The Ultimate
Huh?!
PERSEVERANCE
I didn't know Lee kept going with that training.
We're in the middle of the Chunin Exams!
What is he thinking?
Shira! I will show you how serious I am!
Let me warn you…
Shira's super strong!
I've become strong too!
This is my last fight.
Last?
Here I come, Lee!
What is this? Their speed is ridiculous!
A battle of powerful fists…
It's not something you get to see often.
He stopped my jutsu.
He countered every move?!
If I could, I would have liked to fight him too.
Amazing…
I haven't faced a taijutsu user this strong
since Guy Sensei and Neji!
He has a fine technique…
I feel his passion in every punch he throws.
The intensity of his training comes across clearly.
Lee!
I'm grateful to you.
Perhaps it's all because of you that I can be a shinobi.
Lord Gaara said this to me back then…
I once met someone just like you in Hidden Leaf Village.
Through sheer determination, he has become a fine shinobi.
Shira… I predict you will be as good a shinobi as he.
It might have been your fists that changed Lord Gaara.
No, I had nothing to do with that!
It was your perseverance that moved Lord Gaara.
Lee, I'm going to show you my gratitude in earnest!
Well said!
That is the creed of those of us
who are dedicated to the mastery of taijutsu.
They seem to be enjoying this.
Maybe Lee has met someone he can consider a true rival.
You can only go so far training alone.
Having a rival is what helps you surpass those limits.
I see.
Do you have a rival, Neji?
My rival?
I don't know what the Hyuga destiny of hatred is!
But if you're going to say it's futile,
you don't have to do anything!
After I become the Hokage…
I'll change the Hyuga!
You're the only one who can be my rival…
So hurry up and come home, Naruto!
Neither one of them has delivered a decisive blow yet.
They're just sizing each other up right now.
What?
They're not fighting at their full potential?
It's more like 50%.
How much can a body endure?
If they stay evenly matched like this…
No…
They're not quite equal.
Huh? They're not?
They're equal in speed and in the number of moves they have…
But Shira's physique is a full size bigger than Lee's.
In boxing, the difference in body weight
influences the intensity of the blow.
While they may look evenly matched,
Lee with his smaller build…
Is sustaining more damage?
Lee should be feeling the effects pretty soon.
Blow for blow, Shira's punches are harder than mine!
At this rate…
Lee!
That stance!
Don't tell me Lee plans to use the Lotus!
It's too dangerous!
But he is an opponent who is worth that risk!
No way! The First Gate won't open!
Why?!
You hit my Chakra Points and stopped the flow of chakra!
As a taijutsu user like you,
I know all your strengths and weaknesses.
As well as the fact that you are versed in the secret jutsu,
the Eight Inner Gates!
From now, I mean business!
Shira switched his mode.
He's getting serious now!
Here I come, Lee!
What's happening?!
All of a sudden, his attacks became relentless and accurate!
This is—!
The sound!
Sound?!
His attacks are silent!
We taijutsu users can counter supersonic moves
because we have honed our five senses.
One of those senses is hearing.
I remember…
Lee said he once fought a shinobi from the Hidden Sound
who gave him a hard time!
This time, it's the exact opposite!
Shira is making absolutely no noise!
But how…?
Byakugan!
I see!
It's the theory of the owl.
The owl?
Did you know that owls fly without making a sound?
Owls have special comb-like feathers
that muffle the sound of their flapping wings.
Using chakra that can only be used with taijutsu,
he's cloaked himself with the same type of feathers.
To come up with something like that all by himself…
What a waste to consider someone like that an enemy.
Silent Fist!
See if you can take this, Lee!
How can I…?
There's no point in working hard if you don't believe in yourself!
Yes! I've trained and worked just as hard as Shira!
999…1000!
Now, 1000 sit-ups!
Are you serious?
I am serious!
Wait, wait, wait!
Enough bodybuilding!
You're in far better physical condition than we are, Lee.
But Guy Sensei, I've never beaten you or Neji even once!
That's because you don't use this.
Use my head for taijutsu?
Certainly!
It can be said that mental visualization
is a fundamental part of taijutsu.
When I weave a sign, I'm already seeing 100 moves ahead.
What?! Is such a thing possible?!
Yes, it's possible!
Through visualization alone, if I'm going to fight Kakashi,
I can now see 1000 moves ahead.
Th-That far?
Hey, is that true?
Who knows?
For example, if I attack with a right seiken fist…
Lee, what would your 50th move be?
Huh?
What technique is your 50th move!
Well…
Let's see…
A right thrust!
Wrong!
Then… A clockwise kick!
Correct!
So what is your 100th move?!
Uh… A left heel kick!
Wrong.
The answer is a counter-clockwise kick.
What?
I will prove it to you right now!
Ready?
48…
49…
50.
Continue!
Sensei was right!
98… 99…!
100!
Right again!
I see…
He's making that happen!
Huh?
That's amazing, Guy Sensei!
What's your trick?
It's not a trick.
I just made you move the way I wanted you to. That's all.
Made me move?
Yes!
I used counters that forced you to make certain moves.
In battle, there is a sequence to techniques and jutsu.
