In the center of the arena, Rock Lee—having opened the Fifth Gate and wrapped in wild green chakra—crouched slightly, locking onto Tejima Shinichi, who still hadn't moved a single step.
"Shinichi—!!!"
Lee's roar exploded across the field.
"Here I come—!!!"
Tejima Shinichi watched the green-sheathed Lee, interest flickering in his eyes.
"Eight Gates… from the Gate of Opening to the Gate of Life, is it?"
"But… if it's only the Fifth Gate… the purity isn't enough!"
"Come, Lee. Let me see how far your Eight Gates can reach."
"Aaaargh—!!!"
At those words, Lee's howl and the shriek of tearing air rang out together!
The ground beneath him erupted; his form became a blur of green light, crossing dozens of meters faster than the eye could track, appearing instantly before Tejima Shinichi!
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
A sweeping roundhouse, powerful enough to shatter stone, scythed toward Tejima Shinichi's head.
Yet, facing a kick that could pulverize rock, Tejima Shinichi merely lifted his right—
Smack!
A dull impact detonated!
The raised arm caught the whirlwind kick dead-solid.
The instant they met, a ring of force blasted outward, blowing every speck of dust from beneath their feet.
"Such power!"
Lee's pupils shrank; he felt mountain-splitting strength collide with an immovable peak and vanish into nothing.
The recoil from the man's arm left his leg numb.
Without pause he twisted mid-air, his other leg scything down like a battle-axe!
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
Still rooted, Tejima Shinichi lifted his left hand and stopped it again.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Lee became a green storm, battering the motionless Tejima Shinichi from every side!
Fists, feet, elbows, knees—each blow carried rock-crushing force and air-rending shrieks, striking from vicious angles almost too fast for the after-images to fade.
Yet at the storm's heart, Tejima Shinichi's feet never shifted; a raise of the hand, a light tap, a subtle parry—every tempestuous strike was caught with minimal motion.
His movements were tiny yet devastatingly efficient, as though he had foreseen every path Lee could take.
The dull thuds of flesh on flesh rolled across the arena, punctuated by bursts of wind and dust.
"C-can't see!"
"Too fast! I can't track Lee's moves at all!"
"That Tejima Shinichi… he still hasn't moved a step?!"
In the stands, most civilians and nobles saw only a flickering green blur and, at its center, a black-clad figure raising an arm now and then, while shockwaves and dust kept erupting.
Unable to grasp speed on this level, they could only cry out in amazement.
...
Contestants' rest area.
Uchiha Sasuke's Sharingan locked onto the fight, twin tomoe spinning wildly as he strained to trace the movements.
Cold sweat already beaded his forehead, shock filling his eyes.
He was stunned both by Lee's speed and by Tejima Shinichi's composure.
'Just how far do his kinetic vision and reflexes go?!' Sasuke's mind reeled.
Kankuro's mouth hung open, arms rigid around his puppet Crow; Temari's knuckles were white on her fan.
Gaara's lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at the unmoving figure within the green tempest, almost seeing again the towering Wood Golem.
"S-so amazing…" Sakura stood transfixed, murmuring.
Ino gripped the railing, cheering, "Shinichi! So cool!!"
VIP observation deck.
Kakashi's Sharingan followed every motion, his voice low: "Lee's speed and strength after opening five gates have reached Special Jonin level—no, surpassed it in some ways. But…"
"But that boy Shinichi is simply 'playing'."
Might Guy took over, all his usual fire gone, replaced by gravity and awe.
"He isn't serious at all. He's reading every one of Lee's strikes—no, not just reading. His body keeps pace effortlessly, defending with the smallest, most efficient motions… such control…"
He glanced at Yamato beside him. "Tenzō, now do you understand how the codename 'benevolent wood' came about?"
Yamato looked at the arena, thought of his own Wood Release mainly used for construction, and silently turned away, shoulders sagging again.
Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, allowed his golden serpent eyes to blaze with exhilaration beneath the brim of his hat.
'Perfect reflexes… terrifying insight… and he hasn't even used Wood Release or much chakra—just taijutsu and instinct… Shinichi, you are magnificent…'
On the field, after nearly a minute of blitzing attacks, Lee sprang back, landing ten-odd meters away, panting, the green steam flickering. Disbelief—and defeat—showed on his face.
All-out, staking everything on his Fifth-Gate onslaught, and he hadn't forced the man to shift even half a step?!
Tejima Shinichi lowered his arms, brushed non-existent dust from his sleeves, and regarded the gasping Lee calmly.
"Speed's decent, power's adequate. But…"
"Eight Gates… if it stops at the Fifth, for me its purity will never be enough."
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