Lee Battles Gaara, One-Tail Rampage

The atmosphere at the center of the arena was oppressive to the extreme, and everyone's eyes were locked tightly on the two figures in the field.

Rock Lee clenched his fists, every muscle in his body taut. His green jumpsuit outlined a physique brimming with explosive power.

He had no flashy ninjutsu. All his lifelong training had been devoted to pure taijutsu.

At that moment, there was no fear in his eyes, only the determination to prove himself.

"I can't use ninjutsu, and I can't use genjutsu."

Lee took a deep breath and stared straight at the cold-faced Gaara before him.

"But I'll use taijutsu to defeat you!"

Might Guy stood at the edge of the stands, his expression stern, though anticipation shone in his eyes.

Across from him, Gaara looked like an emotionless god of slaughter.

Crimson grains of sand swirled around him, forming layers upon layers of absolute defense. There was not the slightest ripple in his hollow eyes, only an innate, murderous ferocity.

Another ignorant insect courting death.

Gaara felt no stirrings in his heart. In his eyes, anyone who approached him deserved to be crushed by sand.

"The match begins!"

Ibiki gave the order.

Before his words had even faded, Rock Lee stomped hard against the ground. His entire body instantly became a green afterimage, moving so fast that the naked eye could barely follow!

The air was violently torn apart as he rushed before Gaara in an instant. His right leg rode the gale as a fierce sweeping kick came crashing down!

"So fast!"

Every ninja in the arena was startled.

Gaara's expression did not change. The flowing sand around him surged at once, forming a thick sand shield before him.

Bang!

The deafening impact shook the arena. The sand shield trembled violently from the kick as rubble and dust scattered everywhere.

But in the next instant, Lee vanished again. With his blindingly fast footwork, he circled to Gaara's side and rear, unleashing fists and kicks in a frantic storm of attacks.

Fist shadows and leg shadows overlapped, every blow carrying the weight of a thousand pounds. The sand shield was battered into dents and cracks again and again.

"What terrifying taijutsu!"

"He isn't relying on ninjutsu at all—just physical speed and strength. He's too strong!"

Cries of alarm rose one after another from the stands.

At last, a trace of impatience appeared on Gaara's face.

This Konoha genin's speed had exceeded his expectations. He could continuously force his way toward the blind spots in Gaara's defense.

"Sand Binding!"

Gaara gave a low shout. Yellow sand churned across the ground, and countless chains of sand burst from the earth, winding toward Rock Lee to restrain him.

Lee's gaze remained firm. He moved with agile footwork, evading chain after chain of sand as the chakra within him began to surge wildly.

He knew ordinary attacks would have a hard time breaking through Gaara's absolute defense.

Only that forbidden technique could let him briefly surpass his own limits.

"Eight Gates... Gate of Opening! Open!"

Buzz!

An incomparably powerful surge of chakra erupted from Lee's body and shot into the sky. The air around him whirled violently, his hair flew wildly, and a pale blue chakra aura appeared around him.

His speed and strength increased severalfold in an instant!

At that moment, Rock Lee had already surpassed ordinary genin and was nearing the level of an elite jonin.

"Gate of Healing, open!"

The second gate opened, and his aura surged once more!

He moved so fast that layer after layer of afterimages trailed behind him. Across the entire arena, only a streak of green light could be seen darting about. Every strike sent cracks spreading across the sand shield.

Gaara's expression turned completely cold, and the killing intent in his heart surged.

You dared force me to this point... You all deserve to die!

He stopped holding back. He controlled a massive amount of flowing sand, transforming it into countless sharp sand blades that shot through the air, blanketing the entire arena.

But Lee, with the second gate open, had already surpassed all reason in speed. He weaved calmly through the gaps between the sand blades without suffering the slightest injury.

On the rooftop, Uchiha Mu silently overlooked the entire battlefield. Beneath his mask, his crimson Mangekyō Sharingan took in every trace of chakra fluctuation from the two of them.

"The Eight Gates are quite a solid foundation."

Mu murmured indifferently.

Lee's talent truly was remarkable. Unfortunately, his foundation was too thin. Without the support of a powerful bloodline, his upper limit was destined to be limited.

His gaze fell more often on Gaara. He could clearly sense the immense, violent tailed beast chakra sealed within the other's body, carrying an ancient and savage aura.

One-Tail Shukaku.

It was precisely the great tonic he most wanted to absorb right now.

In a hidden pavilion in the shadows of the arena.

Danzo's single eye stared fixedly at the battle below. His gaze occasionally swept over Sasuke before returning to Uchiha Mu on the rooftop, the greed in his eyes nearly impossible to conceal.

"Uchiha Mu's strength is unfathomable, while Sasuke possesses a pure Sharingan..."

