This chapter includes:

Gaara vs. Rock Lee: The Power of Youth Explodes!

Lee's Hidden Strength: Forbidden Secret Jutsu!

The Fifth Gate: A Splendid Ninja is Born!

I wince as I watch someone scrape at Hinata's blood on the floor with a broom.

Yeah, like that's gonna take it out. I think sarcastically.

"So, who's left, Naru-San?" I asked, leaning against Naruto and slinging my arm around his shoulder.

I see his eyebrow twitch the slightest bit, and I giggle.

"Choji, that Dosu guy, Gaara, and Lee." He replies, swatting my arm off of him and leaning me against the railing. I nod. Choji is gonna have to fight for his life to win.

"Hey you two!" A voice suddenly speaks. Naruto and I both turn our heads to see Kankuro walking this way. I loudly groan, and roll my eyes.

"What the hell do you want? Come to get your ass thrown to the ground again?" He looks at me annoyed, but shrugs off my comment.

"So tell me something about this guy Neji. I get the feeling we didn't see the full extent of his powers in the last fight, did we? So what's his story?"

"You're a big ninja, figure it out yourself, runt." I say, crossing my arms and leaning my back against the railing. Ever since Konohamaru, I hate this guy. What a little shithead.

"Wow, you seem like nice people." He replies, sarcasm lacing his words. I like you." I opened my mouth to form a reply, but Naruto beat me to it.

"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't like you!" Naruto shouts. I snort before I can control myself, and smirk at Kankuro.

"Well, Naruto pretty much laid it out for you. So scram, rat." Kankuro grits his teeth, glaring at us with hate, but I just roll my eyes, looking back at the floor. The next match is about to start.

When the board stops, it says two names; one of whom I fear for.

Gaara vs. Lee

"Oh no." I whisper softly to myself. Lee next to us, however, yells in excitement, wanting to prove himself worthy.

"I knew that sooner or later we would have to meet, but I am glad it's sooner." Lee's voice carries up to my ears, making me realize he's already down there.

I walk over and grip Kakashi's sleeve, tugging him down.

"Hm?" He bends down to my level, letting me whisper to him.

"If it gets bad, sensei, I'm going down there again." Kakashi's one eyebrow furrows, and he looks at me.

"What do you mean? Do you know if it will?" I bite my lip, and shrug a little.

"I don't know how strong Lee is. But I can feel how uneasy Gaara makes me." Kakashi nods.

"I trust you, Tessa." I smile the smallest bit, and turn back to the match, to see Lee attempting to hit Gaara, but failing, sand protecting him. It's then I barely catch what Kankuro's saying to Naruto.

"...'s never been injured. No one can get at him. No one's ever even been able to touch him." I stared in disbelief for a moment, before turning back to him. He'll be okay... right?

I'm gonna skip most of the match just because if you've seen it, you've seen it, and I don't wanna type it all out, and I'm assuming you don't wanna read it all over again. Actually, I'm gonna go ahead and just go to Lee's weights

"Come on Lee, you can get past that shield!" I yelled, throwing my fist in the air. Lee hopped back as Gaara's sand came at him, landing up on top of the statue of the hands at the end of the building.

I wasn't even focusing on what Guy was saying to be honest, I was so invested in Lee's match. However, I did hear him say that Lee can only do Taijutsu, and has no Genjutsu or Ninjutsu ability. Suddenly however, Guy spoke loudly.

"All right Lee! Take em off!" Lee stared over at us for a moment in disbelief. I honestly had no idea what Guy was talking about, and I don't think anyone else did either. Lee lifted his hand to his head in salute, replying.

"Uh, but Guy Sensei! You said that was only a last resort, when the lives of very important people were at stake!" Guy held a thumb up to Lee, making me roll my eyes.

"That's right, I did! But this is an exception!" Lee dropped his salute, stunned, and grinned in surprise, like a kid in a candy store.

"R-Really?" He grinned wider. "Really?!" He immediately sat crisscrossed on the statue, pulling down his leg warmers revealing weights.

"Totally cool!" Naruto spoke.

"Totally dumb." Kankuro rebutted, making my eyebrow twitch in anger. I looked back up at Lee as he stood up with them hanging from his hands.

"Ah, that is better! Now I will be able to move freely!" He smiled, dropping the weights from his hands. I leaned against the railing, a little nervous. How is removing leg weights going to-

The arena shuddered in agony as the weights slammed into the ground, big puffs of dirt rising in the air.

"Holy shit." I gasped, wide-eyed in awe. "Those have to be at least..." I thought about it. "700 hundred pounds each?!" I turned to Guy in amazement. He held his first two fingers out towards Lee, and shouted.

"Alright, go!"

