Chapter 69: Izayoi vs Rock Lee

"Awesome!"

Seeing that his opponent was Izayoi, Rock Lee clenched his fists and shouted, eyes shining with excitement. He'd wanted to challenge Izayoi before but had been stopped by Sasuke. After seeing Sasuke's abilities and the way Sasuke treated Izayoi, Lee was all the more determined to fight him. Now, at last, he had his chance.

"Lee, go show off your youth!" Might Guy cheered, giving Lee a hearty pat on the shoulder and flashing a big grin.

"Yes, Guy-sensei!"

Lee snapped to attention and grinned back, sporting a brilliant gleam of light from his teeth. Tenten, noticing the odd stares from those around them, couldn't help covering her face in embarrassment. Neji Hyūga remained expressionless. "Lee, your opponent's no joke. He's got enormous chakra, and he's also teamed up with Lady Hinata. Be careful."

"I know," Lee answered solemnly, then set his foot on the railing and flipped down into the hall.

Izayoi, seeing that his opponent was Rock Lee, raised an eyebrow slightly. In the original timeline, Lee was supposed to face Gaara in the later rounds, while Izayoi might have been matched against Yoroi Akadō, Shino Aburame, or perhaps received a bye. He never expected that he'd end up fighting Lee.

Thinking about the Eight Inner Gates, Izayoi felt a spark of interest. He prepared to jump down as well, but a voice sounded by his ear: "Izayoi-kun, hand me the camera."

"Sure thing."

Hinata took the camera he offered, clenched her fists, and said, "Good luck!"

"Watch me," Izayoi replied confidently. Then, as if something occurred to him, he planted his foot back on the floor beside the railing and leaned over to whisper in Hinata's ear. "If I win, be sure to give me a reward later."

With that, Izayoi vanished and reappeared in the hall. Hinata's cheeks flushed when she noticed Kurenai Yuhi's amused expression. Quickly, Hinata raised the camera to hide her face and sought out the best possible angle of light and shadow.

"I look forward to it, Izayoi!" declared Rock Lee, adopting his fighting stance. His face was solemn, eyes brimming with fighting spirit.

"Before we start, you should take off your training weights," Izayoi advised. "This is just a match between Konoha shinobi, but once it starts, I won't hold back. If you let your pride get in the way and I end up taking you down instantly, don't be upset about it."

"Amazing—you saw through it at a glance." Lee looked at Izayoi in surprise, his fighting spirit rising even higher. But remembering his promise to Guy, he hesitated.

"Lee, take them off!" called Might Guy. Thumbs-up, he smiled brightly. "This is an opponent worth going all-out for. I give you permission to remove them."

"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Eyes brimming with emotion, Lee sat down eagerly and began removing the weights from his legs.

"What the—Bushy Brows was wearing weights the whole time?" Naruto and Sakura, over on Team 7's side, gaped in disbelief.

Sasuke sniffed. "They're just a few pieces of metal."

But a second later, his pupils shrank.

Boom—!

A pair of thunderous crashes overlapped, shaking the hall. Dust billowed up at the far corner where those "iron plates" had landed. When the dust cleared, the floor beneath each plate was cracked and sunken. Every examinee stared, mouths agape.

"This guy…" Sasuke's hands gripped the railing. He was in utter shock. Wearing weights that heavy, Lee's speed had still forced Sasuke to rely on Lightning Release chakra stimulation to keep up. Just how fast could he really move?

Even several jōnin looked taken aback.

"Guy really went overboard on this one." Kakashi Hatake and Asuma Sarutobi's eyelids twitched in unison, both at a loss for words.

Not knowing Izayoi's true strength, Kurenai Yuhi grew visibly serious. "Looks like Izayoi's finally met his match."

Shino Aburame withdrew his hands from his pockets, gripping the railing instead. Beneath his sunglasses, his gaze settled on Izayoi's unchanged expression. He, like many others, was eager to see the full extent of his six-year classmate's abilities.

"Could it be…this brat knows that secret technique too?"

Orochimaru, who had yet to leave, watched Lee bounce lightly in place after removing his weights, his own interest in the match piqued.

"Wow, I haven't felt this light in ages." Finished warming up, Lee faced Izayoi again and took his stance. "Izayoi, this is my full power. Let's give it everything we've got!"

Izayoi returned his smile, lifting two fingers. "Come at me. Looking forward to it."

"Likewise!"

Lee switched to a Seal of Confrontation. Sarutobi Hiruzen, watching from the stands, couldn't help smiling. Sensing the focused energy between the two young shinobi, Hayate Gekkō also grew serious. Holding up his clipboard with one hand and raising the other, he shouted:

"Tenth match, Izayoi vs. Rock Lee…begin!"

He brought his arm down decisively and flickered up to the second-floor balcony in a burst of speed, giving Izayoi and Lee free rein over the arena. Hayate was fast, but Lee was faster—before Hayate even arrived on the balcony, Lee had already disappeared in a blur, reappearing on Izayoi's left with a low kick.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

The move was so quick that most of the remaining genin—and even some of the Special Jōnin—couldn't react, including Gaara. But Izayoi was the real speed demon here. Almost simultaneously with Lee's appearance at his left side, Izayoi turned and exhaled a quick breath at the incoming kick.

Whoooosh…

A whirlwind-like gust, swirling with invisible energy, not only blocked Lee's strike but also blasted him away. It was Wind Release: Great Breakthrough—the same technique Naruto had shown earlier.

"He formed a single seal with just one hand? His jutsu speed is incredible!"

Some of the more experienced jōnin exchanged startled looks. To their eyes, Izayoi hadn't budged an inch, hands tucked into his wide sleeves; yet he had seemingly predicted Lee's approach and unleashed a powerful gust of air that hurled Lee toward the wall.

All this happened in the time it took Hayate Gekkō to reach the second-floor balcony. From the referee's departure to Lee's attack to Lee getting blown away, less than three seconds had passed. Yet in those few seconds, most of the other genin realized the gulf that separated them from Lee and Izayoi.

Snapping out of his daze, Sasuke instantly activated his Sharingan. Even Kakashi Hatake slid back his forehead protector, revealing the three-tomoe Sharingan beneath, and fixed his gaze on Izayoi and Lee below.

He had a hunch these two would put on a stunning show for everyone.

~~~

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