Tōma frowned at the sight of Lee clutching his arm in pain.The reaction made no sense.
His lightning massage required releasing chakra outside his body, which naturally reduced his precision. But thanks to the Void-State's improvements, his control shouldn't have been that sloppy. Even if Lee's results weren't as good as Tōma's, it shouldn't have been this weak or this painful.
So what was different between them?
Lee's physical durability was unquestionably higher.That left chakra.
But Tōma's lightning chakra had barely brushed Lee's skin. It hadn't even entered his body. There was no reason it should have hurt this quickly.
Unless…
Tōma paused, eyes narrowing slightly.
Lightning crackled faintly around his arms. To him, the sensation was barely noticeable—just a soft tingle. If it were anyone else…
"Lee," Tōma said suddenly. "Touch my arm again. Just a quick tap. Then tell me exactly what you feel."
Lee hesitated—the arcs of electricity made him instinctively recoil—but he trusted Tōma. He reached out, touched, and immediately jerked away.
"W-what was that…? It stings!"
That was the confirmation Tōma needed.
It's elemental affinity.
Tōma's own lightning affinity made the sensation comfortable—almost pleasant. But Lee had no such affinity. His body had zero inherent tolerance for lightning-nature chakra. Even a mild discharge felt sharp and painful.
"That's it," Tōma murmured. "It's not your strength… it's your chakra nature. You don't have any resistance to lightning."
Lee misunderstood the expression on Tōma's face and hurried to speak.
"Don't blame yourself! It's because I can't use chakra properly—not your fault at all!"
Tōma shook his head.
"No. It is my fault. My control isn't fine enough yet. If I were better at shaping chakra externally, I could soften the current and adjust it to your tolerance."
With enough precision, he could apply lightning chakra as gently as wind brushing grass. It wouldn't match the effects he used on himself, but it would help Lee more than the tiny amount they managed today.
So the issue wasn't Lee's deficiency.It was his own lack of mastery.
Tōma exhaled, decision made.
"Lee, I'll help you every day. Even if the effect is small, it's still something. And in the process, I'll improve my control too. Both of us win."
Lee froze.
Then threw himself forward and hugged Tōma with teary eyes.
"Tōma! Thank you! Thank you so much—!!"
"W–wait—! I said I'm doing it for training too! You don't need to cry on me—Hey—! You're way too strong—let go—!"
No use.Lee's emotional strength far exceeded Tōma's physical strength.
And Lee absolutely did not believe that Tōma's motivations were half self-serving. To him, this was pure kindness.
Tōma eventually accepted defeat.And after confirming he still had some chakra left unused, he sighed.
"…I'm heading home. You should go back soon too."
"I'll train a bit more, then return!" Lee said earnestly.
Tōma had no illusions—Lee's "bit more" meant hours. But stopping Lee from training was impossible, so he waved and left.
Later that evening, Guy appeared at the training field just as Lee was finishing.
"Oh! Done for the day already?" Guy grinned, his teeth practically flashing under the twilight. "Excellent work, Lee!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee's eyes shone with admiration. He'd heard from Tōma what kind of man Guy was. To Lee, Guy was everything he aspired to be.
Guy leaned in."So… did Tōma's technique help you?"
Lee's expression fell immediately.
He explained the whole incident—how the pain stopped the massage before it even began.
Guy nodded slowly.
"So that's how it is. It makes sense. If lightning massage truly worked that easily, every Lightning Release shinobi would've mastered it."
He crouched, meeting Lee's eyes.
"If shortcuts are blocked… then we use youth and hard work to build our own path. I believe in you, Lee!"
Lee's fists clenched as fire lit behind his gaze.
"Yes, Guy-sensei!"
Lee hesitated for a moment, then asked loudly:
"Guy-sensei! I want to help Tōma too—but I don't know how. What should I do?"
Guy fell silent.
He thought back to Tōma.A boy with monstrous talent and absurd discipline. Someone whose growth curve looked frighteningly similar to Kakashi's—only more hardworking.
Surpassing someone like that…?
For most people, impossible.
But youth had no impossible.
Guy inhaled deeply.
"Lee… are you ready?"
"I'm ready!"
"Even if it damages your body?"
"I'll keep going anyway!"
"Then…" Guy raised his thumb high. "Train harder. Push farther. If you want to stand beside geniuses like Tōma, the only path available to us is to surpass our limits again and again!"
"YES, GUY-SENSEI!!"
Their shouts of passion echoed across the empty field.
Meanwhile, Tōma was already at home, completely unaware that he had just triggered another wave of relentless training for both master and student.