Legend of the Iron Monkey
Naruto Fanfiction
Disclaimer: I don't own a single shred of Naruto.
Chapter 15: Seperation
As Lee walked down the streets of the leaf village, he noticed that people were getting up to start their day. People were walking out of their homes, setting up their shops, getting ready for the day and... looking at him. The Hokage was right after all. There really aren't that many hunter shinobi in the leaf village, but why is that? Could it be that there aren't very many leaf shinobi who go rogue, or would even think about going rogue? That's possible, as Lee knew that many of the leaf shinobi are actually trustworthy. Sure there was that case of Mizuki, a chunin who pretty much went rogue, but didn't really succeed.
There are probably others, but perhaps way before his time as a hunter. He really couldn't believe that he was promoted so high up in the shinobi hierarchy. From his studies, the hunter ninja is often respected just as much as an ANBU is. Very few times had he ever seen a hunter in his life. He figured that they didn't want to be seen. He nodded and leaped to the top of the buildings, choosing to travel that way. During his morning walk, he saw two shinobi who were on top of a building just across him. It was Kakashi and Gai. He wondered if he would still have to call them sensei... He watched as they competed.
"Rock, paper, scissor!" they both shouted. Didn't they play this game before? Last time, it ended up with Gai-sensei losing. And this time, Kakashi actually lost.
The silver haired jonin sighed and dropped to the push up position, attending to his loss. Lee was about to walk away, when Gai saw him. He sighed and figured it would be rude to walk away from someone who saw him. Lee zipped and appeared right next to Kakashi. Both shinobi had already seen his outfit, and were surprised when they saw his hunter mask. The hunter mask and the ANBU mask are different. All hunter masks have green and blue streaks, not on the same spots, but those colors. ANBU masks harbored colors of different kinds of animals, normally only one section of that animal, not the whole portrait.
When Kakashi finished his push ups, he looked to the new hunter.
"Well, isn't this a surprise... is that you, Lee?" asked Kakashi. Lee nodded and showed his face. He removed his hood and allowed his mask to hang on the upper right corner of his head, but not enough so that it would block his vision. Gai smiled at his pupil and shook his hand. "When did you become a hunter? This is definitely a surprise."
"Just today, actually. As for how, I'll keep that a secret. I don't want to boast until I've proven my worth to you guys, Kakashi-sensei," he said.
"You have nothing to prove to us, but only those who haven't seen your skills yet, especially your hunter colleagues. And as for the sensei title, you don't really need to call us that anymore, since you pretty much out-rank us both. Then again, we can't really call you a sensei, since you've never been in charge of a genin squad before. I'm not sure hunters ever get the chance to be in charge of a genin squad, but nevertheless, congratulations," said Gai.
"Thank you both," said Lee, as he placed his mask and hood back on. "And Gai-sensei... erm... Gai, I guess this means I won't be in your squad anymore."
"Yes, that appears to be the case," he said. "But don't worry about it. I'm proud of what you have become and won't regret letting you go on your own. It takes more than just skill to become a hunter. So whatever it was, the Hokage must have thought it was a large enough feat to grant you your status. By the way, have you talked with Tenten yet? She came back from a mission, about a week ago. At first she had a very serious face, but when she walked out of the Hokage's tower, she was in tears. I tried to talk to her about it, but she wouldn't say anything. Did anything happen to you two?"
"Oh... that..." said Lee, looking away for a while.
Why would Tenten be crying? Wasn't she the one who was enraged with him in the first place? Besides, when she told him that she didn't love him anymore, and that it was a huge mistake, she seemed very relieved. Could Tenten have regretted it? Lee knew that he still loved her, but wasn't ready for another such heart break. That was one of the reasons why he chose to be a hunter, instead of an ANBU.
However, the main reason was because of the outfit differences that both types of shinobi required. Perhaps he and Tenten could be a couple again, but not so soon. His heart needed time to heal first, and his healing ability wouldn't really help. His heart wasn't literally damaged, but it still hurt. Maybe they could at least be friends. He wondered how Tenten would take that reason. He looked back up to his former sensei.
"I'll have to talk to her about it. Anyway, it was nice seeing you two," he said as he waved to them and zipped. He arrived down on the ground, feeling a bit of hunger in his stomach. He placed his mask and hood back on and decided to go for something else besides ramen now.
Since he was no longer a genin, simple food like ramen shouldn't be what he was putting inside his body. Lee noticed a restaurant and instantly recognized it as one of the finest restaurants in the village. It is owned by the Akimichi clan, just like all the other fine restaurants in the leaf village, and is probably a good place to stop for some food. Normally, quality places like these would be packed with people and would often be very expensive. He pulled his wallet out, which still had a bit of money in them. He would have to get some money later, by doing some missions, but for now, his stomach wanted food, and that's what it was going to get.
He entered the restaurant and walked up to the clerk.
"Wow, a hunter," said the female clerk complimented, blushing slightly. "We don't get much of your kind around here. What will it be for this morning, sir?"
"I'll take the all-you-can-eat sirloin, three bowls of rice, a bowl of brocolli, two glasses of water, and a side order of strawberry cheesecake," he said, looking to see if he had enough. After some mental calculations, he pulled out the necessary amount of money.
"Wow sir, that's quite a feast. Will it be just for you or some friends maybe?" she asked.
"Just me. I have a pretty good appetite," he replied.
"I can see that, sir," she said as she calculated the prices. "The total is 3900 ryo."
