Note: if you want to get access to +10 Advance Chapters before everyone else and help me Translate More Chapters For You join my patreon.com/flokixy
Lee attempted to rise but quickly realized that his legs were completely immobile!
"Might Guy, on the second floor, shouted anxiously, "Lee! Get rid of that weight now!"
Hearing Might Guy's voice, Lee suddenly remembered what was holding him back and hurriedly tried to untie the weighted bags around his ankles.
Bang!
The heavy weighted bags fell off, cracking the stone floor beneath them as they hit. Finally, Lee staggered to his feet—but before he could react further…
Renge had already charged right in front of him!
"Five-Body Seal!"
Renge's right hand formed a tiger claw, with five distinct characters appearing at the tips of his fingers—sinew, vein, bone, flesh, and skin!
The Five Elements of the Human Body—sinew, vein, bone, flesh, and skin!
Lee desperately tried to dodge, but with the seals restricting his limbs, he couldn't muster enough strength. All he could do was watch helplessly as Renge struck him squarely in the chest!
Bang!
An instant later, a circular seal appeared on Lee's chest, expanding rapidly across his entire body. The meager movement he'd managed before ceased entirely as his body collapsed onto the ground. Now, not even lifting an eyelid felt possible!
The foundation of the human body—the bones that form its structure, the sinews and muscles that control motion, the veins that allow chakra to flow, and the skin that protects it all—had been rendered useless by the Five-Body Seal. The seal stiffened his bones and skin, severed the brain's commands to his sinews and muscles, and constricted the pathways for chakra flow within his body. This was a physical seal, one that left only taijutsu specialists like Lee utterly incapacitated!
"It's over," Renge said calmly, repeating himself.
Before anyone could fully comprehend what had just happened, the battle was already concluded. From their perspective, all they saw was Lee rushing forward, being momentarily blinded by a flash of light, and then falling motionless after being struck by Renge—all within less than ten seconds.
"Lee… has he already lost?" Sasuke asked, stunned, struggling to believe it. He had fought against Lee earlier, and though he hated to admit it, he had been at a disadvantage during their encounter. Yet here, this same Lee had fallen without resistance to Renge, unable to land even a single blow. He hadn't lasted ten seconds before losing.
"Yes, Lee has lost," Kakashi replied solemnly. "I didn't expect him to use sealing techniques and barrier jutsu to such an extent. These weren't originally designed for combat."
Sasuke and the others turned their gaze toward Kakashi, prompting him to continue explaining: "Sealing techniques and barrier jutsu are far more powerful than ordinary ninjutsu, but when they were developed, no one considered using them in high-speed battles. They usually require preparation—like mediums for casting, pre-drawn arrays, or inscribing runes on the target's body followed by lengthy incantations. But Renge can deploy these techniques mid-battle. His mastery of both sealing and barrier arts must have reached a level beyond comprehension—a true genius."
Moreover, the Five-Body Seal—was it a secret technique of the Uzumaki clan? Was Renge, as a descendant of the Uzumaki, merely coincidentally accompanying Orochimaru in this Chunin Exam, or did they have another motive…
Kakashi's brow furrowed deeply in thought.
Lee's eyelids grew heavier as his bodily functions deteriorated, even his breathing slowed down significantly.
He had heard Kakashi's words. Had he truly lost? Lost to the genius of sealing techniques?
Lee couldn't help but question himself.
Had all his efforts been meaningless? Could hard work never defeat talent? Was his youth, his passion, his relentless effort and sweat nothing more than a one-sided illusion?
No!
How unbearably frustrating!
It was so unfair!
Renge glanced at Yuki Shukaku, signaling him to announce the result of the match instead of pretending to be shocked just because Lee was from Konoha and wasting time.