"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Sand surged forth like a tidal wave, forming a shield around Gaara and blocking all of Rock Lee's fierce attacks.
Gaara remained standing motionless, his expression indifferent, as if watching a meaningless performance.
Lee showed no frustration.
He immediately retreated, changed angles, and attacked again!
With fists clenched and movements as fast as lightning, Lee continuously shifted positions, trying to find a flaw in the Shield of Sand.
Yet every kick was intercepted with perfect precision.
The sand flowed like a living creature.
Gaara slowly raised his eyes.
"Pointless struggle."
In an instant, the sand erupted upward.
A gigantic hand of sand slammed violently onto the ground, cracks spreading across the arena like a spiderweb.
Lee narrowly avoided it with a backward flip and quickly widened the distance, staring at Gaara cautiously.
Only then did he notice—
sand was pouring endlessly from the gourd on Gaara's back.
The sand seemed fused to his body itself, inexhaustible.
Lee's gaze sharpened.
So it's a technique that manipulates sand… troublesome.
Then let's test it!
Lee charged again.
His figure blurred as he closed the distance in a flash, sweeping his leg like a whip—
but the sand blocked it instantly.
Still, he didn't give up.
He unleashed a relentless barrage against the sandy barrier, trying to shatter its rhythm through sheer speed.
Every strike carried the force of his entire body, producing thunderous impacts while sand exploded in every direction.
Yet Gaara remained unmoving, effortlessly neutralizing every attack with the Shield of Sand alone.
Every time the sand dispersed, new sand immediately reformed.
A flawless cycle.
Lee clenched his teeth.
Sweat dripped down his forehead, but the fire in his heart only burned hotter.
Suddenly, the sand changed tactics.
While defending, it also launched attacks toward Lee.
Forced onto the defensive, Lee rapidly retreated.
Then he leapt high into the air and hurled several shuriken toward Gaara's face—
only for them to be blocked once again.
Landing on the ground, Lee bit down hard.
Damn it! He hasn't even moved from his spot!
"Is this all you can do?"
Gaara slowly lifted his head.
"Entertain me more… I still need blood."
Massive amounts of sand rushed toward Lee at incredible speed, twisting like venomous serpents.
Lee attempted to evade—
but suddenly the sand seized his ankle and violently hurled him away.
He crashed heavily into a nearby wall.
Lee struggled to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Yet his eyes grew even more resolute.
Dodging another wave of sand, he charged at Gaara again with high-speed attacks.
Suddenly, the Shield of Sand hardened.
Lee's kick was completely blocked.
The recoil caused his body to falter for an instant—
and a massive hand of sand lunged toward him.
Lee immediately leapt backward, landing atop the giant hand-sign statue in the arena.
Gaara still hadn't moved.
His gaze was as cold as a desert night.
"Lee! Take them off!"
Guy suddenly shouted with a thumbs-up.
Lee froze briefly.
"But… Gai-sensei! Didn't you say I could only use them when protecting someone precious?!"
"It's fine! I permit it!"
Lee's face instantly lit up with excitement.
He immediately removed the weights from his legs.
Grabbing them in both hands, he grinned.
"Great! Moving feels way easier now!"
Then—
he let go.
Everyone present looked disdainful at first.
They thought Lee was simply making a desperate last effort.
After all, removing a little extra weight shouldn't make much difference.
But the instant the weights hit the ground—
BOOM!!
Two deafening explosions erupted.
The floor shattered into massive craters as dust billowed everywhere.
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
Even the Five Kage were stunned.
The Raikage himself stared with his mouth open.
This was absolutely monstrous taijutsu talent.
Kumogakure was famous for taijutsu and weighted training—
but even they would never train a thirteen-year-old this brutally.
Standing beside Guy, Kakashi couldn't help saying:
"You've gone way too far, Guy…"
Guy shouted excitedly:
"Go, Lee!!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lee roared enthusiastically.
The next instant—
he vanished.
When Lee appeared again, he was already behind Gaara.
A punch exploded forward.
This time, the sand barely managed to block it.
Gaara's eyes widened in shock as he whipped his head around—
he hadn't sensed Lee at all.
But the moment he turned—
Lee had already appeared on the opposite side.
Another kick slammed out!
Though blocked, the sand barely reacted in time.
Gaara turned again—
Lee disappeared again.
Lee's attacks poured down like a storm.
Faster and faster.
Gaara could only desperately search for Lee's position, yet he couldn't track his movements at all.
The Shield of Sand could only defend instinctively.
Finally—
Lee appeared directly above him.
His body spun violently as his right leg came crashing down toward Gaara's head.
BOOM!
Gaara's head slammed downward, his body nearly collapsing.
Yet Lee did not pursue.
Before the sand counterattacked, he had already retreated.
Landing steadily, he breathed lightly, eyes blazing.
That relentless combo had strained his body heavily.
Even a single breath of recovery mattered.
Then—
he disappeared again.
Appearing directly before Gaara, he launched a straight punch into his face.
Gaara was blasted backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.
The entire Sunagakure side was shocked.
Gaara slowly climbed back to his feet.
Sand continued pouring from the gourd behind him.
He raised his head slowly.
A crack had appeared across his face—
yet no blood flowed.
Instead, flakes of sand crumbled away.
Sand Armor.
Chunks of hardened sand peeled off his skin, revealing the tense flesh beneath.
Gaara's aura instantly became far heavier.
His face twisted with madness.
The sand rose again, wrapping around his body and forming a new layer of armor.
Gaara's bloodshot eyes locked onto Lee.
"Is this all you've got?"
Lee's heart sank.
He knew he had to break through that defense.
Without hesitation, he unraveled the bandages around his arms.
The next moment—
his speed increased severalfold.
His body rapidly circled around Gaara at incredible velocity.
Suddenly—
Lee appeared directly beneath him.
One kick slammed upward into Gaara's chin.
Then another.
And another.
He continuously launched Gaara higher into the air.
The sand couldn't keep up anymore and could only instinctively gather upward.
At the moment Lee landed the final kick—
the strain on his body caused a split-second hesitation.
And that single instant—
gave Gaara room to breathe.
But Lee didn't notice.
The bandages instantly wrapped around Gaara.
Lee grabbed him tightly—
then spiraled downward toward the ground at terrifying speed.
"Primary Lotus!"
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