Boom!
The blue Rasengan pierced directly through Gaara's sand armor!
Unlike Lee, who relied purely on taijutsu and had no knowledge of ninjutsu, Naruto possessed a variety of ways to breach Gaara's defense—both physically and mentally.
Crash!
Gaara was sent flying, slamming into a tree. Only the thick armor of sand on his back helped cushion the impact, allowing him to barely stay intact.
Still, blood spurted from his mouth.
There was no denying Uzumaki Naruto's strength. But no one had expected that Gaara—feared as the ultimate defense—would be beaten so badly, and so quickly, that he vomited blood after just one strike!
Is that blue little Rasengan really that powerful?
"I… Gaara…"
In the stands, Temari clenched her fists tightly. Her expression was conflicted and full of pain. She didn't want to see her younger brother get hurt, yet at the same time, she didn't want Naruto to lose either.
For her, each passing moment of this battle was like torture.
On the other side of the stands, Sakura and Ino were visibly excited. The stronger Naruto became, the more thrilled they were.
When Naruto wins, doesn't that mean I'll be the one enjoying it afterward?
"Ino, what are you even thinking about all day?"
Ino's father, Yamanaka Inoichi, frowned and scolded his daughter.
Sakura silently thanked her luck. Thankfully, my parents aren't prominent shinobi, she thought, otherwise I'd also be in this chat room and probably getting scolded too.
After all, the thoughts of her alternate self were… a bit too revealing.
Even if Naruto really is excellent… I'm still young!
As for Ino, her face turned a shade of pink—not from shame, but from the sheer embarrassment of having her inner thoughts exposed to so many people.
This is the ultimate social death!
---
"ROARRR!!!"
On the black screen, Gaara slowly stood up, roaring like a wild beast.
His mouth twisted as he began to chant the same words repeatedly:
"I'm going to kill you… I'm going to kill you… I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
Naruto scoffed, arms crossed. "Hmph. You think you can kill someone with just your mouth?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Do you think you're me? Able to win people over—like Xiyan—just by running your mouth?"
Without hesitation, Naruto launched another fierce assault on Gaara.
---
"Naruto, you've noticed, haven't you? The One-Tail's chakra is leaking more and more," came Kurama's calm voice from within Naruto's body.
Naruto nodded. He could clearly feel the wild shift in Gaara's chakra—darker, wilder—but it still wasn't enough.
"Then I'll keep going… little raccoon cat!"
"Little raccoon cat?!"
Kankuro's face darkened. That brat, Uzumaki Naruto, really had guts!
Even from his seat in the stands, Kankuro could feel the blood-chilling killing intent pouring off of Gaara. That was the terrifying aura of a tailed beast!
Just the pressure alone was enough to make Kankuro struggle to breathe.
Yet Naruto was unfazed. He continued to taunt Gaara boldly.
---
"Oh ho… Naruto-kun, is this your strategy?" the Fourth Kazekage—Orochimaru in disguise—grinned from the VIP box.
He finally understood Naruto's plan. And if Naruto succeeded in forcing Gaara to fully transform…
Then he would strike.
The moment Naruto broke Gaara's limit and turned him into a full Jinchūriki rampage, Orochimaru would launch his assassination attempt on the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Just imagining the kill made his fingers tremble in ecstasy.
Orochimaru quickly suppressed his excitement. This kind of pleasure—the thrill of slaughtering his master—was beyond anything he could reward himself with.
It was as if he were already climaxing just from the anticipation.
"Faster… faster… I can't wait any longer, Naruto…!"
---
Back on the field, Naruto vanished from sight again.
This time it wasn't Flying Thunder God—it was pure speed!
With lightning-infused chakra focused in the cells on the soles of his feet, Naruto had reached astonishing speed—on par with Rock Lee after opening the Fifth Gate!
It was the ultimate form of ninja mobility. Speed and agility activated by chakra control—an evolution of the body that didn't carry the massive drawbacks of the Eight Gates.
In the audience, Lee—leaning on a cane—stared at Naruto's golden blur, flickering across the battlefield.
He's reached that speed without putting any strain on his body...
"So… this is what a true ninja is?" Lee whispered.
An overwhelming sense of loss washed over him.
No matter how much he trained, no matter how hard he pushed himself, it was always with the belief that taijutsu alone could carry him to greatness.
That belief was implanted by Guy-sensei, reinforced by years of brutal training.
But even the Eight Gates only amplified the body's natural limits. They didn't erase them.
Now, after watching Naruto fight, Lee finally understood what Naruto meant when he first defeated him.
> "With your aptitude, you can't become a great ninja with only physical skills!"
Back then, Lee refused to accept it. He fought to prove Naruto wrong.
But now, the truth was undeniable. If he couldn't learn to use chakra, to wield ninjutsu, then his journey as a shinobi would be short and shallow.
Of course, the first step… was healing his broken leg.
But at this moment, Lee's mindset was stronger than ever.
His path forward had changed. No longer was he deluding himself with empty belief. Now, he had seen what true strength looked like—and it came in the form of that golden blur named Naruto.
"Thank you… Naruto!"
---
On the battlefield, Naruto continued his assault!
His golden figure zipped beside Gaara, fist cocked and ready to strike. Instinctively, Gaara raised a sand wall to defend.
But with concentrated chakra in his punch, Naruto's fist blew through the sand like it was foam!
Boom!
He could have hit Gaara directly in the face, but at the last moment, Naruto vanished again, turning into a streak of golden light.
"Aaaahhhh!!!"
Gaara screamed, overwhelmed with rage and confusion.
Naruto wasn't just fighting him—he was toying with him.
His Sand Guardian was useless.
His Sand Armor, useless!
And his speed—completely outmatched by Naruto's lightning-fast movements!
Right now, Gaara felt like nothing more than a sandbag.
He was going insane!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Naruto kept appearing and disappearing, each time bypassing Gaara's defenses, each time pulling back just before the final blow.
Over and over, he repeated this cycle.
His goal wasn't to defeat Gaara.
It was to completely enrage him.
To push him beyond his limit.
To make him transform.
---
Gaara let out a primal scream.
His eyes were bloodshot, his body trembling with fury.
With a roar, he controlled all the sand around him to completely envelop his body, forming a massive, impenetrable sphere.
"Absolute Defense!"
He was now sealed inside a giant dome of sand.
Outside, Naruto stood before the massive ball of earth and sneered.
"Hmph. You weak little raccoon cat… You're so naive."
---