A Splendid Ninja…!! (volume)

Synopsis
As one of the last matches, Rock Lee is pit against Gaara. With his superior speed and strength Lee attempts to claim a quick victory, but is unable to fully bypass Gaara's superior defenses. After being left tired out from relentless assault, Lee is unable to move and is left at Gaara's mercy. After his body is broken by Gaara's attacks and Gaara moves in to finish him off, Gaara is declared the victor to prevent further damage to Lee. The preliminaries draw to a close and the finalists are assigned opponents for the finals in a month's time, leaving them plenty of time to recuperate and train. Naruto, eager to get ready for his match against Neji Hyūga, approaches Kakashi to help him train. Kakashi, having already decided to train Sasuke, encourages Naruto to find an alternative, which he does in the form of Jiraiya.