"Hey!" Naruto and Yuri looked down to see Kankuro walking up the stairs. He smiled at Naruto.
"You seem like a funny guy. I like you."
"Well, I don't like you!" Naruto shouted. Yuri snickered, laughing a little.
"This guy is dead." Kankuro gritted teeth, but still smiled, twitching a little.
"What do you want?" Yuri frowned, narrowing her eyes at Kankuro, suspiciously.
"Can't a guy come over for a truce?" Kankuro asked. "I promise, no tricks. I actually want to ask you about that Neji guy."
"I'M GONNA KICK HIS ASS!" Naruto growled.
"Um, no-nobody was asking that." Kankuro spoke.
"This time you will be chosen for sure, Lee!" Gai shouted.
"No." Lee answered. Gai blinked in confusion. "It's come this far, so I might as well go last."
Then Yuri saw Gaara suddenly teleported himself into the arena using his sand.
"Get down here. I'm ready." He spoke, coldly. Yuri blinked in confusion and looked up at the score board. Her eyes widen in shock.
"Gaara vs. Rock Lee."
Lee smiled and kicked his feet in the air, happily. "You fell for it! If you say you wanted to be last, it won't happen!"
"Lee, hold up a minute, will you?" Yuri stopped him. Lee blinked and stared at her.
"What is it?"
"Just be careful. Gaara...isn't a normal shinobi." She paused as she warned him.
"That gourd of his is awfully suspicious." Gai remarked. "But you can do it!"
"Yes!" Lee nodded and he hopped down, landing in front of Gaara and smiled. "To be able to face you this early, I couldn't be happier." Gaara scoffed.
"I don't know what kind of attack that bowl head has but but there's no way he can defeat Gaara." Kankuro smirked.
"Wrong." Naruto spoke.
"There's no need to rush." Lee spoke and he dropped the cork that Gaara had tossed at him. Yuri watched the two in worry, wondering who she should cheer on. Should she cheer Gaara or Lee? She didn't know!
"You may begin the match!" Hayate shouted.
"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee charged at Gaara and tried to deliver a spinning kick. But Gaara's sand bounced the attack off. All of Lee's punches and kicks weren't getting through his sand.
"Lee's fast movement are having no effect." Sakura murmured.
"His attacks aren't working at all." Naruto said.
Gaara released another stream of sand at Lee and Lee jumped back, dodging it. He back flipped and jumped into the air, landing on the large hand sign statue. Gaara and Lee continued to stare each other down.
"All physical attacks are useless against him. The sand moves against Gaara's will and becomes a shield and protects him." Kankuro explained. "There's hasn't been a single person who's been able to put a scratch on Gaara."
"But why is Lee using only Taijustu? Doesn't he have any ninjutsu or genjutsu?" Sakura questioned.
"I don't think he can." Yuri told her. Sakura's eyes widen in shock.
"What?"
"She's right. Lee doesn't have any ninjutsu or genjutsu skills at all." Gai sensei spoke.
"Then how has he been able to make it this far!?" Sakura exclaimed.
"When I first met Lee, he was nothing. He had no talent at all." Gai explained. "The only skills left for Lee was Taijutsu. There aren't many ninjas who can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu. That's why he can win."
Yuri and Sakura both blinked at him confused.
"Huh?"
Gai smiled and gave a thumbs up to Lee. "Lee! Take them off!"
"But Gai sensei, that's only for when I must protect someone really precious to me!" Lee shouted.
"It's alright! I allow it!" Gai shouted, smiling.
"Really? Really!?" Lee exclaimed, happily. He began to take off his leggings, revealing weights wrapped around his legs and took both of them off. "Now, I'll be able to move freely!" Lee dropped the weights and they fell to the ground with a loud crash. Yuri's eyes widen in shock and so did everyone else.
"Gai...you are too much." Kakashi murmured.
"Lee, go!" Gai shouted.
Lee nodded and smirked, looking down at Gaara. Then he quickly vanished in front of Gaara's eyes before he could react and quickly reappeared behind Gaara. Lee threw a punch and the sand barely had time to protect Gaara. With each punch and kick, Gaara's sand was having trouble keeping up with Lee's attacks. Several of them, almost broke through Gaara's sand shield.
"Lee, can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, so he spent all of his time with Taijutsu. He worked hard and concentrated everything on it instead." Gai told Yuri and Sakura. "He is a Taijutsu master!"
