Of course, Naruto had to interfere, as there was no way Naruto was going to let Lee challenge only the Uchiha without him trying the challenger out first. As such, when Sasuke began to get into position, Naruto stepped in front of him, blocking his passage. Lee glared at him.
"I get him first," Naruto said. "This weirdo is mine."
"Go for it," Sasuke said seriously.
"Naruto!" Sakura complained.
Akira sighed and walked over to the edge of the dojo. She looked at the clock and saw that there was still a little time before Team 7 had to get to room 301. So, Akira leaned on a beam at the side of the room and watched everything unfold. She hope that this would be at least a little entertaining or provide some insight into Lee's fighting techniques.
"What? It'll take me two minutes to get this guy begging for mercy."
"No, thank you," Lee said simply. "Right now, the only one I will fight is Sasuke Uchiha."
"Yeah, well I got news for you!" Naruto shouted, getting angrier. "Neither Sasuke nor Akira can compare to me. Believe it!"
Naruto charged at Lee with a war cry, and Lee positioned himself. Naruto leapt forward and went in to punch him, but Lee, without any discernible effort, simply tapped two fingers onto the back of Naruto's hand and gently shoved him away, making Naruto skid across the room and smack his head into the wall. He was knocked out cold. Akira rose an eyebrow. Rock Lee did nothing of significance, and yet Naruto was across the room. This boy's taijutsu was impeccable.
"Impressive," Akira called, giving Lee a respectful nod.
"Thank you, but it is not you that I am here to impress." Lee looked at Sakura again who was clearly fighting the urge to gag. "Sasuke Uchiha, you must accept that you have no chance against me. Your skills are inferior. You see, out of all the Leaf Genin, I am the best! Fight me, Uchiha, and I will prove it to you."
"Hm, this'll be fun. Let's do it," Sasuke said with a cocky smile.
"There's no time, Sasuke," Sakura said. "We've got to register by 3 PM—that's less than half an hour."
"Relax, this will all be over in five seconds."
"Don't overestimate yourself, Sasuke," Akira said in a sing-song voice. She continued seriously, looking straight at Lee. "And never underestimate your opponent."
"Calm down, Akira. I'll waste this dork."
Akira shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
Sasuke departed, running at Rock Lee who remained as still as ever. Sasuke launched his fist at his opponent, but the green-clad boy vanished before his eyes, reappearing above Sasuke mere moments later. He struck down at Sasuke with his feet, sending multiple blows in such rapid succession that Sasuke barely managed to block. Akira stared at Lee's movements. He was faster than Sasuke, he was faster than her. If this had been a real fight, Akira would have to use her Sharingan to see his movements and to gain the advantage.
Akira frowned. She wondered if Sasuke was as wise as she was. It made her chuckle. Of course not. Sasuke was different. She wouldn't be surprised if he'd use his Sharingan right then and there just to prove a point.
In the blink of an eye, Sasuke was sent flying across the room. Lee had pretended to produce a jutsu which got Sasuke distracted and he'd landed a kick straight to Sasuke's chest. Akira sighed. She'd warned not to underestimate Lee but, of course, this was Sasuke. He was too focused on winning. He wasn't analysing his opponent's moves either. If he had been, he wouldn't have gotten distracted by Lee's attempt at a jutsu. Rock Lee was a creature of its own kind. He was using pure taijutsu and nothing else. Even if the Sharingan was used, if Sasuke's body couldn't keep up with Lee's movements, there was no point in trying to copy them. But, as this was Sasuke Uchiha in all of his pride and arrogance, he noticed none of this and backed up with a familiar look in his eye.
"Sasuke..." Akira said in a warning tone.
It was too late. Sasuke's eyes were as red as blood. Akira sighed and shook her head, but she was surprised to see that the number of tomoe in his right eye had gone from one to two. He'd improved. But when?
As Akira predicted, the Sharingan was useless. Sasuke ran at Lee again who, easily swaying away from Sasuke's attack, managed to kick him straight in the chin. Sasuke went flying towards the opposite wall and Sakura ran over to catch him before he hit the wall.
"Ugh, what kind of jutsu is that!?" Sasuke growled, getting away from Sakura and lunging at Lee once more.
"It's not a jutsu, bonehead. I told you not to underestimate him," Akira said with a sigh. "But when do you ever listen?"
"Akira is right. You see, my technique is neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu," Lee said, attacking Sasuke and getting in a few blows. He knocked Sasuke back into the wall. "You get it now? I am using taijutsu. That means no tricks, Sasuke." Lee suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Sasuke. "It is just straight martial arts, nothing more."
"Why you-"
Sasuke went to hit Lee, but he jumped out of the way quite easily.
