Chapter 46 — Ren vs Lee (Part 2)
The air around Lee changed as he dashed around the arena, adapting to moving without weights.
Ren just grinned.
"It's a ninja fight, my friend. Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Ren formed hand signs as earth walls rose around the arena.
Lee stopped mid-sprint, nearly colliding with one of the walls.
Ren used Monster Strength with a burst of chakra and moved. The ground beneath him dented.
Ren appeared near Lee as he swung his leg.
Lee raised his leg to defend.
The force behind the kick sent Lee flying.
"Massive flaw. You can't get used to moving without weights just after taking them off, which is your huge disadvantage!" Ren shouted.
Hyruzen nodded approvingly.
That was indeed the case. To have figured it all out in such a short amount of time was impressive, he muttered inwardly.
Guy also nodded seriously.
"Lee hasn't started training without the gear yet, so he's at a disadvantage."
He understood it immediately.
Kakashi chuckled.
Lee had only been training under Guy for a year. It was impossible to teach him everything. He would need another year or two before he could deal with this flaw.
After all, Guy didn't need to adapt after releasing his weights.
Sakura was dumbfounded.
"This... is this really a fight between Genin?"
Even Naruto, the loudest one, had gone quiet.
His fists were clenched.
He had fought with everything he had against Kiba, yet he only won because of luck. And here were Lee and Ren.
"Damn it," he muttered quietly.
The gap between them was too big.
His eyes fell on Sakura, then shifted toward Hinata, who was smiling while looking at the battle.
'Why? Why does she have that smile? Wasn't she cheering for me earlier?' Naruto muttered inwardly.
Ino and Hinata were talking mentally with Ino's jutsu, completely unaware of Naruto's reaction.
Inside the arena, Lee steadied himself just as Ren appeared in front of him.
Lee kicked so fast that his leg became a blur.
Ren's punch and Lee's kick collided.
Boom!
Lee used the momentum to jump back.
Ren again formed hand signs.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Palm!"
Lee was blasted backward as he crashed into an earth wall.
Ren wasn't done.
"Earth Style: Great Swamp!"
He formed hand signs and slammed his hand onto the ground.
The earth began turning into a swamp.
Lee finally had enough.
"Fine then. First Gate of Opening, Open!"
He shouted as his chakra became violent.
His body was covered in chakra as his hair floated from the pressure.
He dashed toward Ren with blinding speed.
Ren saw the attack coming, but it was too late to move.
He formed a hand sign as Lee's kick connected, sending him flying through an earth wall and straight into the arena wall.
Everyone blinked.
"Thi-this...?"
Sakura went pale.
Even Shikamaru looked serious now.
Naruto looked at the dust rising before turning toward Hinata and Ino.
Both were smiling.
'Just how much do they trust him?' Naruto muttered.
Lee blinked.
"Di-did I go too far?"
"Is Re—"
Before he could finish speaking, a blur appeared beside him as a fist enlarged in his view.
His body moved at an inhuman level as he dodged.
The punch missed.
The chakra burst from the punch destroyed the earth walls in its path.
Lee appeared several meters away.
He looked at Ren, who was standing there grinning.
"Now this is getting fun," Ren said.
Lee looked toward the arena wall where he had blasted Ren.
There lay a weight gear.
Lee understood immediately.
"This..."
He had no words to describe his emotions.
So he did the only thing he could.
He launched himself toward Ren.
Both became blurs as fists and kicks collided.
Every time they clashed, the impact destroyed the arena floor.
Naruto and the others stared open-mouthed in disbelief.
Even Hyruzen was shaken by their display.
His hand trembled from excitement.
"Konoha finally has a new leaf to protect it," he muttered.
On the side, Team Sand was also shaken by the display.
The other teams were already preparing reports to send back to their villages.
Temari stared open-mouthed.
"This is ridiculous."
Kankuro was simply trying to follow their movements.
Gaara had a manic smile on his face.
"Mother needs his blood."
Temari and Kankuro felt chills run down their spines in fear.
After the intense exchange, both separated.
They were panting and grinning.
"You truly are a genius, Ren! Now let's burn our youth brighter!"
Lee shouted.
"Second Gate of Healing, Open!"
"Bwahahaha! Come then!"
Ren laughed as he formed hand signs.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
A blazing red dragon made of flames shot toward Lee.
Lee dashed forward and punched straight through the flame dragon.
Ren was already there.
Both swung their fists.
Ren was using Monster Strength again.
Boom!
The impact sent powerful winds flying in all directions as the ground beneath them cracked apart.
The audience shielded their faces from the pressure.
The force of the collision spread through the entire arena.
Lee grinned wildly.
Ren laughed just as hard.
Both clashed again at blinding speed.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Each collision sounded like thunder.
Cracks spread across the arena floor.
The spectators watched in stunned silence.
Most of the Genin couldn't even follow their movements anymore.
Only flashes remained visible.
Guy's tears flowed like waterfalls.
"LEE! SUCH YOUTH!"
Kakashi covered his face.
"Can you stop embarrassing everyone for one minute?"
"Never!"
Guy shouted proudly.
Back in the arena, Lee vanished.
Ren's Six Eyes instantly tracked him.
Lee appeared above him.
"Konoha Rising Wind!"
A powerful kick descended.
Ren raised both arms and blocked.
The force blasted him into the ground.
Dust exploded outward.
Without hesitation, Lee followed with another kick.
And another.
And another.
Each strike carried terrifying force.
Ren endured the barrage while smiling.
His blood was beginning to boil.
It had been a long time since he had fought someone who could push him this much physically.
Lee suddenly flipped backward.
His breathing had become heavier.
The Second Gate increased his abilities tremendously, but it also strained his body.
Ren rolled his shoulders.
A grin remained on his face.
"That's it?"
Lee's eye twitched.
"You are mocking my youth!"
"Maybe."
Ren laughed.
The next second, both disappeared again.
Boom!
Their fists collided.
Boom!
Their kicks collided.
Boom!
Their elbows slammed together.
Shockwaves exploded throughout the arena.
Even the Jonin watching had become serious.
Asuma lit a cigarette.
"Those two monsters..."
Kurenai nodded.
"They're far beyond normal Genin."
Hyruzen silently watched the battle.
A smile slowly appeared beneath his beard.
The Will of Fire was burning brightly before his eyes.
Inside the arena, Lee's muscles trembled.
His breathing became ragged.
Yet his eyes only shone brighter.
Ren noticed immediately.
'He's reaching his limit.'
Lee took a deep breath.
Then he looked toward Guy.
Guy stared back.
No words were exchanged.
None were needed.
Teacher and student understood each other perfectly.
A smile appeared on Lee's face.
"Third Gate of Life, Open!"
He released the Third Gate.
Ren also formed hand signs.
Lightning crackled around his arm as the sound of thousands of birds chirping echoed through the arena.
"Lightning Style—"
Ren muttered.
Both shot toward each other at blinding speed.
Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy were dumbfounded.
"Th-that's Chidori?!"
"Kakashi taught him that?"
Even Hyruzen was surprised.
He hadn't expected that.
Inside the arena, Lee's fist and Ren's Chidori collided.
Lightning burst throughout the arena in crackling arcs.
The ground shattered beneath them.
A blinding flash illuminated the entire stadium.
The audience instinctively covered their eyes.
As the dust slowly settled, Ren and Lee stood opposite each other.
Lightning crackled around Ren's hand.
Lee's body trembled from the strain of the Third Gate.
Everyone held their breath.