Adamantine Shinobi : Sign In Chapter 169 169: Chunin Exams # 28

Konohagakure No Sato :

Forest of Death :

Central Tower :

The Tower had fallen into silence. The anticipation was thick as Tsunade herself , This was the final match—a clash between Konoha's injured Ace and the Green Weirdo who had humiliated The Uchiha on the very first day.

Everyone was leaning in, waiting for the explosive start. But the mont the proctor gave the signal, practically everyone—aside from the Jōnin—blinked, and Naruto was just gone.

*BOOM*

'huh ?? '

' eh ?? '

' what ? '

Before anyone could even process the movent, Rock Lee was flying backward across the distance, plastering into the concrete wall of the arena.

As Lee hung there for a split second, Naruto just stood in the center, looking at him calmly , Naruto knew his own strength and also Lee's . He knew that with Lee's ridiculously conditioned & trained body, the blow he had purposely throttled back wouldn't take him out of the match. It was a calculated strike, intended to send a very specific ssage.

( It's a Fight )

And his calculations were spot on. Lee slowly peeled off the wall, dropping down hard onto one knee. He clutched his chest, hacking out a harsh cough. As Lee looked up, his wide, shocked eyes t Naruto's.

Naruto's voice was perfectly calm when he spoke, but the raw, buzzing rage underneath the words echoed clearly to every single person in the Tower.

"Wearing weights while fighting and saying 'let's do our best'.....HOW ARROGANT....ROCK LEE...!!!"

Hearing Naruto's words hit Lee harder than the physical punch. Lee's eyes widened in pure shock.

" That's no—"

[Water Release: Water Bullets Jutsu] Level 5

Naruto didn't let him finish. He flashed a single, one-handed seal and spat a barrage of high-pressure water bullets from his mouth.

This wasn't the standard D-rank Water Shots jutsu that he previously maxed , Naruto had upgraded it to the next level , incorporating the core concepts of the Rasengan into the water jutsu itself:

Compression and high-speed rotation.

The Rotating Compressed bullets tore through the air at a speed that would have given Lee trouble even if he had taken the weights off.

Now? It was a nightmare.

Lee watched the spiraling water rounds closing the gap in a microsecond. In a panicked haste, he pushed off his Right leg to dodge. But the lingering pain in his chest, the insane drag of the weights, and the sheer volu of the carpet-bombing attack dood him.

Especially since Naruto had aid so directly at Lee, while the rest hod in on all of his possible escape routes, covering a five-ter radius.

The result was painfully obvious.

*Boom*Boom*

"Arghhh!"

Despite twisting frantically to avoid the main cluster of Carpet bOmbing , two of the heavy water rounds clipped him. They slamd into Lee's torso and the forearms that he threw up to guard his head.

The blunt-force trauma Lee backward again, slamming his soaking wet body into the wall a second ti.

"Ughh"

Naruto watched his friend collide with the floor, his mind processing the exchange with cold Mind .

(...the distance from here to the wall is far ...and that is what gave Lee the chance to dodge the jutsu even a little .....otherwise )

Regardless, Naruto refused to give Lee a single a second of breathing room. With that sa blinding speed, he vanished again.

The crowd didn't even have the chance to speak, comnt, or process what they were seeing. They had just watched Rock Lee get kicked across the room, blasted by an advanced Water Ninjutsu, and before the Green Genin had even hit the floor, Naruto was already materializing right next to Him again.

Naruto closed in fast, but this ti, Lee was ready. Close-quarters combat was his domain after all. Despite being bruised, soaked, and kneeling on all fours, Lee used the montum to pivot hard. He snuck into Naruto's blind spot and whipped a ferocious high kick aid squarely at the side of Naruto's head.

With Level 7 Dynamic Vision, Naruto watched Lee's desperate kick float toward him clearly . Without even flinching, Naruto casually executed another one-handed seal and used that exact sa hand to effortlessly catch Lee's leg mid-air.

