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**Rock Lee vs Gaara – Part One**
"Ohh dear, Kohai! How have you been?" Lee-senpai asks, cracking his neck and shoulders with a satisfying pop.
"Been better," I shrug.
"Oh! Whatever worry you have, I'm sure your youthfulness will prevail!" He beams with a thumbs-up so bright I nearly go blind.
He's done stretching.
"Senpai," I call out hesitantly.
"Yes, Kohai!" He turns to me, full of sparkles and energy.
"I... I have something that might help you beat Gaara," I mutter, eyes on the floor.
"Oh really?" He raises an eyebrow, intrigued but still smiling.
"He... Senpai, I know you're strong. But Gaara's a freakin' Jinchūriki. A psycho. The only thing that guy thinks about is murder," I blurt.
"I am somewhat aware of his behavior," Senpai shrugs like it's no big deal. "Needless to say, he has a very *untruthful* personality." He clasps his fists. "But my youth shall prevail!"
Gaara's already on the stage, standing there like a cursed statue.
"I appreciate your concern, Kohai." He grabs my shoulder, firm but kind. "But I will not resort to exploitation. Not today."
"Trust in your senpai. Believe! We will be the ones to bask in the setting sun of youth—not the enemy." He smiles. The sparkle in his teeth almost blinds me again.
But I don't look away.
With scorched eyes, I clasp his hand and send him off.
"Senpai!" I call again and hand him a piece of chewing gum.
"A... gum?" He looks confused.
"Chew on it when you think you're going to die," I shove it into his belt before he can protest.
"But I—"
"Please! Senpai! There's nothing weird in it! But it'll give you the courage to keep fighting!" I insist.
Senpai nods solemnly and accepts the slim strip of gum like it's a sacred relic.
I feel Naruto creeping behind me like a weasel.
"Kyeaaa senpaiii!! Give me a goodbye kiss, senpaiiii!!" Naruto wriggles, holding his cheeks.
Honestly? Doesn't make me mad.
Because if I were a girl, I'd probably be head over heels for Senpai too.
#########
Rock Lee taps his heel against the concrete. Feeling the ground. Respecting the battleground.
The old arena's been through a lot today—but this might be the final straw.
He jogs backward around the enemy, measuring the distance like a pro.
Gaara, on the other hand, doesn't even bother to look at him. The wall beside him is apparently more interesting than the overcharged monkey he's about to fight.
Senpai swaps steps. Throws punches in the air. His hands blur. Legs vanish into streaks. Even with the weights still on, his speed's terrifying.
You can't even count how many strikes he's throwing unless you're like me—with eyes that cheat.
Ah! Gaara finally looks up. And from where I'm standing, I swear I can see Lee-senpai smirk.
Not bad. Not bad at all, Senpai.
I gulp down a handful of chakra pills and activate my Sharingan to full throttle.
No way I'm missing a second of this.
"Begin!" Hayate coughs out the command.
Before his syllables even finish echoing, a green blur rockets across the arena and SLAMS into Gaara's sand shield.
Lee's heel is there—on the barrier—but not a scratch.
Still, Rock Lee doesn't quit.
He launches into a barrage—kicks, punches, flying strikes from every direction.
If it was a tree, it'd be pulp.
But Gaara's shield? Not even a dent.
I can feel the shockwaves from here. One clean hit and someone's neck would've snapped.
Gaara's given up trying to track him. His face shifts from blank to pissed in record time.
A single grain of sand rises and hovers at Gaara's fingertip.
\[Sand Bullet]
It whistles through the air toward Lee—blinding speed.
From my angle, it looked like it clipped him. Hair? Maybe?
He somersaults backward, dodging follow-up blasts.
\[Sand Coffin]
A chunk of sand hurtles toward Lee—ready to crush him.
But it shatters against his kicks.
Gaara flicks his finger.
\[Sand Bomb]
The broken chunks explode mid-air into shrapnel.
Lee twirls—almost dancing—to avoid the worst of it.
