'Lee, that was pathetic! Go run 1000 laps around Konoha.'
'Yes, Gai Sensei! Right away!'
'Tenten, you haven't been doing much training today. Drop down and give me 200 push ups.'
'But Gai Sensei…'
'No excuses!'
'Fine. Don't complain if I can't do them though; I've been working my butt off.'
'Neji.' Gai's ruthless gaze drifted onto the Hyuga prodigy. Neji folded his arms and narrowed his eyes towards his hyperactive sensei. 'I want you to do 500 jump ropes without fault.' Gai threw the rope over to Neji, who didn't even move to catch it. The rope slung over his shoulder before dropping pathetically to the floor.
'I will do no such thing,' Neji fumed. He was a genius, after all. He would not be reduced to skipping like a 5 year old academy girl.
Gai's overlarge eyebrows knitted into a frown. 'Now Neji, this is training practice. This will help you become a better shinobi.'
'You give Lee this challenge daily, and I don't see him improving much,' Neji scowled. Tenten stopped her push ups, gasping at what Neji had just said. He dared to insult not only Gai's training methods, but his precious student too? That was too far.
Gai adopted a similar stance to Neji's. They stared daggers at each other, neither one making the first move.
'Err…guys?' Tenten spoke up. They had been standing for over 5 minutes, and frankly, she was getting rather frightened.
Neji closed his eyes, smiling to himself. 'All I said was the truth, nothing more,' he said smugly. Gai began to breathe slowly, then smirked at the cocky teen.
'The day you can question my training methods is the day you beat me in a battle,' he spoke calmly.
'Now, Gai sensei, Neji. Is this not going a bit far?' Tenten began, stepping between the two men.
'Wait there, Tenten. I have just been challenged,' Neji smiled, pushing the kunoichi out of his way. 'I accept.'
'Are you certain? You forget you are just a mere Chunin and I am a Jonin,' Gai warned.
'Hmph.' Neji stood in a traditional Gentle Fist fighting stance.
'So be it,' Gai responded, standing in a position that was identical to Lee's.
Neji ran forward, pulling out his first two fingers and advanced to strike his sensei. In a green flash, he disappeared from immediate view. The veins around Neji's eyes bulged as he activated his Byakugan. He scanned the area, keeping one hand up in defense. A green clad was speeding towards him. Neji ducked an oncoming fist, swinging his left arm round to hit…
Nothing. Not surprisingly, Gai sensei's speed allowed him to dodge Neji's blow with ease. Neji returned to search for the youth obsessed Jonin.
He couldn't see him.
That couldn't be correct. He tilted slightly, moving his blind spot.
Still nothing.
Something was wrong. He intensified his chakra, making all images sharper. No Jonin to be seen.
Then… a flicker. Only a slight distortion. It had to be…
Must use rotation! Neji thought, panicking slightly before beginning to revolve.
'Too slow!'
Before he could finish his revolve, a series of fists pummeling his face in an intense speed. Neji raised his arms in front of his face and was pushed back against a tree. He dodged to the side, causing Gai to break the tree's trunk in two. Neji done an impressive sequence of back flips before landing gracefully, arms positioned in a 45 degree line.
'You're in range, Gai sensei.'
Gai smiled, dropping his fighting stance. Neji raised an eyebrow. Was he giving up? Or was he plotting something? Only one way to find out…
Neji glided forward, stabbing two of Gai's chakra points. He quickened the pace, hitting four. Doubling the speed, he doubled the amount of blows, until.
'Sixty-four palms!' Neji shouted in triumph as Gai slumped to the floor. He dared a small smirk. Then quickly removed it. Something wasn't right.
He re-activated his Kekkei Genkai. The Gai on the floor had its own chakra, which was effectively at a halt. Then why did it feel…
Poof
A rather scared turtle appeared, its shell slightly marked by Neji's previous attack.
'Substitution…' Neji muttered, bringing his arms up defensively. A foot sailed cleanly through his protection and hit him clean in the face. Neji span through the air, his back smashing against a tree branch. Spitting out blood and curses, Neji used his chakra to cling to the tree. Gai was stood in the training field, not even looking remotely fatigued. Tenten's eyes were flicking between her sensei and her team mate, clearly shocked at the event.
'Are you two quite finished?' She asked, cocking an eyebrow at the boys.
'I haven't even started,' Neji spat, leaping from his branch. He spun around in the air, releasing a mass amount of shuriken. Gai smiled, standing still. It appeared that all of the shuriken just dropped before him.
He's too fast; his movements are untrackable.
Neji landed delicately before running forward to strike his sensei. With unnatural speed, he reached towards an opening. He pulls his arms back, chakra spilling from his finger tips, jabbed at the ninja –
And received a roundhouse kick to the face. Neji collapsed to the floor, scowling up at his sensei. Gai smiled down on his defiant student.
'Will you accept my training methods now Neji?' he asked. Neji was drenched sweat and specked with blood, however… however, Gai sensei doesn't even have a drop of sweat on him. It is as if I didn't even challenge him.
'Hmph.' Neji returned the smile. He had a good teacher, why did he even challenge him in the first place?
Gai took his smile as a yes. 'That is very youthful of you Neji!' he exclaimed energetically. 'Now as a punishment for your defeat, you have to do 1000 jump ropes without fault.' He picked up the forgotten rope and tossed it toward the Hyuga. His smile instantly dropped. Tenten - who had been watching the whole thing – scratched her head, eager to see Neji's reaction.
'No skipping,' he demanded, swatting the rope away.
'For every skip you do not do, you do two laps around the village,' Gai warned, shaking his finger. Hiding a smile behind a scowl, Neji got up and began his 2000 lap run, privately thankful that his teacher was as good as he is.
A/ N
The moral of the story is:
Gai sensei owns your ass.