"He's really strong!"
Rock Lee, who had been blown away by the fierce gust of wind, planted his feet firmly against the wall. He stared at Izanami, who remained calm and composed, with uncontainable excitement in his eyes.
As the turbulent airflow dissipated, Rock Lee vanished from sight—yet he did not reappear near Izanami.
Instead, his body turned into a dark blur, circling rapidly around Izanami like a phantom.
His movement was so fast that the residual afterimages generated enough force to kick up clouds of dust, forming a white vortex encasing Izanami at the center.
In the blink of an eye, Rock Lee appeared in front of Izanami, launching a powerful punch.
But Izanami didn't flinch.
Just as the fist was about to land, it halted midair. Upon closer look, it wasn't Rock Lee at all—only an afterimage.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
A fierce shout echoed, and a vortex of wind burst to Izanami's right, morphing into Rock Lee mid-kick. A charged, 360-degree spinning kick spun toward Izanami like a drill.
For most of the Rookie generation, such a blow could have ended the match—perhaps only Shino Aburame's insect clones could have mitigated it.
Yet, once again…
Rock Lee's speed was astonishing, but Izanami's was even more so.
Just like the earlier Leaf Whirlwind, the attack was intercepted before it could land—this time not by a technique, but by Izanami's own forearm.
With a bang, the impact unleashed a shockwave from where Rock Lee's kick met Izanami's arm. Despite the force behind it, Izanami's forearm remained still—immovable as steel.
Hidden beneath his sleeve, the secret of his resilience remained invisible.
Under Rock Lee's wide-eyed stare, Izanami shifted from defense to offense. He reached out, grabbing Lee's ankle and spinning to hurl him against the ground.
But with incredible arm strength, Rock Lee caught himself mid-throw, planting his hands on the floor and using the force to flip away.
Izanami made no effort to follow up. He calmly retracted his hand and silently observed Rock Lee.
From beginning to end, Izanami had not taken a single step.
The rookies watching from the sidelines were stunned.
"Does he also know Earth Release nature transformation?" murmured Jonin Kakashi, his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning as he analyzed the fight. He was one of the few present who truly grasped Izanami's blocking technique.
To most observers, Izanami's taijutsu looked phenomenal—capable of suppressing Rock Lee even while he wore his training weights.
But in Kakashi's eyes, Izanami wasn't a taijutsu genius.
He was a ninjutsu prodigy.
The Lightning Release techniques he taught to Sasuke and Hinata, the Fire Dragon Tornado during the Forest of Death, the Wind Release technique used moments ago, and now Earth Release—this boy had mastered four elemental transformations.
Could he possibly wield all five?
Even if he did have affinity with all elements, achieving this level of mastery required incredible discipline and intense training.
No wonder the Hyuga clan hadn't opposed their heiress interacting with him—they must have identified his potential early and invested in this uncut gem.
"Remarkable... such chakra and ninjutsu prowess. Could this boy have inherited a bloodline from an ancient clan? Senju? Uzumaki?" Orochimaru whispered with a sinister smile. Like Kakashi, he suspected Izanami might be an all-element user, possibly from a legendary bloodline.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The intense battle continued. Although he was being gradually overwhelmed, Rock Lee showed no signs of backing down. In fact, his excitement only grew as the fight dragged on.
Izanami no longer relied on ninjutsu. Instead, he activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura for chakra sensing, simultaneously channeling Lightning Release Chakra through his cells to increase his physical speed.
In the center of the arena, two human afterimages clashed like spinning tops.
Each time their fists or legs collided, shockwaves—both visible and invisible—rippled outward.
Their speed escalated rapidly. They soon abandoned the ground altogether, fighting even midair, their trajectories too fast for the average eye to follow.
Even Uchiha Sasuke's Sharingan was barely keeping up. Naruto and the other genin could hardly comprehend what was happening.
Even some Special Jonin were visibly shaken.
No one expected that this generation would birth two such monsters.
The seasoned Jonin and elite ninja, watching Izanami—who wasn't even a taijutsu specialist—match Rock Lee's raw speed, couldn't help but murmur:
"Such refined elemental control… such astonishing chakra precision!"
Hinata and Sasuke also used Lightning Release to enhance their speed, but neither could control the resulting momentum as perfectly as Izanami could.
It wasn't just about speed.