*Thump* (Grab)

Lee froze, absolute shock washing over his face as he watched his full-powered kick get stopped dead by a single hand.

( Impossible , That Kick also had Weight attached ....and he grabbed it ?? )

Lee's wide, black eyes traveled up Naruto's arm and then , colliding with Naruto's cold, indifferent gaze .

Naruto whispered, his voice low as he gazed straight in Lee's eyes

"Body Sparks Jutsu."

Crackling!

Biri.. Biri.. Biri. Biri.. Biri.. Biri..!

"Aarghhhh!"

Lee was instantly electrocuted. lightning channeled directly from Naruto's grip into Lee's leg, surging through his nervous system and to his body . It wasn't just raw damage—it was also paralysis. The electrical shock locked Lee's muscles entirely, paralyzing him right on the spot.

Naruto stopped the jutsu as he watched lee

( ti to make him realise .....so things )

after all Naruto still wasn't done and he also didn't let go of Lee's foot. While Lee was screaming and twitching from the paralysis, Naruto hoisted him up with his raw strength from single hand and hurled Lee straight up into the air.

The crowd watched in breathless silence as Lee peaked in his arc and began to fall. Fighting through the agonizing paralysis, Lee forced his eyes open, only to be welcod by a tightly coiled fist driving straight into his face.

THWACK!

Lee didn't hit a wall this ti. He was launched horizontally, skipping across the stone floor like a skipped stone . He ragdolled violently before finally skidding to a halt right in the dead center of the arena.

Cough.. Cough..

Gekkō Hayate stood frozen, watching Rock Lee lie face-down in front of him. For once, the proctor wasn't the one coughing.

The terrace finally broke its silence, erupting into a frenzy of panicked whispers.

"Did you see that?"

"Nah, man, I didn't even watch him move!"

"Not that, idiot! That blonde used one-handed seals just now!"

"What?!"

"Isn't that sothing even Jōnin can't do?"

"Yeah..."

Up in the stands, the edgelords were also having a crisis of faith.

(What the hell, it's all a blur even with the Sharingan/Byakugan.....) Sasuke and Neji thought simultaneously, their respective dōjutsu straining just to keep up with the afterimages.

(Lee.....) Guy gripped the railing, his knuckles turning white with worry for his student.

(Naruto..) Kakashi stared down, his solitary eye wide with a completely different kind of worry.

(That blonde was this strong?..... I couldn't even follow his movent ) Kankurō and Gaara thought, genuinely rattled by the display of speed.

( this Brat ..!! ) Tsunade also furrowed er brows at the unexpected initiative and near hostility from Naruto against a Leaf Genin much less his friend

(Hehe.) Orochimaru smirked from his disguise, his tongue sliding out to lick his lips in twisted anticipation.

Right in the middle of the frantic murmurs, a new sound cut through the noise, echoing off the stone.

Step...

Step...

Step...

Step...

Everyone watched as Naruto began to walk back toward Lee. THe Blonde didn't run. He walked with a leisurely, unbothered stride, like he was taking a stroll through a park.

Naruto moved toward the center of the arena, his eyes locked onto Lee, who was violently coughing and struggling to push himself up, his muscles still betraying him from the lightning paralysis.

(He should be happy that I consider him a friend....) Naruto thought, his internal voice as icy as his gaze. (...otherwise this fight would have already been over with a single kunai or shuriken.)

Naruto finally stopped right over Lee. Lee was trembling, but he had managed to force himself to his feet after shaking off the paralysis in this tifra , Seeing that he had Lee's full attention, Naruto spoke again, his voice carrying easily across the silent tower.

"Lose the weights"

It was a single, demanding statent, and it threw the entire crowd for a loop. In the shinobi world, a fight like this was already over. You let your guard down for one instant, you make one mistake, your enemy doesn't and your life is forfeit.

To pause a match when you have the enemy dead to rights?

ABSURD

The spectators were completely thrown off. So felt the sheer absurdity of it. So thought it was the height of arrogance. anwhile, veterans like Kakashi and Guy let out small, hidden breaths of relief, knowing Naruto was pulling his lethal intent.