Lee nodded, giving her the exact amount. Lee waited for his food for a few minutes and was then escorted to a table where a waitress would come by and provide him with all the sirloin that he could ever want. It was the all-you-can-eat special after all. Lee raised his mask up and placed it at the upper right hand corner of his head again, where it used to be, a minute ago. He dug into the sirloin and immediately entered heaven. It was so good and so juicy that his mouth started to water. The Akimichi clan truly knows their recipies, it's amazing!
As he ate, the scent attracted one very familiar shinobi.
Lee's eyes moved to the left, seeing Choji literally floating to the scent of his sirloin. Seriously, what's up with this guy? His family owns the place, so shouldn't he be getting all the meat the he wants anyway? Lee hoped that this wasn't a regular for all customers who ordered some juicy meat. Choji's mouth began to water. Because he owned the place, he would just pay the man back. He was about to take some, when he noticed a mask on person's head. Choji's eyes widened and backed away a bit. Shikamaru and Ino appeared next behind him.
"Oh my god... it's a hunter, you guys," said Choji. Shikamaru and Ino saw the mask and backed away as well.
"I'm so sorry for my friend here," said Ino, bowing to Lee. Lee was hardly able to contain his laughter for much longer. "Sometimes he just can't control himself when he smells someone's order. Don't hurt us, please."
Lee stifled a laugh and turned to face them.
"Why would I hurt you guys? Come on, pull up a chair and have some sirloin!" said Lee, as he continued his breakfast.
Team Asuma froze in shock. Wasn't Lee a genin just like the rest of them? When did he get promoted, and what did he do to get the promotion? Asuma, wondering what was taking his students so long, walked over to them. He noticed that they had their mouths open very wide, looking at a hunter ninja. Sure those guys are high in rank, but they're no one to fear... as long as they're on your side. At first, he didn't know why his students were frozen, but a few seconds later, he realized why.
"Lee?" he exclaimed.
"Hey Asuma, good morning. Why don't you and your squad join me for breakfast? I ordered an all-you-can-eat sirloin special. There's plenty to go around for everyone," he said. Asuma fixed his position and bowed to the higher ranked shinobi, even though he was just a genin before.
"I'm not going to ask how you became a hunter, as I know the Hokage has his intentions so, congratulations," he said as he pulled up a chair.
He shook his students awake, who pulled up some seats as well. As the food entered Choji's mouth, more of his strength returned to him. After a few seconds of recovering, Shikamaru didn't care too much, but Ino was still pretty surprised. Whenever Lee would pick up a sirloin, he would notice that they were all gone. There were times where he could get only one, but that's it. Shikamaru whacked his friend on the head for eating so much. Lee chuckled.
"Don't worry about it, Shikamaru. I did off to share, didn't I?" asked Lee, digging into his rice and brocolli.
"This is amazing. What a promotion!" Asuma exclaimed. "But as a hunter, that means you won't be taking part in the chunin exams anymore, right? And what about Gai? Have you visited him yet? He was your squad leader and I think he deserves to know that his star pupil won't be in his squad anymore."
"I have. Actually, he and Kakashi-sensei... I mean Kakashi, were the first people that I saw today. I'm so used to calling you guys sensei that I can't seem to get rid of the habit. Gai told me that since I actually out-rank you guys, I don't need to refer to any of you using that title," he said. Asuma nodded and smiled. It's amazing that one of the genin actually attained such a rank, but the question is how? He knew that his father couldn't be drunk, as he doesn't drink until around nightfall.
"By the way, when did you become a hunter?" asked Shikamaru.
"About half an hour ago, I'd say," said Lee, looking to the ceiling in order to recollect his thoughts. The lazy genius nodded.
"That's really cool, Lee. I bet Neji and Tenten would be jealous," said Ino. Lee smiled as he drank some water. "Oh and, have you gotten a chance to talk with Tenten today? Asuma-sensei said you were on a mission that would last a couple of weeks but I guess he's wrong. Since you came back today, I'm going assume that you haven't talked to her yet, but have you? She seemed really sad when all of us girls got together, two days ago, to hang out."
"No, I haven't spoken to her yet," Lee replied. "I was going to go and look for her but today is a Saturday. She doesn't get up to train until a few hours later, in the afternoon. And, I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon. My stomach was grumbling and well... here I am."
"Well, at least you can control your eating habits. I wish Choji could do the same," said Ino, glaring at her chubby teammate. Upon hearing the insult, Choji ceased his eating. Ino immediately regretted it as Asuma and Shikamaru sighed. Lee looked Choji, who seemed to be sulking. He then glanced to Ino.
"He can't help it. Don't you know that the Akimichi clan gets their strength from devouring massive quantities of food? It's not a kekkei genkai, but more of a curse. Their metabolism is actually two or three times faster than the average person, and therefore gets hungry very fast. However, the strength they get from food is also double or triple, as compared to what normal people get from it. Why do you think the Akimichi clan is very strong and never gets full? Food is literally their main source of fuel," said Lee.
Asuma, Ino, and Shikamaru, were surprised if that was so, then why didn't Choji ever tell them? That kind of information would easily silence Ino, as it would give her a different view of Choji. She thought Choji eats just because he wants to and he likes to. But learning about his extremely high metabolism, she now knew that it made total sense.
"Is that true, Choji?" asked Ino. Choji slowly nodded. "Well, that changes a lot of things. You should have told us that earlier. Now I have a different view of your eating habits. I guess this is why you eat so much. You're probably really skinny when you wake up in the morning, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I can show you a picture of me when I wake up. My mom took it for me when I was waking up one morning," he said as he dug down for his wallet. He opened it, took out the picture, and gave it to Ino. Said kunoichi couldn't believe what she was seeing. The photo of Choji didn't look that old at all, and he had muscles on top of his muscles and a rock hard looking six pack to boot.
