Inside the rogue ninja organization's hideout, Rock Lee and Aburame Neri had tailed their target to the mission location. Neri was once again shocked by Naruto's Kekkei Genkai. The rogue ninja from the Land of Snow, like a manipulated puppet, had obediently walked into the organization's base, completely oblivious to anything amiss throughout the entire process. The moment they stepped into the hideout, however, they were instantly locked onto by a terrifying aura.
"Xue, it seems you've led some interesting playthings here." With a hoarse laugh, blood suddenly erupted from the Land of Snow ninja's body as a deep gash appeared from his shoulder to his abdomen. He collapsed with a thud, revealing Rock Lee and Aburame Neri who had been following him.
"The intel was wrong. This rogue organization is no simple matter." Aburame Neri's eyes turned cold, and she immediately began assessing escape routes. A ninja with disheveled hair walked out from a corner, looking at the two with a smirk.
"Which ninja village are you from?" As he spoke, strange streams of water flowed down his body, coiling around his ankles like little snakes.
Clap. The sound of footsteps followed, and another man, not wearing a rogue ninja headband, also emerged, a mocking smile on his face. Bizarrely, there wasn't the slightest fluctuation of chakra from his body. He wore a swordsman's black robe, a longsword tucked into his belt, looking quite dashing. Behind him, the remaining members of the rogue organization filed out, all wearing timid, subservient expressions. This scene was truly bewildering.
"Who is this guy in black? There was absolutely no information about him in the report," Aburame Neri frowned. Even her insects were showing signs of unease. For Neri to have survived in Root until now, she naturally had her own unique survival skills. She immediately considered retreating. Experimental subjects could always be found later. Mission completion rates were important, but not as important as her own life. After all, if she died, it would all be for nothing. She was still young; there were many more bodies she wanted to research and dissect. Neri took a step back, subtly glancing at Rock Lee. 'This guy is a simpleton. Let him test the waters first.'
"Hey, you guys go on ahead," Suiho said, glancing at the ninja behind him, casually folding his arms. Then he looked at the man in black. "Kikui, you don't mind, do you?"
"No objections," the man in black, Kikui, nodded, his expression cold.
Although the Chunin and Genin behind them were terrified, under the threat of these two grim reapers, they could only surge towards Rock Lee and Aburame Neri.
"They're just very weak Chunin and Genin, nothing to worry about. It's those two..." Neri looked warily at Suiho and Kikui, insects swarming in her hands.
On the other side, Rock Lee was already letting out strange cries as he met his opponents. "Konoha Root Great Whirlwind!!" He yelled repeatedly, a flurry of taijutsu directly beating several Genin half to death.
"Hmm? Are they Root ninja? Kikui, I remember you used to be a Konoha ninja, right?" Suiho, observing, looked rather surprised as he turned to his companion.
"That's all in the past," Kikui replied, his expression unchanged, his eyes cold.
"Hehe, then should I leave this guy to you later?" Suiho asked with a grin.
"It matters not."
"Speaking of which, though, that woman seems to be from Konoha's Aburame clan. She controls insects; quite a troublesome opponent," Suiho said with a sinister laugh. "Back when my old employer, Kirigakure, was at war with your Konoha, I killed some Aburame clan members. Those insects were truly disgusting."
"What's the background of these two? Why are they so calm?" Aburame Neri thought, frowning, the sounds of sonic booms and flesh being pummeled filling her ears. Insects poured from her body, quickly covering the rogue ninja, biting fiercely. Accompanied by agonized screams, countless wounds appeared on the rogues, blood streaming freely. Her insects also began to act as porters, carrying severed limbs to her.
Neri's gaze remained fixed on Suiho and Kikui, her right hand tightly gripping a kunai, the muscles in her legs tensed.
Bang! Bang! Bang! With even more violent sonic booms, Rock Lee's figure became a blur, instantly finishing off the remaining rogue ninja. And in that exact moment, Suiho, who had been watching, made his move, launching a vicious punch at Rock Lee. Seeing the suddenly attacking shadow, Rock Lee's eyes tightened, his body reacting instinctively as he threw a straight punch.
Thud! With a dull impact, Rock Lee's expression changed; the ground beneath his feet actually cracked open. However, before his hand could recover from the intense numbness, Suiho's second fist had already slammed into Rock Lee's face.
Smack! He was sent flying backward, crashing through several walls before finally stopping.
"Hmph, weak Konoha ninja," Suiho sneered disdainfully, retracting his fist.
"Aah, that really hurts!" However, the cry of pain that came next made Suiho's expression freeze momentarily. Rock Lee emerged, rubbing his slightly swollen face, looking battered but still full of life.
"Suiho, are your fists just for tickling?" Kikui taunted.
"Hmph, just you watch," Suiho, embarrassed, retorted coldly, his gaze towards Rock Lee now filled with killing intent.
