Rock Lee was on fire, his determination blazing as he faced Sasuke's stubborn resolve.
"It won't last long, but it's enough to defeat you!"
Looking at Rock Lee's sincerity, Kakashi, from the audience, patted Guy on the shoulder.
"You're tough on your students training, but isn't he a bit too honest in battle? Isn't revealing his techniques to his opponent a bit risky? Aren't you afraid he'll lose the match?"
Guy responded with a calm smile. "He only tells his information when he competes with your disciples, Kakashi."
"Really?" Kakashi asked, still doubtful.
As he observed Rock Lee's wide eyes and bushy eyebrows, Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that Lee was a bit too much like Guy in personality.
On the stage, Rock Lee knew his time was limited. Sasuke, noticing this, began to take off his equipment.
"Even though I could defeat you with ninjutsu, it wouldn't be as satisfying. So, I'll take off some weight and beat you with pure taijutsu!"
As Sasuke removed his weights, they hit the ground with a thud, heavier than even Rock Lee's!
"Oh my god, Sasuke's been wearing weights too?!" Kiba exclaimed, astonished, as the others stood in disbelief.
"How are we supposed to compete with this?" Shikamaru muttered, glancing at the scene with tired eyes.
Guy stared at Kakashi in shock. "Kakashi! You're making your students do this kind of training too? He's only twelve!"
Kakashi chuckled awkwardly. "I swear, I didn't know he was doing this. Do you believe me?"
Guy clearly didn't. Sasuke was Kakashi's student, after all. How could Kakashi not know about his training?
The truth was, Kakashi genuinely didn't know. Sasuke's intense training was overseen by Gekko Kazuki, not Kakashi himself.
Kakashi's eyes scanned the crowd and landed on Kazuki. He wondered, Is Sasuke's rigorous training inspired by Kazuki's efforts? Surely, if Sasuke is pushing himself this hard, Kazuki must be working even harder in secret, right?
Kazuki, noticing Kakashi's gaze, looked puzzled. Why is he staring at me? Unbothered, Kazuki casually took off his outer jacket, revealing short sleeves.
Kakashi's mind blanked for a second. What? That's it?
Kazuki, the man said to be lazy in his training, remained strong despite his lackadaisical approach. Kakashi sighed inwardly. How is this guy always so powerful without even trying?
Rock Lee, momentarily shaken by Sasuke's own weight revelation, quickly regained his composure. If Sasuke has been training like this, how can I, who rely only on hard work, fall behind?
With fierce determination, Rock Lee shouted, "The Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain—open!"
His body surged with energy, but it came at a cost—his body began to show signs of wear. Not from Sasuke's strikes, but from the toll of using the Gates.
Knowing his time was running out, Rock Lee pushed himself even further.
"The Fifth Gate, Gate of Limit—open!"
Rock Lee's body moved at a speed that even Sasuke, with his Sharingan, struggled to keep up with. Sasuke relied solely on taijutsu, refusing to use any ninjutsu. He had made up his mind—if he couldn't beat Rock Lee with taijutsu alone, then so be it. He would rather lose than go back on his word.
"Leaf Hurricane!" Sasuke mimicked Rock Lee's taijutsu, but even with his skill, he couldn't fully match Rock Lee's speed and power. The fight became a brutal exchange, each hit connecting with the force of their unwavering determination.
Ino, watching from the sidelines, looked pale. "These two… they're insane!"
Akamaru whimpered in Kiba's arms, Hinata clenched her fists, and Sakura nervously grabbed onto Kazuki's sleeve, worry etched on her face.
"Are they really going to just punch each other to death?" Shikamaru asked, his expression serious.
Meanwhile, in the back, two Amegakure ninjas trembled with fear as they watched the intensity of the Konoha ninjas.
"How are we supposed to win against these monsters?!" Shigure groaned.
"Maybe… we should surrender?"
They both realized that Konoha had already secured at least three spots in the finals. With only five places left and seven Konoha ninjas still in the competition, their chances were slim. Picking an opponent felt like walking into a death trap.
"Kazuki Gekko is out of the question. He's a Jōnin-level ninja in a Chūnin exam. There's no way we can face him," Shigure muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.
They mentally crossed out other powerful contenders, realizing the odds weren't in their favor.
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+86 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg