Kakashi was not the only one who had been rattled.
The speed Sasuke had shown earlier already said a great deal.
Yet before this, Sasuke clearly had not been this strong.
No one felt that more keenly than Rock Lee.
A month earlier, before the first test of the Chunin Ninja Exams, he had challenged Sasuke.
Caught off guard back then, Sasuke had been hard-pressed by his Taijutsu. If Naruto had not stepped in at the end, Lee might have seriously injured him.
And what about Sasuke today? Lee specialized in Taijutsu, so he understood better than anyone how difficult it was to reach the speed Sasuke had just displayed.
At the very least, he could not do it.
Was this what a naturally gifted fighter was like...
One after another, they had all become so strong. Naruto, Sakura, and now Sasuke...
Lee gripped his crutches tightly, blood gradually seeping through his bandages.
His teacher, Might Guy, noticed something was wrong, but he had nothing to say. All he could do was sigh inwardly.
As his teacher, he knew all too well how recklessly Lee trained.
Yet now, despite all that hard work, Lee had watched Naruto and his teammates surpass him one after another.
So this boy was struggling to keep his balance emotionally for the moment...
On the contestants' viewing platform, Temari and Kankuro stared in shock at Gaara lying on the ground, scarcely able to believe their eyes.
At the same time, sweat involuntarily beaded on their foreheads.
Gaara, don't take this too far. Keep the bigger picture in mind...
Knocked to the ground, Gaara seemed stunned by the blow, or perhaps unable to believe what had happened. He crawled on the ground for several seconds before slowly pushing himself up with both hands.
Gaara panted heavily,