Previously:
"What about me?" Naruto said disappointedly with a sigh as he leaned against the wall. April smiled wryly and gave him a sympathetic pat on the back.
"Come on, let's go. We still have to turn in out applications." She reminded him.
"Right!" Sakura agreed cheerfully, revived. "Naruto, Sasuke-kun!! Let's go!!"
"Hehe… So those are Kakashi and Guy's precious pupils…" The boy with wild hair's partner said as they watched from inside the room they had ducked into after their defeat. "I guess they pass this first unofficial first test…"
"Yeah…" The boy with wild hair agreed as they released their transformation jutsu and returned to their original forms. "This is exam is going to be fun…"
"For us examiners too…" His partner agreed. Sakura hummed cheerfully as she held hands with April, and they two of them pulled the boys along as they continued down the hall.
"Hey, don't pull me!" Sasuke said, chagrined. Naruto was too busy pouting to object.
"Come on, Lee, what are you doing?" The girl with the buns asked, wondering why he wasn't following her and the boy with pale eyes.
"You guys go ahead." Lee told his teammates. "There is something I would like to test."
Chapter 37: The Worst Match Up
Team 7 was just walking along and minding their own business when someone called out from walkway on the level above them
"Hey, you, with the dark eyes." Rock Lee said, addressing Sasuke.
"!" They all said as they stopped and turned to face him, a bit surprised by the sudden call out.
"Ack!!" Sakura exclaimed, rearing back at her new admirer's reappearance.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked calmly.
"Will you… fight me right here?" Lee asked.
"A fight, right now?" Sasuke asked, furrowing his brow slightly.
"Yes." Lee answered seriously with a nod of his head before jumping over the railing to join them on their level. "My name is Rock Lee. When you want to learn a person's name, you introduce yourself first, right? Sasuke Uchiha-kun…"
"Heh, so you know?" Sasuke said, a little surprised, though he didn't show it.
'Were the Uchihas really that great?' April wondered, glancing between them. She had heard a little bit about the tragedy that happened several years ago when they were all wiped out except for Sasuke, but she didn't know much else about them. She had been focusing more on catching up to the present than the past after coming to this world, so she only had a very broad and vague understanding of its history. Maybe she should start putting more effort into that…
"I want to fight you." Rock Lee stated, taking up a fighting stance. "I want to test my techniques… against a descendent of the genius ninja clan."
'This guy…!' April thought, smirking slightly. His stance was nice and solid, but still flexible enough so that he could move at any time from any direction. He was obviously a master.
"Plus…" Lee said, blushing, as his eyes landed on Sakura.
"!" Sakura said taken aback. What did he want now? Lee stared at her for a moment longer and winked. "Ewww!!!" Sakura cried, reeling back as she cringed, so repulsed that she looked like she was on the verge of having some kind of allergic reaction. "Those lower eyelashes are—EWWW!!!" She yelled, rejecting him with her entire being. "Hairstyle is lame… and those thick eyebrows…" She muttered, shuddering from head to toe.
"…" April and the boys said as they watched, sweat-dropping. Did she really have to be so harsh? It was just a wink. It's not like he was—
"Mwah! You are an angel!!" Lee told Sakura, blowing her a kiss.
"!!!" Both girls gasped, startled when his kiss manifested as a little pink heart, floating towards Sakura. What the…!?
"KYAAA!!!" Sakura screamed, ducking so low in her desperation to avoid the unwanted love attack as she bent over backwards, that she hit her head on the floor with a nice thud. 'That was close…' Sakura thought as it flew by and hit the column behind her.
'Okay, that was really… weird…' April thought, sweat-dropping again. In this case, she felt Sakura's freaked out reaction had been completely justified. Was that some kind of genjutsu? Since when could kisses physically manifest themselves like that?
"Hey, don't throw weird things!!" Sakura snapped angrily at Lee as she straightened back up again. "I barely escaped with my life!"
"You don't have to be that mean…" Lee said, pouting a little. He didn't understand. According to Guy-sensei, the ladies couldn't resist these smooth moves. As expected of the girl he liked, she must be too strong for them!
'God damn it!!! Always Sasuke!!!' Naruto thought angrily, clenching his fist as a vein throbbed on his forehead.
'Uh-oh…' April thought, noticing that his temper was about to reach critical mass. 'Now we've got two ticking time-bombs.' She thought a little warily, glancing sideways at Sasuke, whom she could tell was now itching for a fight despite his pokerface.
"Challenging me knowing the Uchiha name… Frankly, you're a fool. You're about to learn… What that name means, Bushy-Brows." Sasuke stated darkly, narrowing his eyes dangerously at Lee.
"Please do." Lee said as a small bead of sweat slid down the side of his face, ready to begin. He was nervous but excited. 'I am lucky… I get to fight the #1 rookie this early. And I'll prove myself to you, Guy-sensei.' He thought determinedly.
"Wait!" Naruto said abruptly before they could get started, stepping forward. "I'll take care of Bushy-Brows. Just give me five minutes." He told his teammates, seriously pissed that everyone kept underestimating him.
