In the arena, Rock Lee had already removed his weights. He bounced back and forth eagerly, warming up his body. Compared to before, his speed had increased by more than one level.
Watching Rock Lee's movements, Shiro silently expanded his chest and began breathing in a strange rhythm. His lungs expanded, contracted, expanded again, then contracted once more.
Then he let out a deep breath, as though he had finished preparing himself.
"Lee, let's continue."
"No problem, bring it on!"
Their gazes met. In the next instant, they appeared in the center of the arena, their forearms colliding once more as they began an even fiercer struggle.
But Rock Lee suddenly sensed that something was wrong. It felt as if something was missing from the fight.
Just as he instinctively considered the question, Shiro seized the opening. He spun and drove an elbow into Rock Lee's cheek, then rapidly struck Rock Lee's torso twice with his fingertips before kicking him away.
Rock Lee rolled twice across the ground, then planted both hands on the floor, pushed off, and sprang back onto his feet in stance.
At last, he realized what had been missing from the battle.
Sound. The sounds of Shiro's attacks had all seemed to have been erased. They had vanished.
Ordinary ninja mainly relied on vision in battle. But for taijutsu specialists like Rock Lee, their ears were their sharpest senses in combat. The disturbances their movements created in the air and the sounds of their punches made hearing even more sensitive than sight at times like this.
Neji, seated in the preparation area, also noticed the issue. With Shiro's punching speed just now, there was no way Rock Lee should have failed to react unless...
At that thought, Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and looked toward Shiro.