Chapter 17: Silent Shadows

The Chunin Exams preliminaries continued with intensity, but Rayne's mind was sharp, focused. He had been gathering abilities from each fighter—carefully watching, copying, and cataloging. But now, the upcoming match caught his full attention.

"Next match: Gaara of the Sand vs. Rock Lee of the Hidden Leaf."

The arena buzzed with anticipation. Rayne narrowed his eyes, leaning forward slightly. Rock Lee. He wasn't just another genin. His taijutsu prowess was legendary among their peers, and unlike most, Lee couldn't rely on ninjutsu or genjutsu. His strength was purely physical, and that made him unpredictable, even for someone like Rayne, who could copy most techniques.

As Lee stepped into the arena, Rayne activated his Sharingan beneath his hooded eyes, determined to study every move.

The fight started quickly, faster than most could follow. Gaara remained motionless, his sand acting as both his offense and defense. Each time Lee attacked, the sand would rise, blocking every punch and kick with ease.

Lee wasn't discouraged. He was relentless, each strike more powerful than the last. Rayne's Sharingan tracked every movement, analyzing the way Lee's muscles tensed before each kick, how his feet shifted slightly for balance and speed. Lee's taijutsu was flawless, pure raw talent and hard work.

"Incredible," Rayne muttered under his breath.

Despite his best efforts, Lee couldn't land a single hit. Gaara's sand moved like a living shield, anticipating each of Lee's attacks before they could even connect. It seemed almost effortless.

But then, Lee's demeanor changed. He paused, taking a deep breath. His eyes narrowed with focus.

"I've been waiting for this," Rayne thought, recognizing the shift in Lee's stance.

With a blur of movement, Lee removed his leg weights and dropped them to the ground with a loud thud. The room gasped in surprise. The weights were far heavier than they looked, and the floor cracked beneath the impact. Rayne felt a sudden surge of excitement.

"He's been holding back this whole time?"

The fight took a dramatic turn. Now free from the weights, Lee's speed was on an entirely new level. Even with the Sharingan, Rayne found it hard to keep up with the sheer velocity of Lee's movements. He darted around the arena, striking at Gaara's defenses from every angle. The sand struggled to keep up, barely blocking each attack.

Rayne's heart raced as he watched. Lee wasn't using any chakra-based techniques, but his mastery of taijutsu was beyond anything Rayne had ever seen. He could feel the potential in every movement.

This was the kind of strength he wanted to copy.

Then came the Hidden Lotus. Lee's body spun in a blur as he launched into the air, wrapping Gaara in his bandages and pulling him into a devastating attack. The force of it sent shockwaves through the arena, and even the onlookers were taken aback by the sheer power behind the technique.

Rayne watched in awe, his Sharingan carefully tracking the movements. This wasn't a technique he could copy—Lee's strength came from his body alone, the result of years of rigorous training. But there was something in the way Lee moved, the precision of his strikes, that Rayne could still learn from.

"He's... unbelievable," Rayne whispered.

But just when it seemed like Lee had the upper hand, Gaara's sand armor cracked open, revealing the defense beneath. Gaara emerged from the attack relatively unscathed. The sand exploded outward, sending Lee tumbling back, exhausted from the effort.

Gaara's counterattack came swiftly. His sand wrapped around Lee's arm and leg, tightening with a malicious intent. Rayne felt a chill run down his spine. This was no ordinary technique—Gaara was going to crush Lee.

"No... not like this," Rayne muttered, eyes widening in alarm.

But before he could act or even react, Guy-sensei intervened, saving Lee from the crushing force of Gaara's sand at the last second. The proctor called the match, declaring Gaara the victor.

Rayne's hands clenched into fists at his sides. Watching Lee's defeat had stirred something in him—an admiration for the effort and sheer willpower that Lee had displayed. Unlike Rayne, who had been born with the ability to copy techniques, Lee had achieved his strength through nothing but hard work and perseverance.

As the medics carried Lee away, Rayne turned his attention to Gaara. The power of Gaara's sand manipulation was now his, copied silently during the match. No one knew. No one could tell. But Rayne felt the sand resonate with his chakra, waiting to be called upon when the time was right.

Rayne stood quietly, watching the aftermath of the match. He felt a surge of satisfaction, knowing that his abilities had grown once again. But there was a nagging doubt in his mind.

His Sharingan had activated by accident during training, and it still confused him. Did he have the Sharingan because of his parents? Or was it his Copy Talent that had unknowingly absorbed the Uchiha's bloodline abilities?

As the day's matches came to an end, Rayne stayed behind, lost in thought. His mind wandered back to Orochimaru's attack in the forest. He had copied a few techniques from the Sound ninja, but it was Gaara's abilities that intrigued him the most.

The Chunin Exam Finals were approaching, and Rayne knew he had to be prepared. There would be stronger opponents, more powerful techniques to observe and copy. He glanced at his teammates, Haruto and Ayame, both of whom had performed well in their matches.

But as he walked away from the arena, his thoughts kept circling back to the question that had been haunting him for weeks.

Was his Sharingan truly his own?

Rayne felt the unease grow, but he pushed it aside. The finals would reveal the answer. And until then, he would continue to grow stronger, silently in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to unleash the full extent of his abilities.