G3F\\\ Gaiden of the Three Failures

YD2

If you've reviewed, thanks! Looks like this sidestory will be four parts.

Disclaimer: I don't own NARUTO.


Mifune had found, as he'd first intuited, that Rock Lee was by no means a bad kid. He regarded his instructors with honest respect, even aware he was easily more powerful than most; he did not express bitterness or a sense of superiority around his peers in training, and though he bested them with sheer might at every spar, he was never swell-headed, but graceful in his every victory. His work ethic was admirable, and he tackled every challenge full tilt. He devoted his free time to further training. These virtues were valuable ones; in most areas, he excelled brilliantly.

The general peered from the window of the hut, gaze traveling down the hillside and to the river. On the stepping stones stood motionless figures, their knees bent, eyes shut, and auras calm. These were the trainee warriors he oversaw for the day – or, they were most of them. Farther upstream, at the waterfall, a lone figure stood grounded, his stance square and knuckles pressed together as he endured the weight of the crashing torrent upon his shoulders. As Mifune had returned from a stroll through the mountains minutes prior, he had found one student no longer meditating on a stepping stone, as instructed, but standing on one hand in the river, doing inverted pushups.

Rock Lee was not a bad kid. His intent lay not in disobeying or spiting his masters when he deviated from their instructions, but rather some guileless compulsion to increase the difficulty of whatever task lay before him. This insofar innocent knack for restlessness crippled his ability to meditate properly. Problematic in its own right was the fact that some of his peers, less perceptive of the boy's pure intentions, were rapidly beginning to resent the young shinobi as a showoff or troublemaker, uncultured and attention-seeking.

Either way, as punishment for failing in meditation he had been relocated to the harsh waterfall; the disciplinary action was typical, though its cause was anything but, and the man had to wonder if in this case it constituted a punishment at all…

Movement in the corner of his eye brought Mifune from his reverie. The boy under the waterfall, fidgeting in boredom, had raised his hands to his head and begun doing squat jumps, smiling contently at the strenuousness of the exercise he had devised.

Mifune blinked, nearly incredulous.

Quickly composing himself again, he sighed and stood.

How does one go about teaching such a creature?

He paused. With a groan he rose and took two practice swords from a box full of them, and swept from the room.


Young Dragon's Gaiden

Two: Mold Breaker

The prospect of a rematch with Lord Mifune had caught Lee's attention quickly enough. The practice sword was not wood but dull metal, and its grip felt good in his hand. Most of all, the promise of a fight against a strong foe brought his blood to an eager boil.

The other trainees lined the bank, watching intently as Lee and Mifune faced each other, within striking distance, on two stepping stones. The combatants bowed; then Lee's hand clenched on the dull sword's hilt. The boy tensed and bent his knees, prepared to strike as the master's hand flowed to his own weapon.

Mifune did not move. His eyes held those of his opponent, but he stood almost fully upright, as if relaxed. Lee remained tensed, ready to move at any moment as he stared the man down.

Lee struck out, and was thrown off his feet as a sickening pain exploded across his cheek.

The practice blade that had hit him was dull, but heavy, and the wallop he had been dealt sent Lee turning with a jump on one heel, for a moment airborne, before sprawling on his side into the shallow water. He flailed once in confusion, trying to pick himself up and dropping again, but managed to turn his face out of the stream.

"It's true," someone was saying from the bank. "Even with a mere practice sword, the master's Iaidou is amazing…"

Hands trembling, Lee blinked at the sword that had fallen out of reach, at the coppery tang pooling in his mouth. Gathering his wits, he began to sit up, and glared in frustration at the man standing above him, blade apparently long since sheathed. The same move as before, and it had defeated him just as before.

"How?" he demanded. His fists clenched. "I attacked first. How did your strike land, and not mine?"

"My strike was finer."

Lee felt the pain throbbing in his cheek. "You have to teach me to strike like that."

"What do you suppose I've been trying to do?"

The boy's eyes narrowed. "What…?"

Mifune sighed. "Listen, child… Your intent to strike is rigid and unwavering. It is driven on by a perpetual goal, and becomes as such itself. But while your overflowing intensity and physical presence may prove overwhelming to some, to stronger opponents it will only make your every motive plain as day – and simple to counter."

"If we are opponents, what other motive can we possess than to strike and win?"

