Naruto: Martial God Art

Just as the man in black prepared to confront Lee, a stone flew through the air, striking his hand with a sharp smack. He flinched, momentarily loosening his grip on the wrapped object he carried, and glared around in anger.

Perched on a nearby tree branch was a dark-haired boy with an intense gaze—Uchiha Sasuke. Casually tossing another stone in his hand, Sasuke's calm stance and piercing look captured everyone's attention.

"Pretty bold of you to pick fights with kids in someone else's village," Sasuke said, his voice steady but sharp.

The pink-haired girl standing beside Naruto lit up when she saw Sasuke. "Sasuke!" she exclaimed, relief and admiration in her tone. Naruto and the younger children, though still shaken, also looked up at Sasuke in awe.

The man's glare hardened, his pride stung by Sasuke's calm entrance. "And who are you supposed to be?" he sneered.

Sasuke ignored the question, keeping his focus steady. "Picking fights with Genin… doesn't say much about your strength."

The man's female companion smirked, crossing her arms. "Looks like you're attracting some attention," she remarked.

With a scowl, the man reached for the large, bandage-wrapped object on his back. As he pulled it free, strands of what looked like human hair fell loose, giving it an eerie, unsettling look.

Lee tensed, watching the scene unfold. Sasuke's entrance had shifted the tension perfectly, but it was clear the man wasn't about to back down.

Sasuke crushed the stone in his hand to dust, letting it fall from the branch. The pink-haired girl and Naruto both watched, clearly impressed by Sasuke's calm control.

The man sneered, raising the wrapped weapon. "Think you're tough, kid?"

"Kankuro, that's enough."

A cold, commanding voice cut through the scene, silencing everyone. High above on a nearby branch stood a teenage boy with bright red hair, dark-rimmed eyes, and a chilling, unfeeling expression. He carried a large gourd on his back and observed the group with a cold, intense gaze.

The man, now identified as Kankuro, froze when he saw the red-haired boy. "I… I wasn't doing anything, Gaara!" he stammered. "They were the ones causing trouble."

"Quiet," Gaara replied, his voice sharp and cold. "One more word, and I'll kill you myself."

Kankuro swallowed hard, his earlier confidence gone. Even his female companion seemed to tense, glancing nervously at Gaara.

Gaara's gaze shifted to Sasuke, studying him with a calm, detached look. "What's your name?" he asked.

Sasuke held Gaara's gaze, unflinching. "Uchiha Sasuke," he replied.

Gaara nodded slightly as if storing the name in his mind, then looked at Lee with equal interest. "And yours?"

"Rock Lee," Lee replied steadily, feeling the dark energy radiating from Gaara. It was something far more intense than anything he'd sensed from others before.

"Rock… Lee?" a low voice cut through the air. It was Gaara, the red-haired boy with cold eyes who stood nearby. "You're strong, strong enough to stand out in the Chūnin Exams," he continued, his voice icy. "But if you face me, you'll lose… or worse, you'll die."

When he said "die," an intense wave of murderous energy exploded from Gaara, filling the air with a dark and heavy force. It was overwhelming as if it carried the weight of countless battles and deaths.

"Gaara, no!" his blonde teammate, Temari, shouted, looking alarmed as she stepped forward to stop him.

"Gaara, stop!" Kankuro, the man in black, called out, his face tense.

But their warnings couldn't stop the dark energy Gaara released. The aura of death crashed over Lee with brutal force, and yet Lee didn't flinch. He stood his ground, sensing something unusual about Gaara's deadly aura.

"This can't be his own," Lee thought, feeling the wave of anger and darkness in Gaara's energy. "This has to come from something else." He remembered a similar feeling he sensed around Naruto earlier. It seemed Gaara was also hosting a terrifying power inside him.

In response, Lee felt something stir deep within him. The fighting spirit he possessed by Sion Mun in his life surged forward, pushing back against Gaara's killing intent with strength of its own. His aura flared, meeting Gaara's with calm, focused power.

"What?!" Gaara's eyes widened in surprise, and he took a step back hit by Lee's fighting spirit. The backlash made him stagger, and a line of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Gaara, what's wrong?" Temari rushed to his side, but Gaara shook her off.

"I'm fine. Don't touch me, Temari," he snapped, though his gaze remained locked on Lee, full of shock and anger.

"Gaara," Lee said firmly, "we'll fight someday, but not now. Wait until the Chūnin Exams."

Gaara's eyes flashed with rage. "I want to kill you now," he growled.

Lee didn't back down. "Then think of what you'd lose by doing so," he replied. "If you start a fight here, you'll cause a lot of trouble between our villages. You know it isn't worth it."

Gaara's expression grew darker, but he nodded slowly, in understanding. "Fine. But in the Exams, you'll regret this," he promised before turning to leave. "Come on," he called sharply to Temari and Kankuro.

The three Sand ninjas disappeared down the street, leaving Lee, Naruto, Sasuke, and the others in silence.

Naruto broke the silence, his voice full of frustration. "Those guys were intense," he muttered. "Especially Gaara… he gives me the creeps."

Sasuke, standing nearby, watched Lee closely, sizing him up. "Rock Lee, right?" he asked, his eyes narrowing in interest.

Lee nodded, meeting Sasuke's gaze evenly. "Uchiha Sasuke," he replied.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You handled that pretty well," he remarked. "I'm curious if you're really as strong as you seem."

Lee smiled, sensing the challenge in Sasuke's voice. "You'll see in the Exams. I'll be ready for you."

Sasuke smirked. "Good. I wouldn't want it to be easy."

Nearby, Naruto clenched his fists, looking annoyed as he watched them. "You two think you're so great?" he said, his voice full of irritation. "We're all in the Chūnin Exams, so don't count me out!"

"Naruto, no!" cried the pink-haired girl beside him, but Naruto was already lunging forward, throwing a high kick at Lee's head.

Lee easily sidestepped, gently tapping Naruto's leg to redirect his momentum. Naruto spun out and landed on the ground, dazed.