Sakura could not contain herself. The instant Hayate announced Naruto's victory, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug.
"You did it! You did it!" she exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
Naruto went stiff for a second, surprised by the sudden contact. His face turned red immediately.
"S, Sakura chan, I..."
Inside her mind, Inner Sakura was a total mess.
KYAAA! We are hugging Naruto! We are hugging him! Wait, what are we doing? This is so embarrassing! But he smells good! NO! Focus! We have to let him go! But I do not want to!
Sakura released him quickly, her own cheeks burning.
"I, I am sorry! I got carried away by the excitement."
"No problem," Naruto scratched the back of his head with a nervous smile.
From the opposite side of the stands, Ino watched the scene with a smile.
When did I start caring so much about that idiot? she wondered as she approached carefully, still feeling the bruises from her own battle.
Her eyes shifted toward the infirmary entrance, where she could see three figures. Hinata was leaning against the door frame with Tenten by her side and Temari a bit behind them. All three were watching the arena. Ino smiled at them and raised her hand in a small wave. It was a silent acknowledgement between kunoichi who had proven their worth today.
Hayate coughed, drawing everyone's attention back to the center of the arena.
"The final match of the preliminaries," he announced with his raspy voice. "Rock Lee versus Gaara of the Desert."
The atmosphere in the stadium changed instantly. Lee approached the arena with a fluid movement. His expression was serious, more focused than Naruto had ever seen him.
"At last," Lee murmured. "My turn to show the power of hard work."
"Lee," Guy sensei appeared at his student's side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Remember what we have trained. Do not push yourself beyond your limits."
"I understand, Guy sensei," Lee looked at his teacher with determination. "But I am not going to hold back either."
Naruto leaned forward, his blue eyes fixed on Lee.
Lately I have felt more drawn to taijutsu. And if there is a genin who is an expert in that, it is Bushy Brow.
In the arena, Gaara was already waiting. The boy with red hair and the word love tattooed on his forehead remained motionless, arms crossed. The enormous gourd on his back seemed even more threatening up close. Lee positioned himself in front of his opponent. Even from several meters away, he could feel the oppressive aura emanating from Gaara.
"Rock Lee," Gaara said with a flat, emotionless voice. "Your blood will feed my sand."
"I do not plan on bleeding today," Lee replied while adjusting the bandages on his hands. "But I do plan on showing you something important: that hard work can surpass natural talent."
Gaara's expression did not change, but a dangerous glint lit up his eyes. Hayate stood between them.
"Final match. Rock Lee versus Gaara of the Desert." He raised his hand. "Begin!"
Lee exploded forward. One second he was standing in his stance and the next he was already in front of Gaara, his right fist cutting through the air toward the redhead's face. But the sand moved faster. A wall of compact sand shot out of the gourd, blocking the blow with a dull thud. Lee did not hesitate. He spun on his heels and launched a sequence of rapid kicks, searching for an opening in the defense.
The sand responded to every attack. It rose and fell, twisting around Gaara to form an impenetrable barrier.
"Incredible," Naruto muttered from the stands. "That sand moves on its own."
"Absolute Defense," Sakura said from her position beside him. "Gaara does not even need to move. The sand protects him automatically."
Lee jumped back, breathing calmly while evaluating the situation.
Just as I expected. His defense is formidable. But...
He looked down at his legs, where the orange leg warmers covered something more.
I will have to use them sooner than I thought.
"Is that all?" Gaara asked with his monotonous voice. "How disappointing."
"No," Lee smiled. "I am just getting started."
He crouched down and began unbuckling his leg warmers.
"Lee," Guy's voice echoed from the stands. "Are you sure?"
"I am sure, sensei!"
The weights hit the floor.
CRASH!
The sound of the impact made everyone turn. The ground beneath the weights cracked from the force and small clouds of dust rose around them. Lee stood up and stretched his legs. Instantly, his posture changed. There was a lightness to his movements now, as if gravity had less control over him.
