Encounter

"233... 234... 235..."

"If I can't do 400 push-ups in one go, then I'll do 1,000 jump ropes, and they have to be double-unders!"

Wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and black trousers, Rock Lee said firmly while performing his push-ups.

Looking at Rock Lee's forehead, Uchiha Isho suddenly felt that if anyone claimed Rock Lee was the illegitimate son of Might Guy, no one would doubt it, especially given those unique, thick, strip-like eyebrows.

However, what was even more eye-catching were the wooden stakes surrounding him, all of which had been kicked so hard they were covered in deep cracks, as if they were about to snap.

As expected of Rock Lee, the rarest kind of genius—the hardworking type.

Uchiha Isho felt genuine admiration. In his view, since the world of Hokage possessed the forbidden technique known as the Eight Inner Gates, it meant that ordinary people could become Kage-level powerhouses without relying on talent or Kekkei Genkai.

But the cost was also immense. First, one had to spend most of their life undergoing grueling training; that alone would eliminate 99.999...% of people.

Second, the Eight Inner Gates itself carried severe side effects, serious enough to threaten one's life, meaning it could not be opened frequently.

Uchiha Isho did not immediately step forward to disturb him. He stood silently in a concealed spot in a tree to observe for a while, and only jumped down once he saw Rock Lee collapse to the ground, panting from exhaustion.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap..."

Uchiha Isho did not hold back his applause to show his appreciation.

"Eh! You are... Uchiha Isho? Why are you here?"

Rock Lee's expression was one of great surprise. First, he hadn't expected to see Uchiha Isho here, let alone receive such sincere applause from him. Second, this place was rarely visited by others; it could be considered his secret training base.

"I happened to be heading to the stream at the edge of the woods for training, and I just happened to pass by. I heard some noise, so I came over to check it out."

Uchiha Isho explained truthfully, then gave a thumbs-up and praised him sincerely: "I didn't expect this, Rock Lee. You work so hard in private; you will definitely become a powerful ninja in the future."

Hearing Uchiha Isho's string of praise and encouragement, Rock Lee's face turned visibly red, and then his eyes seemed to well up with tears.

"Isho, do you also believe that one can become an excellent ninja by relying solely on taijutsu, without needing ninjutsu, genjutsu, or talent?"

"Talent won't give you muscles carved like steel."

Looking at the muscle definition faintly visible under the sleeves of the eight or nine-year-old Rock Lee, Uchiha Isho suddenly recalled the motivational captions used by bloggers in his past life for videos featuring Rock Lee's training.

But who would have thought that this incredibly popular anime character would be standing right in front of me, talking to me. Uchiha Isho couldn't help but lament the unpredictability of fate; he had suddenly died by accident, and then miraculously transmigrated.

"On this point, none of our classmates can compare to you, and that includes many long-established ninjas."

"Furthermore, I once heard the elders in my clan say that there are powerful ninjas in the ninja world who only practice taijutsu. Some of them are even capable of taking on an entire squad of jonin by themselves."

To encourage Rock Lee as much as possible, Uchiha Isho made it up on the spot; it wasn't like it could be verified anyway.

Besides, what he said was the truth. Figures like Might Guy, Master Chen... and the future Rock Lee, were all breathtakingly brilliant and invincible. Looking at Might Guy's final battle in his prime, who in later generations would dare to look down on someone who had mastered the Eight Inner Gates?

Hearing this, Rock Lee was so moved that two streams of hot tears flowed down his face. He wiped them away repeatedly with the back of his hand, but the tears seemed endless, flowing more and more.

"Isho, you are the first person to acknowledge me like this."

"In the future, I will definitely prove to everyone that even without ninjutsu or genjutsu, one can still become an excellent ninja. This is my entire life; this is my Ninja Way."

[Ding! New mission triggered]

[Mission 1: Help Naruto complete the development of the super S-rank ninjutsu—Reverse Harem Jutsu. Mission reward: 30 Luck points. Failure penalty: Deduct 60 Luck points]

[Mission 2: Help Naruto develop the Harem Jutsu and defeat Sasuke. Mission reward: 23 Luck points. Failure penalty: Deduct 46 Luck points]

[Mission 3: Help Naruto develop the Sexy Jutsu and use it to knock down at least 5 people simultaneously. Mission reward: 5-15 Luck points. Failure penalty: Deduct 10 Luck points]

[Mission time limit: 30 days]

Looking at the content on the blue light screen that had suddenly popped up in front of him, Uchiha Isho was surprised that it wasn't related to Rock Lee, and immediately realized where the problem lay.

"I believe you can do it, Rock Lee. I have to go train now, see you next time."

Without waiting for Rock Lee to respond, Uchiha Isho waved his hand and quickly headed back the way he came.

Meanwhile, as Sasuke's Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu came hurtling toward him, Naruto sensed something was wrong. He immediately released the chakra from his feet and, at the very last second, successfully dropped into the stream.

Good thing I have experience dealing with this move, otherwise I would have lost miserably just now.

Naruto, hiding in the stream, blew bubbles while thinking, completely oblivious to the danger he had just been in.

"Sasuke, what exactly is going on between you and Naruto?! I was only gone for a little while and you two are already fighting."

Uchiha Isho had black lines on his forehead. Having just arrived, he was greeted by such an intense scene.

Is this the fated duel? If fortune tellers were as accurate as you two, that would be something. What a pair of fated rivals.

If it weren't for the system missions, it would be fine for you two to do your own thing, saving me the trouble of worrying about it.

"He's the one who insisted on challenging me." Sasuke pointed at the surface of the stream, his face still lingering with anger.

At this moment, Naruto, sensing that something was off, poked his head out slightly from another spot. Upon seeing Uchiha Isho, he quickly climbed onto the bank, looking as disheveled as a drowned rat.

Seeing this, Uchiha Isho couldn't bear to say anything more, only asking:

"Naruto, why did you pick a fight with Sasuke?"

"I don't accept him always calling me a dead last, so I wanted to challenge him. If it weren't for the fact that he also knew this Fire Style jutsu, in the end... I definitely would have won."

Strangely, when Naruto finished speaking, Sasuke unexpectedly did not refute him, clearly acknowledging Naruto's strength.

What kind of constitution does this guy have? Not only is his recovery astonishing, but his raw defensive power is also terrifying.

Sasuke frowned as he thought this, then suddenly snorted, wearing the expression of a victor on his face.

After roughly understanding the sequence of events, Yi Xiang looked at Sasuke. "Sasuke, regardless of whether Naruto is strong or weak, you shouldn't call him a dead-last anymore. This has nothing to do with strength and everything to do with character."

"Then didn't you rely on your own strength to defeat me, and then make me call you Big Brother?" Sasuke immediately retorted.

"That was just a wager. If you truly don't want to call me that, I won't force you."

Seeing that Sasuke didn't speak again, Yi Xiang turned to look at Naruto. "And you, don't always be so reckless. If Sasuke were truly your enemy, you might already be dead."

"Do you remember what I always tell you?"

Meeting Yi Xiang's stern gaze, Naruto immediately became serious:

"If you can't beat an enemy, run. If you can't run, quickly admit defeat and surrender to confuse the enemy and fight for a glimmer of hope, then come back later to find Big Brother Yi Xiang to jump them together."

"If you know the enemy's location beforehand, for the sake of safety, you should call Big Brother Yi Xiang to go with you."

"And also... if you can beat them, you must never give the enemy a chance to catch their breath; try to eliminate them directly."