While Mamoru focused on treating Hinata, the characters on the announcement board flickered rapidly and the next match-up solidified on the light screen.
Gaara VS Rock Lee.
Almost the moment the names were announced, a figure formed from fine sand solidified in the center of the arena.
Gaara stood with arms crossed, sand from his gourd flowing slowly around him. His cold gaze swept the stands, his voice tinged with clear impatience. "Get down here quickly."
In the stands, Guy jumped up, his green jumpsuit particularly eye-catching under the lights. His booming voice echoed through the venue. "Go for it, Lee! Let your youth burn brightly in this duel!"
"Ohhhh!!!"
Lee performed a clean flip over the railing, drawing a graceful arc in the air before landing steadily. He held his right hand in front of him and his left hand behind his back, his eyes shining beneath thick eyebrows as he stared at his opponent.
"I didn't expect to face you so soon. I am delighted."
Gaara didn't respond, but his once-calm eyes were now gradually becoming bloodshot, and the corners of his lips curled up uncontrollably, exposing the bloodthirsty impulse surging within him.
After seeing the exhilarating battle between Mamoru and Naruto, he had long been unable to suppress the boiling battle intent in his heart.
Seeing both sides ready, Hayate coughed lightly and raised his right hand high. "Then, the ninth round, begin!"
The moment his hand dropped, the battle erupted.
Lee shot out, his legs drawing sharp arcs in the air, bringing with them the whistling sound of wind.
Leaf Whirlwind!
Gaara remained unfazed as the sand at his feet instantly condensed into a solid wall, blocking the strike with a "thud." As if possessed of life, the sand wall quickly split into several streams, pouncing on Lee from various angles like flexible tentacles.
Lee retreated continuously to dodge, but the sand tentacles pursued him relentlessly, tracing winding paths across the ground, narrowly brushing past his clothes each time. The constant "rustling" of sand against the floor was chilling.
"If this is all you've got, then let's end this quickly!"
Gaara quickly formed hand seals, a massive wave of sand surging from the gourd on his back. Finally, he clapped his hands together, a sharp glint in his eyes.
Sand Tsunami!
The sand across the entire arena began to surge violently, a ten-meter-high wave taking shape with a heart-pounding roar, making the whole venue tremble. The sand wave blotted out the sky, casting a shadow over most of the arena.
Suppressed gasps echoed from the stands. The massive commotion caused Mamoru, who was still providing treatment, to look over with a slight frown.
The giant sand wave crashed toward Lee with overwhelming force. In this enclosed indoor arena, he had nowhere to hide and was swallowed by the quicksand in an instant, disappearing into the vast sea of sand.
"Lee!" Tenten couldn't help but stand up, her hands tightly gripping the railing.
Guy's exclamation rang out at the same time, his usually optimistic face showing a look of gravity.
The entire arena had turned into an ocean of sand, the ground level raised by over a meter. Even Hiruzen and Hayate had to leap onto stone statues to avoid the surging sand waves.
"The Genin of Sunagakure are formidable." Hiruzen said deeply, wisps of smoke rising from his pipe as he watched the changes in the arena with a deep gaze and a slight frown.
Hayate wiped the sweat from his brow and muttered to himself, "Incredible."
This was another Genin with strength close to Mamoru.
Were all of this year's Genin monsters?
"Declare it!" Gaara looked up at the referee, his tone brooks no argument, the blood-red color in his eyes deepening.
Just as he finished speaking, a sudden movement came from the sea of sand.
Gaara's brow furrowed instantly, and the sand around him began to stir restlessly. A hand suddenly burst through the sand, followed by a head.
The moment Lee emerged, he gasped loudly for air, his face covered in sand and looking quite disheveled, but the battle intent in his eyes had not faded.
On the stands, Guy and Tenten breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously, and Guy even showed a gratified smile.
When Lee fully climbed out of the sand pile, Guy's voice rang out at the right time. "Lee, take off the weights. This is not an opponent you can take lightly."
"I understand, Guy-sensei."
A look of joy appeared on Lee's face as he nimbly unfastened the weight straps on his legs.
Under the confused gazes of the crowd, the weights crashed heavily into the sand. With two "thuds," the weights sank into the sand without making much of a sound.
"Alright, much lighter now."
Lee hopped in place, moving his ankles and feeling the long-lost lightness. His entire aura underwent a change.
"Futile struggle."
Gaara waved his hand, and dozens of sand hands rose from the sea of sand at his feet, pouncing on Lee from all directions like cunning living creatures, blocking all paths of retreat.
Lee's figure was immediately swallowed by the deadly tide. He was forced back into a desperate struggle.
Sand tentacles tore through the air, one wave after another, weaving into an increasingly tightening death net that left no room to breathe. He relied on extreme speed to dodge through the gaps, his figure moving so fast it left afterimages, but the sheer volume of sand was absolute. Soon, his movements began to falter.
At this point, let alone getting close to his opponent, even surviving for another moment in this sandstorm hell required significant effort.
The change in terrain allowed Gaara to completely dominate the battle. It seemed only a matter of time before Lee was swallowed by the sand again.
In the stands, a few ninjas with sharp eyes had already noticed the problem.
"This is bad!" Guy's fingers almost deformed the iron railing. "Lee's rhythm is completely locked down!"
"Not only that..."
Kakashi spoke in a deep voice, concern flashing in his lone eye. "The entire arena has been turned into a sand domain. Lee has to spend several times more physical and mental energy to counter the disadvantage brought by the environment."
"Bushy Brows..." Sasuke's hand on the railing couldn't help but tighten, a flash of complexity in his eyes.
Mamoru frowned slightly, his treatment movements slowing down.
Gaara's state seemed to show signs of going berserk. It felt like something was different from the original story's progression.
On the arena floor.
Lee's lower body was firmly imprisoned by heavy sand, as if stuck in a mire of cast iron. He gritted his teeth, veins popping on his forehead, but his legs remained motionless. The quicksand, like a living creature, spread rapidly up his waist and abdomen, threatening to swallow him completely and wrap him in an airtight sand cocoon, leaving only half his face exposed.
The sand began to contract inward, making a "creaking" crushing sound. Immense pressure crushed Lee's entire body, and he couldn't help but let out a suppressed groan, his eyes twitching slightly from the pain.
"It's over." The corner of Gaara's lips curled into a nearly cruel arc.
He slowly raised his right hand, his fingers gradually closing as if he already held his opponent's fate in his grasp.
"It's... not over yet..." Lee's voice squeezed through his teeth from within the sand cocoon, each word bursting from deep within his chest with unyielding will. "My battle... is only... just beginning!"
Before he finished speaking, the sand cocoon suddenly expanded.
(End of Chapter)
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