After being bandaged by the Medical Ninja, Neji insisted on staying to watch the matches.
The Preliminaries continued until Rock Lee faced off against Gaara.
At this moment, Gaara's eyes held a deeper, more undisguised violence and killing intent than before.
Hinata's heavy blow hadn't broken him; instead, it seemed to have stripped away his last shred of human hesitation, making him even more dangerous—like a bloodthirsty beast after being wounded.
The gourd on Gaara's back rustled as if it couldn't wait to drink blood.
Rock Lee stood straight, fists clenched. Beneath his thick eyebrows, his eyes burned with a raging fire. He gave a thumbs-up to Guy-sensei in the stands, flashing a brilliant grin.
"This is the time to prove my Ninja Way! Even with only taijutsu, I can become a great Ninja!"
"Lee! Bloom! Let everyone see your youth!" Guy cheered him on.
"Start!"
As soon as Gekkō Hayate finished speaking, Lee's figure shot toward Gaara like an arrow from a bow! His speed was incredibly fast, far exceeding the scope of an ordinary Genin!
"Leaf Hurricane!"
A sharp leg wind whistled through the air! However, Gaara didn't even move; the sand in front of him automatically formed a shield, easily blocking the strike.
"Useless."
Gaara's gaze was cold as the sand twisted and attacked like a living thing, trying to seize Lee.
But Lee's speed far surpassed the sand's reaction time! Using high-speed movement and agile footwork, he left a trail of afterimages around Gaara. His fists and legs rained down on the Sand Defense like a storm, creating a dense series of thumping sounds!
"So fast!"
Tenten exclaimed from the stands.
However, the Sand Defense was simply too sturdy! Almost all of Lee's attacks were blocked, unable to harm Gaara's main body in the slightest.
"Is this all you've got?"
Gaara's patience was wearing thin. The sand attacked more frantically, nearly trapping Lee several times.
After several high-speed attacks were easily blocked by the Sand Defense, Lee jumped back to create distance. His brow was furrowed, but his gaze remained resolute.
It seemed that ordinary speed and power were not enough to break through his defense.
"Lee, take them off," Guy said.
Lee smiled, crouched down, and began to unbind the heavy metal weights from his legs.
"Hmm? What is he doing?"
Everyone in the stands wondered.
Gaara's gaze was cold, and Temari and Kankuro sneered as well. How heavy could such small things be?
However, they soon found themselves unable to laugh.
"Thud! Thud!"
With two heavy thuds, the weights actually smashed two shallow pits into the hard ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"What?!"
Temari's eyes widened.
"Has he been... fighting with such heavy things this whole time?"
Ino said in disbelief.
Lee flexed his ankles, which had suddenly become incredibly light. Feeling the power surging within him, he looked up with eyes as sharp as a hawk's and took his starting stance again.
Lee's figure suddenly vanished from where he stood!
"So fast!"
After removing the weights, Lee's speed had more than doubled!
Gaara's pupils also shrank suddenly! The sand's automatic defense was actually struggling to keep up!
"Over here!"
Lee's voice sounded from behind Gaara's flank as a sharp sidekick slammed hard into the Sand Defense!
"Bang!" The Sand Armor vibrated violently, and Gaara's body swayed slightly.
"Behind you!"
"Above!"
"Left!"
Lee's figure turned into a literal green flash, leaving countless afterimages in the arena. Attacks poured down on Gaara's Absolute Defense from all directions like a torrential storm! His speed was so fast it was hard for the naked eye to track!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The dense sounds of impact were like a continuous drumbeat! Under Lee's ultra-high-speed continuous strikes, the Sand Defense began to fluctuate violently, and the sand on the surface was constantly shaken off and peeled away! Protected by the sand, Gaara's body was also pushed and shaken by the impact. The composure on his face finally vanished, replaced by a hint of shock and a gradually rising fury.
"Damned insect!!!"
Gaara let out an angry low growl as more sand surged out frantically, trying to catch Lee, but the green figure always managed to evade at the last possible second.
"It's not over yet! Front Lotus!"
"Boom!!!"
As the dust cleared, Gaara turned into sand—it was his Clone.
Gaara used the sand to knock Lee back, forcing him to block with both hands.
"It looks like... I have no choice but to release that!"
Lee jumped back to create distance and crossed his arms in front of his chest, his gaze becoming incredibly sharp.
"Open!!"
Then he looked toward Hinata; this move was originally reserved for Neji, but later it became for Hinata.
Green energy steam erupted from Lee's body! His skin turned bright red, and his speed and power instantly increased several times over! He turned into a green bolt of lightning and charged at Gaara again!
Naruto's eyes widened; he couldn't even see Lee's movements.
This time, Lee's speed completely overwhelmed the sand's automatic defense! His fists and legs were like heavy war hammers, beginning to shake that sturdy Sand Wall!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The heavy sounds of hitting were constant! Gaara's Sand Armor began to crack, and he himself was pushed back slightly by the immense force, shock appearing in his eyes for the first time.
"Fifth Gate, Gate of Closing, Open!!!"
Lee used his bandages to wrap around him.
"Oh no, he can't dodge it. Even Gaara's Sand Defense has been broken through."
Kankuro broke into a cold sweat.
"Hidden Lotus!"
"Rumble!"
They slammed into the ground with a violent spin. Gaara's face was covered in cracks, and Lee's body was also heavily injured, unable to maintain the Gate state.
Seeing this from the ground, a twisted and cruel smile appeared on Gaara's face. The killing intent in his eyes almost solidified, and there were even signs of him turning into Shukaku, with slight changes appearing in the skin on his face.
Countless grains of sand instantly surged from behind him. No longer for defense, they transformed into countless sharp Sand Spikes and Sand Hands, covering Lee—whose movements had become heavy due to opening the Gate of Pain—in an even more violent and ruthless manner!
A giant Sand Hand gripped his left leg and left hand tightly, tearing at his body.
"Aaaah—!"
Lee let out a shrill scream. Blood began to seep from his left leg and left hand, and it looked as if his bones were about to be crushed.
Gaara didn't stop, increasing the pressure.
"Hahaha! Die, insect!"
Just a moment before Guy was about to rush into the arena.
"Enough."
The cold voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed to possess a strange penetrating power that rang clearly in Gaara's ears.
It was Hinata.
Almost the moment she spoke, her pressure bore down on Gaara. The frenzied Gaara suddenly froze as if cold spring water had been poured over his head; his bloodthirsty madness was forcibly suppressed, and even the Tailed Beast transformation was scared back.
The sand he controlled experienced a momentary stagnation.
With a wave of Guy's arm, all the sand dissipated as he stood beside his Disciple.
Only then did Gekkō Hayate snap out of it and begin to announce.
"The match is decided! The winner is Gaara! Medical Team, hurry!"
The Medical Team rushed into the arena, carefully lifting the bloodied Lee onto a stretcher.
Guy followed closely behind, his heart filled with worry as he looked at his heavily injured Disciple.
Although Lee was out of the exams, in his heart, Lee was already a qualified Ninja.
Gaara stared fixedly at Hinata in the corner of the stands, his eyes filled with violence, wariness, and a hint of fear that even he hadn't noticed.
Temari and Kankuro quickly stepped forward to pull him back to the waiting area, fearing he might do something drastic again.
The hall fell into silence, save for the hurried footsteps of the Medical Team.
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