Legend of the Iron Monkey

Naruto Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I don't own a single shred of Naruto.

Chapter 4: Reunited

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Lee arrived in front of the the doorstep of his old apartment. To him, he hadn't been there in 10 years, and he sort of missed it. When he entered the place, thanking his lucky stars that he still remembered hiding a spare key under his door mat, it looked the same as it was before he left it, all those years ago. Lee placed his sack and documents down on a nearby table and collapsed on his bed. For the first time in years, he wasn't sleeping on dirt or leaning on some boulder to use as a pillow. He was finally home, the place that housed him and where he grew up in. He thought about what his father meant about a danger that was going to take place really soon. Being the Iron Monkey, he possessed powers that rivaled that of gods, so survival wasn't too much of an issue at the moment. He only hoped that he would be able to protect his loved ones with this new power that was bestowed upon him. The taijutsu master pulled out his retractable staff from its leather sheath. Right now, it's the size of his wrist, but it is capable of stretching to at least eight to ten feet, a good reach to use for any predicament in battle. In his hands he held the family heirloom, the staff of the first Iron Monkey.

He placed the staff back in its sheath and continued looking to his ceiling. He wondered where his father was now, and what he was doing. Since he is no longer the Iron Monkey, mortal is what he is now. He is still a great master of combat, but the mere fact that death can cast its shadow over him is just terrifying. Through the 10 years of training with him, Lee had never defeated him in a fair combat, but that's probably because of his incredible healing ability. Truthfully speaking, the moment Lee attained that part of his kekkei genkai, was the moment that even his father had troubles defeating him in a sparring match. The rapid cellular regeneration ability truly is a powerful asset. It allowed him to endure through the living hell that his father calls a training regiment. Anyone without that ability surely wouldn't have survived the training. He had to admit it though, his father knew what he was doing through it all. Without even looking, Lee grabbed a pocket knife from under his bed. He looked at it for a second and slit a small cut on his hand. It hurt a little but the wound healed immediately. He sighed to himself happily. At least he could still feel pain. That alone is enough of a reminder to himself that he was once mortal.

Speaking of which, another thing that was bugging him was the fact that he was no longer mortal. It was because of his healing ability that no longer made him mortal. His healing ability would fix his tissues and inner muscles, extending his lifespan by an indeterminable amount of time. However, death by aging is more likely to happen than death in combat or any other situation, because of his healing ability. Lee is an authentic god now, or at least a demi-god, a powerful half deity, who walks among humans. It's an odd thing to be born like one of them, and then become something beyond anyone's imagination, in a blink of an eye. Of course, it didn't happen that fast but it seemed like it did. Just a little more than 10 years ago, he was human, living a human life like everyone else. But now he is no longer mortal, but something more than just ordinary.

However, there was something about his near god-like status that his father also explained to him. Hirameki said that although his body can heal from just about every attack done on him, there is a way for him to die in one attack. If his head were to be severed from his torso, then death could be possible. But even with such a weakness, the Iron Monkies that came after the original were still considered to be as gods in human form. Within his grasp lay most of the powers of the Iron Monkey, the deity who started his clan. He wondered if he was strong enough to deal with the eventual deaths of his friends, when their time arrives. Although much older in mind and spirit, he still possessed the body of his 14 year old self. Enjoying youth isn't such a bad thing. It's not like he had anything else, but time, in his hands anyway. * (A/N: #1 - See important P.S note below) *

After staying another good hour in his apartment, Lee jumped out of his bed and walked out of his home. He wanted to visit the Ichiraku ramen stand to see if the ramen was still good there. Although a god, Lee was sure that he could still eat. Not for the purpose of refueling his energy, but to remind himself of his past mortality. On his way to the old ramen stand, he saw a familiar face, entering the place. He smiled as he caught a good look at the person before he entered the stand. Lee followed in right after. He sat next to him, Iruka Umino. The young academy teacher ordered his meal and noticed that he had company, but would never have guessed that it would be Gai's star pupil, Rock Lee. Iruka looked at him like he was looking at a ghost. Lee was thought to have been dead throughout the village and it affected so many people. Just like the other genin, Iruka found himself unable to speak for a while. But unlike the other genin, it didn't last long. Iruka gathered his composure and decided to strike up a conversation.

