Lee started to run, at an inhuman speed around Gaara, raising dust and sand in the process.
"What are you waiting for?" Gaara asked him, his face back to emotionless again.
"Okay, you asked for it," Lee said and kicked him under the chin. "Try this!"
With both hands on the ground, he started to kick him in the stomach; each kick was sending him even higher. The sand at the same time was trying to protect its master but all the attempts were in vain.
"An incredible series of kicks" Kakashi commented. Sakura had her jaw dropped while Guy was praying for it to work.
Lee tossed the strands of his bandages, which quickly wrapped themselves, around Gaara's body. Then, he grabbed him from his side and they both started to spin like a tornado. They were heading the ground with great speed and when they finally collided with the earth, a big wave of dust rose and blocked a part of the view. The impact was so strong that the whole room was shaking for a few good seconds while the earth had cracked into pieces and a giant crater was formed. Everyone had their jaws dropped as they were waiting for the dust to clear and see who the winner was.
Finally, a panting Lee and an unconscious Gaara in the middle of the crater, were exposed.
"It is over. I got him." Lee said.
"Right on!" Guy shouted.
"Amazing. He really did it!?" Naruto commented.
"Wow", was Tsuki's only comment and looked at Kankuro who had his mouth open this time.
"No, I don't believe it"
"You did it! Way to go, Lee!" Sakura cheered for him.
"Is it? That guy isn't dead, is it?" Shikamaru freaked out.
Hayate walked towards the unconscious Gaara but before he could speak or do anything, the cracked body started to crumble and exposed that it was empty inside. It continued to crumble until it turned into sand. Suddenly, Gaara appeared behind Lee. His body was full of cracks and with the look of a murderer painted on his face. Lee gasped at his sudden appearance and a look of fear was on his face. The redhead started to chuckle evilly, making the hair of everyone stand on the end.
"Oh no, it's..." Temari exclaimed frightened.
"So, it happened. Just as I thought. That look on his eyes, it can only mean... the demon inside of him has been awaken" Kankuro whispered but Tsuki was able to hear him.
"Lee! Get out of there!" she shouted as a small realization strike her very core.
Gaara with an evil smirk, made a hand sign and the sand started to attack Lee with much more force than before. He managed to block the two first but the next one threw him back, he tried to stand up but he could not as he had exhausted himself with his last attack.
"Run Lee!" Naruto shouted.
Gaara sent all of his sand, with an extreme force, in the shape of a huge wave. Lee tried to block it but he ended up to be sent on the wall with force. The sand continued to attack and pin him on the wall. Dust and sand had risen once again, blocking a part of the view.
"The poor kid is helpless. He has nothing left. Gaara is just toying with him now" Kankuro commented.
"Poor Lee" Tsuki whispered to herself, her ears dropping and with that, Gaara licked his lips.
His smirk and his deadly look never left his face. The sand cleared and exposed a panting Lee, full with bruises and his hands raised in front of him, blocking as much as he could the attack. The sand attacked him repeatedly and Lee every time had barely enough time to dodge it. Finally, Lee had landed on his knees, and he continued to pant while looking straight at Gaara. He smirked before straitening up his body in a straight line. Lee had his hands in front of him, in an X form, ready to block the attack that never came. Gaara made the same hand sign like before and Lee got in position. The sand attacked him again and poor Lee was doing everything he could to block it while his screams were echoing in the room. Finally, he managed to avoid it and he started to run. The sand was trying to catch him but Lee was faster.
"He should quit while he can. It was just bad luck that he got Gaara as an opponent" Kankuro said.
"Huh?" Naruto and Tsuki exclaimed. together.
"Come on bushy brow", Naruto said.
"Yeah, come on Lee. You can make it"
Gaara sent the sand again but Lee was so tired that he was sent flying before face planting, several feet while the ground where he was standing a few seconds ago had now cracked from the force of the attack. He was giving everything he had to stand up while Gaara was just looking at him with a sick smile on his face. He managed to stand up and despite his bruises; he formed his hands in front of his face in an X form and waited for the next attack.
