Might Guy's Recognition! Burn, Youth!

Thud—

"3001!"

Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head!

"L-Lee! What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill me?!"

Rock Lee grinned. "Of course! I'm responding to Naruto's effort and enthusiasm. Let's keep burning with youth!"

"N-No, don't!"

Rock Lee actually kicked out again.

"3002!"

"How about that, Naruto? I kicked one more time than you again!"

"Your turn!"

The look Naruto gave Rock Lee was one of mortal enmity.

"D-Damn it!"

He could only clench his fists and kick twice more.

"3002!"

"3003!"

Rock Lee cheered, "Oh, oh! That's Naruto for you!"

"3003!"

"3004!"

"Aaaaaah! Stop kicking already!"

Naruto clutched his head and frantically tugged at his hair, on the verge of a hysterical breakdown.

"3004!"

"3005!"

Rock Lee was about to keep going, but Naruto couldn't take it anymore. With a thump, he grabbed Rock Lee around the leg.

"Lee! Lee! Spare me!"

Rock Lee scratched his head. "What do you mean, Naruto?"

Of course, Naruto couldn't tell him what was really bothering him.

He could only rack his brain, desperately trying to think of an excuse.

"Uh, well... We can't decide who wins in just one go. Let's save the rest of the contest for later!"

Rock Lee's eyes lit up.

"Well said, Naruto!"

"Training is a marathon, not a sprint!"

"Let's move straight on to the next stage..."

"4000 strikes against the wooden post!"

Naruto shakily gave him a thumbs-up.

"G-Great..."

"Thanks a lot, Lee!"

Chapter 15: Might Guy's Recognition! Burn, Youth!

Naruto was completely spent.

He'd been reduced to a pile of pure white ashes.

By the time they'd finished striking the wooden post 4000 times, he felt like his body didn't belong to him anymore.

Like a puppet in a puppeteer's hands.

But this time, Naruto had learned his lesson.

He deliberately didn't announce how many times he'd struck the post.

When Rock Lee finished his 4000 strikes, Naruto quietly did one more without Lee noticing.

That way, he avoided having the hot-blooded boy compete against him again.

"Good work, Naruto! Next up, 3000 jump-rope skips!"

"...O-Okay..."

"Nicely done, Naruto!"

"Last up, 3000 push-ups!"

"...I-I understand..."

But even Rock Lee had reached his limit by then.

The final 3000 push-ups were more than boys their age could manage.

Even though Rock Lee gave it everything he had, he only managed a little over 2500.

As for Naruto, this was where his superior stamina and recovery came into play.

He even managed to hold on a little longer than Rock Lee.

But he still had to stop after a little over 2600.

The two of them collapsed onto the training ground at the same time.

They gasped for breath, too exhausted to even speak.

What they didn't know was...

At that very moment, another pair of eyes was watching them, glowing with fervor...

"N-Naruto, maybe it's because I had you training with me, but today I worked much harder than usual!"

"Is this the power of having a partner?!"

Naruto: "...Thanks a lot..."

Rock Lee laughed breathlessly. "No need to thank me! I should be the one thanking you, Naruto!"

Naruto was at a loss for words. Rock Lee was obviously a straightforward guy who couldn't even understand the sarcasm in his voice.

"Oh, right, Naruto. Since neither of us completed the challenge, we'll have to follow through on our agreement."

"O-Our agreement?!"

Rock Lee flashed a radiant smile and gave a thumbs-up.

"Of course! We'll walk around the village on our hands thirty times!"

Naruto: "...Nooo!"

A flock of crows flew overhead, cawing as they went.

Dusk had fallen.

The setting sun's fading rays slanted across all of Konoha.

On a path around the village's outskirts, Naruto and Rock Lee were making their way around the whole village on their hands, paying no mind to the bewildered looks of the passersby.

"Hang in there, Naruto! Just twenty-nine laps to go!"

Naruto: "...Listen to yourself! Does that sound like something a human would say?!"

He was drenched in sweat, and his arms were starting to tremble. But to avoid getting electrocuted, he could only grit his teeth and push on with all his might.

Besides, at this point, he didn't want to give up anymore.

Otherwise, wouldn't all his earlier suffering have been for nothing?!

Just as the two were training for all they were worth,

a commotion suddenly erupted behind them. It was as if the ground were trembling, and passersby cried out and scattered.

Thud-thud-thud—

Thud-thud-thud!

A green blur shot past like a whirlwind, nearly flipping up the skirts of the girls along the way. They blushed and hurriedly pressed them down.

"Hahahahahaha!"

Amid peals of laughter, a man wearing a green training suit, with a big bowl-cut and thick eyebrows just like theirs, came hurtling toward them from behind—on his hands!

Naruto and Rock Lee looked back, and their expressions changed at once.

"Ah! Another bowl-cut with thick eyebrows!"

Rock Lee exclaimed in shock, "H-How powerful!"

"Walking on his hands, yet moving with such speed and strength—it's incredible!"

"S-So cool!"

There was no doubt about it. This bowl-cut man with thick eyebrows was none other than...

Konoha's Blue Beast...

Might Guy!

He'd actually known about Rock Lee for a long time. Back when Lee was at the Ninja Academy, someone had told him there was a kid who looked just like him.

Ever since then, whenever he wasn't busy with missions, Might Guy had kept an eye on Rock Lee's every move, more or less.

But he'd never shown himself or interfered.

He was afraid he might disrupt Rock Lee's training.

But today, when he saw that Rock Lee had finally found a training partner, Might Guy was delighted for him. At last, he decided to make his appearance.

Rumble—

Like a green Tornado Hurricane, Might Guy walked on his hands, but his strength and speed were beyond anything Naruto and Rock Lee could imagine.

He dashed between them in an instant, and the violent gust sent them spinning wildly.

"Aaaah—!"

Thud!

The two of them couldn't help tumbling to the ground.

Might Guy stopped, turned back, and flashed them a radiant smile. Balancing on one hand, he gave them a thumbs-up with the other.

"Nicely done, you two!"

"Now that's true youth!"

"Let the sweat flow! Burn with youth! Don't leave yourselves with any regrets!"

Naruto fell to the ground and couldn't help shouting angrily.

"Who the heck are you?!"

Might Guy stayed balanced on one hand. He even turned around with just that hand, as casually as if he were taking a stroll.

"Me?"

"I'm Konoha's Blue Beast, the one who strikes fear into the entire Shinobi World..."

"Might Guy!"

Naruto: "...Never heard of you!"

Rock Lee's eyes shone. "Oh, oh! So you're Teacher Might Guy!"