Sakura reached up to grab a clean cloth from a small branch and poured water over it, wringing it out slightly before removing the cloth on Sasuke's forehead and replacing it with the fresh cloth. He winced in his sleep, and his body trembled as sweat accumulated on his face. Sakura placed her hand over the cloth on his head and frowned, then stood and hung the cloth on the branch to let it dry. She let out a small sigh and sat back down at his side, glancing between Sasuke and Naruto. After a while, her eyes slowly closed as she started to slouch until she fell asleep sitting upright. She jumped and her eyes burst open and she shook her head.

"I can't fall asleep... I need to protect these two." Her eyes slowly closed against her will and her breathing slowed. After some time, Naruto blinked and slowly sat up, stretching and rubbing his eyes. Sakura's eyes burst open and she looked up at him.

"I slept great!"

"Naruto!" Sakura smiled broadly and he turned to her. Sasuke sat up a moment later, removing the cloth from his forehead and looking around. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke blinked and met Sakura's eyes. "Did you take care of us?"

"Thank you, Sakura! We're totally all better because of you!" Naruto grinned and rubbed his head.

Sakura's eyes watered and she wiped her cheeks as she smiled. "That's great..."

A rustling in the brush behind them made her gasp and she turned to see Orochimaru standing there observing them with a smirk.

"Prey must always stay tense and flee desperately in front of the predator!"

His neck extended and rushed at her, shifting into the head of a serpent as Sasuke and Naruto spoke to each other without noticing. Sakura turned to warn them, but could not speak. She trembled and touched her throat as no sounds came out. "My voice is gone!"

The snake's large head drew closer and its mouth opened wide, swallowing Sasuke and Naruto in a single gulp as she screamed.

Sakura awoke with a jump and she shuddered and hugged her arms close, realizing that she had fallen asleep. She turned quickly around to look over Sasuke and Naruto, who still remained unconscious, and let out a small sigh.

"It was just a dream..." She looked around them, then above at the branches far above where birds chirped and sung loudly as they darted around. "Is it daybreak already?"

The bush behind her trembled and she gasped. "No! No way!" She reached for a Kunai and held it in her hands as she shook and slowly turned to look over her shoulder at the disturbance. A small squirrel hopped out from the bush and gnawed on an acorn in its paws, and Sakura's eye twitched as she let out a deep sigh.

"A squirrel? Don't surprise me like that."

The squirrel ran towards Sakura and she threw the Kunai in front of it, blocking its path. It screeched in fear and turned to run back into the undergrowth.

"That was close."

"Do you think she noticed?" Zaku glanced over at Dosu and Kin, then back to the scurrying rodent. "That Paper Bomb we put on the squirrel..."

"No, that's not it." Dosu narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Huh?" Zaku blinked and turned to him again. "Then what? What was it?"

"We'll probably find out if we go closer." Dosu answered, his eyes remaining on the pink-haired girl through the bush. "So... we should get going now."

Rock Lee moved quickly through the trees, leaping from branch to branch before gripping one and swinging upward to land on another branch in a crouch. A soft wind blew and leaves floated down from the canopy and he clenched his fist and furrowed his eyes in determination.

"If I can catch all twenty of these leaves before they hit the ground, Sakura will start to like me. If... If I can't catch even one of the leaves... it'll be an unrequited love forever. Or, rather... 'you're too bushy!' that's what she'll say!"

Tears streaked his cheeks and he clenched his fists tighter as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the tears had stopped and his eyes burned with intensity. He cried out in determination and leapt off the branch and began to grab the leaves out of the air.

"One. Two. Three. Four..." He twisted his body to grab another cluster of leaves. "Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nine— Gah!" As he reached for another, he slammed into a low branch and grunted in pain. He blinked and looked down as a leaf drifted toward the ground. "One more!"

Lee sat up and slipped back down, falling toward the ground to reach for the final leaf and he turned to look in the direction of a startled squeak.

"That's...!"

A squirrel squeaked and whimpered as it thrashed around, a small fire spreading over its back. Lee changed direction and quickly picked up the animal and removed the tag from its back.

