Hey everyone! Thanks a lot for the reviews…I'm trying my best here with this story…time for the next chapter!
Lovinitstrong: I'm seeing which characters I can get a feel for pairing, Naruto and Sakura seemed pretty good, so maybe I'll continue along that track but maybe not. Who knows?
Ero-Sennin: I know it's weird, but after all, Rock Lee is really weird too. I just wanted him to look really crazy.
Frozensword: yes, I've read 246. It is good.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto….yeah…
Chapter 3
As the slim but well-built figure that was Rock Lee, the genius of hard work, leapt into the air, Uzumaki Naruto frowned and watched keenly. Who does he think he is, anyway…? I didn't want to fight him…but ergh…That's Lee for you…guess he hasn't changed either…guess I'll just have to KICK HIS ASS! Naruto thought, all in a couple seconds as Lee began to descend rapidly. Naruto blinked. The air had seemed to waver around Lee as he began to fall…But wait! He wasn't there anymo-
THOK!
Naruto felt the air being literally ripped in two around him as Rock Lee's fist shredded through it, defying human limits and breaking the sound barrier. Naruto barely had time to hit the deck as he felt an invisible battering ram of compressed air speed over his head.
"Kawarimi No Jutsu!" Naruto quickly formed the handseals that the teleporting technique required and felt his body become smaller and smaller and smaller until with a pop, a cloud of smoke and a slight wave of nausea, he appeared on the rooftop opposite where Rock Lee now stood. Damn, I have to work on that…haven't done it in a while…Naruto cringed as he thought back to the first time he performed the technique and he reappeared with his left foot inside a wall.
"Running already, Naruto, eh?" said Lee as he whipped around and struck a glamorous pose, beckoning Naruto forward. "I warned you, Naruto! I have been training hard! I am the greatest ninja in Konoha! As I said, you will not defeat me!"
Right, as if I asked to be randomly challenged in the middle of the street by a person I haven't seen in 2 and a half years…Naruto wiped sweat off his brow and stood up.
"Lee…You loud mouth! Why do you want to fight me? If I have to prove myself to you, then I will!" Here I come!" Naruto called as a glint appeared in his eyes and he crouched, letting out a primal growl. The marks on his cheeks became more defined, and fangs cut into his lower lip, but he did not feel the pain.
"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Naruto yelled his favorite technique and 10 clones appeared.
"Henge No Jutsu!" Naruto called out the basic jutsu of transformation, and all the clones transformed into…Rock Lee!
Lee looked around, confused.
"LEAF SPINNING WIND!" the ten Lee clones cried out, and the real Lee twisted his body and jumped at the same time, flipping in air and throwing 3 shurikens at one of the clones.
"You can't fool me with this, Naruto! I know I'm me!" Lee said, but at the same time realized that all of the clones had said the same thing. What if this is genjutsu…what if I'm not me and Naruto has been twisting the strings of reality to make me think that I'm me when I'm really not me and one of the clones is me? What if one of the clones switched bodies with me and now I'm one of the clones and not me? Lee thought desperately as the clones ran toward him. Lee slapped himself in the face.
"Haaaaaaaaah! I will not be tricked by you, Uzumaki Naruto!" Lee said and clapped his hands. A sonic boom erupted from his hands and Lee was thrown against the wall, while several clones disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Haha! I am the real me! I have become a great ninja! If only Gai-sensei were here to see me defeat you, Naruto!"
"Machine-gun Punch!" Lee said and sped towards the nearest Naruto, his arms a flurry of black and green.
Shit! What are the chances that he attacked the right one! Naruto thought, losing concentration. His disguise was dispelled, and he had to put up his arms in the split second before Lee hit him. It seemed as though a thousand sledgehammers were all hitting him in the forearms, and Naruto winced as his Chakra defense bent under the pressure. Lee was forcing him to skid rapidly backwards towards a nearby fruit stand.
"Watch out!" Naruto cried as he crashed into the stand, oranges flying in all directions.
