The next morning, the entrance of the Ninja Academy was already bustling with people.
Sasuke, with an almost scrutinizing mindset, followed the excited Naruto here.
Kakashi's words, "There will be many powerful individuals from other villages," had ultimately piqued a sliver of his interest.
However, the result left him greatly disappointed.
The Genin from different villages had chaotic and disorderly Chakra fluctuations. Their eyes were filled with unnecessary tension and bravado.
'Boring.'
Sasuke silently evaluated, losing all interest.
Just as he turned to leave, a rather grating voice suddenly came from beside him.
"Um, Sakura-san!"
Sasuke's steps halted slightly as he glanced towards the source of the voice.
He saw a boy with a bowl-cut, wearing a green spandex suit, and ridiculously thick eyebrows, standing rather excitedly in front of Sakura.
"Please go out with me! I will protect you with my life!"
This sudden confession froze the air around them.
Sakura's face was written full of embarrassment and resistance, her eyes instinctively darting towards Sasuke in the distance.
The bowl-cut boy followed her gaze, which eventually landed on Sasuke, a challenging fighting spirit igniting in his eyes.
"You must be the Uchiha Sasuke that Sakura likes!"
He stepped forward, blocking Sasuke's path, raising a thumb up, flashing a mouthful of white teeth, "My name is Rock Lee. Please have a match with me!"
Sasuke's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. He gave Lee a faint glance, squeezing a few words from his throat.
"Trash. Get lost."
After speaking, he turned to leave.
But unexpectedly, Lee had no intention of letting him leave easily.
"You bastard, don't look down on me!"
With an angry shout, Lee's fist, carrying a sharp whistling sound, shot straight towards Sasuke's cheek.
Sasuke's head tilted just slightly, narrowly avoiding this sudden punch.
The fist wind brushed past his cheek, stirring a few strands of his black hair.
"Oh?" A flicker of surprise passed through Sasuke's eyes.
'Not bad speed.'
But that was all.
He didn't dodge again. Instead, he threw a seemingly ordinary punch in return, aiming for the opening left by Lee's retracting move.
It was purely a transmission of raw power.
With a dull thud, Lee was sent flying uncontrollably, landing heavily on the ground several meters away.
"That... that was..."
In the distance, Kakashi, who had been watching this scene, had his pupil contracted, an expression of disbelief appearing on his face.
'The way that punch was delivered...'
'Condensing power instantly into a single point, releasing it upon impact.'
'It's just like Tsunade-sama's super strength.'
"Ugh..."
Lee struggled to get up from the ground, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, but the fighting spirit in his eyes didn't diminish… instead, it grew.
"Such tremendous power! But!"
Consumed by anger, he actually forgot Guy's warning to him. He abruptly crouched down and began unwinding the bandages on his legs.
One loop, two loops...
The heavy weights were removed, hitting the ground with two solid thuds.
Lee moved his ankles, his whole body seemed to lighten considerably.
In the next instant, his figure left an afterimage in its original spot, transforming into a green whirlwind that began circling Sasuke at high speed.
"So fast!"
A collective gasp rose from the surrounding crowd.
Sasuke stood quietly in place, watching the green figure constantly creating afterimages around him, his expression still indifferent.
'He is indeed faster than before, but... that's about it.'
Sasuke didn't even need to activate his Sharingan.
He raised his right foot.
At the precise moment the green blur was about to flash past his side, he accurately and violently kicked out towards a specific point.
Lee's figure was forcibly ripped from his high-speed movement, sent tumbling to the ground once again in a wretched state.
"How is this possible? You can actually keep up with my speed?!" Lee's face was filled with disbelief and refusal to accept.
He got up again, preparing to charge at Sasuke.
But Sasuke made no move to counterattack.
He simply stood there quietly. A layer of faint, seemingly ethereal black flames, like a living thing, silently rose around him.
Lee's charging steps subconsciously halted.
An instinctual fear made all the hair on his body stand on end.
"That's enough, Lee!"
Just then, a robust voice came from a high platform.
Guy leaped down from the platform, walked up to Sasuke, and bowed deeply and formally.
"My sincere apologies, Sasuke-kun! My student has caused you trouble."
Lee also ran over. Though he still seemed unwilling to accept it, he also lowered his head to Sasuke.
"Uchiha Sasuke, I admit you are strong! But next time, I will definitely defeat you!"
Faced with this passionate declaration of challenge, Sasuke actually let out a soft chuckle.
The chuckle was filled with undisguised contempt.
'Next time?'
He turned his head slightly, looking down at the bowl-cut boy before him.
"You don't even qualify for me to draw my blade."
The curve of his lips grew more pronounced as he shook his head.
Without another word, Sasuke turned and walked straight past the two of them.
Guy placed a heavy hand on his student's trembling shoulder. Lee didn't look up, his teeth gritted, staring at the ground.
"Sensei, I..." His voice was full of defeat, "I lost."
"Yes, Lee, you lost." Guy's voice, however, was unusually calm.
Lee's head snapped up, looking at his teacher with disbelief.
He had expected comfort, but instead received such a direct affirmation.
Guy wasn't looking at him. He was gazing in the direction Sasuke had left. Then, he slowly lowered his head, looking directly into Lee's eyes, which were almost losing their light.
"You were utterly and completely defeated."
Guy's voice remained calm, "But, Lee."
The corners of his mouth slowly curved upwards, revealing that signature smile.
"You know what? A true strong person isn't someone who never fails."
He raised his other hand, pointing forcefully towards the sky, his voice suddenly rising, filled with infectious energy.
"It's someone who, every time they are knocked down, can stand back up with an even fiercer flame!"
He brought his hand back, pointing at Lee's heart.
"Striving for such a powerful goal, sweating to chase that seemingly unreachable figure… isn't that the greatest training?!"
Frustration.
Precisely because of frustration, one must become stronger.
Precisely because it seems unreachable, it holds the value of pursuit.
The confusion in Lee's eyes instantly burned away, replaced by a bright, blazing fighting spirit.
"Guy-sensei!" He raised his head sharply, his face already radiant again, "I understand!"
He bowed deeply to Guy.
"Next time, I will definitely make him see my efforts!"
"Yosh!" Guy gave him a big thumbs up, his teeth sparkling in the sunlight.
"That's my disciple! This... this is the burning power of youth!"
---
Check out My Patreon For 40+ Advanced Chapters:
Pat reon.com/IamPoorGuyToo