Although it seemed a long time had passed, the entire surgical process took only a mere ten-plus minutes.
After perfectly stitching up the final wound, Takumi clapped his hands and stood up.
"Alright, now he just needs to rest quietly for a while, and he'll be as good as new."
"As expected of you, the Miracle Youth."
Guy had watched the entire miraculous treatment process up close.
Now he could only utter a deep sigh of admiration.
But his nickname for Takumi remained as unique as ever.
'With Takumi around from now on, even if we do some reckless training, there shouldn't be any worries, right?'
The treatment was finished, so it was time for Takumi to leave the stage.
After all, there were other battles that needed to continue.
After the proctors leveled the arena again, the match continued.
And the two fighters this time were Lee and Gaara.
'It seems Lee can't avoid this fate.'
Takumi shook his head helplessly.
But with him here, no matter how severe Lee's injuries were, he could perfectly heal them.
So there was no need to worry too much.
"He's a good opponent!"
Lee was full of fighting spirit, his face brimming with confidence.
Although he couldn't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, his Taijutsu skills were exceptional.
If one underestimate him, they probably won't even see his shadow.
"Although Neji had to regrettably withdraw, it's okay. I will fight with his share of effort too!"
"Watch me closely, Neji!"
Lee jumped down directly from the viewing platform.
The heavy weights on his body caused a large cloud of dust to erupt upon landing.
Those in the know could tell at a glance that this guy was wearing weighted equipment.
But in the eyes of those who didn't understand, Lee's behavior was simply a cheap trick to attract attention.
"Tch, this guy not only looks weird but also likes flashy, useless stuff. He'll probably be begging for mercy the moment Gaara makes a move, right?"
Kankuro was one of those who didn't understand.
He spoke while sneakily glancing at Gaara beside him, observing his mood.
Finding that Gaara showed no reaction, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Gaara didn't say a word.
He also jumped down from the second floor.
But his light body naturally couldn't create the grand momentum that Lee did.
In contrast, Gaara seemed somewhat lacking in presence.
"Gaara of Sunagakure, versus, cough... Rock Lee of Konoha. Please both sides prepare."
Hayate coughed as he looked at the two. After they formed the Seal of Confrontation, he slowly stepped back.
"Please take care of me!"
Lee immediately assumed his usual stance.
One hand behind his back, the fingers of his left hand held together and stretched forward, resembling a waiter at a hotel entrance.
Gaara calmly reached out his hand, making a grasping motion towards Lee.
Lee's eyes focused, and his figure rapidly retreated.
Just then, a large amount of sand gathered tightly together at his original position.
If Lee hadn't escaped quickly, he would likely have been caught and immobilized.
"A sand manipulation Ninjutsu?"
"Too bad, such a slow speed can't catch up to me!"
Lee was extremely confident.
His figure flashed.
He actually disappeared from his spot.
"He disappeared?!"
Kankuro exclaimed in surprise, clearly not expecting the unique looking Lee to have such speed.
"This is Konoha. Few of those who advanced to the third round are simple characters."
Temari said coldly: "But even if his speed is fast, so what? He can't break through Gaara's defense."
"That's true too." Kankuro chuckled, seemingly already picturing the upcoming scene.
Lee's speed was indeed very fast.
He almost instantly arrived at Gaara's right side, delivering a sharp kick.
Thud!
Lee retreated in surprise.
He looked at the wall of sand floating and solidifying on Gaara's right side, completely baffled.
"This sand actually blocked my attack?"
"I didn't even see the opponent make a move, yet this sand kept up with my speed?"
After the initial confusion, Lee's heart filled with excitement.
"But that's more like it!"
"An opponent without challenge, how could they make my Youthful fighting spirit burn?"
"Show me your full strength, let me burn with passion!"
At this moment, Gaara looked at Lee, his expression also very grave.
'So fast.'
'It seems I need to increase the attack area.'
With a pop sound, the stopper of the large gourd on his back flew out.
A large amount of sand flew out from the gourd.
This sand, which he always kept close to him, could increase the speed of his control.
This way, he could catch Lee.
Catch him, and then crush him like a bug!
Gaara raised both hands.
A large amount of sand, under his control, rapidly converged towards Lee.
"The sand's speed increased?"
Lee noticed this immediately.
He quickly retreated, only to find that creating distance didn't slow the sand down.
Lee had no choice but to accelerate his retreat.
Simultaneously, he cast his gaze towards a certain spot on the arena.
That was originally where Guy had been standing.
But now, Guy had gone to take Neji to rest and wasn't in his spot.
Although he didn't see Guy, Lee could still feel the spirit Might Guy had left behind.
It was a spirit passed down through their accumulated days and months of training together.
"Guy-sensei, I believe you will definitely support me, right."
"An opponent like this is perfect for burning my hot blood!"
"Since you're not saying anything, I'll take that as your approval."
After convincing himself, Lee kept retreating until he reached the edge of the arena.
This was just the limit of Gaara's sand control.
"Retreating to that position, could he be planning to..."
Takumi pinched his chin.
He understood that the upcoming battle would enter a critical moment.
'Is it the Eight Gates, or...'
Soon.
Lee gave him the answer.
"You are a respectable opponent. Next, I will fight you with my full power."
Lee's expression was extremely serious.
"Burn, my Youthful hot blood!"
In the viewing stands…
"What does that bowl-cut mean?"
Kankuro frowned deeply. "Does he mean he hasn't been using his full strength? How is that possible!"
"Shut up, we'll know by watching."
Temari scolded him. "Anyway, no matter what tricks that bowl-cut uses, he can't possibly be Gaara's opponent."
"Gaara is the strongest."
Right at that moment…
Bang! Bang!
Loud noises attracted everyone's attention.
And those who were already watching Lee were now even more shocked, their mouths agape.
Because they saw that Lee had merely removed the bandages from his legs, yet it resulted in such an effect.
"He was actually carrying such heavy weights all along?"
"Is he an idiot? If the opponent didn't give him a chance to remove the weights, wouldn't he be weakening his own strength?"
"His speed was already very fast. Now that he's removed the weights, how fast will he be?"
"This is going to be interesting."
…
The spectator stands buzzed with discussion.
Kankuro's eyes widened, his face full of bewilderment.
"It's fine, even if he's a bit faster, so what? He still can't hurt Gaara anyway."
Temari tried to convince herself.
But judging from her ugly expression, she didn't believe her own words either.
'Be careful, Gaara!'
"Guy, you bastard, you're so reckless!"
Kakashi shook his head helplessly.
Such a reckless method, it's a wonder Lee is still safe and sound.
An ordinary person probably wouldn't be able to endure it.
Whoosh!
Lee effortlessly jumped over ten meters into the air, then descended rapidly.
Immediately after, his figure vanished from his spot.
This speed had surpassed what the naked eye could follow.
"Too fast!"
Sasuke's expression was very unpleasant.
He could only barely rely on his Sharingan to see Lee's movements.
But he could only just see them.
For his body to keep up was basically impossible.
'This feeling again!'
Sasuke remembered the time he was attacked by Orochimaru in the Forest of Death.
'If Takumi hadn't intervened, I would probably have been killed by that Shinobi disguised as an examinee!'
'No good!'
'I still need to keep training!'
'Right now, I simply can't keep up with that man!'