But no one said a word, because the fight wasn't officially called.

ANd Will Continue to entertain them .

Disregarding the crowd entirely, Lee felt a crushing, suffocating wave of disappointnt wash over him. It wasn't about losing. It was about the look in Naruto's eyes. This was his friend.

This was the guy who had believed in his Taijutsu dream before almost anyone else—even before Guy-sensei. And now, Naruto was looking at him not as a rival, but as a disappointnt.

Panic gripped Lee's chest. "Naruto-kun, I—"

THWACK!

Before Lee could even finish his apology, Naruto vanished from his sight again. Lee instantly felt an impact in his side, his ribs groaning under the force as he was launched through the air once more.

But this ti, Lee felt the difference in the strike. It was asured , Almost perfectly , Instead of crashing into a wall, Lee sailed through the air in a controlled arc, dropping directly onto the giant hand-seal statue situated at the back-center of the arena.

Lee scrambled, shifting his weight to catch his balance. He stood atop the statue, clutching his bruised side, and looked back down at the arena floor.

Naruto was standing exactly where he had kicked him from. When he spoke this ti, the temperature in the room seed to drop ten degrees.

"Lose the weights and... FIGHT "

Hearing that emphasis, especially the crushing, absolute weight placed behind the word fight, Lee's breath caught in his throat.

"...Fight ....!! "

The fog in Lee's mind finally began to clear. The shock of the one-sided beating had shaken loose his earlier arrogance & happiness , jumpstarting his brain until the truth hit him all at once.

(..... yes. This is not a spar. It is a fight.)

He had entered a real shinobi battle while carrying unnecessary restraints. He had expected Naruto to just accept it. Worse, he had done so without thinking about what that truly ant—he had blatantly disrespected his friend as a warrior.

And That is in front of whole VIllage , In front of his Friends , Team and Sensei

(...Wearing weights in a Real fight.......such a unyouthful Behaviour ........ No wonder Naruto-kun is angry.)

Lee shut his eyes for a brief mont. When he opened them again, the sha had not disappeared, but it had sharpened into pure clarity.

( .....The Only way to apologise .......is to FIGHT )

Lee took a deep, shuddering breath and sat down heavily on the stone hand-seal statue. The entire crowd watched in dead silence as he slowly rolled up the legs of his pants and began untying the thick, heavy straps of his training weights.

Seeing LEe's actions , The murmurs started almost instantly, a low buzz of Genins confusion mixing with ninja curiosity and the ridiculousness of the situation .

"Eh, he really was wearing weights?"

"Seems so."

"I still don't get it. Why, though?"

" pretty arrogant "

"Um... no wonder the blonde got angry."

"It's good that his ass got kicked, hehe."

"Yeah."

" hahaha "

" The Blonde Looks Hot "

" eh ? "

" I wanna pee "

The civilians were confused, but even so of the Konoha Genin and proctors looked stunned.

The Jōnin understood much more quickly , especially seeing the seals on the weights , and now they were also curious .

Watching from the stands, Kankurō snorted with clear disdain, crossing his arms.

" *scoff* , waste of Ti "

Dosu also looked at his defeated foe and replied with Non-chalence at the green Capsicum's actions in disdain

"Heh. The match is already over. A little weight won't chan—"

BOOM

BOOM

The words died instantly in his throat.

The mont the weights slipped from Lee's hands and slamd into the ground, the entire arena shook. Solid stone cracked outward in massive spider-webs. A dense cloud of pulverized dust exploded into the air. The sheer kinetic impact sent a visible, concussive shockwave rippling through the floor, and the raw violence of it instantly erased every single smirk in the stands.

Silence.

And Then, absolute disbelief.

"Whoa.."

"Did that guy just fight with that much weight on him?"

"Ridiculous."

"Such insane basic training.."