"Lee, it's true then. You really have returned. Is that really you?" he asked in disbelief. "You look so... different."

"Yeah well, absence from the village for a long time does this to you," he replied, ordering his ramen as well. Iruka's eyes traced all around his new clothing and new physical features. He never knew that Lee looked that muscular under his spandex. It was way too muscular for a 14 year old boy actually. Speaking of spandex, where did his old one go? It had been replaced by a cloth vest that stretched down to his knees, as well as a set of cloth pants and a pair of army type leather boots. On top of that, he also wore a pair of wrist guards, and has a different hair style. It was spiky and looked rather dashing on him. He didn't have those thick eyebrows anymore either. They were slimmer now and more normal looking. His eyes had changed too, no longer so large, but his pupils were the ones that changed the most. They were calm and collected, traits that Lee didn't have before.

"This is amazing Lee! Look what you've done to yourself.. what a transformation in just two and a half months!" exclaimed Iruka. "You've got to tell me how you did it."

Lee looked around him, making sure no one was around. The ramen chef and his daughter were still very busy with preparing their ramen, so they were out of the way. Lee looked out of the ramen stand and made sure no one was on their way to their location. Iruka wondered what had gotten into the boy, but deduced that whatever he was going to say, must really be so important that he'd rather not let so many pairs of ears listen to what he had to say. The academy teacher understood though. Wherever Lee has been or whatever Lee has been through, must have been so important that he didn't return to the village until now. What could it be that he was doing in the outside world? Was he even still in the fire country borders? How in the world did he elude the ANBU search teams that were sent to scour the fire country and other borders, just to find him? When Lee was finished taking a look at everything, he glanced back to Iruka. Just as he was about to divulge his information, Teuchi, the ramen chef, delivered their meals and stood before them. Lee looked to him and paid for his meal, as well as Iruka's.

"Hey um... think you could give us a bit of privacy?" he asked. Iruka looked to the ramen chef and then back to Lee. Now he really had to know. Teuchi took the payment and led his daughter and himself to the back of the house, allowing the privacy that Lee asked for. When they left, Lee turned back to Iruka.

"Alright, what I'm going to tell you doesn't escape your lips. Okay?" he asked. Iruka nodded. "I haven't told anyone what I'm about to tell you because it's dangerous for them to know but I feel as though I have to tell someone and I believe I can trust you with this vital piece of information."

Iruka nodded as he started on his ramen. Lee did the same. When his mouth was no longer full, he continued speaking.

"Hmm... good ramen. But anyway, I told the other genin, even the Hokage, that I had amnesia for a while until my memories returned to me, which allowed for my return to the village. But that is not true. What really happened is, when I fell from that cliff that you probably heard about from my squad, I fell down a river with powerful currents. The currents were so strong that it pushed me to a boulder, which knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I was in this cave with a white blanket on top of me. I failed to notice it before, but I remember now that the blanket had some sort of mark on it. It was a fist with a monkey's head on it."

"The... Hana... zawa... clan," said Iruka, choking on his noodles. Lee's eyes widened.

"Yeah, how did you know about that clan? I thought they were extinct," said Lee. Iruka nodded and gathered his composure for the second time.

"They are. My parents told me about them when I was still just a boy and it was my favorite set of tales. They told me that the Hanazawa clan was a clan of master taijutsu users. They were like you actually, they can't use ninjutsu and genjutsu, but made up for it with an incredible kekkei genkai," said Iruka. Lee nodded and urged for him to continue. "Their kekkei genkai is a passive one. Whenever they healed from any wound, instead of a scar being left on their bodies, the energy used to harm them would come back to them as strength. It was a dangerous kekkei genkai, and one that people thought would change the clan into juggernauts with incredible power. So they were killed, all of them."

"But they were incredibly talented shinobi, weren't they? In addition, they can heal from wounds instantly, along with the ability to get stronger and stronger every time they heal. So who would be able to kill shinobi like that?" asked Lee.

"Quick healing? The Hanazawa clan didn't have that. From my knowledge, they only had one kekkei genkai with one effect, not two. If they could heal as you said they could, there's no way they could have been wiped out by one man," he said. Lee looked away for a bit. That's how his clan was destroyed. They didn't train in the cave of the Iron Monkey, therefore couldn't unlock the ability that he possessed, the ability of rapid cellular regeneration. Lee looked back to his former teacher and urged him to continue his story.

