Shira moved.
There were no fancy movements, no trace of Chakra bursts, just the simplest forward dash.
But as soon as that step was taken, the air on the training field seemed to freeze for a moment.
Rock Lee only felt a blur before his eyes, and the figure was already approaching him with heavy wind pressure, moving so fast that it made him gasp for breath.
Before he could even think, his body reacted. Rock Lee crossed his arms to protect his chest, planted his feet firmly in a horse stance, and prepared to take the hit head-on.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Shira's fist slammed into Rock Lee's crossed arms. The force wasn't enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, but it was exceptionally concentrated and had extremely strong penetrating power.
Rock Lee felt a sudden tingling and numbness in his forearm, and was pushed backward by the force, sliding half a meter. In an instant, two shallow tracks were plowed into the sand.
Before he could regain his balance, Shira's second strike followed. It was still a straight punch, but this time the target had changed from his chest to his jaw. The angle was tricky, and the speed was even faster!
Rock Lee managed to turn his head slightly, the force of the punch grazing his cheek, causing a burning pain. He lowered his body and launched a sweeping leg attack at Shira's lower body, attempting to disrupt her balance.
Shira seemed to have anticipated this, abruptly halting her forward momentum. She raised her left leg and met Rock Lee's sweeping kick head-on with her shin.
"Bang!"
Another solid impact. Rock Lee felt as if he had kicked an iron pillar, and his instep went numb.
Using the recoil from the impact, Shira slightly rotated her body and lashed out with her right leg like a whip, whistling through the air as it struck Rock Lee's side.
Too fast! Rock Lee's pupils contracted sharply. At this moment, he hadn't retracted his sweeping leg, and his center of gravity was low, making it impossible to avoid.
Rock Lee gritted his teeth, lowered his arms that were protecting him, and tucked his elbows in, preparing to use his hardest elbow bones to withstand the kick.
"Smack!"
The kick and elbow collided. Rock Lee was sent flying sideways, staggering a few steps before barely regaining his balance. A piercing pain shot through his left elbow, making it almost impossible for him to lift it.
But his eyes shone brighter; the pain had actually stimulated his nerves, making him even more focused.
"Such immense power! Such lightning-fast transitions!"
Rock Lee was shocked. Shira's attacks were all concise and powerful, with each strike simple yet effective. The transitions between punches and kicks were incredibly smooth, giving her opponent no chance to breathe.
Shira did not pursue him. She stood still, looking at him calmly, as if waiting for him to adjust his mind.
This composure put more pressure on Rock Lee than the onslaught of storms.
pressure!
"We can't just play passively!" Rock Lee took a deep breath, suppressing the pain in his arm. He realized that Shira's Taijutsu style was steady and solid, adept at using stillness to control movement and striking first after the opponent has moved.
If you only defend or attack, you'll fall into your opponent's rhythm. You must disrupt their pace!
With a thought racing through his mind, Rock Lee charged forward again. This time, he didn't rush in a straight line, but instead approached quickly in a zigzag pattern.
Shira got into position, watching Li charging towards her.
Just as Rock Lee entered the attack range, Rock Lee suddenly stopped, pretending to pounce, but it was a convincing feint.
The real killing move was hidden behind him—his body weight shifted strangely, almost touching the ground, and his right leg, like a scorpion's tail, lashed upwards at Shira's unsuspecting lower body!
This is a ruthless close-range technique from the Konoha-Style Taijutsu, rarely used except in life-or-death battles or sparring sessions where there is extreme trust.
Rock Lee used this move both out of desperation and because he considered Shira an opponent he had to fight with all his might.
Naruto had been watching the whole thing, couldn't help but exclaim "Ah!" and cover his eyes.
Shira's eyes narrowed. This was a bit unexpected, and the angle was quite tricky.
But he reacted even faster, and in the nick of time, he suddenly brought his legs together, his knees buckling inward, and narrowly managed to trap Rock Lee's outstretched ankle with the inside of his thighs!
At the same time, taking advantage of the pincer attack, he leaned forward and slammed his right elbow down like a hammer onto Rock Lee's exposed chest below!
With his ankle restrained and unable to break free, Rock Lee's eyes flashed with a ruthless glint as he saw the elbow strike coming at him.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, his trapped right leg suddenly pushing off with force, not to break free backward, but forward, using the momentum to lift his body slightly upward. At the same time, his left fist, brimming with power, slammed into the inside of Shira's elbow joint as it slammed down—that was the point of force, and relatively vulnerable!
Trade blows for blows! Force you to retreat and defend!
A hint of surprise flashed in Shira's eyes. This guy Li, his combat instincts and ruthlessness are already starting to show? I'm really happy for him, but...
