Legend of the Iron Monkey

Naruto Fanfiction

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

Chapter 13: Confessions of a Teenage Demi-god

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Lee and Tenten appeared atop Lee's apartment, three hours later. Tenten couldn't describe it, but she had a wonderful time with Lee. The young shinobi allowed his girlfriend to stand on her own feet, feeling the windy breeze pass by them. Tenten pulled her hair tie off and allowed her long, brown, hair to dance around in the wind. She was rather glad that the blades that belonged to his puppet, only stabbed at her thighs and arms, or she would have to deal with clothes with holes on them, and she didn't really want that at the moment. Her wounds had closed long ago, feeling no pain at all in her body... all thanks to Lee. If it wasn't for her training with him, she would be in worse condition. Her wounds would have been so bad that she might have become crippled and unable to achieve her dream as a kunoichi. So in a sense, she actually owed her life to Lee. He made her strong and he saved her life. He's always there for her, even when it seems like he wasn't, and no one has ever been that good to her. She was definitely grateful. Tenten moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Lee... thank you," she said, smiling through his coat. Lee, at first, didn't understand what she was thanking him for. But a second later, he remembered that she was eternally grateful for the ability that he granted to her. Technically, it was the cave's doing, but if it wasn't for him, she may not be around to see her dream come to reality. Lee held her hands with his gloved ones, filling them with his warmth.

"No problem. I'll drop anything for you, you know that, right?" he asked sincerely.

"I do. No one has ever treated me this way before and I guess the feeling does seem a bit foreign. It's only been a few days, but I feel like I can close my eyes and fall from this apartment, knowing I won't touch the ground because you'll have caught me in your arms. Then you would hold me in your arms, bend down to kiss me, and fill my heart with endless bliss," she said. Lee nodded, smiling at her. He turned and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. This girl... he swore to himself right then and there that if he could help it, no harm would come to her that would threaten her life. He'd never felt such a feeling of protection over someone before, and Tenten was right, it felt foreign, but he could get used to it. Gai once told him, during their training together, that a shinobi's power increases ten-fold when he has someone he wishes to protect with his life.

"Tenten... can I stay here with you for a while longer?" he asked, no longer wishing to go anywhere else.

"No..." she said, smiling at him. "Let's go somewhere but... stay with me forever."

"I can do that too," he said, capturing her lips onto hers. The two smiled through the kiss, not remembering another time where they felt happier. Tenten almost felt her eyes watering, but didn't want to release them to give Lee the wrong idea. She felt a rare form of happiness that, for some reason, only Lee could give to her. She felt happy, content, protected, safe. This love was different, different from a parent's love, different from a friend's compassion. His love was different and it felt good. As Lee continued the kiss, he felt so much at peace, like his life needed something like this. He wanted to hold her forever, keep her safe, and keep her happy. For the moment, Orochimaru's evil didn't even pass through his mind. There was only Tenten and this moment. The sun was perfect, the wind was right, and there wasn't a single cloud in the seemingly endless blue sky. It was like his ancestors wanted this for him and he couldn't thank them enough. He wanted this, he needed this... he wanted and needed Tenten. When they pulled away, they looked to each other, smiling as bright as the rays of the golden sun. Lee rested his forehead on Tenten's brushing lips against hers.

"Lee... stop teasing me. That's so mean," she said playfully. Said young man could only chuckle but he was having so much fun. Tenten exhaled her warm breath, intoxicating Lee's senses to sky rocketing levels. His senses were going wilder than ever, but he had to maintain self control. Tenten just attacked him right there, and she almost succeeded.

"Look who's being mean? I almost went insane when you exhaled on me. Your scent is amazing," he said, taking it all in some more. Tenten smiled at him again and pressed her head on his chest. This was what she wanted and it felt great. Lee stroked her silky hair, down. Such things were one of the rarest pleasures in life. He wanted to just live with her, like this, together, but knew it wasn't possible yet. There's still evil out there, threatening to destroy everything and everyone he held so dear to him. Tenten can survive, but he knew that it would break her down if she saw anyone die in front of her, and he wouldn't allow that to happen. The leaf knew of the attack now, Kakashi was probably taking care of it all, as well as the other jonin in the village. Measures have to be taken to ensure the safety of the village. He looked to her.

"Let's get out of here. I'm kind of hungry," he said.

"Yeah, me too. Let's get some Ichiraku ramen," she suggested. Lee was slightly surprised.

"Really? You said you hated that stuff, two years ago, when Gai was telling us of our likes and dislikes," he said, remembering that day. He told her that he liked ramen, just like Naruto, and she was so far against it. "Yeah, I remember it like it happened yesterday."

