Capítulo 1330: 35
Itachi – Come on, guys, we have work to do.
Kisame – I'm not doing anything with this bastard!
Shikamaru – Are you still angry about that, Kisame-san?
Itachi – Should I even ask…?
Shikamaru – He's mad because I got the last Ganondorf Amiibo in the store before he did.
Kisame – You use your Shadow Bind jutsu and you know it!
Itachi – Seriously…? Whatever guys, we still have to host the next chapter… Whoever gets here first gets to do the intro.
Kisame –Hold on! It's my turn to… Wait… Damn it! He's using his shadow again…! NO!
Shikamaru – Here is PHD's chapter 35, please enjoy.
Sealed Fate
Still trying to catch his breath Naruto straighten up. "Come on… He mentioned a teammate…" The Sharingan users pointed out. "We have to go check on the others…" The boy said before turning around. Lee following right behind him.
The two genin only managed to take a couple of steps when a rumbling sound coming from the cloud of dust caught their attention. Looking back, the boys saw several boulders suddenly explode from the ground and they barely had time to jump out of the way to dodge the incoming debris.
"Damn… Damn you…" Gareki's grunting voice was heard as the dust started to dissipate. The bandages around the missing nin's body were ragged and disheveled, while most of his right arm was gone and blood dripped from what was left of it, but his eyes held an intense fury directed at the Leaf ninjas.
Lee was visibly taken back. "How did he survive a jutsu like that?!" The taijustu user asked in bewilderment.
For his part, Naruto was rendered speechless. He had hit the former Iwa nin with his strongest technique and he had fail to take him out.
Using some of his bandages, Gareki cut off the blood circulating to his stump, stopping the bleed. "To think… That a pair of brats… Would force me to use the Second Tsuchikage's Bunretsu no Justu…" He growled. "Half of my chakra is now gone forever!" The man continued as he started to slowly move towards the two genin. "I couldn't even activate the technique in time to save my right arm…!" He cursed.
The blond looked at his friend. "Lee, do you have any idea what he's talking about?" He asked.
"I… I might…" The older genin said after a few seconds of pondering. "I remember a lecture from the Academy about how one of the old Kages was developing a technique to duplicate himself as a way to escape very dangerous situations." The taijutsu user explained. "But the Kage died in battle before he could solve one major flaw in the technique, so it was labeled as an incomplete jutsu… I think this might have been it."
By now, Gareki was heaving in anger. "With my chakra and my arm gone… I'm barely half of what I used to be… Nothing more than a shell…" He muttered to himself as he took another step towards the two boys. "I'm done… They will not abide someone broken like me… All I have left is…" His eyes glared at his the pair responsible for his situation. "Make sure I take you down to hell with me!" The former Iwa shinobi roared as chakra was forced out of his body.
At their opponent's declaration, the Leaf genins readied their stance. "Stay on your toes, Lee; it seems he finally snapped." Naruto commended.
The black haired nodded in agreement. "Yosh! Don't worry, Naruto-kun, there's nothing that he can throw at me that I…" The young man stopped in mid sentence as something about the bandaged man caught his attention. Lee's eyes winded as realization dawned upon him.
"Hachimon Tonkou…! Dairoku Keimon…! Kai!" Gareki exclaimed right before a huge explosion of chakra erupted from his body.
Naruto had to put his arm up to prevent his face from being buffeted by the dust being pushed by the missing nin. "Eight Gates?" The blond questioned as he glancing at his friend. "Isn't that the technique you use?" He asked.
The blond could not fully figure out what was the expression that the taijutsu user was showing. Lee's face was a mixture of fear, astonishment, and anger. The whole thing seemed very out of place with the older boy.
Heaving under the strain of his technique, Gareki's smirked as his skin turned a reddish brown color and some of the veins in his head became more pronounced. "Speechless, aren't you…?" He goaded the younger ninjas. "Using this technique in my state might kill me… But destroying you is the only thing that can alleviate my pride."