"Once Gaara goes berserk and throws the arena into chaos, with Konoha's forces tied down, I can seize the chance to act and take those two pairs of Sharingan!"

The Root members stood with their heads lowered, not daring to interrupt. They had long grown accustomed to Danzo's ambition and schemes.

The battle in the arena continued to intensify.

Lee launched one fierce attack after another, forcing Gaara's sand defense to shatter bit by bit. Several close-range strikes had even grazed him, tearing his clothes.

Since childhood, this was the first time Gaara had ever been forced into such a state by someone his own age.

Humiliation, fury, and violent malice instantly overwhelmed his reason.

"You... have angered me."

Gaara's voice was hoarse and icy. The sand around him began to darken strangely as a violent, chilling chakra leaked uncontrollably from his body.

An oppressive, frenzied tailed beast aura instantly filled the air.

Shukaku's chakra was beginning to stir awake.

"This is bad, Gaara is losing control!"

Might Guy's expression changed drastically, and he immediately tried to rush into the arena to stop him.

Too late.

Rumble—

A massive amount of yellow sand surged wildly from Gaara's body, and his form swelled continuously. Shukaku's distinctive markings appeared across his arms and cheeks, while his eyes turned scarlet and savage.

One-Tail Shukaku's consciousness completely overtook his mind, and killing intent swept through the entire arena.

"Kill... kill them all..."

A hoarse, eerie growl emerged from Gaara's throat. Yellow sand filled the sky and blotted out the sun as it crazily crushed toward every corner of the arena.

The people in the stands scattered in panic. Screams and pounding footsteps descended into chaos.

Ibiki's face turned livid as he immediately ordered the ANBU to step forward and block it. But ordinary ANBU ninjutsu struck the waves of sand without raising even the slightest ripple.

This was the power of a tailed beast, something ordinary ninjas simply could not resist.

The Four Sound Ninja huddled in a corner, their faces filled with terror.

The One-Tail has gone berserk... The exam arena is completely thrown into chaos now. This is perfect for carrying out Lord Orochimaru's plan.

Everyone had fallen into panic, except for Uchiha Mu on the rooftop, whose expression remained calm.

He could clearly sense the incomparably vast One-Tail chakra pouring out without restraint, endlessly dispersing through the air.

"An opportunity delivered to my doorstep cannot be missed."

A faint gleam flashed through Mu's eyes.

If he took advantage of this berserk state to secretly absorb Shukaku's leaking chakra, his foundation would rise to an entirely new level.

In the next instant, the space around Mu distorted slightly as the Domain of Time silently spread out, covering several yards around him.

Time outside slowed, and to everyone else, he still appeared to be standing quietly on the rooftop. No one noticed anything unusual.

But Mu had already activated his absorption ability in secret. Like an invisible black hole, he silently drew in the One-Tail chakra scattered through the air, guiding it slowly into his body.

The violent, scorching tailed beast chakra was highly corrosive at first, trying to throw his chakra pathways into disorder.

But Mu possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan's control over space-time, and his own chakra reserves were exceptionally deep. He instantly suppressed and refined the power.

Strand by strand, wisp by wisp, Shukaku's chakra was continuously assimilated and stored away.

The total amount of chakra within his body was skyrocketing at a visible rate.

11800...
12500...
13200...

He was getting closer and closer to the mid-Kage level.

Below, the berserk Gaara had completely lost his reason. He controlled torrents of sand to madly destroy the arena, his eyes scarlet as he sought only to slaughter every living thing.

Rock Lee had exhausted his strength and collapsed to the ground. As he watched the out-of-control Gaara, his eyes were full of unwillingness and helplessness.

Just as the torrent of sand was about to swallow Lee—

A golden figure rushed forward at high speed. Naruto, his face full of anxiety, stood before Lee.

"You're not allowed to hurt my companion!"

Naruto glared furiously at the berserk Gaara. The Nine-Tails chakra in his body also began to stir instinctively, and two tailed beast-level auras of malice faintly confronted each other in the arena.

The chaos had completely taken shape. The entire Chunin Exams arena had fallen utterly out of control.

Seeing this, Danzo, hidden in the shadows, curled his lips into a sinister smile.

"Chaos. The more chaotic, the better."

"While everyone is tied down by the One-Tail, this is the perfect chance for me to make my move and seize the Uchiha ocular techniques!"

He slowly raised a hand, signaling the Root members to wait in secret. The moment the opportunity ripened, they would immediately move to capture Sasuke, then look for a chance to target Uchiha Mu on the rooftop.

Yet no one knew that atop the rooftop, Uchiha Mu was coldly watching the chaos unfold while quietly absorbing the immense chakra leaking from One-Tail Shukaku.

His aura was silently transforming, and his strength was soaring without end.

An undercurrent that would shape the ninja world was quietly rising beneath the chaos of the exam arena.