ground as the spectators watched in awe.
A massive cloud of dust erupted from the center of the arena, obscuring everyone's vision.
"As expected... it was too much... relying only on taijutsu..." Kanon looked toward Gaara with concern. She could sense that Gaara's chakra hadn't weakened, if anything, it felt even more intense.
Lee stood gasping for air, looking at Gaara lying on the ground. The Konoha genin began to smile in relief.
But the smiles didn't last. The Gaara in the arena suddenly shattered! It wasn't the real body, but an empty shell!
"He used a variation of the Substitution Jutsu the moment Lee hesitated from the pain of the Lotus..." Kanon explained to the others.
"Correct. That is exactly what happened," Kakashi nodded, acknowledging Kanon's insight.
"But Kanon, how did you realize that?" Sakura asked.
"Because in that moment, I would have targeted that same split-second opening..."
Down on the battlefield, Lee was panting heavily. Having just used the Lotus, his entire body was wracked with pain.
"This is bad. The backlash from the Lotus is intensifying the strain on his body," Kanon remarked. She knew the Lotus well and understood how taxing the move was.
"Indeed. The Lotus is a double-edged sword..." Kakashi frowned as he watched Lee being driven back.
"The Lotus is neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu... it is high-speed taijutsu. It places an extreme burden on the body. Right now, every movement Lee makes probably hurts like hell."
Kakashi shared this grim reality with Team 7.
As he finished speaking, Lee was sent flying by a wave of sand, crashing hard into the ground. But the attacks kept coming; Gaara wasn't giving Lee a single moment to breathe!
At this point, even Might Guy was looking at Lee with worry.
"Stop it, Lee! Forfeit! If you keep going, you'll die!" Sakura screamed from the balcony.
Lee seemed to hear her, and a faint smile played on his lips.
Facing Gaara's next wave of sand, his body flickered, leaving an afterimage as he successfully evaded the strike.
Looking at Gaara, Lee thought of Neji, Sasuke, Naruto... and that genius Uchiha girl, Kanon!
Sensei... she is watching me and smiling...
For that alone, I can find the strength to stand back up!
I will become stronger… stronger than I've ever been!
Seeing Lee's expression, Kanon felt a surge of excitement. She smiled; her hunch had been right. A terrifying aura of steam began to rise from Lee's body, his hair blown upward by the sheer pressure.
"Lee is smiling... How can he smile in a desperate situation like this?" Sakura's worry deepened.
"No, this time, he's the one who's going to push his opponent into a corner."
"The Lotus of Konoha shall bloom once more!" At Guy's confident declaration, Kakashi turned to him in shock.
"Don't tell me, Guy... you've already taught him..."
"Exactly what you're thinking."
"You mean, as a genin, he can open the Inner Gates of the Eight Inner Gates and perform the Hidden Lotus?"
"That's right..."
After Guy confirmed it, Kakashi pressed further: "Guy, how many gates can that boy open?"
"Five," Guy stated bluntly.
"What?!" Kakashi was stunned.
As the two began explaining the Eight Inner Gates to Sakura, and Naruto listened intently, only Kanon remained focused on the battle.
Gaara formed a hand seal, frowning as he looked at Lee. "I don't know what you're trying to do..."
"But this is the end for you..."
Steam continued to billow from Lee's body.
"Yeah... either way, it'll all be over after this move..."
"Neji, Sasuke, Kanon... and Naruto... you are all the goals I am chasing."
"I cannot be the only one to lose here!"
"Guy-sensei, please acknowledge me...!"
As Lee powered up, Kanon shouted encouragement down to him. "Go for it, Lee!"
Hearing Kanon's cheer, Lee felt even more determined.
"Now is the time... to follow my ninja way!"
"The Third Gate: The Gate of Life, OPEN!"
A terrifying surge of energy exploded across the Chūnin Exam arena.
"The Gate of Life is open. Is he going to move?!" Kakashi pulled up his headband, revealing his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Beside him, Kanon did the same, activating her own Sharingan!
