A Quiet Duel

As Neji was carried away, the teachers returned to their original positions.

The large screen began to scroll once more.

Dosu and Choji arrived in the arena to begin their match.

Choji used the Multi-Size Technique to attack Dosu.

After Dosu easily dodged, Choji accidentally got stuck in the wall. Dosu landed a punch on him, then simply flicked the Sound Ninja Tool on his right arm, and Choji was defeated.

Choji was carried away shortly after.

Gaara looked at the cleared arena and was just about to head down when Baki called out to him.

"Gaara, I don't care what happened over the last few days, but I hope you remember our plan," Baki said in a low voice.

"I know," Gaara replied, sounding somewhat distracted.

"Good. Everything is for the sake of the village," Baki whispered, watching Gaara's retreating back.

Gaara used the Sand Body Flicker to vanish from his spot, dissolving into sand before reforming in the center of the arena.

Gaara looked up at Lee, who was the last one left to compete, and said in a deep voice, "Hey, bowl-cut. Get down here."

Is he really in such a rush? Hayate thought helplessly from the sidelines.

"Yosh! It's finally my turn!" Lee's eyes ignited with fire as he clenched his fists in excitement.

"Go, Lee! Take this opportunity to let your youth bloom!" Guy pointed a large hand toward the arena and shouted.

"Oh, oh, oh! I'm going!" Lee excitedly vaulted over the railing and landed opposite Gaara.

"Then, the final match of the preliminaries... begin!" Hayate shouted.

After the two had traded blows for a while, Lee realized that he could barely get close to Gaara, let alone inflict any damage, and he began to feel troubled.

"Lee, take those off!" Guy shouted.

"Are you sure, Guy-sensei?" Lee asked, clenching his fists in excitement.

"Yes, take them off! Let them see your true strength!" Guy gave Lee a thumbs-up, flashing his pearly white teeth.

Lee cheered happily, dodging Gaara's attacks while searching for an opening.

"Hinata is so cute," Zeyu said, looking at Hinata's sleeping face.

Zeyu was sitting against the wall. Hinata had fallen asleep beside him, wearing earplugs and sleeping soundly, her small hands clutching Zeyu's finger like a baby.

Zeyu was lost in the atmosphere, not yet realizing what was about to happen.

Because he was leaning against the wall, his line of sight was poor, and he couldn't clearly see what was happening below.

Suddenly, the corner of Zeyu's eye caught an object flying into the air, and he instinctively looked over, worried that something was being thrown his way.

He realized it was Lee, flipping through the air.

Ah, it's just Lee. Nothing to worry about, Zeyu thought, looking back down at Hinata with a smile still on his face.

"Yosh, I can finally take them off!" Lee said, clenching his hands in excitement.

Hearing this, Zeyu suddenly remembered something. His smile stiffened, and he turned his head to look at Lee.

Lee was currently sitting on the statue used for hand seals at the front of the arena, removing the heavy weights strapped to his calves.

Oh, for the love of—Lee! Zeyu thought, his smile vanishing instantly as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

He lowered his head, gently removed Hinata's hand, and set it aside before quickly rising to rush along the second floor toward Lee.

"Hey, Zeyu, what are you doing?" Kurenai, who was not far away, asked with a puzzled look, reaching out to stop him.

Zeyu had no time to answer; he performed a slide to pass beneath her and kept moving forward.

"Sorry, sorry, excuse me!" Zeyu said anxiously, weaving quickly through the crowd.

Naruto, who was still sleeping against the wall, had the bubble on his nose pop as Zeyu rushed past, waking him up instantly.

"What just went by?" Naruto said, squinting his eyes and instinctively sucking back some drool.

"Oh, oh, it's so much lighter! Yosh!" Lee said, holding the two rows of heavy weights with ease.

Damn it, Lee! Zeyu thought, looking at Lee from above, already sweating profusely with anxiety.

Lee let go of the weights, letting them fall.

Zeyu gritted his teeth, stepped onto the railing, and formed a cross seal with his hands.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

A clone appeared out of thin air, and the two of them quickly reached either side of the statue.

They stood at the landing spot of the weights, gritting their teeth and bracing their bodies to catch them.

