Chapter 226: The Second Round Ends, an Opportunity to Win Over Guy
In his capacity, it wasn't really appropriate for Akiyama Makoto to be speaking at an event like this.
However, he and Guy were on good personal terms. If he was just advising him as a friend, and Guy himself wasn't offended, then it was fine.
Just moments ago, Guy had been confidently telling Kakashi that this was Rock Lee's time to shine. But Makoto could see that Guy himself was filled with doubt.
He wanted Lee to gain recognition and honor, but at the same time, he understood the immense risk of Lee, at his current level, opening the Fifth Gate.
He was gambling. This did not fit Guy's usual character. Perhaps this was what they called "concern breeding chaos."
Guy fell silent, turning his head back to the fight below.
After opening the Fourth Gate, Lee's speed and power completely overwhelmed Gaara. He ended by slamming Gaara into the ground with the Primary Lotus.
However, Gaara hadn't been taking it seriously at all. It wasn't as if he didn't know any ninjutsu. On the contrary, when it came to sand-related techniques, his mastery had long since surpassed that of his seniors.
He had silently used a Sand Clone to take the full force of the attack, while he himself had turned to sand and hidden.
Now, after using a series of moves, Lee's stamina was at rock bottom. Gaara, on the other hand, had only used a passive Sand Clone once and swiped his hand a few times. For a Jinchūriki like him, this was no different from taking a few deep breaths.
Gaara formed a hand seal. As he smiled, he began to awaken. The chakra of Shukaku was being used by him, and a tsunami of sand rushed towards Lee.
Lee, who was suffering the aftereffects of opening the Eight Gates, barely had the strength to move and was easily captured.
And now, it had come to the most critical moment.
In the original timeline, Guy had chosen silence.
Lee had desperately opened the Fifth Gate, but still couldn't beat Gaara. He had been so severely injured that no one in Konoha could treat him, and he had languished for half a year until Tsunade returned and finally healed him.
This was a critical moment in Lee's growth. To be demoralized for half a year at this point was equivalent to wasting at least a year of his past training. This would mean that he might never again reach his original peak.
Just as Guy was hesitating, Lee smiled.
Even though he was covered in injuries and his stamina was at its limit, he still smiled.
Guy also smiled. He chose to respect Lee's decision.
This is youth!
Even knowing that burning himself up would leave his body covered in scars, he would still do it without any regrets. This was their "ninja way" as master and student!
Seeing this, Makoto naturally understood that he could no longer stop what was about to happen.
He did not agree with this "ninja way." For him, "grinding" out his strength and then crushing everything was his style. But the master and student pair before him were Konoha's "Blue Beasts." How could they be judged by an outsider's moral standards?
Lee reopened the Eight Gates, and finally, the Fifth Gate, the Gate of Closing. His entire body was flushed red. This time, his speed finally surpassed the limits of Gaara's reaction, and he completely turned the Jinchūriki into a sandbag.
There were only a few people in the venue who could keep up with this speed, and he was, naturally, one of them.
However, he chose to close his eyes and instead use his sensory perception to check Gaara's sand control and the changes in Lee's injuries.
Tendon tears, bone fractures...
Pushing through his heavy injuries, Lee unleashed the Reverse Lotus with all his might, smashing Gaara into the ground.
Unfortunately, at the critical moment, Gaara had formed a cushion of sand and placed it underneath him. Coupled with his Armor of Sand, he had only suffered some internal injuries. Overall, it wasn't a major problem.
The fact that he had maintained his human form, and that Shukaku hadn't come out to wreak havoc, said it all.
Gaara stretched out his hand towards Lee, but Lee had already lost all ability to move.
As Gaara's fist clenched, the Sand Coffin brutally twisted Lee's arm and leg, making him scream in agony and lose all mobility.
And Gaara had already developed killing intent. Lee was the first person to ever beat him so badly. He naturally had to kill him.
