So You're Rock Lee

Lee was undoubtedly the most talented when it came to Taijutsu, but that was inseparable from his hard work. He had to spend six years at the Ninja Academy, and in just those six years, he'd gone from a hopeless case to a Taijutsu powerhouse. That didn't even include the years he'd wasted.

"Lee, since I've been given another chance, I'll help you out!" Hui thought.

Geniuses had to be nurtured from a young age, but she didn't yet have the ability to break into the Hyuga Clan. Hinata and Neji were no help.

At Konoha's gates, Hui hesitated, then grabbed Naruto and led him toward the entrance. Just as they were about to leave, someone stopped them.

Hui's eyes darkened. So it was still the same?

Because he was a Jinchūriki, he had no freedom...

Hui glanced at Naruto, then watched as the ninja spoke. "You're not allowed to leave the village yet."

Naruto frowned and was about to speak, but Hui covered his mouth.

Hui tilted her head slightly and looked at the man with an innocent expression. "Sorry, are we not allowed to go out and train?"

The man's expression stiffened. He gave her an awkward smile, at a loss for words. He couldn't bring himself to argue with a child.

"Because you're still... too young. Um... it's dangerous outside, so you'd better not go out..."

He finally managed to come up with an excuse, but then he caught Hui looking at him with a sweet smile and eyes full of admiration. His smile froze.

It was as if he'd deceived an innocent child... He felt so guilty...

Naruto pouted and folded his arms as he watched Hui. Just then, another ninja walked over and said something to the first one, who gave a helpless chuckle.

"Ah... um, you can go out now. Be careful." He didn't even want to look into Hui's eyes anymore. He felt so guilty.

"Oh..." Hui's lips curved slightly.

"Let's go!" She turned to Naruto, then headed off first.

Naruto glanced indifferently at the two ninjas before following Hui. He could tell they'd been stopping him.

"Have you ever left the village before, Hui?"

"No. Back then, I wasn't interested in training." Hui answered, then turned her head to look at Naruto.

"It's fine. We'll just do what we want. From now on, you don't have to hold yourself back."

"Not hold myself back?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Yeah. Go wherever you want and do whatever you want," Hui said softly. Naruto only saw her lips moving.

"What?" Naruto asked aloud, but Hui only smiled at him.

Because the Third Hokage had always been watching you. He wouldn't care if he lost track of you...

For several days in a row, Hui went out of the village to train with Naruto. She knew they'd be watched, so she didn't dare openly seek out Rock Lee. After wandering around for a few days, they finally ran into the boy who never gave up.

The two of them watched from beside a thicket for a long while. Hui smiled at Naruto, then shoved him out.

"Hey!"

Naruto lost his balance and stumbled forward. Rock Lee instinctively stepped back, but when he saw Naruto was about to fall, he hurried forward and caught him.

"Are you all right?" he asked with concern.

Once Naruto had steadied himself, he looked at Rock Lee in dismay. "I'm fine..."

What was Hui up to now? So this was the bushy-browed guy. He really wasn't good-looking at all, and those big white teeth were practically blinding!

"Hey there," Hui said, making a carefree entrance.

"Oh, Naruto, there you are!" Hui exclaimed, looking delighted.

"Come on, let's fight! Future Hokage!"

Hui's little universe was exploding! She successfully set off Rock Lee's, too. "Oh, you're the future Hokage? Then I want to fight you, too!"

"Ah!" Naruto looked as if he were sleepwalking.

"You!" Hui pointed at Rock Lee. "You actually want to fight the future Hokage? Hmph! State your name!"

"Hi, I'm Rock Lee!"

Rock Lee raised his hand high, excitedly answering as if he were responding to a teacher's question.

"Hmph! This is the future Lord Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. I am his assistant, Hui Youling!" Hui declared with a cold snort.

"Oh! Oh! As expected of the future Hokage—he even has his own assistant!" Rock Lee stared at Naruto, burning with enthusiasm. He was practically about to set Naruto on fire, too.

"Then the future Hokage hereby invites you—" Hui paused and flashed a deliberately mysterious smile. "Will you train with him?"

"Oh... Of course!"

"Great! Then you two can race first. When I say 'go,' let's see who reaches that mountain over there first!" Hui spun around and pointed at a distant mountain.

"Bring it on!" Lee said, refusing to back down.

"Uzumaki Naruto, future Lord Hokage, you're sure to win!" Hui raised an eyebrow at Naruto.

"Oh... Oh... Let's do it!" Naruto's blood was pumping, too.

"Then..." Hui saw that the two of them were ready to go, their little universes burning brightly.

"Go!" The moment she finished speaking, they shot off together, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust behind. Hui snickered. Fools were always so fired up!

She didn't have that kind of stamina, so she'd let the two of them train theirs first. They could spar and learn from each other, too.

Hui pulled a scroll from her pocket. It was the Three Body Technique scroll Naruto had looked at a few days earlier. "Naruto's taken care of. Now it's time for me to start training..."

Hui knew that Lee and Naruto would hit it off right away. They could take their time sparring!