"What else do you know about that clan?" he asked.

"I can't remember for sure, and even now I can't believe what it was that my parents told me. It was like the Uchiha clan massacre. One man was responsible for it, one man who's power rivaled that of gods. It's only really a legend but my parents said that the man's family was captured and an organization made a deal with him. He was to slay his entire clan for the safety of his family. The man was reluctant, but agreed. He took down his clan like a sword tearing through a sheet of wet paper. Even the strongest of the Hanazawa clan was no match for his god-like fury. After the task was done, his family was returned to him, but they double crossed him. One of their assassins pulled out a sword and cut the stomach of the woman, who was pregnant with a child."

"The man who had slain his clan, was furious. So he took his wife and stormed out of the village. He took his wife to a safe place where she gave birth to a baby boy, but died through blood loss and exhaustion. It was said that the man left his son in one of the five shinobi villages. He then returned to the village of assassins and exterminated them all. He was never heard of since then," said Iruka, finishing his story and his ramen. Lee nodded at the accuracy of his old teacher's story. It was pretty much exactly the way Hirameki told him. Now Lee was certain that Iruka would be the only one he could trust with this new information of his.

"Iruka-sensei, please hand me a kunai," he said.

"Uh... why?"

"Trust me," said Lee. Iruka shrugged his shoulders and reached for a kunai in his holster. He handed it to Lee, who took it with one hand. He stretched out his arm and sliced a very large wound on it. Iruka was about to panic when he noticed something. Almost as quickly as the wound was created, it started to close. As the flesh closed, the blood reentered the body, which was a very frightening sight for the man. When the wound had finished healing, Iruka looked to his former student.

"Lee.. what the..?" he asked, stuttering due to a loss of words.

"Remember when you told me about that man who slew his entire clan to save his family? I met him," he said. Iruka, for a moment, found himself unable to speak, as if his voice was deprived of him by an unknown force. "I met him, and he trained me for 10 years in an odd cave. You see, one year in that cave is one week in the outside world. He trained me and passed down his power to me, the spirit of the Iron Monkey."

"The... what?" asked Iruka, finally finding the strength to speak.

"The Iron Monkey is a deity, a god who started my clan. Oh and, by the way, the Hanazawa clan is not extinct. The man who slew his clan, is my father," said Lee. Iruka's mouth hit rock bottom. First there was this Iron Monkey thing about gods and deities, now there was this thing about Lee being the long lost son of an extinct clan? "I know you're about to ask me this so I figure I shouldn't hide it from you. The village gave me the name of Rock Lee. But the name that my biological parents gave me is, Kira Hanazawa."

"Kira... Ha-Hanazawa?"

"Yeah. And regarding the thing about my father being the Iron Monkey, I told you he passed his powers down to me, right?" he asked. Iruka slowly nodded. "Well, that healing ability that you saw is something I earned by training in that odd cave for several years, the cave where the first Iron Monkey lived in. The second one allows me to mimic any technique that my opponent uses against me. But that knowledge only stays with me for one shot. After that, it's like I my body forgets how to do it."

"So... let me get this straight. As a member of the Hanazawa clan, you possess their kekkei genkai which allows you to become stronger after you heal from any wound. Then now that you're this Iron Monkey god thing, you heal quickly, which activates your kekkei genkai, making you stronger, and you are able to mimic any technique used against you, once? And on top of that, since you're a deity, you're probably immortal. Do I have it about right?" asked Iruka. Instead of nodding, Lee waved his head from side to side.

"Well, actually, I'm not really immortal. But the people of the Hanazawa clan often regarded the Iron Monkey as their god. According to my father, the original Iron Monkey was a true deity, incapable of dying. All of my ancestors who received the powers of the Iron Monkey, became very powerful, but never became immortal. My father also mentioned that the original Iron Monkey purposely tweaked his immortality so that those who came after him and received his power, wouldn't gain too much power. I'm more of a demi-god, as there are ways for me to die, but it's all very difficult to accomplish by normal people, or by normal standards. Atop from that, I still age, you know, just a lot slower than other people do," said Lee, trying to read the facial expressions of his former teacher. "But I take it you're not alright, are you...?"

