Kiba was in his room inside the Inuzuka clan dwelling. He had woken up about an hour ago. After his encounter with Sakura and Naruto yesterday, he really felt like he had hit a low point. He was reconsidering doing what Naruto had recommended. It was possible that Hinata did have feelings for him somewhere in her heart, and given that it didn't seem like Naruto would ever leave Sakura, the dog ninja thought that she might consider pursuing them. He hurriedly threw his clothes on and went to leave his home through the main entrance, Akamaru trotting ahead of him. As he opened the door, he heard an authoritative female voice.
"Where do you think you're going?"
He spun to see his mother Tsume staring daggers at him. Her hair had started to turn gray, but she looked as fierce as ever. Having her angry at him didn't make him feel miserable like when Hinata was, but it was still something he tried to avoid at all costs.
"I'm just going out," he replied.
She raised an eyebrow.
"To do what?"
Kiba shrugged.
"I dunno. Just to look around. What's the big deal?"
"What's the 'big deal'?"
The Inuzuka head whistled and Akamaru quickly came back inside. She then appeared at Kiba's side in a flash and violently slammed the door.
"The 'big deal' is that I heard you've been acting like a fucking idiot. What do you have against Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked, fuming.
Kiba shrank back a step.
"Nothing... I'm not going to waste time on him anymore."
She rolled her eyes.
"Oh. Well, that's a shame. You're not going to keep making the Inuzuka look pathetic by attacking the next Hokage? Is there any way you could reconsider? Because you've been doing us such a great service until now."
He sighed.
"Look, I was just angry... I won't do it again."
Tsume gave him a mocking look of concern.
"Oh, you were angry? Poor little Kiba. I guess everyone should overlook what happened, since you were angry. There's a problem with that, though," Her sarcastic tone faded. "You're not a little boy. You're supposed to be the next head of this clan. The Inuzuka have never been the strongest clan in Konoha. We have the status that we have because people know what to expect from us. Lots of people saw what you did. Attacking your own comrade doesn't send a good message."
He frowned, looking quite frustrated.
"I know I screwed up. What do you want from me?"
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"I want you to grow up. From what I heard, you did this because of the Hyuga girl. Because the Hyuga girl loves him, but he doesn't love her. It seems so stupid. You should have been happy, since he's so much stronger than you. You're weak. Even his woman knocked you on your ass. If Uzumaki Naruto was one of us and he did happen to want the Hyuga girl, it wouldn't matter even if she loved you. He'd just take her from you."
Kiba bared his teeth at this.
"Well... He's not one of us."
His mother's tone grew icy.
"You're lucky that he isn't. If he was, you would probably be dead. I forbid you to court that Hyuga girl from now on. I'm thinking of betrothing you to Akari."
Kiba's eyes widened.
"But she's eight years older than me..."
She growled at him.
"So what? She's fertile. You can have many children with her. Carry on the clan. That's what's important. The clan. Obviously, you've forgotten about that."
He frowned more deeply.
"Fine! I'll stay away from Hinata... Just please don't do that... May I leave now?"
Tsume shook her head.
"No. I've asked Kurenai to come over. You're not leaving until she convinces me that you aren't going to create more problems for us."
With that, she turned and walked away. The stunned Kiba could only stare at the door separating him from the outside world. He had no intention of actually staying away from Hinata, but he couldn't do anything when he was stuck here. He knew he could just open the door and leave, but that would just make things much worse for him. He stomped over to a nearby chair and sat down. Akamaru laid himself down at his feet.
/
"What are you doing here already, Lee? You didn't go for your morning run?"
Lee had arrived at the training field that him and Tenten had been using. He was supposed to arrive a half an hour later, but he wanted to start training in hopes of clearing his head. The weapons mistress was looking at him confusedly.
"No, I did... Forget about it. Let us just start training early."
Tenten, if anything, was even more confused by this.
"Sure, but aren't you going to put on your arm weights?"
Lee frowned.
"I forgot them..."
Tenten's eyes narrowed.
"You forgot them? Seriously?"
"Yes..."