'I didn't expect this Rock Lee to have some skill.' Seeing Lee's performance, Aburame Neri temporarily shelved her thoughts of escape. Her insects began to deploy, ready to ambush at any moment.
Swoosh! Before Rock Lee could even straighten up, the sound of something cutting through the air was heard. He hastily dodged backward. Ting! Ting! Ting! A dense series of impacts occurred where he had just been standing. Looking closely, the area was now peppered with senbon! If Rock Lee had reacted a second later, he might have been skewered into a human hedgehog.
"How despicable!" Rock Lee couldn't help but complain.
"Real ninja battles are just this unscrupulous," Aburame Neri rolled her eyes and reminded him coldly. "This isn't child's play. One wrong move and you die."
"Hmph, I am Rock Lee, the Sage who will follow Naruto! How could I die here?" Rock Lee declared confidently, tilting his head up. He almost misspoke mid-sentence but quickly corrected himself. This, however, just made Neri roll her eyes again.
"Looks like I have to get serious." Under everyone's rather surprised gazes, Rock Lee slowly removed the weights from his body.
BOOM! The ground cracked, spiderweb-like fissures spreading out from where the weights landed. Rock Lee's right hand instinctively grabbed his cloak and tossed it upwards, revealing his true appearance.
"I f*%&#$@&!" Aburame Neri couldn't stop herself from cursing. Rock Lee was, without a doubt, the shame of Root. No, the shame of Konoha.
Suiho and Kikui's lips twitched slightly as they also saw the headband on Rock Lee's forehead. "So, he really is a Konoha ninja," Suiho chuckled, his figure suddenly closing in on Rock Lee.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Both sides burned with chakra, flashing continuously around the area. Intense sonic booms made ears ring, and from time to time, a few senbon could be seen streaking past, embedding themselves deeply into the walls. Soon, one figure was being pummeled like a sandbag, barely able to touch the ground.
"Damn, this isn't an ordinary Jonin," Aburame Neri, watching the fight, thought, her eyes flickering, muscles tensed, ready to act at any moment. And the one being treated like a sandbag was none other than Rock Lee. Even at full power, with speed approaching that of a Jonin, Lee was being completely toyed with by Suiho.
"Damn it!" Sent flying once more, Rock Lee steadied himself and played his trump card. "First Gate, Gate of Opening, Open!" "Second Gate, Gate of Healing, Open!" "Third Gate! Gate of Life, Open!!!" He directly opened three gates. The chakra within him boiled, manifesting on his skin as a scorching red aura. Rock Lee's expression also became contorted, as if enduring immense pain, his usually soft hair standing on end. Konoha's secret technique, the Eight Inner Gates. Only ninja who had tempered their bodies to the extreme could open them, gaining power and speed several times greater than their own in an instant.
"Aaargh!!" To Suiho, Rock Lee's figure became an afterimage, blasting through the space, his skin now tinged a faint red, leaving crimson trails in mid-air. He instantly appeared before Suiho. Their eyes met, both seeing the seething killing intent in the other's gaze.
Smack! Rock Lee's fist landed on Suiho's face, just like a return for the earlier blow. Suiho shot backward like a cannonball, an expression of unbridled rage on his face. Rogue ninja and Konoha ninja—their stances dictated that only one could survive. Rock Lee flickered again, appearing above Suiho, his second punch slamming into Suiho's abdomen.
BOOM! With a teeth-grinding sound, Suiho's body bent into an arc, stomach acid spewing from his mouth. However, Rock Lee's assault wasn't over. He flashed beneath Suiho again, launching him upwards with a rising dragon fist. The bandages on his hands suddenly unwrapped, and he relentlessly battered Suiho in mid-air. "Reverse Lotus!!" Rock Lee's speed was pushed to the extreme, as if he were treading on air, flashing continuously across the sky, each strike a devastating blow to Suiho. Finally, the bandages wrapped around Suiho, sending him plummeting to the ground at incredible speed.
CRASH! The earth shattered, the ground trembled, and a crater over ten meters in diameter was blasted open. "Hah... hah..." Rock Lee landed, panting heavily, the strong air currents kicking up dust.
"This guy looks unreliable, but his taijutsu alone is already at Jonin level. His physique also holds research value." A flicker of greed appeared in Aburame Neri's eyes. She hadn't expected Rock Lee to be even stronger than the intel suggested. In that case, this mission probably wouldn't have any major hitches. 'Hmm? Why is that person still so calm?' Neri's peripheral vision caught Kikui leaning against the wall, looking utterly uninterested. Such a fierce battle hadn't even caught that guy's attention; he even seemed bored. Could it be that his strength surpassed Suiho's?
"What terrifying fellows." Just then, a voice suddenly came from the crater. Suiho was seen clutching his chest as he stood up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He grinned maniacally. "Congratulations on pissing me off. I will kill you all without mercy."