"Now," Lee said as he adopted his combat stance, "let us try again."
He disappeared. He literally vanished from where he was standing. Gaara's eyes widened slightly, the first sign of emotion on his face. Lee reappeared behind him, his foot already moving toward Gaara's head. The sand barely managed to intercept it. But this time, the impact was different. The sand barrier cracked under the force of the blow.
"Impossible," Temari whispered from the infirmary entrance. "No one has ever cracked Gaara's sand."
Lee did not stop. He became a green blur, attacking from every angle. Up and down, moving swiftly across the sides. His fists and feet moved so fast they became almost invisible. The sand struggled to keep the pace. It formed shields and walls of protection. But each impact pushed Gaara back a few centimeters. For the first time in the match, the Suna ninja had to move his feet.
"At last," Lee said with satisfaction. "You are starting to take me seriously."
Gaara raised his hand. The sand from his gourd exploded outward, forming dozens of projectiles that shot toward Lee from every direction. Lee twisted his body, dodging some by millimeters. The ones he could not evade, he deflected with precise strikes that changed their trajectory.
"Suna Shigure!" Gaara shouted.
The rain of sand intensified. Lee had to jump back, his feet barely touching the ground before launching himself again in complex evasion patterns.
He is fast, Naruto thought, fists clenched in excitement. Incredibly fast.
"That is it, Lee!" Guy stood up in the stands. "Show them the fruits of your youth!"
Lee found an opening. He dove under a wave of sand and launched himself upward, fist extended toward Gaara's exposed face. This time, he connected. The punch hit Gaara square in the cheek. The redhead's head snapped to the side from the force of the impact. The entire arena went silent.
Then Gaara turned his head back. There was a crack in what looked like... armor?
"Sand Armor," Hinata murmured. "He has a layer of compacted sand covering his skin."
Where Lee's fist had impacted, the sand armor had shattered, revealing pale skin underneath. A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of Gaara's mouth. He touched the blood with his fingers and looked at it as if it were something strange.
"Blood," he whispered. "My blood."
His eyes rose toward Lee and, for the first time, there was pure emotion in them: excitement.
"You made me bleed," Gaara said, and an unsettling smile spread across his face. "How wonderful. Now I can kill you without regrets."
The sand exploded from the gourd with renewed fury. It was no longer just defending. Sand tentacles lashed out at Lee from multiple angles. The taijutsu specialist had to use all his speed to evade them, jumping and spinning across the arena floor. One tentacle managed to snag his ankle.
"I have you," Gaara said.
More sand rushed to join the first, quickly climbing up Lee's leg. The boy tried to break free, but the sand compressed with crushing force.
"Lee!" Guy shouted from the stands.
"Sabaku Kyū," Gaara murmured.
The sand enveloped Lee completely, forming a sphere that trapped him inside. Only his head remained visible.
"Now," Gaara raised his hand, "Sabaku Sōsō."
The sand began to compress. In the observation box, Homura leaned forward with narrowed eyes.
"Look at that control," he muttered to Koharu. "That boy is dangerous."
"A perfect weapon," Koharu agreed in a low voice. "Powerful and ruthless." She paused. "One wonders why the Kyūbi Jinchūriki is not like that."
Tsunade, who had returned to her position, shot them a piercing glare.
"Because Naruto is a human being, not a weapon," she said firmly. "Something you seem to have forgotten."
In the arena, Lee felt the sand crushing his body. His ribs creaked under the pressure. He could barely breathe.
I cannot... give up... here...
His eyes snapped wide open.
I still have... one option!
"Guy sensei!" Lee screamed with all the air left in his lungs. "Give me permission!"
Guy tensed. He knew exactly what Lee was asking.
"Lee, no! You know the risks of the Gates! Your body..."
