"He's indeed strong!"
Rock Lee, who had been sent flying by the fierce wind, clung to the wall with his feet, his expression brimming with excitement as he gazed at Izayoi, who looked completely unfazed.
As the airflow weakened, he vanished into thin air once again, but this time, he didn't reappear around Izayoi.
Instead, he transformed into a black afterimage, circling around Izayoi at an astonishing speed.
The speed was so intense that the small afterimage stirred up a cloud of dust, forming a white vortex that enveloped Izayoi.
In the next moment, Rock Lee appeared in front of Izayoi, throwing a punch.
Izayoi, however, didn't move a muscle.
Just as the punch was about to land, it suddenly stopped.
Upon closer inspection, the fist and Rock Lee himself turned out to be nothing more than an afterimage.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
A shout echoed as a whirlwind materialized to Izayoi's right, transforming into Rock Lee's figure.
A full 360-degree spinning kick, charged with immense force, was aimed directly at Izayoi.
If it were any of the other young ninjas of this generation, except for Aburame Shino, who could use his insect substitution, they would likely have been knocked out of the fight by this kick.
But as the saying goes…
Rock Lee was fast, but Izayoi was even faster.
Just like with the previous Leaf Whirlwind, the spinning kick was intercepted before it could reach Izayoi.
This time, it wasn't Wind Release that stopped it, but Izayoi's forearm.
With a loud bang, a shockwave erupted from the point where Izayoi's forearm and Rock Lee's shin collided.
Despite the force of the kick, which could have sent objects weighing who knows how much flying, Izayoi's forearm remained as steady as steel.
Hidden by his sleeve, no one could see how he managed it.
Under Rock Lee's wide-eyed gaze, Izayoi shifted from blocking to grabbing, seizing Rock Lee's ankle. He then turned and used the momentum to slam Rock Lee heavily into the ground.
With his incredible arm strength, Rock Lee managed to brace himself with his hands, blocking the impact, and then used his strength to break free, landing with a forward flip.
Izayoi didn't press his advantage. Instead, he retracted his hand and continued to silently watch Rock Lee.
From start to finish, Izayoi hadn't moved a single step.
The young ninjas were utterly stunned.
"He can even use Earth Release Nature Transformation?" Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan spun rapidly, as he was one of the few who could discern the method behind Izayoi's defense.
To the others, Izayoi's Body Techniques were astonishing, completely suppressing even Rock Lee, who was wearing his heavy weights.
But in Kakashi Hatake's eyes, Izayoi was a true Ninja Technique genius.
The Lightning Release Nature Transformation he had taught to Uchiha Sasuke and Hinata, the Fireball Whirlwind in the Death Forest, and now the Wind Release and Earth Release Nature Transformations—Izayoi had already mastered four Nature Transformations.
This kid… could he be… an all-element user?
Kakashi Hatake thought to himself.
Even if he were an all-element user, it would still require rigorous training to master Nature Transformation to this level! No wonder the Hyuga Clan didn't stop the Main Family Lady from associating with him. It seems they had already discovered and invested in this uncut gem.
"He's truly exceptional! With such Chakra and such talent in Ninja Techniques, he must be a genius who awakened his bloodline from a previous generation. So… is he from the Senju or the Uzumaki clan?"
A sinister smile crept across Orochimaru's face, his thoughts aligning with Kakashi Hatake's—both suspected that Izayoi possessed all elemental affinities and even began speculating about his ancestral lineage.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sounds of combat echoed continuously. Despite being repeatedly overpowered, Rock Lee showed no signs of discouragement. Instead, his expression grew increasingly excited as he relentlessly attacked Izayoi, growing stronger with each strike! Izayoi, too, ceased using ninja techniques to defend himself. Instead, he activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura for heightened perception and stimulated his cells with Lightning Release Chakra to boost his speed, engaging Rock Lee in an intense Taijutsu Duel.
In the hall, two afterimages spun like high-speed tops, colliding with each other.
With each collision, their forms would briefly materialize before they shifted positions and clashed again.
When their fists and feet met, it was unclear whether it was sheer physical force or the invisible shockwaves of Chakra that erupted from the point of impact.
Gradually, their speed increased, and their movements were no longer confined to the ground. At times, they leaped into the air, their movements becoming a dazzling blur.
Uchiha Sasuke's eyes could barely keep up, but Uzumaki Naruto and the others were completely bewildered.
Not just them—even some Special Jonin who weren't adept at sensing were visibly shocked.
They never expected that among this year's Genin, there would be two such monsters.
An all-around Jonin and an Elite Jonin with ace combat capabilities watched in awe. Despite not being known for Taijutsu, Izayoi's speed was on par with Rock Lee's. They murmured in admiration, "Such incredible Nature Transformation, such formidable Chakra Control!"
Even when using Lightning Release Chakra to enhance their speed, neither Uchiha Sasuke nor Hinata could compare to Izayoi.
This wasn't about speed alone.
After a sudden surge in speed, they either couldn't perfectly control their bodies or needed time to adapt before they could increase their speed, and their stamina was generally limited.
In contrast, Izayoi could immediately master this enhanced state after stimulating his cells with Lightning Release Chakra, instantly pushing his speed to its limit.