She stared at him blankly. Lee grew uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Tenten?" he said.
"Yes?" she replied airily.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
She tilted her head at him.
"I'm wondering who this imposter is that's pretending to be my teammate. Since when does Rock Lee forget to wear his weights?"
He looked down sullenly.
"I would rather not talk about it."
Tenten's expression grew frustrated.
"Okay, fine. You don't have to tell me what happened. Just go get them and come back."
Lee looked up at her with a sheepish expression.
"I... Uh... Do not want to...?"
Her eye twitched. She took a step closer to him.
"You don't want to?! Why wouldn't you want to?! What the hell-"
Tenten was interrupted by a male voice which was more high-pitched than Lee's. The two of them turned to look.
"Hey, Lee... I've been looking all over... Here, I have your weights," Naruto said, appearing out of a nearby grove of trees.
The atmosphere was awkward as Tenten waited for Lee to say something. Naruto walked up to Lee and held the weights out to him. Lee stared at them for a few moments before reaching out to take them. Without a word, he slowly started to put them on.
"There you go. Uh... I guess I should leave, now," the blonde continued.
Tenten looked over at Lee exasperatedly.
"Aren't you going to thank him? He came all the way here and everything... Seriously, what's wrong with you today?"
Naruto shook his head.
"It was nothing. Lee, I hope everything is alright with you... Well..."
He hemmed and hawed for a bit. Lee decided that he needed to say something or Tenten was going to lose it on him, so he replied after thinking for a moment.
"Everything is fine. I believe you said you were going to leave?"
It came out much more coldly than he had intended. Naruto paled. Tenten grabbed the martial artist by his collar.
"WHAT?! How could you be so rude?" She looked over at the blonde. "Naruto, I'm really sorry! I don't know why he's being like this."
Lee found himself getting frustrated at the sight of Naruto. When he left, he was just going to go back to doing whatever he wanted to Sakura. He couldn't stand looking at him with that in mind.
"Enough... Naruto-kun, just walk away. I am trying not to do or say what I really desire to because Gai-sensei owes his life to you... But if you remain here, I cannot promise that I will be able to remain civil," he stated, Tenten still holding him.
Seeing the expression on his face, the bun-haired girl released him and took a few steps back. She realized this could be very bad.
"Lee... What happened to you...?" she muttered mostly to herself.
Naruto was also getting frustrated. Everyone seemed to be turning on him just because he loved Sakura. He never thought that being with Sakura would mean sacrificing all of his other friends, but he was ready to do that if he had to.
"Fine... I guess you hate me too, now. Can you at least leave Sakura-chan out of it? She didn't do anything wrong. I just want people to focus their anger on me and leave her alone."
Tenten's eyes were darting between the two of them. She saw that Lee looked even more agitated at this. She felt like she should have guessed that this had something to do with Sakura. She couldn't think of anything else that these two would fight about.
"You are placing yourself on the high ground again, just like when you fought against Neji. I was very inspired by that. I thought you were like me... But I eventually came to understand that you are not."
The blonde raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
Lee's eyes narrowed.
"To me, a hard worker is a ninja with little natural talent, compensating for that with great effort... You are not that kind of ninja."
Naruto frowned.
"But I've had to work hard for everything... Nothing was easy for me."
Lee sighed bitterly.
"But you are very gifted. You were born with power that no one could hope to match. You got stronger so rapidly... Your innate gifts helped you to achieve many incredible things. And now, no one in this village could defeat you no matter how much they trained. You are probably a greater genius than Neji was... I still saw you as a friend and comrade, but right now I feel like I cannot even look at you... Please, just go," he stated tiredly.
Naruto looked at him imploringly.
"Lee, I don't care about being a genius. I only care about Sakura-chan. Since you do too, can't we try to be friends anyway?"
"I doubt it... Now that Neji is gone, I can never defeat him like I always wanted to... And now Sakura-san has given herself to you as a prize, because as a genius, you deserve it... So I can no longer even dream of her lovely smile ever meaning anything more than an affirmation of friendship," Lee's expression grew more pained. "I have lost irrevocably. There is no way for me to try to win the next time. There will be no next time in either case. My defeat is final. I am sorry, but I cannot keep up this facade of being happy with that, because I am not..."
