After that, Rock Lee's speed underwent a qualitative leap. He darted across the arena like a bolt of lightning, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks that finally brought a look of shock to Gaara's usually expressionless face.
Under the storm of Rock Lee's attacks, Gaara's sand defenses finally gave way. He had no choice but to move both hands at once, increasing his control over the sand in an attempt to withstand the sudden, furious assault.
Rock Lee didn't back down. "Konoha's Lotus will bloom again!" he shouted. From the stands, Naruto watched the flow of Chakra through Rock Lee's body with his Six Eyes beneath his sunglasses, his own eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.
At that moment, Rock Lee resolutely opened the Eight Inner Gates, forcing open the fourth, the Gate of Pain. His speed became almost unreal, and he pierced straight through Gaara's Sand Armor.
Finally, Rock Lee unleashed his finishing move, Reverse Lotus, and slammed Gaara to the ground.
But the blow also broke Rock Lee's leg, and he paid a terrible price.
Just when everyone thought Rock Lee had won, Gaara miraculously proved he still had the strength to fight. He controlled the sand once more and sent it attacking Rock Lee.
But Rock Lee's leg was broken, and he had completely lost the ability to fight. All he could do was lie helplessly in the arena.
At that critical moment, Might Guy sprang into action, charging into the arena like a bolt of lightning and saving Rock Lee.
Gekko Hayate announced the result of the match then and there. "Gaara of the Desert wins."
The final match: Dosu versus Choji Akimichi.
Choji Akimichi lost.
With that, the preliminaries drew to a close. The call for the official matches would sound again in a month.
Konoha's Genin, including Shikamaru, Sakura, Neji, Sasuke, and Shino Aburame, threw themselves into a month of grueling training. They were all making their final preparations for the upcoming official matches.
After the matches ended, Hiruzen Sarutobi personally took Naruto back with him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi showed Naruto great concern. He not only asked after his well-being, but also subtly questioned him about why his strength had improved so dramatically.
Now that Naruto possessed Gojo Satoru's soul, he could naturally see through Hiruzen Sarutobi's probing.
Before his rebirth, Naruto had already had a favorable impression of Hiruzen Sarutobi. In the village, when everyone else treated him coldly, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been the only one quietly looking out for him, almost like a grandfather.
So he didn't mind Hiruzen Sarutobi's probing. Instead, an idea struck him: he'd use this chance to test Hiruzen Sarutobi and see if he could learn more about his own origins from the Hokage.
Ever since Gojo Satoru had been reborn as Naruto, he'd been curious about Naruto's background. Sealing such immense power inside him meant Naruto's origins couldn't be simple. And the Fourth Hokage's blond hair and blue eyes had given him a vague suspicion.
He pretended to ask casually, curiosity and speculation flickering in his eyes. "Actually, I've been getting stronger so quickly because there's always a blond uncle in my dreams who teaches me how to train. Don't you think that's strange?"
Gojo Satoru's soul stirred within Naruto. He had always been curious about and fascinated by his new identity as Naruto.
Now, speaking through Naruto, he deftly posed the question, hoping to catch some clue in Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction.
At Naruto's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent. His eyes flickered slightly, and complex emotions welled up inside him.
He knew exactly who the blond uncle meant. The image of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, appeared clearly in his mind.
But Naruto's origins were a secret of Konoha, one that couldn't be revealed lightly.
Naruto's eyes flickered. Though Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't answered his question, Naruto had already found the answer he wanted in the old man's expression.
After being reborn as Naruto, Gojo Satoru still didn't much care for dealing with old men. Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi had believed his story, he made an excuse and slipped away.
Hiruzen Sarutobi could never have imagined that the Naruto before him was now a completely new Naruto, born from the fusion of Gojo Satoru's soul with Naruto's.
Naruto wandered leisurely around Konoha, enjoying a rare bit of free time.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell across his golden hair, lending him a particularly languid air.
He walked without any particular destination and before long found himself near the women's bathhouse.
Just then, he caught sight of an unusual figure out of the corner of his eye.
A white-haired middle-aged man was skulking in the shadows, peeping toward the women's bathhouse. Naruto felt at a loss for words and was about to leave, but the man had already spotted him.
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