" So this is Taijutsu Specialist "

" Now I can't go back to pee "

" why didn't you left before "

" Becau--"

Shikamaru, Temari, Ino, and the others all stared in their own ways, completely blindsided by the reveal.

" No wonder Naruto was pissed "

" um , he must have known about those weights "

" It seems things are finally firing up "

" yeah , this should be interseting "

( Lee ) Neji's eyes widened too , the weight seems to have increased a lot from what he rembered .

Nearby, Sasuke's expression darkened visibly, a cold sweat breaking out on his skin.

(..He really was wearing them) Sasuke's jaw tightened, his teeth grinding together.

(....Did he fight with those sa weights on?)

Tsunade also relaxed after noticing the situation ( No wonder the Brat was pissed...!! )

( Interesting ) a certain snake

Kakashi's eyes twitched as he looked at Guy , who was now flashing him a very white smile and a thumbs up .

Down in the arena, having shed his burdens, Lee tested his body with a few light hops, then a few rapid practice swings. His posture changed as he tried to get used to the weightlessness.

Naruto watched without moving a muscle. He did not react. There was no ripple of surprise in his blue eyes, neither fear , expecatation or anything .

After all, Lee was not the only one who trained with weights.

Naruto had been using complex weight seals since the very beginning of his Taijutsu training. His entire body had been forged through years of crushing pressure that few could imagine , much less repeating day after day.

And unlike Lee, Naruto's body had never been ordinary to begin with.

His Uzumaki lineage and his Jinchūriki Body had turned that exact sa training regin into sothing else entirely. It was one of the cruel truths of the shinobi world:

two people could do the exact sa work with the sa basic physique, and still arrive at vastly different results because their foundational capacities or Bloodline were not the sa. Where an ordinary shinobi might gain little from that kind of daily punishnt, Naruto gained exponentially more.

Faster recovery.

Greater adaptation.

More strength

More Speed

More endurance

More everything.

( ......The Shinobi world prefers Bloddline Limits like that .......and then add my own hard work )

Naruto's foundation was monstrous. His relentless hard work only amplified it.

(And now that I have the Eternal Forge added to that ..) Naruto thought, his gaze indifferent and analytical.

(The gap is even wider now.)

Lee's movent stopped. He lowered into a solid, ready stance and exhaled slowly.

"Yosh , I can finally move freely."

Speaking his piece, Lee looked up at Naruto and jumped down from the statue. The exact second his sandles touched the arena floor, he vanished.

*whoosh*

A crisp crack echoed in his wake.

The entire Crowd's eyes blurred as Lee shot forward at maximum velocity, his body completely freed of the massive drag that had held him back. His acceleration was breathtaking. Even the dōjutsu users and elite Genin in the stands could barely track the green streak cutting across the stone.

But Naruto had zero intention of being passive. He had forced Lee to remove the weights so the world could acknowledge Lee's true strength and hard work—but now that the battle had truly begun, Naruto had no intention of rely dodging, defending, or yielding.

( ...Let's see your progress from the last spar )

Lee closed the gap like a green blur, winding up a lethal strike.

Naruto's eyes tracked everything.

Every shoulder shift. Every hip turn.

Every microscopic muscle contraction.

His Level 7 Dynamic Vision made the incoming, high-speed strike as readable as a bold line on a piece of paper.

Lee drove a devastating, full-power punch straight toward Naruto's chest.

But facing this strike Naruto moved , not to defend or dodge , No , Naruto did not step back. He stepped forward.

He aggressively moved directly into the strike instead of away from it, violating Lee's space. He slid inside the Green Beast's guard precisely with his own speed , intercepting the attack at its absolute root.

*Bang*

Their clash resounded the tower as A sharp gale of displaced wind blasted outward, making the crowd gasp as the two Genin locked dead in the center of the arena.

Naruto had thrown a vicious right elbow aid straight at Lee's temple. Lee, forced to wildly adjust his montum mid-motion, had raised his own elbow to et it. Their forearms collided at the exact sa coordinate, neither yielding a single milliter in that frozen instant.