"Well, your qualities are rubbing off of me. And plus, Teuchi served me some while we were in the tower. I was hesitant to eating it at first, because it's just full of so much carbohidrates and I didn't want any of that getting to me. But he added his very special ingredient. It was pretty much diet ramen," she said. Lee lowered his eyebrows, unable to believe that there's actually something called diet ramen. Noodles are practically rice, just in a different shape, form, and color. What can that ramen chef possibly put in there that would take away the excess carbohydrates and leave only what a daily shinobi would need? "And at the time, I was very concerned about my figure. It wasn't in my mindset at the time to start dating anyone, but if I did, I at least wanted to look a little appealing to the eye."

"You'll always be appealing to my eyes," he said sweetly.

"Thanks," she giggled, biting her bottom lip, feeling a blush coming around. She didn't want to blush anymore, getting a bit dizzy from all the blood going to her head, but it couldn't be helped. It was like the same effect Naruto had on Hinata. Now that they're an item, she felt like there were butterflies in her stomach, lifting her up into the sky. "Now come on, it's my treat."

Lee nodded as they both jumped off of his apartment's rooftop. They caught many pairs of eyes as they walked along the streets of the leaf village. The village kunoichi and female citizens all formed hearts on their eyes as they looked to Lee, admiring his attire and overall appearance. But their hearts were flattened when he was seen holding another kunoichi's hand, the hand that belonged to Tenten. She knew how the females were looking at him, but he didn't mind, because he wasn't looking back. His eyes are only for her, and she knew that. He looked to her and gave her one of his most genuine smiles. Many shinobi and male village citizens were also giving Tenten the same look, but stopped when they saw Lee. His appearance looked incredibly intimidating, even to other chunin. By his appearance, they thought he was a jonin. Only higher ranked shinobi would dress that sharp, and the scarf on his neck just added to the effect of his appearance when it would dance along the passing wind.

It wasn't just his scarf that made him look so sharp, but also his coat and his hair. It's like Lee did that on purpose to attact the eyes of so many, but she knew that wasn't the reason. She had to admit though, it looked really good. And the fact that he was wearing an entire black set of soft leather clothing, made him look extremely professional. Tenten's outfit also made her not only professional but very attractive. At first, she thought it was very revealing, but got used to it. It was very comfortable and allowed her to move freely as if she wasn't wearing anything. Lee crafted it for her, on his own, and poured his heart and soul into it. That's one of the main reasons why Tenten discarded her old outfit to wear the new one. Someone actually spent his good time to make something for her, and it was not only a nice outfit but proved to be very useful. Plus, it has her two favorite colors, black and red. People back then thought that black and red looked creepy, but Tenten was able to pull it off and proved them wrong. When they arrived at their destination, they entered the ramen stand and noticed that they weren't alone. Naruto and Hinata were there.

"Hinata? What in the world are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed, resting?" asked Tenten, worried for her friend. Hinata nodded. She looked to Naruto for a second, blushing all the way, and then turned to face her older friend.

"Naruto and Sakura visited me in the hospital and told me the events that occurred after I was taken away. I'm not sure if Naruto just signed a death wish, but I don't think so anymore. No one has ever done that for me before, and I guess I'm just not used to it. But, it gave me the strength to get up from bed. I should probably be feeling tremendous pain, but I don't feel it because Naruto is here. He then took me here after Kakashi-sensei said that he had something to take care of. And... in the hospital he..." she trailed off, unable to continue. She merely smiled at Tenten and nodded, confirming the older kunoichi's thoughts. Tenten's mouth widened as she looked over to Lee, who was talking to a blushing Naruto. Lee was just as surprised as Tenten, when he learned of what Naruto just told him.

"Are you serious?" asked Tenten.

"Yes, it's true. Naruto asked me on a date and I accepted. I'm so happy that this is finally happening," she said, feeling a tear come down from here eyes. Naruto stood from his chair and wrapped his arms around the back side of Hinata's shoulders. Hinata smiled. "And since then, I don't faint around him anymore. I don't know what effect he has on me, but I think I'm really getting stronger just by being around him."

"I think so too, Hinata. You should hold on to him if he's that special to you. And if he makes you as strong as you say, you two should never part from each other. It's the same with me, yet I don't know why. Just by being around Lee, I feel like not even the world can stop me. I feel that as long as Lee is beside me, I can take on the world and I'm not afraid. His presence makes me feel stronger too, just like Naruto's presence with you," said Tenten. Hinata nodded and smiled at her. She turned to face Naruto and stood up. She leaned her head on the taller boy's neck as she embraced him tightly. Lee smiled to them both. He was glad that Naruto had finally found someone who he could share his experiences with, and who better than to do that with than Hinata? The eldest daughter of the Hyuuga clan actually has had her eyes on him for as long as anyone can remember. He was just too focused with his training to even realize what was going on right in front of him. Lee turned to Tenten, his significant other. He remembered the days when his training was far more important than anything else in the world. Now, his training is still important, but someone else became more important.