Forget Sasuke, Choji had all the toned muscles in the world! Although she was only 13 years of age, she found herself drooling. Choji took it back and placed his wallet away as he continued scarfing down the never ending sirloin with renewed happiness. Shikamaru thought about what Lee said, as he remembered Choji's mom and all the other females of the Akimichi clan, as well as some of the males.
"Hold on, what about Choji's mom? She has a pretty good figure, as well as a lot of the Akimichi males. Why aren't they really fat or really skinny?" asked Shikamaru. Asuma nodded at that, all the while wondering why the Akimichi clan never revealed this secret and how Lee knew it in the first place.
"Well, the curse is only for the males. The females actually have a better metabolism that other females in the leaf village, which gives them a great figure, even if they don't work out. Notice the really beautiful Akimichi women who aren't trained in the ninja arts. They have some of the best bodies that I've ever seen. As for males, their metabolism slows down when the reach the age of 18. It's still greater than females, but not so great. Choji's dad is probably still big because he likes the strength bonus that he receives from food. His wife doesn't mind his appearance, or he is really just a big fan of food," said Lee.
"I see," Shikamaru replied, earning a new respect for his friend.
"Anyway, I'm full and I think it's time for me to get going. I still have to find Tenten and sort some things out," said Lee as he drank his water and stood up. "The never ending sirloin special ends in about half an hour, at least that's what it said in the menu. Feel free to enjoy it until it's gone. Oh and, if you manage to find Tenten before I do, tell her that I'm looking for her."
"Definitely, and again, congratulations Lee," said Choji happily. "Oh and, thanks for sticking up for me. Just, don't tell my dad because no one is really supposed to know about that little secret about our family. I don't know how you found out about it, but thanks anyway. I'll find some way to repay you in the future."
"No problem. I'll always stick up for my friends," he said as he placed his mask back on and walked away.
"That Lee..." said Asuma. "I think he'll make a great hunter. Skill and power aren't everything when you become a hunter or ANBU. There are also other factors that are considered, and Lee just showed a valuable example of two of those factors."
"Which one is that, sensei?" asked Ino.
"Humility and companionship," he said. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, nodded.
Although Lee and Choji weren't very good friends, more of acquaintances, Lee considered him a friend, and that was enough for the young Akimichi. Perhaps they would be better friends in the future. Lee walked out of the restaurant, feeling really full. He wondered if what he said about the Akimichi clan, was actually true. Since Choji claimed it to be so, it must be. Honestly though, he was just trying to stand up for the poor guy without having to knock Ino out for those names that she would usually call him.
He knew of the names that she would use on the young Akimichi, from time to time, and didn't like it. He was already bullied around in his childhood because of his inability to use jutsu and piss-poor taijutsu. He didn't want others to feel the same pain that he felt, all those years ago. He also wondered who he would meet up next.
He could visit Neji and tell him about the news, but he wasn't too keen about being able to walk in there without being invited. His status as a hunter might get him inside the Hyuuga compound, but he didn't want to go that way. There's also team Kurenai, but no way Hinata gets up this early. Lastly, there's Tenten. Her house is fairly close to his current location, so maybe visiting her would be a good thing. He doubted that she would get up and train so early in the morning, but maybe it was worth a shot.
Until the Hokage calls him and the others in for their meeting, free time is in his hands.
He nodded to himself and made his way to the house. On his way there, more people bowed to him. Why does everyone bow to a hunter ninja? Are they really that high up in rank? Some chunin and jonin who passed by, actually bowed to him too. Such an action is something that he would need to get used to. When he arrived, he saw Tenten walking out of her house. Odd, why would she be awake so soon? She saw him and bowed as well. He looked familiar to her, but now wasn't the time for a conversation.
"Good morning, sir," she said, smiling at him and passed by him. Lee turned around and placed his hand on her shoulder. Tenten turned around. "Oh, I'm sorry, but am I in trouble? I'm sure I did nothing wrong so early in the morning."
"You're not in trouble, I just need to talk to you. Do you have a minute or two?" he said. Tenten nodded.
"Yes, I do. But I need to start training because I'm one of the finalists for the final round of the chunin exam. Anyway, what seems to be the problem?" she asked.
Lee looked to his left and right sides, making sure no one else was around. He placed his hand on his mask and dragged it to the upper right hand side of his head, revealing his face. He also removed his hood. Tenten placed her hands over her mouth, unable to believe who was wearing the hunter mask. She thought that since Lee was taking so long, that something must have happened to him. Although the trip from the leaf to the sound, and back is a long one, she knew that he was capable of massive speed, which could actually change the trip from weeks, into hours.
Tenten embraced him hard, but felt that he wasn't hugging her back. She pulled away from him.
"Um... I'm sorry. You're a hunter ninja now and I guess there are special rules to hugging," she said miserably. Lee shook his head.
"That's not it. As I recall, you told me that you didn't want me to touch you," he said calmly. For a second, she didn't know what he was talking about but the memory immediately returned toher mind. She told him that yesterday, which mean he had already completed his mission. Tenten backed away a few steps and nodded.
"Oh, yeah... I did say that, didn't I?" she asked. "Lee, I was just really mad and I didn't allow you to properly explain your reason. Anger just exploded from inside me when I heard your first few words. I should have let you explain your side of it, and I'm sorry."
"It still hurt, you know," he said, closing his eyes and looking away. She placed her hand on his cheek, only to have it moved away by him. That one action surprised her, instantly fearing the worst. Could it be that...
"I'm sorry. Unless we're sparring and you're trying to hit me, I don't usually allow anyone to touch my face except for my girlfriend," he said. It hurt him to say such a thing, but she broke them up already. As much as he hated it, it was over between them.
