Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template

Life Back in the Village

Life after returning to the village was peaceful—or rather, after experiencing life-and-death battles firsthand, Hyuga Chinano and the others began to see the world differently.

"Ahhh, why are all the missions I've been getting lately so damn boring!" Aburame Hatsuizumi groaned, bending over dramatically. Due to her previous use of silk-producing insects, her hair had grown past her waist. Now, she tied it into a single ponytail at the end with a rubber band.

Zixu had his hands behind his head, equally bored. At this point, their missions felt more like community service than actual shinobi work.

"Seriously, I'm getting tired of rescuing kittens, finding lost wallets, and all that other nonsense," Hatsuizumi grumbled, shaking her head like a rattle. Her ponytail swayed wildly, almost like an actual tail.

"My suggestion? Instead of complaining, you should be training and learning new ninjutsu," Hyuga Chinano remarked, holding a whimpering little red panda in her arms. Its fur was visibly thinning, a sign that it wasn't in the best condition.

This time, they were on a mission without their usual leader. Their Jonin instructor had been busy handling other affairs and didn't have time to watch over them every day.

"Yeah, I think so too..." Zixu agreed with Chinano's suggestion. Unfortunately, neither Chinano nor Hatsuizumi could withstand his rigorous training methods, and without a suitable sparring partner, there weren't many opportunities to improve his taijutsu.

At that moment, Zixu's gaze landed on a young man in a bright green jumpsuit. His thick eyebrows were about as wide as two index fingers, and his round eyes were filled with energy. The guy was casually walking towards them—on his hands.

Zixu narrowed his eyes. "What the hell kinda weirdo is this?" he muttered.

The thick-browed boy flipped onto his feet with a smooth somersault, then dusted off his hands. His teeth gleamed in the sunlight as he gave Zixu a dazzling, youthful smile.

With a firm thumbs-up, he introduced himself in a loud, unwavering voice:

"Hello! My name is Rock Lee! My teacher, Might Guy, told me that Captain Yamato mentioned your taijutsu is exceptional! I've come to learn from you! Let's push our limits together in the spirit of youth!"

His voice boomed with unwavering enthusiasm, each word spoken with absolute sincerity.

"Huh? Is this... a challenge?" Hatsuizumi adjusted her glasses, eyeing Rock Lee with confusion.

It was only then that Rock Lee noticed the others standing beside Zixu. When his gaze landed on Hatsuizumi, his entire body went rigid, as if he had been struck by lightning. A slight blush crept onto his face.

"U-Uh..." Rock Lee stammered, suddenly looking uncharacteristically flustered.

"Hatsuizumi, why the hell is he staring at you like that?" Chinano muttered, her brows furrowed. The red panda in her arms also tilted its head in confusion, as if agreeing with her observation.

"A-Ah… is your name Hatsuizumi?" Rock Lee stuttered. "What a beautiful name… like an angel's!"

Then, without hesitation, he blew a dramatic kiss toward her.

"!!!"

Hatsuizumi's entire body stiffened. This guy was definitely a weirdo—and terrifyingly so. Not to mention, those massive eyebrows didn't match her aesthetic at all.

"???" Zixu scratched his head. Didn't this guy just say he wanted to fight me? Why the hell is he flirting with Hatsuizumi now? What kind of wild leap in logic is this?

Rock Lee, seemingly sensing the awkwardness, straightened up and nodded with determination.

"Ahem, Zixu, I officially challenge you!" he declared, returning to his initial purpose. "I want to see how strong the taijutsu skills are that even my teachers praise!"

However, Zixu could tell that Lee had completely misunderstood the situation. More than anything, it seemed like he wanted to prove his strength to Hatsuizumi by defeating him.

Taijutsu Duel

Hyuga Chinano stood quietly to the side, watching the unfolding spectacle with great interest. A fight between two Taijutsu specialists? Now that was something worth watching. The raw intensity of fists clashing was, after all, the essence of a true warrior's spirit.

Seeing Chinano watching expectantly and Hatsuizumi looking slightly irritated, Zixu thought for a moment and finally decided—why not? He'd take on Rock Lee's challenge.

The group quickly moved to an open training ground. It was spacious, with barely any people around, making it the perfect place for a Taijutsu battle.

"Please, allow me to learn from you," Rock Lee said, bowing slightly in a show of respect.

"Likewise," Zixu responded, clasping his hands together. He still wasn't entirely sure how things had escalated to this point, but here they were.

Whoosh!

A sudden burst of dust shot up as Rock Lee's figure blurred. In an instant, he had appeared behind Zixu, launching a powerful upward kick aimed at sending him airborne.

"What—?!"

At some point, Zixu had already turned around, his knee blocking the strike. Rock Lee's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected his kick to be stopped so easily—especially with the extra weight on his legs. Normally, those weights made him slower, but they also added significant force to his attacks. Yet Zixu had blocked him effortlessly.

"Something's off."

Zixu felt something odd as well. After catching the kick, he instinctively wrapped one arm around Lee's knee like a snake. However, Lee was no amateur—his reaction was immediate. Using the momentum of the block, he twisted his body midair and brought his free leg up to his chest, using the recoil to escape Zixu's grip.

He backflipped away, landing a few feet back. Without hesitation, he unfastened the weights from his legs and tossed them aside.

BOOM!

The weights crashed into the ground, sinking deep into the earth and raising a cloud of dust.

Aburame Hatsuizumi and Hyuga Chinano watched with wide eyes.

"Wait… he carries those things around all the time?!" Hatsuizumi muttered in disbelief.

Zixu, however, remained unimpressed. His mind was focused elsewhere.

"So that's why my hand stung a little…" he mused.

With his current physical abilities, suppressing Lee wasn't particularly difficult. When it came to pure Taijutsu, they were evenly matched, but Zixu had an edge in overall combat versatility.

Rock Lee blurred forward again, moving at near-afterimage speeds. Yet Zixu didn't flinch. His eyes could keep up with Lee's movements just fine. If he really wanted to, he could use natural energy to enhance his perception, but even without it, he could still follow the fight with ease.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Their fists clashed repeatedly in midair, the rapid-fire exchanges creating shockwaves around them.

Hyuga Chinano and the others could barely see Rock Lee's figure—just flashes of green darting around. Zixu, on the other hand, remained perfectly visible. He stood in place, hands moving even faster than Lee's strikes, blocking and countering with perfect precision.

The fight remained dead even, but Rock Lee knew the truth—Zixu wasn't even going all out. If he wanted to win… he'd have to go further.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lee glanced at Hatsuizumi. His determination hardened.

"Alright… I'll use that technique!"

Zixu, who had been relaxed the entire time, suddenly tensed. His expression changed as he sensed something unusual.

"Wait… this kid—"

Rock Lee's energy surged, and a faint green aura flickered around him.

Before Zixu could react, another figure burst into the scene.

A man—dressed nearly identical to Rock Lee but much taller—sprinted in and wedged himself between them, arms raised.

"AH! SUCH PASSION! SUCH BURNING YOUTH!" he roared with an enormous grin.

Lee immediately straightened up and saluted.

"GUY-SENSEI!"

"!!!"

Zixu flinched so hard he almost lost his balance.

"The hell?! For a second, I thought this dude was calling Kaido his sensei!"

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