"Alright love birds, your meals are ready," said Teuchi, arriving with four bowls of steaming hot ramen. The two couples nodded and sat down on their seats. As they ate, Tenten smiled to herself and leaned on Lee's shoulders. Lee placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her on the top of her nose. It was a rather ticklish feeling and she liked it. Hinata picked up a few strands of noodles from her bowl and raised it to Naruto's mouth. The blond devoured the noodles and planted a kiss on Hinata's cheek. Hinata's eyes widened for half a second, but melted to the feeling afterward. She placed one hand on her cheek, still feeling the wet sensation that smelled like ramen. Unaware of her actions, Hinata stood from her seat and lightly placed her arms around the blond's neck. She bent her head down and returned his kiss, on the same side of his cheek. Naruto placed his hand on the spot of the kiss as Hinata returned to her meal. When they finished, the two couples went their separate ways.

"Lee, I'm happy for them," she said.

"I am too. Naruto deserves to be happy, after everything he's been through. It's nice to see that he finally has someone to turn to when he's feeling down. I don't want him to feel sad and I guess that request came true. And Hinata is happy as well," he said. Tenten nodded as she took a glance at a clock inside one of the shops that they passed by. The agreed meeting time was in about half an hour and it takes quite a bit of time to get to the top of the Hokage monument. Lee wondered what Tenten was looking at. When he saw the time, his eyes widened. "It's that time already?!"

"I didn't realize it either. I was having so much fun," said Tenten. Just then, an idea popped into her head. "Well, I know we just ate and this would probably be a bad idea, but how about we race there?"

"Really? I'm gonna vomit. Are you serious?" asked Lee. Tenten raised an eyebrow.

"Is my sweetheart actually refusing to take a challenge?" she asked. Lee smirked and blew some air into her eyes. Tenten closed them and tried to adjust her vision. When she opened her eyes, he was gone. She heard a pair of foot steps from behind her, getting weaker and weaker. Tenten's mouth fell open and darted after him. "You... you little cheater! Get your ass back here!"

Lee chuckled and took to the roofs of the village houses. He could sense that Tenten was closing in on him, but he was just allowing her to. Whenever she would get closer, he would increase his speed and lengthen the already large gap that was between them. The kunoichi knew that he was laughing so hard, and she couldn't believe she fell for that cheap trick. But it was as Gai-sensei started to say when they reached the written part of the chunin exam. A ninja must see through deception. She knew for sure that she failed in that part of his saying. A vein popped on her forehead. She just wanted to tear him apart whenever the time came when she would catch up to him. As much as she wanted to, she knew that she couldn't. Lee is everything to her, now. He makes her feel happier than anyone ever good. Just by standing close was already a good feeling to her. When they arrived atop the Hokage monument, Kakashi, Gai, and Neji, were already there.

"I see that you guys actually remembered," said Lee. Kakashi nodded, already sick of all the waiting.

"Alright, enough waiting around. Let's start with Tenten's regeneration abilities. Where did she come across that kind of power and how do you know about it?" he asked.

"It was exactly one week before the start of the first portion of the chunin exam, the written part. Tenten asked me to help her train and for me to show her a few of my own moves. I didn't know how much I could teach her in just one week, so I resorted to my back up plan. You see, when I disappeared for two and a half months, I was actually training with someone in a very odd cave where the space and time continuum is different from the outside world. I received 10 years of training inside that cave with only 10 weeks passing in the outside world. That probably explains my sudden burst of power when you guys felt my aura. As for Tenten, I took her to that cave, where she not only received a full year of training, but the cave surrounded her with magical energies, giving her body the power to rapidly heal any injury in a matter of seconds," he said.

"But I don't understand something," said Neji. "You said you trained for 10 years, yet you don't look that much older than I do. How is that possible?"

"At first, I didn't exactly know. But the person that found me, told me that my body would change according to the amount of time that passed in the outside world. So, mentally speaking, I was 24 years old when I returned to the village. But because I spent another year in there, with Tenten, my mind and spirit is 25 years old, while my body remains to be that of a 14 year old boy," he said.

"But if what you say is true, what about Tenten?" Neji asked once more. "If your body changes according to the amount of time that passes in the outside world, why does she look taller and more defined than she did before she trained with you?"

