Inuzuka Kiba charged forward, swiftly overtaking Aburame Shino and barreling toward Lee. He moved like a wild beast, fierce and unrestrained, exuding a menacing energy that felt distinctly animalistic.
"Impressive," Lee thought, a spark of excitement in his eyes. From Kiba's actions, he could tell that Kiba was stronger than most Genin he had encountered.
Kiba reached Lee in an instant and threw a powerful punch. The strength behind it was far greater than Lee had expected.
"Good!" Lee muttered, meeting Kiba's punch with one of his own, using only half his strength.
"Boom!"
Their fists collided with a loud impact, and both fighters were forced back, each taking a couple of steps to regain balance.
Shino, watching closely, frowned beneath his sunglasses. "Why did Lee's strength seem to decrease?"
From Lee's first move, Shino had been shocked by his power, which seemed far beyond the typical Genin level. The raw force Lee had displayed earlier wasn't something that could be matched by Kiba's taijutsu alone. Shino had been ready to intervene, thinking Kiba wouldn't be able to handle it.
But now, seeing them evenly matched, Shino was puzzled. Was Lee testing Kiba?
"Not as tough as I thought!" Kiba smirked, clearly surprised by his own success. "Hinata, watch me take this guy down with my best taijutsu!"
Kiba leaped forward again, throwing himself at Lee with agility and force. His attacks were aggressive, and he moved with skill, but Lee stayed calm, easily blocking and countering each strike without breaking a sweat.
"This guy...is he forcing Kiba to use his strongest moves?" Shino thought, watching intently.
Kiba, who had been attacking fiercely, quickly grew frustrated when his strikes weren't landing. "You're just playing with me!" he shouted angrily.
"Kiba, don't!" Shino called out, sensing the risk.
But Kiba, already fueled by anger, didn't hear Shino's warning. "Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu!" he shouted.
A powerful burst of chakra surged through Kiba's limbs, transforming his stance. His arms and legs grew thicker, and coarse, fur-like hair began to appear. His hands and feet morphed into clawed paws, sharp and menacing.
"So this is the Inuzuka clan's technique," Lee murmured, intrigued by Kiba's transformation. "Show me what you've got."
With a roar, Kiba rushed at Lee with newfound speed, more than twice as fast as before.
"So fast!" Lee thought, feeling a surge of excitement as he stepped back, instinctively reaching out to grab a thick branch from a nearby tree. He held the branch in both hands, ready for Kiba's next attack.
Kiba launched himself at Lee again, twisting mid-air to deliver a spinning kick with his clawed foot aimed directly at Lee's midsection.
Lee's eyes gleamed with focus as he swung the branch with perfect timing, meeting Kiba's attack head-on.