"Alright? I'm farthest from alright. You are the strongest being who walks the earth right now. You heal almost instantly from whatever wound caused on you and you get stronger because of it. No human should ever be bestowed that much power, it's unreal!" he exclaimed. "And to top if all off, you're a demi-god? Because of your healing ability, you get to cheat death countless times. Do you know how mad the shinigami will be at you? The very thought that his arms will be hard to reach you will make him agitated."

"I think you really do need to lay down, Iruka-sensei," said Lee. Iruka nodded and stood from his seat. He was about to leave the ramen stand, when he turned to face the Iron Monkey. He smiled at him.

"But for what it's worth, I'm glad you've returned to us. And your secret is safe with me, you have my word on that," he said as he turned away and left. Lee sighed to himself and easily downed his ramen, not having the time to enjoy it as he had so many things he had to do. As he was about to leave as well, Iruka popped back inside. "Oh yeah, I remember what I was going to tell you. The shinobi and kunoichi who were the cause of your disappearance, are being held in the jail cell where all the other criminals of this village reside. If you speak to the Hokage, surely he'd let you in. You might find some interesting information from them."

Lee nodded gratefully as his former teacher leaped away. Perhaps he really can find some information from those two bozos that caused him to leave the village. Actually, it wasn't really such a bad thing. If not for them, he would never have been able to meet his father and learned of the history of their long deceased clan. Lee exited the ramen stand and took to the roofs of the leaf village, making his way to the Hokage's tower. He had to find out a few things, especially who this man was in another village that wanted him alive. He increased his speed and made his way to the tower. When he arrived, he knocked on the door and heard a voice inside, allowing him to enter. The old Hokage was still smoking his pipe and signing some documents. Sarutobi looked to him and placed his documents aside.

"Hello Lee, what can I do for you?" he asked, crossing his fingers to himself.

"I need access to the jail cell of the leaf village. I need an audience with the shinobi and kunoichi who were captured on the day of my disappearance," he said. The Hokage nodded and gave Lee some sort of patch that would allow him inside.

"Show this patch to the guards and they'll let you in. I figured it wouldn't take long for you to ask me that question. I suppose you really would want answers from those who tried to kill you, eh?" asked the old Hokage. Lee nodded and vanished in a swirl of leaves. The Iron Monkey fazed in and out of human vision. He was moving at a speed where you'd need the sharingan or byakugan to see him properly and still he could go so much faster. Training in the cave of the Iron Monkey really did do wonders for his physical abilities. Lee could no longer feel any strain on his legs, as his healing ability took care of that. When he arrived at the entrance of the prison house, four chunin guards stopped him. Lee showed them his patch and they allowed him right in.

"My name is Rock Lee, and I wish to see the shinobi and kunoichi who were captured two and a half months ago, who were responsible for my disappearance," he said. One of the guards nodded and went to retrieve the people that Lee was talking about. Another guard led Lee to a table with three seats surrounding it, no doubt for him and the two people he wanted to see. When Lee sat down, the two chunin guards returned to their stations while the third remained with him, probably to make sure nothing happens to the prisoners or the visitor. Lee took a look around him and examined the place. It looked like an ordinary prison. The walls seemed to be made of bricks that were painted gray, a very dull color. There were other shinobi that were stationed around the place, probably to keep order. It all looked pretty tight and secure so there should be no worries. He was about to do a bit more sightseeing, when the chunin from earlier returned with two people, resembling very familiar faces. They both wore the standard prison clothes and had quite the unruly set of hair but besides that, they didn't look too bad. Both people sat down as the chunin stood next to the other shinobi who was keeping watch.

"Hey, remember me?" asked Lee.

"Are we supposed to?" asked the male shinobi.

"It's me, Rock Lee, the guy you two were trying to bring to someone in your village for some bounty," he replied. The two thought about it for a while before nodding a couple of times to him, signaling that they did indeed remember.

"So it's you then, isn't it?" asked the kunoichi. "I knew a fall like that couldn't possibly kill someone of the Hanazawa clan."

"Alright, how do you know my clan?" asked Lee.