"Yes sir!" Lee immediately disappeared, and I barely caught him slamming his fist into the sand behind Gaara. His sand just barely stopped his hand, making me cover my mouth in amazement. Lee circled Gaara, throwing a kick to Gaara's side, the sand barely stopping it. The sand can barely keep up with Lee!

"Come on Lee, kick his ass!" Watching Lee got me more excited, and I knew he could win. "You're almost through his sand barrier!" Guy spoke proudly next to me to Kakashi, his arms crossed.

"You see, Lee had no aptitude for Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, so he skipped them, and focused all of his time and energy in developing his Taijutsu. That way we turned his disadvantage into a blessing. Now he doesn't need those other things to win. Because he's transformed himself into the world's greatest Taijutsu Specialist." God, he's right. Lee is so...fast. I don't think anybody would be able to keep up with him.

"Lee..." I whispered, watching him. If anyone is an inspiration, it has got to be Lee now. Lee and his hard work. A gasp left my mouth, and everyone else's as Lee's foot came down on Gaara's head, a cut forming down Gaara's cheek. "YEAH!" I shouted excitedly. "YOU GOT HIM LEE! KEEP AT IT!" Kakashi put his hand on my shoulder, raising his one eyebrow at me.

"Calm down." I laughed, shaking my head.

"How?! Do you see this? This is insane! Lee is amazing!" I looked back in time to see Lee's fist slam into Gaara's face, throwing him backwards.

"He's just too quick! That sand can't keep up with him!" Sakura spoke excitedly. "Lee, you nailed him!" Suddenly Gaara got up, his face crumbling. My grin faded into a look of horror. His face was literally falling off. What the hell? A closer look, and his face started recreating itself with the sand.

"A shell made of sand..." I mumbled. But that's not the thing that scared me. The thing that scared me the most, was the look on Gaara's face. Pure insanity. That's all I could say to describe it. "What the hell..?" The sinking feeling in my stomach started intensifying, making me feel uneasy. "Lee, get away from him!" I yelled, making people look at me strangely. Lee looked up at me with a grin, and did a thumbs up.

"I will be fine!" He started unwrapping his bandages, making me bite my lip. He was gonna do the thing he did to Dosu earlier. But without the weights, he'll be much faster. Lee took off running, and started circling Gaara quickly. I couldn't even see him to be honest. Lee was insanely fast.

"What are you waiting for?" Gaara asked annoyed, his arms crossed.

"All right, you asked for it!" Lee slammed his foot into Gaara's jaw, sending him upward. His armor was already cracking where Lee hit it. I mean, he did kind of ask for it. I still felt a sinking feeling in my stomach, like something was wrong. Lee kept kicking Gaara upward, until they were high in the air. Lee then wrapped his bandages around Gaara, sending them downward. "Now take this! Primary Lotus!" The entire building shook as they hit the ground. Everyone was quiet as we watched in stunned silence. I saw Lee land on the ground safely next to where the ground was completely cracked and broken, Gaara's body laying motionless in the middle of it. His entire body was cracked, making my stomach drop.

"Oh no.." I whispered, as everyone was shouting excitedly at Lee, others asking if Gaara was dead. Lee looked in disbelief as Gaara's body started caving in. It was just an empty sand shell. "Dammit!" I slammed my fist into the top of the railing, making it squeak in protest. Sand started rising behind Lee, making me gasp and shout. "Lee, look out!" Lee groaned in pain and turned in surprise, shock and some slight fear on his face. I could hear Gaara chuckling, a sick look in his eyes. Gaara held up a hand sign, his sand shooting past him right into Lee, slamming him into the ground.

Lee struggled to stand, probably in agony from the Primary Lotus.

"No, no no no." I whined, watching helplessly. Lee fell weakly onto his but, his legs shaking in disapproval at his trying to stand. He turned, rolling over slightly to look in the direction of Gaara. The latter put his hands in another sign, making Naruto and I shake in fear.

"Run, Lee!" Naruto shouted.

"Lee!" I screamed, tears filling my eyes. This is it. I knew it, I knew it. Lee crossed his arms in front of him to protect himself, but the sand lifted him up and tossed him around like a rag doll. Lee groaned in pain as his back slammed into the wall. Before he could even recover, Gaara sent sand at him once again, a big ball of dirt flying in the air.

"I don't get it! Why is he just standing there? With his feet, he should easily be able to get out of the way of those blasts, why doesn't he dodge them?"

"For a very simple reason." Guy replied.

"He can't." I whispered so softly, I wasn't sure if Sakura could hear me.

"Huh?" Sakura looked between Guy and I. "Why is that?"

Kakashi responded. "The Lotus is what you might call, a double edged sword. You know it's a forbidden technique. Why do you think that is?" Sakura looked down for a moment, thinking.

"Well.."

