Learn the Eight Gates with Me

Under Rock Lee's fierce blow, Gaara's body plummeted like a meteor.

Boom! A deafening crash rang out.

Gaara smashed a deep crater into the ground, sending dust several yards into the air and destroying half the arena.

When the dust settled,

Gaara lay amid the shattered stones of the arena, gasping heavily.

The burden of the Eight Gates had also caused Rock Lee's physical condition to plummet, and he sat collapsed on the ground.

Kanami glanced at Might Guy, his brows knitting together.

From the grave expression on Might Guy's face, it was clear that he still had not made up his mind about whether to stop the match.

If this continued, Rock Lee would be half-crippled.

Kanami used the Body Flicker Technique. After the air trembled slightly, he appeared beside Might Guy.

"Guy-sensei, if you don't call off this match, you'll regret it."

Might Guy, who had been hesitating over whether to stop the match, narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean by that?"

After saying that, Kanami turned and left.

He did want to save Rock Lee, but he knew how determined Lee was.

If he rashly called off the match himself, Lee would only resent him. Their relationship was not close enough for him to save Lee at the cost of being hated by him.

It was merely the rose-tinted lens of his past life at work. Reminding the hesitant Might Guy was enough; the choice afterward was still up to Might Guy himself.

At this moment, the sand on the arena had already transformed into a giant hand and reached for Rock Lee, who was struggling to crawl away.

Might Guy clenched his teeth, his body trembling.

The sand instantly wrapped around Rock Lee's left arm and left leg.

"Die!"

Gaara clenched his hand.

"Tch! Sand Coffin!"

Just one second before Gaara used his killing move, Might Guy instantly appeared on the arena and struck with his palm.

The sand that had enveloped half of Rock Lee's body was scattered in an instant by the force of the palm strike.

Rock Lee, covered in wounds, barely managed to rise from the ground.

"G-Guy-sensei, why...?"

Might Guy pulled Rock Lee into his arms. "Lee! You are my most precious subordinate. I will not allow you to stop here."

He knew that even if Guy-sensei had not interrupted the match, he had already lost.

Held in Might Guy's arms, tears welled up in Rock Lee's eyes.

"Guy-sensei, I'm so unwilling to accept this..."

"Cough, cough."

Gekko Hayate coughed twice. It was impossible to tell whether he was truly ill or simply trying to ease the atmosphere.

"I declare Gaara the winner of the tenth preliminary match."

Silence filled the arena.

No one cheered, nor did anyone sigh in regret.

Although the result was what they had expected—everyone had believed Rock Lee would lose to Gaara—the course of the battle had far exceeded their expectations.

Kankuro and Temari, who had previously been so confident, no longer looked at Rock Lee with any contempt.

As the electronic screen began scrolling again, the names Choji Akimichi and Dosu appeared.

Gekko Hayate walked to the center of the arena.

"Now, the eleventh match: Choji Akimichi versus Dosu. Begin."

After the medical staff helped Rock Lee away, Might Guy came over to Kanami.

With a serious expression, he said, "Thank you."

Only after blocking Gaara's attack did he realize just how clear Gaara's killing intent had been when he used that move.

Without Kanami's reminder, he might truly have been one moment too late, leading to irreversible consequences.

More than seeing Rock Lee prove himself in this battle, he wanted Rock Lee to go further.

Kanami smiled at Might Guy.

"It was mainly because you care about Lee. Otherwise, you wouldn't have stepped in to stop it."

Might Guy shook his head. "If you had not awakened me, I would certainly have let Lee carry through with his so-called ninja way."

"After stopping it, I began to regret my hesitation. How could I gamble Lee's future on a single battle?"

Kanami scratched his head. Seeing Might Guy's earnest expression, he did not know what to say.

Might Guy continued, "Earlier, I noticed that you seem to have considerable talent in taijutsu as well. Would you like to train in taijutsu with me?"

Kanami showed a thoughtful expression upon hearing that.

He had just been complaining in his previous match that he lacked a powerful one-hit means of killing an enemy, and now this had come so quickly?

Taijutsu was a path he had never considered.

But it seemed quite suitable for his current self.

Kanami nodded with a smile. "All right, Guy-sensei. Then please guide me from now on."

"Yosh!"

Might Guy laughed heartily and produced a matching green jumpsuit, holding it out to Kanami.

"A meeting gift."

Kanami instinctively took a step back.

He had not even seen where Might Guy had pulled the jumpsuit from.

If he did not know that Might Guy had a summoning beast, he would have thought the man had signed a summoning contract with the jumpsuit.

Kanami hurriedly waved his hands. "It wouldn't be appropriate to accept a gift the first time we meet."

Might Guy stepped forward and said excitedly,

"Only disciples recognized by me can receive this one-of-a-kind jumpsuit of mine!"

One of a kind?

Then what was Rock Lee wearing? And what was he holding in his hand?

Kanami furiously mocked him in his heart.

In the end, after Might Guy's persistent persuasion, he still accepted the green jumpsuit.

Because he learned from Might Guy that even Neji and Tenten had one of these outfits!

They had simply hidden their jumpsuits away long ago.

Kanami strongly agreed with their approach, thinking that once the match was over, he would go back and stuff the jumpsuit into a cabinet to gather dust.

"Dosu wins the eleventh preliminary match."

With Gekko Hayate's announcement, the electronic screen flashed once more.

The names Yuzuki and Hanashiro Yoshiko gradually appeared.

Seeing Yuzuki's name appear on the screen, Kanami and the others looked toward her.

"Good luck."

"Good luck..."

"Good luck!"

"Good luck, Sis!"

"I will." Yuzuki smiled and walked to the side.

Shino Aburame beside her adjusted his glasses. "Good luck."

The woman named Hanashiro Yoshiko leaped down from the stands and landed in the arena.

After more than ten seconds, Yuzuki had still not entered the arena.

Seeing this, Gekko Hayate shouted toward the stands, "Contestant Yuzuki, please enter the arena."

"I'm coming," Yuzuki answered.

Yuzuki slowly emerged from the stairwell and made her way onto the arena.

Seeing her come down the stairs, Hanashiro Yoshiko's face revealed undisguised mockery.

So she had gone to take the stairs...

Gekko Hayate scratched his head awkwardly.

The people in the stands also frowned one after another.

"Huh? Why did she take the stairs? Isn't she a ninja?"

"Idiot... Could she take the Chunin Ninja Exams if she weren't a ninja?"

"She can't even jump down from that height, yet she passed the Forest of Death?"

"She's on the same team as that Kanami."

"She got carried all the way through. I was wondering why someone so weak didn't have a single injury on her."

Kanami swept his gaze over those few ninja indifferently, and the voices of discussion instantly vanished.

Seeing that both sides were ready, Gekko Hayate said,

"Now, the twelfth preliminary match: Yuzuki versus Hanashiro Yoshiko. Officially begin."

Yuzuki unhurriedly opened the pouch at her waist, took out a Shuriken, and held it in her hand.

Seeing how slowly she moved, the mockery on Hanashiro Yoshiko's face deepened.

She sneered, "It would be easy to cut that pretty face of yours in battle. You should surrender."

What she meant was that Yuzuki had relied on her looks to get through and ought to know her place, or she would not be able to keep that face either.

Yuzuki said calmly, "Since you think faces are so important, then I'll cut yours."