"Only myths, legends, and campfire stories actually. Well, I suppose since we're probably going to rot in this prison, we might as well tell you what's on our minds, right?" asked the shinobi. Lee nodded and calmed himself. "We were sent by an odd looking fellow from the cloud village. I'm not sure if he's a resident of said village, nor do I really care. He had long black hair and a very pale face. His eyes also looked like that of a reptile... a snake if you will."

"Snake?" asked Lee, remembering something that his father told him. Perhaps this snake was the danger that his father had warned him about, while he was still training in the cave of the Iron Monkey. Could he really be so dangerous for even a god to fear?

"Yes, snake. He told us to bring you to him, alive if possible, and would pay a large sum of money if you were still breathing in his presence. I didn't catch his name, nor did he wish to reveal it. Normally, we assassins like to know who we're working for but when he promised us so much money for your retrieval, we didn't question anything else," said the kunoichi. It was then that the male shinobi interrupted. "It's been two and a half months now and he's probably learned of our failure. He didn't seem like the type to stay in one place, so he's probably gone from the cloud village by now. I don't know where he went but I'd say you should be careful should you ever come across him. When I felt his aura... it was very inhumane. Your aura feels about the same but there is goodness inside your soul, unlike his. His soul is filled with treachery and deceit, unlike anything I've ever felt before."

"Do you believe there's a chance that he would still be coming after me?" Lee inquired. "I mean, if you two knew that I was never dead, would there be a chance that he thought of that same idea too?"

"That's possible. And since he seems to be the kind of person to get what he wants. He's probably on his way here now to finish what we couldn't," said the shinobi. "That being said, you should watch out for yourself. The aura that you are resonating, feels much stronger than it used to be when we last met. But still, you must be careful around this snake man. Long black hair, a pale face, and snake-like eyes is the only thing we know about his physical appearance. You should check with your Hokage. He's an old man and would probably have heard of someone with similar traits during his very long life."

"I see. I'll do that when we finish here. Is there anything else you can tell me about this danger?" he asked. The kunoichi rolled her eyes in all directions, wondering if she forgot to mention anything regarding what the lad was asking about. When she remembered something, she looked to him again.

"I remember that this snake man always had a bunch of lackies with him, but he has one main one, as if a right hand man of sorts. He has silver hair and wears a pair of round-rim glasses. He doesn't look as bad as the snake man but his intentions are almost as evil. He isn't as powerful either, you could probably take him down, but I'm aware that you're a genin and you genin are supposed to be traveling with two other genin and a jonin sensei in your squad. If you can survive a fall like you did two months ago, you should do fine against this guy, but I advise you to watch for your friends. I don't think they're in the same league as this silver haired guy. Unfortunately, he didn't say his name either," she said. Lee nodded, considering to keep that piece of information in his head for the future. When he gathered enough information, he stood up from his seat, the two followed suit.

"Thank you both for the information, it's been very interesting to learn about the one who is after me. I don't know his name but you're right, the Hokage might know a thing or two about him. If I have anything else I need to know, I'll come back here. And maybe, once all this is over, I'll try to get you two freed," he said. The shinobi narrowed his eyes for a second and returned them to normal afterward.

"Why would you do that? We tried to kill you," he said.

"True, but it was nothing personal. You were hired to do so, therefore, you have nothing against me. You were just doing your job and I understand that. Although you did indeed try to kill me, it wasn't out of spite or hatred. You two are just simple assassins trying to make a living from bounty. Besides, you don't seem too bad. Maybe we can be friends in the future," Lee replied. The shinobi and the kunoichi smiled. "By the way, what are your names?"

"My name is Kisuke," said the shinobi.

"And I'm Yukina," said the kunoichi. Lee nodded at their introductions and walked away. The guards who took them before, walked them back inside the prison. When Lee left the prison, he made his way back to the Hokage's tower where he may find some answers. Sarutobi is an old man and should be able to tell him about the snake man or at least his right hand man. On his way to the tower, his peripheral vision caught Naruto and Sakura along with three little kids, probably playing around. He shrugged his shoulders, telling himself that it's probably nothing to worry about. He didn't know that squad seven were such fast walkers. He could have sworn that he left them behind another day or so of traveling, but deduced that it was probably just his imagination. He was about to proceed when one of the children bumped into a black-clad person with odd face paint and some blond chick that looked to be almost the same age. He was carrying something that looked pretty heavy on his back. He picked up the kid by the scarf that was tied around his neck and lifted him up, causing a bit of pain on the little boy.

