When the sun burns out my Hatred will illuminate the world.
It was much, much later when an irate Iruka finally dragged himself back to the Hokage tower, determined to corner his elusive adversary. We could wait all day if necessary. Until three when his shift started and he had already taken more time off than allotted…
"Iruka you coming?
Caught, Iruka turned to face Genma
"Eh?" The most elegant of responses.
"The Fights man! What's wrong with you? I mean beside…" Genma stammered, sebon dancing in his mouth, even as he pulled Iruka past the mournful chunin manning the entrance.
That explained the tower's virtual desolation in what were usually peak hours, save for the bare minimum of staff.
The Fights were a recent development, yet another unexpected corollary of Sakura's disclosure. The Konohoa 11, determined that the Leaf would not fall, had adopted her more ambitious tendencies, namely the cross training from among the pool of jounin sensei available. Of course it wasn't possible for a single chunnin to absorb the sheer variety of jutsu, just as it was as unlikely for a single jounin to give each of the ten remaining students advanced personal attention. The solution was as elegant as it was simple.
Refine each candidate's talents in the arts they excelled, whilst grounding the others in strong basic techniques.
It wasn't long before this new approach yielded great dividends. Kiba had combined his Spiraling Fang with Jiraya's Iron Needle Armor for truly horrific carnage even as his new sonic Genjustu Howl scrambled opponent's nervous systems. Chouji channeled his body morphing to include advanced cellular regeneration, modified body structure reinforcement and redundant organ failsafe systems to emerge as one of the Leaf's most resilient warrior.
It was always under Maito Gai's vigilant tutelage however, where such refinements were tested. In the crucible of free form full contact combat, informally known as "The Fights".
Because of the sensitive and unprecedented nature, the Hokage had decreed such sessions restricted to level 3, a class that included among others, ANBU, most other jounin and those who dealt with information of a highly classified and transient status. Say, those who worked in the tower on a regular basis.
Naturally they developed a betting pool on the outcome.
Enjoyable, exhilarating and for some, highly profitable, the Fights were events not to be missed. High level combat of this nature did not occur on a regular basis so whenever one was anticipated shinobi would jostle schedules for weeks in advance in order to have a firsthand view of " those kids blasting each other to hell'.
"So who's up?" Iruka queried.
"The Beast, Lady of War, Iron Oni and… dammit what was his name again…"
Iruka couldn't say he approved the names, but they certainly added to the sense of anticipation. Rock Lee of course, the lady had to be Hinata, the Iron Oni:Chougi.
"… was the Aburame" finished Genma, as Iruka blasted past through to the sunken arena.
He needn't have worried. The match was still in progress. And Shino was getting brutally hammered.
Normally Fights involving Rock Lee, unless against the Hyuuga, were short intense affairs. Either your gambit paid off before Lee got started or he beat you senseless. This was shaping up to the latter, Iruka suspected and he couldn't say he wasn't pleased by the prospect.
The best Fights, the crowd knew, weren't between the more talented shinobi, but the ones who refused to concede defeat, so after the Aburame had been subjected to the first onslaught, a remarkably one-sided blistering torrent of strikes, and still remained standing, it was accepted that this would be a good one.
For the most part, Shino fought defensively, using his superior reach to keep Lee from clinching, managing to parry most strikes but unable to counter physically. Strangely he had yet to deploy his allies and unless he had done so before the match, unlikely to be granted the opportunity.
Lee fought with one eye on the ground, the other focused upon his opponent. Never letting up the relentless pressure, forcing Shino's arms in motion, and keeping them from forming hand seals. Waiting for the instant his opponent tired and dropped his guard.
Shino stumbled.
Lee pounced.
Lee was a seasoned veteran, with thousands of hours of practical combat training, a body close to physical perfection with the reflexes, insight and skills of a master and most importantly, a burning passion to excel.
He should have remembered: Shino fought dirty.
As Lee handsprung into his signature launcher, Shino, who had clearly been faking, countered with a simple leg sweep, doing minimal damage but buying precious seconds whilst his hands blurred.
Then there were three Aburame.
Rock Lee, recovered, didn't even hesitate " Yosh!" he charged.
Straight into a brutal cross counter. The tables hadn't been turned; they'd been flung clear out of the arena. The crowd roared with delight. This was the Fight they came to see. Now it was Rock Lee that fought desperately as the three moved with singleness of mind and unity of purpose. Whenever he entangled with one Shino, the other two would conspire to exploit the opportunity. Every time Lee managed to disrupt a clone it would reform instantly, positioning itself for maximum tactical advantage. Once he struck Shino Prime above the eye, the swelling discoloration marking him apart only to be astonished as the clones adjusted even minute details of their appearance accordingly.
Back and forth the tide of battle surged. Rock Lee exploited his greater speed and agility to engage the Aburames virtually simultaneously, relying on his aerial maneuverability to escape being boxed in. Shino countered with numerous concerted attacks of opportunity, flawless coordination and superior tactical positioning designed to wear his opponent down. Around and above the crowd, stamped and screamed, each extolling their chosen champion to victory.
Ultimately it was Rock Lee's magnificent body conditioning that decided the issue. Abruptly Shino's clones collapsed. Instantly the remaining Shino tapped out while sluggish heaps of kikia crawled back to their master. Rock Lee decided that today was a good day to violate the laws of physics and casually reversed course mid air to stand before his downed opponent.
Gai materialized, tears streaming manfully, to congratulate both combatants as Lee gushed excitedly about the very definite availability of a rematch. Shino staggered upright after kowtowing to both and meandered out into the recovery area as the applause of a grateful audience filtered down from above.
Genma whistled "Some fight huh?" but Iruka was no longer there.