"Are you here for the Uchiha name?"
Sasuke gave Rock Lee a serious once-over. His voice was calm, and his refined features held no emotion.
"That's right! Please, fight me!"
Lee's thick eyebrows furrowed, his gaze blazing with intensity.
"I want to see how far my moves can go against a genius like you."
As he finished, a strong fighting spirit burst out from him.
"I'll say it again. You've got the wrong person."
Sasuke glanced over at Naruto. Everyone's attention had already shifted to him and the bowl-cut kid. He spoke quietly, "I'm no genius. The genius of our class is standing next to your teacher—that's the top student."
"I know you're talking about Naruto-kun."
Lee's expression turned solemn. "He defeated Neji—the person I most wanted to surpass. But I still want to face you first. I want to prove myself to my teacher!"
"Proving yourself to others?"
A trace of mockery flashed through Sasuke's eyes. He recalled the first time he challenged Naruto in the classroom—it was also to prove something to that man.
Ironically, that same man had become the one he now most wanted to kill.
"Go find someone else to fight. I'm not interested."
Sasuke shifted to walk past Lee, clearly uninterested in the duel.
"You got one thing wrong."
Lee's bandaged fists clenched tight.
"Whether you're interested or not—I'm going to fight you!"
"Hm?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, confused—until a fist came flying straight for his face.
"Sasuke-kun! Watch out!"
Sakura, now standing beside Kakashi, cried out in shock. She hadn't expected Lee to launch a sudden attack without warning.
However, Kakashi and Might Guy exchanged knowing glances, mildly surprised.
Naruto chuckled to himself. Sasuke had used a Substitution Jutsu (Kawarimi no Jutsu) right in front of everyone. During the mission with the cat paw prints, Sasuke had erased Nekomata's memory with Genjutsu to keep his strength hidden. He was becoming increasingly cautious.
But also drifting further from his original character in the canon.
Still, if Sasuke had actually fought Rock Lee...
BOOM!
Sasuke was blown back with force, not bothering to block.
Lee narrowed his eyes—he'd sensed something was off at the moment of impact.
POOF!
The Sasuke that crashed into the ground turned into a log. It was a substitution.
The real Sasuke was already standing beside Kakashi.
Behind Might Guy, Neji and Tenten exchanged glances. The trick was familiar—Kakashi had used it that morning during a spar with their teacher.
"Hahaha~ Lee's still young and impulsive! Sorry, Kakashi!"
Might Guy laughed apologetically—but his face was all smiles.
"Ah, this kid really is like you. Loves to talk and charge ahead."
Kakashi glanced at Sasuke, who had quietly taken his place beside Naruto. There was something different in his eyes.
A few minutes later...
"Kakashi-sensei, you're really letting Naruto train with Rock Lee?"
Kakashi looked surprised. Naruto's behavior today was unexpected. First, he showed a rare enthusiasm toward Might Guy, and now he was choosing to train in taijutsu with Lee.
"Yes, Kakashi-senpai. I think Lee is strong."
Naruto nodded at Rock Lee with a smile. "As for the other two under Guy-sensei—Hyuga Neji is already someone I've beaten, so I'm not interested. And Tenten is a girl—I don't want to risk hurting her during sparring."
"I see…"
Kakashi nodded. The reasoning made sense—though it was blunt, considering Neji and Tenten were standing just a few feet away.
Tenten gave a polite smile. Truthfully, she hadn't wanted to spar with Naruto anyway. Everyone at the academy had heard about how Neji had lost to him.
Neji's expression darkened, but he said nothing. He was starting to get an uneasy feeling about Naruto—something didn't feel right.
Lee, however, beamed. Aside from Guy-sensei, this was the first time someone had openly acknowledged his strength.
"I'll pair up with Neji."
Sasuke saw that Naruto had chosen Rock Lee and immediately picked his own training partner. The reason was simple:
Even while pretending to hold back, he didn't want to spar with a girl like Tenten. Plus, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans were both elite houses in Konoha. Sasuke wanted to see how strong Neji had become after losing to Naruto.
This time, Kakashi wasn't surprised. He would've made the same choice if he were Sasuke. What did surprise him, though, was how Sakura and Tenten were already chatting casually nearby.
Girls really did get along faster than boys—no need to announce teams anymore.
"Since you've chosen your partners, go ahead and start."
Kakashi's words had barely finished before Naruto walked up to Lee.
"Lee-kun, my combat style isn't ideal for this space. Why don't we head to a more open training ground?"
