Chapter 16: End of the 3rd Qualifying Round

There are only four contestants left who have not yet gone on stage, and next up will be Rock Lee versus Gaara Sandfall.

"Yo, Li, let them see your strength!" Kai gave a thumbs up to Xiao Li, showing his shining big teeth.

I really can't accept this style. Ye Lan complained in his heart as he looked at the master and apprentice in tears.

After Xiao Li came on the field, he launched a fierce physical attack on Gaara, but was completely blocked by Gaara's sand, and did not hurt him at all. Then Xiao Li followed Kai's words and unloaded his own weight. When others did not take it seriously, he threw the weight to the ground, splashing exaggerated dust and making everyone shut up. Xiao Li's speed increased to the point that other Genin could not observe it at all. Gaara's sand could not react at all, and was hit by Xiao Li every time.

But this attack is far from enough. In addition to the sand defense around Gaara's body, there is also sand armor on his body. Rock Lee's attack can't break Gaara's defense at all. Rock Lee has no choice but to use Lotus to attack Gaara. When the release is completed, he finds that his attack is just a clone of Gaara.

“This kid is very good at physical skills, but he also has a big weakness.” Ye Lan commented as he looked at the two people fighting.

"Why do you say that?" asked Sakura, who had some friendship with Xiao Li.

"Because he only knows taijutsu, when fighting with an opponent like this, once he runs out of strength, his fighting power will plummet. It seems that he has no strength left after performing that move just now, you see."

After hearing Ye Lan's words, Sakura looked at Xiao Li in the field. Xiao Li didn't even have the strength to escape and was just unilaterally attacked by Gaara's sand.

"How could this happen? We were in the advantage just now..." Sakura said as she looked at Xiao Li who was being beaten.

"No, Li won't give up easily. He has his own determination." Seeing how Li was beaten, Kai was not worried at all. "The next step is the time for youth to explode."

The third gate of the Eight Gates of Ninjutsu, the Gate of Life, opens.

I saw an amazing chakra bursting out of Xiao Li's body, his face turned red, his hair all stood up, and an amazing aura burst out from his body.

"Kai, you actually taught such a dangerous technique to this child!" Kakashi had already lifted up his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan, observing Rock Lee's every move.

Eight Gates Ninjutsu, this was the first time Ye Lan heard of this kind of ninjutsu, which could actually burst out such power. However, it seemed that this technique had great side effects and was not suitable for him. Moreover, he already had Kotoamatsukuri. Although it also had side effects, the Eight Gates Ninjutsu was of little significance to him.

Awesome, I didn't expect Lee to be so strong, and Gaara is also a very strong opponent, I don't know who he will meet next. Sasuke has opened his Sharingan and is observing the actions of both sides. They are not easy to deal with, and they may be his opponents next.

"It's not over yet! The fourth gate, the wounding gate, open!"

The chakra in Xiao Li's body surged again, and then he kicked at Gaara's chin at an extremely fast speed, and Gaara was kicked directly into the air.

So fast! Even with his Sharingan, Sasuke couldn't see Lee's movements clearly. If Lee attacked him, he wouldn't be able to react.

Then Gaara was kicked around in the air by Rock Lee, and the armor formed by sand on his body kept falling off, making him completely unable to fight back.

Is this not enough? The fifth gate, Dumen, opens. Xiao Li untied the bandages on his hands, wrapped them around Gaara's waist, and threw him from the air to the ground. The splashing smoke made everyone unable to open their eyes.

"It's over, Xiao Li lost." Ye Lan closed his Sharingan. He had already seen the result.

"How could this be?" Naruto and the others couldn't believe that Rock Lee could lose like this.

When the smoke cleared, Gaara was seen lying on a piece of sand, and Rock Lee had already retreated from the Eight Gates Ninjutsu state. Gaara directly used the sand to break one of Rock Lee's arms and legs. Seeing that Rock Lee was still struggling, Gaara continued to control the sand to attack Rock Lee.

At this time, Kai went straight down and broke up Gaara's sand. He understood that Xiao Li had already lost, and if he didn't come, Xiao Li's life would be in danger.

Then Gekko Gale announced that Gaara won, and Lee stood up even though he lost consciousness and assumed a fighting stance. This scene made Kai hug Lee tightly, tears falling down.

This time Ye Lan did not feel uncomfortable. Although Xiao Li was a Genin, he was able to do many things that even Jonin could not do.

"Kakashi, there's something wrong with that kid." While Naruto and the others were paying attention to Rock Lee's injuries, Ye Lan walked to Kakashi and whispered.

"There's no doubt about it, that child is the Sand Village's Jinchuriki." Ye Lan believed in his own eyes. Although it was very small, a trace of chakra that did not belong to Gaara leaked out when he was fighting.

"Are you sure?" Kakashi knew that this was not a trivial matter. Other ninja villages actually sent Jinchuriki to participate in the Chunin Exam. What exactly did Sunagakure want to do?

"I'm sure you have to understand that I am a member of the Uchiha clan."

"I will report to the Hokage after the preliminaries are over. This matter is no small matter." Kakashi said seriously.

"Once a Jinchūriki explodes, even the jonin won't be able to handle it. I'm afraid the Sand Village has other purposes."

Kakashi was silent. There were not many people in the village who could deal with the tailed beasts. If the Jinchūriki really exploded, they would most likely have to rely on Ye Lan, after all, he was a member of the Uchiha clan.

When Naruto and the others learned that Rock Lee might not be cured and had to give up his identity as a ninja, they were shocked. It was the first time that a good friend had to leave his ninja career in front of them because of injury. The group of people fell silent. Naruto started yelling that he couldn't accept such a thing. Sasuke was better and just didn't say anything. Sakura covered her mouth and cried.

"Calm down, Naruto." Kakashi stepped forward and covered Naruto's mouth.

"But Kakashi-sensei, Lee clearly said that hard work can defeat a genius, and he hasn't proven it yet..." Naruto began to emotionally collapse.

"You can't accept this, kid. You should be thankful that you live in a peaceful era." Ye Lan said, and everyone else looked at him. "Death is the norm for ninjas. I have personally seen my teammates die one by one in front of me, and I was powerless to do anything. If you are unwilling, then take the wish of that thick-browed kid and work hard together."

Senior Ye Lan doesn’t look much older than us, but he has actually experienced such a thing... Sakura was shocked by Ye Lan’s words.

Seeing Naruto's unwilling look, Ye Lan continued: "Let me tell you that all the Jonin present have experienced the death of their companions. They didn't tell you because they didn't want to untie their own scars. We can only live with the will of others."

"Stop talking Ye Lan, it's too early for them to learn these things..." Kakashi stopped him. He didn't want his students to have any psychological problems.

Ye Lan shook his head helplessly after hearing this. Although Kakashi said that they were no longer students but his subordinates, he still treated them as children in his heart. He himself went to the battlefield when he was younger than them. A long period of peace can really change a person.

As the last match ended with Sound Ninja Toss defeating Choji, the Hokage appeared in front of people again and announced that the third exam would officially begin in a month. It would also be a one-on-one duel. However, in addition to the ninjas present, there would also be nobles from various countries coming to watch. He hoped that everyone would improve their strength within this month and show it to everyone in the best condition.