Chapter 19: Chapter 19: The Disciple of Konoha's Taijutsu Master!
When it comes to Konoha's taijutsu masters, there's no need for much guesswork it's clear who it is.
The man who almost ended the story with a single kick.
The Emperor of Taijutsu: Might Guy!
When the Eight Gates are fully opened, even Madara Uchiha himself was nearly defeated.
If Sasuke could train in taijutsu under Might Guy, his progress would undoubtedly skyrocket.
However, it wouldn't be easy to convince such a master to train him.
Not only was Might Guy a jōnin, but Sasuke also wasn't one of his students.
So asking Might Guy directly was out of the question.
But!
Asking for a sparring session with Might Guy's student, Rock Lee, was entirely possible.
At Lee's age, a few simple provocations would be enough to get him to spar willingly.
Though sparring with Rock Lee wouldn't yield the same results as training with a taijutsu master like Might Guy, it wouldn't be far off either.
After all, Sasuke's current level of taijutsu was still below Rock Lee's.
With this plan in mind, Sasuke decided that after completing today's mission, he would seek out Rock Lee in Konoha.
It seemed Kakashi had some other business to attend to today.
After just one mission, the rest of the afternoon was left free for Sasuke and the others.
Naruto and Sakura were visibly relieved.
Performing dull D-rank missions every day was mentally exhausting.
Once Kakashi left, Sasuke also prepared to leave.
At that moment, Naruto called out to him.
"Sasuke! What's the rush?"
"Can't you hang out with your future lifelong teammates a bit longer?"
"We're all heading back anyway, so let's walk together!"
Sasuke nodded indifferently. "Fine, together then."
He didn't mind spending time with Naruto, the future "cheat king." It was just that he'd been so busy recently that he hadn't had the time to talk much with Naruto or Sakura.
This behavior only reinforced Kakashi's and Hiruzen's impression that Sasuke's genius came with arrogance and a touch of pride in his personality.
Sakura, on the other hand, was thrilled at the chance, though she hid her excitement well.
The three of them set off together toward Konoha.
Naruto walked on the far left, hands clasped behind his head. Sasuke walked in the middle, with Sakura on the right.
"What's up with Kakashi-sensei today? He didn't assign us endless D-rank missions for once!" Naruto mused.
"Do you think the jōnin are up to something big today?"
In response, Sasuke said casually, "Probably not."
Naruto was taken aback. Sasuke actually spoke to him!
Over the past two weeks, Sasuke had barely exchanged a few words with them.
"Then what's your guess?" Naruto asked.
"Most likely, we've run out of D-rank missions in the village."
"After all, Konoha isn't that big. Using D-rank missions to train fresh graduates doesn't last forever."
Naruto froze for a moment. He hadn't considered that possibility.
"So we've finished all the D-rank missions?"
Sasuke nodded. "Probably. There's no point in continuing with D-rank missions. The next batch of graduates will need those missions to practice next year."
Naruto excitedly pumped his fist. "We finally made it through! Those damn D-rank missionsI don't want to do another one ever again!"
"Hmm!"
As they neared the village center, Sasuke glanced at the two of them and said, "That's it for today. I'm heading off."
Without waiting for a reply, Sasuke disappeared.
Sakura was a bit annoyed. She had planned to talk more with Sasuke but ended up not saying a word. Instead, it was Naruto, that idiot, who got to chat and laugh with him.
How frustrating and enviable.
Naruto also looked a bit disappointed.
"That guy never waits for someone to finish talking before leaving!"
"I was going to thank him, too!"
Naruto had wanted to thank Sasuke for what happened during the bell test but missed the chance this time.
"Guess I'll have to wait for the next opportunity."
Unbeknownst to Naruto, Sasuke wasn't thinking about him at all.
At that moment, Sasuke's mind was consumed with the thought of finding Rock Lee.
If luck was on his side, Lee and his team should still be in the village.
As long as they hadn't been sent on a mission outside the village, the chances of finding him were high.
After all, if Rock Lee wasn't on a mission, he was most likely training.
And when Lee trained, it wasn't exactly subtle. Finding him shouldn't be too difficult.
"Never give up! I have to work harder than any genius!"
"Today's goal is to run ten laps around the village. If I don't finish, I'll do 3,000 frog jumps as punishment!"
Hearing this fiery declaration, Sasuke had a feeling he'd found his target.
It turned out to be easier than he expected.
At the edge of Konoha's park, in a clearing, Sasuke spotted Rock Lee preparing to start his run around the village.
Standing nearby were two others Neji and Tenten.
Both of them were also training.
However, Sasuke completely ignored them and focused on Lee.
Just as Lee was about to speed off on his run, a kunai suddenly struck the ground right in front of him.
At the same time, Neji turned his head, and Tenten paused her training.
"Who's there?"
Lee was puzzled. After all, this was Konoha who would attack a Konoha ninja here?
Even though the kunai had missed, it might have been intentional. Or perhaps the attacker was just that bad at aiming.
In the next moment, a figure landed gracefully on a stone pillar nearby.
Sasuke stood there, hands in his pockets, looking down at Lee.
"Rock Lee?"
Lee froze for a moment. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"
Neji furrowed his brows. Judging by Sasuke's appearance, he had already figured out who this was.
The Uchiha attire there was only one person in Konoha still wearing it.
The last Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke.
From what Neji knew, Sasuke was just a newly graduated genin.
So why had he suddenly appeared here and even used a kunai to block Lee?
It seemed like Sasuke was here specifically for Lee.
But why would a member of the Uchiha clan target Lee?
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke declared.
"I've heard that among the genin who graduated a year before me, there's someone with incredibly strong taijutsu Rock Lee."
"Taijutsu happens to be my weakness, so I've come to spar with you."
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