"The cave's properties are different for me, as compared to Tenten and anyone else who doesn't share my blood line. For me and those of my blood line, our bodies grow according to the amount of time that passes in the outside world. But for Tenten and anyone else outside of my family, their bodies grow according to the amount of time that passes inside the cave. However, her life span decreases according to the amount of time that passes outside. So in summary, Tenten has the body of a 15 year old girl, but she's still technically only 14 years of age," he said. "Yeah, it was confusing to me too, but you guys will get it eventually."

"I understand," said Gai. "So where is this cave now? If what you say is true, then we can take advantage of this one month period and train in there for four years. We can attain a lot of fighting experience and maybe even gain the healing ability that Tenten has."

"Um... That would have been a great idea but... it isn't possible anymore," said Lee. "When I brought Tenten inside the cave, I violated one of the rules. You see, I'm not allowed to bring anyone there who doesn't share my blood line. If I do, that's the last person I'm able to bring there. When we exited the cave to return to the leaf village, the entire cave collapsed. Tenten was the first and last outsider to enter that cave."

"Darn... it could have been so useful," said Kakashi. "But I'm curious. You said that no one is allowed in there except those who share your blood line. So, what ties does it have to you? And why only those of your flesh and blood?

"Well, that cave was the first home of the entity who started my clan, many, many years ago," he replied.

"Entity? You mean un inhuman being?" asked Neji.

"Yes. The entity had no name but was referred to as the Iron Monkey," said Lee. "The Iron Monkey was a god in human shape, but with a monkey tail, who knew no rival in the fields of taijutsu. He lived thousands of years ago and probably would still be alive today, but he fell in love with a mortal woman. Those two conceived a child and were happy. The thing is, being a god, the Iron Monkey is immortal and can't age. He watched as his wife aged right before his eyes but he felt as though he loved that woman with all of his heart. So, he trained his child, a son, to be a master of taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. When the son was old enough and mastered those crafts, the Iron Monkey passed down his powers to his son but tweaked it a bit."

"What do you mean tweaked his powers?" asked Gai.

"The heart and soul of the Iron Monkey is pure and righteous but he didn't trust the hearts of mankind. He knew what dangers we're capable of, so he stripped himself of his immortality and his ability to use ninjutsu and genjutsu. He didn't want his future generations to misuse his immortality and walk the world with the powers of a god. After that, he passed down his soul as a deity, so that only his soul as a mortal remained in his body. Because of the powers that he removed from himself, his son's ability to use ninjutsu and genjutsu was stripped from him and also wasn't able to gain the immortality that his father once possessed. However, the son did get everything else. Eventually, the original Iron Monkey died, along with his wife, but his son lived. Before the Iron Monkey died, however, he told his son of a secret cave where he was born, but told him to never allow anyone inside who didn't share their blood line. He also told him to allow only the person who will become the next Iron Monkey, to train in the cave, so he may gain the quick healing power."

"Since then, it's been a tradition among my clan to pass down the powers of the Iron Monkey to one individual, every few generations. Although the following Iron Monkies, after the original, aren't immortal, their healing ability extends their life span. Every person who trains in the cave of the original Iron Monkey, has their life span extended to up tp 500 years. I guess that means Tenten isn't dying with the rest of you guys," said Lee.

"The rest of us? What about you? Aren't you going to die of age like Neji, Gai, and myself?" asked Kakashi. "And where is this so called family of yours now? From what I recall, you've been an orphan since you were born. I've never seen any of your family members in your records."

"I was getting to that. Anyway, the clan that the Iron Monkey started, derived from the last name of the woman that he married. You see, he has no known name, or at least no one in my clan knew his name. The clan name was Hanazawa."

"The Hanazawa clan..." said Gai. Lee and Tenten turned to him. "My grandfather's sensei was someone from the Hanazawa clan. He told me that they are a clan of powerful martial artists. They can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, but they have a unique and passive kekkei genkai that allows them to gain tremendous power after healing from a fatal wound that an opponent causes on them. But that clan has long been extinct, because one man from their clan slaughtered them."

"That's correct, Gai-sensei, one man did slaughter them all. This man was the current Iron Monkey, at the time, and possessed powers that no one else in the Hanazawa clan had. You see, his pregnant wife was captured by an organization of assassins. They told him that the Hanazawa clan was growing much too powerful to be allowed to live. They figured that since the Iron Monkey is of the Hanazawa clan, he possesses their kekkei genkai. And because he is the Iron Monkey, he has trained in the cave of his ancestor to gain the ability of rapid cellular regeneration. They told him that if he wanted his wife back, he would have to slay his entire clan. He was reluctant at first, because his wife told him not to, but the assassins also threatened to stab the pregnant wife's stomach, which would kill the baby. The man instantly agreed and slaughtered his clan. When he went back to get his wife, the assassins betrayed him and slashed a wound on the woman's stomach. Even with the wound, however, the child survived."

