Press down hard on the gas
That’s right, there’s no compromise
We'll slip through the night
At the final moment push hard
That's right, all the way to zero,
Until we wipe away the days
Gently open your heart
If you pull it close to you
It will reach you, without a doubt
It will come, closer
Now
We’re speeding through life, squeezing it for all of its worth
Our feet are tied
But we still keep going farther
Even if I take it back, and grasp it
If you’re not the one
There will be no meaning
And so we’ll go far off into the distance.
What?!
O-Oh!
T-That’s…
It's the empty shell of sand!
Lee's Hidden Strength: Forbidden Secret Jutsu!
When did that…?!
That’s not possible!
While you had your eyes closed and were praying.
What?
For a moment, Lee stopped moving because of the pain in his body.
At that moment…that’s when!
Gaara!
That's...!
There’s no doubt about it – his eyes…
He’s completely awake…
The demon…inside him.
Run away!
That Bowl-Cut’s totally worn down…
Gaara is toying with him.
W-Why doesn’t Lee dodge?
With Lee’s speed, he should easily be able to dodge that level of attack.
It’s not that he doesn’t dodge, it’s that he can’t dodge.
What?!
What do you mean?
The Lotus is a double-edged sword.
What do you mean double-edged sword?
Why do you think the Lotus is a forbidden technique?
Well…
The Lotus isn’t a Ninjutsu or a Genjutsu.
It’s a Taijutsu, with that much high-speed movement.
The load it puts on a person’s body is beyond imagination.
So Lee’s entire body is in so much pain right now
that even moving is out of the question.
Isn’t that so…
Guy?
But that’s…!
He has no Ninjutsu, not even one Genjutsu …
Moreover, the Taijutsu he depends on,
it’s now even less than an average person’s …
There’s no way he can win!
He’s had it if this goes on…
Lee…
Hey, get a move on all of you.
I’ll add another 200 laps!
Stupid! There’s no way you’ll become a Ninja.
Yes, I will.
There’s no way a chump who can’t even use Ninjutsu can become a Ninja!
Yes, I will!
Whatever, but the fact that a guy like you without Ninjutsu or Genjutsu
and with less Taijutsu than an average person
is in this Ninja academy is nonsense.
Do you know what you’re called here?
Hot-Blooded!
Hot-Blooded lose-
Hey, get in line, Lee!
Hey Lee!
So that’s the hot-blooded loser everyone’s talking about.
Doesn’t he look like someone we know?
Huh?
In particular…his eyebrows.
Hmm…
Rock Lee…
The chump who can only perform less than average Taijutsu…
But you...
You practiced your less than average Taijutsu …
You practiced it over and over again like crazy…
396…397…398…399…
400…401…402…403…
If I can’t do a log kick 500 times, then it’s 1,000 squats!
413... 414...
415... 416... 417... 418...!
419... 420…
So someone’s here before me…
422… 423... 424...
425... 426...
I suppose I’ll come back…
If I can’t do 1,000 squats, then it’s 2,000 punches!
795… 796… 797… 798…
He’s still at it…!
2,000 punches!
If I can’t, it’s 2,000 jump ropes!
You recklessly practiced only Taijutsu and eventually…
All right, you’ve all become Genin as of today,
so I’d like to know what it is you’re all aiming for!
Yes, yes, yes, yes!
Tenten.
I’d like to become a powerful Ninja like the legendary Kunoichi Tsunade!
Hmm...
And, how about you, Neji?
I don’t want to answer…
I…!
I’d like to prove that I could become a respectable Ninja
even though I can’t use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu!
That would be the ultimate for me!
Those are good serious eyes…
Humph!
You!
What’s so funny?!
I’m serious!
I will become a respectable Ninja even only with Taijutsu!
He should give up already…
At this rate…
He will simply die with Gaara just toying with him…
Bushy Brows…!
Lee…
Not yet… Not yet!
Lee, you just won’t learn your lesson, will you?
There’s no way you can win…
Unlike you, Neji is a genius.
A genius…?
What is a genius?!
Even though I may not have talent, I’ll exceed genius with my efforts.
That is my entire being!
That is my Way of the Ninja!
You’ll get nowhere, Lee…
No matter how much effort you make,
there’s no way you can take me down.
That’s simply a fact.
That's not true!
That’s not…
But you…refused to give up, not ever!
Such meaningless actions…
The Bowl-Cut was unlucky to have Gaara as his opponent!
No…
Lee’s not one to give up with this much.
– What? – Huh?
The reason is that Lee…
You…continued to make effort.
If I can’t jump rope 1,200 times, I’ll log kick 2,000 times!
1,116... 1,117...!
1,118... 1,11--!
Huh?!
Lee!
Are you taking a break already?
Guy Sensei…
What is it that you want?
If it’s about my blunder with the recent assignment,
I believe I’ve apologized.
Lee… It’s true you’re different from Neji.
You have no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu skills, and you’re not a Taijutsu genius either…
But Lee...
you have powers that exceed Neji…
you’re a genius with hidden potential.
If you’re trying to make me feel better, please stop!
Idiot!
I’m not trying to make you feel better or anything!
The reason is that you are…
a genius of effort!
I wonder if…
If that’s true…?
