Rock Lee's Problem

Rock Lee's Problem

In Ayato's memories, Rock Lee never seemed to have a time when he was depressed. He thought back, but most of his memories were of Rock Lee after graduation; there seemed to be nothing from his childhood.

So, had the original story never mentioned his childhood? Or had Ayato skipped over it? His head hurt a little. He would keep watching tomorrow. It looked like Might Guy had already caught up with him, and if he was still depressed tomorrow, Ayato would ask what had happened.

If he could help, Ayato still wanted to lend a hand. After all, a free sparring partner was rather important. Though he was also the other party's sparring partner, there truly were not many people who could keep up with Ayato, even in taijutsu.

Even if taijutsu was not his primary means of attack in Ayato's plans, that did not mean he considered it unimportant. The reason it was not in his plans was simply that, within the limited time available, he could not reach the required standard in taijutsu.

Having made his decision, Ayato did not waste any more time. Although he had seemingly trained while feeling out that state of stillness earlier, every aspect of him had actually gotten some rest. He had not used Shadow Clones today in order to make his breakthrough, and he still had plenty of chakra left. He could practice shape transformation for a while longer.

However, the next day, Rock Lee's condition did not ease. It grew even worse. He even stopped training early and sat there in a daze.

"Rock Lee, did something happen? Why are you so downcast? You're nothing like yourself." Seeing this, Ayato went straight over. His sparring partner could not just go on strike like this!

"Ayato..." Rock Lee raised his head to look at Ayato, his expression full of desolation. "Ayato, I think I can't become a ninja."

"Can you tell me exactly what happened?" Ayato frowned.

"Our teacher taught us the Three Body Technique before, but I've never been able to sense any changes in my chakra, let alone use it. No matter how much I practice, I haven't improved in the slightest." Rock Lee spoke, then looked at Ayato with eyes full of envy.

"Ayato can use it perfectly, yet I'm in the same grade and can't even see the slightest hope of getting started."

Ayato immediately understood. So that was it. If so, he seemed to remember this scene, though he had never paid much attention to it. Did that mean he was the culprit?

Ayato quickly dismissed the thought. Even without him, Rock Lee would have run into this problem sooner or later. It was just that Ayato's proficient use of the Three Body Technique had given Rock Lee a comparison, causing the problem to erupt early.

Also, something seemed off. Since when had he and Rock Lee been in the same grade?

Ayato looked at Rock Lee and thought for a moment before immediately nodding. He roughly understood why. This was Rock Lee, after all. He probably did not pay much attention to what went on at the Academy.

And Ayato had developed rather well, plus he could use the Three Body Technique. It was normal for Rock Lee to mistake him for someone in the same grade...

Still, Ayato wanted to complain. They had known each other for so many years, yet Rock Lee had not even gathered such basic information. He could only say that this was indeed Rock Lee. And fortunately, Rock Lee's captain was Neji Hyuga.

"I see." Knowing that Rock Lee could not use ninjutsu, Ayato naturally would not advise him to practice harder. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then, Rock Lee, do you know that even if you can't learn ninjutsu, you can still become a ninja?"

"Really?" Rock Lee stared intently at Ayato. Beneath his thick eyebrows, his dark eyes were filled with intense anticipation, as though he had found some hope.

"It's true. I read in the library that Konoha once had a taijutsu ninja known as the Eternal Genin. He was actually incredibly powerful. During one mission, in order to rescue a Konoha squad, he rushed a thousand miles alone and slew all Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."

"Also, you probably don't know about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, right? Let me tell you..."

In truth, Ayato did not know the exact details. He did not know whether all seven swordsmen had died or not. He had merely glanced over those records while reading about Might Guy. At a time like this, it was fine to exaggerate a little.

When Ayato finished speaking, he saw Rock Lee staring at him with shining eyes.

Hmm, it seemed to have worked. After thinking for a moment, Ayato continued.

"Also, do you know? I remember there's a ninja in our village right now who isn't very good at using ninjutsu, yet he still became a jonin!"

"A jonin?! Really?!" Rock Lee could not help crying out. The title of jonin carried far too much weight for him.

"Of course it's true!" Ayato nodded and looked at Rock Lee. "So even if you only train taijutsu, you can still become a jonin. But that path will be exhausting."

"I'm not afraid of exhaustion!" Rock Lee shouted.

"It'll also be bitter."

"I'm not afraid of hardship!"

"And it'll be very, very difficult to keep going."

"I'll keep going until I become the strongest taijutsu ninja." It seemed as though flames had ignited in Rock Lee's eyes.

"Then keep working hard. Don't be so dejected anymore," Ayato encouraged him.

"Whoa! My youth, keep burning!" Amid a burst of shouting, Rock Lee returned to his usual self, even becoming more diligent than before.

Seeing this, Ayato finally let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this was Rock Lee. He did not overthink things, so he was easier to persuade.

But Ayato immediately sighed again. Rock Lee was still somewhat different from Might Guy. Might Guy merely had a hard time using ninjutsu; in truth, he could still use some relatively simple ninjutsu.

But Rock Lee was different. As Ayato remembered, Rock Lee seemed completely incapable of using ninjutsu. Graduation should not be a problem with Might Guy vouching for him, but it would truly be difficult for his future development to surpass Might Guy's.

Still, he would worry about the future later. Ayato was in no position to worry about others. He had not even carved out his own path yet, and before he did, he was not even sure whether that path could be walked at all.

Might Guy also let out a sigh of relief in secret. He had originally planned to use his own methods to investigate, but he had not expected Ayato to have already comforted Rock Lee.

Moreover, he was very familiar with the Eternal Genin and taijutsu jonin Ayato had just mentioned. Well, they were his father and himself. Ayato using the two of them as examples also gave Might Guy a sense of closeness.

However, Rock Lee's situation still needed close observation. While taijutsu could lead one to become a jonin, no one understood the hardships involved better than Might Guy.

More importantly, being a taijutsu-focused ninja did not mean completely giving up ninjutsu. Even Might Guy would not teach that way. That would absolutely be leading a student astray!

What Might Guy did not know was that Ayato had not urged Rock Lee to continue practicing because he knew from the original story that Rock Lee simply could not use ninjutsu. He did not want Rock Lee to waste that portion of his time.

While Might Guy was thinking, Ayato suddenly approached him. Well, Might Guy had gotten used to it. Ayato had noticed him before, so it was no surprise that he had noticed him again.

"I asked around after going back. You're Might Guy, the taijutsu-focused jonin in the village, right? Could you teach us some taijutsu?" Ayato asked directly. Given Might Guy's personality, he should agree, especially with Rock Lee here.

"No."

To Ayato's surprise, Might Guy refused outright.

"This does not conform to the rules, and taijutsu training is not something you can undertake at your current age."

Ayato immediately understood. He had phrased it wrong. He hurriedly said, "I'm not asking to learn taijutsu. I only want to ask you to look at our training methods, such as what intensity suits us and how far we should train."

"I see." Might Guy hesitated after hearing that. If it was merely guidance for physical training, there would be no problem. Then he looked toward Rock Lee, who was still training hard. For a moment, he seemed to see his younger self: the same thick eyebrows, the same lack of talent for ninjutsu, and the same diligence...

At that moment, Might Guy seemed to think of many things before finally agreeing.

Ayato's eyes lit up at that. Might Guy had probably agreed because of Rock Lee, but Ayato was training with Rock Lee, was he not? It would be nice to benefit from it as well.

With Might Guy's guidance, physical training would no longer be a problem.

PS: I'm going through the contract-signing process. Once it's done, I'll try updating twice a day...