Chapter 22: After Beating the Student, the Teacher Arrives
"Are you doing this on purpose to humiliate me?"
Lee climbed up from the ground, furious, glaring at Sasuke with unrestrained anger.
This kid… really thinks that?
"No! I haven't been hiding anything!"
"Impossible!"
Lee became even more agitated.
"If you weren't hiding your strength, then how could you have changed so much in such a short time? Even my Leaf Hurricane... was... completely..."
Sasuke dusted off his clothes nonchalantly.
He glanced at the system.
[Basic Taijutsu (Mastery)]
It had just leveled up again.
Simply by fighting with Rock Lee for such a short while, it had advanced another stage.
As expected, real combat is the fastest way to improve Taijutsu.
Training only enhances physical fitness at best.
But improving fitness and improving Taijutsu are two completely different things.
"Taijutsu? All you need is to watch carefully and think it through a bit, and you'll figure it out."
Sasuke spoke calmly.
That's exactly what he did, but to Lee, those words sounded unbearably arrogant.
"Are you saying that you can just glance at my Taijutsu and master it with ease?"
"Basically, yes."
"Hmph! Even a genius couldn't possibly pull that off!"
"Maybe the geniuses you've met just weren't good enough," Sasuke said, throwing a quick glance at Neji.
Sure, Neji was considered a prodigy of the Hyuga clan.
But compared to himself? The gap was too wide.
"I don't believe it!"
Boom!
Lee erupted in fury again.
This time, his attacks seemed fiercer than ever.
However, Sasuke displayed an even higher level of Taijutsu mastery. With a swift counter, he grabbed Lee's elbow, twisted it lightly, and followed up with a powerful kick to Lee's chest.
Bang!
Lee was sent flying and landed in stunned silence.
He had been... crushed!
Sasuke's Taijutsu had surpassed his own by a significant margin.
"How… how is this possible?"
"How is this possible!"
Lee kept muttering to himself.
It wasn't just Lee both Tenten and Neji's expressions had also changed.
A guy who had barely managed to exchange blows with Lee at the start had, in just half an hour, completely surpassed him.
His Taijutsu had become even stronger than Lee's.
So, this is what a genius looks like!
Neji clenched his fists tightly, and Tenten lightly covered her mouth in shock.
At this moment, a somewhat dazed Lee still wanted to keep trying.
But every time he struck, Sasuke countered effortlessly.
Once again, Lee was sent flying.
After several attempts, Lee's expression began to shift.
The light in his eyes had dimmed.
"Does effort... really lose to talent?"
If before, Lee had firmly believed in the value of hard work, now that belief was starting to waver.
All his painstaking training, and yet the other party had surpassed him in less than half an hour.
If things continued like this, what was the point of his hard work?
"Are you giving up just like that?"
"Idiot, don't you still have your weights on?"
Suddenly, a voice echoed. The moment it was heard, Sasuke turned quickly in that direction.
It was Might Guy!
Standing with arms crossed, he looked at Lee with a serious expression.
Hearing this, Lee snapped out of it. "That's right! I still have my weights! If I take them off, there's no way this guy can beat me!"
As he spoke, Lee prepared to remove his weights.
And this was exactly what Sasuke wanted to see.
Right now, sparring with Lee no longer allowed him to improve quickly.
If Lee got a bit stronger, it would be more effective for his own growth.
But!
"Stop, Lee!"
"This isn't a life-or-death situation; you can't take off your weights!"
Hearing this, Lee looked pained. "But, Sensei, if I don't take off my weights, I'll never…"
"Does the outcome of a sparring match matter that much?"
Lee was left speechless.
Seeing Lee's silence, Guy nodded.
The real reason he didn't allow Lee to remove his weights wasn't what he said about life-or-death situations.
It was because he feared that if Lee fought without the weights and Sasuke still quickly caught up, Lee would completely lose confidence.
Thus, Guy had to put an end to the fight.
He glanced at Sasuke.
"Uchiha Genin, please leave."
"I need to assign some tasks to my students now."
Guy initially thought Sasuke would just leave.
But having just experienced the thrill of improving his Taijutsu, Sasuke was now brimming with fighting spirit.
Might Guy had stopped Lee from sparring with him, but Sasuke wasn't willing to back down.
"Looks like you're his teacher. That means your Taijutsu must be even stronger, right?"
"If your student can't handle me, then why don't the teacher step in and fight me instead!"
Sasuke provocatively challenged Might Guy.
The moment he finished speaking, Neji was enraged.
"You bastard! Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to challenge our teacher?"
"I'll fight you myself"
"Neji, stand down!"
Guy's gaze was stern as he looked at Sasuke.
To have the guts to challenge a Jonin like him should he praise this Uchiha brat for his courage, or scold him for his lack of respect?
Whichever it was, it didn't matter.
Guy glanced at Lee, who looked disheartened. Since Sasuke had initiated the challenge, this was a good opportunity to use the fight to motivate Lee.
To help him rebuild the confidence that had been shattered moments ago.
"A Genin with the courage to challenge a Jonin!"
"You defeated my student in Taijutsu, and as his teacher, this is my responsibility. It means I didn't teach him well enough!"
"But, kid, you need to remember this doesn't mean my student is inferior to you!"
"You're talking too much. Are we going to fight or not, Jonin Might Guy?"
Sasuke's indifferent tone only added fuel to the fire.
Guy felt a flicker of irritation but, as a Jonin, kept his composure.
"Lee! Watch carefully. Taijutsu isn't just about talent!"
"Taijutsu requires more time and effort to refine than any Ninjutsu. Talent is only a small part of the equation!"
Sasuke quickly understood. This guy wasn't looking to seriously fight him he wanted to use this opportunity to help Lee regain his confidence.
But that didn't matter to Sasuke.
For him, fighting Might Guy would undoubtedly accelerate his Taijutsu improvement.
With his natural talent, Sasuke was confident he could quickly learn and absorb even more from Guy.
But first, he needed to prepare.
Slowly closing his eyes, Sasuke took a deep breath.
Then, suddenly, he opened them.
Sharingan!
Activate!
The two-tomoe Sharingan appeared in Sasuke's eyes.
The moment Guy saw the Sharingan, he froze in surprise.
"This kid… he's already awakened the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai, and not just a single-tomoe Sharingan he's at the two-tomoe stage!"
"And yet, in his fight with Lee earlier, he didn't use it at all. Is he really such a monster?"
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