"Wait, what? What do you mean by that?" she asked, attempting to salvage what she could from their broken relationship.
"From my knowledge, you broke up with me last week. You said that it was a mistake to have fallen in love with me and that it wouldn't happen again. It hurt enough to shatter my heart into a hundred thousand pieces, but I know when something is over when I see it... or feel it. The look in your eyes, you really hated me. I was able to handle all the other things, like the one where you said that didn't believe me. It hurt every time you said those things, but I was able to handle it. Relationships require love, trust, and patience, Tenten," he said.
Tears cascaded freely from the kunoichi's eyes.
"L-Lee, it was just-"
"A mistake too? Probably. But that was the one that hit me the hardest. I didn't expect you to say something like that. I thought you would give me some time to explain what I meant, but you didn't. I know it's only been a few days, but I've had enough time to think about it. Maybe you're right, maybe it really was a mistake to fall in love. I think it was a mistake to fall in love so early into our lives," he said, also starting to develop some tears. "That's why, maybe we should just let go. I won't be in your squad anymore, now that I'm a hunter, and I think that's for the best. We won't be seeing each other as much anymore."
"Lee... not now please... it's too soon for this. I don't want it to end. I'm sorry about everything that I said. Please forgive me..." she pleaded.
"Maybe it's too soon, and maybe it's not. But I'm not a genin anymore, I'll be incredibly busy. I know you're sorry, I understand that part. But I think I need some time to recover. Our healing abilities don't affect the emotional state of our hearts. If it wasn't for the mission to keep me busy, I probably would have just died from the heart break," he said, wiping the tears from his face.
"Lee please, I'm so sorry," she said, tears welling up inside her eyes.
"I know, okay? I know. But I can't handle another attack like that, at least not for a while. Maybe we should just focus on our duties as shinobi of this village. And maybe some day, we could probably meet again and give our relationship a second chance when we're much older," he told her. Tenten broke down into tears, collapsing on the ground. Just as he was about to say a bit more, Lee noticed a white bird, circling in the sky. That's the Hokage, summoning his staff of chunin and above ninja. He sighed to himself, wiping away all of his tears. He didn't want to go there, surrounded by his new peers, with a tear-streaked face.
He knelt down to her level.
"Hey, come on, you can't keep crying like that," he said as he helped her up. Tenten embraced him again, but this time, he hugged her too. This was probably the last hug that they would ever be able to give to each other, at least a meaningful one. Lee pulled away and wiped her tears with his hand. "I need to get going now. I'll see you later, or perhaps another time."
Tenten nodded as he smiled at her and vanished in a swirl of leaves.
She sighed to herself and recomposed her standing point. Lee is right, maybe they would be together again someday. The young kunoichi was going to live for a very long time, due to her training in the cave, and so is he. Five centuries is a very long life time. They would surely meet again. Tenten nodded to herself and walked to the team Gai training grounds. It would be very different, now that Lee is gone from their group. She figured that Neji wouldn't know about the news yet, as not just anyone is allowed inside the Hyuuga compound, even his own squad members.
Lee appeared inside the Hokage tower, where a few high ranked shinobi were already present. Kakashi was actually on time, along with Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma. Lee didn't really get the chance to tell Kurenai about the good news yet, but now isn't really the time for chit chatting. A minute later, hundreds of high ranking shinobi had arrived. Lee noticed that there were only a small handful of hunter class shinobi that were around, at least compared to the other chunin and above shinobi. His colleagues noticed him, but didn't really exchange much words with him, even each other.
They were the strong, silent type, exactly what Lee was comfortable with.
"Lord Hokage, what is the reason for this meeting?" asked Hiashi Hyuuga. "Many of us are very busy, preparing for the invasion. It's enough that we don't know when the sound will attack, but we must also worry about Orochimaru. If he's in the village, then he could be up to one of his tricks again."
"I understand that, Hiashi, but you have all been summoned here for an update on the invasion and I must say that it's terrible news," he said, causing some whispers among the crowd of shinobi."
"I sent someone on a mission to the sound village to steal some important documents. He arrived earlier today with information about the sand's betrayal," he said as the crowd whispered to each other some more. The ANBU were whispering, save the squad captains. The hunters remained silent as well. "My source told me that he saw the sand and sound sharing a camp in the forest far from the border of the fire country. They're on the move and it will only be a short time before their arrival. We still don't know when they are planning it, but knowing Orochimaru, he will choose a time when we have our guards down."
"The sand is in on this too? But that's impossible, they're our allies," said Kurenai.
"I know that, Kurenai, but as you all know, the sand have been quiet for a few months now. My hunch is that Orochimaru probably got to them before they could send out a message for help. I'm worried that he may have killed the Kazekage and some other village lords to cancel the contact with other neighboring villages. Having said this, you must all be careful from now on. Double the security and your own awareness. After all of this is over, we will deal with the sand's betrayal," said the Hokage. "By the way, how are the sound shinobi around the village doing?"
"Squad 17 reported that their status hasn't changed, sir. They seem to be waiting for something, probably the order to attack," said one of the ANBU captains as he stepped forward and knelt down. He wore a white robe, a hood over his head, and an ANBU mask with the design of the bear. "However, squad 9 reported to have seen a single sound shinobi, limping to the others. We don't know what is his condition now."
"Lord Hokage, if I may," said Lee, stepping forward. The squad captain stood and returned to his former position. "On my way to the sound village, I encountered several groups of sound shinobi. Each group ranged from at least 15 to a maximum of 20 people. They seemed to be reinforcements from the sound village coming to aid the small army that is already there. I disposed of them all, but didn't know that one managed to make it back. You have my deepest apologies."
