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No sooner had everyone in the Art Store held their breath than the answer came faster than anyone expected.
The blow did not strike Gaara's body directly.
And the fight did not end the way many people had imagined, even for a moment.
Instead, the ground exploded, and what had taken the hit dissolved into sand.
"Impossible…!"
It came out of more than one mouth at the same time.
Kakashi's single eye widened slightly.
Then he said, as if fixing what he had seen before it slipped away from him:
"The gourd… turned into sand."
As for Gai, he remained silent.
There was neither complete shock nor relief on his face.
Only a heavy focus fixed on the screen.
The Third Hokage let out a short breath.
Then he said:
"So even that strike was not enough to settle it."
"It came close."
Danzo said as he narrowed his eye.
"But that boy's defense moved at the last moment."
He kept his gaze on the page, then added:
"This is no ordinary defense."
In Suna, the impact of the scene did not go unnoticed.
Rasa did not look shocked, but neither did he look at ease.
"Hm."
The sound came from him in a low voice.
The Third Kazekage said calmly:
"He protected himself with the gourd."
Ebizo knitted his brows.
"So even that is not just a container he carries."
"It is clearly part of his defense."
Chiyo said.
"Or the sand responds to him faster than it appears."
Karura kept looking at the page in silence for a few seconds.
Then she said in a quiet, hesitant voice:
"The sand moved very quickly…"
Rasa did not comment.
But he did not deny it either.
…
Jiraiya smacked his palm against his thigh in frustration.
"Damn… that was a clean hit."
"And it would have turned the result around if it had landed properly."
Minato said.
Kushina let out a slow breath.
"After everything that boy endured…"
She said it, then fell silent.
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"That green boy keeps surpassing himself."
He said.
"But the other boy is more troublesome than I expected."
Jiraiya looked at him irritably.
"You always find a strange way to describe things."
"I am only describing what I see."
Orochimaru replied.
…
No one needed an explanation when the sand surged again.
After opening the Fourth Gate, it was obvious that Lee's body could not take much more.
Even so, Gaara gave him no chance to catch his breath.
[— Manga Scene —]
"Impossible…!"
"The gourd turned into sand…"
The ground exploded and the arena shattered.
"Gwaaaah!!!"
Lee was thrown back and crashed violently into the rubble.
"It missed."
"!!"
"The boy protected himself with the gourd!"
Lee rose from the rubble with difficulty.
"!!"
"That move!!"
The sand rushed at him again.
"Sand Coffin!!"
"Giaaaaaaah!!!"
The sand closed around Lee in midair.
And crushed him into the arena floor.
"Heh"
The sand burst apart around Lee's fallen body.
A figure stood in the dust while Lee remained collapsed behind him.
"..."
"Heh"
"..." Faces traded glances in suspense.
"Fore…"
A figure in the sand pressed a hand to his head.
"What?"
"What did you think…?"
Lee lay silently among the wreckage.
"Hm… I'm fine…"
"I'm strong!"
Lee remembers his old training.
"Gai-sensei, please watch me during the Chunin Exam with a smile…"
"Even if I can't use ninjutsu…"
"I want to prove that I can become an excellent ninja!"
"He is…"
"He is… someone who looks after me, and someone I love."
"Gaara will never understand these words."
Lee takes one step forward through the sand.
"That is enough…"
"The winner is Gaara!!!"
[— End Scene —]
When the scene ended, the thing that lingered most in everyone's mind was not the winner's name.
It was the image of Lee trying to move after all of that.
In Konoha, Hiruzen was the first to speak.
"A harsh result." He said it quietly.
"But he performed better than most people expected." Koharu nodded once.
"That is true," She said.
"But the ending was decided the moment the sand caught him."
"And even then, he still tried to stand." Mito said while looking at the page.
Homura exhaled.
"Stubbornness alone is not enough."
"It is not enough to win." Hiruzen replied.
"But sometimes it is enough to leave an impression." Danzo remained practical as always.
"The clearest thing here is that Konoha's boy exceeded expectations, and Suna's boy won, but did not look entirely steady by the end."
"You mean when he pressed his hand to his head? » Homura asked.
"Yes." Danzo said.
"Whether it was fatigue or irritation, the scene is worth noting."
…
Maito Dai had been staring at the screen ever since Lee's final collapse.
And when Gai's line appeared within the scene, his usual smile dimmed a little.
"Well done, Gai…"
He said in a low voice.
"You said exactly what needed to be said."
The young Gai sitting near him did not show the kind of deep understanding an adult might have.
He merely looked tense, staring at Lee with obvious worry.
"So… he lost?" He asked with blunt honesty.
"Yes." Dai answered.
"But he fought very, very well." Young Gai kept looking at the page.
Then, after a moment, he said:
"He stood up again, even though he couldn't."
"That is what Lee does." Dai said.
"He always pushes himself one step further."
Young Gai said nothing after that.
He only kept looking at Lee, as if the scene by itself was enough for him.
As for the older Gai in the manga, he remained silent.
He did not need many words.
It was clear from his face that he was tense, and that he had followed every one of Lee's movements until the very last moment.
Until his defeat.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 195: Lee, You Are Truly a Splendid Ninja.
Chapter 196: The End of Lee's Journey as a Ninja?
Chapter 197: The Final Battle: Choji's Loss.
Chapter 198: First, I'll Enjoy Killing That Old Man!
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