Adrik sighed as Naruto went with the medical ninjas who carried Hinata out of the arena. While he was conflicted on if he should have rooted for Hinata knowing who she was going up against, he couldn't say he agreed with how Neji handled the situation either. That last attack was aimed directly at her heart. Based on the death glares Naruto sent to the older teen, he knew that as well. If nobody intervened, Hinata would be dead at the hands of her own cousin.
"That was no way for a family to act..."
Adrik nodded in agreement with Haku.
"It's clear there's more going on than we know. It's definitely not enough to warrant the death of a family member, but still."
Haku nodded.
"I can't even begin to imagine how Naruto is feeling, though."
Adrik nodded again as he thought about his friend. It was clear he and Hinata were developing something for each other. Seeing her like that must have torn him up. It was a miracle he didn't attack Neji.
Adrik, along with everyone else, looked up at the board. Adrik's eyes narrowed in concern as he saw the names. Gaara of the sand versus Rock Lee. The third and youngest sibling of the Sand Team was clearly unlike his brother and sister. Based on what Adrik could sense, Gaara's chakra levels were above most of the jonin present. It was clear that he was still a genin, though, as his chakra felt heavily unrefined compared to a jonin's chakra. But the only other case where a genin had high chakra reserves was with Naruto. Adrik didn't know for sure, but perhaps Gaara was the container of a Tailed Beast much like his friend. The only difference was that Naruto had far more chakra than anyone in the room. Even Orochimaru, who was still present, and the Hokage himself couldn't match Naruto's chakra levels. That was a mystery for another time, however, as Adrik decided to cheer on Lee.
The older teen jumped down to the arena with a victorious smirk.
"I knew I would be picked soon! Now, it is time for the light of my youthful flame to shine!"
From the stands, Guy shouted down to his pupil.
"Indeed, Lee! Let your youthfulness burn brightly in your match! Show your opponent the exquisite power of youth!"
Adrik shook his head at his part-time sensei's antics. He walked over to stand next to Guy as Gaara appeared in the arena in a swirl of sand.
"Oh, Adrik! I apologize, for Lee's burning determination had me blinded for a moment and I didn't notice you!"
Adrik nodded as he leaned against the wall next to the jonin.
"Did Lee take off his weights yet?"
Guy shook his head with slight confusion.
"Of course not! Why would he?"
Adrik looked back down at the arena as the match started. It was immediately clear that Lee was currently no match for Gaara as barriers of sand came up every time the older teen tried to land a hit on his opponent.
"This is the first time I've seen Gaara's power being used. Just from the looks of it, Lee won't win."
Guy looked at Adrik, seeming offended at the comment. Before he could shout his retort in defense for his favorite student, Adrik cut him off.
"The only way Lee can win is if he manages to get in close and stay there. If he doesn't take off his weights, he can't do that."
Guy looked back down at the arena in thought. Lee seemed to be struggling as each time he attempted to attack, he had to be careful not to get grabbed by the sand. Lee jumped back as the sand swiped at him again. Before he could rush in to try and land another hit, a large wave of sand formed in front of Gaara and sped towards him. Thinking fast, Lee jumped up out of the reach of the sand, landing on the stone statue at the front edge of the arena.
Guy stepped up to the railing and shouted at his pupil.
"Lee! I am giving you permission to go all out!"
Lee looked over in surprise as the sand receded into the gourd on Gaara's back, a large portion of it pooling at his feet as well.
"Are you sure, Guy Sensei?!"
Guy nodded with a smile before giving a thumbs up with a fist on his hip.
"Go for it, Lee!"
Lee nodded with a smile and sat down on the head of the statue. Everyone watched as Lee rolled up his leg warmers to reveal training weights around his ankles. He took them off with a grin.
"Phew, that is indeed much better!"
He dropped the weights and they instantly fell straight into the ground, kicking up dust as they made small craters upon landing. This seemed to surprise everyone, save for Adrik and Guy.
"Now, I can fight as I need without my weights dragging me down!"
Adrik looked over at Guy.
"How much were they at this time?"
Guy put a hand on his chin as he smirked with pride.
"A good question, my part-time student! I have forgotten!"
Adrik raised an eyebrow as everyone nearby sweat dropped.
