Chapter 10
What's going on over there?
Uchiha Makoto had a doubt in his heart. It should have been time to leave the academy, so why was this group of students still gathered here?
"Makoto, let's go take a look. Something seems to be happening."
Tenten had already noticed the commotion. Her usual cheerful expression was gone, replaced by anger. She tugged at Uchiha Makoto's sleeve as she spoke.
"Well, let's see what's happening," Makoto agreed readily.
He glanced sideways and noticed Neji standing at the edge of the crowd, walking with a limp after their earlier fight. His pale Byakugan eyes didn't reveal emotion clearly, but his expression was caught somewhere between pity and indifference.
"Thick eyebrows! Thick eyebrows!"
"You think you can be a shinobi when you can't even use ninjutsu?"
A group of academy boys circled around, kicking and punching a boy with a bowl-cut and twin pigtails. The child crouched on the ground with his arms shielding his head.
No ninjutsu? So that was the reason? But Makoto thought, even if it was true, that didn't excuse this kind of bullying. His hands itched to intervene.
"If I can't use ninjutsu, then I'll rely on taijutsu! I'll prove myself as a ninja through effort and training!"
The boy on the ground shouted through gritted teeth, his stubborn voice rising above the jeers.
His declaration only drew harsher blows. Makoto could clearly hear the thuds of their kicks landing heavier.
"Hahaha! Did you hear him? He says he'll become a ninja with only taijutsu!"
"Even if that were possible, it's not something a failure like you could ever achieve, crane tail!"
Their mocking laughter filled the playground, their sneers ugly on young faces.
"I—Rock Lee—will prove that even the tail of the crane can surpass geniuses through hard work!"
Predictably, his defiance was met with more kicks and fists.
That name struck Makoto as familiar. Yes, Rock Lee. A character destined to become important in the Naruto story.
"Stop! Stop it right now!"
Tenten rushed forward, shoving two bullies aside. She crouched beside Rock Lee, helping him to sit up.
"Are you alright?"
"Who's this? Boss, should we teach her a lesson too?" one of the lackeys sneered, glancing at their leader.
The boy at the center narrowed his eyes, scanning Tenten. Then he noticed Uchiha Makoto and Neji Hyūga approaching from behind her.
"Wait a second… is he your friend?" he asked, trying to gauge the situation.
Makoto studied the leader carefully. His features were plain, and his clothes bore no clan crest—just a civilian boy trying to act strong.
So, even civilian children bully other civilians? Pathetic. Makoto wanted to scold them outright.
"Friend or not, what you're doing is wrong!"
Tenten's voice cracked with anger. Normally soft-hearted, she couldn't bear to watch cruelty like this.
"That's right," Makoto added, stepping forward. "If I catch you doing this again, there will be consequences."
He quickly calculated his chakra reserves. After the battle with Neji and activating the Sharingan, only enough remained for one more ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A small but controlled sphere of flame roared from Makoto's mouth, crashing to the ground in front of the bullies and scorching the dirt black. The heat forced them to stumble back in shock.
He had carefully restricted the jutsu's size. Any bigger, and instead of intimidation, it would have turned into an academy disaster.
"S-sorry! We won't do it again!"
The leader panicked first, bowing rapidly. The rest followed, scattering in all directions like frightened animals.
"Damn it, an Uchiha brat…"
"And another one from the Hyūga clan too… that's Hyūga Neji, from the next class…"
Their grumbling faded as they disappeared across the yard.
"I don't need anyone's help. I can stand on my own."
Rock Lee pushed away Tenten's supporting hands, his thick eyebrows furrowed in stubborn pride.
Heh. This guy is ridiculously stubborn, Makoto thought.
"My name is Rock Lee. You can call me Lee. Thank you… but remember this: I'll definitely become a ninja."
"Well then, Lee… tell me, what's this about you not being able to use ninjutsu?" Makoto asked, curiosity piqued.
If Rock Lee was already destined to be one of the key figures in the story, Makoto couldn't afford to overlook him.
Lee's expression hardened, but he spoke honestly.
After a week at the academy, most students had already learned to mold chakra. That allowed the teachers to start proper lessons—teaching about the ninja world's geography, the Five Great Nations, numbers, reading, writing, even complex kanji.
But what excited students most was ninjutsu. To inspire them, teachers even demonstrated the Clone Technique, one of the basic three.
And yet… no matter how much he tried, Rock Lee could not shape chakra for ninjutsu or genjutsu.
Clone Technique, one of the academy's three fundamental jutsu alongside Transformation and Substitution, is an E-rank ninjutsu required for all students. It produces intangible copies with no physical presence or offensive ability, used mainly for distraction.
It is also a mandatory skill tested during the graduation exam. Within six years at the academy, every student is expected to refine chakra and perform the Clone Technique proficiently. In short, it is a jutsu no shinobi can afford to fail at.
Yet Rock Lee, slower than his classmates in molding chakra, never succeeded in casting even a single proper clone.
Born to civilian parents without a clan's specialized training, his natural stamina was weaker than most heirs of bloodline families. This gap quickly earned him the dreaded label of the "dead-last" in his class.
Determined not to be left behind, Rock Lee made a decision: if he could not master ninjutsu or genjutsu, then he would devote his entire being to taijutsu. He vowed to rely on physical effort alone to reach the rank of shinobi. Naturally, such a declaration was mocked by his peers.
Lee's refusal to yield, even under constant ridicule, was precisely why earlier he had been cornered and beaten by other academy boys.
Uchiha Makoto, however, remained unmoved by the mockery of others. He had already seen the mysterious vitality of chakra in this world and believed that Rock Lee's iron resolve could indeed carry him forward as a shinobi.
Even though his own reserves were still depleted from earlier, Makoto smiled faintly and spoke words that startled the boy.
"I believe you will become a ninja."
"R-really?" For the first time, Rock Lee's eyes widened with unguarded joy.
Up to this point, no one— not even his instructor—had voiced such recognition. Most teachers could only sigh at his struggles, offering sympathy rather than encouragement.
"Of course," Tenten chimed in quickly, her cheerful tone sincere. "I also believe you'll become a ninja, Lee."
Only Neji remained silent.
At last, he muttered coldly, "Do you truly wish to become a ninja? Then know this—it is not so simple for you. A failure cannot surpass a genius."
The words came out oddly slurred, since one of Neji's teeth was still loose from Uchiha Makoto's earlier headbutt.
This guy doesn't read the room at all… Makoto thought, watching Tenten and Lee glare at Neji in unison.
"Alright, enough of that," Makoto suddenly announced, stepping forward. "From today onward, I'll found my own organization—Chi! And you three will be its elders."
Rock Lee blinked in astonishment. "Why would I… be part of such an organization?"
"Don't sweat the details, Lee," Makoto grinned. "Once I become Hokage, I'll change the conditions of becoming a shinobi. Even relying solely on taijutsu, one could rise as high as jōnin. But for that, you'll need to keep training hard."
"I will!" Rock Lee clenched his fists, his spirit reignited.
"'Chi,' huh? Red… the color of fire. Perhaps this boy really does embody the Will of Fire."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, muttered as he peered into his crystal ball using the Telescope Technique. His expression darkened, however, when he noticed the scorched patch of earth left by Makoto's earlier Fireball Jutsu.
"Also… send word to his homeroom teacher. If I recall, his name is Nishio Yutaro? Should Uchiha Makoto continue using fire-style ninjutsu and damaging school property, he will be held responsible for repair costs."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," an ANBU operative answered crisply before vanishing from the office.