The Konoha 12 vs. the Death Warrior Legion

"This isn't my plan. It was just a coincidence," Shikamaru Nara said helplessly, a blade of grass hanging from his mouth. He had randomly picked a direction to travel, and who knew how he had ended up here.

"You guys came too?" Shikamaru Nara quickly spotted the others and turned to Shino Aburame.

Among their peers, Shikamaru Nara was perhaps only interested in Shino Aburame from Team 8, because they were both so quiet.

"Tianming!!" Hinata Hyuga cried out as she watched Tianming shakily emerge from the hollow in the tree.

"So this is Qingchuan Tianming." Shikamaru Nara sized up the genius everyone said could kill chunin.

"He looks pretty ordinary," Choji Akimichi muttered while eating chips.

"Looks like we won't need to do anything." At that moment, Neji Hyuga and Tenten appeared nearby as well.

Now, all twelve of Konoha's rookies were present.

Dosu Kinuta swallowed. "Are you planning to gang up on us?"

"A real man doesn't need to gang up on anyone! We'll fight one-on-one!" Rock Lee declared passionately, even unwrapping the bandages around his hands.

"What's gotten into Rock Lee?" Neji Hyuga could not understand it. Was Rock Lee really going all out the moment he arrived?

"I originally prepared this move for Neji. Now, I'll let you have a taste of it." Rock Lee assumed a starting stance, then dashed out in the blink of an eye, so fast it made everyone gasp.

"What are you standing around for? Attack together!" Dosu Kinuta shouted. Beside him, Kin Tsuchi threw out her senbon once more.

"Rock Lee, be careful! There are bells on those senbon. Their sound can confuse you, and there's a second needle!" Sakura Haruno shouted as Tianming helped her to her feet.

Hearing Sakura Haruno's warning only made Rock Lee more excited! Watching out for senbon was not an option!

This was the perfect chance to show his best side to the girl he loved!

Clang! Clang!

The senbon struck Rock Lee's body as though they had hit steel. Even so, Rock Lee was not completely unharmed after taking them head-on.

He simply chose to charge straight through!

In the blink of an eye, Rock Lee reached Dosu Kinuta and landed an upward kick squarely beneath his chin.

With the sound of his jaw shattering, Dosu Kinuta was kicked into the air.

Rock Lee immediately leaped after him, arriving behind Dosu Kinuta in midair.

The bandages he had just removed wrapped around both Rock Lee and his enemy, binding them into a ball!

Front Lotus!!

The two spun at high speed as they plummeted toward the ground!

Boom! Boom! Dense cracks spread across the ground, and even the earth trembled.

The other eleven Konoha rookies stared in stunned disbelief! In the eyes of their peers, Rock Lee had always been on the same level as Naruto Uzumaki.

One was a monster with the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, while the other could neither use chakra nor perform ninjutsu.

But now, the eleven Konoha rookies had a completely new understanding of Rock Lee!

Up on a tree branch, Neji Hyuga of Team 3's expression shifted slightly.

"Has he become this strong?"

The move he had prepared for him really was quite impressive!

"Did he win?" Sakura Haruno asked anxiously.

The others also turned their eyes toward the smoke.

"No. Rock Lee lost," Tianming said calmly.

As Tianming's words fell, a gust of wind swept through, dispersing the smoke at the center of the field and revealing what lay within.

Rock Lee dangled limply from Dosu Kinuta's one hand, barely conscious. Dosu Kinuta was not in good shape either. His entire body was covered in wounds, and his left arm hung uselessly at his side.

"Rock Lee!!" Sakura Haruno cried out.

"Interesting. Truly interesting. Do you really think victory is guaranteed?" Dosu Kinuta sneered as he flung Rock Lee toward a massive tree nearby.

Whoosh!

Neji Hyuga stepped in and caught Rock Lee's body with a Gentle Fist strike. Tenten followed immediately after, flinging out a scroll as countless ninja tools shot forth.

"Why are you in such a hurry to attack?" Dosu Kinuta pushed with one hand, swatting all the ninja tools away.

"Shouldn't we wait until everyone is here before we fight?" As Dosu Kinuta spoke, he bit his finger and crouched down to draw a seal on the ground!

"A Summoning Technique?" Tianming frowned deeply. It seemed Dosu Kinuta was even harder to deal with than he had imagined.

Once the Summoning Technique was complete, the blood seal on the ground emitted a faint red glow. Amid the flickering light, dozens of ninja stepped out from within it!

"There's a technique like that?" Other than Tianming, no one present could tell that it was a Summoning Technique. Yet even Tianming could not make sense of it now.

A Summoning Technique that did not summon summon beasts?

"They were all people from our village. I killed every last one of them! Then Lord Orochimaru refined them into a death warrior legion. Today, all of you will die!"

This technique was Dosu Kinuta's ultimate trump card, and using it drained him greatly!

At a moment like this, there was no need for further words!

Battle was about to erupt!

"Here I go!" Choji Akimichi tossed aside the half-empty bag of chips in his hand, formed hand seals, and unleashed his signature technique!

Human Bullet Tank!!

Choji Akimichi took a deep breath. His already massive body swelled further into a sphere, then curled inward and began spinning at high speed.

His target was the center of the death warrior legion!

Shadow Imitation Technique! Shikamaru Nara was an expert at coordination. With one Shadow Imitation Technique, he instantly froze the death warriors who had failed to dodge in place!