"Hey, Rock Lee, didn't we agree not to reveal our full strength before the exams?" At the entrance, a girl with her hair in a bun and a long-haired boy who had followed him came over.
The girl was clearly unhappy with Rock Lee's impulsive decision. The boy beside her frowned slightly too, though not because Rock Lee had acted on his own. It was because he had seen Nanfeng looking utterly lethargic.
He knew that guy. He seemed to have often been with Hinata before. As a Branch Family genius who deeply resented the Hyuga Main Family, he had naturally paid more attention to Nanfeng, too.
"Neji Hyuga, I didn't expect to see you here. Last time you came to the hospital, I made you cry with one needle. What, want to try again?" Nanfeng looked at Neji's ugly expression and taunted him.
There was actually a story like that? Naruto's attention was instantly drawn to it, and his gaze at Neji turned a little strange.
"Neji Hyuga, the top student from last year's class? How did Nanfeng make him cry?" Quite a few people wondered the same thing. Their puzzled looks only made Neji angrier, but it seemed he didn't have anything he could say in his defense.
After all, there had been quite a few people at the Ninja Hospital that day...
"Boss, what happened?" Naruto looked like he was enjoying some juicy gossip, but with so many outsiders present, he knew to save some face for the shinobi of his village. He used a Secret Technique to communicate instead.
"Oh, I ran into this guy while I was out shopping with Hinata. He seemed to have injured some of his meridians while training, so the hospital asked me to treat him. Not only did he fail to thank me, he also said some really nasty things to Hinata, so I let him experience what a brother-in-law's love feels like." Nanfeng shrugged and said unconcernedly.
"Brother-in-law's love?" Naruto scratched his head, not quite following.
"He's Hinata's older brother. Now you get it, right? If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have just used medicine to heighten his senses that time. I'd have added Itchy Powder, too. Let's see him dare to yell at Hinata again!" Nanfeng snorted.
" Akiya Nanfeng, I had nothing to say before, when you were a Medical Ninja. But during the Chunin Ninja Exams, I won't hold back. I hope the strength you show then matches your words!" After leaving him with that remark, Neji walked off to the side without another word. He was clearly interested in the fight between Sasuke and Rock Lee, too.
"Come on." Sasuke got ready and spoke to Rock Lee.
But in the next second, Rock Lee, who looked like some kind of comedian, burst into astonishing speed and reached Sasuke in an instant.
"So fast!" Sasuke was startled, but fortunately, his body could keep up with his reflexes, and his Sharingan could see through all of Rock Lee's movements. He easily blocked the fist coming at him...
A tremendous force slammed into him, and Sasuke's expression turned grim. The next moment, he could no longer keep his balance and was sent flying.
"Such strength. What's with this guy?" Sasuke's expression was grim.
Even with Lightning Release stimulating his cells and boosting their activity, all he could do was move faster. There was nothing he could do about his strength!
"To catch up with so-called geniuses like you, I've worked harder than you can imagine. Today, let Uchiha Sasuke's defeat prove the burning passion of youth in my heart!"
Rock Lee was now practically high on adrenaline as he launched one attack after another at Sasuke.
But while the untrained watched for the spectacle, experts watched for the finer points. Nanfeng and the others quickly noticed that Sasuke was already getting used to Rock Lee's rhythm. He could even seize openings in Rock Lee's attacks to counter.
Realizing this, Rock Lee grew frantic. He unleashed his chakra, making his movements even faster.
The sudden pressure made Sasuke's movements falter for a moment. Rock Lee's pupils contracted. An opening!
He unwound the bandages around his hands and spun rapidly around Sasuke. The next moment, the loose bandages completely surrounded him.
"Hmm? Someone's coming!" Nanfeng narrowed his eyes. His immense mental energy let him instantly sense that someone had joined the battle. At the same time, a windmill flew out and pinned the end of Rock Lee's loose bandages firmly to the wall.
"Sure enough, seeing this pair of master and student in person is far more shocking than watching them on TV..." Nanfeng looked at the shinobi who had appeared, his face dark with dismay. It was none other than Might Guy, the Jonin leading Team Three, and the man known as Kakashi's lifelong rival.
But Nanfeng, who knew the story, naturally knew what kind of contest Guy and Kakashi had between them. It was the most absurd competition in the entire shinobi world, yet the two of them seemed to enjoy it.
"Lee, you mustn't use the Lotus on your teammates so carelessly. It puts a great strain on your body, and it can hurt our comrades, too," Might Guy told Rock Lee earnestly.
"Who are you?" With a pop, Sasuke's body turned into smoke. It had been a Shadow Clone. His real body stepped out of the darkness and stared at Might Guy.
"I'm Might Guy, a Konoha Jonin and the Jonin in charge of Lee and the others. I'm also the lifelong rival of your Jonin instructor, Kakashi..." Might Guy paused, then continued, "Fifty wins versus forty-nine! I'm even stronger than your teacher Kakashi!"
What? Uchiha Sasuke's resolve wavered. He had seen Kakashi's true fighting strength. This guy looked so ridiculous—was he really stronger than Kakashi?
"Last time you fought Kakashi, you accidentally scraped the cover of his brand-new Icha Icha Paradise and got beaten badly enough to end up in the hospital. I treated you then. Want me to describe what happened?" Nanfeng spoke up after remaining silent for a long time.
"You annoying brat! Why won't you accept my youthful flames and join me for some joyful training?" Seeing Nanfeng, Might Guy, for once, looked close to breaking down.
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