Chapter eight – The meaning of hard work

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto

While the village of Konoha was still dormant, one genin was not. He would get up even before the sun would and start his training regime because it was his routine. This one genin who knew the true meaning of hard work was none other than Rock Lee. He liked to use that time alone to think about his life thus far and about the wonderful sensei that had basically saved his life. He smiled at the thought and jabbed at the air as he sprinted down the street. He didn't care that the icy air smacked against his face and nipped at his body. "Yosh! I will make you proud, Gai-sensei! I will complete two thousand laps in your name!" he shouted and pumped his fist in the air. With his newfound strength, he pushed his legs to go even faster. He owed everything to Gai-sensei and he could make sure to repay the man's kindness with dedication and hard work. As he was sprinting down the street, he caught sight of a person wearing a red jacket with the hood over his head. Though he couldn't see the person's face, he watched as the person yawned loudly before shoving his hands in his front pockets. As he ran past the person, that was when blonde hair poked out of the hood. Immediately Rock Lee skidded to a stop and watched as the boy took a stumble back from the force. "Uzumaki Naruto!" he shouted and the boy slowly turned around. The boy took off his hood, and though he wore a bandana, he could still see that bright blonde hair that his teacher had described to him. His eyes lit with a strange new fire as he darted towards him.

Naruto always hated getting up especially so early in the morning. He wanted to crawl under his bed and allow the heat of his sheets to lull him to sleep. As he staggered to meet his crazy ass Anko-sensei, his eyes were still drunk with sleep. As he was grumbling to himself, something that felt like a strong gust of wind forced him backwards. A shout of his name snatched him away from his revere, and he slowly turned to the person that had called him out. When he looked down the street, his eyes widened. A weird boy wearing a green jumpsuit was smiling at him. Whoever that weirdo was, he didn't want ANYTHING to do with him! The trusty voice in his head was shouting at him to get away, and he had learned the hard way that he should never ignore that voice. So, he turned on his heels, ready to escape. "Oh Kami!" he shouted when the boy suddenly appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. He had to calm down his heart that was doing flip flops in his chest. Naruto stilled as he took in the boy's appearance. Bowl hair cut? Check. Body tight green jumpsuit? Of course. The most insanely large eyebrows he had ever seen? Yup. Orange leg warmers? Sure, why not? Yeah, whoever this boy was, Naruto didn't want anything to do with him. "What do you want? I have nothing on me, eyebrows!" he shouted but the boy just threw his head back and laughed. He slapped Naruto on the shoulder and smiled. Naruto was nearly blinded by his pearly white teeth that he could use to see his own reflection.

"My youthful friend, I do not wish to steal from you!" he shouted and Naruto winced at the volume of his voice. "I merely wished to greet you. You are Uzumaki Naruto, right?" he asked.

"These whisker marks are authentic, bushy brows" Naruto said and Lee just chuckled. "And how do you know my name?" he asked.

"My sensei knows your sensei!" he said showing him a thumbs up pose. "She mentioned you and he told me about your burning display of youth!" he shouted and clenched his bandaged hands.

"Your sensei knows Anko-sensei?" he asked with an arched eyebrow. Lee nodded and Naruto added "Huh". Of course Anko would know a teacher that would allow his student to wear something like that. You used to wear an orange jumpsuit, so I don't see how you can judge him his self conscious informed him and he nodded. "You're right" he mused to himself. "Well, it was nice meeting you but I have to go" he said and turned to leave.

"Are you going to meet your sensei for training?" he asked and Naruto nodded. However he instantly regretted it as he saw the gleam in the boy's eyes. "Yosh! I must tell Gai-sensei of such commitment to your shinobi training!" he shouted and ran off.

"Uh, wait! I didn't get your name, bushy brows! What is it?!" Naruto shouted and the boy stopped.

"Rock Lee!" the boy shouted and with a smile over his shoulder, he disappeared. Yep, Naruto had to tell Anko about him.

His previous encounter hadn't left his mind as he approached Anko. "What's with that look on your face?" she asked.

"I met this crazy boy that..." he was saying when Anko interrupted him and he frowned.

"Whatever you do in your free time is your business. Your preference is your choice" she said seriously, though there was a malicious grin on her face. Naruto turned red at the insinuation and pointed at her.

"I'm straight, baka-sensei!" he shouted and she just rolled her eyes at his outburst. "And it's not like that. As I was walking here, this boy..." he was saying but stopped when she turned her back on him. "Hey! You're not even listening to me!" he complained. However she shivered and her muscles tensed.

"IT'S here" she whispered and Naruto was confused. She spun around and said with a frantic face "Quick, describe this boy to me"

"Oh, so now you want to know? After you gave me a hard time..." he was saying but stopped as Anko shook him.

"Tell me! Did he wear a horrendous green jumpsuit and matching leg warmers?!" she shouted and when he nodded, she froze. "No" she whispered.

"Anko!" a voice boomed and her frantic look turned to one of horror.

"Quick, take my hand!" she shouted but Naruto just shot her a confused stare. "This is a matter of life and death, gaki!" she shouted and was going to forcefully use a shunshin to get them out of there, but it was too late as two green blurs had stopped in front of them. "Damn it" she muttered under her breath.

