"I'm ready! Yuki, watch me. I'm going to show you how strong I've become!"
With flames in his eyes, Rock Lee leaped directly into the combat arena, fueled by an intense desire for battle, especially with his rival watching.
Yuki was, after all, his training companion. Both practiced the same taijutsu under Gai's guidance and began almost simultaneously.
Literally, they mirrored each other in Taijutsu.
For Yuki, Rock Lee was the only one who had completed their training routine and even surpassed him in that area.
Rock Lee's hard and honest work had embarrassed Yuki multiple times. He was undeniably a master in Taijutsu.
However, this time, his opponent was none other than Gaara, the Jinchuriki of the Sand Village.
Gaara's chakra surpassed all participants and even surpassed several Jonin. Not only that, but his Sand abilities and defenses were the strongest among all Genin.
It would be a tough job for Rock Lee to penetrate Gaara's Sand armor.
"Begin!"
As Yuki suspected, Rock Lee struggled to breach Gaara's Sand armor, but what surprised him even more was that Rock Lee was fighting with his weights still on.
"Lee, take them off. We can't be embarrassed in this match."
Thumbs up, Guy smiled.
Watching this encounter, a strong sense of pride and accomplishment hit Guy. He wanted to show how hard both he and Lee had worked.
Talent isn't everything; Guy wanted to prove that Lee's hard work had surpassed Yuki's natural talent.
"Yes, Guy-sensei!"
*Clang*
"!!?"
Following orders, Rock Lee dropped his ankle weights. Nearby people almost stumbled as both weights hit the ground.
Yuki knew that each of Yuki's legs bore 480 kilograms, even with his (Adam) body. But Rock Lee's weights weighed approximately 450 kilograms. This was madness. Undoubtedly, Rock Lee was the only one of his age who could outperform him in Taijutsu. His body had undergone more rigorous training, significantly enhancing both his physique and chakra.
*Swoosh*
Without the weights, Rock Lee's speed was unmatched.
He could cover several meters in the blink of an eye, so fast that Gaara's Sand couldn't keep up.
[So fast!]
Even Eggy, who was observing from the spiritual world, was quite surprised. She thought Yuki was quite fast, but there was another young man of his age who could rival him in speed.
But Rock Lee had a flaw; his body wasn't strong enough to withstand the Inner Gates, and he lacked endurance. Every time he opened an Inner Gate, he would be exhausted and in great pain. Therefore, he had to ensure not to miss his attacks and finish his opponent as quickly as possible. This was in contrast to Yuki, who, with the Apocalypse Virus in his body, recovered stamina rapidly and didn't suffer from the side effects of the Inner Gates, at least not from the lower-level gates like 1, 2, and 3. Beyond that, Yuki's body would suffer, but he would still be much better off than Rock Lee.
(I can't lose! I won't be the only one who loses! I won't! Not in front of him!)
However, Rock Lee surprised him once again. The Konoha's Lotus bloomed twice. After failing with his primary Lotus and receiving a beating from Gaara, Rock Lee stood up again and continued opening more Inner Gates.
[Yuki, that brat...]
"I know, despite being born without talent, this guy has achieved what others haven't. He's undoubtedly the best ninja I've seen."
This was a sincere compliment from Yuki. Rock Lee would undoubtedly be a tough rival, and Yuki's blood was boiling. He couldn't let Rock Lee surpass him. He had to start training again and open the sixth gate.
---
"That kid has managed to open so many Inner Gates... He's similar."
"He's similar to Yuki, I know."
Finishing Kakashi's words, Guy squinted. During his tenure as a teacher, Guy mentored two students.
The first was Yuki, who arrived like a bolt from the blue, out of nowhere and without warning.
Guy liked Yuki's character a lot and taught him the Inner Gates. Yuki accepted the training and began opening the Inner Gates.
Months later, Rock Lee arrived, and upon seeing a fellow student, the rivalry within him intensified, and he began chasing Yuki's shadow.