"No, not yet!"
True to Guy's word, Lee let out a roar below.
"The Fourth Gate: The Gate of Pain, OPEN!!!"
Lee's skin turned a deep shade of red, and veins bulged across his face. The force of the green energy radiating from him caused the very stones of the arena floor to hover and shatter.
"He's incredible... this isn't something that can be achieved through mere effort."
"That boy... is he a genius after all?" Kakashi marveled.
"He's moving!" Kanon's Sharingan tracked the tensing of Lee's leg muscles.
"Here he comes!"
BOOM!
The ground beneath him exploded as stones flew in every direction.
Lee didn't hesitate for a second. It was the same move as before, but the speed was on a completely different level. This time, only the Sharingan of Kakashi and Kanon could track his movements.
In an instant, Lee delivered a kick to Gaara's chin. The monstrous force sent Gaara soaring into the sky, the impact creating a sonic boom that echoed through the hall.
The kick caused the armor on Gaara's body to spiderweb with cracks. Lee didn't miss the chance provided by the mid-air state. He launched a tempestuous barrage of strikes from four different angles, the high-intensity assault further dismantling Gaara's Armor of Sand.
"This is the final blow!"
Moving at such high speeds, Lee's body was now defined by bulging, strained muscles.
"The Fifth Gate: The Gate of Limit, OPEN!"
Seeing Lee's physical transformation, even Gaara was stunned. I can't defend this... is this even humanly possible?!
High in the air, Lee pulled back his fist and hurtled toward Gaara.
"Neji, this was the trump card I saved for you!"
"I'll give you a special front-row seat!"
Lee drove a heavy punch into Gaara's abdomen!
But he wasn't finished.
Lee grabbed the white bandages wrapped around Gaara. As Gaara was pulled back toward him, Lee let out a furious roar.
This was the final strike! With a combined strike of fists and feet, he hammered into Gaara.
"Hidden Lotus!"
The impact sent Gaara crashing into the ground, creating a massive crater. Lee, his body wracked with excruciating pain, collapsed to the floor.
Gaara was indeed heavily injured, but he had not lost the ability to fight! At the last second, he had crushed the sand gourd on his back to create a cushion of sand to protect himself. Meanwhile, Lee had nothing left.
Gaara used his Sand Binding Coffin, intending to kill Lee. After crushing Lee's left arm and left leg, he moved to finish him off.
As Lee lay unconscious, a wave of sand surged toward him.
"Oh no!" Kanon prepared to jump in to save him, but Might Guy was faster.
Snap! With a single swipe of his hand, Guy swatted the sand away.
"Why... why did you save him?" Gaara asked, confused.
"Because this boy... is my precious student."
Gaara turned to leave the arena. Just as Hayate was about to declare Gaara the winner...
Lee stood up, his body trembling... his left arm and leg hanging limp.
"I haven't... I haven't lost yet..."
Looking at Lee, Kanon was reminded of her former self. Her expression became solemn.
Might Guy walked up to Lee and spoke softly. "Lee, that's enough... it's over."
"Your body is already..."
Tears fell from Guy's eyes as he looked at the unconscious Lee, who was standing by sheer willpower alone.
"Lee... even after losing consciousness, you still want to prove your ninja way?!"
Kakashi lowered his headband, and Kanon deactivated her Sharingan.
"Has he already lost consciousness?" Kakashi said with a hint of regret.
"Lee, you are strong... I have seen your ninja way..." Kanon's voice carried across the balcony, leaving Naruto and Sakura in silence.
Might Guy embraced Lee, tears streaming down his face. Only a man's parents, his beloved, his brothers, or the unyielding resolve of his student can make a man weep like that.
"Lee... you are already a splendid ninja!"
Yet, reality remained cruel. Hayate finally announced Gaara as the winner.
When the medical team arrived to perform an examination, they delivered the tragic news to everyone.
"Due to muscle tearing and bone fractures, Lee... likely won't be able to continue as a ninja."
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