Lee jumped into the air and delivered a fast-spinning kick directly down on top of Gaara's head. A small scratch was left on Gaara's cheek. Yuri's eyes widen and so did Kankuro and Temari's and so did everyone else when they watched, completely shocked. Gaara had been hurt!
"Lee won't lose speed to anyone. I warned you before that kid is strong." Gai sensei smirked.
"We are just getting started." Lee smirked. Gaara glared at him.
"Go, Lee!" Gai shouted.
"Yes!" Lee quickly darted, moving around Gaara. Gaara was having a hard time keeping up with Lee's speed as Lee bounced around him. Then Lee delivered a hard punch to Gaara's cheek, knocking him back. Yuri bit her lip in worry.
"This is bad." Kankuro murmured a little concerned.
"It sure is! That black eyed bastard took a pretty heavy hit!" Naruto smiled.
"That's not what I meant." Kankuro spoke. Naruto turned to him.
"Huh?"
Yuri's eyes widen in shock and a little in fear as she saw Gaara's demeanor had completely changed, almost sinister. His eyes were filled with bloodlust. Gaara's sand armor slowly began crumbling off his face as new sand began to fill into the cracks, replacing it and the cut on his cheek disappeared.
"H-His face is coming apart." Naruto murmured. Lee's eyes widen in shock as well.
"If he gets caught in this. Gaara..." Kankuro murmured, softly to himself, scared as well. "He's going to kill him just for fun."
Yuri's eyes widened and she quickly turned back. Lee doesn't have a chance against Gaara!
"Hey! What was that!? You said something about his sand?" Naruto demanded.
"Gaara's sand acts like an armor. There's a thin layer of sand protecting all over his body. It's different from a shield and its automatically moves to protect him." Kankuro explained. "That is Gaara's absolute defense."
"There's nothing you can do!? Then there is no weakness!?" Naruto sputtered in shock.
"Is that all?" Gaara spoke. Lee tensed up a little, but still kept his fighting stance. He looked up at Gai and Gai gave him a slow nod, smiling. Lee's eyes widen, smiling back. Then he began to undo the bandages on his hands and quickly charged at Gaara. Gaara used his sand to lash out at Lee to grab him, but Lee quickly dodged the sand, getting closer to Gaara. Lee managed to get in front of Gaara and quickly kicked him into the air.
"This isn't over!" Lee began to kick Gaara, repeatedly, higher into the air. Gaara tried to block his kicks with his arms and his sand armor was starting to crack, crumbling away a little. Lee groaned a little in pain as he landed another kick then he quickly wrapped the bandages around Gaara's body.
"Primary Lotus!" Lee began spinning Gaara, hurling straight down and slammed into to the ground, creating a large crater. Yuri gasped as she covered her mouth. Naruto saw how worried she was but said nothing.
"Gaara!" Yuri cried out and so did Kankuro. The smoke cleared and Lee was a few feet away from the crater, panting. Gaara didn't move.
"I-Is he dead?" Naruto asked, shocked.
"N-No way." Kankuro sputtered. Then something strange began to happen. Gaara's body began to crumble, breaking down, revealing a hollow shell of sand. Everyone's eyes widen shock.
"What?" Lee gasped in disbelief.
"But how!?" Gai wondered as well.
"It happened the moment you closed your eyes to pray." Kakashi told him. Then Yuri's eyes widen when she noticed something and she leaned over the railings.
"Lee! Behind you!" she cried out. Lee quickly turned around to come face to face with Gaara as he come out completely unharmed back Lee's attack. Gaara began laughing, maniacally.
Gaara unleashed a large wave of sand at Lee. Lee was struggling as he tried to dodge Gaara's attacks. Then Lee was smacked back and was slammed against the wall by Gaara's sand. Lee quickly raised his arms out as the sand came closer and slammed into the wall, creating a crater. Lee panted, having some small cuts on his face.
"I don't understand! Why doesn't Lee dodge it!?" Sakura asked.
"The Lotus is a double edge sword." Gai spoke.
"It's normally a forbidden technique. All that high speed puts a lot of strain on the body. Right now, he's feeling a lot of pain that he can barely even move." Kakashi said. Lee was knocked back by Gaara's sand again.
"If this keeps up any longer, Lee will..." Sakura clenched her shirt in worry.
Lee could only block Gaara's attack as he released his sand at him.
"Lee! You have to quit!" Sakura cried out. "If you don't, you'll die!"
