"Incredible!"
Rock Lee, sent flying by the powerful gust, planted his feet on the wall. Even while staring at Izayoi, who looked utterly unfazed, Lee's expression was full of excitement.
The moment the wind died down, he vanished once again. This time, however, he didn't reappear anywhere near Izayoi. Instead, he transformed into a dark blur, circling around Izayoi at extreme speed—kicking up dust and forming a white vortex that enclosed him.
A second later, Rock Lee suddenly appeared in front of Izayoi, throwing a punch.
Yet Izayoi made no move at all. Just before the fist connected, it paused in midair. On closer inspection, both Lee and the attack were merely afterimages.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
Someone shouted from Izayoi's right, and a violent swirl of wind materialized, revealing Rock Lee's figure. He was delivering a spinning kick with a full 360 degrees of momentum aimed straight at Izayoi.
If it had been any other rookie from this batch—except maybe Shino Aburame with his bug-based substitutions—they'd likely be finished in one hit. But again, it all came down to one fact:
Lee's speed was amazing, but Izayoi was even faster.
Just like the previous Leaf Whirlwind, his attack never connected. This time, instead of Wind Release, Izayoi simply raised his forearm to block.
Bang!
A shockwave erupted where Izayoi's forearm and Lee's leg collided. Izayoi stayed rock-solid, as if made of steel, despite Lee's kick being powerful enough to send heavy objects flying. Because his loose-fitting sleeves concealed his arm, no one could see the precise reason he could withstand it.
Eyes wide, Rock Lee could only stare in disbelief. Moving from defense to offense in a flash, Izayoi grabbed Lee's ankle, pivoted, and tried to hurl him down onto the floor. Lee used his prodigious strength to plant his hands and absorb the impact while twisting free of Izayoi's grip. Then he flipped forward to land some distance away.
Izayoi did not press the attack. Instead, he returned his hand to his side, calmly watching Lee. From start to finish, Izayoi hadn't moved so much as a single step.
All around, the rookies were stunned.
"He can use Earth Release, too?" wondered Kakashi, his Sharingan spinning as one of the few who saw the specifics behind Izayoi's block.
From almost everyone else's perspective, Izayoi's taijutsu looked unimaginably strong—he effortlessly dominated a Lee who wore heavy weights. But in Kakashi's eyes, Izayoi was, without a doubt, a prodigy in ninjutsu. He had taught Sasuke and Hinata the Lightning Release chakra stimulation technique; he'd unleashed that gigantic fire vortex in the Forest of Death; he was now using both Wind Release and Earth Release in this match. That made four elemental natures total.
Could he be…able to use every nature? Kakashi mused.
Even if someone did possess all five elemental affinities, they'd need intensive training to display such a high level of skill with each. No wonder the Hyūga clan hadn't interfered with their heiress's relationship—they had probably recognized Izayoi's gift and invested in him early on.
"What a magnificent find! That chakra, that ninjutsu talent—this must be a recessive bloodline reawakening. So…could he be a Senju? Or an Uzumaki?"
Orochimaru wore a sinister smile, sharing Kakashi's suspicion that Izayoi had multiple elemental natures; he was now trying to deduce Izayoi's lineage.
Meanwhile, in the hall below, the sounds of fighting echoed nonstop. Despite repeated knockbacks, Lee showed no trace of discouragement. On the contrary, he only seemed more fired up, continuously attacking Izayoi with growing fervor.
Izayoi, for his part, stopped using ninjutsu to defend. He activated his Mind's Eye of the Kagura for precise awareness and boosted himself with Lightning Release chakra stimulation. The two then launched into an all-out taijutsu showdown.
They blurred across the hall like two spinning tops, clashing again and again. Each impact forced them momentarily visible, then they'd shift to a new position and collide once more. Where fists and feet struck, arcs of raw power and chakra pressure sprayed out in gusts that shook the air.
Gradually, their movements accelerated. At times they launched into the air, leaving the viewers dizzy just trying to follow. Sasuke barely tracked them with his Sharingan; Naruto, on the other hand, was left completely dumbfounded. Even some of the more ordinary Special Jōnin watching could hardly believe their eyes.
"Who'd have thought this year's rookies would have two monsters like them?"
Some of the elite jōnin, used to being all-rounders or top fighters, simply marveled at Izayoi—clearly no slouch in taijutsu, even against Rock Lee.
