"You're the one who's been underestimating ninjutsu!"
Otherworldly Naruto retorted, a hint of anger on his face.
"No. I've never underestimated ninjutsu. It's you who know too little about martial arts! Come on, Naruto-kun!"
As he spoke, Lee suddenly turned, leaving only his sturdy back facing Otherworldly Naruto.
Imperial Lee's action truly enraged Otherworldly Naruto. At that moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation!
This Lee was just as infuriating as that arrogant Sasuke!
"I don't care anymore! Rasenshuriken!"
With a roar, Naruto charged at Lee with his Rasenshuriken.
But the next second, just as he got close, Lee's body instinctively flickered, dodging the attack.
"Hmm?"
Naruto was shocked and confused. He swung his arm again, aiming the orb at Lee, but several consecutive attempts were effortlessly dodged.
"This… Kami-e?"
Naruto recalled the first Ryuumyaku guard they encountered, who kept dodging between clones.
"Looks like little Naruto has seen it before. Good! This is Kami-e, a technique that makes the body as light as paper, sensing the rhythm of the surrounding air to evade! Attacks from those unfamiliar with martial arts will struggle to land."
Imperial Guy explained with a smile.
"Annoying! You think you can keep dodging my attacks with this move! I won't let you underestimate me anymore!" Naruto shouted angrily.
He pressed the Rasenshuriken into the ground with one hand!
The orb hit the ground, exploding in an instant with a terrifying roar and impact.
The shockwave was so fast that Otherworldly Naruto clone burst instantly!
Lee, standing so close, couldn't dodge either and was swept away by the blast, sent flying!
"Lee!"
"Lee!"
Seeing the scene before them, Yamato and Sakura were shocked.
Though everyone from the Empire was currently very friendly to them, they weren't naive enough to think this friendliness would hold if they injured one of their own.
No matter how similar the people of the two worlds were, they were still from two different worlds! That wouldn't change anytime soon.
"Lee!"
Even Otherworldly Naruto was deeply worried, shouting as he rushed forward.
But then, Lee, who had been thrown back, flipped in midair and landed steadily on the ground. He looked at Naruto charging toward him, flashed a wide grin, gave a thumbs-up, and said,
"The Rasenshuriken is really powerful!"
"This… how is that possible? You're completely unharmed?"
Otherworldly Naruto was stunned, staring at Lee, who didn't have a single scratch. He couldn't believe his eyes.
The Rasenshuriken was an S-rank ninjutsu! And it couldn't even hurt this world's Lee?
Just how strong was this guy!?
Even Granny Tsunade couldn't do this.
Could it be that this world's Lee was stronger than Granny Tsunade?
No! Impossible! Granny Tsunade was the Hokage!
Shaking his head vigorously, Otherworldly Naruto pushed the terrifying thought out of his mind.
"An S-rank ninjutsu couldn't even hurt him? This is the power of martial arts? Truly beyond expectation and imagination!"
Yamato marveled.
"Lee… is so strong!" Sakura sighed.
"Hahaha… you've misunderstood. To withstand an S-rank ninjutsu without injury, I'm not quite there yet. Guy-sensei could do it, but I'm still a bit short."
Lee smiled, raising one finger and wagging it slowly.
"So… you're hurt? But… you don't look it."
Otherworldly Naruto looked suspicious.
The other three felt the same.
In their hearts, they wondered if this world's Lee was sparing their feelings, comforting Naruto.
Though it might be well-intentioned, this kind of comfort only seemed to hurt Naruto more.
"I'm not hurt!"
Lee shook his head.
"Then what do you mean!" Naruto's face darkened. Was this melon-head mocking him?
"This time, Lee used clever strength. He used Kami-e, so Naruto-shonen's Rasenshuriken couldn't hit directly. And the secondary damage from the explosion wasn't enough to pierce Lee's Kougai."
Imperial Guy, standing nearby, burst into hearty laughter as he explained.
Only then did the group from the other world understand.
Even so, Kougai was unimaginably powerful. Especially when combined with Kami-e…
While marveling at Rokushiki's strength, Naruto's team began to anticipate how the next technique would surprise them.
"Next is the final Rokushiki technique, Soru. Everyone, watch closely."
After Lee spoke seriously, the next second, his figure vanished.
Everyone was shocked and about to look for him when they heard Lee's voice from behind:
"Here."
"!"
Naruto's team from the other world spun around, stunned to see Lee standing behind them with a smile.
"This… is it Shunshin no Jutsu?" Yamato asked.
"No! This is Soru! An instantaneous burst from the legs, charging at the enemy with extreme speed. Next is the advanced level of Soru."
"Swift Wind Shadow Soru! Haa!"
Lee shouted loudly.
The next second, a thunderous roar echoed. Before everyone's eyes, Lee split into two, two into four, four into eight!
Eight Lees surrounded them, constantly circling.
"What's this now? Shadow Clones? But it doesn't look like it at all!" Naruto exclaimed.
"No… this isn't Shadow Clone, it's more like an illusion…" Yamato frowned, correcting him.
"Shadows? Shadows? Could it be that only one Lee is real, and the others are afterimages created by his extreme speed?"
Sakura, the bookworm, guessed.
Her answer made everyone draw a sharp breath.
If he could do this, just how fast was Lee right now?
"Sakura's guess isn't wrong, but it's not entirely correct. High speed is one reason, but another is the fusion of True Qi with the air, making it harder for the human retina to dispel these traces. To truly achieve pure afterimages with speed alone, Lee is still far from that." Imperial Guy explained.
"Guy-sensei! I'll work twice as hard!"
Lee looked at Guy with a hint of embarrassment, then shouted with enthusiasm.
"I believe in you, Lee! Let's strive together!"
"Youth!"
The two thick-browed melon-heads raised their right arms high, shouting.
"Is this all of Rokushiki? It's so strong! I really want to learn it!" Naruto looked eager.
"Hahaha! This is just regular Rokushiki. Actually, above this, there's a secret technique beyond Rokushiki—Life Return. But because of the previous training, my stamina's a bit low right now. Can you wait for me to rest a bit before I show you?"
Lee grinned widely.
"Life Return? A technique like that is best avoided… it's too taxing on the body and will trouble the repair team."
Minato's forehead sweated as he hurriedly spoke.
"A secret technique? There's actually a secret technique! So strong! Too strong! Uncle Minato! I want to learn this!"
Naruto was a bit impatient.
"Don't rush, Naruto. Though it's a pity Life Return can't be used, Muscle Martial Arts are also very powerful! Watch closely! This is the power and beauty of muscles!"
"Hah! Muscles—Release!"
Lee stretched his body, spreading both arms.
His entire body's muscles trembled. Under the shocked gazes of everyone from the other world, his already large frame grew even bigger, his height increasing from 190 cm to 195 cm.