"The lotus isn't ninjutsu or genjutsu. It's Taijutsu, requiring extreme physical effort. The strain it puts on the body is unimaginable. No one can sustain it for long. Right now, Lee is in so much pain, he can hardly move at all. Isn't that right, Guy?" Kakashi looked up at Guy. I looked up at him as well, the tears still in my eyes. He didn't say anything, so Sakura and I looked back at Lee, my hands covering my mouth. I was speechless. I was helpless. What could I do? I wanted to help Lee so badly. He's in danger. A LOT of danger.

Lee knelt on one knee, his hands in front of him still from protecting himself from the sand. Gaara sent more sand his way, Lee crying out in pain with every movement he made to dodge it. It's over. I know it is, but god, I want to do something.

But I couldn't. I could only stand there and watch as Lee was slammed into the ground, sand being thrown at him from all sides. Screams of pain filled the arena, and I had to wipe my tears before anyone saw them.

"Please, someone make him stop." I whimpered, my hands clasped together as I leaned over the railing. I wanted to cover my ears, as Lee continued to scream, the sound overwhelming. Why wouldn't he just stop? Why wouldn't Lee just give up? I know he's not like that, but I wish he would. I wish he would just stop, give up the match.

Without even really realizing, I heard Guy say it.

"Lee doesn't really know how to give up." I wiped my eyes, trying to get the tears to leave, but they wouldn't.

"Lee.." I whispered.

"He can't go on! Make him quit before he gets himself killed!" Sakura shouted, worry lacing her words.

Gaara sent sand at Lee once more, and I closed my eyes, unable to watch anymore. But there was no cry out in pain. There was nothing. I opened my eyes, and saw Lee standing up with his hand out in front of him in a fighting stance. I gasped in surprise, now watching intently. Lee was smiling, and dodging every single sand blast Gaara sent at him.

"Lee's...smiling. He's running for his life, but he's still smiling!" Sakura spoke surprised.

"Yes. But now it's Gaara's turn to run." Guy replied. Sakura and I both looked at him in confusion. He turned to us with a smile. "The leaf village lotus..blooms twice." My confusion turned into comprehension. That's what Lee said to Sakura and I back in the Forest of Death.

"No Guy, you didn't." Kakashi spoke sternly.

"Yes Kakashi, I did." My eyebrows turned down into a frown, and I looked back at Kakashi.

"What, what does that mean?!" I asked, starting to feel the fear build back up into me.

"That genin, that boy is able to open the 8 inner gates and use the inner Lotus?"

"That's correct." Guy replied.

"Well...if that isn't the most-" Kakashi stopped, growling in frustration. "Okay, so then how many of the inner gates is he able to open now?!"

"5 gates." Guy answered, looking down.

"Kakashi!" I tugged on his arm. "What. Does. That. Mean?!" I demanded, frustration in my voice.

"The 8 gates are like valves, or chakra limiters that must be opened if one is to release the Hidden Lotus."

"Ugh, stop being stupid, and making it complicated, and tell me what that means?!" Kakashi turned, raising up his headband and revealing his Sharingan, looking at Lee.

"There are gates along the chakra network located at those points in the body where chakra is most heavily concentrated. Starting at the head, they are The Gate of Opening, The Gate of Rest, Life, Pain, Closing, Joy, Shock, and The Gate of Death. These are what are called the 8 inner gates. Their purpose is to limit the flow of chakra through the body, but the lotus renders tremendous pressure on these limiters, eventually forcing the gates open. This releases the restraints on the chakra, the result being that a person's strength can be increased tenfold, or more."

I looked at him, taking in the information, and then looked back at Lee, concern crossing my face.

"But then.. If he takes it farther..."

"Exactly." Kakashi looked back at Lee. "By opening all 8 gates, you could attain power beyond even the Hokage's. The only drawback is... you die." I felt my heart stop. I looked back at Guy in anger that he would even teach Lee something like this. "I don't know what this boy means to you Guy, but I shouldn't have to tell you that we never bring our personal feelings into play. I wouldn't thought you were capable of this."

"You have no right. You know nothing about it, nothing at all!" Guy replied. I growled, clenching my fists.

"No, you shouldn't have done that! He's putting his life in danger for some stupid test! What is the point of that?!" I felt tears start to fill my eyes again.

"That boy has something important to prove, and he's determined to prove it, even at the cost of his life." I looked back at Lee, my eyebrows furrowed. I know he has something to prove, but how could he? He shouldn't even feel like he has to prove anything. But people like Neji have made him feel like he has to prove something. I turned, glaring at Neji with hate in my eyes. What a piece of shit.

"I am not going to be the only one to lose here!" Lee spoke, drawing my attention back to him. His arms were crossed in front of him, and I could feel his chakra getting stronger. "Guy Sensei, please let this work! It is now or never!"

