The air was thick with tension as Rock Lee and Gaara faced each other across the battlefield. The contrast between them couldn't have been starker—Lee, radiating barely-contained energy, his stance firm, eyes burning with determination, and Gaara, eerily still, his arms crossed, the sand at his feet shifting lazily as if acting of its own accord.
From the stands, Tenten gripped the railing. "Come on, Lee…"
Guy stood with his arms crossed, a rare seriousness in his eyes. "This is the moment he's been waiting for."
Hayate raised his hand, glancing between them before calling out, "Begin."
Lee vanished.
One moment he was there, the next, he was a blur, streaking across the battlefield in an instant. Gasps echoed through the stands as his sudden burst of speed caught everyone off guard—except for Gaara.
The sand reacted before he did, shifting upward in a solid wall just as Lee's fist was about to connect. The impact sent a shockwave through the arena, but the sand held. Gaara remained still, his cold green eyes following Lee's movements as if barely interested.
Lee backflipped, landing with a sharp skid, his feet kicking up dust. He darted in again, striking from the left. Again, the sand moved on its own, blocking the attack.
Gaara tilted his head slightly. "You're fast."
Lee grinned. "And you haven't even seen my real speed yet."
He attacked again, faster. This time, his foot connected just barely with Gaara's sand armor, creating a thin crack along its surface before the sand pushed him away.
The crowd gasped.
Tenten's breath hitched. "He hit him."
Gaara slowly looked down at the damage, then back at Lee. His brow twitched slightly—the first real sign of irritation.
Lee landed lightly, bouncing on his heels. "That's not enough? Alright, then. Let's kick this up a notch."
He reached down and unclipped the heavy weights strapped to his legs.
From the stands, Neji frowned. "What is he doing?"
Guy's lips curled into a grin.
Lee dropped the weights.
The instant they hit the ground, the entire battlefield trembled. A loud boom echoed through the chamber as the solid stone cracked beneath the impact.
Naruto's jaw dropped. "What the hell—?!"
Before Gaara could process what had just happened, Lee vanished.
Not moved. Vanished.
Gaara's eyes widened slightly, his sand shifting rapidly.
Then—Lee was behind him.
A blow struck Gaara's ribs, sending him flying. His body twisted mid-air, sand spilling from his gourd, his arms flailing before his sand finally caught him, stopping his momentum just before he crashed.
The stands were silent.
Sakura blinked. "Did—did Gaara just—?"
Lee didn't wait. He moved again, this time striking from Gaara's left. Gaara barely had time to shift his sand before a powerful kick slammed into his shoulder, spinning him mid-air.
Gaara's hands dug into the ground, stopping his movement. His breathing had quickened, his body slightly hunched, his sand slower to react.
For the first time—he looked rattled.
Tenten covered her mouth. "He's keeping up with the sand's automatic defense…"
Gaara's fingers twitched. His sand armor cracked along his sleeves. His breathing was no longer steady. His eyes narrowed slightly, lips pressing into a thin line.
Lee landed, rolling his shoulders. "You're tough. But can you keep up?"
Gaara scowled. He lifted his hand—the sand responded violently.
A massive wave surged forward, twisting and spiraling into a vortex, aiming directly for Lee.
Lee tensed—then vanished upward.
From above, his voice rang out. "Not bad. But I'm faster."
Gaara barely had time to glance up before Lee dived down, his heel crashing toward Gaara's head.
The sand barely caught it.
Lee pushed off the sand mid-air, twisting into a spinning kick, smashing into Gaara's shoulder, sending him skidding once more.
Lee landed gracefully, his stance unwavering.
Gaara… did not immediately rise.
Gasps spread across the room.
Kankuro's fingers twitched. "That's… not possible."
Temari narrowed her eyes. "Lee… actually hurt him."
Gaara's breathing was off rhythm. His hands trembled slightly. His sand shifted erratically, no longer calm and fluid.
For the first time in his life—Gaara had to move.
Lee grinned. "Now this is getting interesting."
Gaara's jaw clenched.
Then, slowly, he rose to his feet.
His sand armor cracked further. His eyes locked onto Lee, but this time, there was something different.
Before, he had been indifferent.
Now, he looked angry.
Lee prepared to move—but the sand lashed out violently, faster than before.
Lee barely dodged the first strike before a second tendril of sand caught his wrist. His eyes widened—Gaara was changing tactics.
Gaara clenched his fist—the sand tightened around Lee's arm, attempting to crush it.
Lee grit his teeth, struggling. His feet scraped against the floor.
Guy's smile disappeared.
Lee couldn't break free.
Gaara's hand slowly closed, his voice eerily calm. "Die."
The sand tightened further—until Lee's entire body tensed.
He inhaled sharply.
Then—the air around him shifted.
Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly. "What—?"
Lee's skin began to glow red.
The veins along his arms bulged, pulsing with raw chakra.
Guy, from the balcony, nodded. "It's time."
Lee clenched his fists. "Gate of Opening…RELEASE!"
A shockwave exploded outward. The very ground beneath them cracked.
Gaara's sand shuddered.
Lee's entire body shifted—his aura flaring like wildfire.
Neji's breath hitched. "So… this is what he was hiding."
Lee vanished again.
Gaara's sand barely reacted.
The next thing anyone saw was a red blur colliding into Gaara's body, sending him soaring.
Lee wasn't just keeping up anymore.
He was overpowering him.
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