Sparring with Rock Lee

After Kakashi returned from the Hokage's office, he continued watching Naruto sleep through the window.

At first, he thought Naruto was merely a little drowsy. Who would have thought that once Naruto fell asleep, he would sleep straight through until late at night!

Yes, Naruto had spent more than a dozen hours sleeping during the day!

If Kakashi hadn't seen Naruto's chest rising and falling with his breathing, he would have started wondering whether this Naruto was fake.

But what surprised Kakashi was that Naruto really could sleep this much!

By the time Naruto woke up, it was already past ten at night.

"Hmm? It's daylight? Huh? Why does it feel like I slept for so long, yet it's still dark? What the—? It's only past ten? Did I sleep so hard I nearly passed out?"

When Naruto woke up, he realized that he had slept a little longer than usual this time.

Even Kakashi, who had been watching Naruto from outside the window, had nearly fallen asleep waiting.

As Naruto sensed the changes in his body, he could tell that the bloodlines of the Uzumaki Clan, Senju Clan, and Uchiha Clan within him had successfully fused.

Perhaps it was precisely because of that fusion that Naruto had slept for so long.

Naruto's talent alone now placed him among the very best in the world of Naruto.

Aside from the small number of Otsutsuki Clan members, among all other shinobi, Naruto could now stand proudly above the ninja world in terms of talent and potential.

However, talent was talent, and strength was strength.

Before a genius fulfilled their potential, they were only a genius.

Only by successfully growing stronger could one be called powerful.

Naruto felt as though there had been some changes within his body, though he could not quite tell what they were. Still, they seemed related to chakra.

Had he awakened several more chakra natures?

Naruto himself already possessed Wind Release chakra.

Most Senju Clan shinobi possessed Water Release and Earth Release chakra.

Most Uchiha Clan shinobi possessed Fire Release and Lightning Release chakra.

Naruto also carried the chakra of Asura's reincarnation, so he might also possess Yang Release chakra.

Of course, these were only guesses. Once he obtained chakra test paper, he would be able to confirm whether Naruto's chakra natures had changed.

Still, one thing was certain: later on, Naruto would definitely obtain chakra of every nature. Given enough time, he believed he could also obtain chakra natures through system missions.

For now, the most important thing was to scout the surroundings.

Kagura's Mind's Eye, activate!

He noticed that there seemed to be fewer ANBU around his home, and even Teacher Kakashi was about to fall asleep.

Naruto thought, This is the perfect chance to sneak out on an adventure!

He used a small amount of chakra to create a Shadow Clone, while he himself used the Transformation Jutsu to turn into a small insect and flew away.

Once he was far from home, Naruto released the Transformation Jutsu and assumed the appearance of an ordinary adult.

Then he headed for the small forest where he had trained before.

That little forest really was a good place. Hardly anyone ever went there, and since it was already late at night, there would be even fewer people around!

A dark and windy night, perfect for murder and arson!

No, perfect for working hard and grinding!

When Naruto arrived at the little forest, he heard some movement coming from within.

As he approached, he saw a child around his age training there.

A watermelon haircut, thick eyebrows, and an eye-catching green jumpsuit.

Wasn't this Rock Lee, one of the Konoha Twelve, known as the genius of hard work?

"Two hundred and twenty-one, two hundred and twenty-two, two hundred and twenty-three!" Rock Lee was diligently doing squats.

Naruto had not even enrolled yet, which meant Rock Lee was about to enter his second year.

But Might Guy had already taken Rock Lee in as his student and begun training him?

Rock Lee's jumpsuit was far too distinctive. Naruto would have had a hard time not recognizing him.

Rock Lee was so focused on his training that he did not notice Naruto approaching at all.

Naruto was the first to break the silence of the night.

"Hello, kid. You're still training out here so late at night?" Naruto had transformed into an adult, so naturally he could call Rock Lee a kid.

"Huh? Mister, yes. You're not asleep either? Did my training disturb you? I'm terribly sorry!"

Hearing Naruto's voice, Rock Lee immediately stood up and bowed apologetically.

"No, no. I just couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk. I noticed movement in the little forest and came over out of curiosity. That's when I found out you were training here."

Naruto explained to Rock Lee.

