2. Rock Lee vs Shira

During the second stage of the Chunin Exam held in Sunagakure’s desert, half of the teams were given a Heaven Scroll, and the other half were given an Earth Scroll. To advance to the next stage, each team needed to acquire one Heaven Scroll and one Earth Scroll by stealing from other teams.

One of the Suna participants, named Shira, had a personal mission to help all Suna Shinobi pass the Chunin Exam. Shira even went out of his way to help his comrades whose scrolls were at risk of being taken by Neji, Lee, and Tenten. After successfully protecting his teammates, Shira and his team managed to trap Neji, Lee, and Tenten in a sand waterfall.

However, Shira’s noble actions were not met with gratitude from his Suna comrades. Even though Shira had defended them from Lee, Tenten, and Neji, his fellow Suna Shinobi attempted to steal Shira’s scroll. They even threw two kunai that pierced Shira’s chest and tried to finish him off with a barrage of kunai. Fortunately, Neji used Kaiten and Lee used Konoha Senpuu to protect Shira from the kunai attack.

The reason Shira was attacked by his Suna comrades was their jealousy of his close relationship with Kazekage Gaara. It was revealed that Shira’s motivation to help his Suna comrades pass the Chunin Exam was to repay Gaara’s kindness. Since Shira lacked Ninjutsu or Genjutsu abilities and could only use Taijutsu, he was unable to enter the Suna Academy or become an official Suna Shinobi. However, after Gaara became Kazekage, he appointed Shira as a Shinobi and Taijutsu instructor because Shira reminded Gaara of Rock Lee, a Taijutsu master and Gaara’s former opponent. Gaara believed that Shira could become a great Shinobi through Taijutsu, just like Rock Lee from Konoha.

After thanking Rock Lee for saving him from the kunai attack, Shira accepted Rock Lee’s challenge to a Taijutsu duel as a gesture of gratitude for Lee’s inspiring performance against Gaara during the Chunin Exam in Konoha. Thanks to Rock Lee, Shira had fulfilled his dream of becoming a Suna Shinobi.

Next, Lee and Shira engaged in a Taijutsu-only battle. Both had incredible speed and exchanged powerful blows. Although both fighters landed an equal number of punches, Shira had a significant weight advantage. This caused Lee, who had a smaller frame, to feel the impact more severely, causing him to be thrown back and fall to the ground.

Lee prepared to open the first of the Eight Inner Gates, Hachimon Tonkou. However, due to Shira targeting Lee’s chakra points during their previous exchanges, Lee’s chakra flow was disrupted, preventing him from opening the gate. Shira then activated his Silent Strike Mode and resumed his Taijutsu assault on Lee. Shira’s attacks were precise and relentless, leaving Lee struggling to defend and retaliate.

According to Neji’s observations, Shira’s silent attack technique resembled an owl’s feathered wings, which are designed to muffle sound during flight. Neji theorized that Shira had modified his chakra to mimic the structure of an owl’s feathers, making his movements silent. Despite Lee honing all five senses—especially his sense of hearing as a Taijutsu user—Shira’s attacks made no sound, making them nearly impossible to block and allowing them to strike Lee accurately.

After a powerful blow sent Lee crashing to the ground, Shira prepared another silent punch and challenged Lee to dodge it. Fortunately, Lee remembered Guy’s teaching about mastering the flow of battle by memorizing his opponent’s attack patterns. Despite the lack of sound, Lee had memorized Shira’s movements and was now able to predict and counter Shira’s punches.

Impressed by Lee’s ability to deflect his silent punch, Shira decided to release the chakra block on Lee’s body, allowing Lee to fight at full strength. Continuing the battle, Lee activated the third gate of Hachimon Tonkou, enveloping himself in green chakra. Not to be outdone, Shira activated the third level of Stin Ko Ho, surrounding himself with yellow chakra.

The Eight Inner Gates, Hachimon Tonkou, allows chakra to be released beyond normal limits by forcibly removing physical restraints, multiplying the user’s power. Meanwhile, Stin Ko Ho is a technique that absorbs large amounts of oxygen to revitalize the body and increase lung capacity fourfold.

In the next phase of the fight, Lee used Hachimon Tonkou to battle Shira, who was using Stin Ko Ho. However, in the midst of the fight, Lee opened the fifth gate, overwhelming Shira with his extreme speed. Shira was soon cornered by Lee’s relentless assault. Lee’s powerful kick landed squarely on Shira’s face, and his Konoha Senpuu spin kick sent Shira flying into the air before crashing hard to the ground.

Despite being slammed into the ground, Shira managed to stand and prepare to continue the fight. However, his chest wounds reopened, causing him to collapse and lie helpless on the ground. As a result, the battle between Lee and Shira was called off.

# Reason Rock Lee Defeated Shira

Although Rock Lee emerged victorious in the battle, Shira was actually suffering from a severe injury. Before fighting Lee, Shira had already been struck by kunai thrown by his Suna comrades. His weakened condition made it difficult for him to endure the fight. In this case, Shira’s defeat was due more to his poor health than his combat abilities.