On the stairs leading to the third floor, Rock Lee's hurried footsteps suddenly stopped. He turned around, his gaze fixed with determination on Naruto, who was leisurely following behind.
A subtle tension filled the air. Rock Lee took a deep breath and declared in a booming voice, "Naruto, I challenge you!"
Naruto couldn't help but freeze. This guy really knew how to spring things on you.
Even more unexpectedly, before he'd finished speaking, Rock Lee suddenly turned to Sakura and confessed passionately, "Sakura, I've always liked you! Please accept my feelings!"
Sakura's expression instantly turned complicated. She shuddered, nearly breaking down inside, and managed to force out, "I don't like bushy eyebrows!"
Rock Lee looked utterly dejected.
Just as the awkwardness reached its peak, Sasuke slowly stepped out from behind Naruto, his cold gaze sweeping over Rock Lee.
"This level of fight doesn't require Naruto," Sasuke said calmly.
Rock Lee raised an eyebrow, his fighting spirit soaring even higher. "Oh? Then I'll beat you first, Uchiha Sasuke!" he announced confidently, as though he could already see his victory.
"I'll make this clear: you'll never be able to defeat me, because I'm the strongest Genin in Konoha!" Rock Lee declared proudly.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Interesting. Then I'll take you on!"
Sakura hurriedly tried to stop Sasuke. "Don't, Sasuke! Registration closes at three, and there are only thirty minutes left."
Sasuke closed his eyes, looking a little impatient, and replied calmly, "Don't worry!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, the two were on the verge of fighting.
Sasuke slowly activated his Sharingan, instantly picking up on every subtle movement Rock Lee made.
Rock Lee charged like a wild horse, his attacks fierce and swift, but Sasuke's Sharingan left none of his movements hidden.
However, even though Sasuke could see every movement, his body couldn't keep up with that astonishing speed.
He tried to copy Rock Lee's moves, only to find that his own movements were always half a beat behind. The gap in strength and speed left him fighting a desperate battle.
Rock Lee's relentless attacks drove Sasuke back again and again, leaving him injured in several places.
Just as Rock Lee soared into the air, ready to use his ultimate move and bind Sasuke with his bandages, an oversized Rock Lee suddenly appeared between them. It was Rock Lee's teacher, Might Guy.
Guy's arrival sent the tension soaring, but just as he was about to step in and separate them, Naruto moved.
Naruto shielded Sasuke behind him, and he and Guy were instantly at each other, moving so fast that the eye could barely follow.
But Guy's strength was clearly far greater than Naruto's. Every attack put Naruto under immense pressure.
In one fierce exchange, Guy punched Naruto and sent him flying.
Naruto rolled his head, wondering whether he should use the Power of the Nine-Tails.
Just then, Guy suddenly called off the fight. He hurriedly explained that he was Rock Lee's teacher and had come to break up the fight, not join it. Naruto had simply moved too fast for him to pull his punch in time.
Guy's explanation eased the tension a little.
Watching Naruto fight on equal terms with his teacher, Might Guy, sent a tidal wave through Rock Lee's heart. He'd known Naruto was strong, but he hadn't realized he was this strong—strong enough to go toe-to-toe with someone like Teacher Might Guy without falling behind at all.
"This... This is impossible!" Rock Lee was stunned. He knew how strong Teacher Might Guy was. Guy was the target he'd always strived to catch up to, and the strongest Taijutsu master in Konoha.
Yet now, he was watching Naruto, a boy his own age whom he'd once thought weaker than himself, fight Teacher Might Guy to a standstill.
Rock Lee was shaken like never before.
I... I need to work even harder! Rock Lee vowed silently.
Standing to one side, Sasuke felt an indescribable urgency well up inside him every time Naruto attacked.
I can't fall behind... Sasuke silently reminded himself.
Sakura was shocked, but more than that, she felt it was only natural. After the Land of Waves, Naruto had long since stopped being the prank-loving dead-last boy in her eyes.
This is how strong Naruto should be... Sakura thought, admiration showing on her face.
Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly. Through his Six Eyes, he could clearly see the strange, surging flow of Chakra within Guy, like powerful undercurrents rushing through him without pause.
Rock Lee's teacher, Might Guy, was no ordinary person. He was like a human beast, every cell brimming with astonishing strength and speed.
Naruto couldn't help marveling inwardly. Ever since Gojo Satoru had been reborn as Naruto, this was the strongest ninja he'd encountered. Even at the height of Gojo Satoru's power, he might not have been entirely confident he could defeat an opponent like this.
Yet the shock didn't make Naruto afraid. Instead, it stirred the fighting spirit and excitement deep inside him.
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