"Phew! Just in time." Lee smiled at the squirrel, who blinked at him and rubbed its face with its paws. He crushed the tag in his hand, putting out the fire and a small tendril of smoke rose from the paper. "This is called a Paper Bomb and it explodes after some time." He paused and furrowed his brows. "Who did such an awful thing to you?"

Neji stopped walking and looked around, his eyes resting on a cluster of bushes. "Stop hiding and come out."

Team Ten's eyes widened and Ino gulped.

"Shoot! We scrambled to hide, too!" Ino looked at Shikamaru from the corner of her eye.

"Man, he's a damn pain and now we've been discovered." Shikamaru furrowed his brows and then let out a sigh.

"Strategy One, 'hide and let it pass' was a failure." Ino hung her head slightly, then looked at Choji. "So now we carry out Strategy two!"

"Huh?" Choji gulped and turned to her as he whispered. "Are you serious?"

"What? Do you have a problem with it?" Ino furrowed her brows. "It's got no question of success."

"I guess it's all right, but..." Shikamaru scratched his cheek.

A moment later, the team emerged from the bushes and Ino held her cheek in her hand, speaking with a higher-pitched lilt to her voice.

"Wow! To meet last year's Number One rookie, Neji Hyuga, in a place like this!"

"C-Could I have your autograph?" Shikamaru's fists clenched as he mimicked her tone.

"So, it's just you three?" Neji put his hand on his hip and looked at them.

"Take that!" Ino smiled flirtatiously and adjusted her ponytail with a smile as she kept her eyes on Neji. "Plan B, 'head over heels infatuation with my sex appeal!'" She pulled out her hair band, letting her hair cascade freely down and she winked at him. "I'd been wanting to meet you for some time, you know?"

"Get lost!" Neji frowned slightly and turned to walk away, and Ino's eye twitched.

"W-Why?!" She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "Why doesn't my sexiness work?! That pisses me off! Darn it!"

Neji stopped walking and kept his back to her. "Did you just raise your fists to me, and does that mean you want to fight?"

"What?" Ino paled and stood rigid in place, lowering her arms quickly to rub the back of her head and laugh sheepishly. "N-No! Of course not."

"Then get lost." Neji furrowed his brows and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Stealing a scroll from cowardly wimps like you would only make me the laughingstock of the village."

"Okay!" Ino laughed under her breath, then she ran into the bushes to hide again, followed quickly by Shikamaru and Choji.

"Hmph." Neji turned and closed his eyes briefly as he started to walk once more. "...Just like cockroaches."

Team Ten caught their breath, back in hiding and Shikamaru let out a short breath.

"Just as I thought. A fellow like that wouldn't take a scroll from wimps like us unless we were to turn on him."

"Alright!" Ino stood and smirked as she tied her hair back into a ponytail and laughed. "Let's go find some wimps!"

"Like I've been saying, there's no one wimpier than us..." Shikamaru sighed as she ignored him and continued to laugh.

Sakura struggled to stay awake and her eyes closed against her will as her body slouched forward.

"So, a no-sleep lookout?"

Sakura's eyes widened at the voice, followed by a chuckle and she turned to see the three Sound Genin standing in the clearing.

"But, it's not necessary anymore." Dosu chuckled again and narrowed his eyes slightly at the pink-haired girl. "Wake Sasuke up. We want to battle with him."

"Y-You..." Sakura gritted her teeth and furrowed her brows, balling her hands into tight fists on her lap. She reached for the sheath on her thigh as she stood, her hands trembling. "What're you saying? What is it you're after? I know the one called Orochimaru is calling the shots from the shadows!"

Their eyes widened and Kin took a step back in surprise.

"W-What?!"

"What's with that strange bruise on the back of Sasuke's neck?" Sakura narrowed her eyes and looked between them. "You guys did this to Sasuke, so how can you say that you want to fight him?!"

"I wonder... what he has on his mind?" Dosu mused to himself, averting his eyes from her momentarily.

