We are inching closer and closer into the story of the Chunin Exams and I will give you guys a teaser about this arc. We find out who Naoki really is. PLease enjoy. ;)
(Akina's POV)
We finally made it to the third floor and as we were walking through a large area we heard a familiar voice call out.
"Hey you, the one with the attitude, hold on!" Rock Lee yelled out. We all turned around to see him standing on a balcony that was hanging over the entryway to the staircase.
"What do you want?" Sasuke demanded.
"I wish to fight right here and now." He jumped over the railing, landing in front of us, and pointed to himself.
"My name is Rock Lee. You said it was common courtesy for an opponent to give his name before asking for one. Isn't that right, Sasuke Uchiha?" Lee questioned.
"So you know who I am."
"I wish to challenge you. Everyone is always talking about the Uchiha clan and how great they are. I want to see if it is true. I figured you would be a good test for me. And also." Lee's attention turned from Sasuke to Sakura, who immediately paled and started to shake like a leaf.
"Oh Sakura…I love you!" Lee shouted, with a blush on his face, and I almost broke my calm demeanor to laugh at Sakura's horrified expression.
"AHHHHH! Those eyebrows can't be real! NO! Your hairstyle is horrible too and those eyebrows are so bushy. You are such a weirdo!" Despite the insults thrown at him Lee still continued to give her praises.
"Sakura you are an angel sent from heaven. Mwha!" A flying heart appeared from his kiss and it was steadily heading towards her but before it could touch her Sakura quickly dodged it. The heart getting stuck on the pillar behind her.
"That was a good move but lets see you dodge this. Mwha! Mwha! Mwha!" More flying hearts appeared as Lee sent Sakura kisses and it looked like Sakura was going to get hit. But I underestimated her skills as she skillfully avoided each heart and on the last one she leaned all the way back and hit her head on the ground, avoiding it completely. She was breathing hard as she got off the floor but quickly turned her anger onto Lee.
"Hey! Keep your crummy little valentine's to yourself! I was dodging for my life there." She shouted.
"You do not have to be so negative Sakura." Lee whispered with disappointment.
"You've heard of the Uchiha clan and yet you still wish to fight me. You must be crazier than you look. You want to know more about my clan then I'll show you, the hard way."
"Bring it on!" Lee cried out as he got into his attack stance.
"Hold it!" I looked to my left to see Naruto glaring at Rock Lee. I guess he had finally had enough with being ignored for Sasuke.
"I get him first, this weirdo is mine." Naruto stated.
"Go for it." Sasuke answered.
"Naruto going against him isn't a good idea." I suggested. Just by looking at Rock Lee I could tell that he was more of the physical fighter, not to say that Naruto isn't good at taijutsu. But he wouldn't be a match for Lee who was older and had more experience and training than Naruto.
"Don't worry it'll only take me two minutes to have this guy on the ground begging for mercy."
"No thank you. I only one I wish to fight is Uchiha." Lee replied.
"Well you know what I've got news for you pal! Sasuke can't compare to me, believe it!" Naruto shouted as he ran towards Lee. When Naruto got close enough he went after Lee with a right punch. Lee simply lifted one hand and jabbed his hand onto Naruto's fist in a downward motion, completely deflecting the attack. Naruto quickly compensated by landing on his hands and turned in a circle to send out a left kick. Lee was quick to dodge by getting low to the ground and kicking Naruto's hands out from under him.
"Leaf Whirlwind!" The force of the kick sent Naruto spinning on his back like a top spinner, making him crash into the nearby wall, rendering him unconscious.
'His taijutsu is incredible. His moves are controlled but are fast and swift. He must have been training for years to get to this level.' I thought as I made my way over to Naruto to make sure he was okay, still keeping my eye on Lee as he stood up straight and faced Sasuke.
"Just accept it. You have no chance against me, your skills are inferior. For you see Sasuke, out of all the genin here I am the best. Fight me and I will prove it to you."
"Hmph. This will be fun let's do it." Sasuke answered with a smirk on his face.
"But Sasuke we don't have enough time. We have to register by 3 o'clock and that's less than half an hour." Sakura tried to reason but Sasuke's mind was already made up.
