["Awooo~!!!"]
[Akamaru's voice was low and raspy.]
[Snap—]
[Inuzuka Kiba's appearance changed drastically, resembling a vicious dog.]
[Then, he slammed his hands together to form a seal.]
["Beast Mimicry Ninja Art!!"]
[Seeing this, Rock Lee didn't move.]
[He simply held one hand behind his back and the other in front, waiting for the right moment.]
[Bang—!!!]
[A loud explosion sounded.]
[Then, a puff of white smoke rose from beneath Akamaru.]
[In an instant, the white smoke dissipated.]
[Akamaru had transformed into the likeness of Inuzuka Kiba.]
[However, his canine features were more pronounced.]
["Beast Human Clone!"]
[Rock Lee's brow quirked.]
[This ferocious appearance was completely different from their usual sparring sessions.]
[Of course, Rock Lee knew that Kiba was sending a signal.]
[Fulfilling his wish.]
[A serious, honorable battle.]
["Now!"]
["Akamaru!"]
[Kiba let out a low growl.]
[Whoosh—]
[In the next instant.]
[Kiba and Akamaru moved on all fours, shooting forward like cannonballs.]
["Four Legs Technique!!!"]
[In a flash, Kiba and Akamaru attacked Rock Lee from the left and right.]
[They both swung their hands—now with sharp claws—at Rock Lee's body and face.]
[Hum—]
[However.]
[Rock Lee did not choose to dodge.]
[Since Kiba and Akamaru had shown their resolve.]
[He had to show his as well.]
["Konoha Whirlwind!"]
[Lee lunged forward instead of retreating, jumped into the air, and threw out a whip-like kick.]
[Thud—]
[The kick landed squarely on Kiba's chest.]
[In his haste, Kiba instinctively raised his arms to block.]
[He was then sent flying backward by the sheer force of Lee's heavy kick.]
[But when Lee tried to kick Akamaru as well, he was a moment too late.]
[Rip—]
[Whoosh—]
[Having landed a hit, Akamaru immediately retreated to Kiba's side.]
[Meanwhile, Lee landed heavily.]
[His feet were planted firmly on the ground.]
[But on his right thigh, a crimson scratch appeared.]
[Blood began to well up.]
[It was only a superficial wound; it didn't affect him much.]
["Hmph~!" Kiba grunted softly.]
[The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.]
[Glancing at the wound on Lee's thigh, he excitedly stuck out his tongue and licked his dry lips.]
[The feeling of his blood boiling...]
["Akamaru!"]
["Woof!"]
[The man and dog were perfectly in sync.]
[Whoosh—]
[At almost the exact same time.]
[Akamaru and Kiba moved simultaneously.]
[But they didn't charge straight ahead again.]
[Instead, they circled the dojo, one to the left and one to the right.]
[Using both hands and feet felt natural to them, and they were incredibly fast!]
[One could barely see anything but a gray blur.]
[Phew—]
[Lee took a deep breath.]
[The greetings were over.]
[Now, it was time to get serious.]
[Tap—]
[The moment Lee opened his eyes.]
[He pushed off with his legs, shooting forward like a projectile.]
[A green figure intercepted one of the gray blurs.]
[The gray and green collided.]
["Konoha Whirlwind!"]
["Awooo~!!!"]
[Thump—]
[Lee spun in mid-air and delivered an ultra-high-speed back kick with his left leg.]
[The force was immense, and the speed was incredible!]
[However, Akamaru, in Kiba's form, was just as impressive.]
[He forced his body to shift in mid-air, kicking out with both feet against the incoming back kick.]
[The two figures froze in place.]
[Just then.]
[The sound of air being sliced rang out.]
[Lee's pupils constricted.]
[He immediately bent over, pushed off, and retreated.]
[Swish—!!!]
[A cold flash of light flickered.]
[The high-speed figure swept past.]
[Lee barely managed to dodge Kiba's attack.]
[Neither side stopped there.]
[Lee stood ready.]
[Kiba and Akamaru took the initiative to attack.]
[Attacking Lee from both sides once again.]
["Take this, Beast-Human Taijutsu Secret Technique..."]
[Akamaru and Kiba raised their hands simultaneously.]
[Then, as if to tear through the very air, they leaped up and began to spin rapidly in mid-air.]
["Kiba and Akamarus Combined Technique!!!"]
["Woof!!!"]
[The man and dog were like two massive tornadoes, attacking Lee from two directions at once.]
[They were incredibly fast!]
[Lee pushed off hard with his legs.]
[He retreated rapidly, hugging his knees and spinning several times in the air.]
[He pulled back a significant distance.]
[However, the onslaught of the technique did not stop.]
[With almost no pause, the two tornado-like attacks were upon Lee again.]
["This is tricky... then let's try this!"]
[Lee's entire body tensed up.]
[Boom—]
[The technique struck.]
[Lee delivered a kick.]
[Immediately afterward, he used the momentum to retreat.]
[Retreating dozens of meters.]
[Lee continued to punch and kick, battling the two tornado-like attacks while retreating step by step.]
[Lee knew that if Kiba and Akamaru found an opportunity to converge...]
[...and he was forced into the intersection, the tide of the battle would surely shift drastically.]
["Kiba is actually being this serious?" Sakura was somewhat stunned.]
["Probably... he was provoked." Shikamaru thought for a moment, finding that possibility more likely.]
["Proving himself?" Neji crossed his arms, his gaze narrowing slightly.]
[During their usual training, Kiba and Akamaru were never this serious.]
[They also rarely took the initiative to spar with others like this.]
["Just watch."]
["With Kiba and Akamaru's coordination... Lee might be forced to reveal his true strength."]
[On the opposite side, on the second-floor balcony, Kankuro frowned slightly. "Tch!"]
[Clearly, Kiba and Akamaru's performance was worthy of their trash talk.]
[They had some skill.]
[But it wasn't enough to surprise Kankuro.]
[Suddenly, a change occurred on the field.]
[Suddenly, a change occurred in the arena.]
[Lee delivered a side kick.]
[He instinctively prepared to use the momentum to retreat further.]
[Unexpectedly.]
[Kiba suddenly stopped the technique.]
[He grabbed Lee's ankle firmly.]
[Lee's expression changed instantly.]
[But it was already too late.]
[Whoosh—]
[Without anyone noticing, the bandages wrapped around Lee's hands had come loose.]
[Kiba and Akamarus Combined Technique!]
[Boom—]
[Akamaru tore through with the technique.]
[Lee cried out in pain.]
[But in that split second, he also managed to kick Kiba in the face.]
[In pain, Kiba instinctively let go.]
[Lee took the opportunity to retreat.]
[But a series of small wounds had appeared on his chest.]
[His green jumpsuit also had a hole in it.]
[This was the current strength of Kiba and Akamaru.]
[Lee landed like a squirrel, sliding several meters across the dojo floor before finally coming to a stop.]
[As soon as he stood up, he gathered his strength and charged forward again.]
[Taking advantage of the brief breathing room after Kiba and Akamaru used their technique.]
[After closing the distance, he suddenly exploded with speed.]
[Whoosh—]
[Now!]
[Thud—]
[He was incredibly fast!]
[Akamaru had just stopped the technique; even though he reacted, his body couldn't respond in time.]
[He could only barely protect his vitals and take Lee's hit head-on.]
[Kiba's speed was also not slow, but the opening after the technique was still quite significant.]
[Having landed a hit, Lee didn't linger or press his advantage.]
[He twisted his body mid-air.]
["Konoha Whirlwind!"]