Readying himself to jump back in the fray, Naruto was suddenly stopped when Lee took a step forward. "You go back to check on the others, Naruto-kun." The black haired teen said in a serious voice. "I will be his opponent."
Sapphire colored eyes widened at those words. "You can't be serious!" The younger boy protested. "This guy is completely unhinged… It's dangerous to fight an opponent like that on your own!" Naruto pointed out, but then realized that his friend's body was shaking.
By now, anger seemed to have won out over dominance for Lee's expression. "He insults the technique that Gai-sensei taught me… I can't overlook this!" The young man declared before bracing himself. "Hachimon Tonkou! Daisan Seimon… Kai!" Lee roared as chakra exploded around him.
"Lee! Think this through!" The spiky haired boy tried to reason with his teammate again. "Last time you used Eight Gates you almost ended your ninja career…! Besides, you can only go up to the Fifth Gate and this guy already opened the Sixth!"
Turning to face the blond, a smile finally returned to the older boy's face. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun." The black haired teen responded. "He said that lost half of his chakra to survive your attack, so three Gates should be enough to match his six." Lee stated as his skin started to redden.
Naruto gave his friend a skeptic look. "Does it really work like that?" He questioned.
The smile on the taijutsu user's face widened cheekily. "Not really." The boy admitted. "But this is something I have to do… For someone like me who can't use either ninjutsu or genjutsu, the Eight Gates represents all the effort I have made to get to where I am now…" He said with a serious tone again. "Seeing it being use in such a petty way boils my blood in a way not even the flames of youth can." The genin declared with a voice full of conviction.
Sighing, the Sharingan user accepted defeat. "Ok, Lee, you win this time…" He relented. "But you better not get yourself killed here or I will go the afterlife myself and drag you back just so I can beat the living hell out of you…" He warned his teammate. "Or better yet, I'll turn you over to Tenten and let her decide your punishment." The spiky haired boy added before turning around.
With another smile on his face, Lee gave his friend a quick glance. "Don't worry, I promise." The older teen said as he gave his friend a thumbs up.
Having let the pair of genin talked out, Gareki decided to finally speak up. "Now, why do you think that I would let one of you simple walk…" The man sentence was cut short when, the black haired boy suddenly appeared right in front of him with his fist already flying towards the former Iwa nin's face, forcing Gareki to block it with his remaining arm.
The force of the blow was strong enough to push the missing nin back despite his block.
Gareki gritted his teeth. "That was stronger than I expected…" He muttered to himself. Suddenly, the bandaged man's eyes saw the Leaf nin throw a pair of strange object at him. Upon further observation, he realized it was a set of ankle weights. Acting on instinct, the former Iwa ninja jumped way from the weights.
The impact that the exercise equipments caused when they touched the ground looked as if they had been a pair of explosive tags.
"Dynamic Entry!" Lee's voice was heard less than a second before a green blur shot out of the cloud of dust raised by the weights.
The missing nin brought his arm up again to block the new attack, but was taken aback when the blur suddenly disappeared right in front of him. However, the bald man had no time to think about what his opponent was planning, since a powerful kick was connected with his back, violently sending him flying forward.
Planting his hand on the ground in mid flight, Gareki rectify his body and managed to land on his feet. Looking up, he saw the young shinobi already charging forward. "I can't believe that he can keep up with only three Gates…" He complained as he was forced on the defensive, continuously dodging the taijutsu user's attack. "Have I really sunk this low after using the Bunretsu…?! Dainana Kyoumon Kai!" The older man roared as another explosion of chakra erupted from his body.
At the same time, Lee's fist was traveling towards his opponents face when suddenly it was caught by the bandaged man's hand.
"That's quite enough!" Gareki declared before hurling the genin's body away from him with so much force that the teen's body went through several trees.
Ignoring the pain his body was in; Lee stood up and glared at his enemy for several seconds. "It's been a while since I use this… But this time is going to be different." The boy finally said as the veins in his head started to become more pronounced. "Daigo Tomon… Kai!" He shouted as chakra erupted all round him and his body was covered with a green aura.
