Chapter 19, Part 3: The Weight of a Promise
The training ground fell silent, a collective breath held by every spectator. The Konoha 11, their Jonin sensei, stood watching from the sidelines. They had just witnessed Rock Lee, the village's second most dedicated Taijutsu specialist, unleash the power of the Fifth Gate—a force capable of leveling the very ground they stood on—only to be stopped dead by Naruto's single, outstretched palm.
High in the Hokage Tower, hidden from sight, a crystal ball glowed. Within it, the same scene played out. Danzo Shimura watched, his face an unreadable mask of cold calculation. Beside him, Homura and Koharu shifted uneasily.
"His power is... considerable," Koharu murmured, a rare note of concern in her voice.
"He is reckless. Untamed," Homura added. "A beast on a leash he doesn't even know he's wearing."
Danzo said nothing. His single eye was fixed on Naruto, analyzing every movement, every flicker of energy. So this is the result of two years in the wild, he thought. More powerful than anticipated. But power without discipline is just a tantrum. He is still a tool, and he will be brought to heel.
Back on the field, Lee pushed back, landing gracefully a few feet away. He was panting, his body steaming from the strain of the Fifth Gate, but his eyes burned with an ecstatic fire.
"Magnificent, Naruto-kun!" he roared, his voice filled with pure, unadulterated admiration. "Your strength is like a radiant sun of youth! But I have not yet shown you my full power!"
Naruto lowered his hand, a predatory grin spreading across his face. The casual ease with which he had stopped Lee's assault was terrifying. He hadn't even been pushed. He was simply... enjoying himself.
"Good," Naruto rumbled, his voice low and excited. "This is getting interesting. Show me more."
Lee took a deep breath, his entire posture shifting. The green aura around him intensified, churning like a storm. "I have dedicated my life to this path! To prove that my hard work can overcome any genius! Sixth Gate of Joy: OPEN!"
WHOOM!
A torrential explosion of emerald chakra erupted from Lee, so powerful it kicked up a hurricane of dust and leaves. The ground beneath him cracked. The air itself seemed to vibrate with the sheer force of his will. His power skyrocketed, reaching a level that made the Jonin sensei flinch.
"The Sixth Gate..." Guy murmured, a mixture of pride and worry on his face. "Lee... you've truly done it."
Kakashi's eye widened. This speed... this power... it's incredible. He's easily surpassed most Jonin in this state.
Lee vanished.
He reappeared in front of Naruto, a green comet of pure force. He didn't throw a simple punch.
It was a blitzkrieg of blows. A relentless, untrackable storm of kicks and punches from every conceivable angle. High, low, left, right—Lee was a whirlwind of destruction, each strike powerful enough to shatter steel. The air cracked with a continuous series of sonic booms as his fists and feet broke the sound barrier again and again.
And Naruto... was smiling.
He didn't move from his spot. He didn't even lift his feet. His arms became a blur, his hands and forearms moving with impossible precision.
CRACK! He parried a kick aimed at his head with his elbow.
THUD! He blocked a punch to his ribs with an open palm.
WHOOSH! He swayed, letting a devastating axe kick whistle past his ear.
To the spectators, it looked like Naruto was being overwhelmed, caught in the epicenter of an emerald hurricane. But Kakashi and Guy saw the truth. Naruto wasn't just defending. He was effortlessly neutralizing every single one of Lee's gate-powered attacks with the bare minimum of movement. He was a stone in a raging river, completely unmoved.
This is impossible, Neji thought, his Byakugan struggling to keep up. Lee's speed is immense, yet Naruto's movements... they're not faster. They're just... perfect. He's not reacting; he's already there.
Lee, in the heat of his ultimate assault, felt a growing sense of disbelief. It was like punching a mountain. Every blow he landed was met with an unyielding defense. The boy in front of him wasn't just strong; he was on another plane of existence.
With a final, desperate roar, Lee funneled all the power of the Sixth Gate into a single, decisive blow—a pile-driving kick aimed straight at Naruto's chest.
This time, Naruto didn't block.
He met the kick with his own.
The two legs collided mid-air.
For a moment, there was silence. No explosion. No shockwave. Just the sound of two forces meeting. And then... a sickening CRACK echoed across the training ground.
Lee screamed, a sound of pure agony, as he was sent flying backward. He tumbled through the air, his right leg bent at an unnatural, horrifying angle. The bone had shattered upon impact.
He crashed to the ground in a heap, the green aura of the Sixth Gate flickering and dying out as unconsciousness claimed him.
Silence.
Utter, stunned silence fell over the crowd.
"LEE!" Guy's voice roared, breaking the spell. He was across the field in an instant, kneeling beside his student. Sakura, her medical training kicking in despite her shock, rushed forward as well. "Guy-sensei, don't move him!"
Naruto stood in the same spot, not a single scratch on him. He slowly lowered his leg, his gaze fixed on Lee's unconscious form. The predatory grin was gone, replaced by a complex expression—a mixture of disappointment, a flicker of respect, and the quiet melancholy of a battle ended too soon.
He knew, on a deep, instinctual level, the difference between the power of a human ninja and the spiritual beings of his past life. He hadn't expected Lee to have the durability of a Shinigami Captain or the Hierro of an Arrancar. He had simply hoped the fight would last a little longer.
He turned away from the frantic scene of Guy and Sakura attending to Lee. He walked back towards his discarded blade, the group of his former peers parting before him as if he were a leper.
Naruto picked up the massive Nozarashi, hefting it onto his shoulder without looking back at the group. He paused for a moment, his gaze directed towards the sky.
"He's strong," he said, his voice quiet but clear enough for everyone to hear. The statement was not directed at anyone in particular. "For a human."
The words hung in the air, simple and factual. Coming from him, after what they had just witnessed, it was the highest form of praise imaginable. It was an acknowledgment of Lee's immense power, a validation of his years of hard work, and simultaneously, a chilling declaration of the unfathomable gap that now existed between them.
Kakashi's eye widened slightly. It wasn't a taunt. It was an honest assessment from a being who was no longer judging by human standards.
Naruto didn't wait for a response. He began to walk away, Yachiru hopping back onto the blade.
"That was fun, Kenny!" she chirped. "But you broke your new toy already."
Naruto grunted, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk touching his lips. "Yeah. But he put up a good fight."
The thrill was gone, but a sliver of respect remained. And for the new Naruto, that was a rare prize indeed.
In the Hokage Tower, the crystal ball went dark. Danzo's fingers were steepled in front of his face, his expression thoughtful and more dangerous than ever.
"His control, his durability..." he whispered to the empty room. "He is not a beast. He is a weapon that has learned to aim itself." He closed his eye. "The methods must be adjusted. He is far too valuable to be left to his own devices."
The game had changed once again.
Tbc