Chapter 59: Rock Lee's Famous Battle - Opening Four Gates at Once!    

"Then, please invite the two contestants to the stage."

After Moonlight Gale finished speaking, Gaara used his Sand Body Flicker technique to move to the ground, while Rock Lee jumped down from the stands.

After several days of recovery, Rock Lee's injuries had improved significantly. He was now ready to fight at full strength.

"Then, the ninth match, start!" With a wave of Moonlight Gale's hand, the match officially began.

As soon as he heard the word "start," Rock Lee immediately rushed towards Gaara, hoping to catch him off guard with his speed. He had witnessed the battle between Gaara and Sasuke and knew very well how strong Gaara's defense was. After all, unlike Sasuke, he didn't have a sharp weapon to break through Gaara's defenses.

"Konoha Whirlwind!" Lee shouted, delivering a powerful right whip kick towards Gaara. But the sand from Gaara's gourd blocked Lee's kick in time, even forming a ball of sand to counterattack.

Seeing this, Lee quickly backflipped to avoid the attack, while Gaara calmly returned the sand to his gourd.

"Sure enough, this is going to be tough. Let's try again!" Lee muttered as he rushed towards Gaara once more. He unleashed a series of attacks—whip kicks, swinging punches—but all were blocked by Gaara's sand.

Gaara then controlled his sand to try and ensnare Lee. Realizing Gaara's intent, Lee swiftly drew a kunai to cut through the sand and dodged to the side.

"Is that all you've got?" Gaara taunted, quickly sending another wave of sand towards Lee, successfully grabbing his ankle this time. As the sand gripped his ankle, Lee briefly remembered the scene of his defeat by Sasuke, but before he could think further, Gaara hurled him against the wall.

"Agh... I really underestimated you," Lee groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Lee, take them off!" Guy, watching from the stands, gave Lee an enthusiastic thumbs up.

"But, Guy-sensei, you said I should only take them off when I'm protecting someone important," Lee called out, recalling his previous battle with Sasuke, where he chose not to remove his weights.

"It's okay, I approve!" Guy flashed his signature grin and gave Lee an encouraging thumbs up.

Hearing this, Lee's eyes flashed with determination. He immediately sat down, quickly removed the weights from his legs, and tossed them aside.

With two loud crashes, the heavy weights hit the ground, raising clouds of dust. Everyone in the stands was stunned. They had never seen such heavy weights and were amazed by Lee's strength.

"That's a bit much, Guy," Kakashi said, shaking his head with a sigh.

"Go, Lee!" Guy shouted, waving his hand excitedly.

"Yes!" Lee shouted, now free of the weights. Like a tiger unleashed, he charged at Gaara with incredible speed. He moved so fast, like a flash of lightning, that he reached Gaara in the blink of an eye.

Lee began attacking Gaara relentlessly. At first, Gaara's sand could keep up, but as time went on, the sand struggled to react. Finally, Lee managed to land a solid kick to Gaara's head, sending him flying.

Boom!

"It worked!" Kankuro exclaimed in disbelief. "How could anyone hurt Gaara?" He was shocked, especially after seeing Gaara hurt by Sasuke, but to see this guy in a green jumpsuit doing it too was surprising.

"That's the power of youth!" Guy shouted excitedly, his smile wide and bright.

"Yes!" Lee responded with equal enthusiasm, charging at Gaara again. While Gaara was still recovering, Lee delivered a powerful kick, sending him flying once more.

Just when everyone thought Lee had won, Gaara stood back up. His face was cracked like a broken mask, but the sand around him began to float and repair his sand armor.

"You're fast, but not fast enough. Unfortunately, your attacks can't break my sand armor," Gaara said coldly.

Seeing this, Lee knew he couldn't hold back any longer. "I won't lose here! Guy-sensei, please acknowledge me... Now is the time... to implement my ninja way! Eight Gates of Ninjutsu, Rest Gate, Life Gate, open!!!"

Under everyone's gaze, Lee roared as he opened the Eight Gates. Instantly, upon opening the third gate, his veins bulged, his skin turned dark red, and chakra erupted around him. His body became enveloped in a fluorescent green aura, and even his hair stood up from the force of the airflow.

But it wasn't over yet.

"And now, the fourth gate, the Wound Gate, open!!!"

The Wound Gate, as its name suggests, brings significant side effects to the user. It's at this point that the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu truly start taking a toll on the body. However, despite the risks, the boost to Lee's strength and speed was immense.

With the opening of the fourth gate, the ground around Lee was blown away by the force of his chakra. He moved so fast that only Sasuke, with his Sharingan, could follow his movements.

"This is the power of the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu. I didn't pay much attention when I fought Lee last time, but it seems I should ask Guy-sensei to teach me," Sasuke thought, rubbing his chin.

Meanwhile, Lee's speed became so overwhelming that Gaara's sand couldn't keep up. Lee kicked Gaara into the air and continued his relentless assault, leaving Gaara unable to move. Gaara's sand armor gradually cracked under the pressure.

"Damn it, how did this guy suddenly become so strong?" Gaara muttered through gritted teeth.

"This is my true strength!" Lee shouted.

Despite his best efforts, Lee realized he still couldn't defeat Gaara and decided to open the fifth gate. "Eight Gates of Ninjutsu, Fifth Gate, Dōmon... Open!!!"

With a fierce roar, Lee prepared to open the fifth gate, but at that moment, something unexpected happened.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

---