"You took out entire groups of sound ninja?" asked one of the chunin. That being said, more whispers started going around. Lee's hunter colleagues actually looked to him again. Although they were wearing masks, he could tell that they were surprised. "Just who are you?"
"Just your every day hunter. Come on Iruka-sensei, don't you remember my voice through this mask?" he asked.
"Lee?" asked Iruka, disbelieving what he just said.
"Iruka, Lee, you may catch up later, but right now, we have other matters to discuss," said the Hokage. Iruka and Lee bowed their heads. "I trust what you said and that means that the forces of the sand and sound were significantly cut, but I'm afraid it's not enough. As you said before, the numbers of the sand overwhelm ours. The sound is a fairly new village and may not have that many experienced forces, but I won't doubt their skill and power. Were you able to find out anything else?"
"No sir," he replied.
"Alright. With the exception of Kakashi, who I understand has a previous engagement elsewhere, you will accompany Gai, Asuma and Kurenai. Their genin squads should be training for the chunin exams, so they have a bit of free time. I know you outrank them now, but Asuma will be the squad leader. I want the four of you to travel to the fire country borders and see if you can trim down their numbers a bit more. Try not to slay any sand shinobi, but incapacitate them somehow. And if you can, try to bring in one or two for questioning," he said. "If there is nothing else, then you're all dismissed."
The crowd of shinobi nodded and vanished at the same time. Gai, Kurenai, Lee, and Asuma, appeared just outside of the Hokage's tower. They decided to leave immediately and would worry about rations later. There's plenty of food hunt in the forest, so they would resort to that. Gai couldn't believe that his former apprentice was now his senior officer. It would take a bit of getting used to, but Lee definitely outranked them all now. Just like professional leaf ninja, none of them spoke a single word to each other.
Lee maintained his position in the front, Kurenai in the back, while Gai and Asuma were on both sides, but just a bit behind him. This position was famous when traveling in groups of four or more. Being the one with more power out of all of them, Lee was in the perfect spot to parry or block any incoming attack. Gai and Asuma would take care of anything that would surprise them from the sides, while Kurenai worried about whatever was behind them.
"So Lee, what's it feel like to go on missions with the rest of us?" asked Asuma.
"Not too bad. I get to watch you old people get your butts handed to you, except you of course, Gai," he replied. Kurenai and Asuma rolled their eyes. Of course Lee would segregate them from the praises, except for Gai. Even as a hunter, he still holds his former sensei in high regards.
"Well, now that it's just us, why don't you explain how it was that you were promoted into a hunter?" asked Kurenai. Gai and Asuma nodded, a bit curious at it too. Lee himself was unsure of how it really happened, as it all went around so fast. Well, the way from the leaf village to the fire country's border is very far, so maybe a little explanation would be good to pass the time. Also, it's good that his former teachers knew about how it happened.
Everyone who asks him how it happened probably deserved to know anyway. Although not completely of their rank, it's not polite to jump a few ranks above them from a rank far below them and not have to explain how it was possible for a shinobi who is ranked the lowest in the ninja hierarchy. He met up with Gai and Asuma earlier, but didn't tell either of them how he achieved his rank. He hoped that they would buy his story, as unbelievable as it may sound. Even he thought it was too good to be true, but only they could decide now.
"Well, it all started when I accepted a high ranking mission because gave my word to a genin from the sound that I would grant him freedom from the clutches of his village and make him into a leaf shinobi. I know what you guys are thinking, that this guy might be a spy, but I'm telling you, he's not. I can't explain it, but I know that I'm right. The mission was to infiltrate the village hidden in the sound and retrieve the documents and identification that belonged to him and his two squad members."
"I decided to take Tenten with me but after a bit of unfortunate events, she returned to the leaf village, which forced me to continue alone. On my way to the sound village, I came across several groups of sound ninja, who I took down in order to ventilate some anger that I had because of a fight with Tenten. I apologize for shaming your teachings, Gai, but I did end up killing two sound ninja groups, consisting of maybe 30-40 people," he said.
"Don't worry, Lee. Even if you did kill them in cold blood, it was for self-defense. They would have attacked you anyway and you would have been forced to take their lives. I know I taught you to try and not to kill, but you did warn them, right?" he asked. Lee nodded. Kurenai and Asuma sighed in relief.
"Anyway, after I arrived to the village hidden of the sound, I used a map that was provided to me by Dosu, my client, and went to the Otokage's office where the documents were located. At first, there were very few guards, as a lot of them were probably mobilizing to attack the leaf village. I retrieved the documents and was about to leave, when I saw two sword stands next to the Otokage's table. I examined the first one, but only saw a tag of what I assumed would be the name of the sword," he said.
"What was it?" asked Kurenai.
"I think it was the legendary sword of the the storm god, Susanoo. It's called Kusanagi... or something," he replied. "Got any idea what it is?"
She nodded in reply. Gai and Asuma nodded as well.
"It's indeed a legendary sword, but I thought it was just that, a legend. The Kusanagi is also called Grass Cutter. It glows with a blue aura and is said to be able to cut anything," she said. Lee nodded slowly, taking in the information. Whoever the Otokage is, this person must possess the Kusanagi. Blue glow, can cut through anything, got it.
"So, when I found that only the sheath was there, I moved on to the next one. The sheath was present, but the sword wasn't. I read the name tag on the bottom. The sword was called Souseiki," he said. Kurenai's eyes widened.
"Well, it's good that the sword itself wasn't there. Legends say that it can only be wielded one with a pure heart, but has taken a life, and will vaporize anyone else. The conditions sound very contradicting. And according from what I know, the Souseiki is also called Genesis," she said. Lee nodded.
