Sasuke vs. Neji?

A joint training exercise between two classes organized by Kakashi and Might Guy.

Lee and Neji had been looking forward to this for a long time.

Especially for Li himself, all three members of Team 7 were highly skilled peers, and he was eager to challenge each of them.

Of course, Sasuke is the target he most desires to challenge.

However, after hearing that Neji divine fist technique was developed by Sakura Haruno, his interest in this pink-haired girl was rekindled.

--That's clearly not that kind of interest.

"Hmm, Sasuke Sakura Haruno, who should I spar with first?"

On the training field, Li fell into deep thought!

As it turns out, when there's someone else trying to take something from you, hesitation is the worst thing you can do.

Lee hesitated for only two seconds Neji had already chosen his opponent and was ready for battle, pushing Lee down the order of appearance.

He had already fought Sakura Haruno Chunin Ninja Exams, so it was only natural that he chose Sasuke this time.

And more importantly, he's had many dealings with her recently, so he knows a bit about Sakura's current strength... Of course, he wouldn't go looking for trouble and get humiliated.

"Take your time choosing, Lee," Neji patted Lee on the shoulder, and walked with Sasuke to the middle of the training field. "We'll start!"

Lee Sakura Haruno were left standing on the sidelines, staring at each other wide-eyed...

"Ahem," the pink-haired girl cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence between the two, "Then let's wait until they finish their sparring before we go on stage!"

She took two steps back, found a thick wooden stake used for practicing Taijutsu, and sat on top of it.

Ying glanced at the silent Li and felt an inexplicable awkwardness in the atmosphere.

Yes, Li had once confessed his feelings to her face, and she had rejected him outright. Having that between them, any boy would feel somewhat awkward, right? She knew that very well.

Sakura Haruno thought for a moment and felt it was more appropriate to get Gate of Opening. If she was too subtle, Li might not understand. So she spoke to the boy sitting on top of another wooden stake next to her.

"Li Jun... you confessed your feelings to me before."

To be honest, this was the first time she had chatted with Li like this. However, starting with such an awkward topic would probably make most people unable to continue the conversation. But if she didn't use such a dramatic opening, the two of them would probably continue to feel awkward.

"Huh?" Li Gang, who was still watching the two people on the field, turned around in surprise upon hearing this.

I saw her squinting, smiling as brightly as a summer flower.

"Uh, yes... that's true..."

Sakura Haruno watched with amusement as his face gradually flushed red.

Seeing these familiar yet unfamiliar characters, and displaying expressions never seen in the original work, is perhaps a touch of her wicked humor!

Sasuke and Naruto have both been teased by her in various ways... Hinata's personality is so different from the shyness in the original work that she can see the Byakugan girl's expression that is not in line with the original work, so now she is looking forward to seeing Hinata blush.

"You're blushing." Her laughter was as clear and melodious as a silver bell. "Does it mean—"

Do you still like me?

Seeing Li's face turn red was really quite amusing...

However, Sakura knew that Li didn't like her right now. So her words were just a joke.

It was clear that Li was embarrassed. Ying understood his feelings; after all, Li had confessed his feelings to her before and been rejected, so it was natural for him to feel a little awkward when they met again.

The deeper reason for Li's unease lies in the fact that he no longer has those feelings for Sakura, but... if Sakura still sees him as someone who likes her, it would be very awkward. Some girls with an overly strong sense of self might have this misconception, then do some ridiculous things that ultimately make the situation unmanageable.

This subtle feeling might be hard for a girl to understand, but Sakura could obviously understand his feelings. After all, she had once been "him"... She remembered clearly the feelings she had when she was "him".

Of course, conversely, if Li really meant it, Sakura wouldn't have said such a flirtatious thing. Otherwise, her interpersonal relationships would be a tangled mess. Sakura doesn't want to become the protagonist of a teen romance drama...

She brought the topic up now mainly to ease the awkwardness between them and to make friends with him. She really admired Li's spirit, as his experiences could be written into an inspirational textbook.

In short, he's a man worth befriending.

While the truth behind the inspirational quote "Only through hard work can one reap rewards" may be toxic, at least Li genuinely put in a lot of effort to achieve her goals, a result she witnessed firsthand. Seeing someone make such an effort is truly awe-inspiring and moving, a feeling far more profound than what she saw in comics in her previous life.

Of course, it would be even better if Li's aesthetic sense could be corrected a little...

To become true friends, it's best to clear up misunderstandings first, just like squeezing out the pus before a wound can heal.

Then Li blushed and nervously said, "I'm sorry, I don't like you anymore!"

"Hmm, so, Li, you hate me?" she said, touching her chin. The smooth touch reminded her of her status, and Sakura drawled out her words, blinking her eyes, her voice carrying a hint of playfulness.

"Sorry, uh... that's not what I meant!" Li stammered.

The girl chuckled softly.

"I understand what you mean..." She turned to look at Sasuke and Neji, who were talking in the middle of the room, a smile playing on her lips. "It's not that kind of liking anymore, is it?"