I've…I’ve believed that to be true…
That if I trained harder than Neji… 2 or 3 times as much…
that I’d surely become stronger.
But...
I’ve recently begun to think that…
I can’t beat a real genius.
Is effort really rewarded…?
I’ve wanted to know this and
so I’ve taken on Neji, but it’s always been the same…!
I’m no match for him at all!
Even when I’m on a mission…
My legs still tremble even now…
I think that I’ll never become stronger though I strive and strive…
I am so afraid that I can’t bear it!
What am I to do…?
There’s no point in making the effort if you don’t believe in yourself!
Lee, you’re very similar to me.
Do you mean our eyebrows?
No, not just our eyebrows…
I was actually a failure once too…
You were, Sensei?
But now, I can even win against the genius elite Kakashi,
because of my efforts…
“I’d like to prove that I can become a respectable Ninja
even though I can’t use Ninjutsu and Genjutsu” you said.
That’s your Ninja way, right?
That’s a fine goal…
It’s a fine goal worth sticking to!
That’s why you should believe in your path and forge straight ahead!
Become a man powerful enough so that I can just watch you smiling!
Understand, Lee?!
Yes!
Thank you…Guy Sensei…!
Stop, Lee!
If you fight any more, you’ll die!
Bushy Brows…
What?!
Movement has...
...returned to Lee!
Sensei is smiling and watching me…
And just because of that, I can come back stronger!
Stronger… stronger still!
Lee’s smiling…even though he’s been driven into corner.
No.
It’s his turn to do the driving.
Huh?
The Leaf’s Lotus blossoms twice.
Blossoms twice…?
Lee said that too!
The Leaf’s Lotus blossoms twice.
When we meet the next time, I vow that I will be an even stronger man.
No, Guy!
You haven’t?!
It’s exactly as you imagine.
So that Genin…
that boy can open the Eight Inner Gates in his body and use the Hidden Lotus…
The Hidden Lotus?
That’s right …
This is incredible…
Guy…
How many of the Eight Inner Gates can that boy open now…?
Five gates.
What exactly is it?
These Eight Inner Gates and that Hidden Lotus?
The Eight Inner Gates are “Limiter Releases”
used in preparations for reaching the Hidden Lotus.
A “Limiter Releases”?
That’s right …
In the Chakra Network where chakra flows,
there are eight places where the chakra points are concentrated
in each area of the body from the head area down--
the Gate of Opening, Gate of Rest, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain,
Gate of Closing, Gate of Joy, Gate of Shock and Gate of Death.
These are called the Eight Inner Gates.
These eight gates continually “limit”
the amount of Chakra flowing through the body…
However, the Lotus’s essence is to force the boundaries of these “limits” to open…
and bring out several tens of times the body’s strength.
The Primary Lotus…
opens only the first gate, the Gate of Opening,
and releases the brains restraints
to bring forth a person’s muscles’ strength to its fullest!
That’s the kind of technique it is.
So…what is the Hidden Lotus?
After forcing the stamina to increase at the second gate, the Gate of Rest…
From the third gate, the Gate of Life, one enters the Hidden Lotus!
No way!
Even after using just the Primary Lotus, his body was in shambles.
So if he uses a technique beyond that…
That’s right.
Huh?
By opening all the 8 gates,
one attains strength exceeding even the Hokage, but in return…
one dies!
I don’t intend to pry into what that boy means to you
or to tell you not to bring your personal feelings into play…
But there is a limit!
I’ve misjudged you…Guy!
What do you know…about that boy?!
There is something important which
that boy wants to prove and protect even if it costs him his life.
I’d like to prove that I can become a respectable Ninja
even though I can’t use Ninjutsu and Genjutsu!
That would be the ultimate for me!
That’s why I…
wanted to make him a man that could protect that thing.
That’s all there is…
Lee!
I’m going to teach you a new technique.
Yippie, yeah!
– One that will be your trump card. – Yeah, that's great!
Yippie, yeah! Yippie yeah!
Lee, listen to my explanation seriously, all right?!
Y-Yes, Sensei!
Let me first say that...
this is more of a forbidden Jutsu than the Primary Lotus!
And it will become the most special technique for you.
Special...?
However...
there is one strict condition for using this technique.
That is...
That is…
What?
I don’t know what you’re planning to do…
But this is the end for you.
That’s true…
In any case… it will be the end with the next.
Neji…
Sasuke…and…
There is no way that I alone can lose in a place like this!
Guy Sensei…please allow this…!
It is now!
The time to carry through and protect one’s own Way of the Ninja!
The Third Gate of Life…open!
Hey, can you hear it?
The clear, blue sky goes on and on
The ocean spans limitlessly
Please keep that smile on your face forever
Or else I’ll cry
You won't have to search around you
It’s all ok now.
Everyone is inside this hand
When you want to cry, and you want to run away
When you forget what happiness is
Just sing.
Light is born, and darkness was born
The two are one
Harmonia, feel the telepathy
Hey, can you hear it?
Effort is always rewarded. My belief in this has brought me this far.
Neji, Sasuke, and Naruto…
There’s no way that I can lose in a place like this!
Even though this technique is my ace in the hole,
I’ll show it especially to you!
This is my ultimate secret Taijutsu technique!
Next Episode: “The Fifth Gate: A Splendid Ninja is Born”
This is the end!