"Hey, they actually caught up with me," Lee muttered to himself, frowning as he hid in the dense branches of a large tree. "But wait… those aren't Aburame Shino and the others."
A cruel smile formed on his lips as he settled in to wait for the enemy to approach.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
Three figures moved swiftly, leaping from branch to branch like nimble apes. In no time, they reached the tree where Lee was hiding.
"Stop!" the leader, a tall man, commanded in a deep voice.
"What is it?" the only female ninja among them asked, looking confused.
"The trail he left stops here," the man replied, scanning the area. "He's likely lying in wait."
"Thunder Python, you're being too cautious," scoffed the other male ninja. "It's just one guy, and he just finished a big fight. He can't possibly have the strength to ambush us."
"Think what you want," Thunder Python shot back coldly. "But the trail ends here, so I'd bet he's hiding nearby."
Lee smirked from his hidden perch. For a genin, he's pretty sharp, he thought.
But the second man, brimming with overconfidence, wasn't listening. "Fine, I'll prove he's not here," he said and leaped toward Lee's position.
"Wait, be careful!" the female ninja called out, but her teammate ignored her warning, determined to prove himself.
Just as his foot touched the tree branch, Lee moved. With a swift motion, he swung a thick branch like a club straight at the man's head.
"Argh!"
The man's eyes went wide with fear and regret, but it was too late. Lee's branch struck his head with a sickening thud, blood spraying into the air as he lost his balance and fell toward the ground.
Without hesitation, Lee threw two kunai, one piercing the man's chest and the other hitting his throat. The man collapsed, motionless.
The female ninja screamed, her face drained of color. She had known this man for years, fought alongside him on missions. Now he was dead before her eyes.
"Damn it!" Thunder Python's expression turned dark, fury contorting his face. Losing one teammate meant they couldn't pass the exam; they were disqualified the moment he died.
"If you come after me, you'd better be ready to face the consequences," Lee said coldly, dropping the bloody branch to the ground.
"I'm going to kill you!" Thunder Python roared, his face twisted in rage.
"Just you?" Lee asked, his voice calm and unshaken.
Thunder Python laughed bitterly. "Fine. Since I'm already out of the exam, I'll show you my true power!"
Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a handful of golden sand and tossed it into the air. Then, he quickly formed seals.
"Ninja Art! Secret Technique: Golden Sand Barrage!"
The sky darkened as the golden sand in the air began to glow, condensing into orbs the size of footballs. Under Thunder Python's control, they moved like meteors, hurtling down toward Lee.
"So this is ninjutsu… interesting," Lee muttered, his eyes flashing with excitement. He began to move, shifting his stance with incredible speed, darting left, right, forward, and back, avoiding each sand orb as if he were a phantom.
Dragon's Tail Sweep Footwork, one of his most advanced techniques from his training, let him move fluidly, evading all the attacks with ease.
"What… how is he dodging everything?" Thunder Python gasped, eyes wide with disbelief. He was using precise chakra control to guide the sand orbs, leaving no escape route, but Lee moved through them effortlessly, evading every single attack.
The female ninja stood frozen in shock. They had planned to catch Lee off guard, thinking he would be exhausted. Instead, they'd stumbled into a fight they couldn't hope to win.
In an instant, Lee closed the distance, appearing right in front of Thunder Python. Before he could react, Lee struck him square in the chest with a powerful blow. Thunder Python cried out as he flew back, crashing against a tree.
"Thunder Python!" The female ninja rushed forward to catch him, her face filled with panic. But when she looked down, she saw blood trickling from his mouth, and his breathing was weak.
Lee's attack had crushed his internal organs beyond repair.
Lee looked down at them coldly. "I don't take any pleasure in killing, but if you're here to ambush me, you'd better be prepared for the consequences."
Lee knew he wouldn't have shown such mercy to ninjas from rival villages if this had been a true life-or-death situation. For those from Konoha, he'd pull his punches, but against outside threats, he held nothing back.
Thunder Python coughed, blood spilling from his lips. "You… monster…"