"Relax this will all be over in five seconds." Sasuke charged towards Lee and, similar to Naruto's approach, started with a right punch. Before it could hit Lee disappeared and less than a second appeared above Sasuke while he was disoriented.
"Leaf Hurricane!" Sasuke was able to dodge it but as Lee landed and tried another kick he wasn't able to move in time to miss it so he put his arms up in defense. Except that it didn't work, Lee's kick went right through his defense and landed right on his lower left side of his jaw. Sasuke flew back from the powerful kick and landed roughly on his back, unmoving for a moment.
'This guy is more advanced than I thought! He went through Sasuke's guard like it was paper. Sasuke is finished.' I thought as I watched Sasuke struggling to get up. He finally stood up and I could see the anger and shock in his eyes but he still kept calm, shaking off the rough fall. I saw him smirk and I wondered if he was going to use it, the Sharingan. I was right as I saw him close his eyes and when he opened them again I saw his eyes had changed from dark onyx to the familiar blazing red. With renewed confidence Sasuke charged at Lee again, this time with the ability to better guess Lee's moves. Before he could make a move Lee dropped down to the floor and uppercut Sasuke with a kick to the jaw sending him flying through the air again. This time Sasuke was able to land safely on his feet before being bombarded by more of Lee's attacks. I could tell that Sasuke knew where and when Lee would attack but his reflexes were fast enough or strong to do much to defend himself. It was during this time that Naruto finally started to come around and watch what was going on.
"Akina what's going on? Oh no Sasuke!" Naruto yelled at as he watched Sasuke take an elbow to the stomach.
"Do you get it now? I am using taijutsu meaning there are no tricks." Lee disappeared and quickly reappeared behind Sasuke.
"It is straight marshal arts nothing more." Sasuke tried to hit him again but Lee was too fast.
"I know you're technique and it will not work, not on me. I know that you can see through an opponent's jutsu. That Sharingan gives you the ability to read your opponent's chakra and decipher their hand signs and movements. You can guess what they're going to do almost before they know themselves. The problem is that taijutsu is a little bit different."
"So what's your point." Sasuke demanded.
"I do not try to hide or disguise my moves, I do not have to. Even if you can read them you still cannot stop them because you are too slow. Your eyes may be able to keep one step ahead of me but if your body cannot then what good does it do you." I could see that Sasuke was practically grinding his teeth together trying not to let his anger take full control.
"You know what, this is what I believe. There are two kinds of ninja in this world; those like you who were born with talent and didn't have to work at it. And those like me who have to train everyday of our lives." Sasuke had enough as he ran at Lee head on but of course Lee easily dodged his attacks as if Sasuke was moving in slow motion.
"The fact is that your Sharingan is the worst match for my extreme taijutsu. Here is what I mean." Lee leaned back in preparation for another kick, Sasuke noticed and tried to put his guard up but it was no use. Lee sent him into the air again except this time Lee followed after Sasuke so that he was just below him.
"Dancing Leaf Shadow." Sasuke commented.
"Good eye. Now I will prove my point that hard work beats out natural talent. You're finished." The bandages around Lee's left arm begin to unravel and seemed to almost wrap towards Sasuke.
'This has gone too far! I think Lee is going to seriously hurt Sasuke!' I thought as I moved to intervene. But before I could a whirring sound caught my attention followed by a thud. A pinwheel spun as it held the end of Lee's bandage in the wall, the sharp blade at the end holding it in place.
'Where did that come from?'
"Alright Lee that's enough!" A voice shouted in reprimand. We all turned to see who had spoken and I almost thought that I was dreaming. Standing near the center of the floor was a giant red and yellow turtle that had a Konoha headband wrapped around it's neck. Lee quickly landed on the ground in front of the turtle in a crouch position, with his head down in submission, as Sasuke continued to sail to the ground.
"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out as she rushed to catch him, sliding with him from the force of impact.
"Hey Akina tell me what happened. How did bushy brows mess Sasuke up like that?" Naruto asked with alarm and awe.
"I'll tell you what happened later." I explained as I watched Lee get reprimanded by the turtle.
