"You know Guy-sensei?"
"And how did you know I was going to challenge you?"
Lee's face was filled with confusion, his thick eyebrows knitting tightly together.
However, unable to figure it out, he quickly gave up thinking.
He leapt down from the second-floor walkway, landing firmly in the hall below.
"Wait a moment; I have something to do before we fight."
Saying this, Lee twisted his body and hurried toward Sakura in an exaggerated, flamboyant manner.
He raised a thumbs-up, flashed a dazzling smile that revealed shining teeth, and even gave her a wink.
"Sakura, please go out with me!"
"I, Rock Lee, will protect you with my life!"
Sakura: "???"
"Ugh—no, absolutely not!"
"Your expression is too greasy, and your eyebrows are so thick I can't stand them!"
"No, it's not just the eyebrows — those drooping eyelashes and that shiny bowl cut too. No, absolutely not!!!"
The more Sakura spoke, the more nauseated she felt, and she suddenly bent forward, gagging.
She quickly turned her head afterward, staring intently at Lock and Sasuke beside her.
It was as if their appearances were cleansing her eyes.
Lee showed no discouragement from the rejection.
Instead, he shifted his gaze toward Lock and Sasuke.
He raised his bandage-wrapped hand upright before him, palm facing upward.
"I understand. You're rejecting me because of them!"
"If I defeat both of them, please agree to date me afterward!"
Lee's self-assured declaration made Sakura instantly furious.
Crossing her arms into an X in front of her chest, she shouted angrily,
"Hey! Please listen to what people are saying, okay?!"
"It's impossible — impossible in this lifetime, understand?!"
Lee nodded solemnly. "I understand. I will definitely defeat them and then date you!"
"Aaaagh!!!" Sakura clutched her head, nearly losing her sanity.
Inside the consciousness space, Naruto was equally losing his mind with anger.
"Lock, please! You have to beat up this thick-eyebrows guy!"
"Sakura is mine — you absolutely can't let him win and take her away!"
Naruto's noisy shouting echoed endlessly, but it did not affect Lock at all.
Lock shook his head and was about to step forward when Sasuke suddenly moved ahead of him, his face filled with eagerness.
"He's not worth your move. Let me handle him."
"His strength is perfect for testing my training results."
Seeing Sasuke step forward first, Lee's expression immediately grew serious.
"Is my first opponent a member of the Uchiha, the clan of geniuses?"
"But that works as well. I'll defeat the weaker one first, then challenge the young man behind you."
"The weaker one?" Sasuke's expression darkened, killing intent leaking from his eyes.
He was about to step forward when a chilling aura suddenly rose behind him.
"Come back, Sasuke. I don't want to waste time."
Before Sasuke could refuse, Lock had already appeared instantly in front of Lee.
"It seems I'll have to beat you first to force Might Guy to come out."
"So fast!" Lee froze briefly before reacting immediately.
"When it comes to taijutsu, I won't lose to anyone my age!"
Shouting, Lee jumped and spun midair.
Twisting his waist, he launched a horizontal upward kick, the air shrieking under the force.
"Leaf Whirl—"
Before he could finish naming the technique, his voice was drowned out by a thunderous impact.
Boom!!!
Lee, mid-attack, was smashed violently into the floor by an overwhelming force.
The wooden ground caved inward and cracked apart, sharp splinters bursting outward.
"Instant defeat! Lock is still so powerful and handsome!"
Seeing Lee lying motionless and struggling to breathe, Sakura felt a wave of satisfaction and began jumping excitedly like an enthusiastic fan.
Sasuke, meanwhile, clenched his fists, frustration and unwillingness written across his face.
"Damn it… even after two months of training, I still can't see his movements without activating the Sharingan…"
Lock felt no emotional fluctuation at Lee's instant defeat.
Instead, he scanned the hall using the Nine-Tails' chakra to sense malice.
Unfortunately, Might Guy carried no hostility toward him, making it impossible to pinpoint his location.
On the ground, Lee slowly pushed himself upright despite the intense pain in his abdomen.
After clutching his stomach and catching his breath, he looked up again at Lock.
"You are very strong, but I will not give up on Sakura. Next, I will use my full strength. Please be careful."
As he spoke, Lee removed the weights bound to his wrists and ankles and threw them down.
Thud!
The weights struck the floor with terrifying force, smashing deep craters into the wood and producing a deafening sound.
Dust and fragments scattered, obscuring much of the surroundings.
"He was wearing weights that heavy?! Is this thick-eyebrows guy a monster?!" Sakura exclaimed.
Sasuke frowned deeply and immediately activated his Sharingan.
Just as expected.
Within the dust, Lee suddenly vanished at astonishing speed.
The next instant—
He appeared at Lock's feet, crouching low as he unleashed a sweeping kick.
"Leaf Gale— Boom!!!"
Another thunderous crash echoed.
The result was no different from before.
Lee was slammed into the ground effortlessly.
This time, Lock's foot pressed firmly onto his head.
"Another one-kick defeat!" Sasuke said in shock, barely able to follow the movement even with his Sharingan.
Lee's displayed taijutsu had already surpassed Sasuke's own level.
Yet before Lock, he could not endure even a single exchange.
Their strength existed on entirely different tiers.
Clearly, Sasuke had once been able to exchange blows with Kakashi.
"No… I haven't lost yet! I still have a secret technique!"
Pinned beneath Lock's foot, Lee struggled stubbornly, refusing to yield.
But seeing that the blackening value on the system panel had stopped increasing, Lock lost interest in continuing.
He raised his head and shouted toward the empty surroundings.
"Might Guy, come out. Let me see how powerful Kakashi's so-called 'best friend and rival' really is."
Silence—
Hidden behind a corridor, Might Guy did not respond.
Although he greatly wished to appear and proudly acknowledge that title, he remembered Hiruzen Sarutobi's order not to provoke the Jinchūriki, as well as Kakashi's warnings about Lock's danger.
In the end, Might Guy chose restraint.
Unfortunately, he underestimated Lock's lack of restraint.
Seeing no response, Lock slowly raised his foot, aiming directly at Lee's right leg.
His voice rang clearly through the hall.
"I wonder… can someone still practice taijutsu after losing a leg?"
Whoosh!
Bang!
Dust exploded outward as Lock's foot struck the floor, shattering it and leaving a massive crater.
Not far away, Lee had already been rescued by Might Guy, who appeared in a striking pose while holding him securely.
Might Guy gently placed Lee atop a summoned tortoise nearby.
Then he turned toward Lock, gave a thumbs-up, and flashed a radiant smile that gleamed brilliantly.
"Indeed! You truly possess the sharp brilliance of youth that Kakashi described — enough to make even me feel afraid!"
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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