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The two fighters stood ready, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
Rock Lee stood tall like a sturdy pine tree, while Gaara was surrounded by swirling sand. The blood-soaked aura of the sand, combined with Gaara's bloodthirsty expression, made him look more like an Asura than a human.
Naruto glanced at Gaara, whose demeanor seemed increasingly deranged. He wanted to ask just one question: Do you understand the greatness of a mother's love?
Your mother gave her life to create a shield of sand to protect you, and yet you use it to kill others?
You truly don't know the meaning of filial piety.
"Naruto, is that sword really that magical?" Choji asked. He had already eaten his fill but was still leaning against the wall, munching on snacks despite feeling full.
"I don't know," Naruto replied. How could he explain something as esoteric as this? He wasn't Huang Xudong, after all.
"Then can I borrow it?" Choji requested. Feeling energized from his meal, he figured he'd work off some calories before returning for another round of eating.
"Wash your hands first," Naruto said, placing a bucket of water beside him.
Earlier, Rock Lee had cried into the sword—a mess of tears and snot. Now Choji's hands were covered in grease, saliva, and dust from leaning against the wall. How could Naruto let him touch it? It was the Kusanagi blade, not a bodily fluid collector!
"Oh, thanks," Choji realized his hands weren't exactly clean—grease, saliva, and wall dust included—and quickly began washing them.
After drying his hands thoroughly, Choji solemnly accepted Naruto's sword, deciding to embrace whatever fate had in store.
He was now brimming with determination.
"Then, the match begins!"
Rock Lee charged forward first, launching a series of probing attacks at Gaara.
A punch—blocked.
A kick—blocked.
Lee attacked like he was striking a boulder; every blow was effortlessly deflected by Gaara's sand.
"What?!" Lee exclaimed in shock. His attacks couldn't even make Gaara budge an inch.
As Lee stood stunned, Gaara sent his sand surging toward him.
With no other choice, Lee drew a kunai and sliced through the incoming sand.
More sand rushed at him, forcing Lee to dodge and retreat.
However, Gaara had already laid a trap beneath Lee's feet. As Lee stepped back onto the sand, he was swept off balance, grabbed by the leg, and flung violently against the wall.
"Why isn't he using ninjutsu?" Choji asked, trembling as he leaned against the wall.
He had watched the previous matches—all four had been relatively low-risk. Even Shikamaru's battle with Temari ended without a scratch on either side.
But this match saw someone injured right from the start. Thinking about his upcoming turn, Choji felt a wave of panic.
"He's not avoiding ninjutsu—he simply doesn't know any," Guy explained, his voice tinged with pride. "To become a true ninja, Lee only has one path left: taijutsu."
"A ninja who doesn't use ninjutsu?" Sasuke asked in astonishment. This Chunin Exam was truly eye-opening. First, he encountered someone as powerful as Orochimaru, and now he was witnessing a ninja who didn't rely on ninjutsu. What came next? A ninja who didn't use taijutsu?
"Yes, and he's an incredible ninja!" Guy proudly gave a thumbs-up to Lee in the arena. "Lee! Take them off!"
"But, Guy-sensei…"
"I'm allowing it. Take them off."
"Guy-sensei…"
"Lee, unleash the full force of your youth!" Guy shouted, his pride evident.
Lee sat cross-legged and rolled up his pant legs, revealing the weights strapped to his limbs.
Gaara didn't attack. He merely watched as Lee removed the weights, hoping that doing so would make his opponent stronger. After all, killing strong opponents brought him pleasure, didn't it, Mother?
Lee carefully removed the weights and placed them neatly on the ground.
He didn't throw them, as the statue Handzu had shattered earlier.
Was this the same training method Naruto used? Sasuke glanced at Naruto before turning his attention back to the match. He knew how fast Naruto moved after removing his weights and was curious to see Lee's speed.
Naruto also watched Lee closely, comparing their speeds.
Guy waved at Lee and called out, "Go for it, Lee!"
Lee moved. His speed was so great that even Gaara barely registered it. The sand reacted automatically, barely keeping up with Lee's movements as it gathered to block his punches.
But the thin layer of sand couldn't withstand the force of Lee's strike—it only altered the trajectory. Lee's fist pierced through the sand, grazing past Gaara's cheek. The wind from the punch ruffled Gaara's red hair.
"So fast!" Sasuke exclaimed. Lee's speed after removing his weights was even faster than Naruto's.
"Guy, how heavy are his weights?" Kakashi noticed that Lee was faster than Naruto as well.
"A total of 500 kilograms!" Guy declared proudly.
Naruto's weights totaled 600 kilograms, yet despite his inhumane training regimen, this boy was still faster.
Kakashi sighed. "This kid is a genius."
Naruto also realized that Lee was faster than him. Although he had the Wind Release technique to boost his speed, Lee had the Eight Gates.
Still, Naruto believed he would win in a fight. If they both removed their weights, Naruto's Wind Release would activate faster. Then, when Lee opened the Eight Gates to overpower him, Naruto wouldn't sustain much damage. But how long could Lee maintain the Eight Gates? Even five minutes would be extraordinary for him.
As for Naruto's Wind Release, measuring it in minutes would be an insult to the Uzumaki name—it should be measured in hours.
In the arena, Lee had already landed a kick under Gaara's chin, sending him flying upward. Mid-air, Lee launched a flurry of kicks, propelling Gaara higher and higher.
In his mental world, Naruto quietly placed a small box beneath the Nine-Tails' rear.
He mentally convinced himself that this was Newton's ashes and coffin lid. Surely the weight of this fat cat would hold it down.
"Brat, what are you doing?" The box was too small for the Nine-Tails to notice.
"Nothing," Naruto muttered in frustration.
Witnessing Lee defy gravity and seemingly ignore Newton's third law challenged Naruto's worldview.
Lee continued his barrage of kicks, while Guy silently prayed that Lee's body wouldn't give out. He knew Lee was preparing to use the Lotus technique—a move that sacrificed the user's body to deal devastating damage.
For a brief moment, Lee paused due to the strain of the Lotus, but even that split second was enough for Gaara to seize the opportunity and use the Sand Clone technique.
"Front Lotus!" Ignoring the pain, Lee wrapped Gaara tightly with bandages, summoning an inexplicable strength that Naruto couldn't fathom. With Gaara bound like a mummy, Lee spun rapidly downward, headfirst toward the ground.
"BOOM!"
The mummified figure crashed into the ground, while Lee somehow managed to leap away just before impact—an action that baffled Naruto once again.
Naruto now considered hammering nails into the box to ensure it stayed put. He feared even the Nine-Tails might not be enough to suppress it.
Guy watched as Gaara was slammed into the ground and smiled. However, his smile faded quickly as Gaara's body crumbled into sand, revealing it to be a clone.
"Substitution! When did he do it?"
"While you were praying," Kakashi explained. With his Sharingan active, he had seen the substitution clearly.
Another Sharingan user observed the scene as well, though with different thoughts. Sasuke likely processed it like this:
This technique is useful—copy it. That one too. And this substitution timing is perfect.
In the arena, the sand began to gather once more, eventually reforming into Gaara's silhouette. The remaining sand surged toward Lee in a relentless assault.