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Just as in the original story, Rock Lee's initial attacks were completely ineffective against Gaara's automatically defending sand.
Aside from Might Guy's team and Team 7, no one had any respect for this genin who could use neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu, relying solely on taijutsu.
However, when Lee removed his weights, shattering the floor and sending up two massive clouds of dust, those who had looked down on him were left utterly dumbfounded.
Naruto, in particular, was scared out of his wits.
Had Uchiha Sasuke been present, his reaction likely wouldn't have been much better than Naruto's.
After being easily defeated by Lee in the academy building, both Sasuke and Naruto had come to see Lee as one of their greatest opponents in the Chunin Exams, believing they had already witnessed his full capabilities.
Yet, unexpectedly, Lee had been wearing such terrifyingly heavy iron weights all along.
The thought that Lee could achieve speeds barely trackable even by a two-tomoe Sharingan while still burdened by these weights sent shivers down Naruto's spine.
Sure enough...
Once Lee discarded his weights and launched his assault against Gaara anew, his speed was such that one moment he was right in front of you, and the next he was behind you—only to appear above your head the instant after. If not for the sharp, whistling sound that accompanied each change of position, everyone would have thought Lee was using not Body Flicker but space-time teleportation.
Thud!
After several rapid changes in position, Lee finally broke through Gaara's sand defense, landing a heavy punch directly on his face.
Cracks immediately spread across Gaara's face, stunning Kankuro and Temari in the stands.
As fragments of clay fell away, the ferocious expression hidden beneath Gaara's sand armor was finally revealed.
For the first time in his life, Gaara's sand armor had been shattered.
His initial casual disdain transformed into excitement and bloodlust.
Excellent. This village has so many people worth killing!
Thus, Gaara began to fight in earnest.
Pursued by the sand, Lee continuously shifted positions, searching for an opening to deliver a decisive blow.
Soon, he found what he believed to be Gaara's 'weak point' and unleashed the Front Lotus.
Unfortunately, his supposed finishing move proved ineffective, instead leaving him vulnerable in a period of weakness.
Driven by a desire to prove himself and secure victory, Lee chose to open the first of the Eight Inner Gates, countering the side effect of the Front Lotus and reclaiming his earlier speed, once again overwhelming Gaara.
This time, the suppression was absolute—Gaara was left utterly helpless.
"Eight Inner Gates, Third Gate: Gate of Life—Open!"
"Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain—Open!"
Lee's speed increased relentlessly, his power growing with each passing moment.
In the hall, only streaks of dust were visible, kicked up as the floor shattered.
Within the blink of an eye, thick clouds of dust nearly enveloped the entire arena.
Kakashi had shed his usual laziness, staring in shock into the dust clouds. Even with his three-tomoe Sharingan, he could only catch glimpses of Lee's afterimages.
At his age, how could he possibly open so many gates?
What kind of brutal training has his body endured to withstand that level of chakra flow?
Ryūsei's mood was equally heavy.
Previously, Ryūsei's weaknesses had been his speed and defense; he most feared opponents with astonishing speed or impregnable defenses.
Lee was precisely the type of opponent who could counter Ryūsei.
If Ryūsei were in Gaara's place, his only options would be to use Hiding in Mist Technique or Red-Eyed Illusion to obstruct Lee's vision, or to create a large body of water to form a lake, thereby reducing Lee's speed.
Otherwise, his fate would likely be similar to Gaara's.
In his current state, Lee's chakra was raging wildly, granting him a natural immunity to genjutsu.
Ordinary illusions would be completely ineffective against him now.
As he opened more gates and his chakra grew even more violent, even powerful genjutsu would fail to affect him.
This was precisely why, when faced with Might Guy unleashing the Eight Inner Gates Formation, only Madara Uchiha—wielding the Truth-Seeking Balls born from the fusion of Yin-Yang and the five elements, or Kekkei Mōra techniques similarly derived from such fusion—could pose a threat.
Lee's current speed was one of the reasons Ryūsei coveted the Eight Inner Gates so deeply at this stage.
By merely opening the First Gate, releasing the brain's restrictions, one could utilize 100% of their body's capabilities, achieving peak offensive and speed power.