"Yes, mister." Rock Lee was tired from training, and seeing someone approach, he stopped and sat on the grass.

Naruto sat beside Rock Lee, and the two began chatting.

"Mister, do you think that someone without talent for ninjutsu can't become a shinobi?" Rock Lee asked Naruto seriously.

Hearing that, Naruto thought for a moment.

Of course not. If you have a bloodline, you can easily become strong!

Naturally, Naruto would not say that directly.

Thinking back to all the powerful figures in Naruto, cases like Rock Lee's really were quite rare.

Even Might Guy could use ninjutsu. He was simply a taijutsu expert, so he preferred to resolve battles with taijutsu.

However, Rock Lee's situation was rather special. He merely lacked the talent to control chakra and use ninjutsu; it was not that he had no chakra or could not use chakra at all.

"If you can take one thing to the absolute extreme, that is also a kind of success. If you have no talent for ninjutsu, then choose taijutsu. If you want to become a shinobi, this is the only path you can take."

Naruto answered seriously.

Rock Lee did not have many choices. Either he devoted himself to taijutsu and walked that path to the very end, trying to carve out a road that belonged only to him.

Or he gave up on becoming a shinobi.

For Rock Lee, there was no choice at all.

"Mister, what you said sounds just like Teacher Guy. Teacher Guy is my teacher. When he met me, he asked what my dream was. I told him that even if I couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, I still wanted to become a great shinobi through taijutsu alone!"

As Rock Lee spoke, his eyes shone brightly.

"When Teacher Guy heard that, he didn't laugh at me. He told me that since geniuses existed in this world, there must also be ordinary people who were inferior to geniuses, people meant to highlight how powerful geniuses were. But I still had a chance to surpass geniuses through a special ability." Rock Lee stood and looked up at the moon.

"It's hard work, right? If you lack talent, then become a genius of hard work." Naruto naturally knew what Rock Lee was going to say.

"That's right! Mister, from that moment on, I understood that I wanted to become a genius of hard work. If spending the same amount of time as others can't bring me the same gains as geniuses, then I'll put in dozens of times more effort than everyone else! One day, I'll have my own moment to shine!"

If Rock Lee had not met Might Guy, he might have spent his life in mediocrity, surrounded by the ridicule of others.

Only after meeting Might Guy did Rock Lee gain a real chance to choose, a chance to prove himself.

"After you finish training, remember to get regular checkups. If you only know how to train and don't take care of your body, then one day your body will take revenge for all the strain you've put it through."

Naruto kindly reminded Rock Lee.

Rock Lee was only an ordinary civilian with no special bloodline. Under such circumstances, years of intense training could very easily leave behind countless hidden injuries.

Nothing might seem wrong in the short term, but in the long run, once those injuries accumulated, they would eventually erupt. The consequences would be unimaginable.

"I know. Teacher Guy has reminded me of that too. All my training is arranged by Teacher Guy, and I train within my body's limits. By the way, mister, are you a shinobi?"

Rock Lee suddenly changed the subject and asked Naruto.

"More or less. Why?" Naruto naturally would not admit that he was still just a brat who had not even entered the Ninja Academy.

"Could you please have a taijutsu spar with me?"

So that was what he had in mind. Rock Lee was still young and needed to find a sense of validation elsewhere.

Simply training behind closed doors would make it difficult for Rock Lee to persevere forever. If he could see even a little hope, it would naturally be easier for him to keep going.

Ding. System mission issued: Please defeat Rock Lee in battle.

Since the system had issued a mission, Naruto naturally had no reason to refuse.

"Then come on. Let me see whether your level of effort is worthy of being called the genius of hard work!"

Naruto accepted Rock Lee's challenge.

Although Naruto had yet to engage in much actual combat, the various physical boosts brought by the talents in his bloodline alone had already raised his strength far beyond that of a genin. Since he had never fought a chunin, he could not say whether he had reached the level of an ordinary chunin.

"Then please be careful, sir. Here I come!" Rock Lee was only doing basic physical training at this point, and Might Guy had yet to formally teach him any taijutsu techniques.

Therefore, Rock Lee's attack was very simple.

He stepped forward and threw a straight punch directly at Naruto's face.

