Eight Gates, Explode! 2/2

[Author's Note]: To write this chapter well, I rewatched Lee and Gaara's fight, and also Guy the Eternal and Kisame's battle. Even after all that, this old man's blood was still boiling.

Unlike the onlookers, Sarutobi Hiruzen already had a guess. Looking at Hiashi Hyuga, he asked, "Is this a Hyuga Secret Technique?"

"Not exactly." Hiashi Hyuga said somewhat awkwardly, "The chakra points in the feet rapidly expel chakra downward several times in an instant, generating upward thrust and extending airtime."

Hiashi Hyuga did not consider it one because other ninja could do it as well.

Walking on water, tree climbing, Body Flicker, and so on were all applications of foot chakra. The technique used to remain airborne just now was no more difficult than the Body Flicker Technique.

However...

Without the Hyuga Clan's unique physique, other ninja would need to form hand seals like they did for Body Flicker. And if hand seals were required, did this technique still have any practical value in combat?

It was not something only Hyuga ninja could do, so Hiashi Hyuga had not said no.

But only Hyuga ninja could use it well, so Hiashi Hyuga had said "not exactly" rather than "no."

Hiashi Hyuga's explanation was almost exactly the same as Sarutobi Hiruzen's guess.

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled in satisfaction, brightly enough to look ten years younger. He did not look like an old man in his sixties at all, more like... an old man in his fifties.

In truth, Hayato had created this technique himself, and this was Hiashi Hyuga's first time seeing it. Thinking of that made his chest tighten. Fortunately, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not ask any more questions, sparing Hiashi Hyuga further embarrassment.

On the field.

After missing with a kick, Rock Lee crouched low, braced one hand against the ground, and swept a kick upward at Hayato's chin. If it landed, Rock Lee could use Shadow of the Dancing Leaf.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs...

Hayato nimbly evaded it, then took advantage of Rock Lee's unsteady footing to launch a side kick.

Smack!

The kick landed. Rock Lee blocked it with his hand and staggered back two or three steps.

Hayato's kick had been utterly ordinary, so ordinary that no one thought it would land. But... it did.

The crowd erupted in an uproar. Some even shouted, "Fake fight!" and "What great actors!"

The ever-curious Aburame Shishin asked, "What happened? What happened?"

Based on what he knew of Hayato and Rock Lee, neither of them would ever fake a fight, even if they failed to graduate. Therefore, something unknown must have happened.

Neji Hyuga said, "It was Konoha Gale—at that moment, Lee exposed an opening. Hayato used his toes to strike a chakra point on Lee's left leg."

That was why Rock Lee had braced himself with one hand and kicked with his right leg.

That was why Rock Lee's speed and reactions after landing had slowed by more than a beat.

That was why Rock Lee had been unable to dodge Hayato's ordinary kick.

Everything made sense now.

At that moment, chakra was not flowing smoothly through Rock Lee's left foot. Unless he immediately forced open the chakra point, his left foot would be useless. The problem was that unsealing a chakra point was like constipation: when the shit was hard as a rock, forcing it out was, first, difficult, and second, liable to make your delicate asshole bleed out.

Aburame Shishin fell silent. It looked like Lee could not avenge his wallet after all. Hayato's victory seemed certain.

Rock Lee moved his limbs, lifted one foot, and assumed a one-legged stance.

Facing Rock Lee's still-determined gaze, Hayato asked, "Still fighting?"

"I haven't fallen yet." Rock Lee raised both arms level with his shoulders, curling his fingers into crane beaks as he shifted from standing like a golden rooster to spreading a crane's wings.

That answer was exactly what Hayato had expected.

Suddenly, an ANBU ninja appeared beside Rock Lee. Hayato thought he was here to stop the match and felt a little disappointed, since he had not had his fill yet.

The ANBU ninja leaned close to Rock Lee and whispered a few words.

Rock Lee nodded repeatedly, and his eyes lit up in the end.