'Hello, misdirected anger!' April thought wryly, sweat-dropping. Was Naruto even looking at his opponent? This guy clearly wasn't an ordinary genin.
"The one I wish to fight is not you, but Uchiha." Lee replied calmly, furrowing his brow.
"No, you shouldn't be fighting anyone." April said dismissively with a wave of her hand. "I like a good fight as much as anyone, but we don't have time for—" Unfortunately, Naruto was already beyond reasoning with.
"Damn it!!" He roared furiously as he recklessly charged at the bug-eyed freak, head on.
'And there he goes…' April thought, chagrined. Why couldn't he just listen for once?
"I'm sick of hearing about Sasuke!!!" Naruto yelled as he trust his fist out in straight punch at Bushy-Brow's face. Before Naruto even knew what was happening, his attack had already been redirected and he was falling towards the floor. April narrowed her eyes slightly a she watched. "!!" Naruto gasped in surprise and caught himself just in time, lashing out at Lee with a kick from below.
"Leaf Whirlwind!!!" Lee bellowed as, in one swift and fluid motion, he ducked and swept his own leg along the ground as he spun around a full 360°, knocking Naruto flat on his back with enough momentum to send him spinning into the wall behind them with a crash. It was an instant K.O.
'So he is strong…' Sakura thought as Sasuke frowned, surprised.
'That went about as well as expected…' April thought, sweat-dropping. Oh well, at least Naruto hadn't taken any serious damage. Knowing him, he'd be up and raring to go again after two or three minutes.
"I'll say this, you cannot defeat me." Lee declared seriously as he straightened up and resumed a proper stance again. "Because… Right now I am the strongest Leaf genin."
'His speed looks like it's on par with April's, and he stopped my kick with his hand… That wasn't human. I don't know what kind of ninjutsu he used, but…' Sasuke thought, smirking, as bead of sweat slid down the side of his face. Things were starting to get interesting. "Sounds fun. I'll do it." He said, deciding to accept Bushy-Brow's challenge.
"Hold it!" April said, deciding it was time to put her foot down. "I'm sure there'll be plenty of opportunities to fight later, but now's not the time."
"She's right, Sasuke!" Sakura agreed after a quick glance at the clock on the wall. "We only have thirty minutes to the meeting." She said anxiously.
"I'll be done in five minutes." Sasuke said confidently as he charged at Lee.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled.
'Idiots… I'm surrounded by idiots.' April thought, deadpanning. Just for that, she hoped he beat Sasuke, too. It'd be a good lesson for him to learn not to underestimate his opponents so much before things got serious.
'He is coming!' Lee thought, sweating nervously. Now was the moment of truth. 'I am sorry, Guy-sensei…' He thought as he started to move. 'I may need to break your rules… I may need to use that move…!' He thought as he dodged Sasuke's first attack.
"!!!" Sasuke gasped, startled when his opponent seemed to suddenly disappear. 'Above!!' He thought when he saw a flash of shadow, quickly looking up.
"Leaf Hurricane!!" Lee yelled as he spun around, whipping his leg out to deliver a powerful kick. Sasuke just barely managed to dodge by dropping to his knees, only to find that Lee had twisted around and was already swinging his other leg towards him in another kick.
"!!" Sasuke eyes widened as he gasped in alarm. 'Damn, I can't dodge it! Block!!' He thought, gritting his teeth, as he raised his arms to shield himself against the attack. Lee quickly formed the seal of confrontation, focusing his all on breaking through his opponent's guard.
'What!?' Sasuke thought, grunting in pain and surprise as Lee's foot connected with his face with enough force to send him flying.
"Sasuke-kun!!" Sakura shouted worriedly, while April let out a silent whistle of appreciation.
'What's going on?' Sasuke wondered as he hit the ground, confused.
'But he definitely blocked that…' Sakura thought as she watched with wide eyes, starting to get really nervous for Sasuke.
'As I thought, this guy's a master… He may even be on the same level as the Dragon himself!' April thought, impressed. Bruce Lee, the founder of JKD, had been so fast that unlike in other martial art films, where they had speed the camera up to make fighting scenes appear fast, his moves were too fast to be captured on the regular 24 frames per second film; so they had to film him at 32 fps, and run the film slower just so you could see his moves. 'I really want to fight him now!' She thought, clenching her fists excitedly as she suppressed a grin.
'He slipped through my guard…' Sasuke thought, furrowing his brow as he picked himself back up off the ground, glaring at the bushy-browed ninja who had just floored him. 'Was that ninjutsu, or genjutsu?' Lee furrowed his own brow as a bead of sweat slid down the side of his face. It would seem Uchiha was coming back for more. 'Heh… Fine… this give me a chance to practice it.' Sasuke thought with a smirk, activating his Sharingan.
"!" Sakura and April said, surprised when his irises turned crimson and two black tomoe appeared around his pupils.