Naruto looked down in thought, brow deeply furrowed. It was true that Sakura always went on about how deserving he was.
"But Sakura-chan isn't a prize... She's a person. It was her choice... Right?"
Lee chuckled hollowly. They both failed to notice that Tenten had disappeared.
"Ha... Now you're asking me? I don't know... What I do know is that you were able to get everything that you wanted because you are a genius, Naruto-kun. Hard work can never overcome genius. Neji died believing that he was wrong about that. After losing to you, he swallowed his pride and told me that he had been wrong, when he was right to begin with. He died believing that lie that I kept shouting in his ear. That pains me so much to think about. And why did he die? It clearly was not so that Hinata-san could be happy with you," He took a deep, frustrated breath. "Did my best friend die so that I would feel this way? To punish me for my hubris? I simply struggle to understand why this world is the way it is. I should have been the one who died. Neji was a greater ninja and a better man than I am..."
The green-suited ninja sighed with an air of finality. He had no desire to speak any more about these things. Naruto had been watching him with widened eyes.
"It does not matter. Go back to Sakura-san... I do not have those feelings for her anymore. You need not worry about me," Lee finished.
The blonde frowned. He felt terrible about Neji, so he understood the pain that Lee was experiencing. But that had made no sense to him.
"But why?"
Lee frowned as well.
"What do you mean, why?"
Naruto's expression grew frustrated.
"Why don't you feel that way about her anymore? If you liked her when she loved Sasuke, then why would you stop liking her just because she loves me?"
Lee didn't want to explain. He felt he had said too many ugly things already. He didn't understand why Naruto wouldn't simply leave.
"... Forget it. Please, just leave."
The blonde's gaze turned icy.
"No... I don't think I will. I've been trying to be understanding because I know you must feel bad, but you say all that and then you say that you don't even like her anymore? What happened to make you not like her all of a sudden?"
Lee was at his wit's end with Naruto's insistence on remaining here against his wishes. He had seen that Tenten was gone, so he felt like he could say what he wanted.
"You happened! I cannot stand how you are taking advantage of this slavish love that she has for you, just because you have the opportunity to do so. She used to be so innocent. I can never look at her the same way knowing that you are..."
Naruto had an uneasy expression. He wondered if Lee was right. Sakura had been vulnerable and she really needed him. She said that being close to him made her happy, but it was possible that she wouldn't have decided to do that with him if she had been more secure in herself. He had always thought of her as innocent also. He allowed her to sacrifice that even when he knew that she cared too much about him to make any other decision.
The blonde recalled when they had returned from the mission. He didn't think he would ever forget how she had looked in the morning sun, the light reflecting off of her pink hair as it cascaded down to her delicate shoulders. It had shimmered so brightly against her pale skin that it seemed as if it were on fire. She had been so radiant that it scared him. But he hadn't seen that she was nervous too, maybe even more nervous than he was.
"...Doing whatever you want with her, as if she is your plaything. You have disgraced Sakura-san, who was so beautiful and charming... Because of you, it feels like there is nothing special about her anymore," Lee continued in a pained tone.
Naruto's mental image of Sakura smiled at him reassuringly.
"What did you say just now?" he asked quietly.
Lee glared at him incredulously.
"Do you care so little that you will not even listen? I said that it feels like there is nothing-"
Naruto dashed towards Lee and punched him in the face. The martial artist stumbled and fell, clutching his left cheek. He looked up at Naruto with surprise and anger.
"If you want to fight, at least give me a chance to take off my weights... I thought you had more honor than to strike when someone's guard is down," he muttered.
"Shut up," Naruto spat. "I know that I'm her weakness... I know that I'm benefiting from that... But you don't have any right to say that about Sakura-chan. What do you know? You don't understand how amazing she is. You never did... You never even tried to understand! You would just randomly run up to her and say something idiotic," He turned away to gaze off into the distance. "You never took the time to really get to know her... To learn how smart and funny she is... How kind and caring she is... She has the most beautiful soul of anyone I know..."