"Anko!" a large version of the boy shouted with a smile on his face. Guessing from the flak jacket he wore, Naruto knew that the man was a jounin. Now, everything made sense, he thought as he looked at the man's mini clone that was proud to be standing with his teacher. "So this is your young charge! Nice to meet you, young Uzumaki!" he bellowed, suddenly standing in the same pose that Rock Lee mirrored.

"Uh, nice to meet you as well?" he said, though it came out like a question. However the man wasn't perturbed by the skeptism in his voice, instead his smile grew wider.

"Didn't I tell you Gai-sensei?!" Lee shouted and Gai nodded fervently as he stared at Naruto.

"The flames of youth burn brightly in our friend, Lee!" Gai shouted and Lee smiled. "Take note, Lee! This extraordinary..." he was saying when Anko interrupted him rather rudely.

"What do you want Gai? I'm sure it's not to commend my baka student" she said, placing her hands on her hips. She ignored Naruto's indignant 'Hey!' in the background.

"I thought our students can have a friendly all taijutsu spar" Gai shouted and Naruto frowned.

"Sure! And I have the perfect training grounds!" she chirped.

"Anko-sensei, tell me, why is this a good idea again?" he asked, pulling her aside. She smiled and he knew that this indeed, not a good idea.

"You're right. This is a horrible idea because you're going to get creamed by that mini Gai" she said and he scoffed. He glanced back at the boy who was dramatically crying at something his teacher was telling him.

"I hardly doubt that" he said and she smacked him behind his head. "Hey!" he shouted and nursed the stinging wound.

"Don't let his appearance fool you, baka. Look at his hands" she said and that was when he noticed the bandages. "That kid worked his ass for all his life and it's safe to say he's one of the strongest genin in Konoha" she added and his eyes widened.

"He's a genin?" he shouted and pointed at him. "That boy there is a genin?" he asked and Anko nodded.

"He's been an active genin for a year now" Anko said and Naruto allowed the information to soak in. "While you were off pranking the villagers and painting the Hokage monument, he's been busting his ass to improve himself. He's been training to get stronger longer than you have" she said and Naruto looked his own hands. "A year of training in the shinobi world is next to nothing and without a teacher? It's more than nothing" she said, and he clenched his fists as his temper flared. How dare she say that his training was nothing! "Before you blow a fuse, let me ask you. How far did you get with the leaf concentration exercise? You can only make one bushin right?" she asked and when he didn't respond, she knew she was right. "That's what I mean that you can't win but there's a reason why I want you to fight this kid. I want to make a deal with you" she said and he looked at her.

"A deal? Are you sure you don't want to see me get beat to a pulp just for entertainment?" he asked and she chuckled.

"That is a plus side but no. I want to make a deal. If you manage to land even a hit on this kid, I'll help you with your chakra control. There's an exercise that's even better than the leaf concentration exercise" she said and he gaped at her.

"A better exercise?!" he shouted and she nodded. "Are you sure this can help me with my bushin?" he asked and she smirked.

"I'm positive this will help you make at least three bushin for the upcoming genin exams" she said and he fidgeted with excitement. "You want to pass, right?" she coaxed and he beamed.

"Of course I do!" he shouted and she had to calm him down. "Ah, sorry" he said, and rubbed behind his neck sheepishly.

"Well, that's it then. We have a deal" she said and he smiled. "Now go take off your weights and start your katas" she added, and gave him a little push.

Naruto stared at Lee who was bouncing on his heels. How could this boy be a genin when he failed twice at the exams? And how could be one of the strongest genin in Konoha? He asked himself. "Yosh, I wish you good luck, my youthful friend!" he shouted at Naruto who watched as he got into a strange stance. He had his left hand behind his back with right hand forward. Naruto glanced at Anko who nodded at him. He took some deep breaths to calm his nerves down and slid into his own taijutsu stance. From what Anko had told him, he knew that he had to take this boy seriously. That was when Lee blurred and Naruto was forced to dodge the boy's swift barrage of kicks. Naruto's leg muscles screamed in protest at the speed he was required to take to avoid those attacks. With the last kick aimed at his head, Naruto ducked down and he striked at the boy's abdomen, only for Lee to avoid it, by jumping away. Lee shot Naruto a smirk before he darted towards him in a blur. With a raised leg, Lee brought it down towards his head and all Naruto could do, was block with his both of his forearms. He felt like his bones cracked under the strength of such a kick, and he nearly shouted out from the pain that shot through his arms. Lee pushed himself away before appearing a few feet opposite from the blonde. Naruto winced and tried to shake off the shock in his arms, but to no avail. He had no time to think about the throbbing because the genin shot towards him. Naruto was forced to weave left and then right to avoid Lee's punches. Using the moment, he decided to try to strike at his face. However Naruto eyes widened as the green clad boy pushed his own head back and took hold of his hand. Lee used his hold on his hand and yanked Naruto closer to him before slamming the heel of his hand onto Naruto's chin. Naruto felt like his entire jaw was ploughed into his brain. However Lee wasn't finished. He rammed his elbow into Naruto's ribs before delivering a brutal uppercut that propelled Naruto's backwards and onto the ground. Naruto coughed up blood but rolled on his side. He picked himself up because he had to manage at least one hit or the deal with Anko was off. He wiped the blood from his mouth and stared at Lee, who was looking at him. Now he understood why Anko said that Lee was one of the strongest genin in Konoha. "This guy's speed is insane" he said to himself.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun!" Lee shouted with a smile as Naruto slipped into his stance and with that, he took off once more. Naruto used his palm to push away Lee's roundhouse kick, who then rushed forward, brought his right knee up and aimed a side kick at Naruto. The blonde moved out of the way by shifting a little to the left and dodged another one of those deadly kicks because he knew what would happen if he tried to block it like the last time. Naruto countered with a roundhouse kick of his own and when his foot connected with the temple of Lee's head, his heart threatened to leap out of his chest. However, his victory was short lived. As Naruto moved backwards, away from Lee, he was unprepared for the increase of Lee's speed. Naruto could only watch as Lee lifted his right foot and striked at his hip, effectively snapping the bone under the force. Naruto bit down onto his bottom lip and blood trickled down his mouth. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun but I must finish this fight before I hurt you further" he said, and with that, Lee knocked him out with a spinning kick.

