Back at the finals in the Tower.
Gekko Hayate announced the result of the first match.
"The match is over. The winner is Sasuke Uchiha."
"Hmph."
A confident smile appeared on Sasuke Uchiha's face as he snorted.
"Hah... hah..."
Rock Lee braced himself against the ground, his face pale as he gasped for breath.
Grind, grind.
His teeth ground audibly together.
He was furious-furious at himself for not being any good at genjutsu.
Genjutsu again.
He had lost to genjutsu again!
Thud.
Bang, bang, bang-
Rock Lee dropped to his knees and pounded the ground, utterly unwilling to accept his defeat.
Why had he lost in the same way again?
Seeing this, Might Guy flashed onto the stage.
"Lee, don't let one defeat discourage you. You'll have plenty of chances to win it back."
Might Guy bent down, rested a hand on Lee's shoulder, and patiently reassured him.
"Just look at your teacher. I used to lose to Kakashi all the time, but now I can beat him."
Kakashi Hatate: ...
Watching from above, Luo Mang had finished observing the match. The victory had gone exactly as he expected: a genjutsu attack that exploited the enemy's weakness.
Sasuke had brains. As long as he wasn't provoked into acting impulsively, he could think of a way to win.
As for Lee...
Luo Mang looked up to check his reaction. Though Lee was dejected, he was at least far better off than after his battle with Gaara in the original story.
And because of the genjutsu, Rock Lee hadn't removed the restraints on his legs or activated the Eight Gates technique to boost his speed. Though he hadn't won, at least he hadn't revealed his abilities or suffered any injuries.
[*Hmm, Rock Lee didn't show his true strength, but I suppose it