Lee grinned and gave a big thumbs-up. "No problem!"
The two of them left together.
"Can you fight on water?"
Sasuke turned to Neji after Naruto left, speaking calmly.
"Of course."
Neji's cold gaze met his, voice devoid of emotion.
"Then let's head to the waterfall."
Sasuke said nothing more and started walking. Neji followed silently. Their path led in the opposite direction from Naruto and Lee.
Sakura and Tenten watched their teammates disappear into the distance, both showing helpless expressions.
"You two can stay here," Kakashi said. "Guy and I will also stay. If you have questions, just ask."
He had considered sending shadow clones after Naruto and Sasuke's teams, but after thinking it over, he dismissed the idea.
"Work hard, youth! Let your flames of youth burn bright!"
Might Guy gave Sakura and Tenten a thumbs-up, flashing his signature smile.
Scene Change: Training Ground #5
"Naruto-kun, I know how dangerous your Shadow Clone Jutsu is, so I hope you don't mind—I'll be using weapons!"
In the wide-open training field, Lee suddenly pulled out a pair of nunchaku.
"That's fair. I'll be using weapons too."
Naruto observed the spinning nunchaku in Lee's hands, then glanced at his bodysuit. If the color changed, he'd really look like that guy…
He smiled to himself, formed a hand seal, and shouted:
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Dozens of Naruto clones swarmed Lee.
Meanwhile, at the waterfall—
"Gentle Fist!"
Neji lunged forward with a palm strike.
Poof!
The hit landed—but only on another Substitution Jutsu log, which floated downstream.
"You're still relying on substitution techniques? Don't tell me you haven't awakened your Sharingan yet!"
Neji called out in the direction he sensed movement.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A blazing fireball flew toward him in response.
Neji leapt out of the way, landing on the water surface.
From a distance, Sasuke flung several shuriken into the air, causing them to collide mid-flight—bouncing off each other and changing trajectory, creating an unpredictable path.
"Byakugan!"
Neji's eyes widened. "This technique—he altered the flight paths completely!"
With a flash, Neji gripped two kunai.
"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"
[Three hours later — Hokage's Office]
"You're saying Sasuke's potential is far beneath his brother's?"
The Third Hokage stood with his back to Yamato, his tone calm despite the question.
"That's not quite what I meant."
Yamato held an earpiece and replied, "Sasuke's fundamentals are solid. He held his own against Neji's Byakugan. He also excels with shuriken techniques—just like Itachi."
"But their sparring wasn't serious combat. If we're comparing actual strength, Sasuke isn't Neji's match—he still hasn't awakened his Sharingan."
"I see… and what about Naruto?"
"Uh…"
Yamato looked slightly awkward. "Hard to say. He just kept using Shadow Clones to swarm Lee while his real body stayed far away studying the Lightning Release techniques Kakashi gave him."
"Lee destroyed his clones, but Naruto would just summon more. If Neji were his opponent, he might not have lasted long."
"Heh… clever boy."
The Third chuckled. "Looks like the Shadow Clone Jutsu really is his best fit. Has he mastered the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique I gave him?"
"No."
Yamato shook his head. "Even before today, he's been trying, but hasn't succeeded once. And he hasn't asked Kakashi for help either."
"I see…"
The Third Hokage remembered how Naruto had recently complained about Kakashi.
"So—do you think Team 7 is ready for the Chunin Exams?"
"Both Naruto and Sasuke should be fine. If Sakura makes a breakthrough in the next few months, they'll qualify."
Yamato answered, though his tone lacked confidence.
"Hm."
The Hokage nodded. "You're Kakashi's student too. Different methods, perhaps—but I trust he'll help Team 7 grow quickly."
Later, at Training Ground #5
After parting ways with Kakashi, Might Guy led his three students away.
Kakashi looked over at his own students: Naruto looked fresh, Sasuke was spotless, but Sakura seemed utterly exhausted.
"We'll meet again at the same time tomorrow. Dismissed."
He left, novel in hand.
Naruto glanced at a certain spot in the woods, then handed Sasuke two scrolls before walking off.
Sasuke unrolled them—one was a C-rank Ninjutsu, the other was a Lightning Release technique for stimulating physical cells.
He already knew both.
"Sasuke-kun~ we're ending earlier than usual today…"
Sakura tried to brighten up, watching Sasuke put the scrolls away.
"Bye."
He replied flatly and walked off.
"Ugh…"
Sakura was left standing alone, her mood deflated, before heading home.
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