The Preliminaries, Part Two: Eight Gates Released Formation

The seventh match pitted Rock Lee against Gaara.

Gaara, itching for a fight, opened by firing the stopper from his Gourd. Rock Lee charged in with a Konoha Whirlwind, but Gaara's wall of sand blocked it and struck back.

Rock Lee backflipped clear and put some distance between them before attacking again. Every blow was stopped by Gaara's sand.

At last, Gaara caught Rock Lee with his sand and hurled him away.

The sand came at Rock Lee again. He dodged with a string of backflips, but stepped on some sand and fell.

At the last moment, Rock Lee sprang up, backflipped several more times, and landed on a high ledge.

Seeing Rock Lee in trouble, Might Guy signaled to him: Take them off!

He didn't mean Rock Lee's clothes. He meant the weighted leg wraps he wore.

Temari eyed the two seemingly light wraps in Rock Lee's hands and scoffed to herself. So he's shedding a little weight. What difference could that make?

Then Rock Lee dropped them.

BOOM!

The two seemingly light wraps punched craters into the floor. Every ninja in the hall stared, openmouthed and disbelieving.

Naruto had known about the weights beforehand, but seeing them for himself still made his eyelids twitch.

How strong was Rock Lee's body? If Naruto had worn those weights, he might have struggled just to jump.

After gaining the Mangekyō Sharingan, Naruto had dreamed of using the Eight Gates Released Formation without limit. Now he saw how far he still had to go.

But the sight didn't discourage him. It fired his competitive spirit. If someone else can do it, why can't I?

After the match, I'm finding Might Guy and asking him to train me. I have to learn a proper training regimen! Naruto vowed.

Free of the weights, Rock Lee showed what he could do. Gaara's sand could barely keep up with him.

Suddenly, Rock Lee landed a heavy kick, then punched Gaara flying.

But Gaara rose a moment later, his face twisted with rage, without a scratch.

He had already covered his whole body in Armor of Sand.

Unfazed, Rock Lee unwound the bandages from his hands. He moved with blinding speed, kicking Gaara in the face and sending him into the air.

Rock Lee flashed up beside him and unleashed a flurry of kicks, finishing with Front Lotus and slamming Gaara into the ground.

But when the dust cleared, only a Sand Clone lay there. The real Gaara appeared behind Rock Lee.

Rock Lee's body had been pushed beyond its limits. For an instant in midair, his concentration had slipped, and Gaara had seized the chance to replace himself with a Sand Clone.

Gaara knocked Rock Lee to the ground with a single strike of sand.

Rock Lee had yet to recover from using Front Lotus. He could only take the blow.

As Gaara prepared to end the fight, Rock Lee opened the Third Gate: Gate of Life and the Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain. Chakra erupted from him.

He moved like a ghost. No one could follow him with their eyes, and Kakashi had to activate his Sharingan.

Naruto watched, his eyes full of envy and longing.

Rock Lee struck before Gaara could react, kicking him into the air again. He flashed up beside Gaara and unleashed another barrage.

This time, he finally broke through the Armor of Sand!

For his final blow, Rock Lee opened the Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit. His Chakra surged more violently, and his speed and strength soared again as he unleashed Reverse Lotus on Gaara!

He had intended to save that move for Neji. But to earn a place in the Third Exam, he had no choice but to reveal it early.

Around the arena, jaws dropped again.

Naruto's heart clenched. If Rock Lee attacked him in that state, Naruto knew he couldn't win without the Flying Thunder God Technique.

The Uzumaki Clan Sage Body would let him survive, at least.

Gaara took the full blow and plummeted from high above!

But the Gourd on his back suddenly turned to sand, cushioning the impact and protecting him.

Gaara had escaped again!

Rock Lee, though, had reached his limit. His strength gave out, and he collapsed.

Gaara glared at him, his face contorted. He used Sand Binding Coffin, sending sand to wrap around Rock Lee's left arm and leg, ready to twist and crush them.

Naruto suddenly appeared beside Rock Lee and thrust both hands toward the sand. "Wind Release: Gale Palm!"

The strike severed the sand, saving Rock Lee's arm and leg!

