2 Chapter 2: Ten push-ups!

"Psh, too easy!" Lee scoffed, easily agreeing to complete his first task from the system and assuming a comfortable position for it, namely, what seemed like ordinary push-ups on the floor.

Ten push-ups? No problem!

In his past life, he did many more, and judging by the memories, the original Rock wasn't physically weak either, as he constantly trained on the brink. The boy displayed himself as something of a masochist from an outsider's perspective because not being able to do one thing, the academy student instantly switched to another, often ending the day exhausted.

But he never gave up, which was commendable!

It's just a pity...

In this cruel reality, something definitely went wrong with Lee's fate...

"Alright, let's not dwell on the sad stuff!" the boy decided, deliberately tapping his forehead against the wooden floor. The fact was, he just didn't want to continue tarnishing his life with unnecessary worries. After all, the past couldn't be changed.

However, next, Lee clenched his lips, put on a confident grin of someone who wouldn't back down from the desire to become a master of martial arts, or more precisely, a master of Taijutsu.

Assuming the prone push-up position on the floor, Rock Lee exhaled, and in the next moment, he felt pressure on his back, akin to a mountain descending on him along with an ice block, not even allowing him to straighten his trembling arms. From this, his round eyes naturally bulged, and his thick black eyebrows furrowed intensely.

"What the... Does the system really throw such unimaginable difficulties at the beginning... Could they have put some damn gravity-based jutsu or magic on me?" the boy thought in genuine shock, barely managing to do one push-up, and even that with difficulty and a grinding of teeth.

After pushing up a couple more times, Lee no longer felt his arms. His body quickly went numb and barely responded, as if whispering to give up and stop squeezing out the last drops of strength while the wooden floor creaked beneath him. But was that really an option?

"I don't know... What awaits me if I fail... But if there's a penalty, I definitely don't want to fall under it..." His thoughts flowed slowly and disjointedly, while from the mouth of the real Rock, only guttural growls escaped.

It might have been much easier if chakra in his body circulated more actively, bringing vitality. But can you really make use of it under the weight of several times increased gravity, especially when it comes to such an unskilled academy student, a newcomer with no practice?

Therefore, having counted eight push-ups, Lee stopped seeing anything because sweat simply blocked his view, and his lungs struggled to take in air. His muscles threatened to cramp and convulse, as the pressure became unbearable. It seemed as though the muscle tissue would tear apart and spill blood in all directions any moment. However, fear of the unknown served as excellent motivation not to give up in the end.

And exactly on the coveted tenth push-up, some doubts crept into the boy's mind...

If there are even more hellish exercises to come, is it worth sacrificing himself? Will he end up just like the original Rock Lee? What's the point of all this? To feel like a hero and then die alone from overexertion?

Maybe it's better to finally give up...

But...

"No!" In the same moment, the current Lee exclaimed, his round eyes widening instantly and then reddening due to the sweat stinging and dripping from his forehead. He raised his heavy body in a plank position for the last time with a corresponding guttural scream, as if from the depths of hell:

"AAAAARGH!"

And then he received the coveted notification from the system, with its predominant cold and mechanical voice:

[Hellish exercise completed!]

[Congratulations, user]

[You can claim a bronze crate from your inventory]

"I didn't even get any bonuses... It really is a hellish and merciless system... Just some push-ups, but what did it lead to..." Lee immediately fell face-first into a puddle of his sweat, without the ability to even lift himself up, let alone sit up. He had been drained to the last drop.

All that was left was to catch his breath in the silence under the sun, but still rejoicing in the fact that the pressure had finally disappeared, and now Lee could at least take a moment to rest and relax.

[Name: Rock Lee]

[Shinobi Rank: Academy student]

[Health: 90%]

[Stamina: 5%]

[Chakra: 100%]

[Taijutsu Rank: C]

[Ninjutsu Rank: —]

[Genjutsu Rank: —]

[Inventory]

[List of Hellish Exercises: 3]

"Hey, how's my little boy doing?"

Suddenly, the calm was shattered by a loud and energetic voice. A man with long black hair down to his shoulders and round eyes with eyelashes that seemed to be inherited, climbed through the open window of the room. He was dressed in the typical greenish Shinobi vest, and on his forehead was a headband with the symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village. A wide, silly smile adorned his face.

Or rather, it adorned until the so-called "papa" noticed his son lying there, half-dead from exhaustion...

"Rock!"

He shouted in panic, quickly flipping over the exhausted youth and hugging him with a tragic and foolish expression, almost on the verge of tears as he exclaimed:

"Rock! I knew your insane training wouldn't lead to anything good, but... to this extent! Rock! Can you hear me? Say something, son!"

And such calf-like affections with signs of tactless shaking continued until Lee gathered his strength and whispered softly and dryly:

"Get off..."

"Oh! So, you're okay then! That's good!" the man instantly nodded, placing his son back on his feet and finally releasing him to "free swimming," even though the latter still managed to stand somewhat unsteadily.

"Rock Lee's father... named Son Lee... They never really showed him in the anime, although many parents were left off-screen..." the young man noted this detail, wiping the remnants of sweat from his face with his kimono shirt sleeve. However, he still felt dizzy and had a strong craving for sleep. Moreover, his status in the system indicated that the twelve-year-old academy student had used up a whopping 85% of his stamina during the execution of just one exercise.

But what an exercise it was! Absolutely hellish!

"All right... Rock, I understand your determination to follow in your father's footsteps, but... it will be very tough for you without Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, even as a Chunin, and don't even mention Jonin. So, you don't need to overdo it, right?"

He didn't prolong the silence between father and son, delivering what he had to. Lee, on the other hand, remained silent, not just due to his overall exhaustion but also because he didn't know how to communicate with someone who seemed close yet also distant, as that person only occasionally appeared in his unfamiliar memories.

Therefore, he only nodded but didn't take the words of the so-called perpetually busy "father" seriously.

"They don't believe in me... However, I have a bronze chest that I received as a reward after completing the first exercise. I don't know what's inside, but... with it, I might be able to rise to a higher level than some academy student Shinobi... Well, at least I hope so... Ha-ha-ha, another world and rebirth... Unbelievable foolishness..." were the conflicting thoughts currently wandering through Lee's mind.