At this moment, a surprised voice rang out. "Is the match not over yet?"
Gekkō Hayate, as if waking from a dream, rushed over, grabbed Lee, and rolled away, escaping the jutsu's attack range.
Seeing this, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Hayate had been a bit slow to react several times now. As a Special Jōnin, facing a group of examinees who were at the Chūnin level or even higher, it was already too late for him to react in time.
In his past simulations, Hayate had been an enemy he couldn't defeat. But now, in his eyes, he was this... weak.
"Why did you stop me!" Gaara roared, unwilling to accept it. When he was being bullied and assassinated, no one had come to help him.
Hayate frowned, glanced at the unconscious Lee, and said, "The match is over. You win."
"If you make another move, you will be disqualified."
Gaara still wanted to do something, but Guy had already come onto the field, picked up Lee, and brought him back to the stands.
Temari and Kankurō also rushed over to check on Gaara's condition, but he just stood up calmly and left the arena by himself.
Seeing this, the medical-nin team entered, carried Lee away on a stretcher, and took him backstage to begin a detailed examination.
The medical team had actually been there all along, but they were only responsible for treating their own village's ninja. As for whether foreign ninja needed treatment, that was a very complicated issue. Sometimes, foreign ninja would rather die than accept treatment from Konoha. Who knew if their secrets and the intelligence in their minds would be stolen during the process?
As for Temari's case earlier, that was special. She was Rasa's daughter; they couldn't let anything happen to her. That was why Kurenai had only acted after getting Hiruzen's permission.
Soon, the medical-nin found Guy and reported their diagnosis: multiple muscle ruptures throughout his body, and comminuted fractures in his arm and leg. He would probably be unable to continue his activities as a ninja.
He was leaning against a wall not far away, listening. This result was not beyond his expectations. In fact, he had already judged the outcome the moment Gaara had attacked.
This was their choice. He wouldn't stop it, and he certainly wouldn't mock it.
But now, they would have to pay a small price for their recklessness.
Guy was silent. Normally, he would be moved to tears at the drop of a hat, but now, he couldn't shed a single one. Because his heart was in so much pain, it felt like death. He felt that he should have listened to Makoto's advice.
But now... it seemed everything was too late.
After the arena quieted down, Hayate announced that the matches had successfully concluded.
Hiruzen also announced the content of the next exam: in one month, in front of the dignitaries of Konoha and the Land of Fire, and the leaders of the various villages, the remaining participants would conduct one-on-one duels.
The content itself was nothing new. It was just that there was a one-month buffer period, which made the pace of the exam suddenly slow down, to the point that many of those present were a little unaccustomed to it.
At this time, he was also standing on the sidelines, faithfully taking notes.
After everything was over, he even submitted his notes to the Hokage's Office for review, appearing respectful on the surface.
In reality, his mind was already on how to establish a new order in Konoha after Hiruzen's death.
Without a doubt, Tsunade would be the leader. But at the same time, who would share the rest of Konoha's power with her? Danzō would definitely die. The only ones left were Koharu and Homura. But he didn't plan on letting those two old-timers continue to throw their weight around either.
To achieve this, he would have to slightly increase the number of his own supporters. After all, he was flying the flag of "making the Senju clan great again." Before he could crush the ninja world with his own strength, he had to keep flying this flag for the time being.
At this thought, he went to the Konoha Hospital.
At this time, there were two heavily injured Konoha members lying here. One was Sasuke, who had been applied with the Evil Sealing Method and was exhausted. The other was Lee, who had just received emergency treatment.
There were Anbu members guarding Sasuke's door. That was not a place he should go. Therefore, he came to Lee's ward.
"Yo. You're here."
Guy greeted him when he arrived.
Neji stood up to welcome him. Tenten, however, rushed over and hugged his waist, her eyes red as she looked at him pleadingly. What she wanted to say was self-evident.
"It looks like the doctors in the hospital can't do anything for now. In that case, how about you let me try?"
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