The heavy weights crashed down and were caught firmly. The floor tiles beneath their feet shattered instantly, and their legs sank deep into the ground, but fortunately, there was no loud noise or massive tremor.

Holding the weights in their arms, both of them let out a sigh of relief, their expressions softening significantly.

The shadow clone slowly lowered the heavy weights in its arms before vanishing into a puff of white smoke.

"Zeyu, what are you doing?" Lee asked from above.

Zeyu felt his temper flare at the question. He looked up and glared fiercely at Lee, veins bulging on his forehead.

Startled by the glare, Lee felt a sudden chill run down his spine and instinctively stood at attention to apologize.

"I'm sorry!"

The others watched this scene, feeling completely bewildered.

"What was that for? Are those two rows of weights really that precious?" Temari asked, puzzled.

Kakashi looked at the ground where Zeyu had been standing, then turned to ask Guy.

"Hey, Guy, aren't you going a bit too far?"

"Not at all. If a commoner wants to surpass a genius, they must put in double the effort," Guy said, looking up at Lee.

"And Lee is an expert in that regard," Guy added with a smile.

Not far away, Hayate walked over to Zeyu and urged him to return quickly.

Zeyu had no choice but to suppress his anger. He set down the weights, leaped onto the second floor, and hurried toward Hinata.

"Guy-sensei, what would happen if Lee's weights hit the ground?" Sakura asked curiously.

Guy stroked his chin in thought, then gave a thumbs-up and smiled.

"Hmm, it would probably cause an earthquake!"

Sakura was shocked to hear this, her face turning green.

"Well, the reason Zeyu ran over to catch them must be because of that," Kakashi said, gesturing toward Hinata, who was fast asleep behind them.

The people around them looked over, speechless.

However, Hinata felt uneasy without Zeyu by her side. She frowned, her hands fumbling around in the air.

Zeyu arrived just in time. Seeing this, he quickly reached out to take her hand and sat down.

Feeling a familiar touch, Hinata calmed down. Her expression softened as she pulled Zeyu's arm toward her, rested her head against his hand, and rubbed her cheek against it before drifting back to sleep.

Heh, thank goodness. I have earplugs to block the noise, but it would be bad if those things hit the ground and triggered an earthquake, Zeyu thought, watching Hinata's sleeping face.

Unable to resist, he poked her cheek with his finger.

Soft, tender, and super cute, heh, Zeyu thought, a smile spreading across his face.

Kakashi watched Zeyu, his eyes full of doubt. He learned the Rasengan on his own at such a young age, taught Hinata to defeat Neji in a short time, and possesses top-tier physical fitness. Just what kind of monster is this kid?

After removing his weights, Lee's speed increased significantly, and for a time, he fought Gaara to a standstill. However, beyond his Sand Shield, Gaara also had a layer of Sand Armor covering his body.

Lee's attacks could not penetrate Gaara's defenses. With Guy's permission, he unleashed the Eight Inner Gates. Yet, even after opening the fifth gate, the Gate of Limit, and unleashing the astonishing "Hidden Lotus," he still failed to defeat Gaara.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Gaara, who had been knocked to the ground, turned his head to look at Lee, whose body was now largely immobile due to the backlash of the Eight Inner Gates.

Up in the stands, Guy felt his heart tighten as he watched this, silently praying for Gaara to spare Lee.

Just moments ago, when Lee opened the gates, Zeyu hadn't been able to stop him, and Hinata had been woken up by the commotion. The two of them had started watching the match, and Zeyu had taken the opportunity to remind Guy of something.

"Guy-sensei, a question," Zeyu said, approaching Guy.

"What is it?" Guy asked, his eyes fixed on the battle below.

"Lee is a man of great perseverance; he will never admit defeat, will he?" Zeyu asked.

"Well, of course not," Guy replied happily, turning his head to smile.

"Then, if his life or his future physical well-being were at stake, would you, Guy-sensei, make the decision for him?" Zeyu asked solemnly.

Guy's smile faded, and he stared at Lee in the arena without a word.

"I understand... Thank you, Zeyu. I had never considered that," Guy said after a moment of silence.

Back to the present.

Gaara looked at the weakened Lee with a ferocious expression. He slowly raised his hand, and the sand around him formed a wave that surged directly toward Lee.

