"Yemu, aren't you nervous? Oh... right, that isn't Qingxue down there."
Hinata Hyuga patted her forehead as she remembered.
The person below wasn't Qingxue Uchiha, but Yemu's shadow clone.
At that thought, Hinata looked at Rock Lee with a hint of pity.
"Neji, do you think Rock Lee will go easy on her?"
Tenten stood beside Neji, curiosity in her eyes.
Neji shook his head. "I haven't spent that much time with you two, but I still know Rock Lee isn't the kind of person who would concede or throw a match easily."
As his words fell, the scene shifted.
Down in the arena.
A light breeze stirred up clouds of dust.
"Now, let the second round begin!!"
Gekko Hayate announced the start of the match.
"Please give me your guidance!"
Rock Lee cupped his hands in greeting, then instantly vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
He spun into a flying side kick aimed straight at Qingxue Uchiha's head.
"Konoha Whirlwind!!"
Seeing that Rock Lee wasn't holding back, Yemu watched him.
A flicker of satisfaction crossed his eyes.
He crossed his arms to block.
Bang!!
Yemu slid backward, using the remaining momentum to leap into the air. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!!"
Perfect.
He could use Rock Lee to test the two-stage combination ninjutsu he had recently developed.
!!!
Rock Lee reacted.
He leaped backward, dodging the Fire Release attack with several backflips.
Thud!!
Yemu landed lightly on the ground.
He clenched one hand.
Under his chakra control, the erupting flames condensed into a huge net that closed around Rock Lee.
"What?"
"Two-stage chakra control?"
Up in the stands, Kakashi Hatate's gaze flickered at the sight of Qingxue Uchiha's control over her ninjutsu.
With that thought in mind, Kakashi Hatake acted.
He couldn't help activating his Sharingan.
He prepared to