"Welcome back to the land of the living" Anko said, and Naruto just groaned as he sat up. Like with their spar, while Naruto was unconscious she had performed the medical jutsu she knew and along with the help of Kyuubi (Naruto didn't know), his injuries had been healed. Though his body felt like someone chewed him up and spat him back out.

"Naruto-kun!" Gai shouted and Naruto looked at Lee who looked at him a little guiltily. "Your shining display of such youth moved my heart!" he shouted and gave him a thumb up.
"Yosh, Gai-sensei, you're right! He was able to keep up with me!" Lee shouted and Gai nodded.

"Bushy brows, are you wearing your weights still?" Naruto asked, and the green clad duo looked at the boy who was staring at his hands. If this boy had trained all his life, then he would be wearing weights for his training, he had deduced while he was fighting. Yet Naruto hadn't seen him take anything off before the start of their fight which made Naruto come to the conclusion that he was indeed, still wearing his weights.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, don't worry..." Lee was saying when Naruto punched the ground. Anko looked at them and Gai seemed to understand.

"Let's leave our youthful friend for now, Lee" Gai said, and when Lee looked at him, he nodded, though he was reluctant to leave the blonde. They disappeared and Naruto couldn't stop the tears from his eyes.

"Why is it that I'm always losing?!" he shouted and punched the ground again. "First you, then that teme and now bushy brows! What am I doing wrong?" he sobbed and Anko ruffled his hair.

"Don't let it get to you, gaki" Anko said, and Naruto wiped the tears away. "There will always be someone out there, ready to show you that you're not as strong as you think" she added as she plopped down beside him.

"It's not like I want to be weak" he sniffed and she sadly smiled. "I've tried everything I could to get strong, but it just never seems to go my way" he added and she folded her arms across her chest.

"Becoming strong is a process. Look at that kid, did you know that he can't use any jutsu but taijutsu?" she said, and Naruto turned to her with puffy eyes.

"What? That kid who handed my ass to me?" Naruto asked and Anko nodded. "What the hell man" he whispered to himself though she heard him.

"He can only fight with taijutsu yet he managed to become so strong" Anko said and Naruto looked at her. "Do you know why? Just like you, he has a dream to become one of the strongest shinobi in the elemental nations. He has something to prove to all the naysayers that doubted him and personally, I want to be there, when he rubs it in their faces" she added and she glanced at him. "I know you have something to prove to the villagers, right?" she asked and nodded.

"That I'm not a monster and I WILL protect the village that the previous Hokages fought to protect" he said, as he clenched his fists.

"And you already took the first step. You got serious, stopped your pranking, you go to school and you're training yourself to become the shinobi you wish to become" Anko said, and he arched an eyebrow at her. "Plus with my awesome teaching, you'll gain the strength to succeed your goals" she said and he couldn't help the smile on his face.

"So you believe in me?" he asked and she smacked him on the head. "Ow, what was that for?" he yelped at her.

"That's for your cheekiness, gaki. Know your place" she barked but he could see the playfulness in her eyes. She leaned back on the tree behind her and placed her hands behind her head. "So you're not afraid of this forest as before, huh?" she asked and he shrugged.

"There's something about getting your ass kicked that snip away the death lurking around" he said and she laughed. "So, about our deal?" he asked, and she smirked.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you the exercise" she said and he arched an eyebrow. "So get ready because it's going to be the most grueling training you'll ever receive" she added.

Author's notes: So, with that, chapter eight is finished. You would have realized that in addition to not taking off his weights, Lee didn't open any of the gates when he fought with Naruto. The reason for that? He knew that Naruto wasn't that much of a skilled fighter AS YET (Don't worry he will be), so he didn't bother to do any of those things. On another note, I'm not so good with fight scenes, I said that before, so I hope it was alright.

Until next time,

Frostycookies