ok, for this one the pictures that inspired that part of the story are within the text.
put periods instead of spaces between deviantart/com
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"What would you know of difficult missions, in any case?! You can't even do ninjutsu or genjutsu - you're not allowed on any sort of stealth missions due to your nature - you're barely even a shinobi!"
Lee froze with his mouth halfway open in an angry reply. A moment later, Gai realized what he'd said.
"Lee...oh, Lee...I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I was saying..."
Lee's eyes were empty of their usual shine as his lips moved to shape quiet words. "Barely a shinobi..."
"Lee, I didn't mean it. I was angry, it's not what I meant--"
"It's exactly what you meant and you know it! For all my hard work, all my pain, all my believing everything you spoke of? And I'm BARELY a SHINOBI?!" All the pent-up pain and anger of years of struggle and the other students' insults were breaking free. Lee slammed his fist into the tree he'd been leaning against. "All of your words of encouragement, were they only to make me feel better about my nonexistent future?!"
"Lee, calm down--" Gai stepped toward him and Lee instinctively lashed out, catching his teacher across the jaw. Before Lee could swing again Gai caught hold of his arms and spun him around, holding him so that he faced away from his teacher. Lee's eyes went wide as he saw what he had done; the tree had split up the middle and shattered around his fist, and now it toppled to the ground. Gai let him go and Lee spun around to see the bruise rising on his teacher's cheek. Gai wiped a droplet of blood from the corner of his mouth without a word. Lee bit his lip, unable to quite let go of his anger, though he felt shame rising in its place.
"I'll...I'll show you I'm a great shinobi! I'll prove it to you!" He was gone a moment later, racing off into the woods.
"Lee, wait!"
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Gai flew backward, propelled by incredible force to slam into a boulder jutting out of the ground. He fell forward into the loam, blood spattering the leaves around him, and gritted his teeth against the pain of what he knew to be several broken bones.
"Gaisensei!" Lee cried from to the side, only just having caught up to his teacher and the enemy nin they had engaged. He skidded to a stop between Gai and the shinobi, half-falling to his knees as his legs gave out in agony. But he pushed himself up again and fell into his fighting stance, steady despite the many bloodstains on his uniform.
Gai realized that Lee would fight to the death, and in that instant any doubts he'd had vanished. He reached up and calmly took hold of Lee's arm, pulling himself up and restraining his student in one motion. When Lee glanced over in surprise - and horror that Gai was moving with his body so broken - and Gai smiled. He stood straight as chakra began to course through his system, holding together broken bones and torn muscle. He gently pushed Lee behind him.
"Lee...it will be all right. Stay behind me. The time has come...for me to protect my most special person." He closed his eyes, droplets of blood streaming from them down his cheeks - they were useless now anyway. A serene smile spread across his face as he walked toward his opponent.
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"A-almost there, Gaisensei..." Lee choked out as he saw the wall of Konoha through a break in the trees. His face relaxed with hope, but then straightened again with determination. One foot in front of the other. His weights were gone, replaced with splints holding together broken bones.
It had been too long since the two started out on the mission together, even if it had only been that morning. But Lee would never forget it. He would never forget how after his wild blaze of glory - glowing chakra, tensed muscles, and such incredible taijutsu - Gai had turned back to Lee, smiled, and collapsed to the ground. Carefully, Lee shifted the weight of his teacher on his back. His arms wrapped around his teacher's, afraid of letting go. He knew that had he done so, the strands holding Gai's life together woud be severed. Tears welled up in Lee's eyes.
The scene played over and over in his head. The image of his sensei, after defeating their enemy falling limp to the ground in the twilight that returned after the brilliant shine of his chakra faded. Guilt spread through his mind. It was all his fault. It was Lee's fault for the state of his sensei. Had he not rushed forward to prove he was a great shinobi, had he not run straight into that ninja, had he not gotten himself in way over his head, his teacher would not have been like this. The tears grudgingly rolled down his cheek. Behind him, on his back, Gai stirred.
"Lee..." Gai mumbled, still so weak from the battle hours before. Those hours of trying to hold on to his life felt ike an eternity.
"Gaisensei!" Lee shouted back, his voice hysterical. "Do not speak, sensei! You will only cause more harm to yourself! We...we are almost there."
"Good..." his voice was weak, but Gai instantly picked up on the sniffling of his student. "Why...why the tears, Lee?" He flinched as Lee repositioned him, pain racking his body.
"Sensei, why...why did you push yourself so hard against him? I could've fought by you, or we could have retreated..." he trailed off. He was afraid. He could feel the way Gai's body moved, knowing that there was serious internal damage even without looking. He could all but feel his sensei's pain, it was so intense.
"Because..." he paused to draw a breath that sounded far too wet, and Lee interrupted him.
"You did not have to risk your life, Sense--"
"Because I was protecting what I hold most precious and dear to me." Lee was silent, a slight blush spreading across his cheeks. Gai chuckled as if he could see it, and Lee could feel the pain even that caused him. "Lee, I had to fight to my full extent, to make sure you were not harmed. You did...the right thing, Lee. So clear up those tears. Understand?"
"Yes, Gaisensei!" In a flash, his eyes cleared. He could see the gates of Konoha ahead of them on the road. No sooner had they appeared than Gai began to cough up blood. Lee's eyes widened as he tried to force his broken body to pick up its pace. "Hang on, we are almost there! Do not give up, Sensei!"
Gai smiled as the coughing subsided and he laid his head on his pupil's shoulder. "No..." he whispered. "I will not give up. I will go on. You are my reason for living, Lee." His arms tightened slightly around his student's shoulders, the closest he could come to an embrace in his condition. "I'm not going to die as long as you are around. That is because I..." Pain rattled his body again. Lee froze, holding tight to his teacher as his muscles spasmed. Then as quickly as it began, it was over, and Gai's body fell limp. Lee wrapped his teacher's arms around his neck once more and forced his broken body to move toward the gates.
"Almost there...almost there..." he repeated the phrase as each step grew heavier. Tears rolled helplessly down his cheeks once more. The gates were so close! The warm lamplight, any minute now they would be within its reach and a guard would see them. "Almost...there..." The tears increased as he felt the cool breath on the back of his neck suddenly cease. He pushed on, the same words repeating in his mind. Take another step. He refused to accept the fact that he could no longer feel any breathing behind him. Just one more after that. He utterly refused the fact that one more isn't so hard he could no longer feel Gai's heartbeat against his back. He just refused...He refused... "Almost there...almost there..."
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and more fanart from my good friend VC!
vampireking deviantart com/art/Refusal-56682198
put periods instead of spaces between vampireking/deviantart and deviantart/com