"Naruto, I'm going to attack!"
Rock Lee dropped into a stance, sweat gleaming along his brow, his excitement burning almost as brightly as his chakra. Yet when he looked at Naruto, who stood across the clearing with his arms folded across his chest and a faintly amused smile on his lips, Lee felt a tremor of unease. That calm indifference… it was not the Naruto he remembered.
"Leaf Whirlwind!" Lee blurred to Naruto's left and lashed out with a sharp roundhouse kick.
Naruto's expression sharpened. The orange pigment of Sage Mode suddenly marked his eyes as natural energy surged into him. His hand came up casually — and with one motion, he blocked Lee's strike head-on.
Lee's eyes widened. His kick, strong enough to splinter stone, hadn't even budged Naruto.
"Amazing," he breathed, springing back to regain distance. His heart pounded. He didn't even move… as if my attack was nothing.
From the sidelines, Guy's voice rang out. "That stance… that balance…!" His eyes blazed with pride and shock.
"That's Sage Mode," Kakashi said quietly, though his lips tugged into a smile beneath his mask. "Naruto has already mastered natural energy. He's surpassed me."
Kurenai frowned, watching the strange orange markings on Naruto's face. She couldn't begin to understand what had changed within him, only that his presence was utterly different.
Lee didn't falter. His fists tightened, and he rushed forward in a blur. His strikes came one after another, punches, kicks, spins — each faster and sharper than the last. But Naruto deflected them all with a single arm, barely shifting his stance.
Every time Lee tried to slip in from an angle, Naruto's hand was there waiting. Every time Lee sought an opening, there was none.
Hinata's cheeks flushed as her hands pressed together nervously. "Naruto-kun… he's become so powerful!" Her heart swelled with admiration — and with the pressure of her own resolve. I must work harder, or else I won't be able to stand beside him.
From just behind her, Sakura's expression tightened. She followed Hinata's gaze and understood instantly what the Hyūga girl felt. It was written plainly on her face.
Hinata likes him. She's always liked him.
The realization sent a strange pang through Sakura's chest. Naruto had changed so much, grown so far beyond the boy she used to know. Even she couldn't deny that he was… remarkable now. Part of her felt proud. Another part felt like something precious was slipping away. She shook her head quickly, forcing herself to focus.
Neji's pale eyes tracked every flicker of motion. "Every counter is minimal," he murmured, voice calm but tinged with awe. "Naruto is neutralizing Lee's greatest strikes with the smallest possible effort. There's no wasted movement."
He exhaled slowly. "If I fought him now, I doubt I'd have even a one-in-ten chance of victory."
The others nearby — Shino, Kiba, even Chōji — said nothing, but the unease in their faces showed they agreed. Naruto wasn't just strong. He was operating on a level they couldn't reach.
Finally, Lee sprang back, breathing hard, then thrust up his thumb with a grin. "Naruto, you're incredible! Even giving everything I had, I couldn't make you move. That's exactly why you're you!"
Naruto chuckled, lowering his arms at last. "Heh. You've worked hard, too, Lee. But I want to see more. Show me the Eight Gates — I want to know what they feel like up close." He shifted his stance, legs spread and fists tightening, his eyes locked on Lee with fierce intent.
Lee's blood sang in his veins. "If you insist!" His hands flashed into the familiar seals.
"The First Gate, Gate of Opening… open!"
"The Second Gate, Gate of Healing… open!"
"The Third Gate, Gate of Life… open!"
"The Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain… open!"
"The Fifth Gate, Gate of Limit… open!"
With each declaration, bursts of chakra ripped from his body, kicking up wind and tearing cracks into the ground beneath him. By the time the fifth gate blazed to life, Lee's green jumpsuit rippled from the pressure, and his skin flushed a deep red from the strain.
The crowd murmured in awe. Even Ino, usually flippant, looked startled. "Wow… that's already beyond what he showed in the Chūnin Exams."
Naruto's eyes narrowed in admiration. Even this much power… and he's still holding on. This is why Guy-sensei trusts him so much.
Lee clenched his fists, his aura flaring like wildfire. "The Sixth Gate… Gate of Joy — open!"
The ground fractured beneath him. A tidal wave of raw chakra and killing intent blasted outward, forcing even the onlookers to shield their eyes.
Sakura gasped softly. "Six gates… he's improved so much. But even then… will it be enough against Naruto?" She remembered fighting beside him against Akatsuki, remembered the overwhelming power he had wielded. "I don't think so."
Lee shot forward, moving so fast that even Neji's Byakugan strained to keep up. He leapt into the air, fists cocked back. "Morning Peacock!"
His fists blurred, each punch igniting the air with searing flames that rained down toward Naruto in a blazing storm.
Kakashi's visible eye widened. "Guy… that's your taijutsu!"
Guy's teeth flashed in a grin. "Indeed! Lee's youth burns brightly — he's surpassed even the pace he showed in our training!"
The fiery barrage tore through the clearing. Trees snapped and flames roared.
But Naruto raised both palms, natural energy flowing freely through him. "Sage Art — Frog Kumite: Barrier!"
An invisible wall of nature energy rippled out from his body, forming a dome of pressure.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Lee's burning fists slammed into the barrier one after another, detonating shockwaves that cracked the trees and shook the earth. But the dome of natural energy held firm, dispersing every strike.
The crowd stared, breathless, as fire and smoke filled the clearing — only to clear and reveal Naruto, unmoved, the orange markings around his eyes glowing with serene intensity.
And Rock Lee, panting, his fists trembling as he prepared for yet another charge.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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