"If the art of battle is truly so simple, why weren't you able to read my strike? Did I betray any remarkable aggression?"

"So you hid your intent…"

"I did not hide my intent, young shinobi. I did not bear it to begin with."

"Then you are telling me to strike without the intent to strike?"

"No. I'm telling you to practice restraint. Tame your passionate will, when you must; confine the spirit that blazes unchecked. Let your intent to strike manifest only as one with the strike itself. Then, and only then, will it be the strike that grants you victory. This is not weakness, Lee, but discipline."

The boy's brow furrowed. "I do not understand that."

"Perhaps, in time, you will." Mifune nodded. "It would behoove you to reflect on this, Lee. You intend to surpass me, don't you, so that you may walk away from this place when you please?" A surprised look confirmed his suspicions, and he chuckled. "You show your intent for all to see. If anything, I suppose it is redeeming, if not misguided, that you would rather at least surpass me than simply steal away, like a shinobi. But while you hope to test your strength, and prove yourself forcefully by your own path, our goals are more closely aligned than you might believe."

"And… and why is that?"

"You will never surpass me without learning what I can teach you."

Lee remained silent as Mifune turned and walked away. He looked down, humbled, and gritted his teeth. I do not understand what you are saying, he thought, pressing his hand to a growing bruise. But I know that if I grow stronger, I can defeat you…

"You alright, shinobi?"

The one who had approached him wore an earnest smile. He was tall, taller than Lee, with a broad frame and a heavy nose, but his face was not unkind. "You've got murder in your eyes. Don't look like that – you didn't expect to beat the master, did you? You've got guts, all the same."

With some hesitance, Lee took the hand the fellow trainee offered, getting to his feet. "Arigatou… Ken'ichiro-san, right?"

"O-ho, then the newcomer knows my name."

"So he's not as airheaded as he looks? Big deal."

Looking past Ken'ichiro, Lee's eyes found the speaker still on the bank. The small trainee, hair in a neat bun – Koaki – nodded warily, giving a sidelong look.

Nearby, another group of trainees simply glared.


At the mess hall that evening, Lee, who had for the past week found himself sitting alone, ventured to take a place next to Koaki and Ken'ichiro.

"You sure about that, shinobi?" Koaki asked, flashing a wry grin. "Sit with me, and you'll be outcast as well."

"Huh? What about Ken'ichiro-san?" Lee asked.

"He's got a strong family name to stand on; no one would give him grief over whom he chooses to sit with. But you, on the other hand…"

"Koaki, please," the larger youth whispered, and for a moment he actually looked the slightest bit flustered.

"I believe I have already grown rather estranged from the others..." Lee pointed out.

"Wonder why," Koaki scoffed.

Lee blinked. He did not know why, but a fair portion of the group seemed to think ill of him. That being said, he would much prefer to sit with these two, who had proven civil enough, than alone. "Wait – Koaki-san, why does anyone care who associates with you?"

The small man sighed and spoke softly. "See Shinwara-san over there?" He nodded subtly toward another table across the room, where a young man's words commanded the attention of the sizeable group around him. "First-born of the head of Kawazora. His family is an affluent and influential one – an old family that doesn't think women are fit to so much as hold katana, much less study the way of the warrior."

"That cannot be right," Lee said adamantly. "Male or female, people can follow the paths they choose."

"You– really think so, shinobi?" Koaki said it with some suspicion, but seemed to regard him in a new light all the same.

He nodded in fierce affirmation. "Certainly! But… hold on. What does that have to do with Koaki-san?"

Ken'ichiro's eyebrow twitched nervously. Koaki cocked his head to the side. "Are you daft, shinobi? Do I have to spell it out for–?"

"AH!" Lee exclaimed, flippant with surprised realization as he stood and pointed. "Koaki-san is female!"

And in reward for his overdue deduction, he was succinctly taken down by the young woman's soup bowl ricocheting off his forehead.


It was not long after that, one morning of training, Lee retrieved his assigned wooden practice sword from the storage shack to find it many times its former weight.

Though initially baffled, after some experimenting he deduced that the thing had seemingly been hollowed out, and sealed filled with lead. While he could not fathom who had done such a thing, he was delighted.

It was with a youthful zeal and new vigor in his moves, a sparkle in his eyes and an eager smile on his face, that he tackled the long hours of form practice and group kata that day. When it came time for partnered practice, Lee was coated in a satisfactory sheen of dripping sweat. Kawazora Shinwara was quick to line up against him.