"I know the risks better than anyone!" Lee interrupted, and there were tears in his eyes. "You trained me for this! You taught me that sometimes we have to risk everything to prove our worth!"
Guy felt his own eyes begin to water. He straightened up, gripping the railing so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Lee..."
"I will not stop until I have proven that hard work can equal genius! That someone like me can face a monster!"
Guy closed his eyes. Every instinct as a teacher screamed to forbid it. But he also remembered his own youth and his own desire to prove himself.
"Very well, Lee!" Guy finally shouted, tears now streaming down his face. "But if I tell you to stop, you STOP! That is an order!"
"Yes, Guy sensei!"
Lee closed his eyes inside the sand prison. He could feel the points his sensei had taught him over the years. The Gate of Opening, located in the brain. The first limiter.
"First Gate: KAI!"
A green chakra exploded from his body. The sand sphere around him cracked; fissures spread across its surface like a spiderweb.
"What?" Gaara took a step back.
The sphere shattered. Lee stood in the center, surrounded by a green chakra aura that distorted the air around him. But he did not stop there.
"Second Gate: Gate of Rest! KAI!"
His physical strength increased and his stamina was momentarily restored. The veins in his temples bulged as his body pushed beyond normal limits.
"Third Gate: Gate of Life! KAI!"
Lee's skin began to turn red as his blood circulation reached dangerous levels. The green aura around him intensified, becoming almost blinding.
"Now," Lee said with a voice deeper than normal, "the real fight begins."
He disappeared; his speed was now on a completely different level. Gaara could not even track him with his eyes. Lee appeared above him, his leg descending in a devastating axe kick. The sand rose to block, but Lee's strike tore right through it and shattered it. His foot connected with Gaara's shoulder, and the sound of sand armor breaking echoed throughout the arena.
Gaara was sent crashing into the ground with brutal force. A crater formed around him from the impact. Lee did not give him time to recover. He became a green blur, attacking from every conceivable angle. Every punch broke more sand armor and every kick pushed the Suna ninja deeper into the ground.
"This is insane!" Ino screamed from the stands.
Naruto leaned forward, eyes wide.
"It is incredible. That speed, that power..."
Gaara tried to defend himself. The sand from his gourd shot toward Lee, but the taijutsu user was too fast. He dodged every attack and continued his relentless assault. Finally, Lee launched an uppercut that lifted Gaara completely off the ground. The redhead flew upward, blood now flowing from his nose and mouth. Lee jumped after him, appearing behind Gaara in midair.
"Omote Renge!" Lee shouted.
His bandages wrapped around Gaara's body. He began to spin, faster and faster, using Gaara's body as an axis. The arena became a blur around them. Then Lee changed the trajectory, aiming both of them directly toward the ground. They fell like a meteor.
CRASH!
The impact was devastating. The ground exploded, sending dust and debris in all directions. A massive crater formed in the center of the arena. When the dust cleared, Lee landed several meters away, breathing heavily. His body trembled, showing clear signs of damage from the Gates. In the center of the crater, Gaara remained motionless for a moment.
"Did he win?" Sakura whispered.
But then the sand moved. From beneath Gaara's body, a sphere of compressed sand opened. Gaara had created a shell at the last second, absorbing most of the impact. The sphere fell away. Gaara stood up slowly, covered in wounds, his sand armor cracked and broken in multiple places. Blood ran from his mouth and nose.
But he was standing. And he was smiling.
"You really hurt me," Gaara said, touching the blood on his face. "How wonderful. Mother wants your blood."
The sand from his gourd began to flow differently. It started to cover Gaara's right arm, transforming it into a massive, monstrous claw that resembled the limb of a beast.
"Shukaku's arm," Temari whispered in terror. "He is releasing the seal."
Lee's breathing was labored. The three Gates had taken their toll. But when he saw that monstrous transformation, he knew it was not enough.
I need more power. Just a little more.
"Lee, that is enough!" Guy's voice cut through the air. "You already proved your point! Stop now!"