Seeing that Li Mingxian had breathed a sigh of relief and his expression had calmed down, she said...

So let's get to know each other again and become friends.

Li then saw the girl turn back, her eyes crinkling with a bright and sincere smile, and extend her hand to him.

Her features... were too delicate and refined, not quite in line with his aesthetic sense, but the girl's genuine smile made him feel a profound sense of beauty.

Now even Li has to admit that such delicate eyebrows and eyes can make a beautiful smile...

So after only a moment's hesitation, Li smiled and extended his right hand.

Two hands, one smooth and one rough, clasped together.

"I am Sakura Nono, skilled in Water Release and Ice Release, and my Taijutsu is also quite good. Please take care of me!" The girl smiled, a pleasant curve appearing at the corners of her mouth.

"I'm Rock Lee, just call me Lee. I'm skilled in Taijutsu, so please take care of me!"

The boy with thick eyebrows grinned.

With that handshake, it seemed as if the two had truly become friends. A strange feeling welled up inside Li.

Then, subconsciously, he judged her Taijutsu prowess by shaking her hand.

Like many female ninjas, she had no calluses on her hands, and when she shook hands, you could feel the soft, feminine touch.

However, it wasn't that delicate, boneless feeling. Li Pingsheng loathed that kind of soft, squishy sensation, finding it utterly cloying.

Fortunately, she wasn't his type. On the contrary, when he gripped her hand tightly, he could feel her strength, a strength hidden deep within him.

Is this the Monstrous Strength that Might Guy-sensei inherited from the Lord Fifth Hokage?

"Sakura, what kind of Taijutsu Monstrous Strength Technique?" Li wasn't the type to keep his questions to himself, so he took the opportunity to ask.

Sakura Haruno showed an expression of surprise.

This is exactly the kind of issue that Taijutsu fanatic would care about.

"Monstrous Strength Technique, rather than being Taijutsu, is more like Nintaijutsu," she said slowly. "Lee, I remember your Chakra can't be used to perform Ninjutsu, but it can be used to enhance your body, right?"

Li nodded. If Chakra couldn't be used to enhance his physical body, then what was the difference between him and an ordinary person?

"Have you ever considered what the consequences would be if you perfected this kind of Chakra technique that enhances the physical body to an extremely high level?"

"Is that Monstrous Strength Technique?"

"That's right. So the so-called Monstrous Strength Technique is essentially a specially designed and ingenious method of enhancing the body with Chakra. It allows muscles to unleash extremely powerful force in an instant. Using it on the legs can make speed explode instantly, becoming incredibly fast. Using it on the hands can give the fist the power to shatter the ground with a single punch!"

"Is it that powerful?" Li looked at his hands and felt a sense of loss, as if all the power he had painstakingly cultivated had been surpassed by a single Ninjutsu. He suddenly felt a pang of disillusionment and doubt about the meaning of life.

"That's true, but the Monstrous Strength Technique has only ever been used by my master and me. It demands too much Chakra manipulation ability..." Sakura keenly sensed Lee's emotions and added, "If Taijutsu requires the user to train their body relentlessly, then the Monstrous Strength Technique requires the user to train their Chakra techniques relentlessly. They're essentially the same. I've been continuously training my Chakra techniques for seven or eight years!"

"Oh, I see..." This explanation made Li feel much better. It was true that both Taijutsu and Ninjutsu required diligent training to become powerful. There was no such thing as gaining power without effort in this world!

--No, unfortunately, this world does have such a thing as a "cheat"... available only to Japanese players.

"What about Neji's Hokuto Shinken... uh, no, I mean, Farmer's Three Fists?" He pointed at Neji and Sasuke on the field. After testing each other out, the two had started to use some of their real skills.

Upon hearing this nickname, the pink-haired girl chuckled.

Neji, your art style has completely collapsed!

"It's actually called Fist of the Hokuto Shinken." The girl suppressed a laugh and said. In the end, she didn't choose to trick Neji again, but corrected Lee's pronunciation.

"Actually, this technique is based on the same idea as your Eight Gates Released Formation, but it uses gentler pressure points. This way, the generated Chakra won't be so violent that it can't be used to perform Gentle Fist, and the pressure on the body isn't as high as with the Eight Gates Released Formation."

"Of course, as a trade-off, its effectiveness is much weaker than the Eight Gates Released Formation."

She turned her gaze to the two players on the field.

In this short while, Neji and Sasuke had already exchanged many blows.

In the first round of feints and probing attacks, the two fought to Fifty-Fifty.

"As expected of the previous champion, your Taijutsu is indeed very strong!" Sasuke praised casually.

The opponent was indeed no pushover. It was clear that Neji hadn't even used his full strength, yet he was already able to defend against his attacks with ease.

Of course, he also had some reservations...

Same here!

Neji again adopted the starting stance of Gentle Fist.

After a brief standoff, their eyes narrowed simultaneously, and then they charged at each other again!

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