Lee watched Naruto blankly as he pulled himself to his feet. The indignant blonde turned to face him again, ice-blue eyes flashing.
"If you knew her like I do, you would NEVER say that! You would never say that she was worth less as a person just because of something that I did... There are so many wonderful things about her. Sakura-chan even cares about YOU! She thinks that you're her friend. She felt bad that she didn't understand what was going on with you..." he finished bitterly.
Lee remembered how Sakura had told him to take care of himself. He felt guilty, but he didn't feel like he could back down after Naruto had hit him. Removing his hand from his face, he fixed Naruto with a cold stare.
"Unfortunately... I will never be so lucky as to be able to know her the way you do."
Naruto scowled.
"I don't care! Take it back. And apologize to Sakura-chan like you said you would... Or I'm never going to forgive you."
Lee had forgotten that he was supposed to apologize to Sakura. That was another thing that he felt like he now couldn't do, simply because it was Naruto who wanted him to do it. He wanted to make it difficult for Naruto to get what he wanted in this instance, since everything else seemed to be going his way.
"Fine, I will, if you can defeat me in a spar."
Naruto tilted his head at him.
"Seriously? No offense, but we both know that wouldn't be a contest. You can't use the Eight Gates in a spar."
"I will not use them... But it will be taijutsu only."
Now, Naruto wondered if it would be no contest the other way around. He was very good in taijutsu, but that was when he was using clones. Without them, he would be average at best. He had done many things that people never expected him to be able to do, but defeating Lee under these conditions would be up there with any of them.
"Don't you think that's a little unfair?"
Lee chuckled sadly.
"A lot of things are unfair... Like the fact that I cannot even use most ninja arts while people like you and Uchiha Sasuke seem to have limitless power. Those are my conditions. You do not have to accept."
The blonde frowned deeply. He knew he shouldn't agree to this. It would be so difficult to win. He knew that if Sakura were here, she'd tell him not to do it because he might get hurt. But he was angry that Lee had said that about her after she had felt so bad for him. He wanted to teach him a lesson.
"Fine... Are you ready to start right now?"
Lee wordlessly began to remove his weights, throwing them off to the side where they came to rest under a small tree. After he had finished, he turned to face Naruto and gave a shallow bow, which Naruto returned out of habit.
"We have no referee, so I will wait for you to make the first attack. Good luck... Naruto."
Naruto nodded. They both assumed their fighting stances. A few seconds later, the blonde attacked Lee in a similar fashion to when he had done so earlier. As Lee was ready and unburdened this time, he dodged it easily. Naruto continued his assault undeterred. He figured that his best chance was to tire Lee out with his naturally superior stamina and endurance. However, it was awkward for him to try and break through Lee's solid defense. Without clones, his attacks were far too straightforward to work on someone of Lee's caliber. It didn't help that he hadn't been training lately. He was always studying or spending time with Sakura. He was more than a little rusty.
Lee found an opening and quickly launched a kick at Naruto, which he was able to block at the last moment. Sliding a few feet away, he barely managed to defend as Lee continued attacking. He had no idea how he was going to turn this around without the use of jutsu. Lee's attacks didn't leave any gaps. With each strike, he was evading later and later. He felt like it was inevitable that he was going to get hit.
Naruto went to dodge another kick and realized too late that it had been a feint. Lee's eyes lit up as he saw that his tactic had worked. He threw a heavy punch at Naruto's face. The blonde was off-balance and it was clear he wasn't going to be able to guard. He was about to be struck in the same spot that Lee had been hit earlier.
Lee's fist connected with a flat piece of wood which broke into two pieces. He saw Naruto standing several feet away. His cheek was swollen, but he had used Kawarimi in time to avoid much of the damage. Lee's expression contorted with rage. He was about to attack Naruto again when he heard a deep male voice.
"LEE!"