"That's not good," Lee said to himself as he rushed to the scene. But before he got anywhere near them, Naruto rushed to the guy in black, screaming like an idiot. Lee wondered where Naruto's brain had gone. You don't just charge into anyone like that. What if there's a trap? What if there's-- and there it was... he tripped on something. The young Iron Monkey looked down on Naruto's foot and saw an nearly invisible wire, which is what he probably tripped on. When he looked up, Sasuke was there too, about to throw a rock to stop the bully and drop the child, but that's not what Lee was looking at. Being granted the powers of the Iron Monkey sort of cleared his five senses and somewhat enhanced them a bit. Lee noticed several fragments of sand forming together. After Sasuke threw the rock, successfully saving the child, the other shinobi looked at him, massaging his wrist.

"That was really flashy... what a little show off..." Lee commented, rolling his eyes to the side. Sure it looked kind of cool but he didn't have to over do it. When the black-clad shinobi was angered and about to attack, a voice stopped him easily. Lee looked a bit left of Sasuke and saw a figure with red hair, standing upside down from a tree branch. It must have been that sand from earlier that was gathering. So, a shinobi from the sand village hmm? The Iron Monkey smiled slightly as the red-head dematerialized from the tree and rematerialized next to the other two, in a gust of sand. Not a bad technique at all. He's definitely someone to watch over. But why were sand shinobi in the leaf village? The leaf and the sand are allies but no shinobi is allowed in another village unless in a mission or with some kind of clarification. As the three shinobi turned to leave, Naruto started barking his usual outburst. Lee slapped his forehead with his palm in embarrassment. Was Naruto trying to make the village look bad?

"Hey, no one turns their backs on me!" he said, reeling up his sleeves and pointed at the one with the enormous thing on his back with mummy-like wrappings on it. "You were hurting Konohamaru and I'm not going to let you turn your back until you apologize!"

When Naruto finished his exclamation, he pulled off another charge at the sand shinobi with the face paint. Lee sighed to himself. Naruto always was the jump-the-gun type of person. He acts without thinking... a fatal flaw in any shinobi. Lee shrugged to himself and fazed out of existence and appeared right behind Naruto, holding him back using the collar of his jacket. The spiky haired young man pulled him back to the others and shook his head in disappointment. Even though Naruto had earned his reputation as the clumsiest shinobi in the history of the leaf village, surely he would know when to attack and when to stand down. But due to this display of embarrassment, apparently not. Lee turned around to face the sand shinobi, not liking the vibe that he was getting from the red-headed one. The other two seemed strong as well, but nothing compared to the shorter one.

"Hey, what's all the ruckus going on?" he asked, primarily looking into the green eyes of the red-headed sand shinobi. Said shinobi gazed into Lee's eyes as well, trying to figure him out. Sasuke seemed rather curious at how Lee appeared from no where and stopped Naruto. He couldn't even sense him and there he was.

'He was very far from us... I saw him peeking into our conversation from several meters away. He was able to stop that blond loudmouth from where he stood and looked as though he didn't even break a sweat. He's definitely someone worth keeping an eye on,' the red-head thought to himself.

"I apologize for all the trouble that my teammate caused," he said in a creepy tone of voice, still looking into Lee's eyes. "I am Gaara of the Desert. Now that I've made my introduction, I'm very curious to know your name, as well the kid behind you with a blue shirt."

"My name is Rock Lee of the leaf village."

"And I am Sasuke of the Uchiha clan, also of the leaf village."

Gaara nodded and walked away with his two teammates. Gaara of the Desert, huh? Lee wondered what it was about that guy that was sending shivers up and down his spine. Something wasn't right about that one, of that he was sure. It's like there's another spirit inside him, waiting in agitation to come out and attack, but is being held in check by something. It's a good thing that someone like Sasuke is here to buy a little bit of time for everyone. If Lee hadn't shown up, no one would have stopped Naruto and things surely would have gotten bad. Not only would the leaf village be further shamed by Naruto's idiocy, but someone might have gotten hurt, or worse, killed. Lee promised himself, upon receiving the spirit of the Iron Monkey, that he wouldn't allow any blood to be spilled from his friends. As stupid as Naruto may be, Lee did consider him as a friend, mostly because they shared similar goals in life. Lee turned back to the audience behind him.