"You were watching us the whole time?" Lee asked cautiously.
"Of course I was. That last technique is forbidden and you know that."
"I am sorry I did not mean to. It's just that I was in the middle of a fight. You know how it goes."
"Of course! That turtle is his sensei!" Naruto shouted with sudden clarity.
"Naruto I'm sure that's not his sensei." I said but he didn't hear me as he ran towards Sakura and Sasuke to share his theory.
"What is it Naruto?" Sakura asked impatiently.
"That thing he's talking to is a turtle right?"
"Of course it is! What else could it be!?" Sakura shouted in frustration.
"Okay then so maybe it means that turtles can be sensei too."
"How am I supposed to know that!?" I turned my attention from my three teammates when I heard the turtle begin to reprimand Lee once again.
"You're a disgrace! You think you're going to get away with excuses like that? Shinobi never reveal their techniques unless it's absolutely necessary. It's such a basic rule you should know it by know."
"Please forgive me, sir."
"Are you prepared to face the consequences of your actions?"
"I-yes sir." Lee stuttered.
"Alright then come on out, Gai-sensei!" A poof of smoke appeared on the top of the turtle's back and when it cleared I felt my eyes widen in a mixture of disbelief and horror.
"Hey what's shakin'? How we doing everybody, life treating you good?" The man before us was an exact older and, somehow, bushier version of Rock Lee down to the same green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers. The only real difference being that this guy wore the traditional green jonin vest as well. I looked at my teammates and saw their expressions were almost the same as mine except more dramatic.
"He's got the biggest eyebrows yet! They're almost alike." Naruto pointed out.
"What's up Lee?" The jonin asked with a smile, his teeth doing that weird shining thing that Lee did earlier, as he gave Lee a thumbs up.
"This is just plain weird." Sakura said.
"So this is where he got it from. Same soup bowl haircut and even bushier eyebrows." Naruto commented. Apparently Lee was listening because he turned around and defended his mentor.
"Do not talk about Gai-sensei that way! He is one of the greatest ninja in the whole world!"
"Well excuse me from not noticing his greatness! I was too busy watching him crawl out from underneath a turtle!"
"He did not crawl out!"
"That's enough Lee, give it a rest." Gai-sensei said as he stepped down from the turtle. Lee quickly turned around to face him and mumbled out a 'Yes sir.'
"And now for your punishment." We watched as he pulled his fist back before punching Lee square in his face.
'This guy is insane! He just hit his student as a punishment!' I thought as the others cried out in alarm. We watched as Lee was knocked back a couple of feet before falling over. As he struggled to sit up Gai-sensei walked over to him and kneeled on his left knee.
"I'm sorry Lee but it was for your own good." He apologized as tears rushed down his face.
"S-sensei." Lee mumbled back with tears rushing down his face as well."
"Oh Lee."
"Oh sensei. I am so sorry." Behind them appeared a setting sun over an ocean; they were sitting on the rock's edge up against the crashing waves. The setting making the scene more emotional.
"It's alright Lee. You don't have to say anymore."
"Oh sensei!" Lee cried as he rushed to hug Gai, both of them still crying their eyes out. Even the turtle had tears in his eyes at the scene.
'These two have the weirdest relationship in the world.' I thought as I we continued to watch the matching pair cry and comfort each other.
"You know it's actually kind of sweet the way that they're all huggy and stuff." Naruto commented.
"You've gotta be joking Naruto, those two are totally crazy!" Sakura rebutted. The duo finally got off the floor, the mysterious sunset somehow vanished, and wiped away the last of their tears. Gai-sensei looked over at us and I could feel my squad tense up.
"You must be Kakashi's squad? Tell me how is Kakashi doing?"
"You know him?" Sasuke asked.
"Do I know Kakashi? Ha ha ha! People have called us arch rivals for all eternity." Gai explained as he stroked his chin.
"There's just no way!" Sakura and Naruto yelled.
"How dare you! If Gai-sensei says that it is true then-"
"Let it slide Lee. A ninja's actions always speak louder than words." Gai interrupted before giving one of his gleaming smiles. Suddenly before we could blink our eyes he was gone.
