Rock Lee was sitting in the class anxiously while trying to concentrate. He was taking all the necessary notes that the lecturer was providing regarding his graduation test.
He knew that if the test were about ninjutsu or genjutsu he would fail, so he hoped. He hoped that the examination test is not regarding those topics. Thus, he is now closely noting what the lecturer is explaining. When the lecturer completed his explanation Rock Lee sighed in relief, the graduation test is about stealth and scroll stealing.
Based on his lecturer explanation about the test, ninjas should be able to be combat oriented where taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu is in play, however not everything is about that particular subject. A ninja should also be able to act subtlety and stealthy when necessary. It is particularly true when they are on missions that rely on that to accomplish their task. The test that they are going to do will examine them on that.
The student will be tasked to move stealthily to acquire a scroll within a room. If they are able to stealthily acquire the scroll and leave the room without being caught by civilian examiners or by triggering the alert traps they will pass.
Since it was not a ninjutsu or a genjutsu skill test Rock Lee was relief, his anxiousness immediately disappeared while it was replaced with confidence and determination. He will pass this graduation test and start his ninja journey.
…
Near the Academy rooftop, Rock Lee is currently with his new team and Might Guy their ninja instructor and team leader is there for their first meeting. “Okay, congratulations to you three. You three are now promoted to Genins today. I want to hear what your goals are.”
“Me! Me! Me! Me!” Listening to what Guy asked Tenten was the first one to announce her goals.
“Okay, Tenten lets hear your goal.”
“I want to be a really strong ninja like the Legendary Female Ninja, Tsunade-sama!”
Guy nodded in approval towards Tenten goal and turn towards Neji.
“… yosh, good. How about you Neji?”
When Guy asked Neji he hesitated, he did not want to actually talk about his goal. However, after a few moments considering about it Neji decided to tell Guy about some of his goals “… I want to change my clan…”
“Your clan…” When Guy heard that he went quiet, he know that the Hyuga clan had their own problems. However since it is a clan problem he could not do anything about it, except for hoping for the best, in the meantime he can only help in Neji growth hoping he will not betray Guys moral compass.
“… Me! Me! Me!” While Guy was thinking about Neji's situation, Rock Lee wanted to announce his goals after Neji. He was eager to announce them. “Even if I can’t use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu I want to prove that I can still become an excellent ninja… no I want to prove that I can be one of the best Ninja in the world!”
When Rock Lee was announcing his goal he realize that he made a blooper in his announcement and he fixed it in the end. He remembered his secret training with Azuma. After almost three years training in secret with Azuma, he realize that his original goal is just a short-term goal and he actually had already achieve it.
He knew that because he already proved it during the graduation test. He had passed that test as the top scorer, his achievement on that particularly the way he accomplished it actually flabbergasted his academy lecturers and trainer. He had already beat Neji, Tenten and everyone else in his graduation test year in a ninja topic. It already prove his excellence by that standard.
It was something that Lee felt grateful that he remembered his first time when Azuma came to him; it was something that he never forget…
…
It was around three years ago when he met Azuma for the first time. It was during one of his daily routine training sessions during the weekends. He had been hoping to meet Might Guy again to give him some training pointers but unfortunately, Guy was not around.
Although he felt a little sad, it did not discourage him to continue his training as usual. It was during that time out of a sudden a kid came by when he was doing his routine workout. That kid he saw was Azuma. Azuma did not say anything to him, he did not great him at all but he came by looked at what he was doing and he started following his workout. He trained alongside him. Lee was baffled when he saw that but he kept quiet and let him join his gruesome training regime.
As time passed he realize that something was wrong. Every time he failed in completing his reps, Azuma went on. He is accomplishing his rep by one extra more before he stopped after that. What is different between Azuma workout and him was Azuma condition after he did the workout. What he notice was that Azuma was still full of energy, he was not out of breath nor sweating like him. Lee kept calm and continue his next regime while Azuma followed and it was the same thing that happen again. It was as if Azuma was mocking him and his effort, he was so pissed off he confronted Azuma about it.
Azuma just smiled at him and started to provoke him, he started his taunting which lead Lee to be more angry.
He did not know who started it first. However what he know that at that time, what he thought was a fight, had turn out to be something else. It was complete revelation for Lee.
He knew at that time his taijutsu skills was mediocre at best, however during sparring in class he managed to at least lay hits to his sparring partner. However, this time it was completely different. It was as if he was sparing with a lecturer. But it was also different in the same time, he felt that he is better than the taijutsu lecturer in the Academy as well.
After trying to hit Azuma for a while, Lee realizes that Azuma did not even move a step out from where he was standing. He was just standing there not evading his attacks but he stood there intercepting them. He was intercepting every move he did easily it was as if a barrier was around Azuma and all his moves could not pass that barrier.
It was something unbelievable for him to see that. After attempting to use every moves and techniques he knew against Azuma, Lee just gave up and collapse, he sat down and sighed. He knew that Azuma was completely different from others, he is even better than the lecturers in the academy are. It was really something he could not fathom. A kid around his age that far surpass trained adult ninjas.
When Lee gave up and sat down as he was thinking about the ridiculous situation he was in when he heard Azuma called him.
“Hey, do you want to learn it?” Azuma was looking towards Lee asking him that, his eyes is now completely different than before. There is no mocking look from him. The current Azuma is completely different now he had a caring look.