"Are you guys alright?" he asked. They all nodded, especially Konohamaru.

"Well then, I'll have to take my leave for now. It's great to see you again, Naruto," said Lee as he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving his allies where they stood. He took to the rooftops again and proceeded on making his way to the Hokage's tower. Well that fiasco was a total waste of time. If he hadn't gone there, he may have already gotten the information he needed from the old Hokage. Then again, if he hadn't arrive, things would definitely have gotten worse. Lee nodded to himself as he arrived at the doorstep that led to the Hokage's quarters. He knocked once, just like last time, and listened to the voice inside to let him in. When the voice was given, Lee was once again face to face with the Hokage for the third time in one day.

"This is the third time you've come to see me, Lee," he said. "I wager what you have to ask or tell me would be something important, yes?"

Lee nodded.

"I spoke to the shinobi and kunoichi who were captured on the day of my disappearance, two and a half months ago. They told me that they were hired by someone in the cloud village who wanted me alive. They didn't reveal the name of this man, but only his facial appearance. According to them, this man has pale skin, long black hair, and strange reptilian eyes. I was hoping that since you're an old man, no offense, you would be able to help me identify this man," said Lee. Sarutobi's eyes widened and looked up to Lee.

"Snake man, you say?" he asked. Lee nodded slowly. "They also stated that this person might be on his way here to claim me in place of the shinobi and the kunoichi who failed him."

"Alright, I thank you for divulging this information to me. If he's finally showing himself up, chances are he'll be participating in the event that will decide a lot of things that will be happening in the future."

"What event?" asked Lee.

"Oh right, I've forgotten that you've been missing from the village until today. The even that I'm talking about is the chunin exams. The chunin exam is a test that all genin must take if they wish to rise up to the next rank, from genin to chunin. Chunin are qualified to lead missions so it's an important rank. They can also take up C and B rank missions, along with the occasional A rank missions. Why don't you meet up with your sensei? I understand that he's returned from his mission not too long ago. I believe he went to file a report on his mission. I trust you know which building that is?" asked Sarutobi. Lee's eyes lit like a light bulb at the mention of seeing his sensei again. He hadn't seen him in 10 years and now it would be put to and end. "I'll look into this Lee and again, thank you for this information."

"No problem at all," Lee replied as he vanished. Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers, calling into his office a couple of shinobi.

"Locate the captains of the ANBU squads. Tell them that I wish an audience with them a soon as possible," he said.

Lee sprinted to the missions hall as fast as possible. According to the Hokage, his sensei had finally returned from his mission. If that was indeed true, and he would be filing his mission, now would be a great time to see him. When Lee arrived to the place, he noticed Asuma and Kurenai walking out of the village. They both looked at him, noticing his entrance to the building and shrugged the thought off. Normally, genin weren't allowed in this place, but they didn't care at the moment. They've just been through a pretty tough mission and wished for nothing more than some peace and quiet. They were about to turn away, when something caught Asuma's attention. He glanced back at the young man who had just entered the building. There's something that's very familiar about him. It's not a bad thing, but it was as if he knew this kid. It was odd because the boy looked like no one he'd ever seen in his life. He shrugged the thought off of his head, telling himself that all the cigarettes were finally getting to his head. Lee looked at the back of his sensei.

"Gai-sensei?" he asked, tears flowing from his eyes. Asuma and Kurenai narrowed their eyes. Did that kid just say Gai-sensei? When the sudden realization processed through their brains, they were in as much shock as Gai was about to be in. The older man turned around after handing a sheet of paper to the receptionist. His mouth fell open a bit, disbelieving what his eyes were telling him. Even if it was two and a half months or even 50 years, there were things about his students that he could never forget. This young man that was right before him was the very person that he had been searching in vain for, since the last couple of months. There he was, in the flesh. Gai ran to his long lost pupil and embraced him as tightly as he could, afraid that he would leave him again.

