Lee glared coldly at Sasuke.
Taijutsu was his weakness, so he wanted to spar with him, the strongest taijutsu genin?
Was this guy insulting him?
At this moment, even Neji, who was usually proud and aloof, couldn't hide his anger.
Although Neji firmly believed that no amount of effort from ordinary people could surpass a genius, this was different.
Lee was his comrade, and seeing him insulted by some random guy Neji couldn't just stand by and let it happen.
Beside them, Tenten's expression turned ice-cold.
Initially, she had been slightly smitten by Sasuke's looks, but the moment he opened his mouth, all those feelings evaporated into fury.
How could someone be so disrespectful?
Taijutsu it was Lee's pride and joy, yet this person had the audacity to belittle it.
"Fine!"
"Let's spar!"
Sasuke cast a glance at Neji and Tenten, noting the hostile glares they shot at him, as if they wanted to skin him alive.
"All this over a little provocation? Seriously?" Sasuke thought.
Not being able to control your emotions was a huge flaw for a ninja. How could you fight effectively without maintaining absolute composure?
Lee raised a hand and gestured toward an open area.
"Let's do it here, then!"
"Show me what you're made of, you arrogant fool who looks down on others!"
Lee's eyes burned with a fierce determination as he spoke.
He could tolerate insults about other things, but never about his taijutsu.
Because...
It was the result of countless days and nights of relentless training.
It was his pride and his teacher's pride, too.
Lee's sole glory would never be trampled by anyone.
"Be careful, Lee," Neji warned. "This guy is Uchiha Sasuke, the top-ranked genin of his graduating class!"
Lee froze for a moment but quickly grasped the situation.
"Another genius, huh?"
He still hadn't achieved his goal of defeating Neji, and now another genius had appeared.
All the more reason not to back down.
Ordinary people, even through sheer effort, could defeat geniuses.
That was what Lee aimed to prove.
Neji glanced at Sasuke, focusing on the Uchiha crest on his back.
The Hyūga clan also bore their own crest.
As two of the great clans with kekkei genkai dojutsu, the Hyūga and Uchiha were natural rivals.
By all rights, if an Uchiha was going to pick a fight, Neji thought it should be with him.
Yet here Sasuke was, targeting Lee instead.
Could it be that Sasuke had come for him but wanted to gauge the strength of his teammate first?
It seemed like a plausible theory.
Meanwhile, Sasuke had already taken his place opposite Lee.
At the same time, Might Guy, who had just arrived on the scene, watched from the shadows.
"That's the Uchiha boy," Guy muttered.
"The last surviving member of the Uchiha in Konoha, huh?"
"And he's challenging Lee?"
"Not bad! Lee, show this Uchiha brat the strength of your hard work!"
Guy had always been concerned about Lee's lack of confidence.
Because of Neji, Lee often felt inadequate.
Their missions thus far had mostly been against bandits and rogues, which didn't do much to boost Lee's self-assurance.
But now, with a challenge from a fellow Konoha ninja and a prodigy of the same age this could help Lee fill that gap in his confidence.
Since Sasuke had initiated the challenge, even if his jōnin sensei asked about it later, Guy would have a valid explanation.
Crossing his arms, Guy settled in to watch, though his amusement wouldn't last for long.
Lee raised a hand in a formal gesture, inviting Sasuke to attack.
Sasuke smirked and motioned with his hand, taunting Lee to come at him.
"Bring it on!"
Lee frowned. "You're not planning to use ninjutsu? If you let me attack first, you might not even have the chance to use it!"
"Did you forget what I said? I came here to spar with you in taijutsu!"
"If I use ninjutsu, what's the point of calling this a spar? You wouldn't even stand a chance!"
If Sasuke used ninjutsu, Lee wouldn't even be able to compete.
However, Sasuke's repeated taunts made Lee's expression grow darker.
"If you keep underestimating me again and again, don't blame me for being merciless."
Bang!
In an instant, Lee exploded forward with astonishing speed, catching Sasuke completely off guard.
That burst of speed it seemed even faster than Kakashi's.
In pure taijutsu alone, Lee's speed was naturally greater than Kakashi's.
But Kakashi's mastery of the Body Flicker Technique far surpassed Lee's, making him overall much faster.
Lee launched a direct punch, which Sasuke raised his arm to block.
Seeing Sasuke's reaction, Lee was surprised.
"This guy can keep up with my speed?"
Bang!
Lee's punch connected with Sasuke's arm, forcing him to retreat.
Without missing a beat, Lee accelerated again, his fists a flurry of blows enveloping Sasuke in a storm of attacks.
At first, Sasuke had thought it wouldn't be too difficult to handle Lee. But now, he realized things were different.
A ninja specializing in taijutsu was an entirely different challenge from a typical opponent.
Lee's relentless, airtight assault was something even Kakashi couldn't manage.
In this situation, Sasuke had no choice but to step back and evade.
But Lee wasn't about to let Sasuke escape so easily.
Accelerating again, Lee closed the distance, his attacks shifting between punches and kicks in a variety of unpredictable combinations.
The dull sounds of their clashes echoed through the air.
Sasuke's attempts to block looked increasingly clumsy and desperate.
Seeing this, both Neji and Tenten, who had been worried moments ago, began to relax.
Clearly, Sasuke's taijutsu was nowhere near Lee's level. They had nothing to worry about.
If this pace continued, Lee would take him down in no time.
Tenten thought: "Lee's attack frequency is so high, there's no way for that guy to counterattack. He's just all talk his actual strength is pathetic."
Neji smirked inwardly: "Hmph. So this is the great Uchiha? He's nothing special after all."
But then, unexpectedly, Sasuke managed to grab Lee's fist mid-attack.
In one fluid motion, Sasuke used Lee's momentum against him, forcing Lee to step back.
In that moment, Neji and Tenten didn't think much of it.
They assumed it was either Sasuke's last desperate move or just a stroke of luck.
However, hidden in the shadows, Might Guy's expression shifted.
"A coincidence?"
"It looked like he read Lee's movements…"
"No! That's impossible. He's barely able to keep up with Lee's speed. There's no way he could predict Lee's attacks!"
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