"What good do you think that will do?" Gaara asked him while commanding his sand, which was taking the shape of a wave.
"I pity the kid. Gaara will just toy with him till he begs for mercy" Kankuro said,
"Well then. Gaara is in for a long match because that will never happen" Guy commented.
"Huh?" Tsuki, Naruto and Kankuro wondered in a unison.
"Lee doesn't know how to give up," he said while Gaara's sand, took the form of a giant claw and attacked, sending him back on his face, one more time.
It attacked again, only this time it stroked him in the back. Lee could only scream from the pain. When the attack was over, he managed to stand up once again and had his hands on a blocking position, in an attempt to protect his face. The said then, started to circle our Gaara and Lee got ready. He smirked and placed his right hand in front of him. When the sand attacked him, he used his inhuman speed to avoid it. Gaara stayed emotionless while Kankuro, Naruto, Temari and Neji were watching him surprised.
Gaara sent his sand to attack him countless times and each time Lee was avoiding it with a smile on his face. He then took a defending position one more time, closed his eyes and started to concentrate.
"This match is over for you", Gaara said.
"You are right. It is over, one way or another"
"No, it can't be" Tsuki, said, her eyes widen. Kankuro and Naruto were ready to ask her but Lee's yells cut them over.
"The third gate, gate of Life, Open!" he yelled as chakra started to surround him.
"What's it mean? What's happening?" Kankuro wondered.
"He opened one of the 8 inner gates," Tsuki said with an amazing smile, not believing what she was seeing.
She had only heard it from one of the elder wolves in her pack, calling it a 'task never to be accomplished' due to how hard it was and the mortality rate that could follow if someone went full-on. It was an amazing move with its own drawbacks but it was literally, a give it all attack that could barely be countered.
"The fourth gate, gate of pain, Open!" Lee yelled as more chakra started to surround him.
"He is mad" she commented.
Lee then attacked Gaara, his speed so great that the earth beneath them started to crack into pieces. He kicked Gaara under the chin, the force so great that a powerful wind attacked everyone on the upper level, who had to raise their hands in order to protect their eyes from the dust and the sand.
"Huh? Gaara!?" Kankuro said worried and started to look for his brother.
"Where did they go?" Naruto wondered and started to look for them too.
"Up there!" Shikamaru shouted and pointed to Gaara's body that was shot in the air.
His armour of sand started to crack from the force of the previous attack. His sand quickly rose in the air in a fast pace in order to protect him.
"Hiding behind that sand armour again? We will see about that" Lee said and appeared in front of him. He landed a punch on his face and sent him towards the ground but before he could touch it. Lee appeared once again and kicked him in the back. That play of his continued for enough seconds as Gaara's armour was breaking into even smaller pieces after every hit. "You are a tough one. Try this!" he made his right hand into a fist. "The eighth gate, gate of closing, Open" with an even more inhuman speed than before, he punched Gaara in the stomach and sent him to the ground.
At the same time, his bandages had wrapped themselves around his body and with a quick but strong pull, pulled him towards him. Finishing the combo, Lee raised his left hand and leg before hitting Gaara in the stomach. The genin landed on the ground with a loud thud and the impact was so great that dust had been raised everywhere while Lee landed on his back, a few feet away from it.
Naruto cheered but Tsuki had stayed sceptical, as during the attack, he saw Gaara doing something with the sand but she could not understand what.
When the dust cleared, everyone gasped as Gaara's sand had created some kind of half cocoon, stopping the impact. Gaara was in the middle of it, panting like crazy. While trembling and panting, he raised his left hand and the sand took the form of it. Lee knew that he was going to attack him, he was giving his best to walk as far as possible but it was difficult as he was so exhausted. He tried to move faster but stopped, as his feet could not take it anymore. The sand caught up with Lee and grabbed his left hand and foot.
"Sand coffin," Gaara said as he closed his palm.
The sand did the same and a loud *crack*, followed by Lee's yells echoed in the whole room. The leaf genin, at the same time, tried to move but end up falling on his back, several feet away. The sand went against him again but Guy stepped between it and his student, ready to take the hit for him.
