Grab Your Wife and Run

After the trio from Sunagakure left, a brief calm returned to the street.

Son Goten held the takoyaki he had just bought, stuffing them into his mouth as he walked, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster's.

"Goten, you were way too reckless back there."

Sakura patted her chest, still shaken. "If a fight had really broken out, we would've been disqualified for breaking the rules."

"Relax, relax. Wifey, you worry too much."

Son Goten spoke through a mouthful of food. "An attack like that wouldn't even scratch an itch for me."

Just then.

A passionate shout suddenly rang out from the second-floor walkway overhead.

"Please wait!"

A green figure descended from above.

Without any movement to cushion his landing, he landed steadily right in front of them.

He was a boy with a bowl cut, eyebrows as thick as two caterpillars, and a skintight green jumpsuit.

Rock Lee.

After landing, he struck what he thought was a handsome pose, raised his thumb, and flashed a set of white teeth so brilliant they reflected the light.

"I'm Rock Lee."

"You're Miss Sakura Haruno, right?"

Ignoring everyone else, Rock Lee rushed straight up to Sakura, two patches of red blooming on his cheeks.

"Please be my girlfriend!"

"I'll protect you until the day I die!"

Straight to the point.

Sakura was completely dumbfounded as she looked at the oddly styled boy before her, especially those eyebrows.

"Absolutely not."

Sakura stepped back half a pace, her face full of distaste.

"Why?" Rock Lee was devastated.

"Your eyebrows are too thick."

Sakura delivered the fatal blow.

"Pfft!"

Naruto couldn't help bursting out laughing beside them.

Rock Lee turned completely gray, standing frozen as though lightning had struck him.

But he soon recovered.

This was youth! Youth wouldn't be defeated by a single rejection!

Rock Lee composed himself, turned around, and fixed his gaze on Sasuke Uchiha.

"And then, you over there..."

"I've come to challenge you, Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke snorted, his hands in his pockets. "You want to challenge me too?"

"No, wait."

Rock Lee stopped halfway through what he was saying.

His gaze passed over Sasuke and landed on Son Goten, who was squatting by the roadside eating takoyaki.

He had seen that scene from upstairs.

That little guy had caught an enormous iron fan with his bare hands.

That had been pure physical strength!

That was the pinnacle of taijutsu!

The flames in Rock Lee's eyes roared to life, burning a hundred times hotter than when he had looked at Sakura.

He abruptly changed direction and pointed at Son Goten.

"No! The one I want to challenge is you!"

"Son Goten!"

"I heard from Guy-sensei that there's someone among this year's rookies whose taijutsu is monstrously strong."

"I saw everything just now! That perfect muscle control, that incredible explosive power!"

Rock Lee excitedly gave Son Goten a thumbs-up, his teeth actually flashing with light.

"Come on! Fight me and settle who's stronger! Let's unleash our youth!"

Son Goten swallowed his last takoyaki and let out an enormous yawn.

He glanced at Rock Lee.

Then he waved a hand with utter disinterest.

"No."

The rejection was crisp and decisive.

"Why?!"

Rock Lee couldn't believe it. "Don't you want to spar with someone strong? This is a clash of youth!"

Son Goten stood up and looked Rock Lee up and down with distaste.

His gaze was plainly that of someone looking at a lump of nonrecyclable garbage.

"First."

Son Goten pointed at Rock Lee's outfit.

"That green bodysuit of yours is an eyesore."

"It's a complete fashion disaster. Are you a frog that turned human?"

Rock Lee looked down at the precious combat outfit Guy-sensei had given him. "Th-this allows the greatest freedom of movement..."

"Second."

Son Goten covered his nose and took a step back.

"I don't want any physical contact with a man dressed like that. What if your taste rubs off on me?"

"Last, and most importantly."

Son Goten raised three fingers, his expression solemn.

"You're a guy."

"And you're a guy who doesn't wear makeup or skirts and isn't good-looking either."

