Chapter 46: The Gathering of Fate [Part 3]
"W-was I... rejected?"
Rock Lee's eyes instantly welled up with tears, his whole spirit crushed as if he'd taken a massive blow.
"Don't be so upset. Getting rejected after confessing your feelings happens all the time!" Sakura said with a hint of helplessness. She felt a bit sorry for the boy's innocent heart getting hurt and, after a moment's thought, decided to hand Lee over to Guy. "I'll introduce you to someone. You two should get along really well."
"Who?!" Lee lifted his head, the pain in his eyes fading a bit. Sakura was right—rejections were normal. He just had to keep trying.
"Uncle Guy, come here for a second! I want to introduce you to your son!" Sakura called out to Guy, who was still teasing Kakashi nearby.
"Huh?!"
Guy turned around, utterly baffled. Introduce a son? What was going on?
The others turned as well, curious, and immediately noticed Lee standing beside Neji. Their expressions shifted instantly.
"Guy, you actually have such a big son?!"
Kakashi's right eye nearly popped out of its socket. Guy was supposed to be a lifelong bachelor like him—so why did he suddenly have such a grown-up son? A strong feeling of betrayal washed over him.
"So this is Lee's father? No wonder they look alike!" Neji and Tenten stared in shock. They'd always known Lee was an orphan, but now it seemed something was off.
"Lee was abandoned as a child? That's such a cruel father!" Tenten's imagination ran wild, and in a blink, she pinned the image of a heartless dad on Guy.
As for Guy—well, he was just as confused. When did he have a son? He didn't even have a girlfriend! Could it have been a drunken mistake years ago? But the timeline didn't add up—this kid's age meant Guy would have been barely a teenager himself, not even old enough to drink. So how could this resemblance be explained?!
"Guy, you're really going too far!" Kakashi said, disappointed. "I know you're obsessed with training, but you can't just ignore your kid. A child that young must have suffered so much growing up!"
"No, Kakashi, that's not—"
Guy waved his hands, trying to explain, genuinely clueless about what was going on, but Tenten cut him off.
"No wonder Lee works so hard at the ninja academy—it's all to find his irresponsible father like you!"
Tenten's disdainful expression hit Guy like a punch. He honestly had no idea what was going on.
Naruto and Ino also walked over, shooting angry glares at Guy. They had thought this broad-shouldered, thick-browed guy was a good person—but it turned out he was a heartless scoundrel who abandoned his family. Hinata dealt Guy a fatal blow with her words.
"If Senior Guy had to abandon his child because of financial hardship, I can ask my father to provide some support money. As long as he can have a complete family, that's what matters!"
"I—I really am not his father..."
Tears streamed down Guy's face. How was he supposed to explain this? Had his life's "youth" already slipped into midlife crisis before it even started?!
"Alright, enough about Uncle Guy. This is all a misunderstanding. Lee really isn't Uncle Guy's child. As for the resemblance… it's just a coincidence!"
Sakura smiled awkwardly, but there was no way she would let Guy become an accidental father.
"Sakura, thanks for believing me..."
Guy rushed over and hugged Sakura tightly, tears streaming like a waterfall.
"Actually, I was hoping to have Lee apprentice under Uncle Guy to train in taijutsu and the Eight Gates technique!" Sakura said shyly. "Lee can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu because of chakra control problems, so taijutsu is really his only path. Plus, Lee's personality is a lot like Uncle Guy's. With Lee by his side, Guy won't have to worry about the future of his youthful legacy."
"Is that so?"
Guy sized Lee up carefully, then suddenly stood and slapped Lee's shoulder with a serious look. "Learning from me is fine, but you've got to be tough and persistent. Taijutsu requires endurance and an unwavering youthful spirit."
"Taijutsu? I'll work hard!"
Lee's expression was determined. Because he couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, he'd already been mocked a lot since school started. Now that a real chance was in front of him, no matter what, he would seize it.
Although the matter was cleared up, Kakashi and the others still looked at Guy with some suspicion. Saying it was just a coincidence that Lee resembled him so much and shared similar traits seemed a bit far-fetched.
Everyone sat comfortably around a picnic blanket spread on the grass, looking relaxed and at ease.
"The reason I gathered everyone here today is to talk about something important!"
Sakura clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"Neji, Tenten, and Lee are already students at the Ninja Academy, and next year Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, and Tenten will also enroll. So I want us all to start laying a solid foundation and begin training before the academy opens!"
"I've already discussed it with the Third Hokage. Uncle Kakashi will teach us ninjutsu basics, Uncle Guy will handle taijutsu training, and Brother Shisui will teach genjutsu. Itachi and Izumi can help Sasuke learn the Uchiha clan's secret techniques!"
"Uh, Sakura, most of these people have their own clan's secret jutsu, right?" Kakashi said. "I only know standard elemental ninjutsu. I don't know their clan secrets, so I can't teach those."
"Your role is to teach everyone the fundamentals of ninjutsu so we have a proper understanding. You don't need to teach the secret techniques!" Sakura pointed to Naruto and Tenten. "Naruto and Lee will focus on taijutsu with Uncle Guy. Tenten and I will mainly study ninjutsu with you and genjutsu with Shisui. Sasuke needs to learn lightning style from you. As for Ino and the others, they will mainly work on chakra refinement."
"Chakra refinement? What's there to learn about that?" Kakashi frowned. "And Sasuke's age isn't really suitable for learning lightning style yet, right?"
"Of course not right away. Lightning style will come later when he's stronger. It's a long-term plan!" Sakura smiled. "As for chakra, it's not just Ino and the others—this includes you, Uncle Guy, Shisui, Itachi, and Izumi too. I have an idea that, if it works, could help all of us improve our abilities quickly!"