"L-Lee… W-What happened to you?!"
Tenten gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as she took in the sight before her. Her friend had shown up at the training grounds that morning looking like he'd been through a war—bruised, half-asleep, dark circles under his eyes, and his usually sleek, jet-black hair now sticking out in a messy, damp tangle that no longer shimmered under the sun. It resembled more of a rain-soaked pile of straw than anything else—at least it wasn't dirty.
"Huh? Oh, Tenten! Hey there! What happened to me, you ask? Heh-heh-heh. Nothing much! I just got a little bit stronger!" Rock declared proudly, his dark eyes gleaming with energy and determination, as if he weren't the one looking like an emaciated ghost.
"You… Are you some kind of masochist?!" Tenten blurted out in disbelief. Just when she thought she had figured Lee out, he would always prove her wrong, leaving her astonished—over and over again.
"What? No! That's ridiculous! I'm not—" Lee began to protest, but his stomach betrayed him with a loud, feral growl, making his embarrassment skyrocket and sending Tenten into a fit of laughter.
"You know," she chuckled, shaking her head, "I figured you'd show up without eating."
She reached into the pouch on her hip, pulling out two bento boxes. With a small, slightly bashful smile, she handed one to the dumbfounded Lee.
"Here. Have breakfast with me, okay? I'd really like that."
Lee froze. His mind went blank. Wasn't this a clear sign? If a girl willingly offered a guy homemade food, for free, without asking for anything in return, wasn't she, in some way, confessing her feelings? Hinting at something deeper?
"No, no, no. My logic must be fried from spending all night training my tendons and memorizing Kami-e. It's way too early for Tenten and me to be thinking about love and romance. But, ugh, I'm so hungry, I swear I could eat a whole elephant!"
Not wasting another second, he produced a pair of chopsticks from seemingly nowhere and immediately started devouring his meal, relishing every bite of rice, meat, and vegetables.
"By the way, I made all of that myself last night," Tenten remarked, watching him with a mix of amusement and curiosity. "So, be honest. How is it?"
"It's amazing! Thank you, Tenten! You're the best!" Lee responded with unfiltered sincerity, causing the brunette to blush furiously. Quickly turning away, she let him continue stuffing his face, watching as he scarfed down pickled vegetables and spiced fish with reckless abandon—desperate to replenish the energy lost from his late-night training.
For a while, the two enjoyed their quiet moment. But, of course, peace never lasted long when Neji Hyuga was around.
Approaching them with his usual composed stride, Neji took one look at Lee—his bruised, battered, and utterly disheveled state—and let out a low, disdainful chuckle before commenting in his signature cool, mocking tone:
"Some are born to win. Others… are born to look like losers."
"Oh? Hyuga, my dear teammate, how's life treating you? Not worried about failing Gai-sensei's test? You know, the universe doesn't favor the arrogant and overconfident. So if anything, you might just end up losing to me, Rock Lee—the most magnificent Taijutsu user there is!" Lee quipped back, smirking as he continued munching away at his meal under the shade of a nearby tree. Tenten grinned at his response, relieved he wasn't rising to Neji's bait.
"Good job," she whispered to Lee, grateful she wouldn't have to break up yet another fight between her stubborn teammates. The last thing she wanted was to sit idly by while they tore into each other. Thankfully, Neji chose not to escalate things further and fell silent.
For about ten seconds, peace reigned once more.
And then…
"AH-HA-HA-HA! I HEAR RIVALS EXCHANGING BOLD WORDS ONCE AGAIN?! SPLENDID! SUCH IS THE POWER OF YOUTH!"
Tenten nearly choked. Lee stopped mid-bite. Neji sighed in irritation. There was no mistaking that voice.
Might Guy had arrived.
—
What exactly had Rock Lee been doing the previous night, after the effects of the White Pill wore off?
Well, first, he'd cleaned himself up—trimmed his nails, collected his thoughts, and prepared himself to fully commit to mastering Kami-e. He had sorely underestimated the technique, believing he could conquer it in just five or six hours.
How wrong he was.
Kami-e required extreme flexibility—enhancing tendons, elasticity, and joint movement to a near-impossible degree. There was no way he could master it in a single day. Maybe if he had a boneless, snake-like body, it'd be possible… but even then, what use would Orochimaru have for such a technique? The man was chasing immortality, not evasion skills.
Still, Lee refused to give up. He stretched and practiced the movement patterns for hours, and by dawn, while he hadn't perfected the technique, he had confirmed one thing—his body had indeed become more flexible and agile than before.
So when a laughing Guy suddenly launched himself mid-air and flung a handful of shuriken at them, Lee didn't hesitate. He twisted effortlessly, avoiding the attack while simultaneously pulling a startled Tenten out of harm's way.
Neji, of course, didn't need assistance. With a swift motion, he deflected the projectiles with his own, seamlessly shifting into his Gentle Fist stance.
"Guy-sensei! Why are you attacking us right after I ate?! I can't be moving this fast right now!" Lee protested, glaring at his mentor who had just landed gracefully before them.
"Was this… an assassination attempt?" Neji muttered, narrowing his eyes suspiciously before activating his Byakugan.
"AH-HA-HA-HA! What are you talking about, Neji?! I was merely testing you! You must not be so pessimistic—energy must flow through you at all times! And as for you, Rock… Judging by your appearance, you trained all night, didn't you? EXCELLENT! TRULY EXCELLENT! A SHINING EXAMPLE OF YOUTH! I take it you'd rather overtrain than undertrain? HA-HA-HA! Well then, let's see just how much stronger you've become!"
Lee gulped.
"Oh boy… This is about to get intense."
He quickly exchanged glances with Tenten—who was already backing away—and Neji, who was standing slightly off to the side. Without hesitation, Lee shouted:
"We need to spread out! Tenten, keep the pressure on with shuriken and kunai from a distance! Hyuga, you and I will take him in close combat! And just to be clear—this isn't an order, it's a request!"
A storm erupted on the training ground as Might Guy shot forward at blinding speed. Lee and Neji barely had time to react, but their instincts took over.
Guy's punches weren't at full speed or power—he wasn't aiming to kill—but they were still dangerously fast. However, with his newfound flexibility, Lee found himself slipping past strikes with last-second twists and evasions, moving like a serpent.
Neji, ever the prodigy, had already shifted into defensive maneuvers, using Gentle Fist to parry and counter with precise chakra-infused strikes.
Then, the sound of whizzing steel filled the air.
Tenten's shuriken and kunai, attached to near-invisible wires, came flying in from above at deadly angles.
But Guy didn't dodge.
With a simple sweep of his arm, he disrupted the air currents, sending the projectiles scattering.
"Keep him distracted, Tenten! Just keep going!" Lee shouted, shifting into an aggressive stance as Neji lunged forward, his hands glowing with chakra.
This fight was about to get wild…
P.s: If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 27+ at patreon.com/c/Lucius01
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