Chapter 48: Eight Gates
Whoosh!
Rock Lee's speed was like a blur of light.
Even Kizaru, who possessed extreme speed himself and was accustomed to high velocities, found Rock Lee's speed terrifyingly fast.
At such extreme speed, Gaara's defensive sand was already struggling to keep up.
Although it could still barely defend, many punches and kicks grazed his cheeks and head.
Kizaru nodded secretly as he watched. This guy was indeed a talent for combat; every move targeted the opponent's head.
That's how it should be!
Kicking the waist or body is nowhere near as satisfying as a headshot!
What Kizaru didn't know was that in the future, the person next to him would use an incredibly powerful move, and because it wasn't a headshot… he would miss the achievement of kicking out the grand finale.
Facing such high-speed Taijutsu, the expressions of everyone watching changed.
Perhaps they were also wondering… what they would do if they faced such high-speed Taijutsu!
Gaara, protected by his sand, also changed his expression.
Holy crap!
This guy must be cheating!
Just by shedding some heavy objects, he gains such speed?
Finally, caught off guard, Rock Lee delivered a powerful downward kick that struck Gaara's head!
The Ninja present, especially the SunagakureNinja, were somewhat disbelieving.
The mighty Gaara, the Gaara with absolute defense, was actually injured!
Might Guy shouted excitedly, "Youth is all about exploding!"
Hearing this, Rock Lee in the arena seemed to have taken a stimulant; a flame ignited in his eyes!
He quickly rushed towards Gaara.
He dodged the sand wall Gaara conjured with a wave of his hand and closed in on Gaara.
A punch landed heavily on Gaara's face.
Gaara fell to the ground!
Gaara slowly got up from the ground, and clumps of sand began to fall from his face.
It turned out that… ordinarily, Gaara had already covered his entire body with sand; this was his last layer of defense.
As the sand fell, Gaara's ferocious expression was revealed, as if he was ready to devour someone at any moment!
Then, the fallen sand once again covered his body.
Kizaru showed an interested expression.
This little guy named Gaara is quite interesting.
His attacks aren't weak, and he's taken defense to the extreme; it's practically absolute defense!
Unless one's strength far surpasses his.
Otherwise, attacks of the same level would likely find it very difficult to break through his defense.
Of course, the weakness is also quite obvious… Kizaru had a plan in mind: just… use a powerful attack to shatter that defense in one blow!
Seeing this, Rock Lee made a decision.
He once again rushed in front of Gaara, then kicked Gaara upwards from below, followed by a series of continuous upward kicks, sending Gaara into the air!
Then, his hand bandages wrapped around Gaara, and he rapidly descended!
Front Lotus!
Boom!
Dust rose everywhere from the ground.
Seeing this, Kizaru sighed helplessly, "Idiot…" Then, as if he thought of something, he muttered to himself, "No injury with smoke, is it really a rule…"
He had already noticed that the person entangled by Lee was not Gaara's main body!
Moreover, Kizaru could tell that Taijutsu like the Front Lotus put a considerable burden on this coarse-browed, watermelon-haired fellow.
At this moment, he was probably close to losing his fighting capability.
Sure enough, in Gaara's subsequent attacks, Rock Lee had almost no chance to counterattack, merely struggling to hold on… Kizaru gradually lost interest in watching.
He had a good impression of this coarse-browed guy and didn't want to see him get abused like this.
Just then, the situation in the arena changed again!
Rock Lee crossed his arms over his chest, and then his body began to transform!
At the same time, an intense BGM started playing… Kizaru was stunned.
This passionate BGM, could it be… this guy is the protagonist?
Or… a cheater?
Kizaru became interested again!
Might Guy's voice also came at the opportune moment, "Konoha's lotus will bloom again!"
Kizaru was stunned. He would truly have to wait and see!
To what extent could a Ninja of this Ninja World go with only Taijutsu!
Garp, that old buddy from the Pirate World, relies solely on Taijutsu and Haki… Kakashi, hearing this, suddenly became serious, "Could that little guy have learned the Eight Inner Gates? Might Guy, which gate has this kid opened?"
"The Fifth Gate!"
…Kizaru listened to their discussion, and the look of anticipation on his face grew even stronger.
From their few words, he understood that the Eight Inner Gates must be an extraordinary Taijutsu!
Rock Lee's body began to erupt with a powerful aura; his formidable Chakra even lifted the scattered stones from the ground, "Third Gate of Life—Open!"
Rock Lee's entire body turned crimson!
Then, he bent over and clenched his fists, "Fourth Gate of Pain—Open!"
The veins on his body began to bulge!
Then he leaped out, the ground shattering directly from the immense force, and at the same time, his figure disappeared, reappearing to kick Gaarasquarely in the chin.
Kizaru watched this scene, a nostalgic expression on his face.
This guy's Eight Inner Gates technique bore some resemblance to his grand-nephew named Luffywhen he activated Gear Second.
However, the power of Gear Second was considerably lower than this!
The same overall increase in speed, strength, and reactions, the same powerful side effects, even life-threatening!
This technique… it's practically cheating!
Could it be… this guy is the protagonist of this world, the Child of Destiny?
No way, no way, the protagonist of this world can't really be this ugly, can he?
The cheating Rock Lee, now incredibly powerful, left Gaara with no chance to retaliate under his high-speed Taijutsu!
Rock Lee was even kicking Gaara around like a ball!
Kicking him back and forth… Kizaru couldn't watch anymore.
The humiliation was too great!
Then Rock Lee let out a loud shout, "This is the final blow! Fifth Gate of Limit—Open!"
He delivered a kick that struck Gaara, then used his bandages to pull Gaara back, followed by another kick towards Gaara, while saying, "Neji, this move was originally meant for you!"
Hyuga Neji, who was still watching, immediately froze, then his face was covered in black lines!
I really appreciate it!
What kind of grudge is this!
Boom!
That kick finally landed on Gaara's body!
The dust settled!
Although Gaara was heavily injured, he still had the strength for one last fight, while Rock Lee… could barely move!
Kizaru sighed… This guy's Taijutsu was quite astonishing.
Too bad he ran into someone with overly strong defense!
Gaara's sand wrapped around Rock Lee's leg, then—Sand Coffin!
Rock Lee immediately fell unconscious… Kizarumade a decision in his mind. This interesting little guy, this amazing Eight Inner Gates, what would happen if it was imbued with Armament Haki… worth trying, very much worth trying!
As Kizaru was pondering, he suddenly felt a chill.
That direction is…