Moreover, with only the First Gate open, one could still employ ninjutsu.
Before obtaining absolute defense, facing an unbeatable enemy, opening higher gates of the Eight Inner Gates would allow Ryūsei to escape rapidly. Aside from space-time ninjutsu, no one could catch up—or even allow him to turn the tables and defeat his pursuers.
Even the dynamic vision of the Sharingan could only perceive afterimages; others were left utterly mind-blown, speechless.
Boom!
With a tremendous crash, Gaara's body was sent flying into the air.
A figure wreathed in green energy followed closely, running through the air as if it were solid ground, kicking Gaara around like a soccer ball.
"Fifth Gate: Gate of Closing—Open!"
After a series of kicks, Lee's eyes showed only whites, his skin flushed crimson, veins bulging prominently. Enduring excruciating pain from his meridians and bones, he opened yet another gate, the green energy around him instantly transforming into raging flames.
Then, Lee ceased his assault on Gaara, his fist surrounded by distorted airflow and blazing energy, poised to strike Gaara directly.
Crack!
Just as his punch was about to land, a faint sound of cracking bone could be heard, causing Lee to hesitate slightly.
But he endured the agony, driving his fist and knee into Gaara with full force.
"Reverse Lotus!"
Boom!
As Lee's shout echoed, an afterimage crashed into the ground, and the entire hall exploded violently.
Dust clouds engulfed the arena, a ferocious airflow like a hurricane, knocking Dōto and Yumiko off their feet.
Even the weakened Sakura and Ino were nearly sent tumbling, saved only because Ryūsei caught them in time.
Gazing at the slowly settling dust, every genin and jōnin alike wore expressions of stunned disbelief.
They had thought Ryūsei's use of an S-rank water release secret technique was already astonishing enough.
Yet, unexpectedly, aside from Ryūsei, the future master of water release, this year's exams also had someone like Lee.
That ground-shattering blow created a spectacle even more shocked than Ryūsei's water jutsu!
As the dust cleared, the figures of Gaara and Lee soon became visible.
Gaara now lay on the ground, only his hand able to move slightly. Kankuro and Temari were seeing their brother in such a wretched state for the very first time.
Not far away, Lee likewise sat on the ground, unable to move.
Logically, this should have been declared a draw.
However, at that moment, Gaara slowly raised his hand, controlling the sand from his gourd to slither toward Lee like a snake.
Seeing this, Lee, whose consciousness was already fading, struggled to rise and evade.
But his body had no strength left; he couldn't even stand, only able to squirm backward like an worm.
"Guy-sensei, do you want to ruin his ninja career?" Ryūsei's voice suddenly rang out.
Ryūsei's fingers twitched slightly, blue chakra flames emanating from his body, as if he were about to intervene.
Hearing this, Might Guy, who had been deeply conflicted, instantly hardened his resolve. In a Body Flicker, he appeared before Lee, swatting away the approaching sand with a wave of his hand, and addressed Gekkō: "We forfeit!"
"Guy-sensei..."
Gazing at Might Guy's back, his vision blurry, Lee barely had time to think 'I'm sorry, I've disappointed you' before collapsing unconscious to the ground.
"You did well, Lee. Your teacher is proud of you!" Might Guy gently lifted his unconscious student, speaking softly.
Witnessing this scene, a faint smile touched Ryūsei's lips.
Ryūsei held great admiration for Might Guy and Lee as master and disciple.
As comrades, they were undoubtedly the most reliable teammates, willing even at the last moment to sacrifice themselves to protect their own.
Therefore, Ryūsei did not want Lee to suffer the same fate as in the original story—losing the use of an arm and a leg.
Although he could be healed later, a replacement could never truly compare to the original.
The fact that Lee's growth progressed so slowly in the future might very well have been due to the impact of those injuries.
Changing Lee's destiny now was simply an act of kindness from Ryūsei, a transmigrator.
Observing Ryūsei's smile, Hiruzen's mood improved even further.
Not only does he possess physical prowess and water release talent akin to Lord Tobirama, but his personality also mirrors Lord Hashirama's... Truly, a descendant of the Senju clan. A perfect inheritor of the Will of Fire!
*****
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