Naruto: Madara is my Daddy

"Now," Rock Lee declared, a fierce grin on his face, "the real fight begins!"

Lee's figure vanished in an instant, moving so fast that even Gaara's sand armor had no time to react.

BAM!

Lee's fist slammed into Gaara's cheek, sending him stumbling backward. Gaara adjusted his posture in the air and landed steadily, but a visible crack had appeared on his face.

"Mother wants...," Gaara said, his fingers tracing the crack in his sand armor. A flicker of excitement, the first real emotion he had shown, flashed in his eyes. "Mother wants your blood"

Before he could finish his sentence, Lee attacked again. The sand, which had seemed so invincible just moments before, was now completely unable to keep up with Lee's blinding speed. After just a few feints, the sand wall was completely disoriented.

"A perfect opportunity!"

Lee seized the opening, landing a powerful punch on Gaara's left cheek. The sand-nin flew through the air, crashing heavily to the ground.

"Hehe… hehehe."

Gaara rose from the ground, his expression one of pure ferocity. As he did, pieces of sand flaked away from his face. Lee looked closer, and a chill of shock ran down his spine.

"This… this is!"

Gaara's skin wasn't cracked at all. He was covered in a thin, hard layer of sand armor. An icy dread spread through Lee's body as he finally began to understand just how terrifying his opponent truly was.

But he did not back down. He took a deep breath, looking up at Might Guy in the stands with a confident smile. "I'm going to use that technique, Sensei!"

Might Guy understood, his own expression turning serious as he gave a firm nod. The enemy was powerful, and he was genuinely worried for his favorite student.

"Is that all you have?" Gaara asked, the sand reforming over his skin. He crossed his arms over his chest, his voice flat and emotionless. "If you have any other moves, feel free to use them."

"That's exactly what I intend to do!" Lee raised a hand, wiping a stray grain of sand from his lips as he slowly began to untie the bandages on his wrists.

"You're so slow," Gaara taunted. "Are you ever going to attack?"

"I'm right here, you fool!"

Lee suddenly appeared from directly beneath Gaara, launching him high into the air with a powerful kick. The white bandages from his arms unraveled, quickly wrapping around Gaara's airborne body. Seeing that the moment was right, Lee shouted:

"Take this!"

"Primary Lotus!"

BOOM!

Gaara's body plummeted to the ground, the powerful impact creating a massive crater in the arena floor.

"Hah… hah…"

Lee leaned against the wall, half-squatting, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The move had put an immense strain on his body, and he needed a moment to recover.

"This time… it has to be a success."

"No… this is… a shell?"

Lee couldn't believe his eyes. There was nothing in the deep pit but an empty husk of sand, perfectly molded in Gaara's shape.

"You… when did you use a substitution?!"

"Haha…" Gaara's voice sneered from behind him. "While you were in the air. The strain on your body caused your attack to slow for just a fraction of a second. That was all the opportunity I needed."

"Alright, you've had your fun. Now, it's my turn!"

Gaara smiled, a look of pure evil on his face. He waved his hands, and a massive wave of sand surged toward Lee. The sand moved with incredible speed, and in his weakened state, Lee had no way to avoid it. He could only brace himself for the impact.

"Aaargh!"

Lee's pained howls echoed from within the sea of sand.

"Damn it!" Naruto shouted, his voice full of anxiety. "Lee, get out of there! You're so fast, you can do it!"

"It's useless…" Might Guy shook his head, his own voice filled with unwilling resignation. "The Primary Lotus is a double-edged sword. It's a forbidden technique for a reason. The ultra-high-speed movements put an incredible strain on the user's body."

"Lee is in agony right now. He won't be able to move freely for a while."

As he finished speaking, Lee's miserable screams continued to echo through the arena.