Naruto: Boruto Returns to Shippuden

Chapter 57 Eight Gates Formation

Rock Lee gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He slowly stood up from the ground and looked at Neji with a solemn gaze.

Despite the serious injuries he sustained from the attack, his eyes gleamed with excitement: "Neji, you truly are a genius. You make me even more excited."

Locke Lee thought to himself that if it weren't for his deep understanding of Neji's Gentle Fist and his constant vigilance during the battle, always staying at the very edge of the Bagua Formation, he might already be unable to move after being hit by Neji's Gentle Fist.

These valuable experiences were gained through countless challenges against Neji and constant beatings.

"Still not admitting defeat, Li?! You can't escape your inevitable fate of losing!"

Neji observed during the battle that although Rock Lee was very fast, he originally had the ability to cope with that speed.

Now, because his Gentle Fist technique had sealed some of Rock Lee's pressure points, causing his movements to become sluggish and his chakra flow to be obstructed, his strength had been greatly reduced, and he was no longer his opponent. He was confident that he could control the situation and win this duel.

Rock Lee clenched his fists and said defiantly, "If fate is such that no matter how hard you try, you can't beat a genius, then I will break that fate!"

Seeing that Rock Lee was still unrepentant, Neji began to remove his headband and recount his life story.

......

"Everyone's life is arranged at birth. No one can change their destiny. My father couldn't, and neither can I."

Boruto thought about how he was labeled as the Hokage's son from birth, and no matter how hard he tried, it was always taken for granted.

"Neji! You've said 'impossible' far too often! Let me wake you up!"

"What!?"

Rock Lee crossed his arms tightly in front of his chest, leaned forward slightly, and exuded a powerful aura.

"No matter what, this move will end soon!"

"Neji, let me break through the destiny you speak of! Now is the time to uphold my ninja way!"

"Eight Gates Formation! Third Gate! Gate of Life! Open!"

"It's not over yet! The fourth gate! The Gate of Injury! Open!"

As Rock Lee opened the fourth gate of the Eight Inner Gates, his body underwent significant changes.

His skin turned bright red, as if the blood in his body was boiling, and the veins on his forehead bulged due to the violent flow of chakra within him.

All of these demonstrate that his strength has reached a new level.

Boruto's eyes lit up when he saw Lee's sudden increase in strength. "The Eight Gates are so powerful? I want to learn them too!"

Kakashi shook his head and said, "The Eight Gates is an explosion of the body's ultimate ability, and the body will inevitably suffer great damage. No matter how strong the body is trained, it can only reduce the degree of damage as much as possible, but cannot completely eliminate it."

Boruto exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this a fighting style where you trade injury for life?"

"Clone Technique!"

Neji quickly adopted a strategy, attempting to create clones to disrupt Lee's judgment and buy himself valuable reaction time to better deal with the upcoming attack.

Lee then rushed toward Neji at great speed, leaving deep marks on the ground, which cracked under the impact.

Neji was shocked by Lee's sudden outburst, and inwardly exclaimed, "So fast!"

If Xiao Li can continue to open more doors, his strength and speed will reach an incredible level, at which point I will be completely unable to compete with him.

What Neji didn't know was that because he had sealed some of Rock Lee's chakra points, Rock Lee didn't have enough chakra to open the fifth gate of the Eight Gates.

"Shadow Dance Leaf!"

Neji had just created his clone and hadn't even had time to react when Rock Lee struck his main body with astonishing speed.

Lee's kick was powerful, sending Neji flying into the air and temporarily dislodging him.

After kicking Neji into the air, Lee shouted to Neji, "Neji! This special move of mine was specifically designed to defeat you. I've been waiting for this moment for far too long!"

Lee followed closely behind, leaping into the air and swiftly throwing a punch that struck Neji squarely in the abdomen.

The punch was so powerful that Neji's body involuntarily bent over after being hit, and he then spat out a mouthful of blood.

Neji looked down and was surprised to find that his abdomen had been bandaged by Lee at some point.

"Oh no! This is..."

Lee suddenly tightened the bandage around Neji's waist, clearly to pull Neji closer in order to launch his next attack.

Neji's clone left on the ground witnessed Lee's actions and took corresponding action.

He quickly took out a kunai from his ninja tool pouch, aimed at the bandage in Rock Lee's hand, and then threw it with force.

The kunai struck the bandage accurately, breaking it instantly and freeing Neji's body from Rock Lee's restraints.

Rock Lee was surprised to see Neji's clone react in time and cut the bandages.

However, he quickly regained his composure. This might be his last chance. Regardless of whether he had the bandages or not, he had to use his long-prepared ultimate move, even if its power was greatly reduced!

At the crucial moment, Lee shouted, "Rifle Rei!!!" and then violently elbowed Neji in the stomach.

Neji was hit by Lee's "Reverse Lotus," and his body was severely impacted. He felt a sharp pain and involuntarily spat out another mouthful of blood.

After unleashing this ultimate technique, Xiao Li also felt the backlash from his body.

His arm was in excruciating pain from overuse, and he frowned as he endured the severe side effects.

At this moment, Neji knew without looking that he was at a dangerous height, and if he fell like this, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Neji quickly gathered the remaining chakra in his body, enveloping his entire body, and shouted, "Return to Heaven!" As the chakra flowed, a chakra shield was formed.

Neji's Rotation deflected Lee away, but because it was performed hastily, the strength of the defense was not enough to completely offset the impact.

When "Rotation" collided with the ground, Neji's chakra shield shattered due to the reaction force and the incompleteness of his defense.

The two lost their balance almost simultaneously and plummeted towards the ground, their bodies rolling several times on the hard surface.

After a moment of silence, Lee began to struggle to get up from the ground, while Neji remained lying on the ground without making any movement.

Naruto exclaimed excitedly, "Thick Eyebrows won!"

Moonlight Gale stepped forward and carefully examined the two men's condition before announcing to the crowd, "The ninth preliminary round has ended without a winner!"

Naruto protested, "How is that possible! Thick Eyebrows has already stood up! You're a referee who's rigged the game!"

Kakashi, who was standing nearby, pulled Naruto back from arguing with him: "Quiet down! Naruto! Rock Lee has also lost consciousness."