Lee was extremely focused; his tension was concentrated into heavy beads of sweat, dropping down from his face.

All eyes were on Konoha's beautiful green beast as he began to open the gates, one by one.

Opening Gate.

Lee began to emanate chakra from all over his body. He could feel his own strength amplify.

Rest gate.

The ground shook violently. The shinobi remained focused on the target in front of him. He vowed he would not lose.

Life gate.

His skin turned a darker hue of red. The blood pulsed heavily through his vessels, his skin visibly throbbing to each relentless beat.

Pain gate.

The room darkened. The walls were beginning to show signs of imminent crumbling.

Closing gate.

Neji observed with disdain. He didn't want to see his rival resort to such cowardly measures. He was not unfazed from Lee's show of strength; Neji's clenched fists began to tremble in fear.

Joy gate.

Tenten could not believe what she was seeing. Lee had opened the sixth gate. When painful memories of previous near-deaths Lee endured in the past, She broke into tears as she watched on. She wouldn't be able to handle life without her teammate.

Shock gate.

Gai had seen enough. As proud as he was of Lee's improving skill, it would be a waste if his precious person did not survive to celebrate his own achievements. All he could do was convince him to not use the final gate.

But Lee was already at his limits. Despite his impressive power, he felt disappointed that he couldn't open the last gate. At the same time, he was relieved that he didn't have to needlessly die. Regardless, he was content that the power he had was enough to overcome the obstacle. As he spoke, the heroism of his tone of voice echoed past the outer walls of Konoha.

"With this final blow, I shall prove my strength! I will succeed!"

He gave it his all. He blew out all 15 candles.

"YOSH! I DIDN'T MISS A SINGLE ONE!" Lee exclaimed. He was on the verge of tears.

"LEE-KUN! YOU DID IT!" said Gai. He was ecstatic. His eyes burned with the passion of a thousand suns.

"DID I MAKE YOU PROUD GAI-SENSEI!?!"

"AS EXPECTED FROM KONOHA'S BEAUTIFUL GREEN BEAST!"

"GAI-SENSEI!!!"

"LEE-KUN!!!"

As the two leaned towards each other in melodramatic embrace, the last of Lee's chakra faded away. He collapsed onto the floor, along with most of the foundation of Neji's house.

"Lee-baka," said Neji, "you didn't even make a wish."