Chapter 46: One Punch
After the two nodded to each other, Lee struck first.
Lee assumed the fighting stance of a martial arts master, then took a step forward and charged at Naruto.
Lee's speed was very fast—far beyond what a normal genin was capable of.
Soon, Lee closed the distance to Naruto. He aimed at Naruto's upper body, raised his leg, and swept it toward Naruto.
"Leaf Hurricane!"
Lee shouted loudly.
His attack was just like the name of his technique—a whirlwind blew through the air, as fast as an afterimage and just as powerful.
Seeing Lee's attack so fast and agile, both Sasuke and little Sakura were a bit surprised. They watched the battle even more intently.
They could both see that Lee's strength was not ordinary.
Just as Lee's sweeping kick was about to hit Naruto's face, suddenly—Naruto moved.
Naruto raised his hand to meet Lee's leg.
The two collided.
Bang!
The impact of their powerful forces made a sound like metal striking metal.
Then everyone watched in astonishment as Naruto easily blocked Lee's powerful blow with just his palm.
Lee was also slightly startled. He clearly hadn't expected Naruto to block his attack so easily.
But there was more to it.
After blocking Lee's kick, Naruto grabbed hold of Lee's leg with his hand, preventing him from pulling away.
Then Naruto clenched his other fist and threw a punch at Lee.
Seeing Naruto's fist coming, Lee's eyes went wide. He tried to dodge.
But unfortunately, no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free from Naruto's grip.
Then Lee watched as Naruto's fist grew larger and larger in his field of vision—closer and closer.
The speed of that fist was too fast. So fast that Lee had a look of pure shock on his face. And there was no way to dodge it. Lee could only quickly raise his arms, trying to block it. He thought to himself: It's just a punch. How bad could it be?
But the next scene was even more unbelievable.
Everyone watched in astonishment as Naruto's fist connected with Lee's blocking arms. They had thought that Naruto's attack would be handled just as easily as Naruto had handled Lee's kick.
After all, in their minds, the two fighters were probably evenly matched.
But then something shocking happened.
After Naruto's fist hit Lee, the power behind it exploded outward.
Lee didn't even realize what was happening. He just felt an immense force suddenly strike him.
The strength of that force made him feel completely overpowered. It also made him realize that Naruto's punch was not as simple as it had looked.
Then came a heavy impact.
A whirlwind-like cyclone burst out around Naruto's fist.
And in the next moment—
Lee couldn't withstand the power of Naruto's punch any longer. His entire body was sent flying backward.
The powerful force launched Lee through the air. He flew dozens of meters before slamming violently into a large tree.
Bang!
The tree shook violently from the impact and nearly snapped in half.
And that was only because Lee had already managed to disperse some of the force. Otherwise, he would have flown even farther.
For a long moment, there was no sound. The entire audience was silent.
Everyone stared at the scene in astonishment. They had thought this battle would be exciting, but the "excitement" they got left them speechless. It was so intense that it shocked them. No one reacted for a long time.
What had just happened?
Wasn't this supposed to be a close match?
Naruto had just sent Lee—someone capable of blocking Gaara's sand—flying with a single punch.
Just how terrifying was that punch?
Kankuro and Temari both stared at Naruto, dumbfounded, their breaths catching in their throats. Even Gaara's eyes narrowed as he looked at Naruto.
Neji and Tenten snapped out of it immediately. They ran to Lee's side and asked with concern:
"Lee! Lee! Are you okay? Are you alright?"
Having seen Lee get sent flying into a tree moments ago, they were both worried.
Soon, Lee coughed a few times and got up from the ground, looking a bit disheveled. He looked at Naruto in the distance with admiration and renewed fighting spirit and said:
"Cough… I'm fine. As expected of Naruto. The man Mighty Guy has praised as his lifelong rival's student. I really underestimated that punch. It was so powerful."
"If I had gone all out from the start, maybe things would have been different. Cough."
Lee coughed and spoke with genuine admiration.
Hearing Lee say this, Neji and Tenten looked at Naruto with even greater shock.
Lee didn't praise people often.
And as Lee's teammates, they knew his character well. They also understood what Lee was really saying.
Lee was someone who deeply respected his opponents. When facing an opponent like Naruto—someone Guy often mentioned—he would definitely give it his all from the very start.
When Lee said he hadn't gone all out, he meant he hadn't used his trump card.
But even without using his trump card, Lee's strength couldn't be ignored. This was someone who could block Gaara's sand, with power far beyond a normal genin's.
Even so, he had been blown away by a single punch from Naruto and lost.
That alone showed just how terrifying Naruto's punch had been.
What Lee said was true, though. He had underestimated his opponent. He had never expected Naruto's punch to be that powerful.
If he had opened the Eight Inner Gates from the start and removed all the weights from his body, he might have been able to hold out a little longer.
But this was a sparring match, not a life-or-death battle. The cost of using the Eight Inner Gates was also significant. And besides, Naruto also knew the Eight Inner Gates and had other abilities of his own.
After such a short exchange, the gap between the two of them was already clear.
One punch, and it was over.