The Ninth Battle between Gaara and Rock Lee
>>BEGIN<<
Lee took the initiative by running towards Gaara.
He jumped up in the air and gave a roundhouse kick.
<.Taijutsu - Leaf Hurricane! >
(Bang!)
Lee's kick had hit the sand which had begun to guard Gaara as it suddenly gathered in massive amounts and moved to strike Lee.
Lee dodged by jumping back using a summersault and slid a few metres before he came to a stop.
("What an unusual jutsu…") Kakashi thought
("That sand, is it just him controlling it? Or does it have a mind of its own?") Sasuke thought as he studied the sand's movements.
("Sand manipulating jutsu, eh?")
("Sounds like trouble")
Lee thought back to Naruto's words… "He uses sand clones."
("Is he a sand clone right now?")
Lee thought, after which he smiled as he looked towards Gaara.
("There's only one way to find out…")
Lee ran towards Gaara and started to give punches and kicks all around him, which were being blocked one by one through the sand barrier.
Some of the excess sand gathered nearby Lee as it swung into action.
Lee knew he could not dodge the sand, so he took out his kunai to start breaking them apart.
While swiping them, he continued to deliver one more kick onto Gaara's sand barrier, after which he suddenly realized that all the sand had gathered behind him.
Lee rolled over the ground a few times while avoiding the automatic sand attacks one by one.
("He's not moved a single muscle, yet he is…") Gaara interrupted Lee's thoughts with an eerie voice.
"Entertain me a bit more…"
"There's not enough of…"
"BLOOD!" Gaara concluded upon which the sand responded as though it was filled with killing intent as it followed Lee around, intent on crushing him.
Meanwhile, Gai explained Lee's actions to Sakura…
Lee tried to jump once more, but he was caught by the sand from under his feet and was thrown towards the surrounding wall.
Lee knew he would not be able to rest as the sand started rushing towards him again while showing no mercy.
Lee instantly reacted by performing backflips.
As he continued doing the backflips, some of the sand got ahead and made him slip meanwhile, a majority of the sand gathered above Lee and dove down to crush him.
Lee dodged in high speed and launched himself into the air with a huge back jump and landed on the tip of the humongous Tiger Hand Seal.
Gaara and Lee stared at each other, as they stood still.
"LEE TAKE THEM OFF!" Gai signaled towards Lee with a thumbs up.
Lee observed the action, as he knew that his freedom could only be granted in the conditions set forth by his teacher.
"B-But Gai-sensei!"
"You told me to that only to protect those who are precious to me…" Lee confirmed his doubts.
"THAT'S ALL RIGHT!"
"I GIVE YOU PERMISSION!" Gai said with a bright smile.
At this moment Lee felt extremely happy, he laughed as he knew that his freedom had just been granted.
"Are those…"
"Weights?" Ino asked curiously.
"All Right"
"Now I can move freely" Lee declared upon removing his ankle weight as he dropped them down towards the floor.
"Humph!"
("Does he think that by removing some measly little weights is going to enable him to outmaneuver Gaara's. sand?") Temari thought as she snorted with disdain.
(BANG!!!!!!!)
A massive pile of dust arose from the spot where the weights had landed, as it destroyed the tatami blocks that made up the battle floor.
The hall reacted with surprise, thinking of the weight bore by the young man all this time.
Sasuke already knew the kind of weight both Naruto and Lee were carrying.
He could not help but look towards Naruto and wondered.
("Would Naruto need to remove those to even fight Gaara in the first place?")
At this moment a battle cry was heard.
"GO, LEE!" Gai commanded upon which Lee disappeared from his spot as he had teleported.
Gaara was extremely surprised seeing Lee appear out of nowhere.
Lee rushed in to give a punch, which Gaara had not even seen coming…
By the time Gaara had reacted, a kick had already been thrown on the other side which was again blocked by his sand.
Lee circled Gaara as he sent a flurry of Kicks and punches.
