The weights, reminiscent of explosive tags, plummeted to the ground with a resonating thud. The onlooking genins regarded the scene with mingled shock and disbelief.
"As anticipated, these aren't typical weights," voiced Naruto, the observation hanging in the silence. Gai responded with a nod of agreement, a smile playing on his lips.
Naruto continued, a touch of earnestness in his tone, "I suppose his mentor must have overlooked something."
Gai, slightly puzzled, inquired, "What do you imply by that?"
Realizing his unintended insinuation, Naruto clarified, "Oh, are you his instructor?"
Gai confirmed, curiosity aroused, "Indeed. What's this about oversight?"
Naruto elaborated with respect, "I wonder why you'd permit him to wear that during a perilous event like the Chuunin Exams?"
Gai justified, "The power he gains from shedding his weights is intended for protection, not harm."
Naruto, showing his wisdom, noted, "Exactly. If it's for protection, he should've removed it before the battle. What if he was too slow to save someone he was supposed to protect?"
Gai was left deep in thought, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. Kakashi nodded in agreement. The importance of training was undeniable but it also mandated the right timing and location.
Meanwhile, Rock Lee disappeared from atop the statue, leaving everyone astounded. He reappeared beside Gaara, landing a punch on his face. Gaara turned to see sand enveloping him, slightly penetrated.
Rock Lee vanished and reappeared at his back, landing another punch. The sounds of his punches and kicks echoed as the sand struggled to keep up with his speed.
Observing this, Naruto suggested thoughtfully, "Lee might have benefited from making this adjustment a bit sooner. Given that he already faces the challenge of only being able to perform ninjutsu, is it necessary to add another? Are we not putting him in unnecessary danger?"
Gai was lost in thought. Naruto's words held a harsh truth. Kakashi comforted him, "Naruto may be blunt, but don't take it to heart. You can improve next time."
Gai acknowledged, "Kakashi..." He couldn't bear the thought of his student in danger.
With a swift kick, Rock Lee caught everyone's attention. As Gaara was still reeling from the impact, Rock Lee appeared behind and punched him in the face, sending him flying.
Catching himself with his sand, Gaara's face cracked into a maniacal smile. This sent shivers down Rock Lee's spine. 'A sand armor?' he wondered.
Taking off the bandage on his hands, Rock Lee did not hold back anymore. As Gaara taunted him to hasten, Rock Lee appeared beneath him and delivered a series of kicks, sending him soaring through the air.
The blows from Rock Lee's legs detonated like dynamite within Gaara's form, until he was propelled skywards. From the rear, Rock Lee materialized, calmly encircling Gaara with his binding cloth.
Despite the repercussions from the abrasive sand onslaught, Rock Lee seized Gaara, now enshrouded in the bandages, and commenced a remarkable descent to the earth at breathtaking speed.
"Lotus!" The impact was deafening. The earth ruptured, billowing smoke enveloping the area, akin to a celestial body's collision. Rock Lee sprung back, mitigating the self-inflicted trauma.
His 'lotus' martial art technique was a double-edged katana. "Pant...pant..."
Once the smoke cleared, he gazed at the spot Gaara's body had impacted, only to uncover a hollow sand replica within the crater.
His face contorted in disbelief as a sinister chuckle echoed from behind him. "Hehe..." He twisted around to the source of the sound.
Whoosh! A monstrous sand wave lunged towards him, like a ravenous beast. Rock Lee attempted to evade, but his wounded legs faltered.
"Ugh!" The sand morphed into lethal spikes, impaling Rock Lee. "Ahhhh!" His agonized shriek pierced the air.
Crash! The force propelled Rock Lee into a wall. Exhaustion clouded his vision as more sand advanced towards him. His only option was to shield himself with his arms to lessen the impending damage.
His endeavor to change his talentless status had led to this. Recalling Gai's words, "For those who lack self-belief, diligence is null," he widened his eyes, and with a thought of gratitude towards Gai-sensei, he sidestepped the encroaching sand, standing tall, a smile adorning his face.
Gai returned the smile, stating, "The Lotus of the Leaf blossoms twice."
Upon hearing this, Kakashi retorted, "No way, Gai! You taught him the Eight Gates?"