"Is that why you started me at a hundred pounds on each leg? Because you forgot?"
Guy scratched the back of his head slightly.
"My apologies! You seemed to adapt quick, though!"
Adrik shook his head before they went back to watching the fight.
X
"Guy, what was that? I don't think I've seen you or Lee use that move yet."
Guy and Adrik watched as Lee jumped back. He took a few steps back after completing his attack, which he called the 'Primary Lotus'. For once, Guy wasn't smiling. He settled on a blank expression as he explained to Adrik.
"The move Lee just used is something only he and I know and can use. The Primary Lotus is an attack that serves as an opening of the Eight Inner Gates."
Everyone looked down at the arena with surprise when it was revealed that the Gaara that Lee had slammed into the ground was just a clone. Lee jumped back to avoid the sand that lashed out at him violently. He grit his teeth as the attacks came much faster than before. It seemed that Gaara had begun taking this fight seriously after that first hit that Lee landed on him.
"Well, all it did was piss off his opponent."
Guy nodded to the point Adrik made.
"Perhaps, but now Lee has access to something that may give him the edge over this Gaara kid."
Adrik nodded.
"The Eight Inner Gates, right. What is that? I've only heard you talk about it a few times before but I never asked."
Guy frowned slightly.
"The Eight Inner Gates are eight points in the human body that serve as limiters. See, the body has a natural self preservation system that doesn't allow it to harm itself. While it can sometimes be overridden by sheer adrenaline and the will to survive, it is only for a brief time. Opening the Eight Inner Gates is another way of bypassing that self preservation system. With each gate you open, your power grows exponentially for as long as you can hold them open."
Adrik nodded as Lee hopped back once more and got into a stance with his arms cross in front of his face.
"The First Gate is the Gate of Opening. It serves as the gateway to unlocking the next seven gates and removes mental limiter that keeps the body from using its full potential. Lee has already opened this gate."
From the arena, Lee let out a shout.
"Second Gate: Gate of Rest, Open!"
Guy pointed down at Lee.
"The Second Gate, the Gate of Rest, gives the user back much of their lost energy. Any exhaustion Lee may have felt has been completely eradicated."
Lee cross his arms again as he went to open yet another gate.
"Third Gate: Gate of Life, Open!"
With the next gate opened, Lee's hair stood up and his skin turned red. Veins on his body bulged and his pupils disappeared.
"The Third Gate, the Gate of Life and what comes after... Well, I will just let you see."
Adrik could already see that Lee was straining himself incredibly hard. He wondered just what the next five gates would be like if this was the result of only the first three being opened.
"Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain, Open!"
Nearly everyone who wasn't at least a jonin had a hard time keeping up when Lee vanished in a burst of speed, landing a few solid punches on Gaara in the blink of an eye. Lee then crouched down and kicked Gaara up into the air, the Sand Genin's sand being too slow to protect him. Lee jumped up and kicked Gaara down. Lee continued by punching and kicking Gaara all across the air, the Sand Genin's Sand Armor cracking and breaking with ease.
Lee continued his assault, Gaara being far too slow to even attempt to defend himself. His eyes widened as Lee wrapped his bandages around him to hold him in place.
"Fifth Gate: Gate of Closing, Open!"
Lee bounced off of the ceiling straight down at Gaara who was unable to move. In an impact that sounded like a gunshot, Gaara was shot straight down into the ground with a final hit from Lee.
"Hidden Lotus!"
Dust was kicked up as the ground shattered from the impact. Guy narrowed his eyes as he saw sand pool around Gaara's back before he impacted with the ground. Lee landed in an uncontrolled roll, no longer empowered by the Inner Gates. The dust in the arena cleared and everyone's eyes widened.
Gaara was lying where he impacted with the ground, a cushion of sand beneath him. He raised his arm with effort as he could feel the damage that Lee had dealt to him. Lee looked back and his eyes widened slightly. He got to his knees as he tried to limp away to a safer position, but it was too late as his left arm and leg were grabbed by Gaara's sand. Gaara closed his hand with a weak scowl.
"Sand Coffin!"
Lee yelled out in pain as his limbs were crushed down to the bone. He was thrown away by the sand, once again rolling to a stop where he closed his eyes, finally going unconscious from both the pain in his body and the exhaustion from fighting so hard.
