Battle Against Li

"Hui-kun!!!"

A passionate roar came from outside the window. Startled, Hui straightened up from her desk, dazed. After pondering the philosophy of life for a moment, she realized she had actually fallen asleep while reading. She rubbed her aching head in silence and looked at the book before her with a heavy heart, feeling as though the characters were flying off the page.

It was so hard to learn; she had even read herself to sleep. Could it be that she truly lacked the talent for medical ninjutsu?

"Hui-kun!!!"

The familiar call echoed from outside the window once more. Hui stood up from the desk, leaned against the windowsill, and looked down. Not far away, Rock Lee was waving at her. Hui Youling immediately noticed those dazzling white teeth, which seemed to shine even brighter under the sunlight.

She couldn't help but mock herself for dwelling on such trivial thoughts; it really had been a long time since she last saw Rock Lee.

Closing her book and retrieving her scroll, Hui hurried downstairs. "Rock Lee, long time no see!" she said excitedly.

"Hui, long time no see! I heard you were back, so I came to check, and I didn't expect you to actually be home!" Rock Lee replied with equal enthusiasm, showing no signs of the distance that a year apart usually brings.

"Hui, let me see how much you've grown!" Rock Lee looked at her with glowing eyes. He had heard from Naruto that Hui had gone off to train with someone powerful, and since she had returned, he had been itching for a spar. A stubborn desire to not fall behind had been burning in his heart, so he hadn't dared to slack off on his training for a single day over the past year and a half.

Hui twitched her lips helplessly. This was truly Rock Lee's personality—challenging her to a fight the moment they met.

Seeing the undisguised excitement in his eyes, Hui didn't want to dampen his spirits. "Alright, sure. Let's go somewhere else." She also wanted to see the fruits of his training, even if this spar was a bit unfair; she was, after all, someone who had taken a shortcut, having defected to Orochimaru to gain a different kind of power.

Fourth Training Ground

The two stood facing each other, ready for battle, their eyes filled with fighting spirit. Hui's body unconsciously radiated a murderous aura, though her gaze remained calm and indifferent.

"Hui-kun, please don't hold back. Fight me seriously. I know you've had guidance from a teacher and your strength must be different now, but I won't admit defeat just like that!" Rock Lee said confidently, completely unaffected by Hui's changed temperament.

"Alright then." Hui smiled lightly. Watching Rock Lee take his stance, she felt genuinely happy; it had been so long since they had sparred.

Rock Lee nodded and made the first move. He flashed to Hui's left side and followed up with a spinning kick aimed at her head. Hui sidestepped, and Rock Lee's fist followed immediately after.

Hui retreated while parrying his strikes, occasionally counterattacking through the gaps in his offense. The two traded blows continuously, though neither landed a substantial hit, despite utilizing every strikeable point on their bodies.

Rock Lee's eyes showed a hint of surprise. He understood how much effort he had put in to reach this level, and he hadn't expected Hui's progress to be so rapid. However, he didn't hesitate; he spun in mid-air and brought his leg down toward Hui like an axe. "Ha!"

Hui crossed her arms to block the strike. Although Rock Lee's force was immense, it was still within her tolerance. She quickly kicked toward his back while simultaneously grabbing his descending leg with both hands.

Rock Lee didn't show a trace of panic. Using the leg Hui was holding as a pivot, he rotated his body to break free, forcing her to let go. He then countered by grabbing her calf, exerting his full strength to fling her away before turning in mid-air to land gracefully.

But when he looked up, he didn't see Hui landing. Instead, she had used a tree trunk to cushion her momentum and was already rushing toward him. He instinctively raised his hands to block, bracing his entire body for her next strike, but when he looked again, Hui was gone. A sharp pain struck the back of his neck. Startled, he turned his head to see Hui standing right beside him, having struck him with a hand blade.

Seeing Hui's smiling face, Rock Lee felt a bit dejected, but he quickly perked up. "As expected of Hui-kun!"

Hui smiled with her eyes narrowed. "Well, Rock Lee is amazing too!" The two looked at each other and burst into laughter. It had been so long since they'd had a spar like this.

Afterward, she taught Rock Lee a few new combat techniques—experiences she had summarized during her own training. Rock Lee learned them quite quickly; those with talent were indeed different. Before they knew it, the afternoon had passed and the sky was beginning to darken, so they had to pause their training.

"Thank you for your help, Hui-kun. Even though I still can't use ninjutsu, I will definitely become a ninja! And my taijutsu is already the best in the class! I have you to thank for the scroll you left me!"

Every word Rock Lee spoke seemed to shine; he was happy, proud, and full of hope for the future.

Hui was momentarily dazed, only then remembering that Rock Lee must have entered the Ninja Academy. No wonder she hadn't seen him; in fact, the reason Naruto wasn't training with him anymore was likely because Rock Lee simply didn't have the time to spare!

But did Rock Lee already know that he couldn't use ninjutsu at all...

Hui felt a sense of panic. She didn't know how to talk to him about it. These setbacks had destroyed and changed him; he was still holding onto fantasies about ninjutsu, and she couldn't bear to shatter that dream directly. Even though Rock Lee would eventually pick himself back up, the human heart was bound to ache...

"Hey, Rock Lee, don't be in such a rush to practice ninjutsu. Look, your taijutsu is so impressive. You should play to your strengths and start by becoming the best taijutsu user in your class!" Hui changed her expression, looking at him as if she had just imparted a profound truth.

"That's right! Why didn't I think of that? Hui-kun, you've given me such important advice! I will practice my taijutsu even harder! I'll become number one in the class!!" Rock Lee shouted toward the sky as if making a vow. Hui watched him with a light smile, dark ripples flowing in her eyes.

I hope that was enough to fool him. She still hadn't figured out how to handle this situation. It seemed she had one more thing to worry about, but she wasn't exactly an expert in taijutsu either. If only she could run into Guy-sensei, sigh...

After saying goodbye to Rock Lee, Hui returned home alone. She bought dinner on the way; this time, she had money, so she bought plenty of delicious things and carried quite a lot in her hands.

Although the shopkeepers never gave her a pleasant look and always let others cut in line, she had gotten used to it. That was all she could do to comfort herself.

Sasuke was out buying supplies when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. Especially that red hair—only that person looked like that. A faint excitement stirred in his heart. He left a quick word and hurried off. "Brother, I'm going to find someone!"

Itachi had just finished paying and was taking the goods when Sasuke ran off. He watched his younger brother dash away with a helpless, gentle smile. "So impatient..."

He didn't even say if he was coming back, but it's rare to see him so happy, so I'll let it be, Itachi thought.

On her way home, Hui saw a group of people surrounding a girl and pointing fingers at her. On a whim, she used a Transformation Technique to turn into a vengeful spirit and charged at the group, calling out in a raspy voice, "Return my life to me!!"

The group of children turned to see her and screamed in terror, "A monster!!"

"Mommy!!"

They scattered and ran off, their screams still echoing. Hui had easily scared away the group of bullies. With a poof, she transformed back into her original self, clutching her stomach as she laughed. "Hahaha, that was fun. How am I so clever?"

But when she looked back, she found that the child had also left. She wasn't scared off too, was she? She shrugged and didn't pay it any mind, though she hadn't realized before that the Transformation Technique could be used for such things.

Hui picked up her food and left. Behind her, a girl with cherry-colored hair peeked out from a corner, lingering tears in her round eyes. She stared at the departing figure, her gaze filled with a sense of loss.

I didn't even dare to go thank him. Why am I always so timid? And he's so strong; he can use the Transformation Technique at this age. I just feel... like he and I are from different worlds...