"Lee! It really is you, isn't it! You've been gone for so long and you've changed too!" Gai exclaimed through tears. Asuma smiled at the two, kind of wishing that he too had that kind of relationship with his students. Lee wrapped his arms around his sensei, not wanting to let go either. Gai had always been like his idol of sorts. When they were separated, it was as if there was a piece of his heart missing. And now that he was reunited with him, it was as if his heart was whole again, and if felt damn good. What makes things better is that he actually remembers and recognizes his own pupil, unlike everyone else.

"It's me, Gai-sensei, I'm home," said Lee, looking into the teary-eyed face of his sensei.

"Yes, Lee. You're finally home," Gai replied. As the two began their conversation of catching up, Asuma and Kurenai left the building.

"It's nice to see Gai lighten up again, after all this time," said Kurenai.

"I agree. He's been a bit sour since his student's disappearance. I'm happy for the both of them," said Asuma. He was about to continue when he spotted a fairly large bird circling around them. Kurenai looked at whatever it was the Asuma was looking at. When she saw it, she sighed. "Oh great... now what?"

"You go on ahead, I'm going to get Gai," said Kurenai. Asuma nodded and vanished. Kurenai walked back into the building and saw her colleague and his student sitting down on a bench, catching up on lost times. She hated to be the one to pull them off of each other, especially when they had finally been reunited, but she didn't make the rules in this place. A circling bird above them usually meant a call from the Hokage himself. If she had it her way, she would allow a couple of days for the two of them to become reacquainted and tell each other stories of what's been happening in their lives. But she wasn't the Hokage, just someone following orders. She approached Gai, who immediately noticed her.

"Yes Kurenai, what is it?" he asked.

"The Hokage is calling. It's the bird this time so it seems important," she said. Gai inwardly sighed to himself and looked to his pupil. Lee nodded and smiled to his sensei, allowing him to do what he needed to do.

"It's alright Gai-sensei. Besides, I have something else that needs to be taken cared of. Do what you have to do and we can talk again later," he replied. Gai nodded and ran outside with Kurenai. Lee stood up and walked out of the building. He had just remembered that he beat Neji and Tenten pretty badly on their little sparring match. He didn't know where they had gone but if he had to guess, the others must have taken them some place where their wounds could be treated. Lee made the hospital his first choice and started walking to that direction. He hoped they weren't too badly injured for the chunin exams that the Hokage told him about. A test for a genin to take to become a chunin is probably nerve wracking and difficult. If that's true, then they'd need all the strength they can get. The only thing that Lee needed to watch out for is the snake man, his right hand man, and Gaara of the Desert. Being a demi-god, he wasn't too worried about his own life, but was most concerned about the lives of his comrades. If this exam would put their lives on jeopardy, then he'd have to be extra careful at who they pick a fight against. Lee nodded to himself and quickened his pace to the nearest hospital from his location.

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Well, there goes the next chapter. Yeesh, I'm really running out of things to say at these bottom line areas where I'm supposed to say something. Uh... not really sure what else to say except that the next chapter will be posted a bit later than I originally hoped. I was working on it yesterday and got at about half way but ran out of ideas... lol. I don't plan or write these things so as to prepare for them. I type whatever comes to mind, on the spot, and somehow it just fits... to a certain degree. Maybe I really should start planning some of the chapters out, or maybe not? If I do, I'd be breaking a pretty good chain of chapters and I'm probably not up for that. I saw Yes Man today, anyone else seen it? For those who haven't, it's a great and incredibly funny movie. It would have been better if the little jackass in the row to my right would have stopped saying his nonsense. Seriously, half the time during the movie, I couldn't concentrate on what Carl (Jim Carrey) was saying. Anyway, happy new year to everyone!!

P.S.

In this chapter, you will notice that I toned down Lee's god-like status. If you read the notes that I left on the bottom of the previous chapter, I did state that there is only one way for Lee to die, and that is for his head to be cleaved off. But I soon realized that immortality, even for someone with the spirit of the Iron Monkey, made him way too powerful, even more powerful than what I had imagined and planned for in this story. So, I weakened him again. Now, his healing ability slows down his aging process, but no longer stops it, making it possible for him to die of age. He actually has a better shot of dying of age because of his incredibly fast healing power, than anything else. I don't really plan to kill him off, unless of course I want to add another twist in later chapters, but I just figured I'd let you all know that. I hope you guys aren't too mad at me for this.

Ja ne!