Chapter 24

                                    

                                          
Lee jumped in, kicking, slapping, punching the sand.
None of it had any effect whatsoever. Gaara stood impassively and watched.
He shot a spine of sand after Lee, and he dodged it. Gaara shot out another wave of sand and Lee blocked it. The sand began to close in.
By the time it had covered Lee's face, almost all the way to fully encasing him, the dome exploded, and Lee was standing. His skin was red hot and his eyes lacked pupils. His hair floated up, against gravity.
The very air around him was saturated with chakra.
He dashed in, cracking the ground where he stepped. He dashed past the hands that grabbed at him at every turn.
He dove into Gaara's guard and struck. The redhead recoiled and staggered back. He grit his teeth and sand hung around him. Gaara blasted small sand bullets all around him, and Lee protected his face and ribcage, still approaching. Lee jumped up and tried to kick Gaara. Gaara held out his palm and Lee stilled in the air.
Using sand to rob the opponent of free movement. Nice trick, Madara commented.
Lee then began to fall again, and twisted a kick at Gaara. He recoiled.
He rushed at Gaara, and punched. Turned around, charged, punched.
And then did that about ten more times.
Lee crashed down with an axe kick and Gaara jerked down. Lee touched the ground and kicked up, sending Gaara high, until he was above the Kage booth.
Lee jumped, tying his bandages around Gaara before throwing him down.
The resulting crater was quite sizable. 
The dust settled, and Gaara was nowhere to be found.
But where...? 
Look down, Sayuri replied.
The chakra around Lee receded. A tendril of sand erupted from the floor and snatched at Lee. He jumped away, but stumbled and the sand wrapped around his leg. More and more arms clutched at him from the ground, and Gaara appeared from below.
"Surrender," Gaara said. "You will not be harmed if you do."
Lee grunted. "I have only used- ten percent of my power! HAAAAAA!" He struggled for a second, then went limp again.
"Surrender," Gaara repeated. The sand constricted.
"I surrender!"
"Gaara shall move to the next round! Next, Sasuke Uchiha versus Neji Hyuga!"
Beat him up! Naruto yelled.
Who do you think I am? I'll take him down before the first minute.
Sasuke appeared in a swirl of fire, and Neji appeared in a blast of leaves.
Neji dropped into the Jyuken stance.
Sasuke took his own.
"Begin!"
Neji darted in and struck. Sasuke deflected the attack and punched back.
Neji twisted and swept out Sasuke's legs, causing him to start falling.
Sasuke kicked out at Neji's face and landed on his hands, then sprung back.
Neji dodged and pushed in, striking again.
Sasuke dodged and kicked Neji away.
He summoned his bow and an arrow from his wrist and fired it.