The steady beat of hooves on dirt was a comforting cadence for Lee as he watched the countryside he was so familiar with drift by. He rubbed his reddened eyes, a familiar smile once more gracing his lips, having all but disappeared since his admittance to the hospital. Glancing around again, Lee made sure he had everything he planned on bringing. He had been told to bring only what he could carry. Normally that meant everything short of his house, but with his injuries, even just walking was a chore.

Carefully putting aside the bag filled with his life's earnings, he began to look through the only other bag he brought with him. The first thing he pulled out was a photo of Team Guy, taken right after their first mission. The mission was a success, thanks in no part to Lee. It was all Negi's doing, using his family inheritance, the famed byakugan to quickly find the Daimyo's lost cat. The cat got away the first time due to his own bumbling, but Tenten managed to catch it the second time thanks to the cat food she happened to have.

His hair was such a mess back then, just like everything else about him. It was only after he began training with Guy-sensei that he started using Konoha Brand Hair Wax to keep his hair flat and give it the same shine as his sensei's own.

In the photo, standing to his left was Tenten, cat in her arms, its face snuggling up against her neck. It was rare to see her with such a simple, carefree smile upon her face. Within the group, her usual smiles were ones of mild amusement spiked with a healthy amount of what looked like youthful determination. To see her so relaxed was a treasure. In truth, he developed a crush on her soon after Team Guy was formed after witnessing one of these smiles, and his secret affection for the kunoichi lasted a few months. Needless to say, those months were filled with horrible memories of trying to impress Tenten during missions, only to mess up in his nervousness and be saved by Negi. Although he was sure there was nothing between Tenten and Negi, the fact that he was a genius and she trained with him so often only served to bolster his determination to beat Negi.

'I never did manage to beat Negi…'

Quickly putting those thoughts aside, Lee tucked the photo away and continued digging deeper into his bag. It wouldn't do to dwell on the past, especially not now when the future is so very near. There was his trusty kunai, battered with heavy use. He took his first life with this blade. It was a fluffy little rabbit, caught during survival training in the thick woods around Konoha. They'd each had one, him, Negi, and Tenten. Holding the trembling ball of fur down with his left hand, he would ready himself for the deathblow, only to lose his nerve as he stared in the rabbit's shiny black eyes, mirroring his own eyes wet with unshed tears. It was hard, but the knowledge that he, that they ALL would eventually have to end the life of a human being, coupled with their hunger, pushed him enough to take the plunge, even as tears streamed down his face. He continued crying through dinner that night, sitting by the fire as he bit into his first kill, his tears making his meal a bit too salty for his liking.

'Those really were some good times' Lee thought, chuckling at the memories of his younger self. It really was good training for when he did kill his first enemy.

Continuing to rummage through his bag, he saw his headband, gloves, scrolls, and being squashed beneath all that was-"Ah! Lady Tsunade's letters! I must take better care of these." They were two letters given to him alongside the bundle of wealth. One was for her contact in the otherworld, while the other was for the guardians of the gate, the samurai in the Land of Iron. While they didn't purposefully guard the gateway, the gate was located within their lands, which were closed off to most civilians and all ninja to prevent disputes within their borders. Needless to say, without the letter, Lee would be unable to leave this world.

'Was that everything? Nothing was left behind ri-' "MY WEIGHTS!" quickly pouring the rest of the baubles out of the bag, Lee searched for signs of his beloved training weights.

'There!' Lee thought, seeing the telltale tan coloring of his weights beneath the shiny glint of metal. They were his first weights, cheap things that couldn't use chakra to change how heavy they were. Their simplicity allowed them to withstand the rigors of training and time quite well, as aside from being dirty, they were for the most part undamaged.

Quickly glancing around, Lee decided to put them on. 'This little bit of weight should not hurt,' Lee reasoned. How wrong he was, for soon after they were strapped to his injured flesh, the pressure became unbearable, the nerves in his limbs too raw still for such mistreatment. He took them back off, feeling both guilty and distinctly foolish.

It was strange, feeling so weak and helpless now, when a week ago he was as strong as an ox, and could throw one too. Now he felt defenseless, useless even, like he did back during his academy days. Worse yet, he could no longer look forward to getting stronger.

'No.' Slapping his hands hard to his face, he reminded himself of Guy's final lesson for him. 'A new dream in a new world,' he thought, but his thoughts were cut off by the realization that he had no idea what the otherworld was like, except that it had this "magic" instead of chakra. He finally gave up and let his mind drift off as his eyes continued to watch the passing countryside. It would really be a long, dull trip with the silent wagon driver.


The trip to the Land of Iron took ten days of travel. The cold, mountainous landscape created a stark contrast to the thick forests they were passing just days ago. Lee was bundled up in a cloak in a vain attempt to ward off the chilling, snowy air. As they continued on the road toward the only real settlement in the country, they were stopped by men in full suits of armor, seeming to have materialized all around their wagon. Peering at him through their helmets, all Lee could see was a red glow where their eyes would be. It was disconcerting, to put it mildly. The samurai were large, completely covered in armor, and sported large, chakra-infused weapons. While they didn't have the speed and stealth of ninja, they made up for it with their durability and destructive might.

"State your purpose for coming to our lands," one of them, presumably the leader, said.

"I have a message for Lord Mifune from Lady Tsunade, the current Hokage," Lee stated, while his hands, numb from the cold, fumbled around clumsily trying to show them the letter.

Another of the samurai reached out and took the letter, gingerly examining the seal and checking for any tampering or possible traps, while their leader watched. Satisfied, the letter was handed back to Lee. "Move along, and stick to the road. You will be searched at the gate," the leader informed them, before as a whole they faded back into the surrounding snow once more. Lee and his silent companion the wagon driver and prospective merchant continued onward toward the distant gates.