Gaara got to his feet shakily and pointed his hand at Lee once again. The Sand lurched forward to grab Lee once again. It was stopped, however, by a green blur. Guy appeared in front of Lee with his hand out protectively. Gaara stared at the jonin for a moment before he held his head in pain., images flashing through his mind.
"You... Why did you stop me from killing him?"
Guy narrowed his eyes at Gaara.
"Because, he is my pupil. Why shouldn't I protect someone precious to me?"
Gaara stared at Guy for a few more moments before grunting and walking off, his Sand Armor visibly repairing itself. Hayate hopped down and pointed towards Gaara.
"Winner by intervention-"
Hayate put his hand down when he noticed Lee standing up behind Guy in his fighting stance. Guy turned around to see what Hayate was looking at and his eyes widened.
"Oh... god... Lee!"
Guy hugged Lee to his chest. The teen was still unconscious, only getting back to his feet through sheer will and determination, even seemingly ignoring his own injuries. Gaara looked back and frowned as he saw the sensei and student embrace. Hayate coughed as he continued.
"Winner by intervention, Gaara of the Sand!"
Medical ninjas rushed out, carefully placing Lee on a stretcher as Guy let go of him with tears in his eyes.
"I am sorry, Lee! You got up, even unconscious, to try and prove your worth to the world! Do not worry, my student! You have shown us more than enough!"
Guy couldn't help but cry as he saw his student get carried off down the halls.
Over in the stands, Adrik watched his friend be carried away with a sense of sadness. He felt bad as he knew exactly what it was like to lose even when you give it everything you've got and more. Perhaps that was why he resonated with the older teen in the first place even if he didn't share in his antics.
Adrik patted Guy on the shoulder as he made his way back up to the stands, wiping away his prideful tears.
"I'm sure he'll be fine, Guy. Both him and Tenten."
Guy nodded along with his other student's sentiment and put on a small grin.
"Right. Thank you for your kind words, Adrik!"
Adrik nodded with a small grin.
X
Perhaps he had done more damage than he first thought. Adrik felt as if Choji wasn't supposed to win his fight against Dosu, but he was glad nonetheless. He just hoped he wouldn't get in trouble for injuring the Sound Genin so drastically back in the Forest of Death. Choji's victory, which the teen himself felt wasn't entirely earned, signaled the end of the preliminary matches. The Hokage called the remaining genin over as he pulled out a small box, placing it on a nearby table.
"Congratulations to all of you for making it to the Chunin Exams Finals. Now, the third and final part of the exams will be in the style of a tournament. Everyone, please draw lots from the box on the table so that we may determine your match placements."
The genin did as asked. After everyone drew lots, they revealed them and the matches were set. First up was Naruto versus Neji. Second was Sasuke versus Gaara. Third was Shino versus Kankuro. Fourth was Shikamaru versus Temari. Last was Sakura versus Choji. Adrik had to draw for Naruto as the blonde teen was off at the Leaf Village's hospital.
"Now, as there would be an uneven amount of participants for the final rounds, the last round will be a three-way free for all. I am hoping this will provide good entertainment for the various foreign dignitaries that will be watching you all compete."
The Hokage smirked as he saw a few of the genin grow nervous at the fact that they would have spectators, especially ones of high status.
"You all have one month until the finals. Use it wisely. You are free to go."
The Hokage waved his arm. The genin all nodded and began walking off. Out of the blue, Kakashi appeared in a body flicker in front of Sasuke.
"I'm taking you to train, now. Bye, you guys."
Kakashi waved at the rest of Team Seven as he and Sasuke disappeared, the teen not even getting a chance to protest. Sakura, Zabuza, Haku, and Adrik blinked before shaking their heads. The Hokage sighed as he shook his head.
"I let him off the hook and that is the first thing he does. Of course..."
The Hokage turned to Adrik.
"Relay this to Naruto. Tell him to come to my office as soon as possible as I have something in mind."
Adrik nodded.
"Lord Hokage, if I may ask..."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow.
"Does that month of training only apply to the genin?"
The Hokage stared at Adrik for a second before smirking.
"Well, what do you have in mind, my boy?"