Are we assuming Lee vs Gaara didn't happen?
Yes, this is assuming that Lee was paired with Neji instead of Hinata for the first match.
I still feel like Lee was a special case for Neji in how much he underestimated and belittled him, though I suppose you're right that Neji wouldn't hesitate in seeing the massive increase in chakra. However, on the profiles, Neji's regular speed is Massively Hypersonic, while Lee's speed is stated to be Massively Hypersonic while only in the First Gate, and the speed increase is significantly higher. I feel as though the topic of whether or not Lee actually needed the Fifth Gate to keep up with Neji or if it was just the Gate he needed to confidently overwhelm Neji is debatable, and the CRT for Part 1 Naruto didn't discuss it enough. I also believe that Lee is indeed faster than Neji in the Fifth Gate since Kakashi needed to use his Sharingan to keep up with his movements, whereas he had no problem following Neji's movements in his match with Hinata. Neji was also so shocked by Lee's strength and speed that he wondered if it was actually Lee, being in pure denial at the feat of strength he was witnessing.
I agree with this.
He actually had his Sharingan to look at his chakra while he was opening his gates, not to keep up with him. He did say he was fast, but he's just stating that the fourth gate gives a massive boost in speed, he didn't seem to have an issue with keeping up.
I think that'd be attributed to the fact that he's never seen Lee this fast or strong before.
Could you show me the scan of that? Cause I can't find it. The obvious point here is if he manages to hit him in the air, then Neji wouldn't be able to defend himself, because he doesn't have Kaiten in the air, so he'll have no choice but to eat those hits. But my argument is that since 5th Gate arguably makes him comparable to Neji in speed, but still not enough for reactions or even combat speed, Neji should be able to dish out more attacks than Lee could and not get knocked into the air.. (hell Neji's more durable than Gaara's Sand Armor anyway.)
Here's a page where Guy says it. It's an alternate translation of the page, but it basically confirms that Lee's high-speed combo would've been enough to defeat Neji. Even the translation you showed implies the same thing, where Guy says the Lee's speed renders him untouchable. He didn't say, "Only Neji's Kaiten would be fast enough to withstand that high-speed combo." Guy very clearly knew of Lee's rivalry with Neji and knew how much he wanted to prove himself, so it would only make sense he taught him the moves and technique he'd need to overcome Neji's Kaiten. I believe that Neji could easily deal with Lee in the First or Second Gate, but I believe the boost of speed and strength that even the Third and Fourth Gates provided would be enough to pressure Neji into using his Kaiten, and then as soon as he stopped the Kaiten, the Fifth Gate would finish him off. I believe the profiles stating that only Fifth Gate Lee is a match for Neji are just plain wrong and ignore the reactions and statements of everyone implying that Fifth Gate Lee is stronger and faster than Neji. For instance on Neji's page, some of the evidence that's used is that Neji defeated him in past sparring matches, not taking into consideration how long ago those matches were, whether or not he had his training weights on during those matches, and if he ever used the Gates during those sparring matches.
He doesn't even mention Neji, like at all. He was referring to Gaara, and he was right cause clearly Gaara couldn't react.
Lee is painfully aware of this, he'd never hold back against Neji.
Thank you! I agree that Neji could easily take out base Lee and probably 1st Gate Lee, but as you said, Neji would be utterly overwhelmed by the 4th and 5th gates, and possibly the 3rd gate as well.