' what speed '

' yeah , The Blonde is also the sa '

' hmm '

For one breathless second, they were deadlocked.

Then, the exchange exploded.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The Taijutsu that followed was no longer a simple fight. While The Jonins could keep Track , The Genins didn't see Most of the moves of the fighters , only when Lee or Naruto clashed did they see afterimages , with the sound of Limbs Colliding

Jab

Cross

Hook

Uppercut

Overhand

Spinning Backfist

Knee Strike

Roundhouse Kick

Elbow Strike

Naruto ducked under a blindingly fast spinning kick by a hair's breadth, the green blur of Lee's leg slicing through the empty air just above his blonde hair. With his left arm still entirely compromised in its heavy cast, Naruto's body control had to remain absolute.

Thanks to His Dyanamic Vision , Halo eyes , Keen Eyes , Naruto was able to track Lee's every move , whether in front , side or even from the back.

MIndhub , Sharp Mind and Hound Senses , made sure his attention is fully focused on every move of lee in detail .

( Ti to defeat you in Taijutsu )

Naruto used the kinetic motion of his dodge to pivot on his heel in one sharp, flawless turn, driving a brutal right knee directly into Lee's sternum.

*gah*

Lee gasped as the air was forcibly evicted from his lungs. He instinctively brought both forearms down to defend the inevitable follow-up of the Kick , but Naruto was already operating inside his rhythm with another move

A heavy palm strike ca from the right. Lee blocked.

A lightning-fast knife-hand shot in from the left. Lee shifted to defend.

Naruto feinted high and swept low. Lee hopped back with difficulty .

But Naruto followed instantly. He was relentless and suffocating , pressing forward with a brutal, unbroken chain of one-handed strikes.

Palm thrusts.

Elbow checks.

Short-range, bone-rattling body shots.

Leg sweeps that ca from blind angles but he simply could not fully anticipate while backpedaling.

Desperate to reclaim the montum, Lee tried to answer with pure, unsealed speed, unleashing a rapid burst of targeted jabs.

Naruto didn't even flinch. He casually dodged one and parried the second punch with the back of his right hand, slipped effortlessly inside the arc of the third, and smashed a devastating palm strike straight into Lee's solar plexus.

*Bang*

Lee stumbled backward with a strained, agonizing gasp, his guard blowing wide open. Naruto stepped imdiately into the opening before Lee could even blink. His right foot hooked sharply behind Lee's ankle. At the exact sa fraction of a second, his palm drove upward, crashing heavily into Lee's collarbone.

The combined sweep-and-strike completely twisted Lee off balance, lifting him off his feet and sending him crashing violently to the hard stone floor.

"ugh"

( ....Lee's Body can really take damage ......Only physical and blunt strikes though )

Regardless , Naruto did not stop there. He advanced the exact microsecond Lee hit the ground, giving him zero quarter, forcing tLee to defend from his back. Lee rolled hard, blocked a stomping heel, and pushed away, but Naruto stayed right on top of him with the sa suffocating pressure, never giving him the physical room to rebuild his base.

This is the style That Naruto has perfected after countless spars against Soone Like Hattori-sensei .

If In a Taijutsu fight , Do not give a single mont to the enemy .

Whether to Think

Or to Breathe

The sa stratergy that Naruto used against Orochimaru.

And watching all this now , Orochimaru's eyes were already twitching .

As Lee scrambled up to one knee, a short, compact knee crashed sideways into his ribs. Lee gritted his teeth and guarded high to protect his head, but Naruto changed angles instantly, slamming a heavy right forearm across Lee's crossed wrists to violently wedge his guard open.

Lee tried to force his way up to his feet, but Naruto was already stepping around his flank, cutting off the escape route with pure, masterful footwork and flawless timing.

( Not just speed and strength .....even in Technique , Naruto-kun is above lee ) Guy watched the battle from the stands with a hard face .