"My record is 50 wins and 49 losses. Which is one better than his by the way." His loud voice commented from behind us.
'That's amazing. To move that quickly without making a sound, he's by far faster than Kakashi-sensei.' I thought as we all turned around to face him with shock and awe.
"You're kidding! How did he beat Kakashi?" Naruto asked.
"The fact is that I'm stronger than Kakashi and faster."
"Do you see now Gai-sensei is the best that there is?" Lee stated with pride.
"I'm sorry for the trouble Lee has caused you. Look into my eyes and accept my sincerest apologies. Also take note of my handsome manly features." Gai said while looking at Sasuke. Who judging by appearance didn't really care for the apology, seeming to be thinking about something else.
"Lee you should accompany these fine young ninja to the classroom. Don't you think?" He suggested while taking a kunai and threw it at the pinwheel, which had still held Lee's bandage in place, knocking it out of the wall. The unraveled bandage showed the bruised skin of Lee's left fist. Years of cuts, trauma, and who knows what else was evident as Lee wrapped it back up.
"Remember to give your best Lee, farewell." Gai offered before disappearing in a puff of smoke, along with the tortoise.
"Hey Sasuke. I must admit I wasn't being totally honest earlier. I said that I wanted to test my skills, that part is true, but you aren't the one I really wanted to test them on. I lied to you before, I told you that I was the best genin here but there is another top ninja, someone from my own team."
'The Hyuuga boy?'
"I came here to defeat him, you were just practice, but now you are a target. I will crush you. There you have it, consider yourself warned." He jumped up to the balcony and we could hear his fading footsteps as he walked away.
"Would you look at that? Guess the Uchihas aren't as great as everyone thinks they are." Naruto commented, further irritating the already angry Sasuke.
"Just shut up Naruto! Next time I'll drive him to his knees." Sasuke yelled back.
"Oh yeah. Who just got his butt handed to him?"
"Technically both of you." I mumbled but no one heard me.
"What are you saying Naruto? Just cut it out!" Sakura yelled trying to keep her teammates from ripping each other's throats out.
"You saw his hands didn't you? When he took off the tape." By Sasuke's confused expression Naruto continued.
"I bet old bushy brows has been training until he drops, day in and day out. All I'm saying is that he trains a lot harder than you do." There was a moment of tense silence as Sasuke turned away from us and I began to worry that he might revert back to being the I-can-do-it-by-myself Sasuke he was when we first formed our team.
"Fine." We all looked to him when we didn't hear anger in his voice instead there was…excitement?
"This thing is finally starting to get more interesting. The chunin exams, can't wait to see what's next."
"Right." Naruto said as I saw him get fired up. I nodded along now that everyone was okay and Sakura gave her smile of approval.
"Let's get started. Naruto. Akina. Sakura." We all followed him as we entered the last hallway towards room 301.
As we walked closer to the designated room a familiar face was waiting for us at the door.
"Glad to see that you've all finally made it. Especially you Sakura-chan." Kakashi said leaning casually against the doors.
"What are you doing here Kakashi-sensei? And why did Sakura have to be here?" Naruto asked.
"Well you see groups of three must register to take the exam. And before you ask Akina is only allowed to be here due to the Hokage's and the elder's approval."
"So the decision wasn't really up to the individual? It was a lie?" Sakura asked.
"Not exactly. Taking the chunin exam is up to the individual but the decision does affect the team as a whole. I just wanted to make sure that no one was going to influence your decision of coming or not. Plus I didn't want you to feel obliged to come because of any feelings you have for Sasuke. Naruto, or Akina. I wanted you to make a decision of your own free will."
"So what would have happened if I hadn't shown up but they did?"
"I wouldn't be allowed to let the others in because Akina is technically considered an extra, she wouldn't be allowed to take your place. But that's a mute point now that you're all here and for the right reasons. I couldn't be more proud of you guys. Nor could I ask for a better team. Good luck." Kakashi gleamed with pride as he moved from in front of the doors.
"We won't let you down Kakashi-sensei, believe it!" Naruto cried out as we all walked through the doors together, as a team.
Hoped you guys enjoyed these two chapters. Let me know how you guys liked them. Have a good day!