"I know your technique. Forget it. Your sister was smart—useless fighting, especially against arrogant people, allows the opponent to see your jutsu. You have pride, I knew you would reveal your tricks. I know about your Sharingan, now," Lee said. "I know your Sharingan can see through your opponent's jutsu. It allows you to see your enemy's chakra and decipher his hand signs and movements. You can guess what he is going to do almost before he knows himself. The problem is, taijutsu is a little bit different."
"Right. So what's your point?" Sasuke said, annoyed.
"I do not try to hide or disguise my moves. I do not have to. Even if you can read them, you still cannot stop them. You are too slow. Your eyes might be quick enough to stay one step ahead of me, but if your body cannot keep up it is useless."
Sasuke let out a harsh exasperated sigh.
"You know what? Here is what I believe. There are two different kinds of ninja, those like you who are born with talent and do not have to work at it, and those like me." Sasuke lunged at Lee again. "The ones who have to train every day of our lives." Lee evaded a punch from Sasuke. "Fact is, your Sharingan is the worst match for my extreme taijutsu! Here is what I mean!"
Lee dashed forward and kicked Sasuke straight in the chest, sending him flying across the room again. This time, however, Lee didn't just let him fly off. He disappeared from view and reappeared right underneath Sasuke, floating in parallel with him. Suddenly, the bandages around his hands began to unravel. Akira's eyes widened.
"Lee!" a voice suddenly rang through the dojo.
Lee groaned and dropped to the ground, leaving the Uchiha to fly through the air. Akira wasted no time dashing over to her brother as fast as she could. If Sasuke landed from this position, he'd be in the hospital for days. Akira sent chakra to her feet and jumped up, pushing herself off the floor with so much force that the wooden floor dented and shards were sent flying up. Akira caught Sasuke with surprising softness and landed just as gracefully with Sasuke in her arms. She helped him sit.
"You good?" Akira asked, looking at Sasuke, concerned. He said nothing and glared at the floor. "Are you good?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Sasuke replied, annoyed.
"Great. Now I can say I told you so."
Akira smiled and stuck her tongue out at her brother, then stood up and turned to where Lee was. She saw that Naruto was awake, looking dumbfounded, but Lee had changed places and was now being scolded by—
"A turtle?" Sasuke said, confused.
"You—You were watching us the whole time?" Lee told the turtle.
"And now he's talking to the turtle," Akira stated, perplexed.
"Of course. That last technique is forbidden. You know that," the turtle said.
"The turtle... talks?" Sakura and Akira said simultaneously.
"I am sorry," Lee said.
"Wait, it makes sense if it's a summon," Akira noted.
"Ohhh," Sakura whispered in realization.
"Ah! I was not planning to use a forbidden jutsu," Lee shouted, suddenly scared and uselessly flailing his arms. "It is just—I was in the middle of the fight, and I mean—you understand!?"
"Hey, guys!" Naruto said, appearing beside Sakura, Sasuke and Akira in a flash. "That weird thing he's talking to is a turtle, right?"
"Obviously, what do you think it is!?" Sakura shouted.
"Okay then, maybe that means turtles can be sensei too!"
"Naruto, that's a ninja summon," Akira sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Lee's sensei probably summoned it. That means he should be nearb—oh, god..."
In a cloud of smoke, a man appeared, and he was striking a rather ridiculous pose as he stood on top of the turtle. Exactly like Lee, the man had a shiny bowl-cut and remarkably thick eyebrows. He also wore a green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, and his Leaf bandanna around his waist like a belt. The only difference in attire was that the man wore a standard Konoha flak jacket. It was like seeing an older version of Lee. Akira would be lying if she said she wasn't a little disturbed.
"Hey! What's shakin'?" the man shouted, still posing. "How you doin' everybody? Life treatin' you good?"
Akira, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura all shouted in fear.
"He's got the biggest eyebrows yet!" Naruto yelled. "They're almost alive!"
"Hello, ladies," he said, winking in Akira and Sakura's direction.
"Too weird," Sakura whimpered.
"So, that's where Lee gets all... that from," Akira said, eyes wide.
"Same soup bowl haircut and even bushier brows!" Naruto added.
"Hey!" Lee shouted, violently turning around and getting angry. "Do not insult Guy-sensei! He is one of the greatest men in the entire world!"
"Well, excuse me for not noticing his greatness! I was too busy watching him crawl out from underneath a turtle!"
"He did not crawl out!"
"Give it a rest, Lee," Guy-sensei said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Yes, sir," Lee said, calmly turning back to the turtle on which his sensei was standing.
"Now, for your punishment for intending to use a forbidden jutsu!" Guy-sensei yelled dramatically, then punched Lee in the face, sending him flying. "You little fool!"
