Forcibly Opening the Gate of Limit: Reverse Lotus

Kakashi watched Little Lee in the arena, his heart filled with surprise!

"Is this kid really a genius?"

Kakashi himself knew the Eight Gates, yet he could only barely open the third gate!

In the arena, Little Lee's speed and strength surged dramatically!

Even before opening the Eight Gates, Gaara had already been unable to see Little Lee's movements!

Now, Little Lee was more than ten times faster than before!

Before Gaara could react, Little Lee sent him flying with a kick!

Gaara's sand tried to attack and stop Little Lee, but it could no longer keep up with his speed!

Little Lee's attacks had increased not only in speed, but in power as well!

As Gaara was kicked into the air, his Sand Armor shattered once more!

Little Lee's assault did not stop!

In midair, he unleashed one combo after another!

"Bang bang bang bang bang..."

Gaara was continuously kicked through the air!

He could not even fall back to the ground!

Naruto and the others watching could not even catch sight of Little Lee's figure.

Even Sasuke, with his three-tomoe Sharingan activated, could not see clearly!

He could only barely catch a trace of Little Lee's silhouette!

"Strong!"

"Too strong!"

Naruto's blood boiled as he watched. He had never expected this watermelon-headed Little Lee to be so absurdly powerful!

On the other side, where the Sand Village team stood!

"Gaara..."

Temari watched Gaara, who was completely unable to resist, with deep worry!

Kankuro's mouth had long fallen open in shock. When had Gaara ever...

...been in such a sorry state?

It seemed that, from childhood until now, there had not been a single time!

For the first time, Kankuro felt that his younger brother was not so invincible or terrifying after all!

Gaara could be helpless too. At that moment, Kankuro felt that Gaara... was still a human being!

Little Lee's aerial combo continued. Damn, even Xiao Wu's Eight-Section Throw in Soul Land was not this outrageous!

Could it have been learned from here?

It was only because she could not use the Eight Gates that she had learned that version of the Eight-Section Throw!

Gaara's Sand Armor was cracking apart layer by layer. It could no longer hold!

Still unsatisfied, Little Lee forcibly opened another gate. Gaara's defense was simply too monstrous!

"Gate of Limit!" "Open!"

Gaara, still in midair, watched Little Lee's aura surge once again.

He could not block it!

Could a human truly reach this kind of speed?

Gaara was shaken to his core!

Damn it, who exactly is the monster here—you or me?

"Neji, I originally planned to use this ultimate move to defeat you!"

"This time... I'll give you a special demonstration!"

After saying that, Little Lee slammed a lightning-fast punch into Gaara's abdomen!

"Bang!"

Hit by the attack, Gaara's body hurtled toward the ground!

But before he could crash into it, Little Lee's bandages pulled him back into the air!

Reverse Lotus!

A high-speed combo taijutsu that did not even let the opponent touch the ground!

Gaara's sand tried to defend again, but it simply could not keep up with Little Lee's speed!

As Gaara was yanked back up, Little Lee charged at him once more!

He smashed another heavy punch into him!

"Bang!"

Gaara plummeted rapidly!

"Boom!"

He slammed into the ground, blasting out a massive crater and covering the arena floor in dense cracks!

Neji had kept his Byakugan activated throughout the entire scene. His mouth twitched, and even the veins at the corners of his bulging eyes jumped!

Damn it, Little Lee!

Listen here, I really have to thank you!

You actually wanted to use that move against me?

No matter how powerful my Gentle Fist is, I don't have speed like yours!

Who the hell could block that?

Neji felt that even Heavenly Rotation might not be enough to counter Little Lee's move!

However, as long as he did not get launched into the air and caught in that combo...

But... that was still the same problem. How could he defend against such speed?

He could not just keep using Heavenly Rotation and spin in place like a top, could he?

Unless...

Unless his Byakugan awakened the kind of ability his brother possessed!

Then he could directly crush everything around himself from every direction!

Otherwise, there was simply no way to defend against it!

While Neji was speechless, the three members of Team 7 were also wondering whether they could truly block that move if they faced it themselves.

Sasuke felt that he most likely could not!

Even his Sharingan could not see Little Lee's speed. And even if he could see it, his body would not have time to react!

Sasuke had understood that principle long ago during Tenka's training!

Perhaps... Naruto's monstrous physique could endure it?

Sakura also felt that she could not block it!

It was simply too terrifying. Were the previous year's students all this monstrous?

Sakura's gaze could not help shifting toward Neji. Could this guy... know that move too?

After all... they had the same teacher!

"Thick Brows!"

"Watch out!"

Suddenly, Naruto's cry rang through the entire arena!

Everyone looked back, only to see that Little Lee could no longer move after forcibly opening the Gate of Limit!

And Gaara, though heavily injured by that attack and unable to rise from the ground...

...had not been finished off!

At the critical moment, sand spilled from his gourd and formed a thick protective cushion beneath him the instant he landed!

Gaara painfully turned his head to look at Little Lee, then controlled the sand and reached out to grab him!

Sand immediately bound one of Little Lee's arms and one of his legs!

Gaara clenched his palm!

"Sand Binding Coffin!"

"Aah..."

Little Lee screamed. Piercing pain surged through his bound arm and leg at the same time, and he collapsed!

Gaara was not satisfied!

He continued controlling the sand, intending to kill Little Lee!

At the instant the sand was about to finish Little Lee off, Might Guy appeared in front of him!

With a wave of his hand, he dispersed Gaara's attack!

"You've already won!"

"Why did you save him?"

Gaara was not interested in victory or defeat. He only wanted to know why this person had come down.

"Because... he is my most beloved student!"

Seeing this, Genma Shiranui was about to declare Gaara the winner!

But... Little Lee, who had already fallen, shakily rose to his feet!

Blood dripped onto the ground from the arm hanging unnaturally at his side!

Even though his arm and leg were already fractured, he still stood up and assumed an attacking stance toward Gaara with one hand!

Might Guy realized that Little Lee had completely lost consciousness. The only reason he could still stand...

...was the obsession and willpower he had always carried within him!

He wanted to prove his ninja way!

For that, even losing his life would be worth it!

Everyone was deeply shaken by the sight.

For the first time, Gaara's heart was stirred as well!

It was as if he understood something, yet also as if he understood nothing!

The medical team came forward. After examining Little Lee for a while, they said to Might Guy:

"He has suffered comminuted fractures throughout his entire body. It will probably be difficult for him to recover in this lifetime!"

"Even if he recovers, he will never be able to become a ninja again!"

The medical team's words filled everyone with sorrow!

Especially Might Guy and Naruto!

Sakura watched as Little Lee was carried away, and it felt as though she understood something too!

Her gaze became even more resolute!

Even if it meant giving up her life... so what?