A new day dawned. Everyone in Team 7 had passed the preliminaries, so none of the three had any matches today. But Naruto and Sasuke insisted on coming to watch.
Know yourself and your enemy, and you could fight a hundred battles without defeat.
As expected, this match was between Rock Lee and Gaara.
Meihui followed Naruto and Sasuke up to the spectator stands and watched Rock Lee warming up in the arena.
"Twist your neck, wiggle your butt, stretch your arms, kick your legs..." Rock Lee chanted as he stretched.
Up in the stands stood a man dressed in green who looked as though he and Rock Lee had come from the same mold. Their hairstyles, clothes, and even mannerisms were all far too alike.
Meihui noticed him too: Konoha's Blue Beast, the man who had nearly kicked the story straight to its finale-Youth Bro.
He glanced back at Rock Lee in the arena and shook his head. After showing off today, Rock Lee would probably have his account banned for several hundred episodes.
"Begin the match." Once both fighters were ready, Gekko Hayate immediately announced the start.
At the signal, Rock Lee charged forward, but Gaara's sand blocked every one of his probing attacks.
Seeing that his attacks had accomplished nothing, Rock Lee quickly put some distance between them.
Gaara tried to catch Rock Lee with his sand, but it clearly could not keep up with his speed. Still, Rock Lee could not find a way to deal with Gaara just yet either.
Rock Lee had speed and explosive power, but Gaara had a grab move. He could only fight while retreating, staying mobile. Finding an opening, Rock Lee leaped onto a raised platform and looked toward Might Guy.
"Guy-sensei, can we use that technique?"
"No problem, Lee. Take off your weights too. You have my permission. Lee, let your sweat flow! Our youth has no regrets!"
At Guy's words, Rock Lee immediately removed the lead weights strapped to his legs.
"Tch, they're just some simple weights. He can't possibly beat Gaara." Temari shook her head at the sight.
"Bro, what's your take?" Naruto was curious too. What exactly made this bushy-browed guy so strong?
"My take? I'm taking a seat and watching. You can't judge a book by its cover, or measure the sea with a cup. Just watch the match and stop yapping." After Meihui's scolding, Naruto fell silent and obediently watched.
As Lee let go of the weights, the lead bars hit the ground, sending clouds of dust billowing up.
Everyone nearby stared in disbelief. He normally carried things that heavy around and could still move that fast?
They sucked in sharp breaths. Truly terrifying.
With his seal released, Rock Lee charged down again. Only this time, he had logged into his main account-Youth Bro.
Through sheer speed alone, Rock Lee left Gaara's sand completely unable to keep up. Now the pressure was on Gaara.
Gaara, who had always been protected by his sand, was knocked down for the first time.
Rock Lee circled Gaara, constantly throwing punches, kicks, and elbow strikes...
Finally, amid the sand's repeated attempts to protect Gaara, Rock Lee found a gap and delivered a huge slap across his face.
Gaara was completely stunned. Why was this guy hitting him in the face?
Gaara was not the only one shocked. Temari and Kankuro were staring dumbfounded too. This kid in green really had guts. He actually dared to hit Gaara in the face.
On one hand, they were shocked that Rock Lee could move too fast for the sand to catch him. On the other, they were stunned that he had the nerve to slap Gaara.
Rock Lee himself had not thought that much about it. He still remembered learning that move from Meihui.
It had been a scorching summer...
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