Might Guy finally reacted and stepped in front of Rock Lee. Referee Gekko Hayate and Sunagakure's Jonin team leader also stopped Gaara from attacking again.

Rock Lee had lost, but his arm and leg were safe.

Might Guy and Rock Lee thanked Naruto profusely.

Naruto smiled and brushed off their thanks, thinking, If I ask Might Guy to train me now, he won't turn me down, will he?

He also resolved that even after learning the Eight Gates Released Formation, he would first master a sword technique.

If Rock Lee had held a blade sturdy enough during that assault, he could have cut through the Armor of Sand more easily and ended the fight with one fatal stroke.

Just as Akado Yoroi, the bespectacled fighter, had tried to do to Sasuke at the start.

The eighth match soon began: Hinata against Neji.

The spectators gathered themselves after the last fight's shock and turned to watch the two Hyuga Ninja.

One was the cherished daughter of the Hyuga Main Family; the other was a Branch Family prodigy.

Their fathers, too, had a bitter history.

In the arena, Neji activated his Byakugan and fixed Hinata with a stare. Then came a barrage of words meant to shake her. The petite Hinata trembled.

"Hey, you self-pitying fool!" Naruto called from a distance, glaring at Neji.

"Don't act like you're the only person in the world who's suffered! I've never seen my parents. Did I complain? People call me the Demon Fox. Did I complain? I've had to eat expired food and catch my own fish. Did I complain?"

"Complaining is what the weak do! If you want to be strong, act like it!"

Naruto's voice rose with every word. Everyone turned to look at him. The ninja who knew his history couldn't hide the sympathy in their eyes.

Kakashi, too, seemed to finally understand something.

Only the Third Hokage remained outwardly calm, his eyes dark as he suppressed his anger. For an instant, he felt as though he had glimpsed a secret, but it slipped away.

Once the Chunin Ninja Exams were over, the Third Hokage intended to subject Naruto to fresh indoctrination or punishment. He could not let such "dangerous" thoughts take root in Naruto's mind.

Naruto no longer cared what the Third Hokage thought. The man's days were numbered.

Even if something unexpected happened, Naruto would give the Third Hokage a push into hell himself!

Neji looked at Naruto thoughtfully. He had heard of the village's notorious outcast and had even witnessed some of Naruto's troubles at school and around the village.

But one or two speeches couldn't change what someone believed. Naruto would have to defeat Neji and shatter his convictions first.

Naruto's words had encouraged Hinata as well. She was shy and quiet, but she had always watched Naruto and understood his suffering better than anyone.

Now her fighting spirit flared. She would learn from Naruto, overcome every obstacle, and face reality bravely!

Hinata activated her Byakugan and engaged Neji.

At first, they traded blows evenly. Hinata found an opening and struck with her palm, but Neji deflected it with ease and hit her hard enough to make her cough blood.

Hinata pushed Neji's lingering hand away and struck again. Neji calmly tapped her arm, then lifted her sleeve to reveal a dense spread of red marks.

The sight made Naruto's heart ache.

Neji knocked Hinata away with a palm strike, but she struggled to her feet.

They clashed again. Neji found an opening and struck Hinata over the heart.

Hinata fell and did not rise.

The referee was about to declare Neji the winner when Hinata shakily stood up.

Naruto watched in silence, gripping the railing before him with both hands.

Neji sneered and told Hinata to give up her futile struggle. Gasping for breath, she told him that, caught between the fates of the Main Family and Branch Family, he was the one truly lost and in pain.

Her words struck Neji where it hurt most.

He lunged to deal her a fatal blow. A figure flashed before his eyes, and a kick sent him flying!

Naruto stood coldly in front of Hinata. Looking at Neji sprawled on the ground, he said in an icy voice:

"You didn't listen to a word Hinata or I said. Maybe after I knock some sense into you in the Third Exam, you'll think it over."

The eighth match ended with Hinata's defeat. Medical ninja carried her away.

With that, the Preliminaries for the Third Exam were over.

The winners:

Sasuke Uchiha, Shino Aburame, Kankuro, Temari, Shikamaru, Gaara, and Neji.

And Naruto, who had advanced with a bye!

The Third Exam was about to begin!

Fierce battles and a massive upheaval lay ahead!

Naruto had waited a long time for this moment!