Bang—
"3001!"
Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Lee… Lee! What are you doing?! Do you seriously want to kill me?!"
Rock Lee chuckled. "Of course! I'm responding to Naruto's efforts and passion—continuing to burn with youth!"
"No… don't!"
Rock Lee kicked out again.
"3002! How about it, Naruto? I kicked one more time than you! It's your turn now!"
Naruto glared at Rock Lee with irreconcilable hatred.
"Damn it!"
He had no choice but to clench his fists and kick twice more.
"3002! 3003!"
Rock Lee's eyes blazed. "Oh! As expected of Naruto!"
"3003! 3004!"
"Ahhhh! Stop kicking already!" Naruto clutched his head, yanking at his hair, practically hysterical.
"3004! 3005!"
Rock Lee was about to keep going, but Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He pounced and clung desperately to Lee's leg.
"Lee! Lee! Let me live!"
Rock Lee scratched his head. "What do you mean, Naruto?"
Of course, Naruto couldn't tell him the truth. He scrambled for an excuse.
"Uh, well… victory and defeat aren't decided in an instant. Let's save the rest for later!"
Rock Lee's eyes lit up. "Well said, Naruto! Training is a marathon, not a sprint!"
"Let's move on to the next stage immediately—striking the training dummy 4000 times!"
Naruto's lips trembled, but he forced a thumbs-up. "G-good… good… Thank you, Lee…"
---
Naruto was already burned out. Reduced to white ash.
After completing 4000 strikes on the training dummy, he felt like his body no longer belonged to him—just a puppet dangling in someone else's hands.
But this time, Naruto learned his lesson. He didn't call out his count.
When Rock Lee finished 4000, Naruto quietly struck one more without being noticed. This way, he avoided sparking Lee's burning spirit again.
"Okay, Naruto, next up is 3000 jump ropes!"
"…Okay, okay…"
"Well done, Naruto! Finally, 3000 push-ups!"
"…I… I get it…"
But even Rock Lee was reaching his limit.
Those last 3000 push-ups were simply impossible for kids their age. Even giving his all, Rock Lee barely managed over 2500.
Naruto's stamina and recovery gave him a slight edge—he lasted a little longer, finishing around 2600.
Both collapsed on the training ground, gasping for breath, too drained to speak.
And neither of them noticed… another pair of eyes was watching, burning with intensity.
---
"Because I trained with you, Naruto, I worked harder today than ever before!"
"Is this the power of companionship?!"
"…Thanks," Naruto muttered weakly.
Rock Lee grinned between gasps. "Don't thank me! I should be thanking you!"
Naruto rolled his eyes. Clearly, Rock Lee couldn't detect sarcasm at all.
"Oh, right, Naruto! Since neither of us finished the challenge, we'll have to honor our agreement."
"A-agreement?!"
Rock Lee's smile gleamed as he gave a thumbs-up.
"Of course—walking around the Village on our hands thirty times!"
"…Ah! No!"
Crows cawed overhead as dusk settled on Konoha.
On a road at the outskirts, Naruto and Rock Lee staggered forward—walking on their hands, ignoring the baffled stares of passersby.
"Hold on, Naruto! Only 29 laps left!"
"…Do you even hear yourself?!" Naruto growled. "Is that something a human would say?!"
Sweat drenched him, his arms trembling, but to avoid punishment he could only grit his teeth and push on.
Besides, at this point he couldn't quit—otherwise all his suffering would have been for nothing.
---
Suddenly, the ground shook as a noise thundered behind them. Villagers gasped and scattered.
Bang, bang, bang—!
A green blur tore past like a whirlwind, nearly flipping up the skirts of nearby girls, who blushed furiously and clutched them down.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Accompanied by booming laughter, a man in a green jumpsuit—with the same bowl-cut hair and thick eyebrows—rushed past… walking on his hands!
Naruto and Rock Lee froze, their faces twisting in shock.
"Another bowl cut with thick eyebrows?!"
But Rock Lee's jaw dropped in awe. "Such power! To walk on his hands with that speed and strength—amazing! So cool!"
There was no doubt—this was the Blue Beast of Konoha, Might Guy!
He had known about Rock Lee for a long time. Back at the Academy, he'd been told there was a boy who resembled him greatly. Since then, Guy had secretly watched over Lee after missions, but never approached him for fear of disrupting his training.
Until today. Seeing Rock Lee finally with a training partner, Might Guy was overjoyed—and decided it was time to reveal himself.
Rumble—
Like a green tornado, Might Guy tore forward on his hands, his speed and power far beyond anything Naruto or Lee could imagine.
He zipped between the two, the shockwave spinning them like tops.
"Ahhhh—!"
Bang!
They both fell flat to the ground.
Might Guy stopped, spun easily on one hand, and gave them a dazzling thumbs-up.
"Well done, both of you! This is true youth! Sweat, burn, and leave no regrets!"
Flat on his back, Naruto groaned angrily. "Who the hell are you?!"
Still balanced on one hand, Might Guy twirled gracefully as if it were a walk in the park.
"Me? I am the Blue Beast of Konoha, who strikes fear into the entire ninja world… Might Guy!"
"…Never heard of him," Naruto muttered.
But Rock Lee's eyes shone like stars. "Oh oh! It's Teacher Might Guy!"