"Whatever it is, I can't stay quiet after hearing that." Zaku's lips twitched in a smirk. "I'll kill this girl, then I'll also kill this Sasuke guy." He stood from where he had been sitting on a large rock and put his hand on his hip.

"Wait, Zaku." Dosu glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"Huh? What is it?" Zaku turned to look at his teammate, who took several steps forward.

"It's a little cliché..." Dosu crouched down and placed his palm on the ground. "It's the color of dirt that's just been dug up. This grass, it doesn't grow in a place like this, does it?"

"Darn!" Sakura clenched her jaw as she watched Dosu lift up the patch up grass.

"You know, when it comes to traps... there's no point unless you make it so that it's not discovered."

"Heh. How ridiculous!" Zaku laughed shortly. "So, that Kunai knife was so the squirrel wouldn't be caught in the trap?"

Dosu tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "We kill her now!"

They leapt into the air and Sakura smirked faintly, holding her Kunai to a hidden wire and cut it. A thick log swung down at them from a high branch and their eyes widened.

"A log?!" Zaku's mouth gaped and Dosu looked at his teammates.

"A trap above, too? Watch out! ...Just kidding." He chuckled and pressed his palm to the log, holding up a one-handed seal as he channeled his Chakra. The log burst apart and they turned their attention back to Sakura.

"W-What?" She held up her Kunai.

"Clearly you have no talent." Dosu chuckled as they drew closer to the girl. "Someone like you needs to make more of an effort or else!"

Sakura's eyes watered as she trembled and she shut her eyes as they were about to strike.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee kicked the three Sound Ninja hard, sending them flying back across the area before he landed on his feet in front of Sakura with one closed hand behind his back and an open hand held out in front of him.

"What?" Sakura blinked and opened her eyes as she lowered her Kunai. "I-It's him..."

"Then you also should... make an effort!" Lee furrowed his brows as the three got to their feet.

"Who are you?" Dosu narrowed his eyes at Lee, looking him over.

"I'm the beautiful green beast of the Leaf Village, Rock Lee!"

"Why are you here?" Sakura pressed her lips together and rested her hands on her lap.

"I will always appear... whenever you're in trouble!" Lee smirked slightly and furrowed his brows at Dosu as he reached up to gently scratch the chin of the squirrel on his shoulder.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly and Lee stooped down to set the squirrel onto the grass beside him.

"Or, should I say... It was really because of this guy." He smiled at the squirrel, who looked up at him. "Now, run along."

The squirrel squeaked at him before hopping away to hide in the cavity in the tree's roots with Sakura.

"But, right now... aren't I also your enemy?" Sakura looked back at Lee, who smiled faintly at her.

"I did say this once before, didn't I?" He paused and glanced at her from over his shoulder. "That... I'll protect you until I die."

"O-Oh..." Sakura blushed slightly and she averted her eyes. "T-Thanks."

"Yes!" Lee smiled to himself, tears flowing down his face. "Perfect! I did it! Guy Sensei, that was perfect!"

Dosu held up his scroll to show his new opponent. "I guess it can't be helped..." He paused and looked over his shoulder and tossed the scroll to him. "Zaku, I'll give you Sasuke." He narrowed his eyes. "I'll kill the others.

Lee looked at Sakura from the corner of his eye. "As far as I can tell, Sakura is in no condition to fight."

"That bushy-browed guy is pretty proficient with Taijutsu..." Dosu slid up his sleeves to reveal the bracers on his arms. "Looks like I can have some fun!"

Dosu ran at Lee and Sakura furrowed her brows and threw her Kunai at the ground near his feet. Lee stuck his right hand into the ground, ripping up a large root to block Dosu's strike, which cracked and shattered part of the root.

"There is a trick to your attack, isn't there?" Lee watched Dosu carefully. "I won't just simply avoid it." Dosu's eyes widened slightly and Lee continued. "You showed me your Jutsu before."

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at Lee from where she sat. "This guy... he's so strong."

"Having said that, the odds aren't good since it's one versus three. I'm going to have to take a chance." Lee furrowed his brows and looked between the three Sound Ninja. "One person at a time... I'll give it my all and take each of them down!"