Facing off in battles, in speed, in power, in everything...
Unfortunately, Yuki was too strong for Rock Lee, as he always lost.
Yuki had the Sharingan, which allowed him to increase his training speed by leaps and bounds.
Yuki possessed the talent and power that Rock Lee lacked. Despite being envious, Rock Lee followed the rules and continued to strengthen himself until one day he could stand on equal ground with Yuki and defeat him.
Guy admired this a lot and urged him to keep going, offering all his help to achieve his goals. Because of this, Rock Lee trained harder than Yuki, underwent more trials than Yuki until he could catch up....
"Guy...."
Kakashi was speechless. The Yuki that Guy knew was not the Yuki that everyone thought. His power had already surpassed that of the Hokage. Hoping that Rock Lee could reach him was more than a dream.
However, he could understand. For Guy, Rock Lee meant a lot.
---
"Look at me! I have caught up to you! I am no longer your shadow! Watch closely what you will face!"
Glancing at Yuki, a smile formed on Rock Lee's face.
"The Sixth Gate, the Gate of Joy... Open!"
Rock Lee had surpassed Yuki, opening one more gate than him.
Rock Lee's body changed color, turning reddish, and the green aura around him became heavier.
His chakra increased, as did his speed. He was so fast that even the ground lifted due to extreme speed.
Gaara's armor cracked, and he took all of Rock Lee's attacks.
Fortunately for Gaara, Rock Lee's fists lacked the raw and terrifying power of Yuki's fists; otherwise, Gaara would be dead. His sand would be instantly pierced if Yuki were his opponent.
"Hidden Lotus!!"
*Boom*
The impact was incredible; the combat arena was destroyed, and the ground shook. The force used in that final blow was no joke.
Unfortunately, Rock Lee still couldn't use the techniques of the sixth gate beyond the Hidden Lotus, not to mention he lacked experience, and his body didn't adapt to the changes of the sixth gate.
After delivering that final blow, Rock Lee became motionless and terribly damaged.
Rolling on the combat arena, his muscles tore, and his chakra depleted.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Hm?"
But this wasn't over. Gaara, lying on the ground, stood up, blood on his lips, holding his head in pain.
That last blow from Rock Lee cost him his gourd, but even with the gourd, his armor was not enough to neutralize all the power of Rock Lee's attack.
The Hidden Lotus in the Sixth Gate was not a normal strike. It used compressed chakra and air pressure, powerful enough to destroy the internal organs of a Jonin.
However, for Gaara, that blow was enough to cause him trouble and spit blood.
"Oh no! This is bad..."
Kankuro trembled in fear. Gaara was injured...
This had never happened, so he didn't know what would happen. However, Gaara's chakra was increasing, and the same was happening with the Sand.
At this rate, the beast inside Gaara would awaken.
Temari was just as frightened as Kankuro. Gaara is a monster, and nothing good comes from messing with him. Now that the beast within him had awakened, no one in this place would leave unscathed, and they could very well all die.
Baki, the Jonin in charge of the Sand team, also felt the fear. After all, it was a Biju.
"Ahhh! Blood! I need blood!"
The arena formed a huge claw, and Gaara's eyes became cruel, looking directly at a badly injured and motionless Rock Lee.
"Die!"
"You need to calm down a bit..."
"Huh?"
And just as Guy was about to intervene, Yuki was faster.
He had traversed the entire arena, and before Gaara could react, Yuki's Sharingan spun, and his fist hit Gaara directly in the stomach.
"Guuh?!"
And it wasn't a normal punch; it was one using a hundredfold strength. Gaara spat blood again, and his eyes closed. His chakra instantly calmed down, but the sand did not disperse; it rose and just as it was about to encase Yuki, it lost all strength and dispersed....
---
Author's Note: Rock Lee and Guy were my favorite characters in this anime. I would like to give them more prominence, but I decided not to and leave them as they are.
TN: Based Author