"I cannot, sensei!" Lee shouted back. "Not after having come this far! Not when he is still standing!"
Lee searched for the fourth point in his body. The Gate of Pain, located near the spine.
"Fourth Gate: KAI!"
His body screamed in protest. Blood vessels began to rupture under his skin, creating red marks all over his body. But his speed and power increased exponentially. Tsunade stepped closer to the railings in the observation box, eyes fixed on Lee.
"That fool," she muttered. "His body cannot take much more."
Lee and Gaara clashed again. The taijutsu specialist's speed was now so great that it created afterimages. His fists struck the sand claw with such force that shockwaves rippled through the air. But Gaara's transformed arm had devastating power. Every blow could pulverize stone. Lee had to use every ounce of his enhanced speed to evade.
They traded blows. Lee's fist connected with Gaara's ribs, cracking them. Gaara's claw grazed Lee's shoulder, tearing fabric and skin. Blood flew from both combatants. In the stands, Naruto's fists were so tight his knuckles were white.
"Come on, Lee... you can do it..."
The battle intensified. Lee managed to land a devastating kick to Gaara's jaw, snapping his head back. But the sand counterattacked, striking Lee's side and sending him sliding across the arena floor. Both were reaching their limits.
Gaara's sand armor was almost completely destroyed. His breathing was ragged and he was clearly injured. But his eyes held that same maniacal joy. Lee could barely stay on his feet. Four Gates was more than his body could handle safely. He could feel his muscles tearing and his bones creaking under the strain. But he could not stop. Not yet.
One more. Just one more gate. Then I will use everything I have left in a final attack.
He searched for the fifth point. The Gate of Closing, located in the abdomen.
"LEE, NO!" Guy screamed, recognizing what his student was about to do.
"Fifth Gate: KAI!"
The green aura around Lee exploded outward with such intensity that it created a shockwave. His muscles swelled and his veins bulged grotesquely all over his body. Blood began to seep from the corners of his eyes from the effort of keeping the gates open.
"Impossible," Homura gasped in the observation box. "That boy is going to kill himself."
"No," Koharu said in a low voice. "He is going to win or die trying. That is what a true shinobi does."
For the first time, there was something like respect in her voice. Lee looked at Gaara through eyes half blinded by blood and pain.
"One last technique," Lee said, with a voice barely recognizable. "Everything I have. My ultimate move."
He began to move even faster than before. So fast that the air itself around him ignited from the friction. Gaara tried to track him, but it was impossible. Lee was everywhere and nowhere. Then Lee appeared directly in front of him. His hands moved in a blur, wrapping bandages around Gaara's body with perfect precision.
"Ura Renge!" Lee shouted.
He lifted Gaara into the air, beginning the spiral. But this time, the rotation was so fast and so powerful that it created a vortex of wind around them. Tsunade's eyes widened. She could see exactly what was about to happen: the trajectory, the speed, and the angle of impact.
If he completes that technique, both will die. Lee's body will shatter from the recoil and Gaara will be crushed.
She moved.
"STOP THIS MATCH!" Tsunade's voice boomed throughout the arena as she leaped from the observation box.
She was fast, faster than almost anyone in the arena expected. But Lee was already falling, Gaara wrapped in his bandages, both spinning toward the ground like a drill. Tsunade hit the arena floor. Her hand reached out, chakra gathering in her palm. Lee and Gaara were five meters from impact, getting closer and closer. Tsunade's fist, powered by chakra, struck the ground directly beneath where they would land.
CRACK!
The entire arena floor exploded upward; chunks of stone and earth flew in every direction.
******
While everyone else is still waiting — Chapter 140 is already live on Patreon.
Over 3,000 words per chapter, cover art with every release, and no sitting on finished content just to hit a schedule date. When it's ready, it's up. Simple as that.
Don't wait for it to show up elsewhere. patreon.com/shurazero