Shira's right elbow, which was about to strike, suddenly changed direction in mid-air, turning the blow into a pressure, and still landed on Rock Lee's chest! However, the force was reduced a bit, and at the same time, he loosened and twisted his legs that were clamping Rock Lee's ankle, sending out a clever force.
Rock Lee felt a spinning force coming from under his feet, and his body immediately lost its balance. His fist, which was aimed at Shira's elbow joint, also missed its target.
The next second, he felt a weight on his chest as Shira's elbow pressed lightly against his heart before being withdrawn. He was then spun halfway around by the twisting force, staggering and falling to the ground, his mouth full of dirt and sand.
"Cough cough..." Rock Lee lay on the ground and coughed twice. A surge of blood rushed to the spot on his chest where he had been struck, but he felt more frustrated and excited.
He rolled over and got up, his face covered in sand, but his eyes shone with an alarming light as he stared intently at Shira.
" Shira! Excuse me, how did you do that just now?" He was referring to the strange loosening and twisting of Shira's legs.
"Focus and timing." Shira spoke succinctly, without elaborating further. Rock Lee's exchange of injury for injury had indeed surprised him, and it also raised his opinion of Rock Lee even higher.
What Li lacks now is experience and systematic combat skills, but his ability to adapt to situations and his ruthlessness are qualities possessed by very few people of his age.
"Again!" Rock Lee wiped the sand from his mouth and got into a fighting stance. He could tell that Shira was still not using her full strength, but even now, Shira was like an insurmountable mountain standing in front of him.
The ensuing battle almost became a one-sided practice session for Shira. Rock Lee gave it his all, using all the basic Konoha Taijutsu he had learned, the variations he had devised, and even some unorthodox street fighting techniques. Sometimes he launched a strong attack, sometimes he fought guerrilla warfare, and sometimes he set traps.
But these attacks seemed so pale in comparison to Shira.
Shira's response was textbook perfect. She dodged Rock Lee's straight punch by sidestepping, while simultaneously hooking her fingers towards Xiao Li's wrist pressure point;
He could either block or deflect Rock Lee's kicks, always managing to neutralize them with minimal effort and instantly counterattack with Xiao Li's supporting leg.
He saw through Rock Lee's feint with keen eyes and instead turned the tables, inducing Rock Lee to reveal an even bigger flaw.
His movements were always concise, without a single unnecessary action.
When defending, they are as steady as a rock; when counterattacking, they are as swift as lightning.
The control over distance, angle, and timing was exquisite. Rock Lee felt like a flying insect caught in a spider web; no matter how much he struggled, he was only entangled tighter and tighter by the invisible, precise "threads," leaving him powerless.
Deep within the tree canopy.
The Anbu Guard's gaze, peering through the eyeholes of his mask, was fixed on the black figure below. The muscles on his face were slightly tense beneath the mask.
This Shira from Sunagakure is pretty strong.
It's not about Chakra, nor about knowing any earth-shattering secret techniques. It's just simple Taijutsu, the most basic hand-to-hand combat skills imaginable.
But it was precisely these basic punches and kicks that displayed astonishing power in him.
That keen eye could always see through Rock Lee's naive yet insightful attack intentions. His control over his body, his grasp of exerting and retracting force, and his shifting of the center of gravity, was terrifyingly precise.
This is definitely not the level of Taijutsu that an ordinary Genin should have. Even many Chunin might not be as skilled as him in pure Taijutsu combat.
Are all Sunagakure Genin trained like this? Or is this an exception?
Xiao's mind raced rapidly. Strength, speed, reaction, skill, experience, mindset...
This Shira has virtually no obvious weaknesses in the realm of Taijutsu.
Rock Lee was already considered one of the best in Taijutsu among his peers, full of fighting spirit, but in front of Shira, he was completely seen through and controlled, like a child struggling to wield a wooden sword facing a real swordsman.
However, Owl also noticed that Shira seemed to be holding back. He didn't use his full strength, and each time he hit Rock Lee, he controlled his power very well.
"He definitely still has reserves of strength and trump cards he hasn't used yet. His physique and attack power cannot be acquired overnight through training."
Owl pondered silently. But in any case, the strength and potential displayed by this Sunagakure boy were already worthy of being recorded.
He is currently harmless to Jinchūriki, and may even have a positive impact, but his abilities themselves are an uncertain factor that needs attention.
Owl's gaze swept across the arena once more. Rock Lee was easily tripped by Shira again, but he immediately got up, his eyes defiant.
The Sunagakure boy remained calm, though his aura grew increasingly heavy and focused.
The outcome of this sparring match is already decided. But it seems that the stubborn Rock Lee has no intention of admitting defeat.
It's good that he gets hit a few more times and sees what real Taijutsu are like; it might not be a bad thing for him.
Well, as long as that Sunagakure kid knows his limits.
Xiao regained his composure and continued his observation.