Dead Last vs. Dead Last

Before long, the contestants entered one after another and formed ranks in the center of the arena.

"Naruto! Sasuke!! Do your best!!"

In the stands, Sakura cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted at the top of her lungs.

But her voice was quickly drowned out by the louder clamor of discussion.

"Which one? Which one is the Uchiha?"

"The black-haired one in blue? Wow, he's pretty handsome!"

"Why hasn't it started yet? This is annoying!"

"Who's that guy with the gourd on his back?"

"The Aburame Clan, the Inuzuka Clan, the Nara Clan... Konoha Hidden Village really is full of talent!"

"Don't underestimate Sand Hidden Village! They may have few people, but I hear they're incredibly strong! Even that Uchiha brat might not be a match for him!"

"The one in green? I don't know either. Never seen him before. He must be one lucky guy!"

"The demon fox brat? Is that the demon fox brat? No way! He made it this far? This year's competition must be pretty lousy!"

By the time the discussions from the stands reached the contestants, they had become nothing more than a noisy hum.

"Stop looking around. Hold your heads high. Today, you are the main characters."

Shiranui Genma, a senbon clenched between his teeth, spoke to the contestants.

"Listen up. The venue may be different, but the rules are the same as the preliminaries: there are no rules.

"The match ends only when one side dies or admits defeat.

"However, if I believe the winner has already been decided, I'll stop the match. No objections. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

Shiranui Genma continued.

"Then the first match is Naruto versus Rock Lee.

"Those two stay. Everyone else, return to the waiting room."

"Has it started? Is it starting?"

The stands erupted once more.

When the audience saw the two people left in the arena, they could not help complaining again.

"What the hell? A fight between two nobodies!"

"So one of these two has to make it into the semifinals? What a bore!"

"Come to think of it, who exactly is that Watermelon Head in the green jumpsuit?"

"Hey! He's the hot-blooded Dead Last!"

An older boy recognized Rock Lee.

He had attended the Ninja Academy two years ahead of Lee, though he no longer worked as a ninja.

"He couldn't even learn ninjutsu, and genjutsu was out of the question. Even his taijutsu was far worse than average. Back then, everyone thought it was a joke. It was practically a miracle that someone like him got into the Ninja Academy."

"Hahaha, so he's just an idiot!"

"Hahaha, yeah. I can't believe he's still a ninja. Who knows how he's managed to hang on until now?"

"So this match is Dead Last versus Dead Last?"

On the other side, an unfamiliar spectator leaned over to join the conversation.

"Huh? Ha, hahaha, yeah! Dead Last versus Dead Last!"

The demon fox brat's situation was even more widely known.

If Lee's odds were poor because nobody knew who he was,

then Naruto's odds were at the very bottom because far too many people knew him.

In the arena.

"Sorry, Naruto, but I have a reason I must keep going. Here, I will defeat you fair and square!"

Lee assumed his customary opening stance and spoke to Naruto seriously.

"Is that so? Same here!"

Naruto's eyes gleamed as he clenched his fists, equally fired up for battle.

At the referee's command, Naruto attacked first. He led with two shuriken and charged straight in.

"Idiot! You can't attack head-on!"

Sakura shouted anxiously from the stands.

Lee darted and shifted, blocking left and right as he calmly dealt with Naruto's attacks.

Unable to break through after a long assault, Naruto gradually grew impatient and recklessly pressed closer.

Lee swiftly retreated to evade him, then instantly appeared at Naruto's side and landed a punch.

Bang!

At the critical moment, Naruto used the Substitute Technique.

The person who had been punched suddenly turned into a log, while the real Naruto appeared behind Lee.

Got him!

Naruto thought.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Before Naruto could attack, Lee spun in place and kicked him to the ground.

"Your taijutsu is decent, but your combat experience is far below mine."

Lee struck the pose of a Martial Arts Grandmaster again and delivered his assessment in a deep voice.

Yet dissatisfied boos had already begun to rise from the stands.

"What did I just watch? The Three Body Technique?"

"What are they doing? Are students fighting?"

"I'm going to the bathroom."

"Hmph! I was only testing your strength just now!" Naruto grinned stubbornly. "The real battle is only starting now!"

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Five Narutos surrounded Lee on all sides, forming a tight encirclement.

"Now that's more like it!"

"That's a Jonin-level technique. The demon fox brat's got something, huh."

The dissatisfied voices in the stands eased somewhat.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

Lee unleashed a sweeping spinning kick, attacking every Naruto at once.

But Naruto was not stupid enough to stand around and wait to be hit. The moment Lee burst into action, the clones wisely chose to retreat.

Just as Lee descended from the air—

"Now!"

The Narutos shouted and rushed forward. One clone bent down as a stepping platform while another Naruto took a running start, launched himself upward, and swung a fist at the falling Lee.

Seeing this, Lee hurriedly adjusted his body in midair and raised both arms to shield his face, blocking the attack.

"Leaf Rising Wind!"

After steadying himself, Lee actually exerted force again in midair, twisting with terrifying core strength to kick at Naruto.

Naruto blocked in a panic, while Lee used the recoil to leap onto a large tree.

One above and one below, the two faced each other while catching their breath. It seemed they had fought to a draw.

"To defeat you, it seems I have no choice but to use my full strength." Rock Lee stared down at Naruto and spoke seriously.

"Don't talk big!" Naruto found it strange, wondering what his opponent was planning.

Lee sat down directly on the tree, lifted his leg warmer, and revealed the flat weights strapped beneath it.

"So it was weight training."

Whispers spread through the stands.

"Did he really wait until the match to pull this stunt? That's a little too theatrical."

"Boring."

"Hmph, if you ask me, these lowborn civilian ninjas love doing flashy, impractical things to draw attention. Can you imagine children from Ino-Shika-Cho or the Hyuga Clan doing this? Ridiculous."

Boom!!

The two heavy steel plates slammed violently into the ground. Dust surged skyward, and tremors shook the floor of the entire arena.

Everyone, Naruto included, stared with their mouths hanging open.

So he had been fighting while carrying such enormous weights?

"Go, Lee!!"

From the stands, Might Guy shouted passionately.

Ignited by those words, Lee gave a salute and vanished from the spot.

The next second, Naruto's clones exploded one after another.

One, two, three, five—

In less than two seconds, all of Naruto's Shadow Clones had vanished. His original body was struck hard as well, swaying unsteadily where he stood.

"Youth! It must explode!!"

From the stands, Might Guy continued shouting boldly!

"Yoo~!"

Reinvigorated, Lee let out a strange cry. Several afterimages flashed, and another punch smashed hard into Naruto's face.

Naruto flew straight backward.