"That's some incredible chakra control!" they commented. It was obvious that although Sasuke and Hinata also used Lightning chakra to boost speed, they were nowhere near Izayoi's level. They might manage a speed boost, but it took time to adapt or recover. Izayoi, on the other hand, seemed to jump straight to top speed, controlling it seamlessly.
That required both powerful elemental manipulation and jaw-dropping chakra control. Clearly, his skill set went beyond that of a mere genin. Many present felt that, in a few years, Konoha would gain another formidable all-round jōnin.
But they soon realized even that was an understatement. After trading what felt like endless blows in a frenzy of afterimages, the two finally halted.
Breathing hard, Rock Lee stared across at Izayoi. Meanwhile, Izayoi's calm, unfettered demeanor didn't budge. He smiled lightly. "Your taijutsu is amazing. But if this is all you've got, the match will be over soon. Got something stronger?"
Hearing this, Lee reflexively glanced up at Guy. Seeing his teacher's bright grin and thumbs-up, Lee's eyes lit with excitement.
While unwrapping the bandages on his arms, he said, "I've got a stronger technique, but it's forbidden to use against comrades. Last time I fought Sasuke, I nearly broke that rule—and Guy-sensei punished me. But if it's you, Izayoi…I believe you can handle the power of the Lotus."
His bandages dangling from his wrists, Lee met Izayoi's gaze head-on. "Izayoi, I'm going to use this move to prove that hard work can defeat genius!"
All the other examinees braced themselves, and the jōnin watching grew attentive. Kakashi, who understood Guy's training best, had a suspicion:
"No way…did Guy actually teach him that forbidden technique?"
He was immediately proven right. From the vantage of those with Dojutsu or strong sensory skills, a sudden surge of chakra exploded in Lee's head, racing through his entire body as though he'd unleashed some kind of shackle. An immense aura poured off him. Many jōnin felt a pressuring intensity, as if he might take down an enemy above his own rank.
Izayoi felt it too, his expression growing serious at last. Without using his Tenseigan's power, he wanted to gauge just how formidable the Eight Inner Gates—one of the legendary "Big Three" taijutsu techniques—could be.
He watched as Rock Lee vanished from several meters away, reappearing right in front of him to throw a punch. Izayoi moved to block, but an instant later Lee used the same trick, blinking out so quickly that he left no afterimage at all, reappearing behind Izayoi. He formed a claw with his hand, trying to ensnare Izayoi with the trailing bandages.
Zzzt, zzzt—
A sizzling sound erupted as bluish-white arcs of electricity crackled around Izayoi. Lee's hand hadn't even touched him yet, but the electricity stung him into pulling back. He quickly leapt away to gain distance.
"Is that… Cloud's Lightning Cloak?"
"No, it looks more like a shape transformation of his lightning chakra!"
"He's not just proficient in elemental manipulation—his shape transformation is excellent, too!"
"He's a real natural at lightning jutsu, just like Kakashi-sensei!"
A chorus of surprise rose from the second-floor stands—all of it coming from jōnin. For Kurenai Yuhi, those comments felt like needles. She could only give a wry smile. It seemed like the Hokage had put Izayoi on the wrong team. If he'd been Kakashi's student, he might by now have learned countless elemental ninjutsu, maybe even Chidori or even higher-level variants like the S-rank Raikiri.
As for most of the examinees, they had little idea about elemental manipulation, let alone shape transformation. Only Sasuke's eyes gleamed with insight. "So that's another way to use Lightning Release chakra!"
He didn't realize it was essentially the future basis for his Chidori Current.
Bang!
With his "Chidori Stream" active, Izayoi vanished in a burst of speed, suddenly appearing right in front of Lee and throwing a punch. Instinctively, Lee crossed his arms to block—but the next instant, he let out a pained gasp, eyes bulging. Izayoi's foot had slammed into his midsection, launching him across the arena to crash into a wall, forming a small crater laced with cracks.
Izayoi didn't press the advantage, instead standing there wreathed in electric arcs, smiling. "If you've only boosted your speed by twenty percent, that's not really forbidden. You must have something stronger. Show me what you've really got!"
Lee slid down from the wall like a fallen painting, head bowed in silence. But those with visual jutsu or strong senses suddenly tensed up, eyes wide.
"Eight Inner Gates—Gate of Life…open!"
Lee crossed his arms, and the air around him twisted and surged upward. When he lifted his gaze, his sclera were completely white—no pupils visible. His face was flushed, veins bulging at his temples, steam rising from his body in waves. With a resonant shout, green energy burst forth, enveloping him entirely.
~~~
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