Rock Lee; 7 Years Later

Age 20

-Girl Friends-

Guess what!

I'm a jounin!

And I'm also a teacher! Just like Gai.

But…Gai must be an even more amazing person than I originally believed him to be. To be able to train three students for as long as he did and still want to teach… that is truly admirable.

I had only had my students for two days before I knew they were not fit to be ninjas. None of them could use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu and while the same applies to me, they were pathetic at Taijutsu as well! And it was all three of them!

So, I sent them all back to the academy to brush up on their training and decided to speak with the Hokage to see if I could get some new students.

I'm still amazed that Shikamaru is the Hokage! Wow! I never would have thought that someone like him could be the Hokage! But I'm sure if the previous Hokage nominated him, he must be the right man for the job.

Though he is young. Younger than ME.

On my way there, I spotted Tenten out of the corner of my eye.

I never knew what to say around her. I have a girlfriend but something about Tenten always makes me need to remind myself of that. I don't want to say I'm in love with Tenten because I love Garu but why do I have to keep saying that?

Maybe it's because we're such good friends!

"Hey Tenten!" I said, waving to her in a way that suggested that we were friends but nothing more.

"Hi Lee." She said with a friendly smile that was definitely not a smile of someone who was in love with someone else who already had a girlfriend.

"What's up?" I asked her with little intention of seeing if she were busy later and NO intention of seeing if she wanted to date me.

"Not much right now." She said with a shrug, obviously with no strings attached.

I needed to keep on my way. My conversation with Tenten should be as brief as possible just in case something is there on HER side because it's definitely not on my side.

After all, I have a girlfriend.

"Well, it was nice talk to you." I told her, taking a step toward her. She was standing in my way but only because she happened to be standing there at the time.

"I'll talk to you later, I guess." She told me, not stepping out of my way. She probably didn't realize that I was trying to walk there.

I reached out and gave her a hug. We were good friends, she wouldn't take anything more from that. I mean, I certainly wasn't. It was a FRIENDLY hug. Friends do that all the time! Especially guy friends to girl friends.

But not GIRLFRIENDS. Girl friends. With a space in between.

I walked away from her, feeling slightly empty. Maybe I should have hung out with her. We ARE good friends after all.

Just as I was about to turn around and pursue her for a friendly activity, I saw another person in front of me.

SHINO!

Well, it's not like Shino and I are good friends. Not to the extent me and Tenten are after all.

"Hey Shino!" I greeted him. He didn't respond but he looked at me so I guess he heard me. "What's up?"

"I'm going to the Hokage's office." He told me.

He DOES speak!

"Me too!" I told him. Wow! We have similar interests. "How come?"

"Because I have three students that I was teaching…" he started. "And I don't want to teach them anymore."

We have a lot more in common than I thought.

"Wouldn't you know it Shino?" I asked him. "I'm doing the exact same thing! We can walk together!"

"Whatever." Shino said with a shrug.

We might as well not have been walking together.

"Why don't you want to teach your students anymore?" I asked him to create conversation.

"It's not THEM." He admitted. "I just don't want to teach anymore."

Those poor students. No teacher for them…

Wait a minute!

"Hey Shino!" I said. "What if I took YOUR students!"

"We'll have to talk that over with the Hokage." Shino said.

"We WILL." I said firmly. What a great idea we came up with!

So we continued walking to the Hokage's office until we got there. It didn't take long, it's in the center of everything.

"I'm sorry, but the Hokage is busy." Said some guy with a really messed up face. I had seen him around but…why was his face like that?

"But we MUST see him now!" I told him. It was a lie. I could see him anytime. I just didn't want to have to walk down here again.

"I'm sorry…" said the guy. He glanced over at Shino. I think Shino's appearance scared him or something because he sighed, looking defeated and opened the door the Hokage's office.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hokage." He said. "But they didn't want to wait forty-five minutes to talk to you."

I looked over to see Shikamaru sitting at his desk.

"It's okay, Raido." He said, looking annoyed. He waved the guy away and looked at me and Shino. "So what is so important that you needed to see me so desperately?"

"The guy at the door told me that you were busy!" I told him. "I was willing to come back later!"

I know it was a lie but you always have to look good in front of the Hokage. Even if you DO know him personally.

"I wasn't." Shino said. I shrugged. Okay then.

"So…?" Shikamaru led us as if we weren't going to continue a second later.

"I resign from my teaching position." Shino said.

"You've only been teaching for two days." Said Shikamaru.

Shikamaru definitely didn't look happy.

"I know." Shino said. "Teaching is not for me."

"And your students?"

"I had to fail them."

Shikamaru frowned, looking pained. Being Hokage must be fun!

"Shino, you don't do that." Shikamaru told him. Should I tell him that I did the same thing?

"That's why he's here." Shino explained as he turned and pointed to me.

"Yeah!" I said, agreeing with Shino.

"All right, explain to me." Shikamaru led us again.

"Well, Shino has students that he doesn't want…" I began. "And I have students that I don't want…"

"What's wrong with your students?" Shikamaru interrupted me.

I needed to sugar coat it to make me seem better.

"I'm not a strict teacher…" I started. "But none of them were very good at all."

I saw Shikamaru nod so I continued.

"The three lowest ranked students in the academy…" I reminded him enthusiastically.

"They were three students who couldn't use ninjutsu and genjutsu." Shikamaru told me. "I figured you could work with them."

"Yes…" I said. Time to lie again. "I was unaware of that."

"So what happened?" Shikamaru said.

"I sent them back to the academy for another year." I told him.

Shikamaru paused for a minute or two. Maybe he was thinking.

"Okay." He said. "Here's the plan."

"I don't want Lee's students." Shino said. No one wants them. "I don't want to teach anymore."

"I know." Shikamaru said with a raised eyebrow.

He fished through his drawers and pulled out some folders.

"All right." He said, going through one of the folders, pulling a pencil out of his desk.

"Lee, I'm giving you Shino's students." He said, writing some stuff down on a few pieces of paper. "They will need to be informed of this and that they didn't really fail."

All right! I hope Shino's students are youthful.

"Great!" I said, trying to sound as excited as possible.

"Yes…" Shikamaru said, looking away from me. "And Shino…you're done."

"Good." He said as he left. Thanks Shino!

Oh wait!

"What about my old students?" I asked Shikamaru.

"There is another teacher who failed her students." He told me. "I will give them to her but if they are as bad as you say, they will probably be failed anyway."

"Okay!" I told him. Then I gave him the thumbs up. Gotta impress the Hokage. Then he'll give you what you want.

"You can go now." He said.

"Thanks Shikamaru!" I told him. Then I paused. Is that what I call him? "I mean…thanks Mr. Hokage, sir!"

As I walked out the door, I saw something sitting by the door. It was Shikamaru's Hokage hat.

He couldn't be the Hokage without it!

"Oh!" I said, to get his attention.

"Yes?" Shikamaru said.

I bent over and picked up the hat. If I were the Hokage, I'd wear it all the time!

"The Hokage must always wear his Hokage hat!" I said. I turned to Shikamaru and tossed him the hat. Unfortunately, it doesn't throw quite like a shuriken and Shikamaru didn't exactly DIVE to catch it so I ended up accidentally knocking over a pile of papers.

"Oops!" I said. I hope he didn't hate me now. "Sorry!"

"It's okay, Lee…" he said. "Just go."

I think he's going to act as though nothing happened!

I bowed to him and left.

I think things went well!