Gareki growled. "Fifth huh?" He muttered. "Let's put it to the test!" The man shouted before punching the ground, causing everything in front of him crumble.
Swiftly, Lee jumped into the air. "Konoha Otoshi!" The young man shouted as he brought the heel of his foot down at blurring speed.
This time, it was the Iwa nin's turn to jump away right before the ground he had been standing on exploded when the younger ninja's foot came down.
The two Hachimon users started to trade blows back and forth. In his weakened state, the bandaged man found himself slowly losing ground despite having opened more gates than his opponent. It was clear to the man that, despite his young age, the Leaf genin taijutsu was far more refined, and now that Gareki could not physically use ninjustu, he was in a crippling disadvantage.
As the younger shinobi continued his assault, one of his fists broke through his opponent's defenses and connected with the man's chin, sending him flying back.
Not wasting any time, Lee immediately closed the distance between them. "Konoha Daisenpu!" He shouted as he delivered several spinning kicks at the former Rock nin who was helpless at the teen's speed and strength. "Konoha Otoshi!" The black haired boy ended his combo by delivering a falling kick on his opponent, sending him crashing down into the ground with tremendous force.
"Gaaargh!" Gareki cried out as his Gates he opened increased the amount of pain his body felt. Struggling back to his feet, the man sent a murderous glare at his young opponent. "Damn you…" He cursed through gritted teeth. By now, almost all the bandages on the missing nin's body had become loose. "To be… To be forced to use… This… By someone like you… I guess I have nothing left to lose either way!" He exclaimed as his body started to emanate a lot of pressure and the ground cracked under his feet.
Lee watched as the veins in his opponent's head became even more pounced. The genin's eyes narrowed as he saw white steam come off the man's body.
"Hachimon Tonkou! Daihachi Shimon Kai!" The Iwa ninja exclaimed as the ground exploded all around him. Within an instant, he close the gap between himself and the Leaf genin, driving a powerful punch at the boy's stomach.
As the tainjustu user was thrown back, Gareki quickly sped pass him and delivered a spinning kick that hurled the boy at another direction.
With his enhanced speed, the bandaged man was able to rapidly overpower the young ninja, throwing the teen around the forest like a ragdoll.
It took all of his self control for Lee not to scream in pain as his body collided with a boulder, crushing it into pebbles. The boy had to use all his resolve as he forced his body to stand back up.
Gareki landed just a few feet from the battered teen. "How about we finish this? I still have to catch up with your friend and pay him back…" He said with a smirk.
Lee's eyes hardened. "I'm not done yet…" He responded. "I still have one trick left." The boy added.
One of the missing nin's eyebrow rose in curiosity. "You do? What is it?" He inquired. "Are you resolute enough to open the Eighth Gate as well?"
Before answering, the black haired kid started to undo the bandages around his right arm. "No… I can only open up to the Fifth Gate… But I don't need any more to beat you." He replied. "This is something else…"
A scoff escaped the former Rock nin. "There is nothing that can beat a person that has opened all Eight Gates!" He exclaimed.
Looking at the white steam on his opponent's body, Lee continued unraveling the bandages. "You said that you were force to use Hachimon as a way to salvage your pride after being overpowered by Naruto and I…" The genin started to say. "Well, I traded mine in order to have the strength to protect the people I care about when the time came." He stated before removing a long stream of bandages and revealing a seal with the word Wind engraved in his forearm.
Gareki looked at the seal in confusion. "What is that?" He asked as he saw the symbol start to glow.
The air started to spiral around the Leaf ninja. "Tengoku no Genso-tai: Kaze no Fuin!" Lee roared right before disappearing from Gareki's view.
Flashback
"No! I don't want it!" Lee yelled from his bed in the Konoha Hospital as a stricken Gai and a serious Tsunade looked on.