“Huh?” Lee did not know how to reply, Azuma was completely different now.
“Do you want to know how I am able to match all those reps of yours without any problem, do you want to know and adopt it for yourself as well? Do you want to learn the move that used against you?”
“Adopt? What are you talking about? … learn the technique that was used against me…” Rock Lee was remembering back the defensive move that Azuma did, it was really beyond his understanding on how was he able to achieve that.
“Yes a physical training methodology that can greatly boost a person physical fitness. You can also adopt that training methodology to your current regime. While that technique I used against you is called Seikuken there is also an advance version of that as well called Ryuusei Seikuken. Do you want to learn them and more?”
That was the first proper dialogue between Azuma and Rock Lee that time. It was not a dialogue that he thought he will get with someone of his peer. He did not introduce himself but asked him questions, it was different way of interacting. It something that he did not understand at his age, it was not a conventional procedure for kids to open interaction like that. However, that question he asked grasp his interest.
Because of it, it completely changed Rock Lee life forward. He trained with Azuma secretly for three years and now he had something new to achieve.
…
“Lee, how are you actually still standing after all those training Guy sensei had put us through.” Tenten was asking while she was still sitting down taking her breath and resting after the gruesome training they got from Guy.
When Tenten asked that question everyone was looking at Lee hoping for him to answer it. Guy and Neji included. It was in all their minds however they did not want to pry on to it, but now that Tenten actually asked they wanted to know the answer as well.
Lee looked at them and thought about it for a moment. He then looked at Tenten, Neji and Guy, and he remembered what Azuma had told him after he congratulated him on his graduation.
“Lee, remember that if anyone ask about how you actually got to where you are today you just answer, it is your training that had lead you to this point. You do not need to elaborate to anyone. However if it is from Tenten, Neji or Guy sensei then you can answer truthfully about it but make sure that they keep it quite, a secret as well”
It was as if Azuma knew about it. Indeed someday ago some Academy lecturer came by and asked similar questions like Tenten. He replied to them like what Azuma said, he particularly noted that Guy sensei helped him train which was true. He did not lie but he just omitted any training that he got from Azuma. He just place that training with Azuma as his training as well he did not lie.
Since now, it is Tenten, Neji and Guy sensei. Lee decided to answer properly.
“You have to keep it to yourself and not say anything about it to others. A secret, can you?”
Everyone nodded while Lee looked around to see if someone else was around trying to eavesdrop on them.
“I had been secretly training with someone from the Academy. He is in our junior grade now and he will be graduating next year. He is called Azuma from the Uzufuyuki family…”
When Guy heard about Azuma and the Uzufuyuki family from Lee, he remembered about something. He remembered that he heard the name Azuma from Kakashi before and the Uzufuyuki family from his late father.
He remembered Kakashi mentioned to him that his father Sakumo was saying that Azuma was a genius and that he already surpassed Kakashi when he was a kid. It was during one of his usual dual with Kakashi that he sudden blurted it out saying that he is no genius to avoid Guy dual challenge. At that time Guy thought nothing about it but excuses that Kakashi made to avoid the dual, he noted the name Azuma though due to the possibility that Kakashi will make the same excuse again and he will not be caught to it next time he challenge him.
As for the Uzufuyuki family, he always remembered his late father mentioning about someone from the Uzufuyuki family. That person from that family was someone that did not berate him because of his status at all, and was actually close to him. However, Guy did not catch the name of the person from the Uzufuyuki family.
Neji on the other hand knew about Azuma, a classmate that was helping Hinata in her training. He got to know about him by chance, when he was trying to find out about Hinata gradual change. In this few years she had changed greatly but her personality and behavior towards the clan was still the same. She still maintain her timid personality towards the clan. Her growth however was staggering that even her father was amazed about it.
This was the second time he heard the name Azuma. It was also the second time he know that Azuma was involved in helping someone he knows to be better than their original self.
As for Tenten she was wondering who is Azuma but she know about the Uzufuyuki family like many others.
“… I will be meeting Azuma next week after our mission, I can introduce him to you all if you want.”
After Lee told them about Azuma he extended his invitation to his team, everyone agreed to it. They actually wanted to meet Azuma personally.
…
When Team Guy completed their following Genin mission they followed Lee lead to meet Azuma. When they arrived to the meeting location they saw a kid sitting on a tree branch when Lee called him. That is when they knew that the kid sitting that was sitting on the tree branch was Uzufuyuki Azuma. The person they wanted to meet, the person that helped Lee to surpass his peers.
“Oh Lee you arrived and you brought visitors with you this time…” It was something that Azuma noticed ahead of time when Lee was leading his team to meet Azuma. Azuma was on the tree branch training his sensory ability when he notice four individuals coming towards his direction and one of it was someone he was familiar with. To act his part Azuma decided on not noticing them and only replying them when they arrived.
“Azuma this is my team that I was talking about last time, this is Guy sensei, Neji and Tenten.” Lee did not notice Azuma act and started introducing his team to Azuma. In the meantime Azuma was looking at them for the first time in this life for real.
Team Guy, a team that consist of physical combat specialist either through taijutsu or bukijutsu as he looked at them he knew that his initial plans in Konoha will come to the end real soon.
They are the last piece of the puzzle in his initial plan before he complete the puzzle piece and he can go and get to build a new one soon after.
Seikuken and Ryuusei Seikuken from HSD Kenichi...?
Yup