Team 7 screamed again. Guy-sensei walked over to Lee who was sprawled out on the ground and knelt down in front of him. Lee sat up to face him.
"I'm sorry, Lee, but it's for your own good."
"Sen—Sensei..."
Suddenly both men started to cry, dramatically staring into each other's eyes. Akira looked on, eyes wide with fear and confusion. She blinked a few times. They were still there. It wasn't a dream. Those two really were that weird. Akira suddenly had the urge to run away screaming.
"Oh, Lee..."
"Oh, Sensei... I am so sorry!"
"It's all right. It's over. You don't need to say any more," Guy said through tears.
All of a sudden Lee ran into Guy-sensei's arms and they shared an embrace.
"I cannot put into words how creeped out I am at the moment," Akira said, frozen in place. Everyone else gagged.
"You know, it's actually kinda sweet the way they're all huggy and stuff," Naruto said.
Akira didn't hesitate and smacked him upside the head without even looking.
"What!?" Sakura shouted. "You've got to be kidding me? They're totally crazy!"
"You're just caught in between," Guy said dramatically, placing a hand on Lee's head. Akira's face softened as she remembered Kakashi-sensei did that too. However, it only lasted for a split second, until she remembered she was staring at two men in identical tracksuits. "You're too old to be called a boy and not quite yet a man."
"You are too good to me, Guy-sensei," Lee said, still crying.
"Now that off!" Guy said, pointing to the training field outside. "I want you to give me one hundred laps around the practice field. Show me what you got!"
"Yes, sir! No problem!"
"Run into the setting sun. Run and suffer. But don't mess up your hair," Guy said. "Let us go!"
"But the sun isn't even setting," Akira muttered, confused.
"You're more concerned about the sun not setting!?" Sakura shouted.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Naruto yelled. "We're not finished here! You guys can't just take off like that!"
"And what about the Chūnin exams? There's no time for fooling around!" Sakura reasoned.
Guy and Lee stopped walking.
"Uh, oh, right, I forgot about that," Guy said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. He cleared his throat. "Lee, you not only disobeyed the rule against fighting, but you've also disrupted the Chūnin exams. I think that warrants a slightly more severe punishment, don't you think?"
"Yes, sir!" Lee said, saluting Guy as if he were a drill sergeant.
"Let's say 500 laps! How does that sound?"
"Outstanding, sir!"
Akira, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto looked at Guy-sensei and Lee incredulously, as if they were some kind of alien species. It was probably the first time that all four of them were on the same page about something.
"They're insane," Sakura said, exasperated.
"Definitely," Akira agreed.
"Never mind them," Naruto said. "What's the deal with that turtle, anyway?"
"Guys, he's looking at us..."
"Ah! Akira's right, he is!" Sakura shouted, recoiling.
"Tell me, how is Kakashi-sensei?" Guy asked.
"Do you know him?" Sasuke asked, uneasy.
"Do I know Kakashi?" Guy laughed. "Well, people say... he and I are archrivals for all eternity."
An obnoxious snort forced itself up Akira's nose and throat and she couldn't hide it. The snort then became laughter, so much laughter that Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke had to snap her out of it when she started to stop breathing.
"There's just..." Akira snorted again. "There's just no way!"
"How dare you!?" Lee shouted, waving his fist in front of his face. "If Guy-sensei says it is true, then—"
"Let it slide, Lee. A ninja's actions always speak louder than words."
Akira made the mistake of blinking. When her eyes reopened, Guy-sensei was nowhere to be found. However, he reappeared right behind them seconds later in a puff of smoke. The entirety of team seven shuddered at his proximity.
"My record is 50 wins and 49 losses, which is one better than his, by the way," he said.
"What!?" Akira gasped. "You're joking. How can you be better than Kakashi-sensei!?"
"The fact is that I'm stronger than Kakashi," Guy said proudly. "And faster."
"Faster and stronger doesn't necessarily mean, better," Akira said defiantly.
"No! Guy-sensei is the best there is!" Lee argued.
"Keep telling yourself that," Akira mumbled to herself.
There was no doubt this Guy-sensei was fast, faster than Kakashi even. But there was no way she'd ever admit (or believe for that matter) that this idiot in a green jumpsuit was better than her sensei. Kakashi might not be the fastest out there, but Akira knew a great person when she saw one. And Guy-sensei was just... wrong in so many ways.
"I'm sorry for the trouble Lee caused you," Guy said. "Look into my eyes and accept my sincerest apology. Also, notice my handsome manly features."
"Don't mind if I don't," Akira said under her breath.
"Lee, you should accompany these fine young ninjin to the classroom, right now. Remember, give it your best! Lee, farewell!"
"Yes, sir!"