"Enraged, but unable to do anything else at the moment, the Iron Monkey fled from that village with his wife and their unborn child. The assassins were sent to find him and eliminate him, as well as the woman and the child. The Iron Monkey hid his wife under the oak of a large tree, where she gave birth to a baby boy, and died because of the slash wound and loss of too much blood. Before the woman died, she gave her husband the name of the baby and told him to protect their son from anyone who would go after him because of his family name. The man buried his wife along with the rest of his clan, in the Hanazawa village. Then, he went to the village that he was born in, but didn't grow up in. He was born there, 400 years ago but grew up in the village of his ancestors. He left the son in that village, in hopes that his son could start a new life. After that, the Iron Monkey destroyed the assassin organization but didn't return to his son. He could face him because of his terrible actions."

"The people of the Hanazawa clan often regarded the Iron Monkey as their god, even though the ones that came after the original are actually capable of dying. The Iron Monkey couldn't face his son, and so didn't join him in his home village. His son lived the life of an orphan, while he wandered the world for a while. He was about to join his son, a couple of years later, but knew that he was getting old. And so, the man retreated to the cave of the Iron Monkey and waited countless years inside until his son was able to meet him at a proper age, and while he was still fairly young," said Lee, almost to the verge of tears. Tenten knew that the story would bring up old memories and embraced him in her arms. She didn't want old wounds to reopen, but it was necessary. These three have to know. After about a minute, Lee pulled away from her, redness gone from his eyes. All was silent for a while until Kakashi decided to speak.

"Interesting story... but how do you know all of this? And what about your clan?" he asked.

"Oh, that's right... I did forget to mention that part," said Lee. "I know all this because the man who saved me from the fall... is my father, Hirameki Hanazawa, the previous Iron Monkey."

"Your father?" asked Neji. Lee nodded as he turned to his sensei. Gai sighed to himself, hoping that Lee could think of him as his father figure. Although not his son, Lee was able to attain a special place in the man's heart. But now that he knew of his father, would Lee think less of him? Lee looked up to his sensei and smiled at him, giving him the look that told the man that everything was going to be alright. Gai embraced his student. Lee hugged him back. When the too pulled away, they gave their signiture, thumbs up, pose to each other.

"But if he's the previous Iron Monkey... and you're the son he's been waiting for..." Kakashi trailed off, putting the pieces together. When everything was set in his mind, he couldn't believe it. "That means... you're..."

"That's correct, Kakashi-sensei," said Lee. "The name that this village gave to me, the name that I was raised to believe was my true name, is Rock Lee. But the name that my parents gave to me, the name that first came out of my late mother's mouth before she died, and the name that my father gave to me before he returned to being a wanderer is... Kira Hanazawa. And to finalize your second thought, yes. I am now the Iron Monkey, and because of the collapse of the cave, I am the last Iron Monkey."

"The last? Why?" asked Neji.

"Well, it's because, the rites of transfer can only be done in the cave. And plus, every Iron Monkey has to have the blessings of the cave, not to mention the quick healing ability. Without the cave, I will not be able to pass my clan's power to any future generations," he explained.

"Lee, or should I say Kira?" asked Gai. "So you're this Iron Monkey fellow, huh? What does it feel like to be a god?"

"Just call me Lee, Gai-sensei. I'm not too used to my original name yet. Secondly, the original Iron Monkey was a god, and I'm not. I have all of his powers except his immortality and his ability to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, so that does mean that I'm capable of dying, but not so easily. I'm more of a demi-god, actually. There are only two ways I can die. One is through aging and the other is... well, I can't tell you that. That is a secret known only to the Iron Monkey. Even Tenten doesn't know of my second condition for death. I'll tell you now though, there's a better chance for me to die of age than dying by this second condition," he said. Kakashi, Gai, and Neji, all nodded.

"So, because you trained in that cave, you are capable of rapid cellular regeneration, correct?" asked Neji. Lee nodded. "And because of your kekkei genkai as a member of the Hanazawa clan, you get stronger every time you heal from a fatal wound. I see, so that's how you've gotten so strong. You trained in that cave for 10 years, got stronger from training but something else. Your father almost killed you several hundred or thousand times and allowed your healing ability to heal those wounds so you would gain unmeasurable strength, right?"

"Pretty much. But hey, I can still feel pain, you know. I just get over it quickly. And also, since I trained in the cave for 10 years, and Tenten was only in there for one year, my healing ability is much more potent than hers. The moment I am injured, the wound closes almost instantly. From what you saw in Tenten's fight against Kankuro, she had to wait a good couple of seconds before her wounds closed. The explanation for that is, my healing ability heals both my internal and external body almost instantly. Tenten's healing ability heals her internal injuries first, before moving on to the external injuries. And, she heals a little slower than I do," he explained.

