Ch 411: The Peak Of Youth

Pa-ta—

Rock Lee lightly landed opposite Gaara, extending a hand and gesturing, “Rock Lee, please instruct!”

Rock Lee, with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, greatly interested Yuta in the stands.

Although Yuta didn’t like taijutsu, always feeling that taijutsu fights were full of bodily friction, making him feel somewhat…sticky.

This body’s taijutsu is good, entirely to avoid physical contact.

But Yuta greatly admired Rock Lee.

Consistently upholding his Ninja Way, never giving up on effort, and Rock Lee focused not on bonds, but on emotions.

Bonds and emotions are two different things, like Naruto, who just lost his brother-in-law, then immediately spoke up for Obito, who killed his brother-in-law—a real case of left and right brain fighting each other.

This is what bonds lead to.

Neji died, the bonds were gone; Obito was redeemed, and naturally, the bonds returned.

Ninjas are somewhat psychologically abnormal, even the protagonist is no exception, yet Rock Lee remains upright and pure.

A hardworking, upright, and righteous child—who wouldn’t like him?

Gaara didn’t.

Under dark circles, filled with hatred, Gaara had lost his mother and uncle, and his father still greatly disliked him.

For Gaara, emotions were not only unnecessary but things that should be killed entirely—he essentially lacked love.

This thick-browed kid seemed terrifyingly naive, and his sunny disposition made Gaara very uncomfortable.

“That child is your son.”

In the stands, Orochimaru and Rasa sat together, Orochimaru asked Rasa with interest.

Except for the “Love” character on his forehead, the two looked almost exactly alike, but anyone could see that Gaara seemed a bit abnormally sinister.

Orochimaru could even sense the immense power within Gaara, seemingly that of a Tailed Beast.

Using his own son as a Jinchuriki? That Fourth Kazekage was truly an extraordinary figure~

Rasa chose silence in response to Orochimaru’s question, but after a while, he still spoke a single word.

“Yes.”

“Hehehe…”

Orochimaru chuckled lightly, not pursuing the matter further.

He always knew when to stop.

Below, Rock Lee and Gaara had begun fighting.

Gaara’s defense was astonishing, Rock Lee’s speed was astonishing; their fighting styles were completely opposite, yet the spectacle was grand.

Under Gaara’s control, the sand was like a giant hand constantly grabbing at Rock Lee, this annoying fly. Rock Lee’s speed allowed him to dodge, but he couldn’t break through Gaara’s defense from any direction.

After expending considerable energy, Rock Lee leaped far away, looking towards Kai in the stands.

“Kai Sensei!”

What does this mean? Requesting outside assistance?

Everyone thought of this simultaneously.

This is an exam battle; what’s the point of a Jonin getting involved?

Of course, everyone was wrong. Kai suddenly welled up with tears, fiercely waving his fists.

“Go, Rock Lee! Now is the time!”

Receiving Kai’s approval, Rock Lee leaped onto a stone statue, removing the wrist guards from his legs and taking off the weights inside.

Everyone initially didn’t think much of it; it was just weight, often used by ninjas training taijutsu.

But when the weight marked “Willpower” fell to the ground, it exploded with a sound like a bomb.

Boom！！！

The entire stone slab on the ground was smashed through, revealing a large pit.

“What!”

“What is that? Rock Lee trains with those things normally?!”

“It’s truly terrifying, that weight…”

The exclamations of the crowd didn’t affect Rock Lee. He jumped twice in place, adjusting to his body without the weights, then instantly disappeared.

“Speed! His speed increased again! I can’t see him!”

Bang!

The next moment, Rock Lee appeared before Gaara.

Gaara’s eyes widened, watching Rock Lee appear and disappear, like a ghost, darting around him.

But his eyes couldn’t keep up with Rock Lee’s speed; he couldn’t see Rock Lee’s movements at all, only relying on instinct, and the sand’s reaction was faster than his.

If not for Gaara’s sand defense, he should have been smashed to pieces by Rock Lee by now.

But the sand’s speed was limited; even if the sand was fast, it could be deceived by excessive speed and attack frequency.

Rock Lee flashed again and again; after several attempts, he punched Gaara in the face, knocking him flying.

Inspiring!

“He hit him!”

“Too fast! Even though Gaara’s sand can react, it can’t keep up with that child’s speed every time!”

“Truly terrifying talent; even with only taijutsu, that child’s achievements are immeasurable!”

These people completely forgot when they mocked Rock Lee in the Ninja Academy for not knowing ninjutsu.

As a Genin-level ninja, Rock Lee didn’t know any ninjutsu at all. This is because the minimum for Ninjutsu and Genjutsu is 1; otherwise, Rock Lee would be 0. Tsk, I know too much; instant understanding is truly heartbreaking.

After being hit once, Sandstorm Gaara became True Sandbag Gaara.

“Leaf Hurricane!”

Thump——Thump——Thump——

The consecutive strikes even knocked Gaara into the air.

From the audience’s perspective, Rock Lee’s form was invisible; only Gaara was in the air, striking various painful poses.

Boom——

With a final kick that sent Gaara crashing into the ground, smashing into the stone slab, Rock Lee finished his move, jumping back to the opposite side, breathing lightly.

With this small combo, if it were an ordinary Genin, even if they didn’t die, they wouldn’t be able to fight again.

But Rock Lee was facing Gaara, the true “Mama’s Boy” Gaara!

The dust cleared, and Gaara slowly stood up from the pit.

Everyone discovered that he had been cracked! Physically cracked!

Gaara had always protected himself with a sand shell, but no one had broken through his sand defense before. The fragments falling from his body were pieces of the shattered sand shell.

“It’s still not enough…”

Rock Lee muttered.

Kai in the stands also became serious.

If he couldn’t win even like this, then Rock Lee…

Whoosh—

Taking a deep breath, Rock Lee crossed his arms across his chest, then puffed out his chest as if transforming.

“Eight Gates Formation! Open!”

“Gate of Rest! Open!”

“Gate of Life! Open!”

…

Everyone in the stands was too shocked to speak. Waves of chakra flames erupted from Rock Lee’s body as if they were free, and anyone could see that he was powering up.

“It’s not over yet!”

Does powering up have to reach this level?!

Kai’s eyes blurred, shouting Rock Lee’s name.

“This is the peak of youth!!! Rock Lee! Break out!!!”

“Shock Gate! Open!!!”

Opening five gates, Rock Lee’s entire skin turned red, the effect of muscle tearing.

Blue-green chakra flowed around Rock Lee like electricity. Under the immense pressure, Rock Lee’s pupils shrank to almost invisibility, and the pain from his body stimulated his roar.

“Aaaaaah!! Inner Lotus!!!!!!!!!!!”

…….

…….