-1[[This takes place within the events that I'm aware of. I'm aware of what happened at the chunin exams. I'm aware of Tsunade's promotion to Hokage. I'm not aware of any super-advanced plot thingies involving Orochimaru / Sasuke / the Akatsuki. This takes place in some miracle period after the chunin exams and Tsunade's promotion, but not a bit later. Well, maybe a bit. But not much.]]
Techniques that were passed down through generations were typically unique and memorable, ones that you only had to use once. Konoha Village had certain techniques that were to be passed down. Some were rather famous for this village, the village hidden in the leaves. Techniques such as Fireball Jutsu or the Phoenix Flower Jutsu. Those ninjutsu were powerful indeed, but few ever cared for the taijutsu that Konoha Village offered. Rock Lee was one of those few. Rock Lee was very full of himself, coming up with new names for himself at any opportunity possible. He and his sensei, Guy, would constantly train and work on new taijutsu for Lee to master. His fists would often be raw when he finished training, his bones and muscles aching simultaneously for sleep that would last months. Lee couldn't be happier with that feeling. He couldn't possibly be more ecstatic leaving training with bloody knuckles and sore bones, as long as he knew that he had accomplished something that day. Lee never strayed from the path of the true ninja, keeping honor and true love above all else. But what would happen if he was pushed to the brink? What would occur if his hand were to be forced? Would his nindo stay straight and true? Or would Lee bend on the inside, writhe under the pressure and eventually break?
---
End of major teaser session.
---
The forest atop the hill was entirely hushed, save for the occasional murmur of the wind rustling the leaves in the trees. A beautiful red color had melted through the sky, the sun bathing the clouds in a wonderful, deep red glow. The small village of Konoha was beginning to quiet down, the hustle and bustle of the city quieted to the point where it was almost silent. The village was lined with houses and businesses, meaning wide streets for people to pass through, and more people to see the bigger businesses. All the roads in the city seemed to lead to one, big building in the center. The office building of the fifth Hokage, Tsunade. That building stood proud and erect over all other buildings in the village. The roofs were all basking in the beautiful red color, warm with the late summer glow.
Rock Lee was leaning against a tall tree on the edge of the forest, looking over the small, hushed town. His muscles were tired, and his knuckles were red with repeated striking, but he had done a hard days work, and deserved a little break. Sweat trickled down his forehead, which was hidden by his bowl-cut hairstyle and thicker eyebrows. Lee's black eyes were slack and content as he stared out onto the city, his breath coming in a slow, calm speed. His green jumpsuit kept him cool when he needed it, and hot when he needed it, but right now, it just felt like a green oven had been slipped on him when he wasn't looking. His leg warmers weren't helping either, aside from the fact that they concealed extremely heavy weights. His shoes were sitting on the grass next to him so that he could cool of his feet as he rested. The bandages on his arms were starting to tear, meaning he'd have to buy new ones soon, but that wasn't a concern for him at the moment. His tall, muscular build was tense, yet tired. He had spent most of that day training hard, to the point where he had literally hit a tree to the point where it snapped straight through and fell to the forest floor.
Rock Lee sighed deeply, relaxing his entire body in one breath. "Now that I have trained for today, it is time to go back to the village and have a nice meal!" Lee said, stretching out his arms. It had been a long, hard day, and he deserved a good meal. He re-fastened his shoes and made his way down the grassy hill. Lee trained upon this hill many times, to the point where he had made a clearing in the center for himself. It didn't take long for Lee to make his way into the village. Lee had time to think as he walked towards his favorite spot. A mysterious mission had pulled Guy sensei away for a few weeks. Lee always had meals with Guy sensei if he could help it. Maybe it was time for him to spend a bit of time with the other members of his team. Although, he and Neji might end up fighting if Lee wasn't careful. Tenten was probably shopping with some of her girl friends, so that left Lee open for a place to eat alone.
Lee eventually wandered up to his favorite restaurant, a local Ramen Shop on the east side of town. It was a bit older, but it had a lot of heart. It was made out of a solid wood, giving it a homey feeling. There were five chairs lining the counter, each with a pair of chopsticks and glass right in front of them. Few people, one of those few being Lee, ever went to the shop, assuring him privacy. When he sat down at the counter, the owner, Jim, turned to greet him. He was a big, burly man with a rugged face. He always had a few whiskers on his chin, but not usually on purpose. He was wearing a pair of comfortable jeans and white t-shirt today, but they were covered up by a greasy, old apron that he always wore. "Hey there!" Jim bellowed, waking the young ninja from a slight mixture of exhaustion and hunger. "How you doing today, Lee? Lots of training up in the forest today?"
"Yes sir!" Lee said, saluting Jim. "I worked my very hardest today, just like I always do!"
"Good job, soldier! Good job!" Jim said, reaching for a hot towel. "You gonna have the usual?" Jim asked, reaching for a nearby utensil.
"Yes sir!" Lee said, a smile stretching across his face.
"All right!" Jim said, laughing. He turned back to the stove and poured some water in a pot and dug out some noodles. Lee always had the same thing when he came to the shop. He had an order of westernized pasta and four dumplings, which Lee claimed gave him enough energy to do an entire day's training all over again. The owner filled his glass with water, and snagged another from one of the seats next to him to fill with milk. Like usual, the water had a powder poured into it and mixed in. It was an energy drink designed to give energy and strength to Lee for more training.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Jim sir!" Rock Lee said, bowing his head. He took the cup of milk and put it to his lips. "For training." Lee reminded himself before drinking the milk. Lee had never really liked milk all that much, but it helped his bones and gave him more energy. Le slammed the cup back down on the table. He then looked determinedly up at Jim. "I can feel my bones growing stronger with every glass of milk I drink!" Jim couldn't help but guffaw at the genin's iron will and steely determination.
"Good job, kid! Good job!" Jim said, reaching for the plate of prepared dumplings. Jim turned around and placed the plate in front of Lee, the plate making barely any noise as it settled. Lee bowed once again to Jim before taking his chopsticks in hand and taking the first dumpling. The genin seemed to be a bottomless pit as he shoved dumpling after dumpling into his mouth. They were slightly bitter, but they were packed full of carbohydrates and protein guaranteed to provide energy. Jim slid a plate of westernized pasta next to the energetic Lee, and then turned to his sink and began washing a plate he had been previously cleaning.
"He spent the whole day training." A sand jonin had been carefully monitoring Rock Lee, taking mental notes whenever the ninja did so much as sneeze. The ninja had a hand pressed to the headset in his ear, sending a message to his commander. "He's getting better, sir. I think he's the one you want. The taijutsu prodigy."
"Excellent…" A voice crackled in over the headset. "Continue monitoring him, and tell me when he will be most vulnerable for us to strike." The voice fizzled out, and the receiving ninja groaned.
"Good job, Kayora." The sand ninja said in a mimicking voice. "Keep on going, Kayora. If you do more good things, you'll get a raise, Kayora." the ninja then turned back to the eating ninja and changed his voice back to his own. "Oh, thank you, commander! I enjoy doing your tasks. Oh, you want to give me a cruise trip? No, really, you're too kind!"
