Chapter 12:
Taijutsu of Youth
After Lee had met his teacher for the first time, his second goal in life had become being one himself.
Gai-sensei had taught him the most important lessons in his life - lessons of hard work, of becoming stronger physically and mentally. More importantly, he was the first person who actually believed in him, who had given him devotion and father-like guidance. Who had taught him the Power of Youth!
Most people thought that Lee and his teacher were strange, but it was just how they were. Sasuke and Naruto's friendship was strange too, for example. But then again, so was Lee and Neji's. Despite the fact that he had often offended him in the beginning, Neji had gradually warmed up to him and after his fight with Naruto during the Chunin Exams, the process had only speeded itself further. And although that Neji was closer with Tenten, Lee knew that it was a different kind of relationship.
Anyway, Lee planned that after he retired from his ninja carrier, he would be a teacher, someone who spread the Fires of Youth. A guidian, a protector, a friend. He may even find a girl and marry her. Lee's crush on Sakura wasn't serious; he knew that it would pass, eventually, and it had already started. He was trully grateful for her friendship and support, though.
He knew that most of the Twelve wouldn't be able to keep up with his training regimen. Naruto might, due to his insanely large stamina. Sasuke and Neji too, the first due to the fact that he had already copied his moves and the second because he was somewhat used to it. Even then, Lee planned to take it easy and gradually upgrade the training methods. Same went for the rest. He knew that he would have to push some of them farther - taijutsu would be more of their speciality. Sasuke, Neji and Kiba were some of them. Sakura and Naruto had a great lack of skill in that area, but Lee saw potential. They would just have to start from the beginning and advance further. Hinata would have her unique taijutsu style, so Lee planned on to make her normal taijutsu above average. Tenten would have to reach at least average, seeing as her fighting style was mid to long-ranged. If she was caught in close range, she would need to be able to fight off her opponent. Same with Shino.
Lee was more worried about Team Ten. Shikamaru and Ino were long to mid-range fighters and lacked taijutsu skill. Even with the infamous Ino-Shika-Chō formation they would still be vulnerable. Chōji's taijutsu went as far as his clan's. Lee knew that he had to eat a lot in order to be able to use it, so he would aim to train his muscles and reflexes. The green-clad ninja wanted to bring them to at least an average level.
Lee knew that not all of them would meet his expectations, but that was okay. Like Tsunade said, everyone would have a weak point and it was up to the rest of the team to cover for it. And the boy was nothing if not determined to make sure that everyone reaches it's full potential.
Lee came to Training Ground 27 hours before the others to do his morning exercises. It consisted of three laps around the village (an exercise for time; he managed to beat his record by two seconds), three hundred sit-ups and four hundred push-ups. After that, he took his time to plan the others' exercises. The rest of the Twelve slowly arrived, all ready for whatever Lee had decided to put them through.
The teacher for the day looked at his students.
"Alright! Everyone, I hope that you have all embraced your Power of Youth, for today it shall increase! Even though some of you will probably not become proficient in taijutsu, fear not! I shall bring each and every one of you to at least an average level and if I don't I will run twenty laps around the village in different styles!"
Lee beamed and the others said nothing. Some of them sweat dropped, though.
Okay, maybe most of them.
Make that all.
They were all tested on basic skills. It took some time to correct their forms and once they were finished, made five laps around the Training Ground, twenty push-ups and sixty sit-ups. After that, they again gathered in a circle.
"Alright, everyone," started their enthusiastic teacher, "As I said earlier, I know that not all of you will become proficient in taijutsu. However, there is one thing I can do - I can help you develop a fighting style.
Some clans in Konoha, like the Hyūgas, Uchihas, Akimichis, etc., have their own fighting styles. However, each style is entirely individual and, if developed correctly, it could help you a lot in battle, even if the enemy is stronger than you.
If you are in a clan with a unique style, then you are really lucky. That doesn't mean that someone who had targeted you won't know about the clan's style, though. That's why you need to add something completely individual. Changing some forms, performing steps in a different way, etc. There are many ways. You just need to find the ones that suit you and learn how to use them correctly.
Now, there are some people here - I, Tenten and Sakura - who aren't from clans. However, the major part of our group has clan children in it and most clans have their own taijutsu styles and secrets. I suggest that you study some clan scrolls, research different styles and mix everything into your own unique style!
As for normal taijutsu styles, now I am going to give you a lecture, so listen closely, everyone!"
Lee beamed at his students and the rest of the Twelve suddenly realized how good his enthusiasm was for that kind of things. Sometimes, their senseis would disappoint them in terms of providing knowledge and then there was Lee, who was willing to help even the more unwilling people. It wasn't like that in the rest of the lessons - they were focused on giving advice and somewhat providing moral support, while Lee's balanced both perfectly. He caught their attention again, beginning his lecture.