I'm gonna skip some more again because I thought that I was nearing the end of the match, but obviously I'm wrong. If you want me to write more later, I can, just comment yes or no

Lee was flung to the ground, rolling. I could see his right arm and leg were stiff, and he must be in a lot of extreme pain after the Hidden Lotus. Gaara lay on a bed of sand, made from his gourd to cushion his fall. His body was cracked, and he looked weak. He moved his arm towards Lee, making me yell.

"Lee, no!" Lee turned away, and tried to crawl the opposite direction of Gaara, but he was too weak, and stopped. When he turned back, the sand creeped ever closer to Lee. Lee struggled to move away as the sand moved faster towards him. Lee struggled to force himself away, but it was too late. The sand wrapped itself around his left leg, crawling up to his left arm. Lee struggled to pull himself away with a scream. "LEE!" I screamed. My screamed echoed in my own head, and everything went silent to me, as I saw Gaara's mouth and hand move. Lee screamed. He must have.

I couldn't hear it. Everything was just muffled. I know that people were talking, but they were blocked out by my horror. Lee was laying on the ground, done. I knew his arm and leg were shattered. Gaara's sand grew closer to Lee, going for a second attack, but I was gone. I jumped over the railing, and landed right next to Lee, ready to protect him, my back facing Gaara. I leaned over Lee, tears falling down my face finally, but no sand came. In fact, I turned over my shoulder, and saw Guy standing in front of Lee and I, swiping the sand to the side effortlessly.

"Lee." I gently touched his cheek, checking to make sure he was still alive. He was. Thank god. His skin was dry and cracked from the dryness of the sand.

"But why?" Gaara's voice carried over. "He failed. Why save him?" I felt quiet sobs leave my chest, and I leaned over Lee, feeling helpless. I don't know how to help him. I can't heal his shattered bones. I can't heal his chakra. I ignored their conversation, and tried transferring whatever chakra I had left to Lee, but I gasped as Lee suddenly stood up. He stood in a fighting stance behind Guy, his left arm dripping blood from his fingertips, and his leg soaked in blood. I stared at him from my kneeling spot on the ground, speechless.

"I-It can't be." Lee's right arm was shaking in agony, followed by the rest of his body. Guy stepped closer as I stood up, ready to help Lee out of the arena, his right hand on Lee's left shoulder. "No Lee, it's alright. It's all over now, anyway, you're in no condition to-" He suddenly stopped, shock on his face. His eyes suddenly filled with tears, and one dripped down his face.

"Lee...oh, L-Lee...W-What have I done?" I took a look at Lee's face and felt the tears continue to drip down my face. Lee was unconscious. His body was doing whatever on its own. "Look at you. Not even conscious, and still determined to show the world what you can do." I bit my lip, trying to hold back a sob. Guy and Lee both were making me emotional. How could Lee be standing, based on just his body doing it on its own? "Lee...you've already proven it." Guy pulled Lee's body into his, and hugged him. "You're a splendid ninja."

"Winner...is Gaara." The proctor spoke.

"Lee!" Sakura hopped up on the railing, but stopped, looking back to Kakashi-Sensei. I probably should have stayed up there too. But I couldn't. Maybe I'm weak. Guy let go of Lee, and I helped him gently lay Lee down on the ground on his back. I heard footsteps, and when I looked, Naruto was running over to us, his focus on Lee. However, he spared an angry glare at Gaara, before making it over to us.

"Hurry. This boy needs attention." The proctor spoke, the medics coming out with a stretcher.

Naruto stopped and looked at Lee, shock on his face. "Bushybrow.." I stepped back as the medics tended to Lee, my body shaking as I tried to hold in my tears and trying to not cry in front of everyone. I turned around and hugged Naruto without warning, burying my face in his shoulder. He froze, but then wrapped his arm around me, hugging me back. It was quiet as the medics tended to him for a moment, but then a medic spoke.

"You're his teacher, aren't you?"

"I am, what is it?" Guy asked. I pulled away from Naruto and looked both at Guy and the medic.

"Will you come with me?" I looked at the others as they were getting ready to move him.

"Careful with him." They laid him down on the stretcher. "That's right, easy." Naruto and I both turned to the medic talking to Guy, and we could hear him speaking.

"The boy's breathing is faint. Steady. There are bone fractures and muscle tears throughout his body. He's facing...a long and difficult rehabilitation. But I'm afraid, that's not the worst of it." Naruto and I exchanged a look, and then looked back at the medic. "His left arm and leg in particular have suffered massive damage. I'm sorry, I know how much it means to you both, but he'll never fight again. His days as a shinobi are over." A gasp left my mouth, and the tears started again.

No. No, no no. He can't stop being a Shinobi. That's his dream. The only thing he wants.

"No. He's wrong. He's wrong, it can't be true." Naruto's voice shook as he spoke, the medics lifting Lee's body in front of us. Lee's body. I didn't even call him just Lee. I'm sorry, Lee. I'm sorry.