Choji sat on a branch taking large bites of peaches, chewing loudly before quickly finishing the fruit and starting on another as Ino groaned at Shikamaru down below.

"Aw man! There's no one at all that seems wimpy!" Ino adjusted her ponytail and Shikamaru crossed his arms, shaking his head slightly.

"Well, the only team that's weaker than us is the Naruto team."

"Idiot!" Ino balled her hand into a fist and glared at him. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"What?"

"There's no question that Naruto and Sakura are lame!" She held up a finger. "But that team has the super-cute, super-strong genius Sasuke!"

"Heh." Shikarmaru looked away. "I wonder..." He turned back to her. "In actual battle, that genius might easily be beaten."

"What?!" Ino clenched her fists tighter and her eye twitched.

Shikamaru sighed quietly and rolled his eyes. "All right, all right... I apologize for irritating you." He sighed quietly again. "What a drag... I say one negative thing about Sasuke and I get the evil eye, every single time..."

"There's no way Sasuke could be taken down!" Ino huffed and held out her hands, and then crossed her arms. "Hmph! But Sakura is a different matter, though!"

"I heard that someone actually did beat Sasuke, though." Shikamaru rubbed this inside of his ear with his little finger.

"H-Huh?!" Ino blinked and gritted her teeth again. "Impossible! That's just a dirty rumor that someone jealous of Sasuke probably was spreading around!"

"Well, I overheard Asuma-sensei talking about it with the other senseis." Shikamaru shrugged.

"Who was it, then? I'll go find them and beat them to a pulp for lying like that!"

"Apparently, it was that girl Natsumi." Shikamaru smirked faintly.

"Natsumi...?" Ino paled slightly and gulped. "That redhead girl from before?! Who moved so fast that I couldn't even see her until she had already blocked me and Sakura's punches?" She bit her lip and looked down. "N-No way... even being that fast or strong, there's no way that she could beat Sasuke. Not a chance."

"Yeah." Shikamaru shrugged again. "Apparently, it was a three-on-one fight with Team Seven, and she beat them all in under twenty minutes."

Ino's mouth gaped and she shook her head and crossed her arms. "N-No way! Now I know you're just making stuff up!"

"Whatever." Shikamaru waved his hand. "Just ask Asuma-sensei about it once we get out of this forest."

Choji took another large bite of peach and swallowed, bringing the fruit to his mouth again for another bite when he stopped and narrowed his eyes to looked out "Huh?" His eyes widened slightly and he looked down at his teammates. "Sasuke is unconscious."

"W-What?!" Ino looked up at Choji and put her hands on her hips.

"...And Sakura is fighting."

"What did you say?!" Ino jumped to stand beside Choji on the branch, followed by Shikamaru. The lifted their hands to their eyes to block out the sunlight and squinted to get a better look. Her eyes widened and Her mouth gaped again. "H-Hey!"

"He's late." Tenten rested her hands on her hips and stood beside the Kuani in the ground with Neji. "That Lee..." She paused and looked around. "Something's not right. He's always precise about time. Perhaps he ran into the enemy..."

Neji closed his eyes briefly and Tenten let out a sigh.

"Could it be...?" She furrowed her brows.

"Hmph." Neji smirked faintly. "That wouldn't have happened." He opened his eyes and turned to her. "In any case, let's find Lee."

"Right!" Tenten nodded and they leapt up to a branch and started moved through the trees quickly.

A large log split in half and Lee jumped up in excitement, crying as he grinned.

"Yes! I've finally mastered it! Yes! I did it!"

"My friends! There's no reason to give up on your youth!" Guy grinned and held up a thumbs-up at his student.

Neji and Tenten stood at the side, resting their hands on their knees as they caught their breath and Lee continued to cheer.

"This Jutsu... in the end, only Lee could make it his own." Guy crossed his arms and smiled as Lee jumped around. "Hey, Lee."

"Woohoo! I did it! I really did it!"

"Lee!"

"When I try, I really succeed!"

"Lee!"