They were supposed to start preparations for the young man's surgery, but at the last moment, the boy's teacher had dropped a bombshell on the genin's lap. "Lee, you have to understand…" The taijutsu master tried to explain.
"I understand just fine! You are telling me that I have to throw away everything I believe in!" The black haired boy shouted back. It pain Lee to talk to his teacher in such a manner, but the feelings of betrayal and anger that had surfaced were numbing his heart to everything else.
Tsunade took a step forward. "We are not asking you to do any such thing, Lee." The new Hokage intervened. "I have read the reports from the chunin exam. You have already proven that you can become an extraordinary shinobi… This will only help you achieve your full potential." She stated.
Tearful eyes looked at the village leader. "I've trained day in and day out all this time so that I can prove that I can make it with taijutsu alone… But this… This is something else!" He cried out. "If I accept this, I will be turning my back to all the hard work I did in the past!"
While waiting for the nurse staff to come and fetch him for surgery, Lee had noticed that there was something odd with Gai-sensei as the usually boisterous jounin was simply sitting quietly by his bedside. After much probing, the genin had managed to get his teacher to reveal the cause for his discomfort.
The Godaime had agreed to perform Lee's surgery only under the condition that a special set of seals will be placed on the black haired boy. The Tengoku no Genso-tai seals. Once activated, the seals would enhance the wearer's physical attributes in different manners by manipulating the body and its surroundings. They were supposed to complement the user's taijutsu and make it far more versatile, but as far as the genin was concerned, they were nothing more than a shameless cheat.
"I've trained all this time to be a taijutsu user and that's what I will always be! I don't need some old fuinjutsu technique to help cover what other people think I lack!" The genin said stubbornly. "I will make it through hard work alone! I don't need a hand out!"
A sigh escaped the blond woman as Gai moved to his student's side. "Then don't do it for you…" The jounin said with a very serious expression on his face. "I've told you the story of the genin who sacrificed his life to use the only technique he knew in order to save that which he cared about, right?" He waited until his student nodded. "Well, I don't want that story to repeat itself." The man stated. "I taught you the Eight Gates and I will never regret it, but I know you, Lee, and I know that once you master it, you will not hesitate to use that power if it means protecting something or someone important to you."
Most of the anger in the black haired boy seemed to dissipate as his gazed dropped down to look at his hands on his lap.
Kneeling next to his student, Gai grabbed one of the boy's hands. "All I want is for you to have an option… Something that you can use to protect Neji, or Tenten, or Sakura if the time ever comes." As he spoke, the taijutsu master's tone softened. "And many years from now, I want to look up in pride and see you smiling and happy, living the life of a youthful shinobi who has no regrets." He added with a smile.
Lee looked up at his teacher, more tears threatening to run down his face. "Gai-sensei…"
The smile in the jounin's face widened. "Besides, who said anything about hand outs? The Tengoku no Genso-tai seals are the real deal and they require a lot of effort so simply activate them, let along master! I'm looking forward to training you until you can fully use them all." He stated as his voice started to recover some of his trademark energy. "Mastering this seals is be the best test for you youthfulness that we could have ever ask for!" The man declared.
The floodgates in Lee's eyes had broken down and his tears were streaming freely down his cheeks "Gai-sensei…"
"Lee…"
"Gai-sensei…!"
"Lee...!"
Tsunade stood back and watched with a mixture of astonishment and curiosity, with just the tinniest bit of horror sprinkled in, as the pair of taijutsu users hugged each other. The sight seemed to generate a strange glow of light seemingly out of nowhere.
Behind, the Hokage, a group of nurse that gathered to see what was going on. "Argh, they're doing it again!" One of the nurses complained.
"This happens at least three times per week…" Another one commented.
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
End Flashback
Gareki only had time to look to the sides when suddenly a green blur sped pass him. The former Iwa nin was only able to barely dodge it thanks to the open Gates heightening his reflexes. However, he was not quick enough when the blur made a second round, hitting him in the shoulder with the force of a battering ram. "Where the hell are you?!" The man exclaimed as he looked around the forest.