Damn it! He's already won, yet he still doesn't intend to spare Lee? Guy thought, gripping the railing tightly with his head bowed.

He struggled with whether or not to break the rules and intervene.

Watching the sand closing in on Lee, Guy finally let go of his hesitation.

No! I cannot allow my beloved student to be harmed like this. Even if Lee blames me later, I have to go down there and stop it! Guy gritted his teeth, preparing to jump.

Gaara continued to control the sand, sending it toward Lee. Just then, a small sand doll was dragged out along with the wave, bearing several cracks.

The doll hit the ground and shattered into pieces.

Hmm? That's... from back then, Zeyu thought.

Noticing the object, Gaara propped himself up with his elbow and looked up.

Upon seeing what it was, his pupils dilated and trembled slightly.

Recalling what Zeyu had said and remembering that the sand was his mother's protection, he struggled to suppress the urge to fight that had been stirred within him, and the ferocious expression on his face softened significantly.

With a wave of his hand, the sand wave that was about to engulf Rock Lee dissipated right before him.

Rock Lee panted, his body too weak to stand, his arms trembling as he held them in front of him. Sensing that the danger had not arrived, he felt a flicker of relief, though his exhausted face bore a look of confusion.

Gaara slowly stood up, the sand beneath him rising continuously to reform into the gourd on his back.

Gaara walked over to the shattered remains of the small figure, picked up the fragments, took a look at them in his hand, and then placed them back into his gourd.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Gaara took a deep breath and said slowly:

"Give up, Rock Lee. I acknowledge that you are an excellent opponent, but you cannot defeat me. Do not make any more futile struggles."

"Thank goodness, Gaara didn't go for the kill, Lee..." Guy whispered, feeling a sense of joy in his heart as he watched this scene and looked toward Rock Lee.

At this moment, Rock Lee used every ounce of his strength to stand up. Even though he could barely move, he still assumed a fighting stance, his body trembling as he said:

"I... I can still fight."

"Lee... you..." Guy was at a loss for words for a moment, an indescribable feeling welling up in his heart as tears shimmered in his eyes.

"Good grief, what a pain," Gaara said with an impatient look. He walked directly toward Rock Lee, suddenly interested in trying to knock him out just as Zeyu had done.

Watching Gaara approach, Rock Lee's exhausted face was filled with unwillingness; he gritted his teeth and tried to clench his fists.

However, every movement sent waves of pain through his entire body, and he swayed unsteadily, feeling as though he could collapse at any moment.

Sigh, this is the downside of the Eight Inner Gates; even I don't want to use it even though I know how, Zeyu thought to himself while watching Rock Lee.

Hinata, standing by Zeyu's side, held his arm and gripped his hand. Seeing this scene, she couldn't help but hold on even tighter.

"Zeyu-kun, Gaara won't go back on his word, will he?" Hinata asked in Zeyu's ear.

"I don't think so," Zeyu replied, looking toward Guy.

Watching from below, Guy made a silent resolution; he gritted his teeth and vanished from his spot.

Just as Gaara was about to reach Rock Lee, Guy appeared in front of him and reached out to block Gaara.

"Enough! We forfeit. Do not continue any further," Guy said with a dark face and a solemn tone.

"Guy-sensei, I can still..." Rock Lee said, struggling to lift his head to look at Guy's back.

Guy interrupted him immediately.

"Say no more, Lee. I understand how you feel," Guy said, slowly turning around to face him.

He stepped forward and gripped Rock Lee's shoulders, saying:

"Lee, life is still long, and there is plenty of time to experience youth. There is no need to rush. Let's try harder next time, okay?" Guy looked at Rock Lee's exhausted face with deep heartache, tears shimmering in his eyes.

Rock Lee did not answer immediately; he buried his head in Guy's chest, fighting back his tears as he whispered:

"But... I... I am so unwilling..."

"I... I am sorry for failing your expectations, Guy-sensei..."

Guy gently patted Rock Lee's back and said:

"It's alright, Lee. You did very well. If you want to cry, then cry; that, too, is a part of youth."

Rock Lee could no longer hold it back and burst into loud sobs in Guy's arms.