"Now, there are two main styles - Strong and Gentle Fist.
Strong Fist is both an 'external' and 'hard' style.
It is external, because it is characterised by the focus on fast, explosive movements and developing the practitioner's physical strength and agility. Training regimes for external styles focus around muscular power, speed and application, developing the user's muscle memory and their stamina, building it all up to the desired 'hard' physical level for real combat.
The style is also 'hard' because it is characterised by its approach by intercepting and countering an opponent's incoming force with equal and/or greater force: In these styles, the practitioner either directly blocks the incoming attack with an attack of their own or by cutting through the attack at an angle. These styles rely on external power; in the case of a Strong Fist practitioner, it is the user's superior strength and physical conditioning, that creates success. The practitioner fights head-on offensively, and their offence becomes their defence.
The second style, the Jūken, is both 'internal' and 'soft'.
It is 'internal', because it puts an emphasis on the use of the practitioner's mind to coordinate the leverage of the relaxed body, (as opposed to the use of brute strength,) and the internal development, circulation, and expression of their chakra. A practitioner of a internal style understands that an opponent is only as strong as their weakest joint. Training regimes for internal styles include meditation and exercising control over their internal chakra flow.
Also, it is 'soft', because of its approach of receiving the aggressor's force and momentum and then directing the opponent's force, leading the attack into another direction. In these styles, the user seeks to turn their opponents own strength against them, to bring them off-balance, diffusing the energy of the incoming attack, and, in the case of the Gentle Fist, to take them down from the inside. A 'soft' style is less about physical strength and more about internal power. In Gentle Fist, the user's superior chakra control and precision is the key to their success, emphasising control and defence.
After that, the green-clad ninja showed his students some basic katas for Strong Fist style. It was harder for Hinata and Neji at first, but they were slowly getting the hang of it. The Byakugan may have been their most prized weapon, but sometimes there were people like Lee, who have the nececery speed and training to avoid it. Plus, they weren't going to master it. They just needed to become good at blocking. About an hour later everyone, besides Lee and Naruto, were exhausted. Lee was used to it and Naruto just had an enormous stamina, although he was panting, just not as heavily as the others. The teacher called it a day and announced that for the next lesson they would need to research either their clans' scrolls on taijutsu or just find their own style. If they had any questions about the scrolls they could ask him. After that, all of the students scattered, but the teacher decided to take the slow route to his home and think. It was a strange site for the Konoha citizens - usually, Maito Gai and his little copy Rock Lee could be seen running only if you were really lucky. The only way you could know that they were there was by the distinctive shouts about Youth. Other than that, the chances of seeing the duo were close to zero. That was why the site of Rock Lee, slowly walking down the street with a thoughtful expression on his face provoked two different reactions. One of the civilians, who wondered if the world was ending and started making plans for doing all the stupid but fun things they never had the chance to. And another from the shinobi, who took out their hidden cameras for emergency cases. The next day, there would be about a thousand of photos of Lee, walking down the street with a thoughtful expression.
Kakashi, who was back to the village for supplies for his next mission, was planning on making a whole album. Not that Lee noticed any of the above, though. In his thoughts, he was replaying the whole day again and again, analyzing his actions bit by bit and wondering if he did well. Was that the right thing to say? Had he reacted accordingly? Had he helped everyone? In the end, Lee decided that his first lesson had went well enough, judging by the cheers he was given. He wondered about what they were going to do the next day. It was Friday and Shikamaru had called dibs on it. After all, he didn't want his weekend to be disturbed. No one had found the need to say that Saturday would be Tenten's turn, because they were pretty sure that Shikamaru knew that, but wanted to live in the illusion for a peaceful weekend just for a day more. Or he had forgotten the number of lessons. Lee didn't know what was the more probable in that situation. After he went home, the green clad ninja decided to mentally prepare himself for the next day. He didn't know what kind of challenges the Nara could be readying for them, but he would bet his spandex that they were either going to do nothing or something that would leave them not able to think straight for the next week or so.
A/N: Hey, everyone! I had a hard time writting Lee's chapter, but Shikamaru's is ready. However, I want to stay ahead and write the one after that. I'm going to be staying with my family in a hotel by the seaside of my country, we arrived today. I have Internet acces, though, and it's only for a week. Expect updates. Anyway, was Lee in character? I didn't want to make him too enthusiastic, because I know that he takes taijutsu seriously. Credit to Narutopedia for the lecture on different styles. And lol, not only Lee is worried about Friday, though. The next chapter is actually the 13th, so I suppose that the Twelve are to be concerned. Very. Concerned. :) A review or two is always appreciated. By the way, since ten chapters ago (when I said how many R&R and fav. I have gotte for chapter one) this story has:- 22 more follows- 21 more favourites- 13 more reviews Thank you guys for the support and see you next time! :)