Every so often, a green streak could be seen among the trees. It would circle around the bandaged man a bit and suddenly strike at lightning speed like a cobra.
It was only thanks to all the Gates that he had open that Gareki had managed to dodge most of his opponent's attacks. However, more than a handful of them had hit him, and the Hachimon was many things but defensive was not one of them. At the speed in which the Leaf ninja was hitting him, each punch felt as an exploding tag had gone off right in front of him. "I can't let this continue…" Gareki muttered to himself.
The missing nin waited until he saw the green blur hurl itself towards him before the older shinobi punched the ground with great force.
Immediately, the earth around the missing nin crumbled, but instead of being caught in the upheaval, the blur changed directions midflight, surprising Gareki who received a punch on his face for his distraction which sent him stumbling back.
"The Tengoku no Genso-tai seals can alter my body or its surroundings." Lee started to explain, finally stopping as the older man pushed himself off the ground. "The Wind Seal in particular manipulates the air currents around me, making air resistance almost nonexistent, and letting me move faster." He said as he lifted his right form arm where the word Wind was glowing. "Also, if I need it, it can create walls of wind for me to change directions mid-air, as you just witnessed."
Wiping the stream of blood that had started to run down his mouth, Gareki stood back up. "Damn you… You were holding back all this time…" He growled as he leered at the young man.
Lee met his opponent's glare with one of his own. "You use the Eight Gates like a small child throwing a tantrum…" The genin started talking again. "But to me these seals represent my wish to keep my friends safe! And they mean more to me than any foolish pride!" The taijutsu user exclaimed as he took a fighting stance. "Now let me show you the other seal I have unlocked…" He said before disappearing from view again.
Gareki didn't have time to react before the black haired teen appeared right in front of him, a fist already poised to attack.
"Tsuchi no Fuin!" Lee shouted right as the Wind Seal stopped glowing and the bandages around his right arm unraveled further, revealing the symbol for Earth right before it started to shine.
The Leaf genin drove his punch into his opponent's gut with such strength that the ground around them crumbled as the older man was hurled back, flying through tree after tree like they were not even there.
Once the missing nin crashed down, the Konoha ninja move forward until the stood within earshot of the older man. "The Earth Seal is simpler to understand… It acts upon my body, making my skin and muscle tougher and increasing my physical strength." He explained.
Coughing up blood after the devastating blow, the former Rock nin could barely get back on his feet. "You… Bastard… I'm going to… Going to kill you!" He screamed. "Even if it's the last thing I do!" In a blind rage, the bandaged man charged at the younger ninja.
Immediately, Lee dashed to meet his enemy. However, the fight the ensued was an extremely one-sided one. In his enraged state, Gareki's attacks were wild and ineffective, and Lee quickly gained the upper hand as he switched back and forth between the Wind and Earth Seals.
Soon, the older ninja was left reeling back from another Earth Seal-powered punch to his stomach. The man tried to reassume his attack but his leg finally gave up on him and he fell to his knees. "Why…?! Why are you stronger than me…?!" He screamed in frustration. "I opened all Eight Gates! I should have the power of a god!" The man stated. "Nothing is supposed to beat it!"
Lee watched his opponent for a couple of seconds. "You are right…" He finally said. "Nothing can beat a fully released Hachimon… With it, even a genin can stand up to a group of legendary ninjas." The boy stated with a serious tone. "But you did not open all of the Eight Gates."
Gareki's eyes immediately winded. "What?!"
The young man remained unfazed by the man's outburst. "For starters, had you opened all of them, I would not have been able to overpower you; even with the seals." He stated. "But if you want more proof, just look at yourself… You are missing the red mist." The taijustu user said.
The older shinobi was taken aback and as he look around he confirmed that the streams of steam that were coming off his body were all white.