"Indeed, he will open them," Gai replied, to which Kakashi sighed, "I have no desire to pry into what the boy means to you or your logic, but there are boundaries. I've lost respect for you, Gai."
With a stern gaze, Gai responded, "What do you comprehend about that child?"
A bead of sweat trickled down Kakashi's forehead as he recognized the parallels between Gai and Rock Lee. The resemblance transcended physicality; they shared an identical mindset.
Gai's smile reappeared as he elaborated, "That boy has something invaluable for which he would willingly sacrifice his life to validate. My goal was merely to mold him into a man capable of achieving it. That's all..."
In a heartbeat, he bounced back and unlocked the healing gate...
Kakashi mused aloud, "Just how many gates has that lad opened, Gai?"
"Five gates."
Kakashi turned to Rock Lee, startled, "This ain't just about grinding anymore... This boy... he's a prodigy.
Naruto then piped up curiously. "[Eight Gates]? What's it mean?"
Gai elucidated "It's 'unleashing the limits' prepped for stepping into extreme lotus."
"Ah, gotcha... Pushing his body to the brink. That explains the wild chakra vibes I'm getting from him now."
"Yep.." Kakashi nodded, activating his Sharingan to see better.
Gai carried on with his lesson. "In the body's inner circuits where chakra flows, there are eight points. The [Gate of Opening], [Gate of Healing], [Gate of Life], [Gate of Pain], [Gate of Limit], [Gate of View], [Gate of Wonder] and finally, the [Gate of Death]"
"These are known as the eight gates."
"These eight gates are always working to control the chakra flow in the body. The lotus technique forcibly removes these caps using chakras, allowing a surge of power like never before. It can even damage the user's body."
"For instance, the initial gate is opened just by releasing the first gate."
"Then the extreme lotus is... " Sakura chimed in, sounding anxious.
Gai gave a nod of agreement and answered "You unlock the brain's limits with the initial gate, then with the healing gate, you force a boost in your stamina. Opening the 'gate of life' thirdly, takes you into extreme lotus."
Kakashi nodded in agreement and added "This technique is truly a double-edged weapon. Unlocking all the gates is termed "The state of eight celestial gates" and you'll momentarily gain power surpassing a Hokage, but it'll cost you your life.
Naruto nodded, taking it all in as he studied Rock Lee with newfound respect for the risks he'd take to utilize the Eight Gates. Rock Lee was already at the 3rd gate, the [Gate of Life].
"Rahhhhhhh!" Rock Lee roared, his muscles shrieking as he pushed past his limits. He traded pain for unprecedented power.
"The 3rd Gate! [Gate of Life]! Open!" He declared, gritting his teeth against the discomfort. He amplified his chakra and proceeded to the next gate. "The 4th Gate! [Gate of Pain]! Open!"
His muscles shivered violently, nerves surfacing due to the strain of surpassing his body's limits. Blood trickled from his nose, his body faltering under the sustained agony.
Rocks hovered in the air from the chakra he was emitting.
In a flash, as Rock Lee unlocked the 'Gate of Pain', he realized his body would soon give out, so... whoosh!
He vanished, leaving Gaara, who had been watching him, bewildered. Boom!
"Tssss..." Rock Lee hissed, connecting a kick with Gaara's chin.
"Ugh!" Gaara grunted, taken aback. He hadn't seen Rock Lee move, let alone react.
As Gaara hung in mid-air, he gritted his teeth against the pain as his sand shield tried to encapsulate him, but Rock Lee was quicker. He materialized in front of Gaara.
Gaara was stunned, he hadn't anticipated a peer could possess such strength.
Thwack! Rock Lee landed a kick to his gut. "Ugh!"
Boom! Thwack! Boom! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Rock Lee appeared to teleport, intercepting Gaara who was propelled by his kicks. Rock Lee used Gaara like a volleyball.
Rip!
Rock Lee's hand muscles tore apart, so he braced himself and roared, "This is it! The 5th Gate! Gate of Limit! Open!"
Gaara steeled himself, "I can't dodge, can't guard. My armor's shattered, all I can do is endure the pain!"
"Rahhhhhhh!" Rock Lee bellowed as he landed a punch on Gaara's stomach.
Bam!
"Kah!" Gaara grunted, hurtling backward at a tremendous speed, but then...