The ANBU ninja left the field. Rock Lee said excitedly, "Hayato, Guy-sensei taught me a technique called the Eight Gates. It was forbidden to use during the exam, which was truly unfortunate. But now Lord Hokage has granted special permission. Please guide me."

Hayato looked toward the raised platform—Sarutobi Hiruzen was stroking his beard with a smile.

Hayato muttered, "Old fox! But this suits me perfectly."

"Hah!" Rock Lee gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"First Gate, Gate of Life—open!"

"Second Gate, Gate of Rest—open!"

"Third Gate, Gate of Life—open!"

After the Gate of Life opened, Rock Lee's entire body turned red from congestion. A green, steaming aura surrounded him, and the sealed chakra point burst open on its own.

"Reverse Lotus!" Chakra surged out of Rock Lee without restraint as he gritted his teeth. "Hayato, I'm coming. Be careful."

Hayato could not help but marvel. "What astonishing, violent chakra."

At that moment...

The green, steaming aura rubbed against the air with a sharp hiss. Its mere movement generated powerful wind pressure.

Aburame Shishin stared in shock. "What kind of technique is that?" The Kikaichū in his body began to stir, instinctively wanting to rush forward and devour that wonderful chakra. But before such violent chakra, they could not even get close. They could only throw themselves into the fire like moths.

Aburame Shishin hurriedly soothed the Kikaichū.

"Taijutsu." Neji Hyuga suppressed the boiling blood within him and said as calmly as he could, "The purest taijutsu imaginable. This is the first time I've seen Lee open the Third Gate of Life."

Aburame Shishin muttered, "No way... taijutsu can be this powerful?"

The intense wind pressure sent nearby spectators stumbling all over the place, and the ANBU ninja began evacuating the crowd. Yet no one was willing to leave. They merely retreated a dozen meters. An eerie silence fell over the scene.

"Overheat!"

"Double Punch!"

Transparent threads pierced through the gale stirred up by the punches and shot toward Rock Lee.

The twisting threads were nearly invisible and incredibly fast. Rock Lee tilted his head and avoided the frontal strike of Overheat.

Was that almost animal-like instinct?!

Hayato tugged his hand, and the twisting threads stretched to their limit, changing from stabbing into sweeping.

Rock Lee ducked and calmly evaded them.

"I'm coming."

Before the words had even faded...

Rock Lee flashed, vanishing outright.

In front? Or behind?

In front!

Rock Lee reappeared and threw a punch.

It was still a simple straight punch, yet Neji Hyuga, watching from afar, felt as though he were facing Rock Lee's attack himself. The fist expanded endlessly before his eyes. In an instant, his mind went blank and cold sweat drenched him.

I can't dodge it!

If it were him, he could only defend.

The force of the punch stirred up wind and sand, leaving the spectators unable to open their eyes as their cheeks stung. If it was already this bad around them, what did Hayato, standing directly before that fist, feel?

Hayato seemed frozen, his expression locked in the previous moment. He had no time to do anything and could only watch as the punch came crashing toward him.

Bang!

The struck Hayato shattered into pieces and turned into smoke.

Shadow Clone?

No!

At Rock Lee's speed, where would Hayato have found the time to form hand seals?

It was the Cicada Molting Technique!

Where was the real body?

Neji Hyuga raised his head and saw Hayato leap into the air. Four kunai were held between the fingers of each hand, steel wires tied to their ends.

Whoosh!

Eight kunai shot out at once.

Whoosh!

Another eight followed.

The steel wires connecting the sixteen kunai crisscrossed, forming an irregular three-dimensional net.

"As expected of Hayato." Rock Lee stopped and gave him a thumbs-up.

Indeed, while moving at the speed of sound, Rock Lee's ability to make rapid turns was poor. Forcing it would place a tremendous burden on his body. If he accidentally collided with the steel wires, even brushing against them, the consequences would be comparable to taking a cleaver head-on.