With each attack Gaara unleashed at him, Lee still continued to get back up. He had a smile on his face.
"Lee's smiling even though he's getting pushed around. How can he be smiling!?" Sakura shouted.
"The tables have turned." Gai smirked. "The hidden lotus blooms twice."
Yuri's eyes widen and she turned to him. "Wait a minute, Lee said something similar to that."
"You are finished here." Gaara spoke.
"Either way, this will end it." Lee smirked.
"Gai, you didn't..." Kakashi spoke in shock. Gai frowned.
"It's exactly what you think."
"Then that kid has the 8 Inner Gates as well." Kakashi questioned. Gai nodded.
"Yeah, he will open them. He had the ability to do so."
"Even if he had an ability like that, it's such a dangerous technique to use!" Kakashi hissed, angrily. "I can't believe you taught that to him."
"What do you know about that boy?" Gai narrowed his eyes, looking at Kakashi. "That kid had a precious thing that he would give his life to protect. So I wanted to turn him into a man he could accomplish it. But with that technique, it comes with a strict condition..." Gai paused.
"How many gates can he open?" Kakashi questioned.
"Five."
"F-Five?" Kakashi sputtered in shock.
"I don't understand. What's wrong?" Yuri asked.
"Anyone who opens all 8 gates will die." Kakashi told her. "Each gate opens the flow of chakra through 8 spots on their body. The initial gate, the gate of healing, the gate of life, the gate of harm, the gate of limit, the gate of view, the gate of wonder and last the gate of death. It allows you to release chakra ten times more power than usual and puts a lot of strain on the user's body as well."
Yuri's eyes widen and she turned back to Lee to see him, starting to release his technique. Lee's skin slowly began to turn red and the veins and tendons were pulsing as well, tearing themselves apart.
"Fourth gate! Gate of Harm, open!" Lee shouted, releasing tons amount of chakra from his body. Then within an instant, Lee suddenly vanished and quickly appeared in front of Gaara. He moved so fast that no one could keep up as they watched and saw Gaara get kicked into the air and get kicked around the arena. Gaara's sand could not react in time to protect him and his sand armor began to crumble away.
"This is the end! Fifth Gate! Gate of Limit, open!" Lee shouted. Lee quickly moved and punched Gaara, hard in the stomach. Gaara fell downwards, but Lee grabbed Gaara's sash, pulling him back up again, delivering another punch. There was a loud pop and Gaara's gourd, released itself from his body. Gaara crashed the ground, hard.
Lee let out a shout in pain and fell to the ground, landing on his side. The smoke cleared. Gaara's sand had protected him at the last second as he fell to the ground. Gaara panted as he laid, trying to catch his breath. Lee groaned as he sat up, struggling to do so. His entire body, every nerve was filled with pain. Gaara raised his hand and the sand grabbed Lee's left arm and leg.
"Sand Burial!" Lee let out a scream in pain as the sand crushed his arm and leg. Everyone watched in horror at what just happened. Yuri gasped as she watched in horror, gripping the railings tightly. The sand rushed towards Lee about to deliver the final blow. Suddenly, something darted forward, fast. The sand crashed into them. Gaara's eyes widen and let the sand dropped. Yuri panted as she held her arms out to block, protecting Lee from the sand. Her face was covered in cuts and her forehead was bleeding.
"Gaara, stop this!" She cried out. Gaara slowly sat up, staring at her in shock. This was very familiar to him. He groaned holding his head in pain.
"Gaara...?" Yuri took a step about to inch closer to him, but stopped when she saw Gaara glare at her.
"Why did you protect him?"
"Because he's my friend!" She shouted, crying a little. "Something that you should know! You promise breaker!"
"Shut up." Gaara growled at her, getting up. Suddenly, Gai jumped down and so did Kakashi, standing in between the two.
"What were you thinking, jumping in like that?" Kakashi scolded her.
"I had to! I made a promise to Lee!" Yuri shouted at him. Then Sakura let out a gasp.
"N-No way. Lee..."
Yuri turned around and so did Kakashi and Gai when they saw Lee, standing back up again, about to fall over. But his eyes were clouded. He wasn't even conscious. Gai walked over to him, hugging Lee.
"That's enough, Lee. You did your best."
"The winner is, Gaara!" Hayate spoke.
"I've had enough." Gaara walked away, heading back up the stairs, but glared at Yuri one last time as he did.