"Very impressive, Kurenai. I'm surprised that you know so much about these swords. And speaking of which, one of the reasons that the Hokage promoted me to a hunter is because I was able to wield one of them," he said.
Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai, were shocked.
Lee stopped running, as the other three stopped as well. He pulled out the sword from his back, allowing them to see the beautiful, white glow of the katana shaped blade. They noticed how the blade part of the sword was glowing a white, holy color. It filled them all with a sense of tranquility, although not knowing why. It could have been the pure essence of the light that was giving them that feeling. If the Souseiki had chosen Lee, he must truly be something special and the Hokage saw that. Lee placed his sword away and continued running, the three jonin following suit.
"After I obtained the Souseiki, I used it to incapacitate the remaining shinobi groups and guards in the sound village. On my way back, I found sound and sand ninjas sharing a clearing in order to get some sleep for the night. I rushed back to the village with all of my speed, turning a one week trip into a mere few hours. When I arrived, I told the Hokage of what I saw, as well as retrieving the documents to free Dosu and his squad. I then requested for the Hokage to remove me from the chunin exam. I dropped out of the exam, knowing I could easily defeat everyone there, because I wanted to protect the leaf village."
"There are would be opportunities for me to take the exam. At that moment, the Hokage offered me my place as a hunter shinobi," he finished.
"So that's why. It's because you possessed the five virtues," said Asuma. "Interesting... I never thought a kid would have all five."
"The... what?" asked Lee.
"Normally, one must go through a series of tests to earn the rank of either ANBU or hunter, but that's granted you're at the age of 18 or over. Younger shinobi must be recommended by a higher officer, or must possess the five virtues to become an ANBU or hunter class shinobi at a young age. Those virtues are; tenacity, supremacy, purity, loyalty, and sacrifice," said Gai. Lee thought to himself on how he possessed those virtues that Gai and Asuma spoke of.
"Can you give me examples?" asked Lee, completely dumbfounded.
"The act of taking an incredibly high ranking mission, not knowing whether you'll live or die because of a promise made to a friend, shows your tenacity. When you defeated all of those sound shinobi who surrounded you, that shows supremacy. By being able to wield the Souseiki, you show that you are not only pure in heart, but will not hesitate to vanquish evil. That act shows purity."
"Even when you had a fight with Tenten and probably wanted nothing more than to save your relationship, you proceeded with the mission to keep your promise. That is an act of loyalty. Finally, your act of sacrifice was shown when you gave up your position as a finalist in the chunin exams. You're probably the strongest and most qualified in there, but your duties to the leaf village are more important that you were willing to give up the opportunity of reaching a higher shinobi rank. I'm very impressed at you, Lee," he said.
"I never realized that I had such qualities. I didn't even do any of that to impress anyone. I was just doing what felt natural to me," said Lee, a bit proud of himself for being given a compliment by jonin ranked ninjas.
"That's probably another reason that pushed the other five even more. You weren't doing it for anything, and that's something the Hokage looks for, humility. Knowing that you would lose your chance to show your skills to the world and receive the praise that you've been seeking from everyone, you gave it up because of your much higher sense of justice and peace. You wanted to protect the village, everyone inside it, and you were willing to sacrifice everything," said Asuma.
"Now I feel very comfortable with someone like you in our group. I believe the Hokage made the correct decision in making you into a hunter. Anyway, I think we've been fooling around too much. We've reached our half point. We have to increase our speed. You all know what to do. Incapacitate or even kill any sound shinobi that you see. If you find any sand ninja, knock them out but don't kill them. Got it?" came his order.
"Understood!" said Lee, Kurenai, and Gai.
When the four leaf ninjas arrived at the border of the fire country, they split apart into two separate directions. Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma, were grouped together, while Lee was alone. Being the stronger one of the group, Lee preferred to be alone. In addition, the other three jonin couldn't allow themselves to be taken by surprise and would have a higher survivability rate by sticking together. Because of Lee's extensive training in the cave, the staff of the Iron Monkey, and even wielding one of the legendary swords, he was confident in taking the sound and sand ninjas alone.
Not wanting to kill, Lee pulled out his staff and stretched it to the regular seven feet. The Iron Monkey was ready to fight for his life. At first, no one was around, which didn't surprise the young hunter, seeing as though he got rid of a good number of sound shinobi. But after a bit of sneaking around, Lee found a pretty good number of them, waiting around for something. Of what, he didn't know. He was about to attack them but maybe waiting for whatever they were waiting for would grant him with a bit more information.
"Hey, did you hear?" asked a sand ninja. "The village hidden in the sound was decimated. I mean, the village itself is fine, but there's not a single shinobi left in there. Squad 4 visited the village to collect some rations, when he found that the guards were killed. Not only that, but the chunin that remained to watch over the village was cut in half."
"Yeah, I heard," said another sand ninja. "I also heard that someone has been going around and killing sound shinobi, especially the groups that were supposed to aid the small army who are already near the leaf village. I'm not sure who did it, but I think that person is one of the elite shinobi from the leaf village."
"I don't really believe that one person is strong enough to kill so many unless that person isn't human, but I think you're right. This ninja came from the leaf because a saw a water bottle near one of the corpses of the sound ninjas. The water bottle had the leaf symbol on the tag. If this is true, do you think the leaf village knows about our attack and is sending their elites to start trimming us down before the planned surprise invasion?" he asked. Lee's eyes widened as he felt his coat pocket for the water bottle and indeed found that it wasn't there. Damn it! He left a trace and now the sand have reason to believe that the leaf might know about the attack.
How could he have been so careless?
