Noticing the change in Rock Lee's mood, Naruto shot Sasuke a slightly apologetic look, then walked over to Lee's side. He patted Lee on the shoulder, and when the latter looked up, Naruto met his gaze directly and said gently:
"The Rock Lee I know is always fired up, passionate about training, and eager to become an outstanding ninja. Lee-kun, this dejected expression doesn't suit you at all."
Fired up, passionate about training, eager to become an outstanding ninja?
Tears welled up in Lee's eyes.
Naruto was still the same refined, polite Naruto.
But he himself… he was no longer qualified to be a ninja.
He lowered his head again, his shoulders trembling. "I was the last in our class to be able to knead chakra. I have no talent for it… I can't even master the Three Academy Jutsu!" As he spoke, two lines of tears streamed down his face. For a moment, Lee was choked with sobs.
Becoming a ninja was Rock Lee's dream.
But the blows of the past few days had undoubtedly given this young boy a premature taste of despair.
No matter how optimistic or passionate he usually was, he couldn't force a smile at this moment.
My close friend Naruto is a master of taijutsu, always willing to share training insights—a perfect genius.
I'm sure that once Naruto finds out I'm a failure, he'll give up on me as a friend too.
"If you lack talent in ninjutsu, then focus on taijutsu," Naruto's unexpectedly warm and gentle voice sounded beside Rock Lee's ear. "Who says a ninja must know ninjutsu? Don't let common prejudices crush your confidence, Lee-kun."
Rock Lee looked up in disbelief.
Sunlight spilled onto Naruto's bright, gentle smile, lending him an air of tolerant warmth, like that of an understanding older brother.
Naruto's gaze was so sincere, so genuine, like the unwavering trust of a parent.
Focus on taijutsu… Focus on taijutsu?
Can I really do it?
Rock Lee was momentarily lost in a daze.
" Lee-kun," Naruto continued, "since your talent for ninjutsu can't compare to others, then we'll compensate for your weaknesses by playing to your strengths. We'll put in a hundred times, a thousand times, even ten thousand times the effort into practicing taijutsu. Haven't you always believed that? You are a genius of hard work."
Naruto's warm voice enveloped Rock Lee. At this moment, Lee could no longer hold back the torrent of tears; all the pain, sorrow, and unfairness he had endured over the past few days poured out with them.
"Naruto… thank you! Thank you so much! Having you as a friend is the luckiest thing in my entire life! I will definitely work hard! I won't let down your expectations! I will definitely become a ninja!"
He clumsily wiped his tears and bowed deeply to Naruto.
"You silly fool, we're best friends, aren't we?" Naruto pulled Lee up.
"Tell me, are you still that passionate Rock Lee who fears no hardship? You will become an outstanding ninja."
"Yes! I will! I can definitely become an outstanding ninja! I will prove myself through hard work!" Lee wiped his tears, a long-absent spark igniting in his eyes as he shouted.
"I need to start training now! As long as I work hard, I can become an excellent ninja! I need to keep getting stronger! That way, I can stand by Naruto's side!" Rock Lee vowed resolutely in his heart.
And so, under Naruto's gratified gaze and Sasuke's astonished one, Rock Lee began to run laps around the training ground.
"First lap, second lap, third lap… It's not enough! To defeat ninja who excel in ninjutsu, I need to put in even more effort! I need to possess speed that the naked eye can barely follow and abundant stamina!"
"These weights aren't enough! Tomorrow, I'll order double the weight!"
Under the setting sun, a thick-eyebrowed boy in simple casual clothes, weighed down by heavy training gear, ran endlessly around the training ground.
After running, he even crouched down and began doing frog jumps to build his leg endurance and explosive power.
His face was flushed crimson, his body was drenched in sweat, and the dirt path of the training ground where he trained was even marked with wet patches from his exertion.
Every time he neared the point of utter exhaustion, a surge of strength seemed to well up from within his body, pushing him to continue.
Sasuke's mouth hung slightly open, the scene seared into his mind, refusing to fade.
This guy… no, Rock Lee… is he trying to kill himself?Can such a foolish method really allow him to catch up to a genius?
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, only to find the latter looking at him gently.
"Are you surprised that there's someone as 'foolish' as Lee-kun in this world?"
"Huh?" Sasuke hurriedly waved his hands. "No, that's not it."
"He is indeed very foolish," Naruto's next words stunned Sasuke.
"He's foolish enough to know he has no talent for ninjutsu, yet he still wants to achieve his dream of becoming a ninja. He's foolish enough to know this training method is bound to be incredibly arduous, yet he perseveres without a second thought or hesitation."
"They say Konoha is the cradle of geniuses. But who knows about the ordinary people like Lee-kun, who are behind these geniuses, desperately trying to catch up with all their might?"
"You and I are very fortunate because we were born with the sword of talent. With the same training methods, we can achieve results far exceeding Lee-kun's."
"But that doesn't mean Lee-kun is mediocre."
"His terrifying perseverance and effort, beyond what ordinary people can imagine, will accumulate like raindrops, until one day they erupt like a tsunami, surpassing everyone, shocking everyone."
"In my heart, he is a genius of hard work!"
A genius of hard work…
Sasuke's pupils trembled.
Watching Rock Lee toil away on the training ground, drenched in sweat, Sasuke asked himself if he could endure such a regimen.
The answer was no.
That kind of training, pushing beyond human limits, was something he couldn't even dare to imagine.
"Is this why you're so strong too?" Sasuke looked at Naruto.
"That's right," Naruto nodded.
"The world never remembers a loser. Only through effort can one reach the summit." Naruto pulled open his outer jacket, revealing the densely packed training weights underneath.
"You… you were actually fighting me while wearing weights?!" At this moment, Sasuke was almost speechless.
When you discover that a companion, whose innate talent is no less than your own, is putting in many times more effort than you, a profound sense of shame will naturally arise in your heart.
Sasuke felt deeply ashamed.
He had been squandering his own talent.
Compared to them, he was the mediocre one!
Naruto's warm hand rested on Sasuke's shoulder, his voice as gentle and comforting as the warm sunlight.
"Sasuke, you possess the Uchiha bloodline. From the very starting line, you've already surpassed most people. But you must never become complacent because of your talent. You have to remember, everyone is constantly moving forward. The moment you stop, you'll be overtaken."
Naruto withdrew his hand, his gaze profound as he looked towards the setting sun.
"This is also why I strive so hard. I want to surpass everything and stand in the heavens."
On the way back.
Walking along the path dyed crimson by the sunset, Sasuke recalled the day's events, his heart a whirl of complex emotions.
Naruto, possessing terrifying talent yet still working relentlessly. Rock Lee, working hard to a frightening, almost inhuman, degree.
For some reason, Naruto's words kept replaying in Sasuke's mind.
"I want to surpass everything and stand in the heavens."
Stand in the heavens?
Involuntarily, a burning heat surged within Sasuke's heart.