While others struggled to adapt to enhanced movement, losing balance or burning too much stamina, Izanami seamlessly mastered his acceleration in real time. He immediately pushed his speed to its limit without delay or instability.
This demanded not just strong elemental affinity—but incredible chakra control.
That was the true key.
To control chakra at this level at such a young age… no wonder he'd already mastered multiple elemental natures.
The future of Konoha seemed poised to welcome another versatile Jonin.
Yet even that assumption might have been an underestimation.
After dozens—possibly hundreds—of exchanges, Izanami and Rock Lee finally paused.
Rock Lee panted heavily, sweat dripping from his brow as he stared across at Izanami.
Still calm, Izanami smiled. "Your taijutsu is exceptional. But if this is your limit, the fight will end quickly. Do you have a trump card?"
At that, Rock Lee instinctively glanced at Might Guy in the viewing area.
Guy gave him a thumbs-up and nodded with a wide grin.
Rock Lee's eyes brightened.
Unraveling the bandages on his arms, Rock Lee looked back at Izanami and declared, "I have stronger techniques—but they are forbidden and not meant to be used against allies! The last time I fought Sasuke, I nearly crossed the line and was punished by Guy-sensei."
"But you, Izanami… I believe you can withstand the Lotus!"
With trailing bandages whipping behind him, Rock Lee stood firm, gaze unwavering.
"I will now show you that effort… can surpass genius!"
The tension among the examinees rose instantly.
Even the Jonin leaned forward with focused attention.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. Knowing Guy better than anyone, he had a sudden thought:
"Did Guy actually… teach him that technique?"
A moment later, his suspicion was confirmed.
Through the Byakugan and Sharingan, they saw chakra rushing to Rock Lee's head before bursting through his meridians like a floodgate opened.
His entire aura shifted.
Several Jonin felt the oppressive power rise—like a surge strong enough to challenge higher ranks.
Izanami noticed the change too. His expression turned serious for the first time.
Curious about the Eight Gates—a legendary technique from the annals of Shippuden—Izanami chose not to rely on his Reincarnation Eye just yet.
Suddenly, Rock Lee disappeared—no afterimage this time—and reappeared right in front of Izanami with a direct punch.
Izanami reacted instantly, raising his arm to block.
But in the next moment, Rock Lee vanished again—this time reappearing behind Izanami, wrapping his bandages forward to bind him.
Zzzzzzz…
Crackling sounds erupted as electric arcs—blue and white—wrapped around Izanami's body like serpents.
Before Rock Lee's bandages could touch him, the lightning shocked him back, forcing him to leap away.
"This… this is the Lightning Release Chakra Mode from Hidden Cloud Village?!"
"No—it's only shape transformation!"
"Incredible. He's mastered not just nature transformation, but even shape transformation at that level?"
"His Lightning Release talent is just like Kakashi's!"
Even the Jonin in the stands couldn't help but exclaim.
These words struck a nerve with Kurenai Yuhi. She let out a soft, bitter laugh.
Hokage-sama had made a mistake.
A genius like Izanami should have been Kakashi's student. If so, he might've already mastered high-level ninjutsu like Chidori—or even the S-rank Lightning Cutter, a technique formed from the fusion of nature and shape transformation.
Meanwhile, most of the genin barely grasped nature transformation, let alone shape manipulation.
Only Uchiha Sasuke's eyes lit up. "So that's how Lightning Release Chakra can be used…"
He had no idea that what he was witnessing was the foundation for his future technique—Chidori Stream.
Bang!
Izanami, having activated Chidori Stream, gained a burst of speed, flashing in front of Rock Lee and punching.
Lee crossed his arms to block—but his eyes bulged, and pain twisted his face.
He had taken a powerful kick to the stomach.
Sent flying, he crashed into the wall, creating a dent with cracks spreading outward.
Izanami didn't pursue.
Still surrounded by dancing lightning arcs, he smiled. "A mere 20% increase in speed isn't taboo. Show me your true trump card."
Rock Lee dropped from the wall like a dislodged painting. He remained silent.
But those with Byakugan, Sharingan, or chakra sensing abilities gasped, eyes widening.
"The Third Gate: Gate of Life… OPEN!"
Rock Lee crossed his arms.
The air twisted violently around him.
When he raised his head, his pupils had vanished, eyes glowing white.
Veins bulged, his skin flushed red, and white steam hissed from his body.
With a mighty roar, a brilliant green aura exploded outward.
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