"What a pity."
"He was supposed to have a bright future."-
In the timeline of the Fourth Hokage, even Minato Namikaze couldn't help but feel regret over what happened to Lee.
When he was watching the earlier part of the video, he truly believed that Lee would one day become another Guy.
Just from the words, "He's no longer fit to be a ninja," you could tell how devastating Lee's injuries were.
From an outsider's perspective like Minato's, even if Tsunade managed to heal Lee, it would be nearly impossible for him to reach the level of Guy.
For taijutsu users like them, physical condition was everything.
Suffering such serious injuries—it's only natural that his physical abilities would decline even after being healed.
Lee might still qualify as a regular jonin, but to master the final gate of the Eight Gates Technique? That was almost impossible now.
Unless… a miracle happened.
[It's truly unfair how the heavens can take away the dream of someone who worked so hard, without any reason.]
[To Lee, Guy had taught him the value of effort and believing in his own strength. Back in the academy, not a single teacher or classmate had ever told him anything like that.]
[But what about now? No matter how hard he tries, no matter how much he believes in himself, some things just have no answer.]
[He begged Guy to tell him what to do, but this time, the man who always knew what to say—Guy—was left completely speechless.]
[In the end, he only said: Get the surgery.]
[Guy: If a person loses their ninja way, they become a pathetic version of themselves. That goes for both you and me.]
[Ever since I met Lee, my ninja way has been to train him into a great ninja.]
[What does that mean?]
[It means, if there's even a one-in-ten-thousand chance that the surgery fails, then my ninja way ends there too.]
[In Guy's own words, he would die alongside Lee.]
[Damn... That's insane. What an awe-inspiring bond between master and student.]
"Okay, I get that Guy and Lee share a deep bond, and I respect that—but isn't Lee getting way too much screen time? This is supposed to be Guy's highlight video!"
Second Hokage timeline.
Uchiha Izuna looked at the crying Lee on the light screen and couldn't help but complain.
His big brother, Madara, nodded in agreement. "True. Lee does seem to be taking up too much of the spotlight. Hashirama, what do you think?"
Hashirama let out a goofy laugh and scratched his head. "I actually think it's fine. Lee is an important part of Guy's life. By showing Lee's story, we get to understand Guy even better."
"Big Brother is right. You two shallow Uchihas only see the surface. But Big Brother and I? We see the layer beneath."
"You scheming, shameless white-haired bastard Tobirama! Do you really need to say that? Who can't see something that obvious?"
Clearly, Uchiha Izuna had no intention of agreeing with Tobirama Senju's dismissive remark.
"At the very least, I don't think you understood it. Otherwise, you wouldn't have complained that Lee had too much screen time."
"You little—damn it, you're really pissing me off."
"Hehe, mad now? Then hit me, dumbass."
"Shit."
Izuna clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could smash Tobirama's teeth in with one punch.
But he knew, in a proper and fair fight, it was extremely hard to beat this white-haired bastard in front of him.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique in his arsenal, that white-haired freak was practically unbeatable from the start.
"Hmph. Just because you're childish doesn't mean I am. Picking fights at the drop of a hat—what are you, three?"
Tobirama glanced at Izuna with surprise and said, "Tsk tsk, I didn't expect this. You actually held back? I thought you'd call Madara to come teach me a lesson."
Izuna shot Tobirama a deadly glare, silently swearing to himself that he would one day master a jutsu capable of countering the Flying Thunder God—or better yet, learn it himself.
Otherwise, Tobirama would keep getting under his skin like this.
[When it came to empathy, Guy and Lee truly reached the pinnacle. He told Lee that surgery was all about luck, and that luck was also a part of one's strength. Just like when he and Kakashi played rock-paper-scissors—not only was it about perception, but luck as well.]
[What happened afterward is something everyone knows. Under Tsunade's careful research and skill, Lee's surgery was a success. He was able to be a ninja again.]
[From that moment on, Lee had absolute faith in Guy. He revered Guy like both a teacher and a father, and even inherited parts of his personality. The two of them together were an absolute riot.]
[The more bizarre Guy's punishments became, the more bizarrely happy Lee got. One cringe-worthy scene after another, completely disregarding whether bystanders could take it.]
[But beneath this seemingly insane teacher-student dynamic was a hidden tenacity and relentless effort that no one could see.]
[And when it came to Team 3, Guy cherished them just as much and trained them with all his might.]
[Unlike the team cooperation Kakashi often emphasized, during the handover training ceremony, what he truly wanted to see was the students exhausting every last bit of their strength just to land that final punch — a display of unwavering determination.]
[There was a scene where Team Guy triggered a trap that made them end up hitting themselves. After getting beaten up for a while, Lee said something utterly ridiculous.]
[Lee: As long as I'm stronger than the version of myself who triggered the trap, I can defeat this fake.]
[At first glance, it sounded incredibly dumb — pure nonsense. But for someone who grows step by step through sheer hard work, this is absolute truth: to be stronger than the person you were yesterday.]
"There's a trap like that?"
In the timeline of the Second Hokage, Six Paths Madara paid little attention to the argument between Tobirama and his own younger brother.
His full attention was locked onto the scene unfolding on the light screen — the trap triggered by Team Guy.
"Madara, are you thinking…"
"That's right, Hashirama. If that trap can really create a perfect copy of myself, then I'll never run out of opponents again."
Six Paths Hashirama twitched at the corner of his eye.
He knew Madara all too well — the man lived for battle.
Right now in Konoha, aside from himself, no one could even give Madara a decent warm-up.
And for someone like Madara, a complete battle junkie, that was seriously frustrating.
There had only ever been one person he could fight properly — Hashirama. But even then, he'd lose every single time. There was no thrill left in it anymore.
If there really was a trap that could create a clone of himself to fight, Madara would absolutely be over the moon.
And if Madara was happy, then Hashirama would be happy too.
Hashirama: Finally, I won't have to deal with Madara pestering me all the time.
"Don't be stupid."
Just as Madara and Hashirama both started feeling happy, Tobirama poured a bucket of cold water on them.
"Even if such a trap really exists, what is your current strength, Uchiha Madara? And what about the strength of Lee on the screen? Do you really think that a broken trap can fully copy all your power as the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki?"
"This time, I'm on the side of that cunning white-haired guy. Brother, whether it's traps or various jutsu, they all have limits."
"Sigh~"
With one sentence from Tobirama and one from Izuna, Madara sighed and calmed down.
He knew they were right.
If this trap could truly copy all of his power one hundred percent and create a clone, then that trap's effect would be insanely strong.
Not to mention, when the Otsutsuki invade in the future, they could just use this trap to copy someone with the enemy's exact strength.
When the two fight, he and Hashirama could suddenly attack from the side—what chance would the enemy have?
They'd probably be killed instantly.
"Hashirama, it seems that in the days to come, the one I'll be fighting will still be you."
"…"
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