When you are in control of that flow,
predicting what comes next is not difficult.
Right now, I'm controlling the flow of battle, and as a result,
you, my opponent who's physically stronger than me,
have lost steam before me!
That's true!
Guy Sensei, you're not even breathing hard!
By controlling the flow of battle,
I was able to deplete your energy while preserving my own.
There really aren't many chances to take down a foe in the midst of battle.
The usual attack strategy is no more than an attempt to create such a chance!
That's what I mean by using your head!
That's right!
From opponents I've faced before, I pretty much know Shira's pattern.
All I need to do is control the sequence of my opponent's moves.
Then, even if his moves are silent,
I can anticipate Shira's fist!
All right!
What?!
Lee's not getting hit anymore!
Finally, Lee… You remembered that training!
He's countering so fast!
I can't wait to see when he's giving it his all!
He missed the Chakra Point!
What's going on?
Was it by chance?
At this point…
Guy Sensei would be able to activate the Sixth Gate instantly…
That's impossible for me, however…
The Third Gate of Life! Open!
He went straight to the Third Gate…
So Lee's trained that far!
So that's the rumored Eight Inner Gates...
Well then…
Seven Heavenly Breaths! First Activation!
Second Activation!
Third Activation!
What is that?!
It's a taijutsu breathing method that Shira came up with.
It's a jutsu whereby inhaling large amounts of oxygen
invigorates the entire body.
When performing this technique,
Shira's lung capacity increases nearly fourfold.
So it's his version of the Eight Inner Gates.
It's amazing that he came up with that all by himself…
Those two really drive home the fact…
that there is no limit to perseverance.
No kidding!
Lee! Shira!
Do your best, both of you!
Here I come, Shira!
Anytime!
Not yet!
Fourth Gate of Pain! Open!
Fifth Gate of Closing! Open!
So this is what you're like when you're serious!
My chakra…my sound-muffling feathers are being blown away!
I'm starting to hear… the sound of your wings.
Leaf Hurricane!
I'm not done yet…
Shira's wound has opened up!
Shira!
Are you okay, Shira?!
Yeah…
I guess we'll have to postpone this match.
Lee, I envy you.
I wish I could have trained under Guy Sensei at least once.
Shira… Why did you release my Chakra Points?
So you noticed?
I wanted to fight you
when you could give a hundred percent.
As I expected, you are strong.
It was a great experience.
What are you saying?
You were too reckless!
Shira, I want you to have this.
Guy Sensei gave it to me.
This is what made me strong.
It is a unique item with superior breathability
and moisture-wicking qualities that lets you move easily!
You'll see the difference when you train!
You'll get attached to it immediately!
Wear this… and we'll be brothers!
Thanks… I accept it.
Shira… You said earlier that this is the last time…
In the Land of Wind,
there is a battalion that guards the northern border.
That battalion never leaves its station.
The environment there is extremely harsh,
so few candidates are willing to accept that mission.
I plan to volunteer for it if I pass these Exams.
It's near my hometown.
My parents are sick and I want to be close to them.
So I probably won't see any of you again.
I see how it is...
Shira… I had no idea.
I guess that means I won't be seeing you around either, Yome.
You're probably going to tag along, right?
I have no regrets with my life.
But I'm sure my life would have been more interesting
if I had had a friend like you.
I'm going to remember that as the greatest compliment from you!
And I mean it as such, Lee, in all sincerity.
Now we have two scrolls!
Then let's head straight for home base!
HEAVEN HEAVEN
So, when should I break the news to them...?
FUU TOCCHI KUN According to reports from the investigative team,
FUU TOCCHI KUN two members of Team Fuu from the Hidden Waterfall…
FUU TOCCHI KUN Tocchi and Kun… are actually not genin.
It is believed they are jonin named Kegon and Yoro.
Damn Hidden Waterfall…
What are they scheming?
Wait.
Let me handle this.
This information is not to go out of this room.
– But! – But!
The Second Exam will continue uninterrupted.
Understood?!
What is Lord Gaara thinking?!
It will be sundown soon.
Yes.
From here, we'll be able to sense the enemy's presence right away.
It's the perfect spot to make camp.
So where's Fuu?
Hey! She was over there just a second ago…
Fuu!
That brat! She's so carefree!
What the—?!
Poke, poke!
Fuu! Don't go off on your own!
Damn it!
What if someone from another village attacked you?
You are valuable to the Hidden Waterfall…!
Okay, I get it! I'll be right there!
Jeez! If you make such a fuss, you'll be discovered.
Fuu…
She's a...
It's a good trick, eh?
I thought we'd just wrap up the second stage of the exams
in a cool way, like this!
I think it's good!
It's kind of like something Naruto would do...or...
This has nothing to do with Naruto!
I wonder if Naruto's training right now?
With this exam,
I'm going to be a chunin and get a leg up on him!
Next time on Naruto Shippuden: "Escape vs. Pursuit"
Let's go, Kurenai's Team 8!
IN NARUTO'S FOOTSTEPS ~ THE PATH TRAVELED ESCAPE VS. PURSUIT
Tune in again!