"You look tired, shinobi…?" Shinwara's particular use of 'shinobi' in lieu of Lee's name was quite apart from the endearment it had become when used by Ken'ichiro, and lately even Koaki. Presently, however, as Shinwara faced down an earnestly glowing Leaf shinobi who held a smile of sweet contentment, the scornful intent and haughty derision of his line was lost beneath his own confusion.

Lee grinned heartily as they bowed. "Wonderful, is it not – that someone has thought to fill my sword with lead? It is just a bit closer to the weight of the blades I am accustomed to."

The Kawazora son gawked, at this creature that struggled only to suppress chuckles of mirth.

When all the pairs had lined up, the order was called to start. Lee's heavy practice sword went in one stroke smashing down through Shinwara's block and swatting the young man flat to the ground.

"Thank you for the fight!"


For meditation that day, the trainees were brought out to a ravine. Each was to select a stone to hoist above them and hold in place as they cleared their minds.

"Become calm and unwavering as the stone; support it, become its counterpart, and balance it. Then you will not feel its weight," said the instructor who paced the line, eyeing each fledgling warrior in turn. Some shook, struggling visibly as the minutes wore on; some were stubbornly tense, and others wholly at ease. One, not quite falling into any of the aforementioned categories or even the spectrum that ran between them, held a boulder twenty times the size of any other's, and did so with a smile…

The man paused. "Rock Lee, what are you doing?"

"Sir! I am doing the exercise, sir!" Lee chirped happily.

"I… I can see that… Are you quite alright, lad?"

"Fantastic, sir!" he said dutifully, flashing a tooth-glinting grin.

"Ah… okay, then," the instructor said, face a bit paler as he continued on his way.

"You're insane, shinobi," Koaki grunted at his side. Lee glanced her way, blinking. While the male trainees had discarded their shirts, wearing only the uniform pants, the lone young woman wore in addition a cloth band over the tape that crossed her chest. Lee could nonetheless see the healthy lines of a supple body, the muscle tone that evidenced years of devotion to a firm conditioning regimen, and he felt a newfound spike of respect for his petite friend. She was stronger than met the eye.

Lee shook his head as she blushed, asking just what he was looking at. By his evaluation, the stone she held was barely within her capability; as such, by pushing her limits she had selected one larger than a number of those chosen by the young men. Even so, she endured the burden with a resolute stance and cool eye, breath controlled and steady. "You are quite strong, Koaki-san." He meant it in more than the physical sense alone.

"Do you mock me?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

"I don't think mocking's his style, little tempest."

"Ken!" she complained.

Ken'ichiro smiled from Koaki's other side. With his size, he held easily the largest stone among the regular trainees. He smiled. "Koaki trains every day after the required work is completed – I don't know how she does it. I guess you two have that much in common, though."

She scowled. "If I'm not as physically strong as I can be, I won't stand a chance against men. And in terms of swordsmanship, being as good as the others isn't nearly enough. Because of who I am, I'll have to be much better than the rest to even be taken seriously. Not that you would understand any of it, shinobi."

Lee's expression became reflective. "Fighting to overcome your disadvantage… actually, I might."

Before she could ask, a force shoved from behind against the large stone she held. Her knees buckled; she overbalanced, and her eyes grew in horror as she began to fall.

"Abunai!"

She landed on her front, swearing. She had been prepared to push the rock away in a frantic attempt to prevent its crushing her, but upon meeting no resistance in the action had merely sprawled flat on her face.

"Are you alright, Koaki-san? What happened?"

Lee stood beside her, the stone he'd scooped from her hands sitting comfortably atop his palm. What made her jaw drop – and indeed, imparted a similar effect on all around them – was his own boulder, which he had transferred to one hand and now held aloft above his head as easily as ever. She opened and closed her mouth. "I-I– I was pushed…"

"Who would do such a thing?" Lee gasped. Eyes scanning, he realized that Shinwara must have been walking by behind the line, but now stood frozen. He blanched visibly as Lee met his eyes, face fierce and holding a boulder per hand as if it were no uncommon feat.

"Kawazora-san! Did you see who did this?"

"Iiieeee! A-ah, I mean, no, I did not. More importantly, why not put those down before you hurt someone?"