The voice was weaker than it used to be, but Lee still felt his spine straighten like it always had. He froze in his tracks, looking over to see that his master Gai had arrived on the training field, his wheelchair being pushed by an embarrassed-looking Tenten.
"Gai-sensei..." Lee replied with wide eyes.
Tenten stopped pushing Gai when they were a few feet away. Then Gai turned his head and whispered something to her. Tenten nodded and continued to push Gai towards Lee until he was right next to him.
Gai had a stern expression on his face. The frozen Lee blinked a few times.
"You fool!" Gai bellowed.
He reached up and socked Lee across the face, sending him flying to the ground. Tenten rolled Gai over to where Lee had landed.
"You know you are not to abuse your fist in this way! I was too lax in releasing you from my care. It is clear that you still need my guidance. We will have to start from the beginning again."
Lee gaped at him in shock.
"But, Gai-sensei... Is this really such a great setback?"
"Silence! We must start all over. If we do not, then I will have failed as your master. Is that what you want?"
"No..."
Lee moved to get up, but Gai pushed him back down onto the ground.
"Then we will start with five hundred sit-ups. Begin!"
Lee quickly assumed the position and began to do sit-ups at a rapid pace. Naruto was watching the scene with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. He still wanted Lee to retract what he had said, but he couldn't interfere with Gai when he was involved with his life's mission. He finally decided it was time for him to leave. He turned and started walking away, stopping when he saw a familiar face in the distance.
/
When Lee finished the exercises, he stood and faced Gai with a stiff posture. Tenten had decided to leave since Lee and Gai had gone back to their old ways.
"What is next, Gai-sensei?"
Gai stroked his chin contemplatively.
"We must talk first. Why did you choose to fight?"
Lee looked down in thought.
"I was fighting for my pride... Gai-sensei, you taught me that a man's pride is very important."
The older man sighed deeply.
"It is... But how does one restore their pride through a fight?"
Lee looked puzzled. The answer seemed so obvious.
"By winning...?"
Gai nodded sagely.
"Indeed. A loss will cause further damage to one's pride. So a man should fight for his pride only when he has a chance to win."
Lee frowned. He didn't understand how Gai could be under the impression that he had had no chance. He knew he must have seen at least the end of the fight.
"But I was going to win... If anything, I won by default. Naruto-kun cheated by using Kawarimi no Jutsu."
His master shook his head, his expression turning solemn.
"You did not win. This battle was one that you should never have fought, Lee. For that, I am truly sorry."
Lee's eyes widened in shock.
"But, Gai-sensei... Tell me why..."
Gai's arm, now lean as a result of his disability, rose up to point towards the center of the training field. Lee turned to look and saw that Sakura had shown up. She was approaching Naruto with a look of concern. When she had arrived at his side, they spoke quietly as she raised a glowing hand to the blonde's face.
Lee stared at her with mixed emotions. He was too far away to hear what they were saying. After some time, Sakura finally glanced in his direction only to turn away without acknowledging him. His heart sank. He had feared that she would glare at him, but this was somehow worse. He had always known that she would never love him, but he needed her to at least care about him, to consider him a friend. He realized that he had lied to Naruto about not feeling anything for her. As a result, he was forced to acknowledge that Naruto was right.
Haruno Sakura was so uniquely beautiful that she could not be tainted.
He didn't feel like his pride was that important anymore. He wanted to talk to her, to explain, to apologize if that was what she wanted him to do. He didn't want her to keep ignoring him. He knew he wouldn't be able to bear her treating him like a stranger, like she didn't even know him. But as he made a move towards them, he felt a force pulling at the back of his uniform. He turned around with the intention of asking Gai to release him, but the words died in his throat when he saw how grim his master's expression was.
"You must not. This battle was your choice to enter into. A man must live with his choices. He cannot take them back so easily and remain a man."
Lee turned back to where Sakura had been standing. He could only see her back as she had begun to walk away. Naruto was trailing about a foot behind her. The pinkette stopped and extended an arm, offering her shoulder to him so that he could lean on it a little.
Konoha's Green Beast suddenly felt very tired. He knew Gai had been correct. He hadn't won anything.