Thud!
Like a raging bull, smoke billowing from his mouth, Rock Lee lashed out his bandages and yanked Gaara up towards him, "Haaaaaaa!"
Gaara observed as Rock Lee's movements gradually slowed down, using his gourd, which was nothing but sand, as a shield against Rock Lee's kick.
"Extreme Lotus!" From mid-air, Rock Lee kicked Gaara down to the ground. Simultaneously, as the kick connected, Gaara retaliated with his sand.
Gwah! Rock Lee let out a pained cry, his body battered from the fight, and he collapsed.
"Rock Lee... he lost..." Naruto murmured.
Gai overheard, breaking out in cold sweat.
Seizing the opportunity, Gaara commanded his sand to attack Rock Lee (Sand Binding Coffin).
The sand cushioning Gaara's landing mobilized towards Rock Lee.
Exhausted and unable to move, Rock Lee could only watch as the sand ensnared his arm and leg.
"Ahhhhhh!" Rock Lee screamed as the crushing sand savagely assaulted his limb.
Thud!
Rock Lee's body crashed weakly to the ground.
A massive sand hand formed and lunged towards Rock Lee.
Swish!
Suddenly, a ninja materialized, dispersing Gaara's sand. It was Gai.
Gaara, clutching his aching head, asked, "Why... Why did you save him...?"
Gai, sweating from his interference in the exams, replied with a smile, "He is my cherished comrade."
Gaara shot him a glare but gathered his sand back, turning away. "Enough.."
Hayate announced, "Winner! Gaara!"
To everyone's surprise, Rock Lee stood in his familiar stance, inviting his opponent.
"He shouldn't be standing with his limbs in such a state..."
Gai, standing before Rock Lee, said, "Lee, enough. It's over. You shouldn't be standing with your body in this condition..." then noticed Rock Lee's vacant eyes.
Unconscious, but still driven to fight.
Tears welled up in Gai's eyes, moved by Rock Lee's fighting spirit. 'Even unconscious, you still push to prove your ninja way...'
Gai hugged Rock Lee's limp body, weeping, 'Lee... you are already an exceptional ninja.'
Naruto, observing Rock Lee's body with a grave expression, asked, "Kakashi-sensei... Can his injuries be healed?"
Kakashi shook his head, "Not possible... he'll likely live with a handicap in one hand and leg."
Naruto nodded, replying mournfully, "I see... that's unfortunate. He'd be incredibly strong if he could've reached his full potential."
Kakashi nodded, crossing his arms, "There might be a way to save him."
Naruto looked at Kakashi in surprise, "Really?"
"Yes There is someone who can do it, who can heal him." Kakashi replied.
"Who's that ?" Naruto asked looked confused.
"It's one of the Legendary Sanin , She is one of the proficient Medical ninjas of all time." Kakashi said.
"I See....." Naruto responded as he again looked at Rock Lee .
As the ninth match finished, resulting in Gaara's favour .
[10th Dual, Akimichi Chouji Versus Dosu Kinuta.]
...
Victor of the 10th Dual - Dous Kinuta
...
"And with that, the preliminaries for the third round of the test are complete!" The proctor announced.
"To all of you who've earned the right to compete in the 'third round test' of the Chuunin Exam... Congratulations!"
Sasuke clapped Naruto's shoulder, grinning in anticipation, "Get ready, Naruto! I'm coming for you!"
Laughing, Naruto retorted playfully, "Bring it on. I'll be waiting."
With a smirk, Sasuke turned away, "I'll wipe that grin off your face soon enough."
"Cough! Ah... well then... if you would please... Hokage-sama..." Hayate deferred to the Hokage.
Hiruzen nodded, standing from Hayate's previous spot, "Yes..."
All eyes were now on Hiruzen, and he began, "Well now, I'd like to start explaining the main test. As I mentioned before, in the main event, your matches will be viewed by everyone. Each of you will fight representing the strengths of your countries. I'd like you to give your all, hold nothing back. Which is why the finals..."
He paused for dramatic effect, then continued, "...will be held one month from now!"
(A/N: Ahh... I feel lost... As I write, it seems like I'm moving forward, but... it's dark, and I can't see where I'm going. In any case... Please leave a power stone if you like the story. Thank you.)