"If that's true, then we have to warn lord Orochimaru. We have to get him to push the invasion to an earlier date. I don't oppose the plan of attacking during the finals of the chunin exam..." Lee twitched. "... But if the leaf will send their mightiest to attack us now, we might as well strike back while we have the man power."
"You're right. But lord Orochimaru is still in leaf village. However, perhaps we can enter the leaf village and say that we're just there for spectating purposes. We have to locate him and tell him about this," he said.
"Or you can take a nap," said Lee as he appeared behind both unsuspecting sand ninjas and chopped the back of their necks, effectively knocking them out. He carried both men on his shoulders and searched for his squad.
Now that he knew when the invasion was going to take place, he would be able to return to the others and warn them about it. It's not too far away but not that close either. There's still some time to gather some last minute forces and trim down another few groups of enemy shinobi. Since they were in this one alone, utilizing as much time as possible would be one of the keys to victory. There's still a lot of work to be done, but now they are one step closer to forming a successful counter attack. Lee found his comrades, hiding behind trees. They didn't look like they were having too much luck in finding any information.
"Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, over here!" said Lee. The three jonin looked to him. They noticed that he was holding two unconscious sand shinobi, on his shoulders.
"I overheard these two talking about the invasion date and knocked them out for further questioning later on. They said that the invasion will be on the day of the final round. I also heard that Orochimaru is still in the village," he said. Asuma nodded and took one of the bodies. Gai took the second one.
"This is a huge step, and one that must be reported to the Hokage. Gai and I will go ahead, while you and Kurenai remain here. Take another hour or so and watch for any enemy shinobi who might be crossing into our borders. Don't let any of them pass, understand?" he asked.
Kurenai and Lee nodded. Gai and Asuma nodded as well and made their way back to the leaf village.
When they had fully gone, Lee turned to face Kurenai. He didn't want her life to be in any sort of danger, as she still had to live so she could make Kiba, Hinata, and Shino, stronger. He couldn't take the chance that anything would happen to her, just because he failed to protect her. He knew that Kurenai is a capable kunoichi, but maybe Gai and Asuma would need some help too. There's two of them, carrying two bodies worth of cargo. What if they get ambushed? What if they dropped the bodies while they are getting attacked? What if those bodies were stolen?
Their interrogation puppets would be gone.
Kurenai turned to her colleague.
"Sir, permission to-"
"Granted. Go now, Kurenai, they're not that far in front and we can't lose those sand shinobi," he said. Kurenai nodded.
Just as she was about to leave, a huge mix of sand and sound shinobi, began to appear before them. Lee clenched his fists and pulled out his staff. As Kurenai rushed away, the sound ninjas began to appear from nowhere, behin him even. Lee scanned the area around him, taking a mental head count of how many there were that surrounded him. It didn't look too bad, about 20 or maybe 25 sand and sound shinobi. It's a good thing that Kurenai and the others are gone. Things are going to get really messy in here and he didn't want them to see any of it. One of the sound shinobi stepped forward.
He was holding a kunai on his hand.
"You must be Rock Lee," he said. "We have orders to bring you in."
"To who, might I ask?"
"That is not a question that I will answer," said the shinobi. He raised his hands and snapped his fingers.
As if coordinated, all of the surrounding shinobi launched their most powerful jutsus at Lee. Lee rolled to the side, and saw an attack coming from behind. He twirled his staff in front of his body, creating a shield, and sent the sand storm to all directions. Lee closed his eyes, relying only on his senses, as the sand entered the eyes of some unfortunate ninjas who were stupid enough to leave their eyes open.
Using the sand screen to us advantage, he zipped to each of them, appearing only in a flash of shadow. Lee struck each of them at painful areas that caused them to collapse or faint from too much pain, but weren't killed. When the sand storm dissipated, the sound shinobi from earlier looked around him. All of his comrades were on the ground, some were groaning in pain, while others were unconscious. The Iron Monkey appeared behind him and struck his head just hard enough to knock him out cold.
"Geez... these guys are relentless," he said.
"Was that a complaint I just heard?" asked a voice from behind him. Lee rolled his eyes, recognizing the voice. "It's nice to see that you're not killing any of them, but maybe that's what you should do. These wounds are painful but can be mended using medical ninjutsu, you know."
"And you care, why exactly... Orochimaru?" he asked, lazily turning around to face the pale-faced man. He squinted his eyes at the older man and sighed. "And can't you come and pay me a visit without always resorting to shadow clones? If you're supposed to be some hot-shot shinobi, why would you be afraid of some kid like me?"
"I must say, your perception rivals that of the greatest Uchiha and Hyuuga clan members. But regarding the shadow clone, there's a reason why I can't join you right now. I admit, you've grown much stronger than I ever thought possible, and you've become a hunter, I see. I'm really doubting on whether or not I can actually kill you," he said.
"So why are you still trying? Just stop the invasion now. The entire leaf village knows about it, as well as the fact that the sand is in on it too. You have numbers now, but the leaf will still reign victorious. Your army is pitiful. There may be more of them, but the leaf will crush them. You can't win, Orochimaru. I won't allow it," he said.
"Bold words, but I suppose you have the power to back it up. You know, I'm really enjoying these conversations that you and I are having. Anyway, you should probably return to your village. You may have learned of many of my plans, but there are still a few that you don't know. I have no idea how to kill you yet, as you grow stronger and stronger every time we meet, but your allies aren't demi-gods like yourself. Even if you won't die, if they do, that will be enough for me," he said. Lee gritted his teeth.
"Alright, enough of these games! Why do you want to destroy the leaf village? What did they ever do to you?" Lee asked, enraged.