Lee whooped again and spun in a circle and Guy pulled his fast back, then suddenly punched his pupil in the face and knocked him to the ground. "Hey, Lee!"

Lee lifted himself from the ground and rubbed his cheek. "Guy-Sensei..."

"Listen to this passionate message from your teacher!"

"Oh..." Lee sniffed and wiped his eyes, then turned to look up at him. "What is it?! Please tell me using hip words."

Tenten stared with her mouth gaped wide as Neji sighed and squinted his eyes, frowning.

"Lee, this Jutsu, the "Lotus," it will be considered henceforth as a forbidden Jutsu."

"W-What?!" Lee's eyes widened and his tears dried. He stood and ran up to Guy, holding up his hands. "What do you mean?"

Guy put a hand on his hip. "This Jutsu poses a great burden on the cells of the muscles, thus making it a kind of Self-sacrificing technique. Humans normally utilize, at most, twenty percent of the power that their muscles have. Do you understand? Only twenty percent." He narrowed his eyes. "And if nearly one-hundred percent of that power is used, the muscles themselves will deteriorate. So, the brain usually controls the power output. However, this Jutsu forces the brain's limiter to go off by using Chakra, allowing for high-speed continuous Taijutsu. In other words, this is a dangerous Jutsu which relies on a secret technique that brings forth power to the limit of one's body. As such, the only time it is all right to use this Jutsu is when a certain condition is met..."

Lee raised a hand in salute and nodded. "So... What condition is that?"

"Are you ready? Take this to heart..." Guy paused and closed his eyes for a moment. "The condition is..."

Neji gritted his teeth and furrowed his brow as he remembered. "The condition is..."

"Guy-sensei..." Lee slowly began to unwrap his bandages with his head bowed slightly. "I will utilize that Jutsu without reserve. Because this is the time that you said..."

Dosu rushed at Lee, who met his eyes and held up a one-handed sign.

"When protecting someone precious to you!" Lee disappeared and Dosu's eyes widened and he stopped, looking around.

"He's gone?!"

Lee reappeared beneath Dosu, sending a hard kick straight up at his jaw that lifted him from the ground. Lee pushed off with his hand and launched himself into the air behind Dosu.

"This is just the beginning!" Lee's bandages wrapped around Dosu entirely, and Lee wrapped his arms around him, propelling him into a spin as they rapidly descended.

"Oh no!" Zaku's eyes widened as he watched his teammate. "There's no way he can break his fall!" He formed several hand signs and counted under his breath as he monitored their fall.

"Take this!" Lee spun him faster until the air channeled around them to form a small tornado. "Primary Lotus!"

Zaku finished the last hand sign and slammed his fists into the ground as Lee and Dosu slammed into the ground. Lee jumped to the side at the last minute, then looked back with his teeth clenched.

"This feeling..."

"Heh." Zaku smirked and looked at the earthen mound that Dosu had landed on. "Well, well... just in time."

Lee landed in a squat and watched Dosu slowly climb out from the small crater in the mound and shake his head. Lee's eyes widened as Dosu stood.

"T-That's impossible!"

"What a frightening Jutsu..." Dosu muttered under his breath and wobbled slightly. "It did this much even though I fell on the spongey dirt..."

Lee stood and caught his breath, and Dosu turned to look at him and slid his sleeve up once more to reveal the equipment on his arm.

"Now, it's my turn."

"Oh no! With what I just did... my body still isn't..." Lee's ragged breathing left him dizzy and he narrowed his eyes at Dosu as he rushed at him again. Lee stepped back to avoid a strike and froze in place as an inaudible pitch dizzied him, blurring his vision and warping the sounds he heard.

"Lee!" Sakura's eyes widened and she watched him stagger.

"Your Jutsu is indeed fast." Dosu chuckled under his breath. "But our Jutsu exceeds that and is the speed of sound!"

Lee staggered back and fell to his knees, gasping for air as the area around him spun.

Sakura balled her hands and pressed her lips together, keeping her eyes on Lee. Kin chuckled and narrowed her eyes at the girl, and Dosu chuckled again.

"I'll show you there are walls which effort alone can never break through."