The search at the gate was, to Lee, decidedly much too thorough and intrusive for his comfort. After they passed the gates, Lee got off the wagon, nodding his goodbye to the silent driver as their paths split, him guided by a samurai while the driver headed to the shopping district in hopes of unloading his goods and finding some quality weapons to sell back home. If he weren't leaving this world behind, he would have loved to take a look at the fine selection the Land of Iron provided. It was common knowledge that the best weapons came from here, and it was really the only thing supporting the country, relying on the income to import virtually all their food and other necessities.

As Lee headed deeper into the great fortress city, he passed by many more checkpoints, before finally coming into a room occupied by an ornate desk and chairs, with many depictions of famous battles and beautiful landscapes decorating the walls. A wrinkled man with long grey hair and beard, a bandaged head, and a sword at his hip stood at the center of the room.

Lee stood in silence, wondering whether he should wait for who could only be the famous Mifune, one of the most renowned and respected warriors he'd loved hearing about in his youth, especially after finding out his lack of talent in the field of ninjutsu. The man was a living symbol of strength apart from the ninja world.

-Break-

Mifune had thought he'd seen it all. At the ripe old age of 79, he had lived nearly double the average life expectancy of most ninja and samurai alike. In his life, he'd witnessed two different ninja wars, and travelled the world many times, seeking out the strong. What was in front of him though, was just unnatural.

'My god, that can't be normal. The size of those eyebrows! In a few years they'll take over his whole face!'

Mifune's eyes widened for only a moment at the sight of the monstrosity before his years of practiced calm restored his features to their usual place. Hoping no one noticed the brief crack in his calm mask-'damn, he noticed'-he tore his eyes away from the boy's face and noticed the letter in his hands. He'd been informed of the arrival of a messenger from the Leaf. "Ahem, as you may know, I am Mifune, the leader of the samurai and the Land of Iron. I believe you have a message for me?" Mifune spoke, finally breaking the silence.

"I-I uh, I," Lee stuttered for a bit, before closing his mouth and silently handing the message to Mifune.

Mifune stared at the boy for a moment before taking the scroll, glancing at the seal and opening it up. 'Maybe he was dropped on his head as a baby. I swear, if those Kages are just sending idiots on purpose to annoy me again, there'll be hell to pay,' Mifune thought, rubbing his bandaged head as he began skimming through the message. 'Let's see now, Princess Tsunade's the new Hokage, pleasantries, filler lines, send boy through gate, request opening new-wait what?' Quickly glancing back up, Mifune reread the letter, making sure his old eyes weren't deceiving him. "You plan on going through the gate, boy?" Mifune looked up and questioned Lee, shock just barely evident in his voice.

"I, uh, I mean yes, your lordship. Sir," Lee managed to get out this time, quickly bowing deeply in respect.

Mifune stared at his bowed form once more. "You realize no one-well, almost no one-comes back after going through the gate, yes? It's as close as you can get to a death sentence. And stop your bowing, you're hurting my back just lookin' at ya," he grumbled out, shaking his head. 'This kid…'

"I trust the Lady Hokage's judgment," Lee immediately responded. It was the only thing, Mifune noticed, that the kid had managed to say so far without shaking like a-well, like a leaf.

'Heh, a leaf ninja, shaking like a leaf. Gotta remember that one for next time.'

"Very well. You should know that the only reason I am even allowing you access to the gate is because of Princess Tsunade. She's the only person to ever go through the gate and come back. From what she told me, she only survived due to her prodigious skill in medical ninjutsu," Mifune said, staring at Lee once again. Seeing Lee's unwavering resolution, he sighed. "If anyone else were to ask me, I would turn them away and tell them a kunai would be quicker." Turning to Lee's guard escort, he ordered them to take Lee to the gate.

Lee bowed once more, even more deeply this time, causing Mifune to wince. "Thank you for you generosity, Lord Mifune," and with that, he turned to go.

"Wait," Mifune stopped Lee as he was leaving. "What's your name, boy?"

Looking over his shoulder, Lee grinned and shouted, "I am Rock Lee, proud retired ninja of Konoha!" With that, Lee left with his escort.

'Rock Lee, huh? ' Mifune mused. 'The ninjas of the leaf are rather interesting. Perhaps I'll go have a look at that chunin exam of theirs. Hopefully they aren't all so loud though.'


The gate was quite the letdown for Lee. He had imagined something much grander, perhaps made out of gold and studded with jewels, or at least masterfully crafted. Instead he found himself looking at what he could only consider as an impossibility, an unobject that seemed to twist and turn at all the wrong places and in the wrong directions, and yet somehow still formed a gate. Simply staring at the thing gave Lee a headache and a feeling of vertigo.

Occupying the center of the gate was a mirror surface, occasionally shimmering and rippling like water. Lee stared at the gate, before picking up a rock and tossing it through. The rock passed through the mirror, causing the surface to ripple before slowly settling back to its smooth surface.

"Hey! Don't mess around with the gate," a Guard yelled at him, "Lord Mifune generously gave you permission to go through, so either do so or leave!"

Flushing from the admonishment, Lee steadied himself, checking to make sure he had everything with him. 'Well, I guess this is it. Here goes!' Leaving all other thoughts behind, Lee stepped through the gate.


A/N

Well, second chapter done. I didn't like how it went in many parts. Also, sorry it's not much longer than the first chapter. I hope I'll eventually speed up from the 1,000 words per week I'm getting so far.