Ken'ichiro groaned. Lee at least became aware that he was terrifying the entirety of the group. "Gomen nasai!" he said with a sheepish smile, and tossed the two stones away from anyone. Not a few trainees jumped as they met ground with a roar. "Wait… why were you not participating in the exercise as well, Kawazora-san?"

The young man regarded the shinobi with a scowl, turned up his nose, and strode away.

"Shinobi," Ken'ichiro sighed, sending a grim smile toward the retreating boy's back. "For whatever reason, I thought they were supposed to be super sharp or something."


"What? It was him?!" Lee cried.

"Keep it down!" Koaki chided, casting wary glances about the mess hall. Ken'ichiro noted cheekily that shinobi were louder than he'd imagined, as well.

"But why?" Lee asked. "You could have been seriously injured! How can he get away with such lowly conduct?"

"It's unfortunate," Ken'ichiro said, "but those from prominent families can easily have their misdeeds overlooked. Shinwara comes from the only clan bold enough to dissent openly against Lord Mifune's policies as the general of Iron. There have even been whisperings of a rebellion brewing among some of the great clans, with the Kawazora House at the core. Naturally, they were quick to publicly disown the overzealous fellows who took to ransacking the countryside…"

As Lee made the connection, his face darkened. If that is so, he realized, one or both of the men I killed there may have been Shinwara-san's clansmen… "What issue do they take with Lord Mifune?" Whatever else Lee thought of the stern man, he could not deny that he was a great warrior and just master.

"Not all are content with the pacifism he's maintained for so long," Koaki said. "Instead of enjoying the peace he's brought about after decades of turmoil, they see such a policy as power gone to waste."

"In addition, they're mostly moderate to strict traditionalists. Mifune's interpretation and teaching of the warrior's way isn't what bothers them, though. It's his open mind and accepting nature. As the Kawazora and a few other houses see it, women, commoners, and outsiders will only sully the Way. Mifune doesn't agree; he sees anyone with the will to learn as fit to train here." Ken'ichiro shook his head. "As I see it, the only ones sullying the Way are the supposed noble houses who think themselves so far above it."

"Outsiders…" Lee murmured. "Like Washi-shishou, and now…"

"Forget that," Koaki snapped, eyes shut as she massaged her brow. "Let's talk about something less heavy."

"Heavy…" Lee chuckled. "It is the strangest thing – my practice sword seems to have been filled with lead!"

"…Eh?" Koaki raised an eyebrow at his cheerful matter-of-factness; Ken'ichiro, in contrast, slammed a fist on the table.

"That scoundrel! So he's already targeting you as well…"

"Huh?"

"Wait, wait." The young woman shook her head. "That was what you were so happy about during training earlier?"

"Unfortunately, I broke his practice sword when he blocked…"

"Reaped what he sowed," she muttered.

"But earlier, with the boulder – that was unreal. Are all shinobi as strong as you?" Ken'ichiro interjected curiously.

"Physically? No," Lee said, "but I know of some who are stronger still."

"Hmm," the other young man muttered, thinking. "You're just so different from the shinobi I would've pictured…"

"What about ninjutsu?" Koaki piped up, curious but speaking just loudly enough to be heard.

"Aha!" Ken continued, "That's right! Do you have any cool techniques?"

Lee paused on a bite of soup, sitting straight to regard the eagerness of Ken'ichiro and the interest that shone through Koaki's impassive mask. Then he laughed aloud at the irony. The others exchanged a startled glance.

"Gomen!" Lee cried, clutching his sides. "What are the chances – that the second shinobi to train here, the first you have seen, would be one who cannot show you a single ninjutsu!" He snorted and guffawed even more.

Though he did not fully understand the foreigner, Ken'ichiro's eyes softened. Very slightly, a smile edged onto Koaki's face.

"I don't think it's chance, shinobi… Lee-san," she said with a hint of warmth, nodding. "You've come here for a reason."

-青春の竜-

Young Dragon's Gaiden

End Part Two

Lee: HAXORUS, HAX!

Ken: On the next episode of Rock Lee and his Samurai Friends-

Mifune: No.

Lee: You are no fun, Shishou!

Mifune: How about this - I'll tell you a story next time. That is 'fun,' right?

Lee: A story of daring adventurers and grand clashes?!

Mifune: No... a story of smiths.

Next time: The Two Katana.

-Hinata0321