"After that business with Haku in the Land of Waves, I swore an oath."

"Unless it's a beautiful woman or a handsome man in women's clothes, I, Son Goten, will never waste calories fighting."

Having said his piece, Son Goten turned to leave.

"So come challenge me again when you've put on women's clothes and some makeup."

A critical hit.

True damage.

Rock Lee felt as though three knives had been driven into his chest.

This hurt even more than Sakura's rejection! It was an insult to both his martial spirit and his character!

"Y-you..."

Rock Lee was so angry he couldn't get the words out.

"Hey, don't ignore me."

Sasuke couldn't take it anymore.

He was a proud genius of the Uchiha Clan, yet he had been left standing on the sidelines, watching these two discuss bodysuits and women's clothes?

"If you want a fight, I'll fight you."

Sasuke stepped forward, blocking Rock Lee's path.

"Since you don't want to fight that pervert, let me give you a reality check."

Sasuke was deeply annoyed.

He desperately needed a fight to prove himself, to prove he was no worse than Son Goten, who did nothing but eat, drink, and have fun.

Rock Lee looked at Son Goten's retreating back and sighed.

"All right."

"Since you insist, I'll defeat you first, then challenge him."

The fight erupted in an instant.

There was no flashy ninjutsu.

Rock Lee's figure vanished instantly.

"Konoha Whirlwind!"

A fierce kick shot straight at Sasuke's face.

Sasuke's gaze sharpened, and his body instinctively tried to block.

But he discovered that even though his eyes could follow the movement, his body couldn't react fast enough.

The kick sent Sasuke staggering backward.

"What?"

Sasuke was inwardly shocked, and his Sharingan activated instantly.

Two tomoe spun in his eyes.

I can see it!

Sasuke caught Rock Lee's trajectory.

But...

Another punch slammed hard into Sasuke's abdomen.

The blow lifted Sasuke clean off the ground.

"Shadow of the Dancing Leaf!"

Rock Lee instantly appeared in the shadow behind Sasuke, the bandages around his arms unraveling as he prepared to launch a combination attack.

Sasuke was completely on the defensive, helplessly taking the blows.

The so-called Uchiha genius looked so fragile in the face of absolute speed and taijutsu.

Son Goten stopped and glanced back.

He gave a slight nod.

"Interesting."

"To reach that speed through physical training alone, without chakra to assist him... this kid knows a thing or two."

This purely physical style of attack was somewhat like the way Saiyans fought.

"But..."

Son Goten shook his head. "He's still too weak."

"For someone who's never even set foot in a Gravity Room, his speed is only so-so."

Just as Rock Lee prepared to deliver the final blow to Sasuke.

A red ninja tortoise suddenly appeared in midair.

Immediately afterward, a huge cloud of smoke burst outward.

"Stop! Lee!"

Might Guy made a dazzling entrance, wearing the same green bodysuit, his eyebrows even thicker and his eyes even bigger than Rock Lee's.

"Guy-sensei!"

Rock Lee's eyes filled with hot tears, and he immediately stopped attacking and stood at attention.

The scene that followed made everyone present feel physically ill.

Guy punched Rock Lee away, then hugged him and sobbed.

For some inexplicable reason, the background became an ocean beneath the setting sun, waves crashing against the rocks.

"This is youth! Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

The two men in green bodysuits hugged each other, rubbing their cheeks together as tears flew everywhere.

"Urgh..."

Son Goten nearly threw up the takoyaki he had just eaten.

It was too horrifying.

This was a hundred times more horrifying than the affection between Zabuza and Haku.

It was mental contamination!

"Wifey, run!"

Son Goten grabbed Sakura's small hand and ran, his feet flying faster than during the fight earlier.

"Huh? Goten?" Sakura stumbled as he dragged her along.

"Don't look back!"

Son Goten looked terrified, as though some ferocious beast or raging flood were behind him.

"This kind of idiocy is contagious!"

"If you watch too long and turn into that too, I won't want to live anymore!"