"Even so, it's still very fast and a very useful trait to have when in danger of death," said Neji. Lee and Tenten nodded. "A passive healing ability that requires no chakra or hand signs, the ability to get stronger every time you heal from a fatal wound, and the ability to mimic any physical techniques done to you. Talk about being overpowered, but then again, you are a demi-god after all. I suppose I should be able to understand."

"Hehe... Iruka-sensei said something like that too," he said, scratching the back of his head. "Everyone who was in the main hall of the tower, knows about Tenten's healing ability but apart from you guys and Tenten, Iruka-sensei is the only one who knows about my origins and why I was gone from the village for two and a half months."

"I see, and according to what Neji said, you can mimic physical techniques done to you?" asked Gai. Lee nodded once more.

"The healing ability can be achieved by training in the cave of the Iron Monkey. The kekkei genkai is exclusive to the members of my clan, and as for the muscle mimic, that comes with the title of the Iron Monkey. Sadly, my body can only remember the technique once. After I use it, my mind still knows how to do it, but my body will not. Still though, I was able to copy one of Neji's jyuuken style attacks and use it against him," he said. "By the way, please keep my origins a secret to yourselves. It's bad enough that Orochimaru knows about me. I don't want to endanger anyone else that I care about. I'm not sure if there are still people out there who have grudges on the Hanazawa clan, but if there are, they'll most likely target you guys and I can't let that happen."

"Our lips are sealed," said Gai as he looked down to his female student. "But we have one more thing to take care of. Kakashi and I have to visit Tenten's parents and let them know of her ability. Those are direct orders from the Hokage himself. We also have orders to forbit that information from ever leaving their mouths. The Hokage just wants her parents to know the situation of their daugther, and perhaps find out of they have a hidden kekkei genkai in their family."

"But this healing power that I have is exclusive only for me. No other member of my family has it," she said.

"I'm aware of that, Tenten, but the Hokage isn't. We also need to take a blood sample from them and bring it to the medical shinobi squads to have them examine it to see if there is anything within their blood that we haven't yet included in the records about your family. After the medical shinobi squads realize that there's nothing new, they have orders to simply place in your records that only you have that ability. Expect to hear from them soon though," said Gai. "I'll try to dissuade them from doing so but I don't know how much I'll be able to do. Don't worry though, if they make you do something that you don't want to, you have my permission to pummel them down."

"Thank you, Gai-sensei, but I hope it won't have to come to that," she said.

"Alright Gai, I think we should get going to Tenten's family," said Kakashi. "I have other things to do with my life and I'd like to get this thing done as soon as possible."

"Yeah, alright. Tenten, you should come with us. Your parents need to know of your abilities from your own mouth, not ours. I don't think they'd believe us anyway," he said. Tenten nodded. Gai turned to Neji and Lee. "Neji, you should return to the Hyuuga manor and make use of the one month reprieve that the Hokage has given you, Lee, Tenten, and the rest of the other finalists. As for you, Lee, the Hokage wishes to see you in his office. It regards the new friend you made from the sound village. Dosu is already there, waiting for you."

Lee nodded. Tenten turned to face Lee and gave him a brief kiss to the cheek before leaping down from the monument with the two jonin. Neji did the same, a couple of seconds later, returning to his home. When they were all gone, Lee made his way to the Hokage's tower. He wondered what was going to be Dosu's status in the leaf village. During their fight, Dosu said that his family were all dead and that he was the only one left alive. Dosu actually possesses the same dilema that Lee has with him being the last son of their family, except his father, but he wasn't present at the time. Dosu also asked him if he could be instated in the leaf village as a genin, where he could start a new life. Orochimaru had no further use for him or his squad, and he just wished for clean slate. He also said that he would provide them with crucial information regarding Orochimaru's plans, should he be instated to the village. Lee knew he wasn't lying, that's for sure. When he arrived, he allowed himself inside and bowed to the Hokage. Dosu was sitting on a chair, in front of the Hokage. There was an empty seat beside him, perhaps prepared for Lee. Said genin approached the Hokage.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked. Sarutobi nodded and placed his pipe down.

"Yes Lee, I do. Please sit, as we have much to discuss," he said as Lee nodded and sat down on the chair, next to the sound shinobi. "Dosu has made a deal with me. In exchange for crucial information about Orochimaru's plans, he wants to be made an official shinobi of the leaf village, which does mean erasing his records from the sound village. Information on Orochimaru's attack would indeed help us greatly, but I am the Hokage and I have to take consideration the safety of the village that I swore an oath to protect. That's why I've waited for you before making my decision. Dosu says he's established a decent friendship with you and I need your opinion. Should I proceed with the bargain?"