His defense failing, Naruto's mind was working fast. He thought about directions to let up and dodge, ways to twist his body so he took a less direct hit, and ways that he could possibly move and dodge Lee's assault directly. Yeah, that could work…
But too late! Lee was behind him, and he tripped Naruto with a sliding kick. Sprawled on the ground, Naruto grinned up at Lee as a shuriken flew at him from the last clone, causing him to drop his guard for a split second. Naruto flipped onto his stomach and pushed himself through Lee's legs, standing up behind the tall ninja and holding a kunai to his neck.
Lee yelled at the top of his voice. "YOU WISH NARUTO!" Naruto blinked.
Lee was standing in front of him, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, with Naruto's kunai in his right hand. "Endgame." Lee said, and it was then that Naruto realized with horror that he was wrapped in one of Lee's bandages. At this point, however, it was too late for further consideration as to how Lee had escaped Naruto's hold AND wrapped him up, because the kunai was in the air on its way to Naruto's forehead. He closed his eyes, waiting for the steel to pierce his skull. Here it comes…
"Wha…?" Naruto stuttered as he opened his eyes. Lee was hugging him.
"Welcome back to Konoha, Naruto!" Lee said with a chuckle, and tossed the kunai in the air. Holy shit…what speed… Naruto thought. But what was the problem…? Rock Lee beat me…or did he…?
"Heh…thanks Lee! It's good to be back! Err… you learned some new techniques, didn't you?" Naruto muttered.
"Ha, yes and so did you Naruto-kun! We have both improved! The reason I challenged you to a fight was because…I wanted to test myself!" Lee flexed and puffed out his chest. "See, Naruto, I am now an adult!" Lee's face began to grow red, and he gasped, deflating his chest. Naruto laughed and scratched his head.
"So I see you're a chuunin now, too…?"
"Yes Naruto! I succeeded in the exam a year after the one you were in. It's not as if there were any hard battles…" at this Lee's face crinkled up, and he clenched his fists. "But this vest is well deserved, believe me! I worked very hard for Gai-sensei!"
"Yeah sure Lee…do you know when the next tournament is? I just realized that I'm technically still a genin. If I am to become hokage…I must first become a Chuunin!" Naruto smiled and pumped his fist in the air. "Do not forget, Rock Lee, that I will yet surpass you in skill! I am to become the sixth Hokage of Konoha!"
"You two done?" a hand tapped Naruto's shoulder, and he spun around. Kakashi stood there in his usual uninterested manner, eyes flickering back and forth from Naruto and Lee to his new present, the latest issue in the Icha Icha series: "Icha Icha Tactics."
"Kakashi! You did not finish the test! Kakashi, I want a rematch with you!" Naruto yelled accusingly at the silver-haired Jounin.
"Hmph. Not now, Naruto. Hokage Tsunade has sent for you. Rock Lee, I'm sorry, but I have to take Naruto now." At this, Lee's shoulder's slumped and his face fell.
"Hey, Lee, I gotta train later…I'll see you sometime tomorrow maybe!" Naruto said encouragingly to his crestfallen companion.
"Very well. Goodbye Naruto." Lee grumbled and disappeared.
"Yo, Naruto, what did you think of him?" Kakashi said as they walked briskly back towards the office of the fifth Hokage.
"Who, Lee? Aaahhh, he's a pushover. I was just playing with him. I could destroy that guy!" Naruto said with a grin. He looked around. Konoha…
The Konoha marketplace was filled with busy merchants and travelers, bustling around calling out advertisements and offers. Snippets of curses, light conversation, and cries of children drifted through the air, mingling with the sound of sizzling meat and the chirps of birds. Shinobi and villagers alike mingled in the crowd, socializing or simply strolling through the sweet-smelling arena of shops and stands. Children darted through the legs of the men and women, playing ninja or ball. The autumn leaves littered the street, contributing their shade to the many colors of the village. The sun shone down on the spot of civilization in the vast omnipotent forest, as if a spotlight showing off some new attraction.
Sakura spotted them from her post on the roof of the Hokage's office, and grinned. "Kakashi-sensei! Naruto! Hurry, Tsunade-sama told me to tell you to get here as fast as possible!" She waved at them and leapt down, landing softly. She swept her bangs out of her eyes and smoothed her skirt. "Come on, guys!"