"If only you knew, unfortunately I don't have the time to explain right now. In any case, for making it this far, I'll reward you with something. I'm going to tell you my plan, not that there's anything you can do to stop it. You may have revealed some of my plans, but the world is ever changing. If anything, your meddling actually gave me a few new ideas. Granted they come to pass, I will destroy everything you hold so dear to you," he said.
"So what's with your plan? I'm curious," said Lee. "Whatever it is, I'll stop it. I won't allow you to get your way."
"There's really not much you can do to stop my plans. The wheels of fate are already turning, and it's too late for you you to stop them. You can slow it down, but it will still come to pass. As for my plans, here's a kicker... I plan to slay the Hokage. After that, I will burn down the leaf village and force you to watch it all," he said. Lee blinked a couple of times.
"You're going to slay the Hokage? That has got to be the stupidest thing that's come out of your mouth. He's an old man, looks frail and helpless, that much I'll give you. But he's not pushover. And if you start playing unfairly, I'm going to step in and turn the tables. Like I said before, I won't let you have it your way," said Lee. Orochimaru chuckled. Lee wondered what it was this guy was laughing about. Surely he knows what the Hanazawa clan is capable of, or at least what Lee was capable of now. So there must be something else. Lee narrowed his eyes at him.
Orochimaru simply smiled.
"You're powerful, Lee, very powerful. But I know your weakness... you are incapable of using ninjutsu and genjutsu. And since you aren't trained to use that area of shinobi art, you never noticed the genjutsu that you were in," he said. Lee's eyes widened as his surroundings started shimmering. He looked around him, there were odd structures everywhere, people in odd clothing that resembled that of the west. There were machines everywhere.
Just then, a feeling of nausia entered his head. Dizziness was really starting to claim him, but his healing power was stopping it from happening. Orochimaru was still in front of him, but he was laughing like a maniac. People were staring at them, like they were insane. The long haired man smirked triumphantly. Then, out of nowhere, a puff of smoke appeared beside Orochimaru. Out of the smoke... Kabuto emerged. The surrounding people backed away, whispering to each other about the magical scene that was playing before them. Lee gripped his staff.
"What have you done? Where am I?" he asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. You'll have to ask Kabuto that question. I only used genjutsu on you, he was the one who used a very odd jutsu... teleportation maybe. The so called shadow clone you saw earlier, was actually a genjutsu. All of the shinobi that you fought off after your squad left, those were all in your mind, created by me. I knew that the only way I can crush the leaf village, is if you're not there. You are the driving force with the power to stop me, but you won't be able to do that if you're not there," he said.
"What? Wait a second... don't tell me...!"
"That's right, Lee. You've figured it out but it's too late. Right when you left the village with your squad, for your mission, a genjutsu was cast on you and only you. I figured that if your squad felt a genjutsu on them, they would be able to dispel it and take precautions to dispelling anything that is on you," he said.
"That's not a problem at all. The leaf village doesn't need me to survive. They've been preparing for very long time now. And plus, your numbers have been trimmed and enough for you to be stopped. The sand may have some good shinobi, the sound may have some power, but the leaf will crush your army. You don't have enough man power to destroy the leaf village. You've failed, Orochimaru! Once I find a way to return to the leaf-"
"There won't be anything left behind," he said. Lee's was taken aback. "Surprised? Well, since you've failed to stop me, I might as well tell you one last thing. This is what you didn't figure out and will be the undoing of the leaf village. I've asked for the aid of the one village who has been wanting the destruction of the leaf since the Fourth Hokage came into power."
"Huh? The sand doesn't hate the leaf... I don't understand," said Lee.
"Not the sand, fool. But I suppose you wouldn't know this, as it is before your time. I've asked help from the village hidden in the clouds. You may not know about them, but their village has existed as long as the leaf village has, and possess a powerful shinobi army, as well as some long-time grudges against your pitiful people. The leaf village is prepared for the sand and sound. But what they don't know is, the cloud is in on it too. Even if you arrive in time to stop me, the damage will have been done. The leaf will fall!" he shouted.
"And by the way... welcome to the west, far from the village hidden in the leaves."
Angered once more, Lee charged at them and struck them down, only to see that they were nothing more than logs used for the substitution jutsu. Lee looked around him frantically, searching for any trace of Orochimaru and Kabuto. Even as they vanished, Lee heard one final thing from Orochimaru, and it drove him mad.
"Oh and... the invasion started today."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hmm... ok... not exactly the way I planned it to go, but it all worked out. I hope you guys don't get confused in reading this, because I got pretty dazed when I was reading some of it. Odd huh? I get confused about my own work... what kind of author am I? Anyway, if you didn't understand what just happened here, I'll summarize it. Lee, Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma, left the village for a mission. Once they left, a genjutsu was cast on Lee, by Orochimaru. Because he is untrained in the ninjutsu or genjutsu arts, he didn't know that a genjutsu was on him.
Once the squad was far from the village, Orochimaru declared the attack on the unsuspecting leaf village. It's 3 vs 1; sand, sound, and cloud against leaf. I think that's about it. Seriously though, I didn't plan to write it out like this.
When I was writing the part after Gai, Lee, Asuma, and Kurenai, left for the mission that was assigned to them by the Hokage, I was very disoriented and sleepy. It was around 4am when I wrote that. When I woke up, hours later, I decided to keep that and just continue, disregarding some ideas that were swimming in my head at the time of. I didn't plan for the invasion to start so soon, but it was originally supposed to start before the final round of the chunin exam, of that I'm sure. So I guess in a sense, things happened a little earlier than what I initially hoped for, but exactly the way that I hoped for.
I wasn't really going to write the invasion until next chapter, or the one after, but it's all good.
Ja ne!