The First Hokage's statue behind him? Obliterated.
Giant stone chunks rain down, and dust floods the arena.
"What the fuck! Bushy-brows has to be dead now!" Naruto coughs, eyes wide.
"Ha ha ha ha!" I hear Might Guy laugh.
He rubs his nose with his thumb. "Rock Lee will never fall to such party tricks!"
Party tricks?! Bro just made C4 from sand!
Still, maybe he's right. These aren't traditional jutsu. Chakra-intensive, yeah. Deadly, yes. But... improvised?
"Leee!" Guy calls.
Rock Lee emerges from the dust cloud, landing on the crumbling statue like it's nothing.
"YES, SENSEI!" he salutes mid-air.
"You have my permission to go ALL OUT!" Guy shouts.
"But Sensei!" Lee protests, eyebrows lifted. "You said I'm only to go all out when my loved ones are in danger!"
Sage's bloody fuckin' tits... You're fighting a Jinchūriki, man!
"I will allow it!" Guy gives a thumbs-up.
Lee's confused—but obedient. Of course he is.
He sheds the weights.
Those ankle braces drop with a THUD that shakes the whole stadium.
Suddenly, the mood changes.
Lee's aura shifts. Feels like the air's about to split.
**\[DDDDHHHUMMMM]**
My eardrums ring as he rockets forward.
Did he just break the damn sound barrier?
He's not just going fast—he's opened the first of the Eight Inner Gates.
Kicking around, full-speed, chakra pouring from every pore.
The plan's clear: outpace the sand.
And it's working.
Gaara's sand—it isn't magic. It's just... *alive*. Infused with chakra.
But Lee's speed is now punching through the delay.
That sand in his gourd? Maybe just regular sand that's been finely ground over time?
Whatever it is, it's moving *on its own*.
Is Shukaku protecting him?
Wait—no. It's his mother's chakra.
I remember now.
His mother?!
It's... humbling to see people protecting thier children from beyond the grave.
Same goes for Naruto too.... his mom helps him with the tailed beast mod?
"That shield! What fuck is that!?", Naruto asks.
"I have no idea.....", Kakashi shrugs.
Naruto then looks at me.
"If Kakashi doesn't want you to know.... then leave it that", I answer.
Kakashi folds his hands.
"That's considerate of you ... but I really don't know", he furrows his eyebrows.
It seems he already realised what senpai is doing.
Inner gates is a double edged sword.
Not an ideal jutsu to teach a kid.
He is angry, understandably.
Kakashi stomps away to talk with Might guy sensei.
"Now you tell me", Naruto pokes me.
I look around. Everyone's eyes are on the fight.
It's not everyday you see someone using [8 inner gates technique] and fighting a jinjuriki.
"It's a jutsu his mother cast during birth".
"Really? That shield is his fucking mom??!!", Naruto silently screams.
"Not his mom, really.... her chakra...", I elaborate.
"That said.... it shouldn't be effective for so long", I rub my chin.
"What?", Naruto gets closer.
"As far as I read about it, it's a jutsu the hidden sand villaige's mothers use to protect thier children for maybe a year or so".
"Isnt that wholsome", Naruto scoffs.
"Wholsome but a necessity. The desert isn't the best place to have babies", I kept rubbing my chin.
Then again, babies die all the time nomatter where they are born.
"His looks like it's still working ", Naruto also rubs his chin.
Maybe the tailed beast had something to do with it?
What should I call it?
Should i tell him he has a mom AI chakra too?
AI chakra ...I like the sound of that.
Senpai is gaining speed and those kicks are now making sonic booms. I wonder if can make beat of them.
The whole place has thier eyes glued to the match, I can bet even the anbu are slacking to see the fight.
Nomatter what world it is, nothing is more entertaining than a goddamn DBZ fight.
That's what's going on right now.
This isn't just a match anymore.
It's a *showdown*.
And finally—finally—
The shield cracks.
Like an egg under a boot.
And Gaara—Gaara takes his first-ever kick to the face.