"Yes sir. Dosu is an excellent shinobi and will be able to greatly aid us against whatever Orochimaru has planned. And plus, I know when people are lying and I know that he has pure intentions. I recommend Dosu to be instated as a shinobi in the village hidden in the leaves," said Lee. Dosu smiled through his mask as Sarutobi toyed his with beard, contemplating on Lee's answer to his question.

"Alright, I trust your judgment, Lee, but there is one problem. I'll need Dosu's records," he said.

"I don't understand what the problem is, lord Hokage. If you need his records, then allow him to provide it for you," said Lee.

"That's the thing, Lee, Dosu doesn't have them. Normally, one would need their paper work to register for the chunin exams, and Dosu did have that. The thing is, I need his original records to be retrieved from the sound village so they will have no proof that he ever existed in there, and therefore will not be able to start a war with us," he said.

"War?" asked Lee. "Why would there be a need for war?"

"I can answer that, lord Hokage," said Dosu. Sarutobi nodded. "There may be a war because the sound village hates the leaf village for reasons unknown even to me. Our village leader seems to have a problem with the leaf village and has told us to attack them on sight. The only reason why my squad and I haven't attacked anyone from the leaf village, is because we weren't ordered to. This is the chunin exam and if we attack the leaf, other neighboring village who are allied to the leaf, will come to their aid. The village hidden in the sound, being a fairly new village, don't have very many shinobi. We would get wiped out very quickly if a war was to commence," said Dosu. Lee nodded in understanding as he looked to the old man. Just then, something clicked in his mind.

"If the sound village hate the leaf village, yet you're requesting for Dosu's documents... oh no. Am I to understand that you want me to infiltrate the sound village, undetected, and steal Dosu's documents?" he asked. The old Hokage smirked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. That's the only way for him to ever become a shinobi of this village," he said as he leaned closer to Lee. "You don't have to do this but if you don't, I cannot allow Dosu to become a leaf shinobi. This is an A rank mission, possibly an S class because not a single one of our shinobi have any records or information about the sound village. I would ask my ANBU squads to do it, but for obvious reasons, I refuse to do so. If you really want Dosu to be on our side, then it will have to be you who accepts this mission. Besides, with the way you performed in your fight against Dosu, in the preliminary rounds, I suspect that you'll do fine. So what about it? Do you accept?"

Lee nodded. "I do, but I have only one request."

"What is it?" asked the Hokage.

"I wish to take someone with me. Infiltrating an entire village, no matter the size, will be difficult and I may not be able to handle it on my own," he said.

"Let me guess, you wish to take Tenten?" he asked. Lee nodded. "That's fine. You'll probably meet her in her family's house along with Kakashi and Gai. I've sent for them to pay her family a visit, with her, and explain to them of Tenten's healing ability. I only wish for them to be aware of it, in case Tenten hasn't told them yet. If I had a healing ability like that, I probably wouldn't tell my parents either, for fear of their reaction, but I believe that they have the right to know. As for Dosu, he will wait in this room with me, for security reasons, until your return. You may leave now or in three days. I will tell the village guards to open the gates and allow you to pass when you to leave the village when you are ready. I wish you luck on your mission, Lee. I hope for your safe return."

"Thank you, lord Hokage," he said as he stood from his chair and bowed to him. He looked to Dosu and smiled to him. Dosu nodded as Lee left the room. When he was out, Lee zipped from rooftop to rooftop, going to Tenten's house. He had only been there once but already knew the way, despite the massive size of the village. He wondered what Tenten was up to now, and how her parents would be taking the news. Technically, Tenten will be living for a very long time until her natural death, 500 years later. That's the fate of anyone who trains in the cave of the Iron Monkey, as well as the one who becomes the Iron Monkey. Whatever danger that's going to take place, he would have to defeat it within the course of his life time. Because the cave is no longer accessable, future Iron Monkies will no longer be possible. Not only would he be the last son of the Hanazawa clan, but he is also the last of the Iron Monkey line. Lee increased his speed until he arrived at the designated location.