'No way!! That is… the Sharingan!!' Sakura thought, gasping in realization. 'When did he…?' She wondered as she stared at him in amazement. 'And it's in both of them…'
'So he does have it…' April thought. She had suspected, but neither of them had never actually seen Sasuke use it before, since he hadn't had a reason to since their fight with Haku and Zabuza on the bridge. 'And unlike Kakashi-sensei, he has it in both eyes… Sensei has a scar over that eye… is that because it's a transplant?' She wondered, furrowing her brow slightly. Did that mean Sensei's eye originally belong to another Uchiha?
'So that is the Sharingan…' Lee thought, bracing himself. It looked like Sasuke Uchiha was finally taking him seriously.
'Haha… Sasuke-kun is incredible.' Sakura thought, blushing. 'If this is the same as Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan… then he'll be able to read Bushy-Brow's moves…!'
'Ninjutsu or genjutsu… Whatever magic he's using… I'll see it now!!' Sasuke thought smugly.
'But, even if he can see it… will that be enough?' April wondered, frowning slightly as he charged towards Lee head on.
'Sasuke-kun is getting stronger and stronger… the Uchiha clan is great!!' Sakura thought, confident that he would win. 'Sasuke-kun could never lose to a guy like this!'
WHAM!!
"!!" Sakura's eyes widened in shock as Lee instantly nailed Sasuke with kick under his chin the moment he came within range, throwing him up into the air. 'Huh!?'
'The Sharingan can't read it… This can't be…!' Sasuke thought, wincing in pain as he flew higher.
"… I guess the Sharingan isn't much help if your opponent's skill outmatches your own." April observed calmly as her eyes carefully followed their movements. That one looked like it hurt.
"Eh!?" Sakura gasped in surprise, whipping her head around to glance at her. Could it be that April knew what was going on? How could she be so calm!?
"Yes, that is right… My techniques are neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu…" Lee said as he crouched down and pushed up off the ground, launching himself into the air, just as Naruto finally regained consciousness.
"Huh…?" Naruto said groggily, rubbing his sore head. "Sasuke!!" He shouted in alarm as Lee suddenly appeared just below Sasuke, hovering in his shadow.
"!!" Sasuke said, gritting his teeth in frustration, as he realized what was happening. "Leaf Shadow Dance!" It was just Taijutsu!?
"Yes… My techniques are simple taijutsu, Sasuke-kun." Lee stated coolly, as if reading his mind. "You may not believe it because it is so basic, but… They say the Sharingan has the ability to see through all types of ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu… It is true that by reading ninjutsu and genjutsu, which require forming seals and kneading chakra, you can gain a distinct advantage. But Taijutsu is a little different."
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, sweating nervously, as he furrowed his brow.
'This isn't good… He's starting to panic.' April thought with a frown.
"Even if you can read my movements with your eyes, your body does not have the speed to react to my taijutsu. Basically, even if you can see it, if your body cannot keep up, then it is useless." Lee explained.
FWIP.
April narrowed her eyes slightly as the bandages on Lee's hands began to unravel.
"Do you know this? Among strong people there exists genius-types and hardworking-types." Lee continued as she watched them soar through the air. "If your Sharingan is a genius-type from the blood of the Uchiha… I am simply a hardworking-type who has continuously worked to improve my taijutsu. You could say that my ultimate taijutsu is the worst possible match up for your Sharingan." April's eyes widened slightly as she realized the movement of Lee's bandages was far too deliberate. They weren't just unraveling because they had come loose during the fight, he was unwinding them on purpose! "And I'll prove it with this technique… That hard work can surpass genius." Lee concluded gravely.
"!" April furrowed her brow and suddenly launched herself forward, surprising Sakura as she shot past her. April didn't know what Lee was planning, but her instincts were telling her she needed to stop it.
"!!" Lee gasped, startled, when he suddenly felt the loose bandages go taught. 'Huh!?' He thought, glancing down to see that April was holding the other end. "You—ugh!!" He shouted in surprise as she gave the bandage a good yank reeling him in like a fish on a line. She formed a fist with her free hand to meet his face as he hurtled towards her, but Lee used his lightning reflexes to catch it before she could make contact. However, April was ready for this and was already moving to knee him in the gut. Lee bent inwards and focused his chakra in his stomach to protect himself from the full force of the blow. "!!" He exclaimed, surprised when she forced the fist he was holding forward, using the momentum from her knee to push him backwards and pin him to the ground with the arm holding his bandage pressed against his throat, ready to choke him if he tried to attack. Sakura and Naruto stared at her in astonishment, amazed that she had been so easily taken control of the situation. If they had blinked, they would have missed it completely!
"Sorry." She apologized to Lee, surprising him. "But I think that's enough for now."
"Yes, that's enough, Lee!!!" A deep gravely voice barked sternly.
"!!" Sakura and Naruto gasped as they all looked over to see who was talking.
"!!!" April said, nearly losing her balance and crushing Lee's throat in her surprise. It was a giant red tortoise. 'No way… did that turtle just… talk!?' She wondered as her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened in shock.