When Naoki Senju followed Tenten into the tent and found only a sleeping bag, he realized he might have misunderstood something. It turned out the thick-browed master and apprentice weren't sleeping under the same blanket, passionately embracing each other...
But compared to sharing a tent with that pair of thick-browed masters and apprentices, and having to be wary of them sleepwalking, grinding their teeth, and picking their toes, it's obviously much more comfortable here Tenten.
" Tenten, I'll go get my sleeping bag. Wait a moment."
Tenten nodded, her face slightly flushed; it was clearly her first time sharing a tent with a man.
However, the battle between Rock Lee and Neji ended faster than expected. As soon as Naoki Senju emerged from the tent, he saw Neji helping the badly injured Rock Lee back.
" Guy-sensei, I'm sorry, I've let you down, I lost..."
Rock Lee was unusually depressed, and his voice had lost its usual passion, as if a proud beast had had its claws clipped and its fangs pulled out.
Because he lacked Ninjutsu skills, he relentlessly trained in Taijutsu. While others ate, he ran around Konoha; while others slept, he practiced punches and kicks in the training ground during his free time...
Despite putting in several times the effort of an ordinary person, they still lost to a genius, and lost so quickly and decisively.
Under Neji's Byakugan, his pride in speed became insignificant, and his fierce punches could not hit Neji. Instead, Neji's Gentle Fist struck his meridians and pressure points repeatedly, completely blocking his Chakra, and he was defeated decisively.
Naoki Senju wasn't surprised. Before mastering the ultimate Taijutsu — the Eight Gates Released Formation— Rock Lee couldn't possibly defeat Neji with his basic Taijutsu.
The Byakugan can see through the flow of Chakra, which means Neji can know Rock Lee's next move in advance. Unless Rock Lee's speed can surpass Neji's reaction speed, it's like an ordinary player fighting against a scripted AI, a very unequal battle.
Just as Rock Lee was feeling down, he expected to receive a severe scolding, but instead of being polite, Might Guy gently took Rock Lee from Neji's shoulder and helped him to an open space nearby.
" Rock Lee, after practicing Taijutsu for so long, do you understand the meaning of youth now?"
" Guy-sensei, youth is about persistent effort, bridging the gap between yourself and a genius through hard work, but I'm no match for Neji..."
Rock Lee's eyes were red as he spoke in a low, desperate voice. For some reason, even though he had easily crushed the fool who dared to challenge genius and destiny, just like before, Neji felt no pride whatsoever. Instead, he felt a deep, shared sense of dejection...
Since fate cannot be defied, is everything he did also meaningless?
Neji couldn't make a judgment, so he decided to see how Teacher Guy would counsel Rock Lee, hoping to gain some inspiration...
But Might Guy made another unexpected move, slamming his hard iron fist into Rock Lee's head. The damage from this blow was no less than what Neji had caused...
"It seems, Li, you haven't fully grasped what I mean by youth. Youth is about constantly striving to become stronger and protecting the people most important to you, not about defeating a genius like Neji. Do you understand?"
Having endured Might Guy's iron fist, Rock Lee's head was spinning, but he no longer felt the low and negative thoughts he had just had, and was once again infected by Guy's youth.
"Yes, Guy-sensei, I understand!"
"Very good. To deepen your memories of youth, now begin: do 1,000 quick push-ups. If you can't finish, kick a tree 500 times!"
Seeing Rock Lee covered in bruises, he didn't hesitate to lie down and start doing push-ups. Even though he was in so much pain that his expression was out of control, his push-up movements were still very standard. Might Guy felt his youth was also ignited. He lay down next to Rock Lee and started doing push-ups as well, and he was much faster than Rock Lee.
" Guy-sensei, what's going on?"
"My youth can't be spent watching my disciples train. Let's cheer each other on, Li."
The single-celled Rock Lee was instantly moved to tears, his vision blurred by the tears, and he responded loudly:
"Yes! Guy-sensei!"
"Are you envious?"
Holding a sleeping bag, Naoki Senju Neji Hyuga, who was slightly dazed, and said with a malicious smile.
Neji glanced sideways at Naoki Senju, then turned his head away in disgust.
Do you think I would envy this mediocre master and apprentice?
After saying that, he turned around and lifted the tent flap without looking back, preparing to go to sleep. His physical strength was no match for the pair of fierce beasts outside.
However, Naoki Senju's words still made him pause slightly.
"It's not just Rock Lee who wants to defy fate, nor is it just you..."
Although the tent was designed for a single person, it was spacious enough for two people to sleep in. Naoki Senju placed his sleeping bag on the other side of the tent and then carelessly crawled inside and fell asleep.
Poor Tenten was lost in thought for a long time before finally falling asleep with a flushed face. I wonder what she dreamed about.
At six o'clock in the afternoon, as the last rays of the sun faded, the ninjas' precise biological clock urged them to wake up.
Stepping out of the tent, I saw a scene of utter devastation. The surrounding grass had been uprooted, and even the thick trees had been snapped in half.
Tenten asked uncertainly, "Was our camp attacked by wild animals?"
What kind of wild beast destroys the environment without targeting two-legged creatures...? Naoki Senju had a guess, but he wasn't sure. If his guess was correct, it would be a real shame that this master and apprentice weren't working as a demolition crew.
"Hey, everyone's awake! These are fish we caught by the river. Eat them and then hurry on our way."
Might Guy and Rock Lee walked in from outside the camp. Rock Lee was carrying a wooden frame woven from vines, which contained many small fish about the size of a palm.
"Great! Finally, I don't have to eat Teacher Guy's special extra-spicy curry rice anymore."
Although Tenten's voice was very soft, Neji was relatively close, could still hear it clearly and nodded in agreement. He just didn't know if Might Guy, who was being disliked, could hear it.
Naoki Senju, who had also suffered from the craving for extremely spicy curry rice, took the basket of small fish and volunteered to go to the river to clean the innards and scales, so that Might Guy wouldn't turn it into another culinary disaster.
After a not-so-lavish grilled fish feast, even Neji, who had always been at odds with Naoki Senju, expressed his approval of Naoki Senju's cooking skills, at least it wasn't a culinary disaster.
After cleaning up any traces of the fire in the campsite and stuffing tents, sleeping bags, pots and pans into their backpacks, Might Guy led the group on their way under the cover of night.
" Rock Lee, are you alright?"
Rock Lee turned his head in surprise and saw that the person who was concerned about his injuries was Neji!
"Hehe, don't worry, Teacher Guy has already applied the medicine for me. I've suffered much worse injuries than this during training."
"Okay, that's good."
After checking on Lee's injuries, Neji deliberately distanced himself from Rock Lee again, as if his concern had been merely a spur-of-the-moment thing.
But only Neji himself knew that he had gradually come to accept the thick eyebrows that persisted in training despite his injury; the bond of youth bound them tightly together.