Naruto reacted quickly as well. He saw through Rock Lee's movements and caught his fist head-on.

Seeing his fist caught by Naruto, Rock Lee tried with all his might to pull free, only to discover that Naruto's grip was astonishingly strong.

Is this the strength of an adult?

Rock Lee merely attributed that strength to the difference in their ages.

"Since I can't break free, I'll have to find another way!" Rock Lee abandoned the idea of pulling his fist free from Naruto's hand and followed Naruto's movement instead.

He whipped up a kick, aiming directly at Naruto's lower body.

If Naruto did not dodge, he would have to take that groin kick head-on!

"Heh, little tricks like that won't beat me!" Naruto sensed even greater hidden strength within his body, as though he were capable of doing much more!

The hand gripping Rock Lee's fist suddenly exerted force. Naruto actually lifted Rock Lee straight off the ground and slammed him heavily onto it.

Rock Lee had not expected that before his kick could even touch Naruto, Naruto would display such tremendous strength.

He had directly lifted Rock Lee up and thrown him away.

From this alone, Rock Lee could tell that Naruto was definitely no ordinary shinobi. Could this mister be one of the legendary jonin, as powerful as Teacher Guy?

Seeing that Rock Lee seemed distracted, Naruto showed no mercy. He rushed forward and threw a straightforward punch at Rock Lee's face.

Rock Lee came back to his senses only to find Naruto's fist already before him. He shouted, "Mister, I surrender!"

Hearing Rock Lee's words, Naruto stopped his fist. Even if Rock Lee had not surrendered just now, Naruto would not have actually let that punch land.

If it had landed, Rock Lee might have needed reconstructive surgery on his face.

"Mister, you're amazing! Are you a shinobi who specializes in taijutsu? Are you a jonin?" Rock Lee asked Naruto.

"No. I only practice taijutsu occasionally. Most of my time is spent practicing ninjutsu." Hearing that Naruto was not even a shinobi who specialized in taijutsu, yet had defeated him so easily, Rock Lee instantly felt as if there was no hope left in life.

He lowered his head dejectedly.

Seeing Rock Lee so dispirited, Naruto could not bear it and comforted him. "But your taijutsu is already much better than that of students your age. As long as you keep at it, you'll definitely become a shinobi through taijutsu alone!"

Naruto did not add any qualifier before the word shinobi. He merely told Rock Lee that taijutsu alone could make him a shinobi.

As for becoming an outstanding shinobi, that would depend on his attainments in taijutsu.

Hearing Naruto's encouragement, Rock Lee instantly came back to life.

He gave Naruto a serious bow.

"Thank you very much for your guidance, mister. Could you tell me your name?" Rock Lee asked Naruto with utmost sincerity.

"Names aren't important. We're both from the Hidden Leaf. When you officially become a shinobi, perhaps we'll have a chance to meet again!"

Naruto chose to brush it off. The moment he gave a name, there was a risk of exposing his identity, so he simply would not tell Rock Lee.

"Mister, are you leaving?" Rock Lee could tell from Naruto's words that he seemed ready to leave.

"Yes, it's getting late. I need to go back and rest too. You should get some rest as well. Let me give you one piece of advice: building a solid foundation is important, but you're still growing. Proper rest is important too!"

After offering Rock Lee one final piece of advice, Naruto prepared to leave.

"Mister, until we meet again!" Rock Lee called after Naruto.

Naruto's figure quickly disappeared from Rock Lee's sight.

Rock Lee did not continue training afterward. He obediently listened to Naruto and prepared to go back and rest.

He would continue training tomorrow. Becoming stronger was not something achieved through a single day's effort.

Only quantitative change could lead to qualitative change.

As long as I keep working hard, one day I will become a genius of hard work!

(PS: Please urge more updates and watch the free ads. You can watch them three times a day. Thank you all for your support!)

(The recent numbers have been getting worse and worse. Everyone, please watch the ads and help save the data. Otherwise, it really feels like there's no hope!)

(Starting today, in the author's notes, I'll list and thank the readers who send me gifts each day. Thank you for supporting me every day, arigato!)

(If your name isn't there, it means I hadn't seen your gift when I was writing. I'll add it the next day!)