This required not only powerful Nature Transformation but also astonishing Chakra Control.
And the latter was the key.
At such a young age, he already possessed Chakra Control of this caliber—no wonder he had mastered two/four Nature Transformations so early.
Everyone present seemed to envision that in a few years, the Leaf Village would gain another all-around Jonin.
But soon, the Jonin present realized they had still underestimated Izayoi. After countless exchanges, the two afterimages, spinning like tops, finally came to a halt.
At this moment, Rock Lee was breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead as he stared at Izayoi across from him.
Izayoi remained as calm and composed as ever, smiling gently. "Your Taijutsu is impressive, but if this is all you've got, the fight will end soon. Do you have any stronger techniques?"
Hearing this, Rock Lee instinctively glanced in Might Guy's direction.
When he saw Guy-sensei grinning widely, giving him a thumbs-up and a nod, Rock Lee's face lit up with joy.
Then, while unwrapping the bandages on his hands, he said to Izayoi, "I have an even more powerful move, but it's a forbidden technique that's prohibited from being used on comrades! The reason I was punished by Guy-sensei after my fight with Sasuke last time was because I almost broke that taboo."
"But if the opponent is you, Izayoi, I believe you can withstand the power of the Lotus."
With the bandages hanging from his hands, Rock Lee looked at Izayoi with determination and said solemnly, "Izayoi, I will use this move to prove to you that hard work can defeat genius!"
Hearing this, the examinees immediately focused their attention.
Even the Jonin were watching Rock Lee intently.
Kakashi Hatake, who knew Might Guy best, had a bold thought.
"That guy, Guy, didn't he teach him that forbidden technique too?"
The next moment, Kakashi's suspicion was confirmed.
From the perspective of the Byakugan and the Sharingan, Rock Lee's brain suddenly experienced a surge of Chakra, which then flowed through his meridians and spread throughout his body, as if some restriction had been lifted.
Even his aura changed.
Many Jonin felt an oppressive force from Rock Lee, the kind that could overcome the strong with the weak.
Izayoi also noticed this and finally became completely serious.
Without using the power of the Tenseigan, Izayoi was curious about how powerful the Eight Gates Formation, one of the three great techniques of the Naruto series, truly was.
Then Izayoi saw Rock Lee in his field of vision flash and instantly appear in front of him from several meters away, throwing a straight punch.
Izayoi reacted quickly, intending to raise his hand to block the wrist.
But in the next instant, Rock Lee repeated his trick, his figure disappearing without even leaving an afterimage, and appeared behind Izayoi, his fist turning into a claw, attempting to capture and bind Izayoi with the bandages.
Zzzz...
At this moment, the sound of electric currents intersecting was heard.
Snake-like blue and white arcs appeared out of thin air, swirling around Izayoi's body.
Before Rock Lee's hand could touch Izayoi, he was shocked and quickly retracted his hand, distancing himself from Izayoi.
"Is this... the Lightning Release Chakra Mode of the Cloud Hidden Village?"
"No, this is just... Shape Transformation!"
"What an amazing guy, not only Nature Transformation but also such impressive Shape Transformation?"
"Such talent in Lightning Release is just like Kakashi-sensei!"
"..."
Exclamations of amazement rang out from the second-floor viewing platform.
The speakers were all those Jonin.
These words were so piercing to Kurenai Yuhi.
At the same time, she couldn't help but show a bitter smile, feeling that the Lord Hokage had assigned the wrong class.
With Izayoi's talent, he should have been Kakashi Hatake's disciple.
If Izayoi were Kakashi Hatake's disciple, he might have already learned a large number of Five Elements Release Techniques, and even mastered the Chidori, or the S-class Secret Art, Lightning Blade, which combines Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation.
As for the examinees, most of them didn't even understand Nature Transformation, let alone Shape Transformation.
Only Uchiha Sasuke's eyes lit up, "So that's how Lightning Release Chakra can be used!"
Little did he know, this move was the one he would develop in the future... the Thousand Birds Current.
Bang! Izayoi, utilizing the Thousand Birds Current, also saw his speed increase. In a flash, he appeared before Rock Lee and threw a punch.
Rock Lee instinctively raised his arms to block, but in the next moment, his eyes bulged, and a pained expression crossed his face.
He had been struck in the stomach by a kick from Izayoi, sending him flying backward. He crashed heavily into the wall, creating a small dent as cracks spread outward.
Izayoi didn't press his advantage. Instead, his body crackled with blue-white arcs of electricity as he smiled and said, "Only a 20% increase in speed? That's hardly a forbidden technique. You should be able to get even stronger, right? Show me your true power!"
Like a painting falling from the wall, Rock Lee slid down and landed on the ground, his head lowered in silence.
However, the spectators with Eye Techniques and the ninjas skilled in perception all reacted as if they had seen something extraordinary. Their pupils contracted, and their expressions changed dramatically.
"Eight Gates Formation, Third Gate: Gate of Life… Open!"
Rock Lee crossed his arms, and the air around8 him suddenly twisted and rose.
When he lifted his head, his eyes were completely white, with no visible pupils.
His face flushed red, veins bulged on his forehead, and white steam emanated from his entire body.
With a loud shout, a surge of green energy erupted from him.
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