With another cloud of smoke, Guy-sensei was gone, the turtle following suit. Akira let out a short breath of relief. That man gave her anxiety.
"Hey, Sasuke, Akira," Lee said. Both Uchiha turned towards him. "Actually, I have not been totally honest with you. I said I wanted to test my skills, and that is true enough. But you two are not really the ones I wanted to test them against."
Akira let out a breath of laughter. It was a good thing she hadn't decided to fight Lee, then.
"I lied to you when Sasuke and I were fighting before. I told you I am the best Genin here, but there is another top ninja, someone on my own team."
Akira couldn't picture that girl being much of a threat, but the boy with Hinata's eyes looked like trouble and arrogance mixed in one. She could understand why Lee would want to fight him, just like how Akira wanted to challenge her own brother.
"I came here to defeat him. You were just practice," Lee said. He looked at Akira. "Unfortunately, I did not get all the practice I wanted."
"Sorry for not being impulsive like Sasuke, here," Akira said sarcastically.
"But now, that makes you both targets. I will crush you," Lee insisted. "There you have it. Consider yourselves warned."
With that, Lee somersaulted back up to the balcony and out of sight, leaving behind a fuming Sasuke Uchiha. Akira would have been angry, but she was far more concerned with the fact that she knew she wouldn't be able to defeat him if they went up against each other.
"Oh, Sasuke," Sakura sighed. She looked at Akira, then cast her gaze downwards.
"Heh, how about that?" Naruto chuckled. "Looks like the Uchihas aren't as great as everybody thinks they are."
"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, balling her fist and brandishing it in front of his face.
Akira's jaw tightened. Naruto usually said some pretty careless things, and she'd tolerate a lot. She didn't mind casual insults of her abilities, nor did she mind when he got up in Sasuke's face, but Akira wasn't fond of people taking it out on her clan.
"Next time, I'll drive him to his knees!" Sasuke growled.
"Yeah, right. Look who just got his butt kicked. And Akira didn't even want to fight him. A waste of time, huh?" Naruto said arrogantly.
"Cut it out, Naruto!" Sakura shouted at him.
"You saw his hands, didn't you? When the bandages unravelled?"
Akira had noticed. Lee's hands were all beaten up underneath the bandages, littered with cuts, scrapes and bruises. Akira looked down at her own hands, covered by black leather fingerless gloves. They were alike, her and Lee. It was probably for different reasons, however, as Akira doubted Lee had an accidental assassination to get his mind off of, but both of them gave training their all until their bodies caved in.
And there was one thing Lee was wrong about. There were three kinds of ninja. One that got everything handed to them, those who had to work hard, but there were also those who were born with everything and could not succeed. That was Akira, born with the blood of the Uchiha coursing through her veins, but not being able to make anything of herself stand out to her father. She looked down at her hands again, then at her feet. She remembered the last time she'd trained that hard—Kiba had to pull her away for fear she'd break her wrists.
"I bet old bushy-brow has been training until he drops, day in and out," Naruto said. He glanced at the Uchiha. "He trains harder than you."
Akira had had enough. She let out a harsh sigh and, without much thought, she violently pulled off her gloves and threw them at Naruto's face. When they fell at his feet, Akira's battered and scarred hands were out in the open. She was furious. How dare he underestimate her, how dare he judge her based on what he saw? He knew. He knew what she'd gone through with Haku, and yet he said things like this. Akira trained day-in and day-out, relentlessly, until she could barely stand. She wanted to forget what happened to Haku, she wanted to be better than Sasuke, she wanted to prove to her father she wasn't the useless Uchiha he claimed her to be.
"Do you see these!?" she shouted. "Do you see them or are you blind? How's this for day-in and day-out? You all know what happened with Haku, you know I've been training to get rid of the horror that I did! Do you want to see my ankles, too? I don't just punch until I bleed, oh no—I kick too!"
Frantic, Akira kicked off her sandals and threw them at Naruto as well. Her ankles were full of bruises—red, purple, green, yellow—all in different stages of healing. They were scraped, punctured, cut, pocked with the marks of nail heads she'd kicked without noticing the pain.
"You know what, Naruto? I want some recognition for all my hard work, no different from you. I don't have any goals to become Hokage or to kill the person who wiped out my clan, but I have a goal to reach my fullest potential. Do you think I do that by sitting on my ass and twiddling my thumbs?"
Akira grabbed her shoes and put them back on. Her eyes fell onto the gloves on the ground and she stared at them.
"The Chūnin Exams... this is my chance to prove to everyone what I can do—what I can achieve. So, by all means, insult me, insult Sasuke—I don't care. But don't insult my clan and don't ever insult my dedication unless you've got something to back it up, Naruto Uzumaki. School's out, recess is over. It's time to grow up."