Ep 196: The Clash of Tears!
The Hot-Blooded Teacher and Student Showdown!

Flashback: Gai facing off in a similar situation against a ninja.

Present day: Gai inside the hut. Gai says "overcoming obstacles is part of the springtime of youth. As long as you have a burning desire and work hard, nothing is impossible. Head towards the sunset!" Gai then hits the wall with his fists and flinches in pain. Now he says "Is there no tomorrow for us? This lumbar is connected by chakra and has a tremendous amount of strength."

Yagura appears outside the hut and transforms to his true form, one of the three Ryuudoin Brothers. Gai struggles to recall where he heard of Ryuudoin. Genshou explains their father Ryuudoin Agira fell victim to Konoha's cowardly schemes and sustained heavy injuries. After that he was unable to carry out missions and died shortly thereafter. Jako adds that their father cursed him until his death and that he wanted to fight Maito Gai of Konoha Village. They've been plotting their revenge ever since. Gai flashbacks to his fight with Agira which he considered the best. Gai says there must be a misunderstanding.

Meanwhile Lee practices in his dojo while Sakura watches over him. Lee suspects she's hiding something.

Blocks with spikes emerge and fly toward Gai. Naruto, Neji and Tenten catch up. Neji sees Gai inside the structure which is being controlled by chakra. Tenten whips open a scroll of kunai but misses the opponents. Posts surrond the team. Naruto attacks a post but an arm punches him in the face. The training posts attack. Neji sess that the ward on the heads of the posts control them. Naruto uses multiple shadow clones and rips the wards off. Tenten whips out a scroll of kunai to rip apart the wards. But the three brothers have another technique ninpo bokujin sou jutsu (ninja arts, wooden man aspect technique) and the posts start moving differently to fight them. Lee appears and takes out one of the posts. He knew Gai would take this route from Sakura's information.

The posts dissemble and merge with the hut to form a larger multistory structure. Lee insists on being the one to save Gai at the cost of his own life. Lee's way is blocked by the posts but the rest of the team help clear his way. Neji notes there is a weak chakra point at the center of the castle. Lee is about to use dynamic entry to break in but the castle opens up to let him in.

Genshou performs seals for Bokujin Hyoui Tenshin Sou Jutsu (Wooden Man Dvine Dependence Aspect Technique). Lee enters a large room with a single post. Yagura/Genshou taunts him by saying that Gai lied and you can't get anywhere with just hard work. The post attacks with Konoha Whirlwind. Lee thinks maybe Yagura copied it during their fight. Lee tries Konoha Giant Whirlwind but the post avoids his attack. Meanwhile Gai thinks how the post has such power behind its kicks. They are actually fighting against each other. The two fight to a standstill and Lee decides to use lotus and unwraps his bandages. Gai realizes that it must be Lee controlling the post. Lee gets a hit in and tries Kage Buyou (shadow dance) but Gai slips away and lands on post/Lee's shoulders and kicks back. Gai then tries to communicate by tapping out a message in Morse code to let Lee know they are fighting each other. They have to strain the post using speed and power in order to defeat the technique. Lee taps out a message to let Gai know he is the most important person to him.

Gai opens the third gate, Lee opens the fourth gate. Then they release the fifth gate and attack faster than sound. The posts break. The castle crumbles. The three brothers emerge. Gai asks them why they don't use Ryuudoin kenpou (Chinese martial sarts) like their father. Gai had honored their father by fighting one-on-one and even when he was defeated, he asked for one more try with a satisfied smile. Genshou rethinks their father's intention. Gai says he learned from their father that people born as prodigies aren't happy, but those who believe in themselves to the end and work hard with a fiery spirit, are.

Sakura runs up with the medics. Lee tells them to take Yagura. Naruto envies Gai's and Lee's teacher-student relationship.

Review: A pretty good filler with some interesting techniques and strategies.

Notes:

Ryuudoin Brothers: Genshou/Yagura, Rokkaku = second brother (wears mask and scroll), Jako = third brother

Ryuudoin Agira = father

Ninpo bokujin sou jutsu = ninja arts, wooden man aspect technique, a puppet manipuualtion technique

Bokujin Hyoui Tenshin Sou Jutsu = Wooden Man Dvine Dependence Aspect Technique

Kage Buyou = shadow dance

Ryuudoin kenpou = Chinese martial sarts

Thoughts:

Gai says he learned from their father that people born as prodigies aren't happy, but those who believe in themselves to the end and work hard with a fiery spirit, are. How did he learn that from a single fight? It's not like they sat around drinking sake. So was Agira the prodigy and Gai the hard worker?

Gai calls him "Agira-chan" which is usually for close family members and implies Agira is younger but he has three grown kids while Gai's only about 27.