Chapter 39 (Patreon)

The seventh match was Rock Lee against Gaara.

Gaara stepped forward, his impatience evident, and sent the stopper of his gourd flying toward Lee. Lee charged in with the Leaf Hurricane, but a wall of sand blocked his kick and lashed out at him in return.

He flipped backward to evade it, putting some distance between himself and Gaara before rushing in again. Yet no matter how he attacked, the sand intercepted every blow.

At last, Gaara’s sand caught him and hurled him across the arena. It pursued him again. Lee kept flipping backward to avoid it, but his foot came down on the sand. He lost his balance and fell. Before it could close around him, he sprang up and retreated through another series of backflips, finally landing on a high ledge.

Seeing how hard he was being pressed, Guy gave him a signal.

“Lee! Take them off!”

He meant the weights beneath Lee’s leg warmers, of course. Lee removed them and held one in each hand.

Temari scoffed inwardly. They looked so light. He had only reduced his burden a little—how much difference could that possibly make?

Then Lee dropped them.

Boom!

The two weights struck the floor and smashed a crater apiece into it. The shinobi throughout the arena stared in disbelief.

Even Naruto’s eye twitched. He had known what was coming, but seeing it happen in person was another matter. Just how strong was Lee’s body? If Naruto wore those weights, even jumping would be difficult.

He had been imagining himself opening the Eight Inner Gates again and again without limit. Now he could see how much work his body would need before that became possible. But the sight stirred his determination rather than discouraging him. If Lee could do it, why couldn’t he?

When this is over, I’m asking Guy-sensei to take me as a student. I need to learn how to train my body properly.

Freed of the weights, Lee moved at a completely different speed. Gaara’s sand struggled to keep up. It could barely intercept his attacks. Then a kick slipped through. Lee struck Gaara, followed with a punch, and sent him flying.

A moment later, Gaara got up, his expression grim. He was unharmed. A layer of sand covered his entire body: Sand Armor. Even when Lee slipped past the moving sand, that second defense protected Gaara.

Lee calmly loosened the bandages around his hands. Then he darted forward and kicked Gaara in the face, launching him into the air. Lee leaped after him, striking him with a succession of kicks before catching him in his bandages. With the Primary Lotus, he drove Gaara from the air straight into the floor.

But when the dust cleared, the body in front of Lee was only a sand clone. The real Gaara stood behind him.

The strain of the technique had distracted Lee for a brief moment while they were airborne. Gaara had used that opening to replace himself with the clone. Sand struck Lee and knocked him to the floor. His body had not yet recovered from the Primary Lotus. He could only endure the attack.

Just as Gaara prepared to deliver the finishing blow, Lee opened the Third Gate, the Gate of Life, followed by the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Pain. A blazing surge of chakra erupted around him.

His movements became too fast to follow. The spectators could no longer make out his figure, and Kakashi activated his Sharingan. Naruto watched, his eyes filled with envy and longing.

Lee kicked Gaara into the air with blinding speed, appeared beside him, and struck again. This time, Gaara’s Sand Armor finally broke apart.

For the finishing attack, Lee opened the Fifth Gate—the Gate of Limit. His chakra surged once more. His speed and power climbed even higher as he unleashed the Hidden Lotus. He had originally saved that technique for Neji. But if he wanted to win and reach the third exam, he had to reveal it now.

The spectators stared, mouths open. Naruto’s breath caught.

If he had to face Lee in that state, the Flying Thunder God Technique would be his only chance. Without it, he couldn’t win. The Sage Body of the Uzumaki Clan would keep him alive, at least.

Gaara took another devastating blow and plunged toward the floor from high above. But the gourd on his back suddenly broke down into sand, cushioning his fall and protecting him from the impact. Once again, Gaara escaped.

Lee’s body, however, had reached its limit. He fell helplessly to the floor.

Gaara’s expression darkened. He used the Sand Coffin, sending sand around Lee’s left arm and left leg. He was about to crush them both.

Naruto suddenly appeared beside Lee and thrust both palms toward the sand.

“Wind Style: Gale Palm!”

The gust tore through the sand, freeing Lee’s limbs before Gaara could crush them. Only then did Guy react, stepping forward to shield his student. Hayate and Baki, the Sand team’s jōnin instructor, also intervened, stopping Gaara as he prepared another attack.

Lee had lost the match, but his left arm and leg were intact. Both he and Guy looked at Naruto with gratitude.