"I don't know if you knew this, but opening the Eighth Gate causes the user's own blood to evaporate, enveloping that person in a red mist." Lee informed. "In fact, opening the Seventh Gate is will generate a blue mist, I know, I've seen it. All of this leads me to believe that you never actually made it pass the Sixth Gate."
Shock had completely overwhelmed the former Rock nin. "Wha… What…?! I… I…" He could not form a coherent sentence.
Realizing that his opponent's conviction had crumbled, Lee decided to put an end to the fight once and for all. Activating the Wind Seal, the boy charged forward.
Gareki seemingly managed to snap out of it at the last second and thrust his fist forward, however the younger ninja jumped into the air before it could connect.
Once he was high up in the air, Lee used the Wind Seal to create an air wall to propel himself back down. "Konoha Ryuusei!" The boy roared as he readied his punch and created a couple more walls to boost his speed. At the very last moment, as he was about to crash into the former Iwa nin, Lee drove his punch fist forward and the seal in the genin's arm changed from Wind to Rock.
The huge impact sent tremors throughout the forest and raised a cloud of rubble and dust that stood high above the trees.
From the debris, Lee limped away from the dust and into clear air. The young man's body ached all over as the backlash from opening the Fifth Gate washed over him. Heaving and trying to stay on his feet, the young man looked over his shoulder. "You were the first opponent that I ever hated…" The boy stated, though he knew there was no one left to hear him. "And I want you to know that I am sorry for that." He said as he looked down at his right arm.
Despite everything, the sight of the Tengoku seals sent a wave of sadness and disappointment over the taijutsu user. As Lee started his way back towards the movie set, the young man tried his best to ignore those feelings.
Hiding behind a tree, Shion stood there as her body trembled uncontrollably and her throat dried out, preventing her from making any sound as she watched the scene in front of her.
"Haah… Haargh…" Naruto heaved in pain as he fell to his knees and clutched his head tightly.
"Come on, Naruto-san… This cannot be the best you can do." A black haired man with a pony tail and a narrow nose said as a smile appeared on his face. "There are a lot of people that are expecting great things from you… I would be extremely disappointed if this was all that there was to your abilities." He added, managing to almost sound jovial.
The blond genin tried to compose himself, but his entire body was in pain. His feet felt as if they were standing on needles, his stomach as if something was wrapping around it, and his hand felt as if they were on fire, but by far the most pain was in his head. The Jinchuuriki could feel it pulsating, as if it were going to explode at any moment, and his eyes… His eyes…!
Shion tried to say something, she tried to call out to the boy hurting in front of her, but nothing came out. "No…! This is wrong…! This is not like it was in my vision!" The priestess thought as she saw blood start to stream down Naruto's eyes.
Bunretsu no Justsu – Fission Technique
Hachimon Tonkou – Eight Gates Release
Dairoku Keimon Kai – Sixth Gate of View Open
Daisan Seimon Kai – Third Gate of Life Open
Dainana Kyoumon Kai – Seventh Gate of Wonder Open
Daigo Tomon Kai – Fifth Gate of Limit Open
Konoha Daisenpu – Leaf Great Whirlwind
Daihachi Shimon Kai – Eighth Gate of Death Open
Tengoku no Genso-tai: Kaze no Fuin – Heavenly Elemental Body: Wind Seal (Made up)
Tsuchi no Fuin – Earth Seal (Made up)
Konoha Ryuusei – Leaf Meteor (Made up)
Kisame - *Sniff*
Shikamaru – Are you crying?
Kisame – No! Of course not!
Itachi – You miss Lee, don't you?
Kisame – What?! No I don't! Who would miss that hyperactive brat running around the place… Being nice to everyone… *Sniff*.
Shikamaru – Right… Anyways, the original idea for this chapter was for the Rescue Sasuke arc before Phoenixsun decided to remove the Lee vs. Kimimaro fight. However, he still wanted to give Lee the fight that he would have had back then.
Itachi – As always, thanks for reading, and we hope to see you next time on PHD's chapter 36: A Simple World is Worthless.
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