‟…san, shi, go, roku… ˮ, Lee counted. ‟If I don't do 400 punches, then I'll do 500 kicks ˮ, he said determined. He continued until the sun was at its highest point in the sky.

‟Shi-hyaku ˮ, he announced out loud, after successfully hitting 400 punches.

I better get back to the village, he thought. Gai-Sensei will be waiting on me for lunch. Lee had been practicing his taijutsu extensively this past week. Gai had been gone on an important mission for the Hokage. He couldn't tell his three students anything about it. Gai had told Lee, specifically, that he would be back in one week. The bond between the master and Lee was nothing compared to what his other two comrades had. Today was the day his beloved sensei would finally return. Lee was excited to show his teacher the progress he had managed to make in that short amount of time.

Lee lightly jogged back towards the gates of Konoha, not wanting to seem too tired after only half a day of training. As he approached the village, he couldn't help but stop to catch his breath. 400 punches were tiring, after all. Besides, there was no one there to see him panting. Lee worked hard to be recognized by the villagers. Especially Neji. He was a genius on his team, from the Hyuuga clan. Neji would always remind Lee that a genius would always beat him, no matter how much hard work he put into his training. But ever since Gai-Sensei had recognized him, Lee was always determined to master taijutsu no matter what it took.

Lost in his thoughts, Lee almost didn't notice that he wasn't alone. About 20 feet left of him, was a clearing. And that clearing wasn't empty. Lee could hear someone kicking at what sounded like a tree. As quietly as he could, he approached the scene cautiously. A Konoha ninja could never leave his guard down, not even so close to the village. Camouflaged by the thick foliage, in between branches, Lee got as close to the vacant spot in the forest to observe the scene from above.

Below was a young girl, about 13, kicking and punching a tree stump. She spun around it, her shoulder length, light brown hair moving with her, carefully attacking the dead organism with her fists and feet. Despite her short height and curvy figure (regardless of her young age), she was fast. Lee watched, breathless, as she slowly cut at the bark with her sharp hits, not flinching as her knuckles turned bright red.

Mayou had come across this clearing about a week ago now. It was the perfect spot to practice her fighting. It was a wide area, with lots of light from the lack of tree branches above, and it conveniently had an old tree stump almost right at the middle of the clearing. It seemed almost too good to be true. As soon as she found the place, she internally claimed it as her own. Of course, she had no idea how close to civilisation she was. The grand village of Konoha was just a few kilometers away. Having been orphaned at a young age, raised on her own and always on the run, Mayou wasn't aware of the country of Fire's geography. Nonetheless, she managed to survive going from small town to small town. She avoided people as much as she could, especially ninjas, who she had seen rush through the forest often. She always managed to hide and conceal her presence.

‟Hmm ˮ, she'd mutter to herself, ninjas mustn't be too great if they never perceive me when I'm so close by.

After she felt that the stump had suffered enough hacking, Mayou decided to stop her training exercises for the day. She looked down at her throbbing fists and saw the warm blood seeping through her broken knuckles. Ugh, she groaned, bringing her right fist to her mouth. She ran off towards the place where she had hid her scarce belongings a few hours earlier. She never slept in the same place, fearing being discovered. That night, she nestled in her only blanket under a large tree, just as she liked it. The sky was clear and the stars were visible through the thick set of leaves above. This time of year wasn't too cold at night, so she didn't have to waste money on paying for an inn to sleep at. That night she slept uneasily though, feeling as though she was being watched.

The next day, after eating some fruit she had gathered, Mayou headed towards her designated training spot. She carefully hid her pack and made her way towards the clearing. When she arrived, she automatically sensed that something was off balance. As she approached the tree stump, she saw something lying right below it. When she got close enough, she bent down to see a pile of white bandages neatly placed on the grass next to the tree.