Cornered, Lee finally twisted his hips hard and unleashed a desperate, rapid-fire counter string of kicks and backfists. Naruto absorbed the first strike cleanly on his forearm, slipped the second by a fraction of an inch, and answered with a blistering body Kick shot that drove Lee straight back into a defensive crouch.

The Crowd soon understood what's happening , as Lee kept taking damage , his speed slowed a little , and then they all saw the fight .

The Green Beast was no longer attacking freely using his speed .

He was surviving.

Barely

Lee was trapped under imnse, inescapable pressure, forced entirely onto the defensive despite moving at a speed that nobody else in the room could match. Naruto's expression remained fixed and hard as he kept pressing the assault.

A sharp, snapping kick whipped toward Lee's exposed side. Lee blocked it with his shin.

( He is still able to block 60% of my moves despite the damage )

Naruto followed instantly with a straight punch. Lee caught it precariously on both forearms, skidding back an inch.

"huf---"

Naruto's next step executed before Lee's brain could even prompt a reset. A low, sweeping hook kick forced Lee to jump to avoid having his legs broken, but Naruto t him midair, launching a rising palm strike that shoved Lee violently backward before he could land.

*ugh*

Lee skidded hard across the arena, his sandles scraping fiercely against the stone as he struggled frantically to regain his footing.

But Naruto was already there.

Another palm.

Another crushing elbow.

Another snapping kick.

Lee raised his bruised arms and absorbed the kinetic pressure, but every single block only pushed him farther and farther back. Every defense grew visibly more desperate than the last.

( ...A CHANCE )

Finally after a while , Lee grabbed the chance as He disappered from Naruto's vision as he managed to miraculously slip past one linear strike and return a sharp, desperate counter aid at Naruto's chin .

( hmm??... Lotus ..!! )

Naruto's hands moved as he simply grabbed the Lee's heel , A lotus needs extrea burst of speed to connect , and it;s also an almost double edged sword , but against soone with faster speed , strength and sharp Dynamic Vision , it beca useless .

Seeing Lotus blocked head-on , Lee didn't relent , he followed up with his other leg , with Naruto's one hand blocking , and other Disabled , This Kick Connected to Naruto's ribs .

( finally ) Lee thought as he watched the kick connected with naruto's torso .

but Naruto simply tightened his physical reinforcent, absorbed the hit without slowing down, and moved straight through it after backing a litttle

( My Body can also take Damage Lee ) feeling the little pain , Naruto directly used Mindhub to ignore it .

Seeing Lee trying to get back his footing , Naruto moved again as He kept Lee completely pinned under the terrifying pace of the exchange.

Fast. Precise & Absolutely rciless in his advantage.

And Lee, despite the fearso, unsealed speed he had unleashed after dropping the weights, could do little more than raise his arms and defend under the crushing, overwhelming weight of Naruto's absolute Taijutsu dominance.

(He is too fast! Even without the weights, I am being read like an open book!......I need to do sothing ....!) Beneath the cover of the rising dust, Lee focused inward. He didn't scream; he simply forced the internal gates to yield.

(First Gate: The Gate of Opening.... Open! Second Gate: The Gate of Healing... Open!)

A faint, localized tremor shook the air and Lee's chakra surged, jumpstarting his fatigued muscles and clearing the ntal fog. His precision and strength returned with a terrifying edge.

( this chakra disturbance ) Naruto's one Mind partition focused on his senses .

"Yosh!" Lee whispered, his eyes burning.

He launched himself again, but

*Thwack*

" urghh "

Naruto was already in his face, the pause that Lee took to open the gates was fully utilised by Naruto , he stepped in with a lightning-fast Jab, snapping Lee's head back.

Feeling the flare of Lee's chakra with his senses , Naruto understood the situation soon thanks to his sharp Mind & MindHub skill

( opening gates and Getting serious .......then I shall respond in kind )

Before Lee could register the sting, Naruto twisted his hips, channeling his weight into a straight Cross that hamred against Lee's raised guard .