Naruto answered with a polite smile. Surely Guy-sensei wouldn’t refuse to take him as a student after this?

He also made up his mind about something else: before putting the Eight Inner Gates to use, he would master a sword technique.

If Lee had carried a sword strong enough to withstand his power, breaking through the Sand Armor would have been easier. A single fatal strike could have ended the battle much sooner. Yoroi’s earlier fight with Sasuke had only reinforced that thought.

...

The eighth match began soon afterward: Hinata Hyūga against Neji Hyūga.

The spectators put aside their astonishment over the previous battle and turned their attention to the two Hyūga. On one side stood the main family’s heiress. On the other was the branch family’s prodigy. The complicated history between their fathers gave the match even greater weight.

Neji activated his Byakugan and fixed his gaze on Hinata. Then he began attacking her confidence with words. Hinata trembled under his cold scrutiny.

“Hey! Stop blaming fate and everyone around you!”

Naruto glared at Neji from the sidelines.

“Don’t act like you’re the only person in the world who’s suffered! I’ve never seen my parents, not once since I was born! Do you hear me complaining? People call me a demon fox! Do I complain about that? I’ve had to live on expired food and catch fish myself just to eat! Have you ever heard me complaining?”

“Complaining is what weak people do! If you’re strong, use that strength to change things!”

His voice grew more impassioned, drawing everyone’s attention. The shinobi who knew the truth behind his circumstances couldn’t hide the sympathy in their eyes. Kakashi looked at him as though something had finally fallen into place.

Hiruzen alone remained outwardly composed, his eyes darkening as he restrained his anger. For an instant, something else stirred beneath that anger, then disappeared.

Once the Chūnin Exams were over, he intended to force Naruto back into line, whether through further brainwashing or punishment. Such “dangerous” ideas had to be stamped out.

Naruto wasn’t concerned with Hiruzen’s reaction. The Third Hokage’s time was already running out. If something unexpected interfered, Naruto would make sure it didn’t save him. He would send Hiruzen to hell himself if he had to.

Neji studied Naruto thoughtfully. He had heard of him, of course—the boy everyone pointed at and condemned. He had also witnessed the way Naruto was treated, both at the Academy and around the village.

But a few words couldn’t undo a belief Neji had carried for years. Naruto would have to defeat him and break that certainty before he was ready to let it go.

His words had reached Hinata as well. She was quiet and shy, never good at expressing herself. But she had always watched Naruto. She understood better than anyone how much he had endured.

Now she wanted to follow his example. She would overcome the hardships before her and face reality with courage. Hinata activated her Byakugan and stepped forward to fight.

The two exchanged Gentle Fist strikes. Hinata seized an opening and thrust her palm toward Neji, but he turned the attack aside with ease. Hinata coughed up blood.

She pushed his guarding hand away and tried another palm strike. Neji remained calm. He countered with a light tap, then pulled back her sleeve, revealing the many red marks on her arm. They marked the chakra points he had already struck.

Naruto’s chest tightened at the sight. Neji struck Hinata with a palm and sent her flying. Still, she struggled back to her feet.

They fought again. Neji found another opening and struck her over the heart. Hinata collapsed and remained on the floor.

Just as Hayate was about to announce Neji’s victory, she rose again, trembling. Naruto watched in silence, both hands clamped around the railing.

Neji sneered, telling her to abandon her pointless struggle. Hinata struggled to catch her breath.

“Neji-niisan... when it comes to the fate of the main family and the branch family... you’re the one who’s lost. You’re the one suffering.”

Those words struck exactly where Neji hurt most. He rushed forward, preparing to deliver a fatal blow. Before he could reach her, a figure flashed between them. A kick sent him backward.

Naruto stood in front of Hinata, his expression cold. He looked down at Neji where he lay on the floor.

“You didn’t listen to Hinata or me. Fine. I’ll settle this with you in the third exam. Then you can calm down and think about what we said.”

The eighth match ended with Hinata’s defeat. Medical-nin carried her away, and the preliminaries were over.

The seven winners were Sasuke Uchiha, Shino Aburame, Kankurō, Temari, Shikamaru Nara, Gaara, and Neji Hyūga. Naruto, who had received the bye, would advance with them.

Next came the third exam. New battles awaited—and with them, the upheaval Naruto had been preparing for.

He had waited for this moment for a long time.