"Awesome!"
Seeing his opponent was Izayoi, Lee Rock clenched his fists and shouted excitedly.
He had wanted to challenge Izayoi before but was stopped by Uchiha Sasuke.
After witnessing Sasuke's strength and his attitude toward Izayoi, Lee Rock became even more determined to face Izayoi.
Now, his wish was finally coming true.
"Lee, go and bloom your youth!" Might Guy patted Lee Rock's shoulder with a toothy grin.
"Yes, Teacher Guy!"
Lee Rock stood at attention, grinning widely as a white glow flashed around him.
Feeling the strange gazes from the crowd, Tenten covered her face in embarrassment.
Hyuga Neji, expressionless, said calmly, "Lee, your opponent isn't simple. His chakra is extraordinary, and he's also Lady Hinata's teammate. Be careful."
"I understand."
Lee Rock nodded seriously, then stepped off the railing and landed with a flip.
Seeing Lee Rock matched with him, Izayoi was somewhat surprised.
For the last few rounds, as in the original story, Izayoi thought Lee Rock would face Gaara, and he might get matched against Akagane Kai or Yamanaka Shino, or become the lucky one to skip a round.
But unexpectedly, he was paired with Lee Rock.
Thinking about the Eight Gates — that divine technique — Izayoi grew interested.
Just as Izayoi prepared to jump down, he suddenly heard Hinata's voice.
"Izayoi-kun, give me the camera."
"Alright."
Taking the camera from Izayoi, Hinata clenched her pink fists and said, "Do your best!"
"Watch my performance!"
Izayoi smiled confidently, then suddenly pulled back his foot from the railing, leaned close to Hinata's ear, and whispered, "If I win, remember to reward me."
After that, Izayoi instantly disappeared, appearing on the arena floor.
Looking at the mischievous smile on Hinata's face, her cheeks flushed pink as she raised the camera to cover her face, searching for the best lighting.
"Izayoi, please take care of me!"
On the arena floor, Lee Rock struck a fighting stance, his expression serious and eyes full of fighting spirit.
"Before we start, take off your weights," Izayoi said, "Though this is a fight between villagers, I won't hold back. If you stay arrogant, don't complain if you get wiped out quickly."
"Impressive, you saw right through me," Lee Rock said with surprise, his fighting spirit growing stronger.
But recalling his promise to Teacher Guy, he hesitated.
"Lee, take them off!" Guy's voice came into his ears.
Might Guy gave Lee Rock a thumbs-up, smiling, "This is an opponent worthy of your full effort. I allow you to remove your weights."
"Yes, Teacher Guy!"
Lee Rock instantly had tears of excitement, then eagerly sat down and began to remove the weights from his feet.
"What? That thick-browed guy was still wearing weights?"
Naruto Uzumaki and Haruno Sakura from Team Seven stared in disbelief.
Uchiha Sasuke scoffed, "It's just a few iron plates."
But the next second, his pupils shrank sharply.
Boom — two loud explosions overlapped.
A thick dust cloud rose in a corner of the arena.
When the dust cleared, the ground where the weights had been was concave, surrounded by cracks.
Everyone watching was stunned.
"This guy..."
Sasuke grabbed the railing tightly, shocked to his core.
Despite the heavy weights, Lee Rock's speed was so fast Sasuke had to activate lightning chakra to stimulate his cells.
What level has his true speed reached?
Even many Jonin had surprised expressions.
"Guy is really reckless!"
Kakashi Hatake and Asuma Sarutobi twitched their eyes and mouths, speechless.
Yukihiro Akabeni, who didn't yet know Izayoi's true power, looked serious.
Shino Aburame took his hands from his pockets, grabbed the railing, and through his sunglasses, his eyes fixed on Izayoi with anticipation.
Finally, they would see the true strength of the top student who had been with them for six years.
"This kid... could he also have mastered that divine technique?"
Orochimaru, who hadn't left, was interested in this fight.
"I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time."
After warming up, Lee Rock faced Izayoi again, doing his fighting stance.
"Izayoi, this is my strongest state. Let's fight!"
Izayoi smiled and raised two fingers in a chūnibyō pose.
"Bring it on. Please take care of me."
Lee Rock's stance became a formation seal.
Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen on the stands smiled with satisfaction.
As if sensing the atmosphere between the two, Gekkō Hayate became serious, holding a clipboard in one hand, raising the other to announce loudly:
"Round Ten, Izayoi VS Lee Rock... officially begins!"
He swung his arm down hard, instantly moving to the second-floor stands to give the entire arena to Izayoi and Lee Rock, afraid to block their performance.
Hayate was fast, but Lee Rock was faster.
Before Hayate appeared on the second-floor stands, Lee Rock vanished and reappeared to Izayoi's left side, delivering a low kick.
"Hidden Leaf Whirlwind!"
The speed was so fast that even Gaara and others didn't react in time.
But Izayoi was the true speedster.
Almost the moment Lee Rock appeared on the left side, Izayoi turned his head and blew lightly on the incoming kick.
Whoosh...
The roaring wind twisted the air flow, blocking Lee Rock's kick and blowing him flying.
It was Naruto's previously used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
"Single-hand seal? What fast casting!"
The Jonin watching changed their expressions.
In the eyes of the exam candidates and Jonin, Izayoi stood still with his hands hidden in his wide sleeves, predicting Lee Rock's position in advance.
He then turned his head, releasing a gust of wind, which grew into an invisible giant hand that caught Lee Rock and threw him against the wall.
At this moment, Gekkō Hayate had just appeared on the second-floor stands.
From the moment the examiners left, to Lee Rock's attack, to Lee Rock being blown away — it all took less than three seconds.
In this short time, most candidates saw the gap between themselves, Lee Rock, and Izayoi.
Sasuke came back to his senses and immediately activated his Sharingan.
Even Kakashi Hatake lifted his forehead protector to reveal his three-tomoe Sharingan, staring at Izayoi and Lee Rock below.
He had a feeling these two youngsters would deliver an extraordinary battle for everyone to witness!