The impact sounded like a gunshot. Naruto stepped off-center, swinging a wide, circular Hook that whistled through the air. Lee ducked, the wind ruffling his hair, but as he rose, he was t with a rising Uppercut that caught him right under the chin. Lee's teeth rattled. He staggered, vision swimming.

Naruto didn't let up. He leaned into a looping Overhand right, forcing Lee to hunker down. Seeing Lee turtle up, Naruto fired off a brutal Low Kick, the Calf Kick connecting with a sickening thud against Lee's outer leg. Lee's leg buckled, his footwork dismantling.

Desperate, Lee spun with everything he had, throwing a Spinning Backfist. Naruto's Dynamic Vision caught the rotation before the fist even moved. Naruto simply leaned back an inch, the fist grazing the air in front of his nose.

"Nice try, Lee," Naruto muttered and thought

( ....seems only first few Gates ..... a sha , afterall The first gate lets you move better and second gate heals ...no increase in speed or anything )

Naruto suddenly lunged forward, faking a rear-leg kick. Lee dropped his hands to check the blow, but Naruto converted the montum mid-air, launching a Superman Punch. His right fist connected squarely with Lee's forehead, sending him skidding back.

*Gahhh*

Lee scrambled to find his feet, panting. He tried to create space with a sharp Front Kick (Push Kick), aiming to push Naruto away, but Naruto slapped the foot aside. Lee doubled down, spinning his entire body into a high-power Spinning Hook Kick, his heel screaming through the air.

( ...I ain't letting you perform another Lotus or anything )

Naruto didn't retreat. He stepped inside the rotation, letting the kick pass behind his head, and closed the distance into a clinch. With his right hand gripping Lee's neck and his cast acting as a brace, Naruto drove a punishing Knee Strike deep into Lee's midsection.

Lee let out a choked sound but Before he could slip away, Naruto's right elbow ca down in a brutal Elbow Strike, clipping Lee's shoulder. As Lee tried to regain his footing, he looked up to see Naruto silhouetted against the lights, his right leg high in the air. Naruto brought it down like a falling mountain—a vertical Axe Kick that caught Lee's defensive cross-arm guard and smashed it into the stone.

Boom

The floor shattered. The Green Beast was gasping, his limbs heavy. But suddenly he felt pain in his stomach as he flew dozens of ters , Getting up hastily , Lee looked up at Naruto, who was already settling into a relaxed stance,, Naruto stood there, uninjured and barely breathing hard.

"Your movents changed a bit there, didn't they?" Naruto murmured, his voice carrying a strange weight through the settling dust.

" Did you open the Gates?"

Naruto stopped in his place , watching Lee quietly . His mind was working and analysing the fight , He was looking at the results of their exchange, and the conclusion was pretty clear.

(Slow.)

Not him But Lee , Even with the weights gone, even with the first two Gates unlatched, Lee's speed couldn't touch Naruto's base. It wasn't just the Dynamic Vision or other skills giving him the edge .

It was the most basic of things .

(His base speed is slower than mine, and the gap isn't slight,) Naruto thought.

and This is the reason that instead of ending tHe fight , Naruto wanted to see how far Lee's will could push that body. He wanted to face the shinobi Lee had worked so hard to beco—to defeat him at his 100%

Lee let out a ragged breath, a bitter, pained smile crossing his face. He knew he was outclassed , and now there is only one option left .

(....but I promised Guy-sensei I'd only use this power to protect those dear to ...)

Naruto saw the flicker of doubt in Lee's eyes and noticed the hesitation instantly. It didn't take a genius to connect the dots , especially since he knew the canon —Lee was having a moral crisis in the middle of a Fight.

"Why?" Naruto asked softly.

"What?" Lee looked up, startled.

"You asked for this........ A fair fight and to win " Naruto said, his voice steady. "Your whole reason for being here in the Exams was to stand across from and prove your Ninja way. Why are you hesitating now, Lee?"