Lee nodded to no one in particular, noting how the large house looked exactly the way it was when he was last here with Neji and Gai-sensei, so long ago. Although being in a family of blacksmiths, Tenten was pretty well off. Her family's business of crafting and delivering shinobi weapons and accessories exploded and attract many customers, several years ago. Since then, her family has been selling shinobi materials to the other villages, earning them not only money but respect from the village leaders. There was a fountain in the back yard and front yard, large fishes inhabiting a fairly large lake, located in the front yard as well, and several sculptures of shinobi and kunoichi figures, also in the front yard. Lee had seen the insides of her house before, but never actually stepped foot. He would have to retrieve Tenten so they can start their mission, so going inside would be a necessity. Lee walked up to the front door and knocked a couple of times. A few seconds later, a woman dressed in a black and white maid outfit, opened the door.

"Please state your name and business," she said.

"My name is Rock Lee and I'm here to speak to Tenten," he said. The maid nodded.

"Please come inside," she said as Lee noddded too and entered the place. He looked around the place, taking note of a lot of expensive items, paintings, more sculptures, and other decorations that lay around. He could hear talking from the other side of the house, possibly the back yard. He had only seen that place once, and that was with Neji, when they decided to spy on Tenten's training, about a year ago. The maid motioned for Lee to follow her. He nodded and allowed her to lead the way. As they walked through the rather large property, Lee took the time to look around the place, wondering if he would be coming there more often because of his current status with Tenten. When Lee and the maid arrived outside, Kakashi, Gai, Tenten, and her parents were seated, talking and drinking some tea. Tenten noticed Lee's arrival and introduced him.

"Mother, father, you two know Lee, right?" she asked. Her parents nodded.

"Yes, but we've only seen him once," said her mother, standing from her chair to examine the boy. "He looks different from when he was last here. His shinobi outfit looks stunning, is he a chunin or a jonin?"

"No, mother, he is still a genin like me," she replied.

"I see, well then, welcome back to our home, Lee," said her mother. Lee bowed to her with respect. Tenten's mother giggled and sat back down. "Kakashi and Gai have told us what you have done for our daughter. You made her strong and even allowed her to obtain an ability that will save her life countless times in her path as a kunoichi. For that, you have my deepest and most sincere gratitude."

Lee nodded. "I would do anything to keep her safe and make her happy."

"Thank you Lee, but what exactly do you mean by that?" asked her father. Lee's eyes averted to Tenten, who was looking at him strangely. It was then that Lee realized that Tenten hadn't told her parents about them yet. Tenten caught on to Lee's thoughts and gulped. She stood next to Lee.

"Mother, father... I have something else to tell you and I hope you won't get mad at me for it," she said.

"Will it explain those glances that you were giving Lee earlier?" asked Gai.

"Glances?" asked her father.

"I wonder if it will explain that kiss from earlier," Kakashi mentioned.

"Kiss?!" her mother exclaimed. Tenten nodded and wrapped Lee's arm with her own.

"Lee is my boyfriend," she said.

"BOYFRIEND?!!?" her parents both exclaimed as they fainted. Lee sighed to himself and looked to Tenten. He wanted to meet his father again and tell him about Tenten, but after seeing the reaction with Tenten's parents, he wasn't sure that he wanted to anymore. It was at that time that he remembered about the mission that the Hokage was sending him to and that he needed her to accompany him.

"Tenten," he said, gaining her attention.

"What is it?" she asked.

"The Hokage is sending us on a mission. I'm going to explain the details to you but not here. All I can tell you is that it will be an A rank mission," he said. Tenten narrowed her eyes at him, aware of the fact that only jonin and ANBU could take A rank missions. Kakashi and Gai looked to each other, wondering what the Hokage was thinking now. Both jonin wondered if it had anything to do with that Dosu kid.

"Perfect timing. Why don't you two run along now? Gai and I will take care of the rest from here," he said. Lee and Tenten nodded as they zipped out of the house, appearing a couple of blocks away from Tenten's house. When they were out of curious ears, Tenten looked to Lee.

"So what's the mission about?" she asked.

"Do you remember Dosu of the sound village?" he asked. "He requests to become a shinobi of the leaf village, no longer wishing to serve Orochimaru the village that hates him for the powers that he possesses. But the only way to do that is to steal his documents from his village."

"Steal documents?" she asked, trying ot piece the two clues together. When she finished, her eyes widened. "You aren't serious..."

"I am," he nodded, confirming Tenten's deduction. "We're going to steal Dosu's documents from the village hidden in the sound."

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There goes another chapter. I'm sure you can all guess what's going to happen in chapter 14, so I won't say anything. Just because Lee and Tenten possess power that no ordinary ninja has, it doesn't mean that their mission will be a breeze. Don't forget that even as a demi-god, Lee life, in this story, belongs to me. I control his fate and whether he and Tenten pass or fail, is all up to me. Bwahahahahahaha!!!

*removes darth vader mask*

Anyway, I'll see you guys in the next chapter of the Legend of the Iron Monkey.

Ja ne!