Soon Lee had gathered a high enough of momentum as he launched himself in the air and landed with a dropkick which had pierced through the armor and landed on Gaara's face like a hot blade that pierced through freezing cold butter.
Temari and Kankuro's expressions became grim as they had to accept the fact that Gaara was now injured.
"YOUTH IS...."
"EX-PLOSION!!!!!!!!!!" Gai shouted raising Lee's battle intent in the process which had soared through the roof as he dove into action once again by running towards Gaara.
Lee had disappeared sending one ripple….
Two ripples…. Into Gaara's sand barrier.
Lee had gathered his momentum once again by the third strike as he sent a Straight-Right punch that sent Gaara flying away as he crashed for about a metre before stopping.
("I got him good") Lee thought.
Just as Lee had the thought, Gaara woke up like a zombie, while his sand armor crumbled apart revealing a bit of the terrifying face that lied underneath.
After Gaara stood up, the sand on the ground, flew to his face slowly restoring the calm and uninterested look that Gaara had before.
Temari and Kankuro instinctively understood the pressure Gaara was facing since he to resort to the sand armor ability.
Lee knew that mere punches and kicks would not work anymore.
("I'll have to do major damage from above the sand guard.")
("There is only one option left…")
("That will be Lotus…")
Lee opened up the white bands that covered his arm.
He then took a particular stance, as he compressed the muscles to their limits
("Prepare yourself!") He announced in his mind.
(WHOOSH!) Lee's muscles released the potential energy that was gathered like an arrow leaving a pulled bow string. He started circling Gaara to the point that only the whirlwind and afterimages of his actions were visible to everyone who watched.
Gaara felt irritated.
"Just bring it on already!" Gaara said with disdain.
Lee smiled as he kept running.
"You've asked for IT!" Lee strained his voice as he teleported to the space in front of Gaara and sent him up with a kick that looked like an uppercut.
Gaara flew into the air, but Lee did not stop at that.
Lee took a deep breath as he summoned all his present strength to deliver a series of kicks that started to push Gaara up one after another.
Lee knew they had reached the highest point, as he whipped his bands to wrap Gaara in it,
Gai closed his eyes as he began to pray for Lee's victory.
Lee was in midair holding Gaara who was bound in his hands,
At this moment
("This is…") Lee sent a weak punch to the Gaara that was bound by the cloth.
However, he suddenly crumbled apart.
Lee searched frantically in mid-air as he spotted Gaara moving along with the sand in the air.
("Naruto-kun had warned me in time") Lee thought as he unwrapped his bands.
Lee used the disappearing sand clone as a springboard to reach the ground and then jumped towards Gaara again.
Gaara had not expected Lee to figure out that he used a sand clone. Thus he did not have enough sand to block Lee right now.
Lee was exhausted but still managed to kick up Gaara once again before he wrapped him with the band and prepared.
"TAKE THIS!" Lee shouted as he spiraled along with Gaara towards the ground.
< Hidden Taijutsu - Primary Lotus >
Lee announced as he and Gaara spiraled towards the ground.
Gaara However was left with no choice as he broke up his gourd and turned it into sand to cushion their fall.
(Bang!) They both landed, right before which Lee jumped away from the impact and landed on the ground.
"RIGHT ON!" Gai screamed.
Hayate walked over towards Gaara.
He became petrified seeing the mad look on Gaara's face that literally exuded killing intent.
"AAARRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!" Gaara screamed as he gathered a huge amount of chakra which lifted a giant blob of sand that turned into a giant hand and chased after Lee.
Lee was too tired to stand up at this point, but he understood, if the primary lotus did not work then his only bet, the ultimate trump card was the hidden lotus.
The large hand composed of sand was almost about to crush Lee during which Lee murmured in a silent voice…
"Gate of Rest…"
"OPEN!"
(Whoosh!) Lee dodged the Hand of Sand like it did not exist and started running towards Gaara again.