Moreover, the crisscrossing steel wires restricted Rock Lee's straight-line movement. Without enough distance to accelerate, he could not reach the speed of sound.

"I'm almost at my limit. This will be my final move. Guy-sensei, witness my youth." Rock Lee searched the crowd for Neji Hyuga and shouted, "Neji, this was originally my trump card to defeat you. Watch closely—my never-give-up ninja way!"

"Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain—open!"

Rock Lee circled Hayato, moving faster than the speed of sound. The kunai and steel wires were whipped into a tangled mess by the raging wind.

"Five-Colored Strings!"

Five thin threads lashed the ground, not even touching Rock Lee's shadow. Completely useless.

"Hah!"

The vanished Rock Lee closed in on Hayato and kicked upward. The powerful force sent Hayato into the air.

Bang!

It was still the Cicada Molting Technique, but this time—Hayato's real body had barely separated from the decoy when Rock Lee's next attack followed immediately, giving Hayato no chance to catch his breath.

Floating in the air, Hayato was like duckweed without roots, like a lone boat tossed amid a violent storm.

"Ah... dah! Dah! Dah..." Rock Lee attacked nonstop from every direction, leaving Hayato suspended in midair.

"Hayato..." Aburame Shishin could not bear to watch. "What is Lee doing? Hayato has already lost consciousness, hasn't he?"

"Shut up!" Neji Hyuga snapped.

Shimizu Shunsuke showed an uneasy expression and even wanted to stop the match outright. He hesitated. "Lord Hokage...?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was grave. "Wait a little longer. Hiashi, what do you think?"

Hiashi Hyuga nodded. "It isn't over yet."

In that brief instant, Rock Lee did not know how many punches or kicks he had thrown, but he knew better than anyone else—it was not over.

He had clearly struck Hayato, but the sensation was completely wrong.

Finally...

The damage to his muscles and chakra pathways forced Rock Lee to stop moving. He braced his hands on his knees and stood there, gasping violently.

Hayato finally fell to the ground as well.

"No way!"

"How is that possible?!"

"Am I hallucinating?"

"..."

Everyone cried out in disbelief!

Because Hayato staggered to his feet, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. He was even smiling—a satisfied smile after a thoroughly enjoyable fight.

"What a pity, Lee!" Hayato said. "Your body and chakra have both reached their limits, haven't they? Now it's my turn."

"Then..." Hayato assumed the opening stance of the Gentle Fist. "Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"

"Two Palms!"

"Four Palms!"

"..."

"Thirty-Two Palms!"

All thirty-two palms flowed forth in one seamless sequence, and Rock Lee could not make a single evasive move. In fact, even if Hayato had not attacked, Rock Lee would have collapsed on his own. Rather than attacking Rock Lee, Hayato's Gentle Fist was helping him. It sealed Rock Lee's chakra points, preventing further damage to his muscles and chakra pathways.

Rock Lee fell onto his back, tears streaming down his face. "Hayato, I lost. I'm sorry!"

Hayato plopped down on the ground. "What are you talking about?"

Rock Lee cried, "Reverse Lotus isn't supposed to be used against comrades, but I wanted to win so badly. I wanted to prove myself so badly."

Hayato smiled. "You've already proven yourself." He pointed at the crowd. They were cheering and loudly calling Hayato and Rock Lee's names. If the ANBU ninja had not stopped them, they would have already rushed forward.

"Really? I guess so." Rock Lee smiled, closed his eyes, and lost consciousness.

Hayato shouted, "Where are the medical ninja? Whoa..." He spat out a mouthful of blood.

From this day onward...

The Ninja Academy began to spread the legend of the Azure Beast and Yasha.

[PS] Thanks to "Element Giant" for one recommendation vote, and thanks to "ghjh014" for five recommendation votes. Thank you, bosses, for your support.

The contract has already been printed and will be mailed tomorrow.

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