The next day, after a half-day of rest, the group set out once again toward the central tower.
Thanks to Hyuga Gakuya's presence, no other teams dared ambush them. Every squad they encountered gave them a wide berth.
But just as they neared the central tower's gathering point, a figure appeared in their path. He wore a tight green jumpsuit, had thick eyebrows, and sported a classic bowl haircut.
It was Konohagakure's Blue Beast-in-training—Rock Lee.
The group came to a halt at once. Kiba Inuzuka crossed his arms impatiently and snapped,
"Get lost unless you want to be disqualified. We don't have time to mess with you."
He was clearly riding high with Gakuya backing him up, his tone practically dripping arrogance.
But Rock Lee ignored Kiba completely. Instead, he stepped forward and bowed slightly toward Gakuya.
"Mokushū-kun, please... fight me!"
"You dare ignore me?!" Kiba bristled with fury and stormed forward, ready to teach Lee a lesson.
But Gakuya held out an arm, stopping him. "You guys go ahead and secure the tower. I'll handle this."
"Mokushū-kun..." Hinata still looked worried.
"Don't worry," Gakuya said with a calm smile. "This won't take long."
"Be careful," Hinata said softly.
"I will."
The three of them dashed around Rock Lee and made a beeline for the final tower. Lee's eyes stayed fixed on Gakuya, making no move to stop them.
"If you want to spar with me, then you'd better come at me with the intent to kill," Gakuya said, his tone low and serious.
Rock Lee grinned with burning determination, his perfect white teeth gleaming in the sun.
"Don't worry! I'll give it everything I've got! That's my promise of youth!"
Gakuya looked at that blazing, youthful smile and couldn't help but silently mutter,
What a hot-blooded idiot...
"Leaf Hurricane!"
With a powerful leap, Lee launched a flying kick toward Gakuya.
As a taijutsu specialist, Lee's speed was extraordinary. That single kick sliced through the air with a loud whoosh. Among all the Konoha genin Gakuya had fought so far, Lee had the greatest speed and strength.
But it still wasn't enough.
Gakuya had joined the ANBU at just eight years old, gaining fame through his mastery of taijutsu.
If Lee removed the weights on his legs and activated the Eight Gates, he could briefly reach jonin-level speed and power. But right now?
Gakuya sidestepped and caught the kick with ease, then threw Lee aside with a flick of his arm.
Lee rolled once and landed on his feet, using one hand to steady himself.
"Your speed and power are far below mine. If you don't start using your real moves, you won't even touch the hem of my clothes," Gakuya said, standing with his hands behind his back, the very picture of composure.
"But..." Lee hesitated, conflicted. His teacher, Might Guy, had told him that techniques like the Eight Gates were to be used only to protect something truly important.
Yet facing an opponent like Gakuya, he couldn't bring himself to hold back. Wouldn't it be an insult to youth to give anything less than his all?
Surely his teacher wouldn't blame him this time.
With that thought, Lee crouched down and reached for the weights on his legs—
"Lee! Have you forgotten what sensei said?!"
A voice rang out.
Neji Hyuga and Tenten emerged from the entrance of the central tower.
Neji stepped forward. "You can save this spar for the third round of the exams."
Those two sentences snapped Lee back to his senses. He'd almost broken his promise.
"I'm sorry," he said, bowing deeply. "There's a reason I can't go all-out. Let's fight another time."
Gakuya waved it off. "It's fine. I'm ready whenever you are."
"Thank you for understanding. You really are a very admirable person," Lee said sincerely.
"Thanks for the kind words." Mokushū smiled faintly, then turned and walked toward the central tower, leaving only his back in view.
Neji stepped up beside Lee. "How strong is he?"
Lee's expression turned serious. "Very strong. If I don't use the Eight Gates, I don't stand a chance."
Tenten's mouth dropped open. "What? You couldn't even match his speed?"
"No. I don't think he was even trying."
...
Team 8 arrived at the central tower and handed over the Heaven and Earth scrolls to the examiners. Then they made their way upstairs to the rest area.
Hinata looked worried the entire time, and her teammates did their best to reassure her.
Kiba clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Relax. Mokushū's a beast. That bushy-browed guy doesn't stand a chance."
"Yeah. My insects are saying the same thing," Shino added as he held out one of his black kikaichū bugs.
"You're right. I'm sure he'll be fine," Hinata murmured—but it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself.
"Are you guys still talking about Mokushū?"
A familiar voice called out from ahead.
Naruto came bounding toward them, full of energy.
"Kiba, you're so slow! What took you so long?"
"How did you get here before me?" Kiba pointed at him, utterly stunned.
Naruto puffed out his chest proudly.
"Heh! Of course I did. I'm the future Hokage, remember? Oh yeah—were you just talking about Mokushū?"
"Mokushū?" Kiba raised an eyebrow.
"Of course! Mokushū's a good guy. Not only did he... uh, um..." Naruto suddenly remembered he wasn't supposed to talk about that and clammed up.
Kiba groaned. "Can you just finish a sentence for once?"
Sasuke appeared just in time to smooth things over.
"It's nothing. We just asked Mokushū-kun for some training advice."
Even Shino looked surprised. The ever-proud Uchiha Sasuke referring to someone as Mokushū-kun?
"Yeah, he helped guide our training," Naruto explained. "I just didn't want you to know I only just figured out a new move."
Kiba rolled his eyes. "Dead last is still dead last."
"You're asking for it!" Naruto lunged forward to teach him a lesson, but Sakura quickly stepped in and held him back.
Meanwhile, Sasuke turned to someone more reliable. "Shino, how do you guys know Mokushū?"
Standing quietly off to the side, nearly invisible as always, Shino gave a faint sigh.
"So someone finally noticed me. We ran into Gaara's team from Sunagakure..."
And with that, Shino recounted everything that had happened the day before.
...
As he finished, Asuma's Ino-Shika-Chō trio wandered over to join the conversation, curious about this Hyuga Gakuya guy.
When they heard that the sandstorm covering the entire Forest of Death yesterday morning had come from a clash between just two people, their jaws nearly hit the ground.
"Wait... That was genin-level jutsu?" Ino asked, disbelief written all over her face.
Shikamaru scratched his head, looking thoroughly unmotivated.
"Man, what a drag. Sounds like we've got some seriously dangerous enemies to deal with."
...
"You kids already scared stiff? Konoha's so-called up-and-comers—might as well run home to mommy."
A voice sneered from nearby. It came from one of the trio from Kumogakure. The one speaking was Karui, her dark skin and long red hair unmistakable as she mocked the Konoha genin.
"You wanna go?!" Naruto shouted, practically seething as he rolled up his sleeves, ready to throw down. Again, Sakura stepped in to hold him back.
Sasuke, however, didn't say a word. His eyes grew cold, dark with a killing intent that sent a chill down Karui's spine. His family was a line no one crossed—mention them, and it was a death sentence.
Atsui and Karui saw that look and responded in kind, both drawing their blades without hesitation.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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