The Central Tower fell into a heavy, expectant silence. The spectators realized the stakes had shifted. and also , Everyone could tell Lee was sitting on a trump card, but for so reason, he wasn't playing it.

Seeing Lee still standing there Hesitating, Naruto took a breath , his voice soft but calm ,

"There is no need to hesitate, Lee," Naruto spoke again, his voice grounding Lee in the mont. "Do you know why?"

Lee's eyes locked onto Naruto's, searching for an answer. "Why, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's gaze was calm as he replied softly

"Because Lee... except for your Taijutsu..... you have NOTHING."

The words hit the arena like an explosion from paper tag . The crowd went from silent to wild in half a second. It finally clicked for everyone—since the Match began, Lee hadn't used a single jutsu. No clones, no fireballs, nothing but hands.

"He's serious? Only Taijutsu?"

" Now that you look back ,He only used Taijutsu since the beginning "

" that doens't make sense , even taijutsu specialist have so support Jutsus "

"He can't use Ninjutsu at all?"

"How can soone be that strong with nothing else?"

Dosu eyes widened too " How stupid "

The sand and other shinobi's were the sa . and the crowd stared the absurdity of the situation

Despite the crowd's thinking and Jabs .

Things were different for the person involved himself .

To Lee, those words were a lifeline. Naruto wasn't pointing out a flaw or mocking him ; he was acknowledging Lee's greatest strength. Naruto was the one who had stayed by him for these years, knowing this so-called 'secret' and never once looking down on him.

Lee rembered the day he almost gave up. He had confessed his inability to use any jutsu and also the dream of being a shinobi , this was sothing he only spoke after he truly acknowledged Naruto his friend , after confessing , his waiting for the pity or the laughter or anything else was t with a smile as Naruto had just smiled and said:

(Even with only Taijutsu, I believe that Rock Lee will beco a Powerful shinobi.)

Those Truthful words , and the confidence and trust in those eyes were sothing Lee could never forget , Naruto had been the light in his darkest monts, the rival who pushed him, and the friend who made sure he never had to walk the path of the "failures" alone.

The Friend who was by his side failure after failure , always believing and always extending that Hand , rembering those mories made Lee fell in trance .

"GET YOURSELF TOGETHER, LEE!"

Suddenly , The voice of Might Guy cut through the emotional haze like a thunderclap. Lee looked up to see his Sensei , The Blue Beast Of Konoha standing tall, his eyes burning with the sa fire Lee felt in his own chest.

"Naruto Kun Is right ...so ...GET UP AND MOVE, LEE..! "

"Guy-sensei...!!"Lee asked with his voice and eyes

Guy gave a thumbs-up, his voice trembling with pride.

"THERE IS NOTHING TO HESITATE FOR, LEE..! AFTER ALL, YOU AND US....... WE ONLY HAVE TAIJUTSU!"

"...Guy-sensei." Lee's eyes started to mist as he undestood that not only his sensei is encouraging him but also he is also telling him that he in not alone in Pure Taijutsu .

Seeing Lee , Guy bit his lip in pride & spoke again

"NOW GET UP LEE & DON'T MAKE YOUR RIVAL WAIT ANY LONGER!"

"Sensei!" Lee's eyes blurred with tears as he stood up , but his heart had never been more certain.

"AND LEE, REMBER!"

"YES, SENSEI!"

This Ti Might Guy Stood on the railing as His roar reached the whole Tower

"YOUTH IS..........EXPLOSION.....!"

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Author's notes :

The Chapter Stretched a Little , The reaason being that I already wrote half yesterday , but then my little bro called and told that it was mothers day , so i spend my ti with her .

And today after getting back , I simply ....well wrote without thinking the previous half-written stuff , and by the ti I realised , The chapter stretched so long .

even Reading it myself , I almost felt bored , but instead of deleating this hard work , I simply decided to write the climax in the next chapter .

Giving Naruto more base speed than Lee was only logical , I hope You guys understand why .

Another Thing ,

Any Suggestions for The sign-in reward for the central Tower .

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